#so while everyone else takes UI’s silence as telling

[shkika]

I just hope you don’t come to regret it..

You can think of this comic as a part 2 to the UI leaking the rot comic. Please check it out! (x)

[mateasha]

rendevous 18.6y

summary: chikage shows up at the front door of MANKAI after disappearing from the face of the Earth for 3 years. itaru is not happy. fandom: a3 pairing: chikage x itaru word count: 5516 tags:  original characters for the sake of plot, friends to strangers to lovers, angst, fluff, flashbacks, mentions of death, bad attempts at action, bad attempts at comedy

chapter 1: realizations He should be happy for him. Chikage is okay. Chikage is alive, and didn’t… just go somewhere and do god knows what, (which, well, he already did, didn’t he.) but at least it isn’t anything bad, he’s safe and sound and maybe the troupe members will be overjoyed to hear how he’s been doing...

Out of respect, no one has ever taken their spots in their respective troupes.

He observes him even harder from the lounge area in the office, a good break, he thinks, as he grinds some gacha game with his husbando, a little tired from staring at the stupidly “gendered” pink UI with the characters flying across the screen. 

He’s happy. He looks healthy— maybe skin even glowing brighter than ever.

And it’s good for him. It’s amazing to see how happy Chikage looked, “laughing” with his friends, almost heartwarming to see Chikage doing just fine. Why wouldn’t he be? He’s talented, strong, mentally adept, better than h—

He stops that train of thought immediately.

He was happy. So then Itaru should be happy. Even if he was that stupid, unromantic senpai that always was offstandish with just a bit unromantic caring for others when he felt like it.

At least, should be.

He watches as his coworkers walk around him, slinging their arms around each other in camaraderie, as one of them asks him out for drinks after picking up lunch. His smile is almost as wide as he remembers when he figured out Hisoka was alive. And innocent.

He watches Chikage and he doesn’t look back, walking into the elevator without him, because he works on this floor. It’s fine.

But it’s just so fucking funny, when all he wants is just another word, just a reason why he left without even asking Spring Troupe, or literally anyone else for help. He would even trade his life for Hisoka’s, even though he knows that wouldn’t make anyone happy. Well, maybe Chikage. He could go off into some sunset with him and run away from whatever responsibilities he wanted to not deal with. Like Itaru. Izumi. The others. 

He wants to scream out so bad, just for him to come back, but he can’t, like that stupid horror novel that made him feel like shit and all existential for no reason. He feels like he can talk to him about everything, in a sense. Which would make sense, of course, if they were still close. Roommates. But he could only do that in a world where Hisoka is still alive.

—

Chikage knows he’s here.

Why? 

Intuition.

Not really. He looks at him, but chooses not to “look”.

But when he sees his face, almost heartbroken, which is almost questionable. He wants to ignore him so bad. Just move on. Easier said than done, when every week you see him share out information with the company execs.  A Chikage-senpai, no more.

He wants to move on so bad.

But everytime he goes to bed, he can’t stop thinking. He crosses another day off the calendar, it’s been three years, almost three and a half years. 

He tears down his calendar. Who the fuck uses those anyways?

He tries to move on.

But of course, when you have something good, and it gets taken away, you want it back, right? You throw a tantrum like a little child at first, like a baby crying for their pacifier their mom took away from them. Then, you silence yourself, deny you ever wanted it in the first place. But you can’t stop wanting more, wanting it back. You yearn for it so hard that it hurts, almost twists your heart into a fucking pretzel, your stomach bubbling like the filter of the damn fish tank in your too-large-for-one-person office— thanks Boss, not complaining— but you can’t have it. You ignore it.

He knows he wouldn’t be able to deal with it again. It was all his fucking fault. He slams his hand on the desk again, before opening up his work computer.

His vision is hazy, like the only thing he can see is his hands, just a foot in front of him, trying to find his ground, but all that runs through his mind is, “it’s your fucking fault you idiot stupid you shouldve worked harder to protect everyone, cant even do that” it turns out harder than expected. 

But it’s not his first time at the rodeo, of course. He picks up the stack of paperwork, straightening it all into a neat little tower of paper, before typing away with a nasty scowl on his face.

He can’t accept this.

—

It’s his anniversary.

Chikage is on “vacation”. If your definition of “vacation” is sitting in a fancy car in suburban Tokyo, near Veludo Way. He already regrets his decision. Closure, my ass, he thinks to himself as he drives his car. 

He’d already picked up tickets to their show in a month. Itaru is the lead this time. He searched it up, but it seemed not to have anything that Spring Troupe would do. Minagi always changes it up. 

Maybe visiting his grave today wasn’t the best idea, Chikage asks himself with a slight melancholy in his inside head voice which he wants to shut up— so he tells it to shut up with its own voice (which of course, would never work, because he’s telling himself to 

shut up).

Chikage doesn’t know what to say. Do people speak out loud to their graves? No disrespect to them, but not for him.

In their head? He tries it, kneeling down a bit to the headstone, setting down a bag of marshmallows.

Hisoka. I don’t believe in God or reincarnation, or whatever religion. But I want to give the universe, no matter how little it cares, the benefit of the doubt. I hope you’re in nirvana, heaven, or reincarnated into some “cute” baby in whatever country, eating marshmallows. I never understood that. It’s not like I needed to. I guess. But wherever you are, I hope you’re up there. With August. 

He shakes his head, like a dog shaking off water, except instead of water, it’s a somber liquid covering him, coating him in some syrupy hotness that feels like the embodiment of orange with speckles of blue.

He gets up and turns around to head back to his car.

“...Utsuki. It’s been quite a while.” He pulls up the cuffs of his outfit.

 He’s not surprised to see him here. Arisugawa. He looks the same, the same haircut, the same outfit, same everything. He’s happy to see he’s been doing well.

“...I���m not surprised to see you here. You were his roommate, after all.”

“Yes, yes, indeed I was. Was is the word I want to put emphasis on.” It’s like he reminded himself of what happened. “Why? Why come back here after all this time?”

“I was just… reminded.” He straightens his back, as if it wasn’t straight in the first place, almost scoliosis levels of effort into “straightening” posture, as if to become more defensive.

“Are you going to interrogate me, at least? Inquire about the troupe? How well has it been faring?”

“... I don’t think I need to.” He’s reminded of the last time he went to watch a play. Around Christmas time— where he could take enough time off.

Minagi always does well. Sakuma is always just so passionate you can feel it through the character. Usui is always perfect, staring back at the Director in approval. Chigasaki… is…

He interrupts his own thoughts just to respond to Arisugawa, who’s been waiting for another word for 3 seconds at least. “I saw the play around Christmas. Well done. Very much so.”

“We are all aware Minagi-san always does an amazing job. Why, he is at the same level as me. But of course, I must come here and mourn every once in a while.” He walks past Chikage to look at Hisoka’s grave. “These marshmallows were his favorite brand, Chikage.”

“I know.”

A moment of silence ensues as Homare places a bouquet of anemone on the grave.

“Come back.”

“What?” Chikage is almost startled as he looks down at Homare, squatting at the grave.

“Come back.”

“You know I can’t.”

“You can, and you have always been able.” 

“I can’t. Arisu. What am I meant to say to everyone? ‘Oh, I left for 3 years, haha big surprise now I’m back!’ They’re them. I’m me. They don’t need me.” Chikage laughs nervously. Nervously? He calms his nerves— at least tries to, conflicted on what to do, because it’s been a while since he’s been like this.

“It’s what Hisoka would have wanted. We all need breaks.” The mention of Hisoka alarms Chikage, and makes his voice venom tipped.

“Don’t even try to bring up that fucking sleepyhead.”

“My, your language. This place is sacred.” He doesn’t even seem phased by his biting tone or his venomous words, just continuing to talk to him as normal— at least normal to him. “But you must admit… he would want you to keep acting. He was very, practically fully aware that you enjoyed what you did immensely.”

“I don’t care. It was good to talk to you again. See you around.” He storms off before Homare calls out for him again.

“Just… take this.” He hands him a card, Chikage acquiescing halfheartedly, already thinking about throwing away that flimsy card. “Call the number if you ever yearn for us too much.”

Chikage doesn’t say anything back— at least doesn’t feel the need to.

—

“Itaru?” The rest of the Spring Troupe knocks at his door, mostly Sakuya’s voice piercing through the little symphony of voices piping up just in an effort to wake up Itaru. (If he’s asleep of course— sleeping now to save energy for ranking all night.) “We have pizza?” Masumi looks at the noticeable lack of pizza in their hands, which, knowing Itaru, would make him close that damn door again.

Tsuzuru knocks on the door again, Izumi coming by, looking at them with a puzzled look on her face. “...Can I ask what you guys are doing or is it private?”

“Itaru hasn’t come out of his room in like… a week.” Tsuzuru takes out his phone to check the phone date to see if he’s actually not come out of his room for a week. “Yeah. A week.”

“And why is that surprising? He’s probably ranking.” Izumi almost has a visible question mark hovering over her head, that would be drawn over her if they were in an anime. “Although he should be working on his role… he is the lead after all.”

“Yeah, but I know that he has no thanking to do for this week!” Citron looks almost frustrated, going to the door to bang on it before Sakuya holds him back, calming him down. “I wanna play with him…”

“Ranking.” Tsuzuru mumbles through the word, correcting him.

“Ranking!”

Izumi parts them into two to make her way to the door, knocking harder. “Chigasaki! Get out of the room before I break in!” No response. “...Itaru?” Izumi grabs a keychain from her pocket, with the master key. “I’m coming in.” She unlocks the door quickly, opening the door, being blasted with a rank scent— the scent of body odor (which isn’t surprising now that he’s alone) but when it’s festered and accumulated for a month. Which is terrible considering he’s only been in there for a week.

“...Yes?” Itaru sits up in his loft bed. “...Oh.” He gets down from the loft bed, his hair almost matted to his face, with oil stains and chip crumbs all over his t-shirt. “...Hi.”

“Itaru.”

“Director…?”

“Take a bath. Come back here. We are going to talk, because you haven’t let it get this bad in a while.”

“...Whatever you say.”

When Itaru takes a shower, he doesn’t feel refreshed— rather just a clean feeling taking him with the same unidentifiable emotion. Probably a mixture of disappointment, discontentment, and self-loathing; which isn’t a particularly new mixture but it’s almost defeating this time, for no damn reason. Well, he does know the reason, but he refuses to acknowledge the idea, even entertaining it. Calling in sick to work because he just didn’t feel like going isn’t going to last forever, especially when He is practically his boss. He doesn’t want to get fired of course. He did just lose another job, so getting fired now isn’t the best idea.

Itaru picks up his phone on his way out of the bath, and turns on his phone to check his waifus this time, at first checking out his Best Girl. Humans are complicated, he says to himself, as he taps though some loading messages and downloading messages. He thinks back to work before getting interrupted by Izumi, who’s staring at him from inside his dorm, picking up trash and stuffing them into her makeshift trash bag, which is really just a plastic bag from the convenience store. “Itaru, come in. It’s your dorm after all.” He walks in unwillingly, hit by the smell he produced himself. He even wonders how he can take it.

Izumi wants to talk, he knows that much, as he feels the type of anxiety coming on when he gets the message, “we need to talk”. He hasn’t gotten it that often, but he does definitely freeze up. He definitely isn’t that stupid to not get a hint. Maybe. Izumi starts speaking after a moment of silence.

“So… Can we talk about this? You’ve never let it get this bad… even you have standards.” She glares at the side of the room that’s basically caked in chip bags, surrounded by an anime summoning circle made of chip crumbs. 

“Do I have to?”

“Listen… this can’t go on forever. Just… talk about it. My lips are sealed!” She “zips” her mouth shut and throws away the invisible key from her hands. Itaru knows she isn’t going to leave without an answer— which is just the type of person she is— determined for no good reason. He can’t understand why Izumi is still here, even “helping” him clean. Helping in quotation marks because Itaru’s splayed out on his couch, head hanging off an armrest.

He holds out his phone to tweet something on his streamer Twitter, like “sorry for not streaming i was sick” which is convincing, until he realizes Banri follows him. Fucking NEO. Whatever. He sends it anyway.

“Can you keep it down? I don’t know what emotion you’re gonna feel when I tell you whatever has gotten me so… down. But I know you’re gonna scream about it, which I don’t want to hear.” Itaru scrolls through his personal, looking at fanart of his main games staring at a couple to just appreciate the artistry. Talent.

“I told you. Lips are sealed!”

He adds a snarky tone to his voice. “Someone with their lips zipped together wouldn’t be able to talk.” Itaru smirks.

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

“LOL. Do you seriously, most definitely, want to hear me out?”

“Yes. Obviously? I’m cleaning your room just to buy myself time so you don’t kick me out.”

“Good strat. Whatever.” He goes to the training section, sacrificing some of his cards in the name of evolving his best girl. “I got laid off, remember?”

“Yeah.”

“And I got a new job, remember?”

“Mmmhm.”

“So I got hired as an assistant to this high up exec, which is like… hell yeah. Level up from that old company.”

“Didn’t you just get hired? I don’t think being absent for a week is a good look for your Refreshing Handsome Man persona. Trademark.”

Itaru laughs.“I— Well… Yeah? But I just didn’t want to go because of a certain person.”

“Do we have to beat someone up?”

“No. But guess who it was.”

“... Was it someone from highschool?”

“It was Chikage-san.”

“...Chika—“ Izumi puts her own hand over her mouth to shut herself up because of the up and coming scream that is about to pierce the skies.

“You heard me right.”

“...Yeah, I definitely did.” Izumi almost has a solemn tone, a tacit agreement of how they should be feeling about this.

“I just… I don't think I’m ready to see him. Mentally preparing for what shitshow might go on. Seeing him drained all my LP in a split second. And this week is me recharging, and a little more. Like I need it to overflow this time, like when I claim daily login quests for them.”

“Makes sense. Well… nothing you can do about it, right?” Izumi sounds a bit defeated, tying up the trash she’s picked up in the convenience store plastic bag, taking out another one and cleaning up again. “Just… deal with it till you can find a new job. Or… you could bring him back here. I want to— need to talk to him.”

“Mmm. I don’t want to do it.” Itaru sounds even more defeated, like he was born with that stupid Archeops abiltity. 50% HP lost already, and he’s not ready to lose that other half. “But if it comes to that… Sure. I’ll try. Not very hard of course.”

“Yeah, yeah, Itaru. You keep doing that.” She picks up some more trash before Tsumugi looks through the door. 

