#the academy can go d!€ honestly but let’s let them live for a sec

[holypowell]

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED SCENE BTW

[crackimagines]

The New Professor (FE: Three Houses Short Fic)

Konosuba / School-Live! AU

CONTAINS School-Live! (Gakkou Gurashi) anime spoilers!

A new visitor arrives to Garreg Mach, causing a commotion among the population.

Byleth, Kazuma, and Aqua are sent to investigate who the new visitor is.

----

(Byleth) sigh

(Aqua) “Come on, tell me I’m right!”

(Kazuma) “Okay, you’re goddamn stupid.”

(Aqua) “Shut up, NEET!”

(Kazuma) “Stop calling me a NEET you bitch!”

(Sothis) “Ugh, what are they complaining about now?”

(Byleth) “Apparently something about the amiibo gazebo being part of a greater power than you or anything here...”

(Sothis) “And that’s why they’re throwing profanity around?”

(Aqua) “Listen, this is a serious discussion!”

(Kazuma) “One that you’re completely wrong about!”

Byleth shook his head. He was starting to regret asking them to lunch. 

Before he could continue eating, Alois ran up to his table.

(Alois) “Ah, there you are Byleth!”

(Byleth) “Alois, what’s wrong?”

(Alois) “We just found a woman unconscious near the classrooms!”

(Byleth) “What?!”

(Kazuma) “Wait, why are you telling him this, isn’t this stuff left to the knights?”

(Alois) “Well the thing is, we don’t know where she came from, or who she is. I daresay she’s not even from Fodlan!”

(Aqua) “Wait, like as in completely foreign country or?”

(Alois) “As in, completely otherwordly! Actually, her clothing reminds me a bit of yours, Kazuma!”

Kazuma’s eyes widened and turned to Aqua.

(Kazuma) “Hold up a sec, you think she could be...?”

(Aqua) “Only one way to find out! Byleth, we’re coming with you!”

Byleth nodded and the three of them followed Alois to the classrooms. 

...

...

----

SLAM!

Megumi shut the door behind her as hard as she could, making sure it couldn’t be open from the other side.

(???) “Let me go!”

(??? 2) Yuki-chan, stop it!”

(???) “Megu-nee’s still outside! We have to hurry!”

(??? 3) “It’s too late!”

(??? 2) “WAIT!”

(???) “Megu-nee! MEGU-NEEEEE!”

...

...

(??? 1) “Shit, she looks beat up bad!”

(??? 2) “There’s blood everywhere, what happened to her?!”

(??? 3) “You guys didn’t try to get a healer first?”

(??? 4) “We tried! There’s something in her arm that’s spreading and we can’t stop it!”

(??? 1) “Aqua!”

(??? 2) “On it! Oh no...From what I’m seeing in her injuries, it’s like some zombie infection!”

(??? 3) “Wait, what’s a zombie?”

(??? 1) “God damn, what the hell?! Tch, nevermind, questions later! We gotta use Turn Undead!”

(??? 2) “Wait, that’s going to hurt her!”

(??? 1) “Aqua, it doesn’t look like she’s fully infected yet, so maybe it can stop it before it spreads! We gotta do SOMETHING!”

(??? 1) “Damn, TURN UNDEAD!”

Megumi could only hear the voices faintly, but it started to grow louder as she felt a sharp pain in her arm that quickly went away.

(??? 2) “Alright, she’s stabilizing.”

Megumi opened her eyes slowly, the light blinding her from the windows.

(Megumi) “H-Huh...?”

(Kazuma) “H-Hey, she’s waking up!”

She looked up and saw three people she’s never seen before, wearing what seemed to be medieval European clothing.

(Byleth) “I see you’re awake now.”

(Aqua) “Hey there!”

(Kazuma) “Better places to pass out than on the ground, ya know!”

(Megumi) “Where...am I?”

...

(Byleth) “Yes, we know Sothis. We’ll try to explain it in basic terms.”

(Megumi) ?

(Kazuma) “Well...put simply, you’re in a school.”

The word school echoed through her mind. Megumi’s heartbeat suddenly spiked as she almost jumped to her feet, looking behind her frantically.

(Megumi) “YUKI-CHAN!”

When she spun around, she only saw Alois and a few of the Monastery’s classrooms.