“Director-san?”

“Tsumugi?”

“Someone is at the door.”

“I’ll get it.” Tsumugi leaves quickly to his dorm. “Itaru. Finish cleaning. Get the broom and sweep that damn pile of chips. We can’t deal with another infestation. Sakyo is gonna get so mad at you and me, and we don’t want another wifi outage caused by him. Also… please remember the play. I know that we aren’t super close to opening night, but this one has to be one of our more intricate ones, okay? Study your role well.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ve been doing that in here too.” Itaru follows Izumi out of the room, heading to the lounge to grab the dustpan and broom lying in the corner of the kitchen. Itaru takes it, wondering how much money it would cost for Itaru to get a damn maid around here. 

But he wouldn’t want anyone to see his room, of course, as he gets almost scared of someone walking in, and seeing his shelf of games, and his cute and sexy gamer setup. Not the right choice of words, but it’s cute and sexy to him. (He also doesn’t want anyone to wash his body pillow of his waifu, or see it, matter of fact. Plus, he’s worked to make it so comfortable he can sleep instantly with it.)

Itaru heads back to his dorm, the door still open, sweeping up the chips, and spraying some damn Febreeze in there. Hawaiian breeze, or some other tropical scent will do. He hears frantic footsteps from the lounge, Izumi holding onto the doorframe.

“Itaru!” She stands up straight. “Chikage… is here. At the dorms with us.”

“What?” 

Chikage pops up behind her, with a small suitcase in hand. Less of popping up, but more of fully revealing himself behind her.

“Please don’t tell me he’s moving back in.”

—

Chikage is less than aware of the reasons he’s here, before regrouping himself and making some stupid mental list in his mind. Thanks, self-help/business book that his boss gave him. He leads up the events in his mind.

Chikage gets a call from the landlord of his apartment building. 

The landlord tells him that the rooms are flooded because some guy on the upper floor took such a big shit that it flooded the entire apartment complex. How does one even do that?

He is distressed. He goes to book a hotel.

All the hotel rooms are booked again.

Chikage, understandably, gets angry. He drives back to pick up some non-wet stuff. He can sleep in a car for a night.

He starts it up, and it doesn’t start. His car is broken.

He kicks the tire in frustration, and the side metal plate just falls off. He sighs in the ultimate defeat.

He now has nowhere else to stay— hotels are all booked and reserved for the waves of plays about to be released. His hideout is not an option— he doesn’t have much of a bed in there, or actual facilities he needs. No wifi.

Chikage is reminded of the conversation he and Arisugawa had back at… there.

He comes back with a damn Uber.

He sits down at the couch, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in more than frustration at what situation he’s gotten himself into, already regretting his decision.

Izumi runs back, opening the lounge door. “...Chikage-san!” She goes to the kitchen. “It’s… a pleasure to see you back here. It’s pretty late. Almost everyone has gone to sleep. Tea?”

“Sure. Lavender, thank you.” Chikage is fidgeting, which is super out of whatever character he plays, almost struggling to not have a tone when he says his next words. “I’d… hope no one else is awake.” He thinks back to Itaru, but forces the thought of him out. “How has it been?”

“Not the same without you and… yeah.” Izumi looks down at her own cup, the teabag soaking. “Why are you here anyways? You just… disappeared.”

Chikage swallows his pride for just a little bit longer. “My apartment is flooded. My stuff is fine but I can’t stay there for now. Every hotel is booked here. My car is broken because I’ve been forsaken. I can’t stay anywhere else. I need to stay here.”

“...Well… you’re always welcome here anyways. You’ll always be a part of us, even when you don’t think you are.” Izumi takes a sip of her now finished tea. “Well… I know this might be uncomfy but for now, our only open room is 103.” He gets flashbacks to the number, when he got assigned it the first time he came here. “I don’t want to put you in 205. Homare has been doing a lot of stuff in there ever since.” Izumi pauses. “...And I know how you might feel about it.”

“I see. Well… I’ll take what I can get, no?” He sighs. “Beggars can’t be choosers.” He takes a long sip of his lavender tea. Nothing has really changed, he observes, as he looks around slowly taking everything back in. The smell is even familiar, which might just be the smell of lavender tea, but he doesn’t really think so. But an air about it doesn’t have as much life as it used to— which he might attribute to the fact that it’s now 12:30 am, but he knows deep in his subconscious the real reason.

Izumi smiles wide. “Great. I’ll lead you there. Itaru is cleaning right now.”

—

Yes, it is awkward, Itaru confirms to himself— something he doesn’t even need to do when Chikage is literally just typing away at his computer, as Itaru fiddles with his phone up in the air, playing some new KniRoun thing. Great. Lancelot is idly whacking at some large dragon on his phone screen, while Chikage’s loud typing begins to fill up more and more of his headspace until Itaru finally gets over the air that’s as thick as butter. “Can you type… quieter? Please?”

Fuck. That is not how he meant to say it. “...sure.” Itaru is surprised, doing a little “Oh.” to himself. He expected more resistance, especially with his tone.

Chikage can almost feel Itaru’s eyes burn into the back of his skull, which would almost be fitting for him and those damn carnelian eyes. “If you want me to leave, I can leave. I understand you have to do that ranking thing, or whatever.”

“Don’t act like you care, Utsuki.” Itaru just keeps fumbling with his tone, always going a little too biting. Which he should probably stop, when he’s basically talking to his boss. Technically. Not really his boss, because he’s been appointed to Chikage. They’re supposed to be working together. But it’s not like Chikage has power in a setting that is now his. He’s in Itaru’s domain. “You never cared about my ranking in the first place.”

“Can we fucking not today? Be happy I’m even dealing with you.”

Itaru shuts up immediately. He isn’t going to do this today. Or ever. He turns on his side to try to ignore whatever that cabbage head is doing on his laptop. But he doesn’t. He looks at the laptop, already looking for hotels to stay at, and sending out emails, with some decryptor on the side. Itaru isn’t one for confrontation. He knows he’s less than welcome with Chikage’s presence— which he can’t understand.

But Itaru is already tired— be it from the event that just happened, or the fact that it’s 1 am. Which is baby hours for him. He goes to do some final things, use his stamina, the sorts, and lets his body drift away.

—

Itaru wakes up midday, as usual for a weekend, and for some reason, Chikage is still there, typing away. He climbs down from his loft bed, stretching a bit and going to turn his computer on. 

It seems like a normal weekend to Itaru, except for the fact that he’s here now. For whatever reason.

“Have you been awake this entire time?”

“...What’s it matter to you?” Chikage doesn’t even look back or stutter in his typing.

“Nothing, I was just wondering. Jeez.” Itaru doesn’t even want to try to fight back with the man who could snap his neck in 0.5 seconds. He walks out into the atrium, heading to the kitchen to grab some food from Omi, who had probably covered some leftovers from breakfast in plastic wrap, and probably already getting lunch ready.

“Itaru. Good morning to you!” Omi speaks to Itaru from the counter, giving him a smile.

“Thanks.” He grabs the leftover breakfast for a nice brunch.  Izumi comes through the door with some bags of groceries for the next week.

“Itaru! Let’s talk later, okay? Practice is soon. We don’t want you to be absent this time. As the lead, you have the most importance for the play, and we need you to—“

“I know. I’ve been studying this role, okay? I just can’t seem to wrap my head around it.” 

“And that’s why we should talk.” Izumi looks serious again, the look she gave him last night when cleaning his dumpster room. “It’s nothing serious. Just sit down here.”

“I have things to attend to, Director.” Itaru looks smug, and walks towards the door, plate in hand. 

“I swear it’ll be quick!”

“Can’t we just do it in my room? Omi is here, and if it’s so serious, we should talk about it in a private place.”

“You’re gonna be distracted if we do it in your room. Just follow me to mine.”

“Ugh…” He walks over to Izumi, and follows her to her room, pulling out a chair for Itaru and she sits on her bed. “So…?”

“So… guess what…” Izumi’s voice is light, like she’s trying to break something to him slowly but surely.

“Don’t tell me. Is he going to be staying for a while?”

“...Damn.”

“You have to be kidding me, Izumi. Like I can’t believe you would do this to me. Rooming me with my boss.” He puts his back over the chair he’s sitting in, like a standard damsel in distress, woe is him. “Woe is me! All I know is pain and suffering.” 

“You might be an actor but that was not an opening night performance.” Izumi laughs. “It might be for a while so bear with me. It’ll be until at least closing night.”

“... At least closing night?” Itaru is confused. “Why does he even need to stay in here?”

“Well… His apartment is flooded. Some guy took a fat shit in the toilet on the upper floors and now his apartment is flooded with toilet water. Hotels are booked for a while, Godza n’ all the other performances. People do book hotel rooms months in advance here.”

“Well, that’s tough. Why not put him with Homa—“ He stops and realizes what he’s going to say. “Oh.”

“Right.”

“Well, can’t he drive? Like… to a place with hotels?”

“Well, his car is broken. Listen, even if he did get it fixed, it’s the least we can do for him. He tried his best, Itaru. Everyone… grieves differently and it’s not in our place to judge him, no? Even if it was self-destructive…”

“Yeah, by hurting us? That’s his grief? Why’d you even let him stay? He doesn’t act, he wouldn’t do shit around here. Do you think he’ll come back? After three and a half years, no goodbye, just a complete disappearance? I don’t see how you can forgive some old cabbage head like that. He’s not even part of MANK—“

“Itaru, can you shut the fuck up? Like, actually.” Itaru immediately shuts up in almost prey-like fear. ”You of all people should know what it felt like when he left, and after everything that went down.” Izumi is absolutely fuming, like steam is coming out of her ears, getting up and turning away and looking at the bookshelf. “Do you know what it feels like? I worked so hard for this— to build this up from when it was failing to a place where we can stay and lean on each other and you… you of all people should know what the hell that feels like.”

“Izumi, I—“ He gets up, reaching out for a bit.

“I’m not finished.” Izumi is tearing up and getting more red by the second, like she’s going to burst. “How do you think I feel about all this? Chikage is back. It’s overwhelming, Itaru. It reminded me of Hisoka, and what would MANKAI be if he was still here but he isn’t. He’s not back. He won’t ever, and when we find an old member like Chikage, I will always accept him back in, even if he’s not committed to the acting gig. It’s almost like we’re completing ourselves again.”

“I understand that, but—“ Itaru can barely get a word in.

“He’s staying there. I don’t want any backtalk from you, Itaru. Have a good evening.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Just go.” She sits back down, her back turned to Itaru as he walks out.

Itaru feels bad. I mean, who wouldn’t, but he didn’t expect Izumi to take it that hard. Itaru has every right to say that he doesn’t want him in his room, feeling no remorse for making Izumi almost cry from pure anger, walking slowly back to the room. Omi stares at him as he goes through the kitchen. 

“...Food?”

“Nah. Not hungry, I want some chips.”

“Don’t overindulge. It’s almost dinner anyways.”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks Omi.”

He walks out of the kitchen and back to his room, still thinking about Izumi. Izumi is angry. Izumi is more than angry at him and it was because of him— which has never happened before and he is distraught. 

He walks back into the room and no one is there. Bless. Today his room feels a bit more lonely, even though there’s more stuff in it, looking to his left to see the duffel bag of clothes with his desk underneath the loft bed already set up with tons of electronics. What is he even doing? He takes a look at Chikage’s stuff before he comes back.

Another laptop? A walkie-talkie… and the thing that catches his eye the most is a picture of MANKAI, and behind that, a picture of Hisoka and Chikage. Itaru remembers taking this photo, looking closer at it. Okay, now he really feels bad, he thinks as he looks at the photo more and more.

If he missed us that much then why didn’t he come back?

The door opens and he shuffles as fast as he can to the couch, posing in one of the most awkward positions.

“...H-hey, Utsuki-senpai.”

“Hm.”

He quickly walks past, suspiciously looking at Itaru as if he was a cat that pushed something off a desk while their owner was gone. Itaru quickly skitters to his desk, starting up his computer. The room feels a bit more lively with both of them in it, even if they’re both just trying to ignore each other, something within the room metamorphosing, like something is changing. He shakes the thought out of his head quickly before he slumps into his chair to get into the Gamer Position (trademarked by Itaru himself) and getting his software up.

Itaru needs to stream today. Not really— he didn’t announce anything, but he has to feed his fans some sort of content. He gets ready to film something, anything. He picks a random game and starts filming a bit, Chikage in the room completely tuning Itaru out and vice versa. 

Chikage slowly drifts off to sleep for once, but this time, it’s a deep sleep. chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 4 / chapter 5 / chapter 6

[readyplayerhobi]

Starfire | 05

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Sci-Fi, adventure, angst, future smut

; Word Count: 7.2k

; Synopsis: The schism that broke the galaxy began, as it usually does, over a disagreement. The resultant civil war has raged for hundreds of years. When a ragtag group of travellers discovers something that could turn the tide of war, for good or for worse, the bonds of friendship and love will be tested.

; A/N: Another part! :D Please read and enjoy because I still love writing this series so much and the character are so wonderful! If you do read, pleeeease reblog so that others can see too and leave me wonderful comments so I can get excited too or leave me asks! I finished this chapter because someone reblogged Starfire and left me wonderful comments so I just had to finish this!

Previous Chapter ; Next Chapter

-

“Approaching Mikanis space now Captain,” Taehyung said clearly, his gaze focused on the holoscreen in front of him as it fed him statistics from the Starfire. Or Fury as she was known now. “Contacting Mikanis traffic control now.”

Everyone on the bridge was stiff with nerves, glancing between each other awkwardly. This would be the true test to discover if Jungkook truly had done the ship ID change correctly. The name from the hull had already been removed when you’d taken a brief stop out of hyperspace before carrying on, removing the legacy and providing a cover for you all.

It now proclaimed her to be Fury in bright and bold letters, though the name wouldn’t stand up to an intense physical inspection of the ship herself. There were too many things on board that were labelled with her original name and none of you had had the time to scour through and change everything so carefully. Nor could you, realistically. 

There was a reason that changing ship IDs was illegal and could only be done by officials. It was too time consuming and costly. But it wasn’t a choice for you all, it was simply a way to try and survive. All you could hope was that the ID would check out on their end and they wouldn’t have any reason to look further.

A quick turn of your head lets you take in Namjoon’s face as he sits silent, body leaning to the side as his fingers rest against his mouth. He looked the picture of calm and patience, but you can tell he’s more nervous than he's letting on. For everyone else’s sake you bet.