(Alois) “T-Take it easy ma’am! We know you’re confused but!”

Megumi’s breathing was out of control, her head jerking back and forth trying to find anything familiar. 

But to no avail.

(Megumi) “YUKI! KURUMI! RII-SAN! ANYONE?!”

(Byleth) “Miss, please, calm down!”

Kazuma grabbed the shoulders of the woman and kept her still.

(Kazuma) “Take a deep breath, alright?!”

Megumi eventually stopped shaking as she took in more of her surroundings. It was clear she wasn’t at the school anymore but...

With a deep exhale, she finally calmed down.

(Megumi) “I-I’m sorry...I-I don’t know where I am.”

(Byleth) “What’s your name?”

(Megumi) “My name...My name is Megumi Sakura. I’m a teacher at Megurigaoka Private High School.”

(Aqua) “That sounds a lot like...”

(Kazuma) “Japanese.”

(Aqua) “This is a weird question to ask but...Are you from Japan?”

(Megumi) “Yes, I am?”

Kazuma took a little comfort in that. He now wasn’t the only person thrown to this world from Earth.

(Kazuma) “Well...how do I put this? You’re not in Japan anymore, you’re pretty much in the same boat I am. We’re in a country called Fodlan.”

(Megumi) “Where is that?”

(Kazuma) “It doesn’t exist back on our world, Miss Sakura. We’re basically in a Fantasy Europe with straight up magic, dragons, all that crazy bullshit.”

(Megumi) “But...what happened to our world? My students?”

(Kazuma) “Um...I’m not sure. I didn’t come from YOUR world, per se. My world was in peace while yours seemed to be...uh...”

(Megumi) “I see...”

Megumi’s heart sank. She just happened to be unlucky enough to be in a world where crisis struck them instead of having a normal life like Kazuma.

(Aqua) “I’m sure you must have a million questions, but you need some rest! Here, follow me and I’ll try to answer anything you might ask on the way.”

(Megumi) “B-But...”

Sighing, Megumi followed Aqua to her room.

(Alois) “From another world? First you and your friends Kazuma, now her! What a crazy time to live in! Poor thing must be so confused if she’s shouting for her students like that...”

Kazuma couldn’t help but shiver at that. He couldn’t imagine coming to a brand new world completely alone. He was lucky to have others with him here. At the very least, he had some semblance of a fantasy world, Megumi must be feeling as if she were on another planet.

Which in some sense, she was.

(Kazuma) “Hey uh...she said she was a teacher, right?”

(Byleth) “Yeah, of some private school.”

(Kazuma) “Do...Do you think she could teach alongside you, professor?”

(Byleth) “What?”

(Kazuma) “Well, if the church throws her ass to the curb, she’s going to be completely lost! She doesn’t understand a world like yours in the slightest.”

Byleth looked at Megumi and nodded.

(Byleth) “I’ll talk to Rhea about it.”

...

After a few days of getting settled in and recovering, Megumi began to explore the Monastery with Kazuma and his gang.

(Aqua) “The Monastery is more of a military academy than a normal school.”

(Kazuma) “Yeah, Garreg Mach Monastery, or The Officer’s Academy, is the full name of this place.”

(Darkness) “Many people are aspiring to be a knight here. That is my goal. Well, being stuck here anyway.”

(Megumin) “My goal is to make a name for the Crimson Demon, and no matter the world we’re thrown into, that shall always be my top priority!”

(Megumi) “I had no idea other people could be thrown into worlds so casually...A-And what about God and?”

(Aqua) “Well you see I’m-”

Kazuma elbowed Aqua, shaking his head.

(Kazuma) “The poor woman’s going to be more confused, alright?! Just keep that to yourself for now!”

(Aqua) “Jerk!”

(Megumi) “Oh by the way, where is that blue haired man?”

(Kazuma) “Oh, professor Byleth? I’m not sure, honestly. I asked him to talk to the head honcho here of letting you teach here.”

(Megumi) “Huh?! B-But, I don’t know how to fight!”

(Aqua) “That’s fine! There’s still stuff like math here!”

(Darkness) “It’s just something to help you fit in. We don’t want you getting thrown out while you have no idea what’s happening.”

(Megumin) “Besides, I’m sure you’ll love the students here!”

(Claude’s Voice) “Well, probably just me.”

Claude, Dimitri, and Edelgard walked up to the group and noticed Megumi.

(Dimitri) “Ah, so you’re that new teacher that has been causing quite a stir! I am Dimitri, House leader of the Blue Lions.”

(Edelgard) “My name is Edelgard, and I am the House Leader of the Black Eagles.”

(Claude) “Claude, Golden Deer. Nice to meet ya!”

(Megumi) “T-Thank you! My name is Megumi Sakura...I-I’m sorry, did you say new teacher?”

(Edelgard) “Why yes. We’ve been informed that Byleth has an assistant who will be helping teach the three houses.”

(Megumi) “HUH?! W-WHY DID NO ONE ASK ME FIRST?!”

(Dimitri) “Hah, are you getting cold feet Professor Sakura?”

(Megumi) “...Professor Sakura...”

She smiled a little, blushing at the name.

(Megumi) “Well, at least someone’s finally referring to me as my proper teacher name.”

(Edelgard) “What did people usually refer to you as?”

(Megumi) “Megu-nee.”

(Aqua) “Aw, that’s actually kinda cute!”

(Megumi) “It’s not befitting of a teacher!”

(Claude) “Megu-nee..Hah, I like that sound of that a bit better honestly!”

(Edelgard) “Megun-nee. It does have a nice ring to it.”

(Dimitri) “Well, Megu-nee, we’ll be seeing you soon! We just wanted to say hello.”

(Claude) “Be seein’ ya around!”

(Megumi) “D-DON’T CALL ME MEGU-NEE! IT’S...ah...”

Everyone else laughed at her embarassment, but Kazuma put a hand on her shoulder.

(Kazuma) “You’ll fit right in, Megu-nee! Those three will put in a good word for ya! Byleth will be too, no doubt!”

Everyone gave her an encouraging smile.

(Darkness) “Please, if you need us for anything do not hesitate to ask for help.”

(Megumi) “...”

A part of her was going to miss her students so dearly. Yuki, Kurumi, and Yuuri would be alone without her, missing her and thinking that she was dead. She wanted to tell them that she was alive and well thanks to the help of everyone here so far but...

Megumi knew that was going to be a long time before that happened.

With the help of everyone here, she knew the road was going to be a lot less lonely than she thought. 

(Megumi) “I never could’ve anticipated that this was where my life was going to go once I thought I was dead but...I won’t waste this second chance you’ve given me, so for that I will do my best to repay it and continue teaching!”

(Byleth) “We’re happy to hear it.”

Byleth smiled at her as he walked over, extending his hand.

(Byleth) “Welcome to the family, Megumi.”

She hesitated before giving her hand, but she took Byleth’s hand and shook it firmly.

(Byleth) “Come on, the rest of the staff wants to meet you.”

(Megumi) “R-Right!”

(Kazuma) “Good luck, Megu-nee!”

She spun around quickly and pouted.

“Kazuma, don’t call me Megu-nee! It’s Professor Sakura!”

Unfortunately for her, no one would heed her wishes to be called that.

Everyone greeted their new professor, Megu-nee.

---

[Indirect Sequel: Megumi Sakura as a Professor AU]

[angewrites]

Interference

Title: Interference 

Title Definition:  (n) The ability of two waves passing through each other to mingle, reinforcing each other where crests coincide and cancelling each other out where crests and troughs coincide.

Anime: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s

Words: 5844

Summary:  With Yusei and Jack gone to Nazca lines, Aki struggles to understand her physics homework. With a test coming up the next day, she calls Crow to ask for help and, to her surprise, he agrees to help her. But, as it turns out, physics isn’t the only thing she’s confused about. Also, it happens to be her birthday. Aki’s POV, Firebirdshipping (Izayoi Aki x Crow Hogan-sama)

Notes: It’s August 16th in Japan, which means it’s Aki’s birthday!! I’ve been working on, reworking, and editing at least ten times this fic for 8 days (I even used my high school physics notes for this lmao). And honestly, I’m in love with how this turned out. I was even thinking about it in my sleep lmao.

Anyway, this is the first time in a long loooong time I’ve written romance of this caliber, so if y’all got suggestions, I’m all eyes. But, even if you don’t, please let me know what you think of this b/c I’ve been dying to publish this since yesterday haha.

Happy reading!!