“Mikanis TC, this is Fury. Request permission for lane position and docking at Craila City.” Taehyung says, his voice steady. His fingers dart over the keyboard as he inputs the ID code that Jungkook had given him, denoting Fury’s identity and information for Mikanis traffic control to look over.

There’s the tiniest pause that heightens the tension on the bridge even more before a deep drawl dances over the bridge. “Mikanis TC to Fury, permission is granted. Lane eighteen, position nine. Please navigate to docking station twelve at Craila City. Welcome to Mikanis.”

The exhale of everyone onboard is audible, with Jin even running his hands down his face as he stands with Jisoo towards the door. Namjoon’s closed his eyes in relief while Taehyung has a smile of his own as your heart beats frantically. You input the directions for Taehyung once you receive them before turning around to gesture at Jungkook.

“Looks like it worked Jungkook.” The android looks at you with widened eyes and you smile gently in response, watching as he visibly calms down in front of you. A slight nod is all he gives though, trying to blend into the wall behind him to avoid interaction with others. He was still so nervous and shy, and you weren’t sure how to break that habit.

“Where is Craila City?” You ask, frowning over at Namjoon as he leans back in his seat. He looks at you with a carefully blank face before sighing quietly, running his fingers through his hair and messing it up thoroughly. Despite telling him to sleep, he’d evidently chosen to ignore your request because he still has some impressive dark circles going on under his eyes.

“Akati. It’s one of the newer megacities, only a century old. It’s in the north but situated more towards the coastline so the weather’s not quite as extreme as the desert. Downside though is that it’s really windy. Other than that, it’s your typical Mikanian shit hole.” His words are barbed and your brows rise in amusement.

You’d only looked into a few of their cities when researching them, and you’d never visited Mikanis before so it was going to be an experience for you. “What? Don’t like cities?” You tease lightly, knowing that Namjoon had come from a much more sparsely populated planet.

“That’s got nothing to do with it. I just don’t like cities where a half a billion people live in it and you have to live with the knowledge that if the shield falls then you’ll all probably die. Plus, it’s full of the kind of people you don’t want to meet.” He responds dryly.

Jimin snorts suddenly, causing you both to look over to him. “You mean like us? We may not murder people but we still do illegal shit. Especially now. In fact...we’re probably doing the most illegal thing in the entire universe right now thanks to him,” He points to Jungkook. “Anyway, I like Mikanis. It’s a place that doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. You can get whatever the fuck you want there.”

You frown slightly. “We need to be careful though. Mikanis has the highest death rate in the known galaxy for a reason.” Jimin just rolls his eyes in response as if you’d just told him a really stupid joke or something.

“Yeah, ‘cos they don’t take kindly to fools. You’re either honest in Mikanis or dead. And by honest, I mean lying your fucking ass off. Don’t trust anyone down there. They’d sell their own mother if it got them something.” His tone is dry and you laugh quietly.

“Sounds great. Anyway, where’s Chungha?” The question is directed back at Namjoon and he looks back up with raised brows, his full lower lip being chewed by white teeth. A visible sign of nerves now.

“She’s a weapon’s engineer at Artica Industries; it’s in Craila, on the surface.” Jimin whistles lowly before you can even say anything, causing everyone to look at him once more. He looks suitably impressed though, and you wonder why.

“Care to explain why you look like you’ve just had ten women strip naked right here for you?” You ask, causing him to grin lasciviously as he wiggles his eyebrows at you before straightening his face back out.

“Yeah, the captain’s lovergirl must be hot shit. Artica is one of the biggest weapons manufacturers in the galaxy and they’re at the cutting edge when it comes to laser and plasma. They mostly work in ship weapons so they get to play with some fun toys that cause big booms. They’re also ridiculously fucking rich, hence why they’re on the surface of Mikanis. Only the 1% gets to live there,” He pauses before looking at Namjoon with a raised brow. “They also have contracts with both TAS and UIS.”

His words land heavy in the bridge, causing you to look at Namjoon as your blood runs icy in your veins. Without even thinking, you’re shaking your head in denial. “No, no Namjoon. Do not tell me that you’ve taken us to the one fucking place in the galaxy that can not only turn us in to both fucking TAS and UIS but can also probably blow us the fuck away if we try to run?!”

“Chungha wouldn’t do that! I told you, she owes me.” He protests loudly, holding his hands out pleadingly while you glare at him.

“You’re putting a lot of faith on someone just because she owes you for something years ago. Someone who you think still has feelings for you. What if she doesn’t? We may as well have just stayed and let ourselves get killed! Did Hoseok really almost kill himself for no reason?!” You hiss at him, words quiet and filled with anger while everyone stays in awkward silence.

“I’m putting myself on the line here. Please, trust me. I know you all have no reason to after everything that’s happened but...I trust her. I do. I know it didn’t end good last time but...please. She’s the one person I can think of that can help. Like I said...she’s well connected.” Namjoon stands and looks at everyone, his face serious while his eyes gleam with desperate persuasion.

“She better be,” Yoongi growls, glaring at his captain. “Because if you’ve just taken us from a bad situation to a worse situation, I’ll be really pissed off.” 

Lisa nods next to him, her eyes narrowed fiercely and you sigh loudly, gesturing for everyone to calm down. “Okay guys...come on. We’ll just...we’ll take it slow okay? Namjoon and I will go to Chungha alone, scope her out and see if she’s willing to go along with us. Taehyung and Rose, you two stay on board and keep her ready to go if we need to run. Jin, Jisoo, I want you two to go out and see if you can find us whatever we need to upgrade Starfire. I want her faster, harder and able to hit harder too if possible. Take the money from the communal funds, you’ll all get your money back I swear but I think this is more important right now. Yoongi and Lisa, you two go out and get provisions for us all. That includes weapons. Jimin, you’re backing us up. All good with everyone?”

A glance around the room has everyone nodding slowly and you let out a deep breath of relief. It was always good when the crew didn’t argue over something, but there was nothing for them to argue over this time. They either did what they were told, or you all died.

Jungkook suddenly spoke up and your eyes widened as you looked at him with guilt rushing through you as you realised that you’d somehow managed to forget him. “I have run through the list of businesses operating on Craila...there is a Magi owned store there. I...I have been doing some research on Magi...I have a list of items that I think I could use to help Hoseok heal faster. If...if someone would be willing to go get them for me? I don’t think I should leave the ship.”

Everyone stays quiet for a moment before looking at you gingerly, wondering how you’ll take that. But you just smile softly, your heart racing hard as you imagined seeing Hoseok awake once more when you get back to the ship and you knew that you’d do anything for him.

“Sure. Give it to Yoongi and Lisa. If you’d be okay with doing a detour?” You ask them both, expecting them to complain about being asked to do something by an android. Lisa was still angry with him but Yoongi had slowly been mellowing out. He wasn’t really the kind to hold a grudge, and you knew that if accepted Jungkook then Lisa would eventually too.

But to your surprise, they both nod immediately with completely serious looks on their faces. “Of course. We’d do anything to help Hoseok if we can.” Yoongi says and you bite your lip to try and stop the rush of emotions from showing on your face.

It doesn’t work evidently, given the way Lisa’s eyes soften and she gives you her own sweet smile as she nods. “He’s gonna be okay, we all know it.”

Everyone nods and you lower your head momentarily, clenching your fists before taking a long and slow breath. Nodding to yourself, you look back up at everyone and smile brightly before slapping your thighs firmly.

“Right. Then everyone get ready for what you have to do. Taehyung and I will get Starfi-I mean...Fury, docked and I want everyone to be ready to leave within five minutes of docking. Is that okay Namjoon?” You ask, looking at your captain for confirmation that he was okay with your commanding of everyone.

He smiles though, appreciation in his gaze at you bringing the crew round so quickly and nods himself. “Yeah. You heard her, get moving.”

-

The crew scatters once you’ve docked, hurrying off to do their own chores while also hoping to get in a bit of free time if possible. Neither you nor Namjoon would begrudge them any if they could find it, as long as they didn’t get themselves in trouble that they couldn’t get out of.

It was the last thing you all needed right now for someone to get locked up for something stupid.

The climate of Craila City was oddly hot and humid, leading to you stripping off the faux leather jacket you’d donned and wrapping it tightly around your waist. It helped to cover your weapon but also let your arms get some much needed air. Namjoon was evidently choosing to suffer, keeping his own coat on while black sunglasses covered his eyes.

“You look like you’re going to walk the runway at Pariska.” You chide at him, rolling your eyes when he simply gives you the finger in return. Jimin snorts a laugh from your side, his persona today being that of a surprisingly bland looking man. His skin tone and facial features don’t help to denote any nationality, and at a glance he could even be mistaken for a few various alien races under the right lighting. 

You scan him over once more, taking in the loose fitting trousers and dull beige shirt wondering once more how he manages to shift his clothes too. Jimin never gave away any secrets and you weren’t sure if it was because he couldn’t, he didn’t want to or just that he knew the curiosity burned at you.

Knowing Jimin, it was probably the latter.

Still, you gestured at him lazily with a raised brow. “Is this...purposefully the most boring person you could have ever possibly created? Don’t you ever want to be someone...better looking?”

“Why? I’m already attractive. Besides, that goes against the objective of blending in if I choose a visage that is more beautiful than the people around me. No, this is a face that a thousand people could look at and forget.” He pauses before eyeing you slowly, his own brow raising. “We study what most races consider average and learn to produce a shape that is so boring and unappealing that no one ever pays attention. I’m just a middle aged human man, a little down on his luck but doing okay for myself. Just like every other person here.”

At that, he makes a vague hand gesture towards the crowd of people surrounding you all. You glance around and note that he’s right. Everyone around you is dressed similarly to Jimin, in a style that isn’t particularly noticeable but also not horribly shabby.

Though you question if the only reason people are dressed like that is because the entrance to one of Craila’s large docking stations is here and these people evidently either work on the docks, are travelling themselves or have a ship docked here.

Quietly, you take in the whole environment carefully, partially to make sure that there doesn’t seem to be anyone who’s spotted you and also simply because you like going to new places and seeing them. There was always something new and interesting to catch your eye.

You’d never been to Mikanis, and you’ve never been to a city quite as big as Craila. Or at the very least, the large cities you go to are sprawling across the land, not digging down deep into the crust of the planet. 

The entrance to the dock lies behind as you walk out to the heaving street in front of you. It’s crammed with land vehicles that stink of metal while a glance up lets you see the overcrowded sky lanes that stream above you in a steady flow of air cars and cruisers. 

Glass and metal building reach up high into the sky all around, like they were in a contest to see who could reach the cloudless blue far above and casting the whole world into shadow. High above, the world looked to be shiny and clean but far down here the grime and dirt was beginning to show. 

It was mind boggling to think that half a billion people lived in this one city alone. There weren’t even half a billion people on Hekasus, never mind to fill one city! So many people filled the streets here, bumping into each other with no care about personal space and you shuddered slightly, disliking the intense smell of body odour from all the alien races around you, not just the humans.

A city this big and this populated could never smell good, and you hated to think what the larger and more established cities smelled like. 

It was almost claustrophobic, and you let your head fall back onto your shoulders as you gazed straight up to where the startlingly tall towers seemed to bend toward each other at their apex. They were tiny up there, barely wider than your finger but you knew the reality of them. Each building probably housed a ridiculous number of people or businesses.

“It’s so...crammed.” You say softly, frowning as you look back down. Every building looks to have a store built into the bottom floor, neon holographic signs projecting out and cluttering up the free air space as they proclaim a sale, a massage parlour, a shooting gallery, a bar, high end prostitutes, a department store, the latest video game and more.

It’s overwhelming on your senses and the longer you stand there, the more you start to pick out individual scents. The smell of rasa bubbling from the street vendor on the other side of the road, his mechanical arm stirring the pot of red spiced meat and sauce while a vendor on your side of the road hawks his roasted payka, the tasty vegetables bursting with delicious flavour that makes your mouth water.

“Yeah, like I said. It’s a shit hole,” Namjoon grunts before pointing up. “And this is where the rich folk live, if you can believe it.” 

You glance upwards once more, taking in the subtle purple shimmer high in the sky as the shield that protects the city from the deadly planet’s atmosphere shudders into visibility momentarily. This was the rich part of the city because they could see the sky; you had no doubt about that.

Already from here, you could see the road dipping down into a well lit tunnel to your left, the directions on the hologram filtering themselves into your language as you see it proclaim it to be the way to the Upper District.

“What’s the Upper District? Isn’t this the upper?” Namjoon shakes his head before pointing to the building in front of you all. 

“Nope, this is Land District. Upper District is the first level below ground. Then there’s Garden District, Midtown District, Sub-District and Lower District. There’s a final one under that, I believe it’s the sewage system and service entries or something. Between each level is a subway system that also runs through all the floors. The lower you go...the poorer you are.”

You snort at that wryly, giving him a dry glance as you both obviously have the same thought. After years as his second-in-command, you’ve gained the innate ability to do that, and right now you’re both thinking that that it’s a sad metaphor for the life of those in poverty. On other planets, saying you’re at the bottom of the pile just means that you’re living a life full of hardship and strife.

On Mikanis, it literally means that you’re at the bottom of the city. Sighing as you glance back over the tunnel, you ponder for a moment what life must be like them for them. Given how far down they are beneath the planet’s surface, you presume that they likely don’t get to see much natural light. A part of you wonders what it looks like down there, but then you push that thought away.

Looking back up to the sky, the soft shimmer of the shield keeping the whole city safe from the raging planet beyond, you decide that you couldn’t ever live down there. For someone who grew up Hekasus, with forests and fields and mountains filled with cool and crisp air and then transferred to a spaceship where the universe was literally your oyster, the very idea of being cooped up far beneath the surface to never see light or stars again was horrifying.

You hoped their life wasn’t too hard, but the rational part of your brain knew better. There was nothing you could do for them though and so you inhaled deeply, straightening your shoulders before looking back at Namjoon. He’d been watching you carefully, his expression blank as he let you take in what he’d told you and you give him a small smile.

“Let’s go meet Chungha, yeah? And hope she doesn’t blow your head off. That might not go down well with the rest of the crew and heka, I am not ready to be the leader of our ship. I’d kill Jimin within two days.” You groan lightly, pushing at Namjoon’s arm and leading him to a waiting transport vehicle. The black car is hovering slightly above the ground, vivid neon blue and pink adverts plastered along the side and changing with alarming frequency in an obnoxious assault on the senses.