[FFN] [AO3]

Izayoi Residence

If I had to choose between fighting a worldwide threat and a physics test, I’d opt for the worldwide threat. Getting a diploma didn’t depend on how well I fought it. Better yet, I’d rather be in a cheesy, poorly-written high school romance (my least favorite type of romance movie) and pretend to take a physics test rather than actually take one. It’s ridiculous. Why was Duel Academy still holding classes? The rest of the city’s in shambles from Yusei’s fight with that Yliaster guy. It didn’t make any sense.

I opened my purple physics notebook as slowly as I possibly could. The test’s still happening, no matter how much I complained, hoping it would go away. We’d been studying a unit that had flown over my head since day one. I’ve tried talking with Mr. Kimura about my frustrations, but back-to-back staff meetings conveniently interrupted the explanation sessions, so I was at a total loss. Yusei had been helping me as much as he could before the World Riding Grand Prix. Eventually, preparations took over. I still didn’t understand.

And the test’s tomorrow.

And the test’s worth half our grade.

And it’s my worst class.

And I couldn’t exactly sing a musical number and hoped everything would turn out fine by the end.

How I envisioned spending the night of my 17th birthday? Not even close.  

I exhaled and glanced out my window. The sun was setting over the horizon, painting the sky with a light bluish orange. Maybe he’s not too busy and he could help.

Wait a sec. He visited the kids after his job, didn’t he? I doubted he would want to waste his free time helping me with physics.

But, I didn’t have many options. My parents were away on a trip for the next two days and I couldn’t possibly bother them. It’s unlikely they’d understand the material enough to help me, even if I did. I couldn’t ask my other school friends either because none of them understood the stuff.

And I didn’t even have Bruno’s number.

I was desperate for help. Nothing was making sense.

I called Crow before I could change my mind.

 When the heavy diiiiiiiing-dong sound of the doorbell reached my ears during my futile attempts to understand wave motion and interference, I glanced at my rose-shaped clock. 20:00. Exactly. If it was Crow, hmph. Some nerve he had to show up an hour late. Who did he think he was, the sloppy sidekick friend always showing up with coffee? I went down the carpeted stairs and opened the door.

There he was, standing there scratching the back of his head, which he always did when he did something he shouldn’t have done, his spiky orange hair as disheveled as ever. The words slipped out like venom before I had a chance to think.

“You sure took your sweet time, Crow.”

He stopped scratching his head. I bit down on my bottom lip, tasting the remainder of my cherry-flavored chapstick, wishing to take back those words. The tension was thick enough to be suffocating, so I opened my mouth to offer a quick “Sorry,” but Crow laughed before I could even get a breath in.

“Yeah, I did. It’s for a good reason, trust me,” he said. He placed a calming hand on my shoulder, a familiar gesture yet so unusual at that moment. “Before that, though, you need help in physics, right?”

I nodded, noting Crow had placed a hand protectively over one of his jacket pockets – the left one. He was wearing his bright yellow Blackbird Delivery jacket. He must’ve come straight from work.

He shrugged his shoulders, smiling. “I guess I know a thing or two about that. I’ll do my best.”

 We made our way up the stairs to my room, Crow taking longer than I was. That’s right. It’s the first time he’s ever been to my house. Not only that, but he’s also the first friend to come over. He was shocked by how fancy everything was, from the vases to the floral wallpaper to the Renaissance paintings my father collected, bought, was given to on his business trips.

Things Crow normally didn’t see on his side of town.  

Although I lived here, at that moment, I felt a tinge of embarrassment. I swallowed hard, managing to say, “My room’s this way.”

Crow made one last look at one of the paintings before shrugging his shoulders and trekking up the stairs. I took a seat, the unfamiliar and confusing wave motion and interference notes and formulas glaring at me from on top of my desk. He took his place next to me, glancing at my notes.

“Ya gotta understand this by tomorrow?” He grabbed the purple spiral notebook from on top of my writing desk to have a better look, I guessed.

“Yeah. A huge test. A nice chunk of my final grade, no less,” I replied, crossing my legs and arms. “But, I don’t get any of it and neither do any of my friends at school.”

“Mhmmmm,” Crow replied, looking intently at my notes, trying to decipher them. I didn’t exactly have the best handwriting, so I didn’t blame him for struggling. Still, if he had that much trouble figuring it out, he could’ve asked me, for goodness’ sake.