Above it, the green sign of a vacant transport vehicle let’s you know it’s free to use and you climb into it carefully. You hadn’t even noticed Jimin slip away into the crowd, moving ahead of you both to scout out the building carefully. He’d moved with that liquid grace that let him disappear before anyone had even realised he’d gone, and you had no doubt that Jimin would have probably checked out the whole building by the time you got there.

No one knew how he did it, nor would he ever tell. All you knew was that it was incredibly useful.

The interior of the transport car is surprisingly big, with more than enough room for you both to sit without having to brush up against each other. Namjoon was very tall and broad, leading to many times when you’d been pressed up against him because the man just took up too much damn room.

A holo screen drops down from the centre of the roof, lighting up the interior with a soft blue glow and Namjoon inputs your destination. There’s a tiny pause as the screen processes his request, no doubt working out a journey before it states a price in a currency you’ve never seen. Namjoon doesn’t say anything though as he simply presses his wrist to the payment sensor on the arm of his chair, a green acceptance flashing before the engine of the car starts.

Looking out the window, you watch as the car lifts up from the ground before moving to join one of the sky lanes, its speed increasing as it zooms through the city. You get a wonderful view from here of the towering skyscrapers and landscape that is just visible between certain buildings.

Even in the daytime, with the sun shining brightly down on everything, the city is alive with light and colour. A part of you can’t wait to see what it looks like at night, knowing the image will be even more impressive than it is now, but at the same time you lament the loss of nature in this sprawling city.

You haven’t seen a single plant, and the very idea of not being to enjoy nature is abhorrent to you. It’s positively mind boggling that there are people who will be born, live and die on this planet who will likely never see a living plant.

Turning to Namjoon, you watch as his gaze remains firmly on the shifting cityscape beyond the windows. His skin is ever so slightly paler than normal and you know that’s because he simply hasn’t been sleeping that well. He blames himself for what happened, and part of you agrees with that honestly.

But Starfire was a team, a family, and all decisions were unanimous. Therefore, it wasn’t his fault entirely that things had gone so wrong.

Still though, you need to make sure that everything is hopefully going to go okay from now. Because there’s no one around at the moment and Namjoon doesn’t have to put on a brave face with only you there.

Placing a hand on his arm, he turns to look at you slowly. His eyes are lowered, the corners of his mouth tilted down while the tiniest lines crease his brow. You know that he’s far more worried and stressed than he’s let on and it makes your chest ache for him in sympathy. He didn’t deserve any of this worry, not when he’d simply been trying to sustain his crew and ship.

“Joon...what do we do if Chungha can’t help?” The question is quiet, even in the relative silence of the transport car and Namjoon’s brow stiffens as his lips pursed. You don’t even need to hear him to know that he’s annoyed, though he’s probably only annoyed because he’s scared.

“She’ll help. I swear she will. I believe in her.” He states clearly, causing you to sigh deeply. Turning forwards, you watch the holo screen as it plays a random ad for some bar in the city while not actually taking it in.

“I didn’t say won’t, I said can’t. Even if she says yes, what if she can’t help us? I mean...what are we even supposed to do? How do we resolve this whole issue? Both sides want to kill us. We’re backed into a corner that we can’t get out of as far as I can see. We need to think Joon, she might not be able to help us.” Your words are soft and filled with emotion, recognising the downfall that may be approaching you all quickly.

Namjoon doesn’t respond for a few moments, instead remaining quiet as his fingers tugged absently at an errant thread on his trousers. You know it’s hard for him to acknowledge, but you have no doubt that he’s been thinking about it too. This might truly be the end of the line for everyone on the Starfire.

“I don’t know. I don’t...I don’t know.” You’ve never heard him sound so defeated, the way his shoulders slump down and his whole body just loses any tension. His face looks desolate and your heart clenched tightly, causing you to lay an arm around his shoulders and squeeze them tightly in reassurance.

“We’ll...find a way. We’ll find a way like we always do. Even...even if we spend the rest of our lives running or something. We’ll find a way.” He doesn’t respond and you squeeze again, laying your cheek on his shoulder and sighing quietly. “We’ll do it Joon, I swear.”

“I hope so.” Is all he says, his voice filled with some much dejection and fear that you find yourself worrying even more for him. He doesn’t need to be stressing out like this, not when he’s meant to be the one leading you but that’s why he has you, you reason to yourself. 

Your job as second-in-command meant keeping everyone else in line while also making sure that your captain’s health and wellbeing is also being taken care of. It’s a frustrating position to be in, but one that you would never relinquish because you know how heavily Namjoon relies on you.

How heavily he’s relying on you right now and you can’t let him down, not with something this important.

-

Jungkook moves about the tiny room he’s been given as his own in silence, barely making a noise as he pads from one side to the other and moves items around. On the tiny desk by his bed he has a bowl made of ancient ceramic, decorated with tiny magi symbols all along both the outer and inner walls.

This was just one of the items he’d asked the crew to get for him, the other stuff was laid around the room haphazardly as he worked efficiently. He found it odd to suddenly have a purpose to his time, a purpose that was truly meaningful and could potentially change a life.

The magical coma Hoseok had fallen into after the battle had been because of him, the magi had almost given his own life to save the Starfire because Jungkook existed. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel guilt, but he did. Intensely.

Guilt for being created, guilt for the Starfire finding him, guilt for them almost dying, guilt for them having to flee and being chased by the prospect of death simply because he existed. It was worse with Hoseok though, as he’d had to watch as you almost fell apart at how close Hoseok had come to death. Jungkook hadn’t known about you two, hadn’t known about the deep and strong bonds that bound you together even if you hadn’t acknowledged it out loud.

He felt guilty for that too, as you had been the nicest person to him on the ship besides from Taehyung. That meant a lot to him, as Jungkook was still learning. He was learning all the time, his mind taking in information rapidly and trying to understand the intricacies of personal relationships and so forth. It was hard when people wouldn’t let him try, but Taehyung and you did. 

Jungkook likes Taehyung, he was friendly and open which was pleasing to someone who was trying to comprehend their very existence. The Cognizar made him feel like he was normal, like he was alive. All Taehyung seemed to care about was showing Jungkook the latest games or vids.

One of the hardest things to comprehend was the fact that Jungkook felt particularly useless to everyone on the ship. No one truly trusted him and he wasn’t sure how to gain that trust. Changing the Starfire’s name had been a small step forward, but he knew he would have to work much harder to make them believe in him more.

He had to show that he was part of their crew, that he wanted to be a part of their family and to be loved by them like they loved each other. And to do that, he felt that he needed to try and help Hoseok wake up given it was his fault it had happened in the first place.

Hours had been spent in this room as they’d traveled to Mikanis, sat on the bed that he found strangely comfortable while he scanned data that he had downloaded to research Hoseok’s condition. Jungkook didn’t like it when he did that, as the data that scrolled through his head made him remember that he was not alive, but was in fact a machine that simply thought on its own.

But he pushed those thoughts away every time, sinking deeper into the information on the planet Hekasus and its unique population of Magiikus users. From his studies, he’d discovered that Hekasus had been inhabited by humans for 4,000 years now. The original settlers had been from Beowulf, the sixtieth planet to be settled by the original human homeworld of Earth.

Apparently on Beowulf, there had been a certain species of plant that gave off an element that had never been discovered before. For centuries, human’s hadn’t thought it was doing anything strange as it didn’t seem to change anything about them and so they had simply consumed it alongside their other crops as it had proven to be safe to eat.

Humans had lived on Beowulf for two millennia before a large contingent moved on to the newly discovered planet of Hekasus. It had been here that they had discovered that the element had in fact done something and the humans of Beowulf had in fact been genetically modified over time by the element. The environment on Hekasus activated a certain gene amongst random members of the population, allowing them to access the well of power now known as Magiikus.

Jungkook struggled to find anything more about the magi themselves or Magiikus because it proved that the users of this mystical force chose to keep most of it secret. All he knew was that everyone from the original Beowulf settlers had the gene, and the gene had proven dominant over the years even when they had interbred with humans from other planets. But it only activated when growing up on Hekasus, and it was seemingly random who it activated in.

Only 40% of the population of Hekasus were found to have the activated gene, and their abilities in using Magiikus differed as well. It had all been very fascinating to Jungkook, to read about how easily a human could experience mutations in their genetic makeup and how wildly it could change them.

The element on Beowulf mixed with the environment of Hekasus allowed humans to use a force that no one truly understood. A casual search had let Jungkook know that there had been ten other genetic mutations caused by environmental impacts in humanity over the millennia. 

Those living on Basilikus had developed an immunity to heavy metals that would kill a large majority of other living creatures. People on that planet had proven to be the best scientists in the field of nuclear research of all kinds as they had the bizarre benefit of being completely immune to the radiation let off by the heavy metals they worked with.

Humans on Amati on the other hand had evolved over the millennia to be resistant to a multitude of poisons caused by the toxic plants that lived on their planet. Jungkook found it ridiculously odd that humanity would voluntarily inhabited these dangerous planets until they eventually evolved to cope with them instead of just going somewhere else, but he’d noticed that living beings seemed to have odd ideas about many things.

Either way, he’d had to spend hours upon hours sifting through data from Hekasus before he had finally stumbled across an ancient description of a magi suffering what Hoseok was. It had outlined a ritual that had been performed on the magi, including the ingredients used to create a...well Jungkook wasn’t even sure what it was because he couldn’t translate the words properly but he presumed it be a steam or scent that would help Hoseok to wake up.

Apparently it was something to do with stimulating his Magiikus and revitalising him, encouraging him to waken far sooner. It may all be a bunch of crap, but Jungkook was willing to try because it likely wouldn’t hurt him. Just make the room smell a bit.

He’d been carefully experimenting with the ingredients provided to him for the last few hours in his room, thankful that he could ignore the bizarre mix of scents that drifted in the air while he focused on perfecting it. The story or recipe whatever it was had said that the substance became a pearlescent purple with swirls of pink with an almost glittering steam.

So far, Jungkook had managed to create solid purple before he’d gotten to pearlescent purple, but the steam had been just plain white. But maybe this time…

He gently added a tiny dash of precias, a powdered gem found on Hekasus and held his breath as he mixed the contents slowly in a clockwise direction. It seeped into the thick paste, the pale pink vanishing into the deep purple and he watched nervously to see what would happen.

The writing on the bowl suddenly glowed a soft white for a few seconds and he let out a whoop of glee as the paste lightened to a pretty pearlescent purple, strands of a beautiful pink flowing through it while a gentle steam rose, the air shimmering. He’d done it! He’d managed to make it!

Now all he had to do was hopefully wake Hoseok up and everyone would hopefully be happy with him.

Grinning to himself, he took the bowl and exited his room quickly before navigating to Hoseok’s small room. It was bigger than his own, but he recognised that it was still smaller than the captain’s. Perhaps most surprising was that it was as sparsely decorated as his own.

Rose was inside the quiet room, a beautiful and light melody leaving her lips to fill the air with something that made Jungkook’s chest tighten for some reason. He wasn’t sure why, but it felt like listening to her was like listening to the silent melody of the universe itself. Like he was listening to something so beautiful and big he couldn’t comprehend it, even with a machine for a brain.

She stopped immediately as he walked in, her eyes calm and warm as she watched him move closer. They dropped to the bowl in his hands and her head tilted to the side slightly, the movement unnatural even to Jungkook as her long, flowing hair shifted gently to a beautiful emerald green and her eyes soon become vibrant green gemstones as curiosity took over her.

“Is that what you needed to make?” She asked gently, her voice sweet and kind. He smiled in response, mentally re-evaluating his earlier statement that only Y/N and Taehyung had been nice to him. Rose had been equally as welcoming, an almost otherworldly knowledge to her eyes that told him she would forever be on his side. 

He’d tried to research the Galaxis in his free time and had been astonished by how little he’d found. They didn’t talk about their race, nor even where they were from and he knew from the histories he’d found that one day, they had simply appeared. They could not be held in any place, for they always seemed to escape and they went where they wanted to go. The fact that Rose had been here for years meant that she must hold the Starfire very close.

Jungkook had developed his own suspicions and theories about the Galaxis and he watched her carefully as he knelt next to her beside the bed. Hoseok was laid beneath the covers as usual, his face relaxed in sleep and almost innocent looking, his hair neatly brushed as if he’d simply gone to take a nap.

“Yes...it’s...well...I hope it works. I err...found something from an old...story I guess? About something that helped to speed up the waking process. I figured...we could at least try right?” He whispered quietly, oddly unwilling to raise his voice even though Hoseok wasn’t going to wake up just from that.

Instead, he focused on the soft glimmer of the steam as it rose from the air before looking back at Rose to find her watching him with a gentle smile. She rested a hand on his wrist, her touch both warm and cool at the same time and he took in her skin tone, so similar to the paste in the small bowl only more of a mix of white and gold.

“We can try. It may help.” Rose said quietly, gesturing towards Hoseok with a smile. Jungkook swallowed before nodding, taking the bowl and placing it on the empty space besides the magi’s head. He tilted Hoseok’s face slightly so that the steam was directed towards his nose before sitting back and chewing his lip nervously.

“What if it doesn’t help?” He asked, running his fingers through his hair in a gesture that he’d apparently picked up from Jimin. It felt good to do it though, a way for him to release this nervous energy without having to do anything else. He just felt so useless.

Rose rested a hand on his thigh, her face not reacting at all to what felt like lifelike muscles beneath the fabric and his skin and instead focused on his own eyes. They were a brilliant sapphire blue now while her long, luxurious hair had bled into an astonishingly beautiful mix of sky and navy blue. It was pretty on her, but Jungkook had long since decided all colours were pretty on Rose.

“It doesn’t matter, you’re trying. That’s what matters. The humans have a saying; it’s the thought that counts.” Jungkook snorts a laugh at that and Rose’s lips twisted wryly in response to his amusement. 

“I think that’s supposed to be in relation to giving gifts, right?” She shrugged lightly, her dainty shoulders small yet filled with so much strength and power. He’d watched once as she’d lifted an astonishingly large and heavy box without so much as a wince or grunt.

“You’re giving him the gift of life back, or at least trying to. It counts. Every gesture anyone does is a gift, remember that. It may not always be positive, but it is always given freely, even if they do not believe it to be so.” Rose sounded so wise and worldly then, causing Jungkook to watch her with awe for a moment before he spoke without realising.

“Galaxis...your race...I...I know you don’t talk about it. But...I just...I have a theory. You don’t have to respond, just...let me say it and then we can pretend it never happened?” He pauses, watching as Rose’s elegant brows rise. “I...this may sound stupid if it’s not real but...I think you’re the physical representation of the galaxy. Or...at least one of them. Maybe there’s multiple. But...I don’t know. Your ability to navigate and always know where we are, the way you’re the colours of the galaxy, how...ancient and wise you seem. It’s like...a galaxy come to life.”

Jungkook is well aware that he sounds in awe, his voice hushed as he watches her intently and he sees a faint flush of pretty pink spread over her cheeks as she looks down at her hands. But her hair and eyes don’t change, still the colour of concentration before she looks back up at him.

“You are unique, Jeon Jungkook. Don’t ever let that curiosity die.” She responds quietly, neither confirming nor denying his suspicions. Yet Jungkook recognises that something enormous has occurred here and he notes the almost respect in her eyes as she looks back to Hoseok.

He turns back too, ready to sit vigilant next to the Galaxis and hope that the magi on the bed may wake up. But he has no need to, because he’s shooting forward before he even realises it, his fingers gripping the edge of the mattress tightly as excitement and relief floods his entire body.

“Hoseok!” Jungkook says loudly, his lips turning into a bright smile as he glances back to Rose. The man in question is blinking slowly, as if his eyelids are heavy with tiredness and sleep but he is blinking. He is awake. No longer asleep.

There’s complete silence in the room before Hoseok finally looks to the two figures next to him, his body weighed down with lethargy and exhaustion. Licking his lips a few times, he accepts the drink of cool water that Rose gives him before he coughs, the sound rough and harsh from a lack of use.

“Where is she?”

[firebirdsdaughter]

Random Writing Demo 2 + Edit?…

… No videogame in the world ever released two demos in such quick succession. DX

There goes my metaphor.

The rest still holds, though! This is definitely rough around the edges, and I don’t know if it will be the same in the final version.

Long Post.

This is also known as the moment when trying to refer to everyone got really confusing… ^^;

This Demo occurs after the events of the previous one. But how did we get here?: Before they leave the house, the brothers make Ui promise not to say anything to the others. With their departure, Ui is left to try and get the trio back to their senses alone, as her father is on an extended field expedition. This proves difficult, as the three are quite devastated. As time wears on, she begins to make some progress, but becomes increasingly concerned when they continue not to hear anything from Touwa and Banba. But just when she’s about to forgo her promise and tell the trio everything—despite how painful it would be—there’s a pounding at the door. Ui goes to investigate, but finds nothing there—at least, until something on the ground catches her attention…

Ui stumbled back into the room, wavering on her feet, her face paler than a sheet, hands shaking. She seemed to be trying to say something—her lips were moving, but nothing came out, even as she repetitively pushed something, cupped tightly in her trembling hands, toward them.

Then she stumbled, and started a sharp plummet to the floor. That was enough rouse Asuna to movement, at least, flashing forward to catch the other girl in her arms. After some scrambling, they got themselves in a more comfortable position—Ui leaning frailly against Asuna’s side, still trembling like a leaf, while Pink had her arms wrapped around her shoulders.

“Ui!” Melto’s voice voice was blurry and slow, but it gained urgency as he sluggishly struggled to his feet and moved to her, taking her hands in his. “… You’re bleeding.” Kou shambled over to stand by Blue’s shoulder, peering at what he saw. There was, indeed, red smudged on Ui’s fingers and knuckles, in a familiar pattern they all recognised from scrapes they’d had in the past.

But Ui shook her head frantically, tears brimming in her eyes. Finally, a shred of her voice slipped through. “… Not… Not me…” She mumbled. Then her breathing hitch and she burst into a loud sob. Her hands began to shake so violently that what she was holding slipped from them, falling past Melto’s hands; two small, light objects. On some subconscious instinct, Kou dove forward to catch them—stepping back, he lifted them up to see what they were.

He froze. A necklace and bracelet, each with a pendant zigzagged like a lightning bolt, with a coloured stone set in the side of them, dangling from a braided black cord. The latch of the necklace was snapped and the bracelet cord was ripped—like they had been wrenched off their wearers. And he knew them. Had seen them hundreds of times before, including just that morning, before everything went to hell. He didn’t need the colour of the stones to know who they belonged to.

And as he turned them over in his hands, he realised what Ui meant.

There were dark blotches on the latch of the necklace and on both pendants, of a rusty brown colour; and when the cords brushed his skin, they left dark red smears like the ones on Ui’s hands.

Ui wasn’t bleeding at all. The blood wasn’t hers.

“Those are…” Melto whispered, slowly releasing Ui’s hands to step closer to Kou and peer at the pendants. “Then…” He glanced between the red on Ui’s hands and that on Kou’s. “Then… That’s…” He trailed off in horror.

There was a very long silence.

It was broken by a whimper. “They were… On the ground… On the door step…” Ui sobbed. “… Just… Left… On the ground…” Her breath hitched, and her lip was quivering. “… It’s my fault…” Her voice cracked, and tears began to pour in earnest down her cheeks. “It’s my fault… I should never have… I should never have let them go…” She put her head down on Asuna’s shoulder and began to cry into Pink’s shirt.

“Ui…” Asuna finally found her voice, shaky and weak, squeezing Ui’s shoulders—just a little too tightly, her knuckles paling, though Ui didn’t seem to notice. “… Let them go where?”

“The… The clones…” Ui stammered softly, unable to raise her head from Pink’s shoulder. “They went to fight the clones…”

Melto’s jaw dropped. “Wh… What? Alone?” Ui merely nodded.

Asuna looked between the other two. “… You… Don’t think…” She murmured faintly, “You don’t think they were… Trying to… Protect… Us?” Her teeth sank into her lip so hard it cracked a little, and she blinked furiously—fighting back her own tears in favour of rearranging her arms around Ui, shifting her hands so that they were clenching fistfuls of the other girl’s shirt rather than her arms so as not to accidentally hurt her.

Blue gazed dazedly back at her, realisation dawning on his face. His shoulders slumped, and he leaned heavily against the table. “So that… We didn’t have to…”

Kou just stared at the pendants in his hands in silent horror. Between Touwa’s speed and Banba’s skill, it would be nigh impossible for anyone to get close enough to remove the pendants from them at all. The damage could have meant they were removed in a struggle, but the blood… He couldn’t stop thinking about when the items had been whole, about the last time he’d seen them on their owners—clinging to Banba’s chest, Touwa’s hands on his and Melto’s shoulders. Green’s hand had been warm, and Black’s heartbeat had been strong and steady through his vest. Just a few hours ago, both had been very much alive. And now… Now they had nothing but blood on a broken necklace and bracelet.

Kindness costs.

Had the brothers paid for his, Melto’s, and Asuna’s hesitation with their lives?

Ui’s phone made a sound, and the screen lit up, making everyone else look at it. Ui tried to reach and pick it up from beneath Asuna’s arm, but her hands were shaking too badly and she only succeeded in dropping it immediately. Melto wobbled upright and retrieved it instead, unlocking the screen in the practiced way he’d achieved after watching Ui do it multiple times.

Looking at the notification, he frowned. “A news alert…?” He shot a glance at Ui, who merely shrugged weakly, going back to leaning on Asuna. Melto’s frown deepened, and he tapped the screen to open the link.

It looked like an ordinary news broadcast—except that the banner running across the bottom of the screen was addressing them directly, demanding their attention. Blue touched Red’s elbow to make him finally look up from staring at the Black and Green pendants. For a moment, the camera was pointed at nothing, and then a hand appeared from offscreen, spinning it around, to focus on…

Kou’s breath stopped.

The clone was still a perfect copy of Master Red in image, but the look in the eyes was completely wrong—void of the kindness and affection that belonged there. And even though he couldn’t stop the way his heart still swelled instinctively at even just seeing his mentor’s face again, there was now a cold prick of realisation; from what Ui had said, the brothers had gone to confront the cloned Masters, and never come back.

That meant that this person, with the face of someone he’d loved and respected, was responsible for the bloodied pendants in his hands.

“This is a message for the three pathetic excuses for knights who ran away.” The fake declared, staring out of the screen like he could somehow see them through it, “And you’d better watch, because this will be your only chance to hear it.” Utter silence filled the room, save for Ui’s muted sniffles. The clone heaved a deep sigh, pacing across the screen. “Your cowardice has forced us to resort to more… Extreme measures.” He came to a short stop, spinning on his heel to face the camera again. “Because you have been so… Unwilling to accept your fate, it has become necessary for us to seek out some more effective… Motivation.” He smiled, then—a frightening, sadistic smile that looked so wrong on that face that Kou almost threw up. “I trust that, by now, you’ve received our gifts.” Red’s hands subconsciously tightened on the pendants in his hands, squeezing so hard the metal bent slightly. “Then you’ll be relieved to learn…” The clone stepped toward the camera, and slowly turned it around, away from him, “… That your precious deserters are still alive.”

All of them let out a collective breath of relief. On the screen were, indeed, Banba and Touwa. They were both chained up to stone pillars in what appeared to be the ruins of another temple, and both looked distinctly worse for wear—but they were, without a doubt, alive. Touwa was fidgeting against the restraints, and though Banba was slumped against the pillar he was secured to, even on the tiny phone screen, they could see he was breathing.

“… They’re alive…” Melto managed, reaching blindly for the table to stable himself. “Thank goodness…” Ui blubbered for a moment, almost smiling—then began crying anew, diving back into Asuna’s shoulder while Pink patted her back—looking ready to faint, like a weight too heavy for even her had been lifted off her back. Kou collapsed into a chair, cradling both the necklace and bracelet to his chest, his grip easing slightly, fingers unlocking.

But the relief quickly became tinged with dread. The phone screen was small and a little hard to see, but there was a wound above Touwa’s elbow and one on his head, blood running down his arm and smeared across his forehead—and there were probably other, smaller injuries that they couldn’t see on the video. Banba, meanwhile, was even worse—it looked like the only thing keeping him upright was the pillar he was chained to; there was an ugly stab wound in his shoulder, another large gash across his chest, and they couldn’t attribute how pale he was to the video quality alone.

And the cruelty they could see in the fake Master’s eyes was the opposite of reassuring.

“Well…” The clone in question mused, stepping back onto the screen with his arms folded, casting a faux thoughtful glance at the two hostages, “… Just barely.” His gaze flicked back to the camera, “And whether they stay that way depends on you three.” A few steps brought him back to the centre, staring directly out of the video again. “Meet us at the entrance to the southernmost temple in four hours. If you don’t…” He sent a dark glance over his shoulder at the brothers, the twisted smile creeping onto his face again. “… The next delivery might be even more bloody.” With an equally terrifying chuckle, he sidled back a step “Don’t worry. Maybe we’ll only kill one of them and give you a second chance. Black doesn’t seem like he’ll last much longer, anyway.” For a moment, the clone pretended to consider again. “Though… Perhaps that gives the perfect opportunity to… Reenforce the message.” He gave some sort of hand sign over his shoulder.

Movement in the background made them suddenly realise that the fake Master Blue and Master Pink were in the scene too; they had been standing in the shadows, but at the clone Red’s signal, they both came forward. The fake Pink produced a RyusoulKen—one of the brothers’—and set it against Touwa’s chest as if to ensure he would stay still. Green was clearly as bewildered as they were—at least, until the fake Blue moved threateningly toward Banba.

Touwa went insane. They could hear him shouting for the clones to stay away, and he began kicking and struggling; but the chains and the sword edge against his chest kept him in place. The clone Blue ignored him completely, nudging Black in the arm with his foot once, like he was checking for a reaction—because when their other hostage shifted slightly and winced, he seemed satisfied. Moving closer, he proceeded to set his foot directly on Banba’s injured shoulder and stepped down on it sharply.

For a moment, nothing happened. The only sounds were Touwa’s protests—though Kou would swear he could see Black’s teeth gritting and his hands clenching as he held it in. But then the false Blue twisted his foot and stepped harder, and even the Majestic Knight’s will broke.

They’d seen Banba in emotional pain before, when Touwa had been hurt. But this was different. Equally awful to hear, but also somehow more horrible—an agonised, broken scream that sounded like it was being dragged from his lung by claws. A cry that all of them knew was going to be permanently burned into their memories as one of the single worst sounds they’d ever heard. The fake didn’t let up, either, and the sound continued, pausing only sporadically when Black tried to breathe.

Ui clamped her hands over her ears and tried to hide in Asuna’s mantle, while Pink closed her eyes and ducked her face into the other girl’s hair. All the colour drained from Melto’s face, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head in horror, but he didn’t look away, even though his hand was shaking almost too badly to hold the phone. Kou clutched the pendants in his hands so tightly, it felt like they were cutting into his palms. On the screen, Touwa had resorted to begging them to stop, his voice cracking.

Finally, the fake Red made another gesture, and the Blue clone moved back, taking his foot off Black’s wound. Banba slumped against the column even more than before, trying to catch his breath while his brother called his name. The fake Pink stepped away from Green as well, tucking the RyusoulKen she was holding back under her arm.

The clone of Master Red turned the camera around to focus on him again. “Four hours.” He reminded them impassively, “Or it’s going to get much worse.” The malicious smirk flashed once more. “Do try not to be late?”

Then the feed cut.

There’s more to this, but demos are supposed to cliffhang to keep people interested, right?

Am I cliffhanging right? I hope both the Demos did cliffhanging right… DX

[sparda3g]

Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 113 Review

It’s a reflection of a decision making that leaves one to worry and one to expect the unexpected.

After the glorious showcase of Saiko, it's time to cool down for more setup to what was thought to be the point of the previous setup. It decides to go to a different direction and it's not necessarily a bad thing. On one side, there's going to be more emotional turmoil of a character; on the other side, there's a battle that’s about to engage while the King is heading home. It's not what I expected but I'll take it if it leads to something drastic.

There's another battle coming up and it's with Matsuri and Nico. It's an odd matchup, but because of Matsuri's uncertain feeling of the situation, it appears that this matchup is made for a reason. Now that we know Matsuri's true nature, their connection could be complicated if we take the notion of their characteristics.

There's a subtle sincere moment of CCG feeling like they lost even after wiping out the Pierrot, mainly because they have been killing innocent civilians along the way. Ui has a moment of silence, citing on how much trouble CCG is going to be in. If Matsuri remains alive and still in charge, even if it's temporary, the media will blast him, and fake news excuse won't do any good.