“If you can’t read my handwriting, just tell me,” I spoke up, leaning back in my cushioned chair.

“No, it’s not that,” he corrected. “It’s just . . . this is so easy. Even Jack could figure this out.”

“Really, Crow? That’s not very helpful,” I scoffed, holding myself tighter.

Crow must’ve realized why I was suddenly so rattled.

“Woah, my bad. I can help you with this, though. It’s not hard. You just need to take it one piece at a time.”

“One piece at a time, huh?” I muttered, taking the notes from his hands.

“Yeah, let me show you,” he said, moving to behind my chair and extending an arm towards my notes. He pointed at various formulas and terms in a sequence. While that was my learning style, I was unable to focus. His covered-by-his-work-jacket arm was just centimeters away from my bare arm. My heartrate accelerated, a wave of nervousness overwhelming me. The hairs in the back of my neck stood up and I broke out in a cold sweat.

All because of an arm.

Whenever that happened to other characters in a romantic comedy, I’d always cheer for the one feeling overwhelmed to get with the guy or girl already . . . which was then followed by an hour and a half of them trying to get together, misunderstandings and all. It was annoying when I thought back on the movie, but I fell for it as it was happening. Every. Time. They got together at the end, so what did it matter?

I didn’t think that would ever happen to me. But, it didn’t make sense for it to happen either since Crow’s only a friend. He definitely thought of me as just a friend too.

I was sure of it . . . I guess.

Crow was trying his best to explain interference and wave motion and all to me, but my mind and heart were making it hard to focus. They’d rather help me fully and irrevocably concentrate on another problem.

Him.

I didn’t understand at first where the attraction came from, whatever kind of attraction it was. Sure, he did drop everything he had planned, which probably included visiting the kids at Martha’s, just to help me with something he thought was simple. Before that, he even supported me after that poor performance against Team Unicorn, taking time out of the chaos to make sure I was alright. He did all of that even though he went through a lot to train me in a number of early mornings for the tournament, even though he should’ve been focusing on his arm recovering.

And, okay, okay, he wasn’t half-bad looking either – even with all the markers on his face. He was actually kinda cute.

But, that didn’t mean I liked him like. Like that. That was ridiculous. Crow was just a super good friend I could laugh with. I could improve my skills as a D-Wheeler with. I could practice my dueling skills against.

That’s all he was. A friend.

“So, you got that?”

Crow’s voice forces me back to the original problem – the interference problem. I turned against my will to face him.

A sensation overwhelmed me.

It was a strange sensation. It wasn’t like when I first met Divine, when I had felt acceptance – it was a false one, but it made me feel I had belonged. I wasn’t an outcast or a monster to the people in the Arcadia Movement. I was powerful, I was strong, I was feared. There were people who looked up to me. They accepted me for who I was because of him. Divine - a typhoon engulfing me, violently lashing out at anyone who dared to come close under the guise of protecting me.

It wasn’t like when I had first met Yusei either. Even though I was afraid when I met him – something about his demeanor had given me chills and he had been so bold in his convictions – those feelings gave way to warmth. Light shrouded in darkness, but it persistently shone through till the darkness dispelled. Its warmth gave me courage to change, face my problems head on, to think for myself. And I gravitated towards it, fell head over heels for it. For him.

This sensation with Crow was . . . different. Vastly different.

I found myself staring at Crow’s lips in typical romantic comedy movie fashion. “M-Mhm.”

“Uh, Aki, my eyes’re up here,” he said, half-concern, half-“what the hell are you doing?”

I felt my cheeks flush a little and prayed they didn’t appear red as my frilly sleeveless blouse. I held myself tighter in my arms and legs crossed position. Ugh, how embarrassing.

“I got that!” I retorted.

Crow only laughed, clearly comfortable at that point with the harsh way I would accidentally tell him things, and he said, “No big deal. Let’s just go over it again to make sure you really do understand it, though, ‘kay?”

It wasn’t dramatic in the slightest, but the sensation was still something extraordinary. It was a longing, yearning. Yearning to just be myself and to be myself with him. And stay with him, long after this tutoring session was over.

What in the world was this feeling?