That said Ui could be in trouble as well since he is taking the responsibility. The point that got me is how he is taking this in. Tanakamaru knows that he's having it rough, but he couldn't really do anything to cheer him up. Ui now sees CCG slowly corrupting, which is pretty much all he has left. I know CCG is corrupted, but there are innocent ones that take the job to the heart, but sadly, they're just pawn. It's a shame that CCG didn't think to see if there's human in there; however, due to how much they were trained to kill ghouls, that idea never came across.

The scenario with Kaneki and Amon has a really good setup as well as heartfelt that it sucks that it didn't turn out the way of how Saiko came to her conclusion. I'm not comparing in regards of situation taking place, but how the lead character comes to the decision. That said it's hard to fault Kaneki because it's a dire situation that placed him in a lot of pressure.

It's heartbreaking because none of them knows Kaneki and Amon's bonds, and it means a lot to Kaneki. The role seems to be reversed, though to solve the problem is different. Amon seems to be consumed by Kagune or perhaps Kakuja, so it creates complication. Kaneki wants to save him, but everyone else has no time for it. If he takes time to save a friend, it's going to cause problems for everyone who is holding down the enemies.

Ayato is the spokesman of the chapter, telling Kaneki that everyone depends on him, even if he doesn't want to accept that. GOAT does need a leader and he can't afford to die or anything that leaves them in the dust. It's only then Kaneki realizes on how much weight he has to carry because no more of selfish Kaneki, no more of having friends being on standby, no more of taking the job alone. This is a profoundly moment for him to grasp.

I mean Ayato wants to be an uncle too, so there's that.

Takizawa and Kurona decide to help and let Kaneki retreat. It's cool to see mix-up chemistry for a battle. Takizawa is starting to grow on me more, and it's funny how he's still being tsundere about Akira. Well, not everything changes of a person. It's nice yet a bit sad to see Kaneki retreat because you can tell that he really wants to help Amon. He truly owes his life to him and as much I want them to reunite as friends, it only makes the anticipation stronger.

The art isn't the best, but the main focus isn't on the action, rather the growing tension of characters' respective confrontation. Watching Kaneki retreating from Amon has the subtle sincerity that it's a shame that we won't see them reunite just yet. It does a really good job on how significant their bonds are. The parallels from their multiple confrontations add a lot to Kaneki and how deeply he respected of him. It also had that one shot of Kaneki's frustration of being told to forget Amon. I hope the end of this arc results to a reunion.

There's this ongoing moment with Uta that I believe he's really there to screw some minds with conflicting emotions, and Suzuya won't be the last. As neat it is to see Suzuya strikes him, Uta isn't there to fight but to have fun, which is pretty messed up. Unfortunately, one doesn't take the hint and that one is Mutsuki. It's interesting to see where the chapter ends at.

Uta is now testing Mutsuki with the appearance of Kaneki or Sasaki to be more exact. I believe that Ishida ended there because this can determine on where Mutsuki's mind is at currently. We have seen Urie's thoughts, so now it's time for her. It all lies on her very next action. Regardless, she's in deep danger because Uta is somehow hyped to be a ghoul who can be really strong yet decides to torment their minds, and that's even worse.

It does appear the arc is drawing near at the end, but not without some of other's hyped events. It's a pretty good setup that anything can go in any direction with a lot of stakes on the line. Not to mention, we still have V guys heading to somewhere, so more twists and turns are on the horizon. 

[joroanblog]

Tips for PUBG Mobile squad play

PubgfunnymonentCo-op play is a massive part of PUBG and here's a couple of extra tips to help teams win. This applies both for Classic and Arcade modes.

Remember your team mates are probably idiots: Let's face facts, a lot of team games are random pairings and you'll likely end up with idiots. Often a team leader will dive into the biggest towns (because there are more buildings, therefore more weapons) and end up dead in the first 3 minutes. Or, they'll drive you into a town with the same result - premature death. Consider where you're heading and if you don't like where the team is heading (to its doom) then do your own thing.

Turn off team voice chat: Don't want to listen to your team mates coughing and sniffing? Want to limit their abuse when you do something they don't agree with? There's a speaker symbol next to the mini map - this will silence your team and save you the bother. Conversely, if you're playing with friends, this is where you can turn voice chat back on.

Coordinate your landing zone: When you 'chute into onto the island you can coordinate your LZ by opening the map and tapping to drop a marker. Use the parachuting tips above to get everyone in the same place. Otherwise you'll spend half the game trying to rendezvous (but remember the "idiots" caveat above). Continue to drop markers to help people head in the same direction during the game.

Use follow me to co-ordinate your landing: An update added a "follow" feature which solves the problem above, letting a squad member act as jump leader and guide everyone else down. This gets you all into the same LZ easily. However, if the person you are following doesn't know what they're doing, you can "unfollow" once you've descending and choose your own landing point. You can also use follow on the ground.

Locate your team members: If you're not together, you'll find your squad locations marked on the map and in your UI, making it easy to find your way back to them.

Stick together but spread out: Bunching up makes you easy to kill, spreading out means any enemy has to make a decision. It also means you can use interlocking fields of fire to engage any enemy. Don't, for example, bunch around a dropped crate as you'll be taken out with a burst from a machine gun. Fighting as a team is the best way to win.

Isolate the threat before you revive: You can revive your team members when they're injured - it's perhaps the biggest part of being a squad - but don't rush over as soon as they drop as you'll probably get shot. Watch your partner's health meter in the top left corner, while you eliminate the threat. If you die trying to revive your team, you all lose. If you've been shot, crawl into cover so your teammate isn't exposed.

Don't expose your teammate by crawling straight to them: You can see your teammates, but the enemy might not be able to. If you immediately crawl to them when you're shot to be revived, the enemy will know where your allies are. Better to head for cover - and let your teammate revive you if it's safe to do so. Don't worry, your teammate knows when you've been shot.

Use enemy ahead to share target designation: In the text chat there's an "enemy ahead" option. Use this while looking at an enemy and that information will be shared with your team. You can't shout fire control orders, but you can pinpoint your enemy for effective team fire. Top tip: you can also do this after you've been wounded to help your teammates out. see here Pubgfunnymonent

Share kit you find: You can tell teammates when you find something that they might want using the text chat - just look at an item, open the text chat menu can you'll see the option to say "I have SLR" or whatever.

Use voice chat to coordinate tactics: A lone sniper can only fire in one direction and team chat is a good way to decide how to coordinate yourselves. Send out a runner to draw fire while the other observes and you'll probably spot the muzzle flash and be able to take out that sniper.

How to kill a teammate: If you need to get rid of someone on your team, then the best way to do it is with a grenade. You just have to make sure they don't see you toss it into the same room - or use a Molotov instead to burn them down. It's not really in the spirit of team play, but sometimes needs must. If you do kill someone, they then have the option to report you for bad play - and that will count against you as a player.

[nubnubblr]

Day By Day .42

Ricky and I were setting up the booth in the middle of campus, we figured it had the most flow of people so we were likely to sell more. Jiyeon had helped me make; butter cookies, chapssal doughnuts (rice ball doughnuts), mandupi churros (dumpling skin churros), seaweed spring rolls, sweet rice bars with fruit and nuts, bulgogi kimbap, bacon and avocado sushi rolls, Nutella stuffed doughnut holes, hotteok (sweet pancake), honey sponge cake, gyongdan (sweet rice cake), chapssalddeok (sticky rice cake), ginger cookies, chestnut cookies, cornbread, and songpyeon (rice cake).

It had taken hours but it was nice to be baking with Ji again and now there was a lot of food to sell. Of course, I had to fight off Seyong, who kept trying to steal some. He seemed pretty pleased that every time he came near me I got flustered, I think he would do it on purpose. He definitely did it on purpose. I couldn't get it out of my head, how close we'd been to kissing. I still didn't know if I would have let him kiss me, or if I would have moved at the last second.

"So," Ricky interrupted my internal babble.

"What?"

"You cooked a lot," he stated as if it meant something.

"Ji helped and I figured; the more food we had, the more money we'd make," I shrugged,

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean?" was I missing something?

"You weren't cooking out your frustration?"

"What frustration?"

"Or avoiding kissing Seyong?" he ignored my question.

"What? Seyong was there the whole time," I shrugged.

"That doesn't mean you weren't avoiding it,"

"I wasn't avoiding it,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure, we almost kissed before I'd even started cooking,"

"Almost?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I'd just started cooking; he got home, tried to steal a cookie, we had a flour fight, that turned into us being nose to nose, and then Jiyeon walked in,"

"So?"

"So, I freaked out and now I'm second guessing myself again," I sighed.

"You are absolutely hopeless," he laughed.

"I know,"

JIYEON

"So you don't even have to go into the company today?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head. He was acting weird, he slept until 9 which is about 5 hours longer than normal. I mean, he needed that and it wasn't all that weird for him to sleep late when he doesn't have to work. But he had continued to stay in bed for an hour, which is a little weird. He normally only stays in bed if I'm there, if not, he's normally up fiddling with something, usually his piano, or suggesting we go out somewhere.

When he finally did get up, he just laid down on the lounge and watched t.v. Which, I guess wouldn't be weird if he didn't look like it was the last thing he wanted to be doing. I'd even offered to go on a lunch date, which normally he would jump at, but today it was just; 'I'm not hungry, why don't you call Eunji or Su Min?'. I don't know if he was just depressed about the delay? Or if it was something else? All he would say was that he was tired and didn't feel like going out.

"Are you sure you're not hungry? If you don't want to go out we can have some lunch here before I go to work?"

"Not really," he shrugged.

"Do you want to come with me? You haven't seen me model in a while, and we could get dinner on the way home?" I offered.

"I don't really feel like going out, but could I have a glass of water?" he sat up stretching his legs out, sitting his feet up on the coffee table

"Sure," I sighed. I was kind of annoyed to b honest. I mean, I understand if he's tired, but I'm trying and he just seems completely uninterested.

"Can you please get your feet off my coffee table?" I raised an eyebrow making my way back over with his glass.

"It's our coffee table," he retorted.

"Get your feet off our coffee table?" I stated, pushing his legs with my foot.

The second his foot hit the floor, he let out a painful cry.

SEYONG

What am I doing?

Everyone else was busy today, I had nothing to do, and I didn't want to sit at home on my own bored or watching t.v. I also wanted to do something for Eunji. I thought maybe I could cook her something because she's always cooking for us. Then I realised that I might not be the best cook, so I decided to take a cooking class. Now that I'm here, I feel stupid. But I didn't want to ask Jiyeon for help, or anyone else that I knew for that matter. No one even knows I'm here, the amount of crap I'd get from Insoo alone, was enough to have me keep it a secret.

EUNJI

"What time is your exam?" Ricky asked, sales were quiet right now, then again everyone was pretty much in a class or doing an exam.

It's been like this all day, everyone would come in waves in between classes, then it would die down and we'd be a few people stop in. The waves proved successful though, we'd pretty much sold half of what we have.

"In about an hour and a half," I shrugged.

"Did you want to go get some revision done before hand?"

"I've been doing nothing but revision, I think my brain could use the break,"

"Okay, but I've got this covered if you change your mind,"

"Hey," Ui Jin smiled as he approached the booth.

"Hi," Ricky managed to choke out.

"What can we get you?" I asked holding back a smirk.

"Ah, I'm not sure, what would you suggest?" he turned to Ricky, who stared at him blankly.

I could see what had Ricky lost for words. Ui Jin was tall and slim, his dark blue jean fit him nicely, his grey tee shirt was loose on him but you could still see his body line. His hair was tousled and his glasses sat on his face, which he didn't usually wear. He looked like he'd been up all night but his smile was still bright and kind.

"Ricky?" he frowned.

"I, uh, it's all good," he finally managed.

"What's your favourite?" he asked casually but continued to only look at Ricky.

"Uh," Ricky frowned looking down at the food to focus on his words.

"Well, if you want something sweet; there's the butter cookies or gyongdan. But if you feel like savoury; bulgogi kimbap or the bacon and avocado sushi rolls. Personally, I really love the Nutella stuffed doughnut holes,"

"I'll have four of those then," he smiled.

"Four of what?" Ricky frowned looking up.

"Nutella stuffed doughnut holes," he laughed,

"Oh, right," Ricky hurried to put four in a paper bag.

"Do you guys sell coffee by chance?" Ui Jin turned to me.

"No, but there is a really good café around the corner,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, Ricky could show you," I nodded but Ricky wasn't paying attention.

"That'll be," Ricky tried to do the math handing Ui Ji the paper bag.

"Here, keep the change," Ui Jin laughed softly and handed him $20.

"That's way too much,"

"Why don't you buy me coffee and we'll call that my change?" Ui Jin smiled.

"What?" Ricky looked at him wide eyed.

"You don't drink coffee?"

"No, I love coffee, uh, but," Ricky looked at me.

"Go on, I can handle this, just be back before I have to go to my exam," I nodded.

"When's your exam?" Ui Jin asked.

"Just over an hour,"

"We'll be back before then," he nodded.

"Have fun, oh, and bring me back a coffee," I muttered to Ricky who had gone bright red.

INSOO

Pain shot right up my leg the second the heel of my foot hit the floor. Fear was the next thing to shoot through me. Not from the possibility that I could have just torn the ligament, or anything involving myself really. I was more afraid of Jiyeon's reaction, which went from; worry, to realisation, to angry. She just stared at me for a while, I wasn't sure if she was waiting for me to speak or if she was trying to figure out what to say but I didn't like her silence.

"What just happened?" she raised and eyebrow crossing her arms over her chest.

"Funny story really," I laughed awkwardly.

"So, I kind of hurt myself during dream team," I stated slowly.

"What exactly is funny about that?"

"Well, uh," I frowned.

"Wait, 'kind of ' hurt yourself?"

"Uh, I just stretched a knee ligament," I tried to make it sound like it was nothing to worry about.

"Just stretched a...." she let out a long sigh.

"Well, it could be torn after that," I tried to joke.

"That's not funny,"

"It's fine," I assured her.

"Get dressed," I sighed.

"Why?"

"We need to make sure it hasn't torn, then you can come with me to my shoot,"

"It's fine, I didn't need to go to the hospital,"

"It's not a suggestion," she stated.

"Why are you so mad?" I frowned.

"You hid it from me, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry, you've been so busy with work and exams lately, I didn't want you to stress over this too,"

"You should have told me, I thought we were done keeping things from each other,"

"I'm sorry, I thought I was helping,"

"Just for the record, you flipped out when you found out about the tattoo I didn't tell you about, and that had nothing to do with my health,"

"I know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept it from you, I should have known you'd figure it out eventually. You can't keep secrets from someone who lives under the same roof,"

JIYEON

"Did you really just keep it from me because you didn't want to add to the stress?" I sighed feeling guilty. I guess I don't really get to be mad at him, not with what I'm keeping secret.

"I feel guilty because it's my fault our debut has been delayed, again. We were so close, we were literally suppose to film our music video tomorrow and now everything is ruined because I couldn't land properly. That's why I didn't tell anyone, I didn't want everyone else to suffer because I might have hurt myself. If Seyong hadn't of noticed something was off, I still wouldn't have told anyone and we'd been debut on time,"

"And you would have made it worse and ruined your career completely," I stated.

"Maybe, but by that point, we would have debuted and they could have replaced me,"

"Seyong wouldn't replace you, he would have had a fit if someone even suggested it, and probably quit if they'd gone through with it,"

"Maybe," he shrugged.

"Go get changed so we can go to the hospital," I sighed.

"Ji, I'm fine, really,"

"I need to know I didn't just tear your ligament,"

"Okay," he nodded after a while.

"Do you need help up?"

"No, I'm okay," he stated.

SEYONG

I wasn't so bad, I mean I wasn't perfect but compared to my cooking ability before I walked into the classroom, I'd say I was pretty average. Not that I was happy about being classified in the average category, but at least I was going to be able to cook a meal without giving either Eunji or myself food poisoning. I had the recipe written down and the list of ingredients.

I wasn't sure what we had at home and what we didn't, obviously, because I don't actually spend time in the kitchen. So I made my way down to the market to get everything I'd need. When I got to the market, I wasn't sure what to get. I mean, I had the list of things but there were so many types of the same vegetable, I didn't know which one to get. I couldn't call Eunji for obvious reasons, Insoo would only ridicule me, and Jiyeon would tell Insoo. I sighed pulling my phone from my pocket.

"Hello," her voice was as welcoming as always.

"Hey mum,"

"I haven't heard from you in a while," she scolded.

"I'm sorry, I've been really busy, I have tried to call a few times, you didn't pick up,"

"You're not the only one busy," she stated.

"I know, so how are you and dad?"

"We're good, you father got some new contracts so he's been busy, we both have. How are things with that girl you like?"

"Oh, yeah, that... I didn't tell you we were dating?" I frowned.

"I'm sorry? My son? In an actual relationship?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she retorted.

"I forgot,"

"How long have you been dating?"

"About a month"

"A month? And you forgot to tell me?" she scolded.

"Yeah, I'm sorry it just kind of slipped my mind,"

"So do I get to meet her?"

"Of course, as soon as I talk to her about it,"

"Why do you need to talk to her about it?" she sounded offended.

"I was going to bring her down for EunBi's graduation, Dad's birthday is that week so I thought it would be good to do it all in one trip. I just haven't mentioned it to her yet,"

"Why not? Are you ashamed of your parents?"

"No, we're taking things slow, I don't want to scare her away by throwing her in the deep end too quickly,"

"What do you mean the deep end?"

"Mum," I whined.

"I'm just kidding sweetheart, take your time,"

"I actually called you because I had a question," I sighed changing the subject.

"What question, dear?"

"I'm cooking bibimbap for her tonight,"

"You're cooking?" she asked cautiously.

"Relax, I took a cooking class,"

"If you had of just let me teach you when you were younger," she sighed disapprovingly.

"Anyway, I'm at the market and I know what I need but not what to buy, there are like 50 different kinds of the same thing,"

"Alright, what's the first thing you need?"

EUNJI

Where were they? I had to be in the class room in ten minutes. We were almost sold out of everything, but there as still too much for me to just pack away into my backpack, and I couldn't just walk away from the stall. But that seems like the only option I had right now; I could just put the moneybox in my bag and go to my exam. He wasn't answering his phone either, what am I supposed to do?

"Sorry," Ricky came running around the corner, Ui Jin not far behind him.

"Wow, you sold a lot," Ui Jin smiled.

"I'd love to stay and talk but I'm going to be late if I don't go now,"

"Sorry, it's my fault, I'll help out," Ui Jin gave me an apologetic look.

"It's fine, I really have to go,"

"Message me when your exam is over," Ricky yelled after me.

I practically ran to my class, I was there literally one minute before he would have closed the doors to begin the exam. He gave me a disapproving look but said nothing other than 'Take a seat' which I did.

JIYEON

"He said there was no tear, it's fine," he sighed at me as we waited for Xander to come and pick us up.

"Why are you complaining? You get to see me model,"

"You're only bringing me so you can babysit me," he muttered.

"Partly, but I did ask you to come this morning before I found out you needed a babysitter,"

"I don't need a babysitter,"

"You used to insist on coming to my shoots before I actually got signed to a company and you got busy," I stated ignoring his comment.

"You didn't have a manager then," he muttered, I don't think he'd meant to say it out loud.

"You're jealous of Xander?" I smirked.

"I'm not jealous," he stated defensively.

"What are you then?"

"I just don't like him,"

"You haven't really met him," I frowned.

"So, he's showy and flashy, and shouldn't he pick you up and drop you off in a company car?"

"He does pick me up in a company car, he only drops me off in his car because he's also on his way home,"

"That's convenient," he muttered.

"Stop being jealous,"

"I'm not jealous,"

"You sure sound like you are,"

"I'm not,"

"Okay," I sighed.

INSOO

The black van pulled arrived not long after that. He got out of the car wearing ripped black skinny jeans, a yellow Pikachu shirt and a red beanie. I thought he was a manager? Why does he look like he's a model?

Okay, so maybe I am a little jealous, but I wasn't going to admit that. He stopped in front of us and looked Jiyeon up and down a few times, then turned to me and did the same. What was this guys problem?

"Why do you look so worried?" she frowned at him.

"You said to pick you up from the hospital,"

"Yeah, we had to get a few things check out," she shrugged him off.

"But you're fine right?"

"Shut up and get in the car, we're going to be late," she rolled her eyes at him.

"Is she like this with you? She's always so mean," he huffed.

"Come on Insoo," she ignored his comment and ushered me to the van.

"See, mean," he huffed, I just frowned getting in the back with Ji.

He made his way to the driver's seat muttering to himself.

"So why were you at the hospital?" he asked starting the car.

"None of your business," she retorted without looking in his direction, instead she looked down at her phone typing a message.

"It is if it affects your health,"

"It doesn't"

"You'd lie and say that regardless,"

"And get out of seeing your face?"

"Why are you always so mean to me?" he huffed.

"Why do you always complain?"

"You and Solji have so much in common,"

"That's not true, she's a lot nicer to Yoshi,"

"Only because Yoshi and Hyerin are dating,"

"Like Hyerin would mind," she yawned.

"So what's on the agenda today Xander?"

"You know it's Alexander?" he raised an eyebrow.

"You know I don't care?"

"We're doing something different today," he sighed.

"Like what?"

SEYONG

I'd managed to convince the rest of the MYNAME members to not be home for dinner, they didn't really make it hard, nor did they ask why. Once they'd left I started cutting vegetables and getting everything ready to make dinner for Eunji, I did have to call my mum back a few times to check some things but other than that I hadn't needed much help preparing. Now I just had to wait a while for her to be on her way home.

I didn't know when that was, I knew she had an exam this afternoon but I wasn't sure if she was going to still be selling things after that or if she had something else to do, maybe I should have checked before I'd done this...

I pulled my phone out to send her a message;

Hey, good luck with your exam, what time do you think you'll be home?

-Seyong

I was guessing she was still in her exam because she didn't reply.

EUNJI

I walked out of the room a little disappointed, I don't think I did all that well. I was worried that I might have failed the exam but I wasn't going to know until the end of the week. I sighed trying to reassure myself, I'd studied enough, I knew the answers, and if I did fail I had the rest of my exams to even out my grade. There was no use worrying over it until I got my results, but there was a useless nagging in the back of my head that wouldn't go away.

I pulled my phone out and turned it back on, I had two missed calls and a few messages. I quickly sent Ricky a message letting him know I was out of my exam and asking him if he still wanted to meet up somewhere. The missed calls were from Kwangmin who had been trying to get me to get back into practising our routine. I really didn't want too and we had about four months until we had to actually perform. Plus we had basically perfected the performance when we showed the Director, so there was really no point in practising right now. I was sure that he just wanted to do it so he could try and spread doubts through my head about Seyong, of which I had none.

There were also two messages from him, one asking if I wanted to meet up somewhere and rehearse, the other asking why I was ignoring him. There was another from Ricky apologising again for being late and that he hoped it didn't affect my results, then one from Zelo wishing me luck on my exam. The last was from Seyong;

Hey, good luck with your exam, what time do you think you'll be home?

-Seyong

Thank you. I'm not sure about 5, maybe 5:30. Why? Is something wrong?

-Eunji

No, nothing's wrong. I just thought we could do something.

-Seyong

Oh, I can come home now, what did you want to do?

-Eunji

It's okay, do what you need to do, 5:30 will be fine.

-Seyong

I couldn't tell if he was mad or not, it was hard to tell over text if he genuinely meant what he said or if he was disappointed.

Are you sure? I was only going t have a coffee with Ricky, he won't mind if I reschedule.

-Eunji

It's completely fine, really, 5:30 is perfect :)

-Seyong

Okay, well I'll see you when I get home. Did you want me to pick up something for dinner on my way?

-Eunji

No, it's okay, we'll get dinner while we're out.

-Seyong

Okay.

-Eunji

JIYEON

Insoo and I followed Xander through the company building into one of studios, there were already people in there waiting for us; the CEO, another guy about his age, and one of the male models I'd seen around the building a few times. I didn't know his name, I'd only really seen him in passing. I knew he was shy and didn't say much, but I had seen one or two of his shoots when Xander was showing me how things worked, and it was like a switch flipped in him.

"Jiyeon," the CEO beamed, he seemed to have taken a liking to me and my sass as he put it.

"CEO," I bowed.

"Is this the boyfriend?" he gestured to Insoo who was still standing in the doorway.

"Yes sir,"

"Come in, sit down," he waved him in.

"This is the marketing director from Jambangee, you're going to be modelling their clothes today, with Kwak Si Yang. Have you met before?"

"No,"

"That's not surprising, he's kind of reserved, be nice," he playfully glared at me.

"Am I ever anything but?"

"All the time," Xander sniggered behind me.

"Only to you," I retorted.

EUNJI

"Hey," I smiled sitting down at the table with Ricky, and Ui Jin.

"Hey, Ui Jin wanted to come and apologise,"

"Is that okay?" Ui Jin frowned.

"It's fine, I can't stay too long anyway," I nodded.

"Are you mad?"

"No, Seyong wants to do something," I shook my head.

"Are you sure you're not mad?" Ricky continued to frown.

"I'm not mad, I wasn't late. It's fine, really," I assured him.

"It was my fault, we got talking and Ricky wanted to come back after we'd finished our coffee but I convinced him to stay a little longer, then we realised what the time was," Ui Jin rambled.

"Stop worrying, I'm just happy you two are talking,"

"What do you mean?" Ui Jin frowned.

"Nothing," I laughed, Ricky went bright red.

He had a habit of talking about Ui Jin and coming up with scenarios or conversations they'd have if they ever talked, or dated. However, he had been so sure that Ui Jin was straight and would freak out if he told him he was gay. From what I could see, Ui Jin was as much interest in Ricky as Ricky was in him.

"So what does Seyong want to do?" Ricky changed the subject.

"Who's Seyong?" Ui Jin asked.

"Her boyfriend,"

"You have a boyfriend?" he frowned.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" I frowned backed.

"Just, you're quiet and to yourself, I didn't really.... Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. You're pretty and nice, I just didn't think you would be dating anyone," he shrugged.

"So what does he have planned?" Ricky interrupted.

"I don't know, he just said he wanted to do something,"

"Like what?"

"No idea, did you manage to sell the rest of the food?" I shrugged.

"Yeah, and we took the money straight to the director who was really impressed with the amount we raised," he nodded.

INSOO

This is stupid, this was her job and I shouldn't be jealous because of it. But today I guess stupid things were getting the best of me. Here she was modelling with this guy, all close and acting couple like and it was bothering me, which was completely ridiculous. It's not like I wasn't going to end up working with girls, it's not like she was going to do anything with this guy, so being jealous was completely pointless.

"So," Xander sat down next to me. Lucky me.

"So?" I frowned when he didn't continue speaking.

"... Is there anything I need to know?"

"About?"

"Jiyeon,"

"What are you talking about?"

"You guys were at the hospital, and you've come along which you haven't done before, and you've got this concerned look on your face,"

"She told you she was fine,"

"She'd tell me she was fine even if she wasn't,"

"If she says she's fine; she's fine,"

"Do you honestly believe that?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I have no reason not to, she doesn't keep things from me,"

JIYEON

The Director gestured for a small break and wardrobe change, so I made my ay over to Xander who was talking to Insoo. Insoo looked annoyed, I wasn't sure what they were talking about but after catching the end of their conversation as I made my way over to them, by the sounds of it; they were talking about me.

"I have no reason not to, she doesn't keep things from me," a rush of guilt washed through me.

"I just need to be sure she's okay,"

"She's fine, we weren't at the hospital for her," Insoo stopped talking when he noticed me standing there.

"Oh, hey," Xander nodded at me.

"Why are you bothering my boyfriend?"

"I'm not," he frowned.

"I know his facial expressions, you're bothering him,"

"I'm fine Ji,"

"See, he's fine,"

"Can you go get me a drink? I need to go get changed," I asked Xander who sighed nodding.

"Why are you so grumpy?" I asked Insoo sitting down next to him.

"I'm not," he shrugged.

"You are,"

"I'm just tired, and sore,"

"Do you want to call Seyong to come pick you up?"

"He's busy, he planned something for him and Eunji," he shrugged.

"Do you want me to call a taxi?"

"No, I'm fine,"

"I shouldn't have made you come," I sighed.

"No, I missed watching you model,"

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I would like to trade places with the model though," he muttered.

"You are jealous," I smirked.

"A little bit," he sighed.

"He's completely harmless, he basically avoids girls until he has to model or act. He's awkward and shy and then the camera turns on and he puts up a front," I shrugged.