“Okay,” I responded, silently praying I pay attention this time to physics. I needed to pass the test, after all. That ear-to-ear smile he gave wasn’t helping with that, though. Nor were my heart and nerves. I swallowed hard and sat with my back aligned with my chair, as if doing so would return my feelings to normal.

They didn’t.

I was, however more alert and willing to finally knock down the physics wall as Crow re-explained the connection between wave motion and interference. The passion with how he was explaining something that was simple to him captivated me. He somehow related wave motion and interference to D-Wheels and Riding Duels, two things I felt vastly inexperienced in but certainly knew more about.

“So, kinda like how a Riding Duel tournament is just a bunch of duelists with D-Wheels coming together, periodic waves are basically multiple pulse waves. The periodic waves are the tournament, the pulse waves are the people,” he mentioned as we neared the last problem. “Might be a stretch, but that’s how I’m seeing it.” Crow scratched his head.

“No, this makes perfect sense,” I replied, writing down the comparison so I could remember it. “I wish my teacher had explained it like this in class.”

“Heh. There’s only so much those teachers can do, huh? Might be worth it to just go to a class and see how much I know.”

I sighed, but then I laughed at the possibility. It was hard enough to imagine Crow in any school setting, real or fabricated, much less a high school, or, even worse yet, a university.

“You’d get kicked out, for sure,” I said, finishing up my writing.

Crow harrumphed. “This is payback for the Jack comment, isn’t it?”

I gave a small smile. “Maybe.”

By the time I felt I fully understood the concepts for the test the next day, it was already 21:30. I stretched my arms, relieving the tension physics placed on me. While it felt fantastic to have finally figured out my physics problems, there’s still one problem left I needed to solve. Well, two problems, but they involved the same person. And I had hoped to solve them by the end of tonight.

“That’s all I can do for now,” The Problem himself announced. “Hopefully, that helped.”

“It did. Thanks a million, Crow,” I replied. “By the way, you were going to tell me why you were late today. That’s what you said earlier, right?”

Crow nervously laughed, which I thought was odd. “Okay, yeah, ya got me. Like I said, though, it’s for a good reason. I had to do something for your birthday and all.” He reached into one of his pockets – the pocket he had been protectively placing his hand over the entire time – and pulled out a small black plastic bag.

“I know it’s not much, but it’s all I could manage, given finances and all. ‘scuse the wrapping,” he said, handing it to me.

It took all I had to not let my mouth drop completely to the floor. I hastily took the black bag and pulled out a small rose keychain. It wasn’t one of those flat keychains either; it was one of those three-dimensional ones that had figurine-like quality to it.

“All those schoolbags look alike to me, even though the kids like to argue with me that they don’t, so this is to just make sure no one takes yours,” Crow said, his voice sounding triumphant.

All he could manage? Just how much did he spend on this?

“Crow . . . these aren’t cheap,” I replied. “How much money did you spend on this?”

“Happy birthday!”

“I’m serious!”

Crow waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it, Aki. Really. It didn’t cost an arm and a leg, I promise.”

“Crow . . .” I persisted.

“Okay, okay, fine. I spent a day’s work at my job on this,” he gave up, shrugging his shoulders. It was adorable – wait. “Really, don’t worry. It’s for you and that’s why I was okay with getting it.”

Just when I had him and how I felt about him figured out, he added even more problems.  

Truth be told, the concern with money was just a coverup for how I felt. It’s not that I didn’t get presents for my birthday, but it’s the first time I’ve ever gotten anything on my birthday from a friend.

If that’s what Crow was.

If this had been part of a friends-to-lovers movie, it would’ve been the part that started the whole “and suddenly, the friends realized they had romantic feelings for each other” portion of the movie. But, obviously, that didn’t apply then.

. . . Yeah, it didn’t apply. Not even close. My heart kept screaming “Liar!!” at me. I ignored it.

To think that’s why he was late. It’s frustrating. I couldn’t help but smile though as I tied the present onto my black school bag. It was a nice one, but, unfortunately, all I was going to think of whenever I saw it was him.

Who was I kidding? I meant fortunately.

“I . . . I just. Thank you, Crow,” I managed to get out, trying to quell my rapid heart beating. My heart didn’t even act as unsettled as I felt then when I was around Yusei. But, why would it ever act this way around Crow?

Crow gave a thumbs up. “Don’t sweat it. But, I’ve got to go now. Got an early delivery shift tomorrow morning and a bird needs his rest.”