"I'm not that jealous of him,"

"Xander?" I raised and eyebrow holding back a laugh.

"You sound surprised, he's not exactly ugly," Insoo stated.

"He's not exactly smart, his idea of fun is doing stupid things with his brother, he's overly confident for no reason, he's skinny-fat, and I'm pretty sure he's gay, he's not competition,"

"Skinny-fat?"

"He looks like he'd have a nice body but in reality, he has no definition, I'm not even sure if there are any abs hidden in there,"

"Does he make it a habit of walking around shirtless?"

"Kind of, he and Yoshi go to the gym until one of them gets bored and screws with the other one and then they end up chasing each other around the building,"

"Here you go," Xander came back with a bottle of water.

"I thought you had to get changed?"

"I'm going," I nodded.

"You okay?" I turned to Insoo.

"Skinny-fat?" he smirked.

"Skinny-fat," I nodded.

"I'm good," he nodded.

"Jealousy is attractive on you by the way," I winked before leaving to get changed.

EUNJI

I'd only stayed out with Ricky and Ui Jin for maybe half an hour, not even that so I was home almost an hour earlier than I'd told Seyong I would be. I figured it would be better to go out earlier so we weren't out too late, but he wasn't home when I got there. There was a bench full of ingredients, which was weird, no one really made it a habit of cooking. Maybe Chaejin or JunQ had decided to make dinner?

I made my way upstairs to find them, or anyone else really but the house was empty, that was weird. I mean, I was used to the house being empty with Ji not living here anymore and the boys always at the company but if they weren't training or they had a day off at least one person was here.

I made my way back downstairs and Seyong as coming through the front door holding a bouquet of what looked like weeds, he froze when he saw me and frowned.

"You're early,"

"Yeah, Ricky had other company,"

"Oh," he nodded awkwardly.

"Did I interrupt something?" I joked.

"What? No, it was supposed to be a surprise," he continued frowning.

"What was suppose to be a surprise?"

"I had a plan," he mumbled to himself.

"So I leave and come back?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? Oh, no, uh... I was going to cook for you,"

"You're going to cook?" I asked carefully, from what I've heard he's not exactly skilled in that area.

"Yeah,"

"Can I watch?" I didn't actually have proof he couldn't cook, and it was sweet of him to do so.

"Ah, sure," he nodded awkwardly.

"Oh, these are for you," he held out the weed bouquet.

"The florists said they meant the beginning," he explained, honestly I think the florist was trying to sell something no one was buying. But I smiled brightly and said;

"Thank you, they're pretty," I took them.

"I didn't really know your preference on flowers," he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'll go put them in water, and get changed, then I'll be back to watch you cook," I smiled turning to go upstairs.

JIYEON

"Are you sure you're okay?" Xander frowned at me.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're slow today,"

"You're slow every day," I retorted.

"Very funny, but seriously,"

"I'm fine, I'm just not in a rush today," I shrugged.

"Since when do you,"

"You can either take me to the doctor and be told I'm fine, or you can shut up and we can get through today's schedule, which you still haven't told me about,"

"How's your voice?" he asked after a short silence.

"Xander, I'm perfectly fine,"

"I mean can you sing?" he asked as we continued walking.

"Kind of, why?" I frowned as we stopped and waited for the elevator.

"How are you getting along with the other girls?"

"What other girls?"

"Solji, Junghwa, Hyerin?"

"Solji and I get along really well, but you already know that, and I've only really talked to the other two in passing,"

"Okay,"

"What's going on?"

"The company is working on a new project,"

"That involves singing?

"Something like that," he nodded getting on the elevator.

"What are you up too? I'm a model, I don't sing,"

"It will be explained soon,"

"How soon?"

"As soon as we meet with the CEO in about five minutes,"

"I don't like this," I frowned.

"You so better be fine," he mumbled under his breath.

"I told you we weren't at the hospital for her," Insoo stated.

"Do you make it a habit of visiting hospitals,"

"We were there for me," he stated.

"You could just be covering for her,"

"Why would I do that? What if she got hurt more?"

"So what reason were you at the hospital?" Xander raised an eyebrow.

"I pulled a knee ligament,"

"Happy now?" I asked.

"Why didn't you just tell me that to begin with?"

"Because it's none of your business, all you needed to know was I'm fine," I stated as we got off the elevator and entered the large conference room where Solji was already sitting with another girl I'd seen in passing but not actually spoken too.

"Hey," she brightened up when she saw me.

"Where is everyone?" Xander asked with a frown.

"Yoshi went to the bathroom and the girls went to the vending machine down the hallway," she shrugged.

"Do you know what this is about?" I asked sitting down.

"No idea," she shrugged again.

"Hello, I'm Jiyeon," I greeted the girl sitting down the end of the table. She looked up, stared at me for a second then looked back down.

"Ignore her," Solji rolled her eyes.

"Who is she?"

"She goes by LE, no idea what her actual name is. She's been here longer than most, and she isn't fond of newcomers," Solji explained as the others joined us.

SEYONG

She came back down the stairs wearing a pair of black shorts and a light blue cardigan. She smiled and sat on the stool on the other side of the bench. Elbows on the counter she rested her chin in her hands, smiling at me.

"Can I help with anything?" she asked.

"No," I said a little too quickly.

"Okay," she nodded with a slight frown.

"What I mean is, I can do this on my own,"

"Okay," she nodded again.

"Don't worry, I took a class," I unintentionally admitted.

"Really?" she smirked.

"I couldn't have you eating burn food or getting food poisoning,"

EUNJI

"Aw," I blurted out, I felt my cheeks heat up and I covered them with my hands, he smirked at my reaction but his cheeks looked the way mine felt.

I watched him busy himself around the kitchen, every now and then he would pause, frown, and check his little notebook then continue what he was doing. I was curious about how this was going to turn out, from what I'd heard he shouldn't even be aloud in the kitchen so it's not like I was expecting a five star meal. But he'd taken a class and he was trying, he'd even gotten me flowers. If I'd had any lingering doubts in my subconscious, they were gone now.

Kwangmin could try his hardest, but there was no way someone would go through all this just to get into bed with someone. There was no way Kwangmin was going to convince me that Seyong had no feelings for me when it was so clear that he does.

"So where is everyone else?"

"They're not going to be home until late, why?"

"I was just curious," I shrugged.

"I asked them to stay out, I didn't want them to interrupt, or ridicule me,"

"Like they're game enough to ridicule you,"

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"They're wary of, I think you might kind of scare them,"

"Do I scare you?" he paused what he was doing.

[todokori-kun]

Did someone say suffering? SIGN ME UP.

(I think I’ve heard of it before but I have no idea what it’s about other than the fact that there are obviously terrorists involved lol)

Poor Hisoka. So much unnecessary hate.

I have something to recommend real quick too: could you search ‘Hisoka Schwing’ and then ‘Kyousou Requiem’ on youtube? The infamous ‘Schwing’ scene will show you why Hisoka is a trash pile, Kyousou Requiem is Hisoka’s character song from the anime and will show you why sometimes, rarely, Hisoka can be cool (or rather, he has a very nice voice and you can actually enjoy the song. Unless you’re waching the video with English subs. Then you’d probably get too distracted by the lyrics).

The troll side of me is really looking forward to your reaction XD

TYSM again <333

Really? I mean, if you’re ok with me spamming you and ranting about stuff (basically what I always do but still) I’d love to send you more pics.

That sounds really cool :D

Yay :) tbh though I have a weird definition of PG-13 LOL when I’m watching stuff with my sister PG-13 is anything that’s acceptable for her to watch if I cover her eyes at certain points/make sure to talk about things with her, and when I’m watching stuff alone PG-13 is anything that doesn’t have any sexual content (sexual references are ok though) and has no extreme violence/gore. That’s pretty much it XD

I think I read on the site that Rod is recommended as the first route? So maybe I’ll start with him :)

I WILL RESIST (we both know I won’t be able to though. Queen Luna knows my weaknesses.)

Yeah, Riza would be impressed. I think she’d wonder how on earth her idiot son managed to get such a beautiful, sensible young lady to like him LOL

Evans…would probably be a bit less impressed. If Roy managed to prove to me that he’s genuinely in love with the queen, though, I might give in. It depends on what he does though. If he mentions miniskirts or that on hold song I’m throwing him out. Like-

Roy: “LUNA, I THOUGHT YOU SAID SHE WAS SHY AND SWEET”

Luna: *stares at the wild Evans* “Sorry bae, but right now you’re on your own.”

Evans: “Colonel Mustang, you should understand that my anxiety makes me nervous around human beings, not trash.”

Yeah, I remember that 4-Koma Theatre thing XD All of FMA’s extras are pretty hilarious.

Tbh any relationship with Evans involves a LOT of awkward silences and going round in circles until SOMEBODY decides to step in like ‘nah you’re not getting anywhere like that here let me just give you this convenient push so you fall into each other’s arms’

(Also: I recently imagined what it would be like to be Kimblee’s s/o. I don’t know why I did that. It was a terrifying thought.)

Ok, ok, since we seem to talk about shipping each other with fictional characters a lot, I thought I’d leave a list of who I ship you with from various fandoms-

Oreo Cookie

Nishiki, for some weird reason?

Roy

Greedling (I STILL HAVEN’T WRITTEN THE GREED/LUNA HCs. I’LL SEND THOSE IN A SEPERATE MESSAGE)

Lust

Soma and maybe Sebastian? Like he’s way too trashy for the queen but still

Loki

Thor

Maybe Pietro? But he’s dead so ;-;

Jean (from AoT)

Armin

Hange?

I still care about a lot of people (other than Urie there’s Saiko, Nishiki, Kimi, Shuu, Naki, Yomo, Uta(?), Eto, Ui…) but yeah, I’m worried for Urie even if I’m sure he’s not going to die. 

I’m super excited for Ishida to reveal more of Rio/Shikorae’s backstory! He might actually play a bigger role in the plot now? And I really want to know how he ended up like that because his game design looks a lot more ‘normal’, for lack of a better word. Also I don’t think he talked in emojis in the game.

Yeah, tbh I feel sorry for all of them ;-; can Yomo and the rest really kill them/harm them? They’re CHILDREN.

Yep, the sketches are rough and messy because I was just doodling to vent my feelings ^^;; the black sketch does look a bit better than the blue one, though (at least I think so?). I’m glad you liked them :D and yes, they’re suffering. Naomi more than Tatsuo, though. The only way Tatsuo could suffer is if he was unsure of Naomi/Shuu/Mirumo’s safety or if someone cut off his wine supply.

Hm, looking forward to seeing what it’ll change to next time :) this one really is super cute though <3

(btw, an extremely random and maybe slightly creepy question that you don’t have to answer:

What do you do/how do you act when you’re angry?)

Oh yeah, there’s plenty of suffering there. It also has a really good soundtrack! My personal favourite is probably this one: Ís (it has a link so you can listen to it :3 ) Yee, it’s a pretty depressing anime. When i finished it, I stared at ny wall for solid 10 minutes thinking about what I just watches. You also cry a lot while watching it, especially if you’re like me (I never cry at live action movies, but anime het me really easily)

I am scarred for life. Wow. That guy is bigger trash anything I can imagine. Just. That’s so creepy >_< Getting turned on by the thought of fighting a boy that doesn’t look older than 13.  Also, the song is nice, his voice is nice, but then I saw the lyrics. “Your (something) makes me moist.” I don’t even watch the anime, but I am done with him on too many levels already.

I’m scared already… I’m absolutely fine with you sending me more of your drawing! In fact, I’d be more than happy to see them ^^ 

Oh wow, those are interesting definitions of pg-13. I think that pg13 means you can swear once or twice. Tokyo Ghoul has a lot more swears than that XD I’m curious, though, have you ever watched any anime with your sister? If so, which ones? You mentioned her reading kuroshitsuji, minus some arcs, but what about the anime?

Ah, Rod might be a good start (asshole). I hope you enjoy his route ^^ Tell me your impressions after it!  Also, (one last (hopefully)) word of advice, pace yourself. Don’t be like me and finish all the routes in 2 days. That’s too much suffering and emotion packed into 2 days XD

AHAHA WILL YOU THOUGH? 

O/////////=

After I read that burn, I literally sat here for about 5 minutes, just staring at the screen. 

That was absolutely savage.

Who says the silences have to be awkward? I’m a pretty quiet person, yet whenever my friends are over and we’re silent, it’s never awkward. We just enjoy the silence. 

That’s why you have me huehuehuehue I’ll be your wing(wo)man! 

Honestly, I’d write some Evans/Kimblee headcanons, but I honestly can’t imagine that man in a relationship. I tried, I really tried. 

Ara, that’s a lot!  Funny how you should say Nishiki, since he was actually my favourite, along with Shuu before Urie came along. You know me too well ^^

No, no, there’s honestly no need for that! You’ve already written so so much for me!

Tbh, I feel like one of the rare people in the fandom who don’t like Sebastian. I don’t find him hot, attractive or anything similar. In fact, he’s among the characters I dislike the most XD  Rip pietro. Why did you have to say goodbye?

Hange and I would probably have a more platonic relationship filled with weird experiments and titan research. I’d also participate in giving the titans horrible names just for the lols :P

I’m worries for everyone. Mainly, their mental health. I’m always worried about that when it comes to TG, though.

I wonder what’ll happen with him… Hopefully Ishida does make him a good character ^^

So. Much. Suffering. Well, cut of his wine supply, that’s probably the least suffery thing you can do to him XD

It might stay this character (very likely), change to a character from CP (also likely (help)) or something entirely else. We’ll just have to wait and see ^^ 

When I’m angry, I mostly rant inside my head and… I do schoolwork… Yep, I’m a nerd. It does help me vent, though, because it takes my mind of of things. When I don’t have schoolwork to do, I watch cutesy anime, because those can always make me smile.  I also listen to angsty music sometimes ^^;;

Aaalso, I recently (today) realised how to make proper aesthetic edits! So, uhm, here are some I made! I’d like your opinion on them ^^

((I tried to put 4 put the other 2 wouldn’t load =3= I’ll try to include them in my next answer ^^))

Masquerade ball:

Blue one ((Actually inspired by you)):

((Idk if you’ve read this, but the other two decided to load, huzzah!))

Living Legend Ballerina:

And the one where I decided to be conceited and made one for myself XD

If you have an idea for a specific character, or something, just say so, because I wanna practice and ideas are welcome!