My heart pounded in my chest, as if the feelings it had been holding were to burst at any moment, all my emotions laid out bare for Crow to see.

“If you got any last-minute questions tomorrow, well, you know how to reach me.”

He was a friend! Nothing more. Besides, the one I liked that way was Yusei, right?

“I’ll see you later, Aki.”

. . . right?

“Yeah, see you,” I blurted out on instinct. My reason and my brain fought with my emotion and my heart on how important the problem was. Score one for emotion and heart.

Wrong. So, so wrong.

I was frozen in my chair, watching Crow walk slowly towards the stairway. He’s probably walking at a normal pace, but I wouldn’t have known. Everything with my body was hyperaware and time had slowed down. My body gave it its all trying to solve this one problem. My heart screamed, cried, pleaded for Crow to stay and reason decided to take a back seat.

I . . . I liked Yusei. I did. I thought. I didn’t know. Everything was so confusing.

I grabbed my chair by the armrests and got up, Crow getting ready to go down the stairs. I couldn’t help but stare at his lips again. Maybe. Maybe that’s the key. Maybe doing this will solve the problem and clear everything up once and for all.

I swallowed my bottom lip, the taste of the cherry-flavored chapstick long gone. It’s better I didn’t think too much about it. I needed to go with my gut feeling. That’s what those romance movies always said, anyway, if the brain and the heart wouldn’t cooperate. My gut feeling wasn’t confusing and it’s always right. My gut feeling was . . .

“Wait!”

Crow came back up the stairs, reentering my room. I sauntered in his direction as he asked, “Yeah? What’s up?”

I made sure there was some space between us. And then, when I closed my eyes, there wasn’t. Not even between our lips this time.

He wasn’t just a friend. I finally made up my mind. He was more than that.

I had intended to only for the kiss to last a half a second, if that long, because I had felt so awkward. Aaaand I might have accidentally crashed my teeth into his? Whoops. Grade for first kiss: 0. It was enough to make even a five-year-old girl cringe.

But, that sensation I had felt from him . . . it invited me in and I crashed into it headfirst . . . or lips first? Whatever. The point is I didn’t let the awkwardness get to me for longer than I thought.

Despite that, I pulled away quickly, that sense of calm giving way to worry. Like someone who trips in front of their crush near the climax of the movie, I felt a wave of nausea and anxiety. Way to go, Aki. He probably just saw you as a friend like you thought he was and you made so many presumptions. You get a failing grade in dealing with your emotions, no matter how well you did on the Physics test tomorrow. And, ugh. That first kiss was pitiful.

I stepped back, still catching my breath, my cheeks incredibly flushed. I couldn’t hide the redness and felt trapped, my emotions holding me hostage. Crow’s face was one of complete shock, his face also flushed. I didn’t blame him. I had just invaded his personal space, after all (although that arm of his clearly invaded mine, so we’re even there). I had asked him for help on physics. That moment just then, our lips touching, the kiss? Clearly more than he bargained for.

It’d be a miracle if he still wanted to talk to me. No way he, someone who’s incredibly selfless, wanted to be with someone who’s so selfish.

“A-Aki?” Crow stammered, clearly unhinged.

I turned towards the window so he wouldn’t see my face.

“I. I overstepped some boundaries there,” I responded, voice cracking. “I’m sorry.”

I expected all kinds of reactions. “Aki, what the hell?”, “Yeah, you should be sorry!”, “Don’t speak to me ever again,” followed by a door slam. It wouldn’t have been the first time Crow reacted dramatically (and rightfully) to my rash decisions. That and that’s usually what happened in the movies. So, I braced myself.

Instead, what I got was an “Aki, it’s okay.”

I dug my fingernails into my palm to keep from breaking down right then and there. “W-What does that mean? You don’t even like me like that.”

I heard his footsteps, muffled by the carpet. A soothing hand rested on my shoulder. I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

“It means that I’m fine. You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, his composure having returned. “And . . . I don’t like you like that? That’s news to me.”

I stared ahead, but my defenses weakened a little bit.

“If that’s true, then - then why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. “Instead of leaving me in the dark?” I managed to hold it in, but my voice cracked a little and my eyes watered at the corners.  

“Because I thought – the whole team thought the one you liked was . . . well, you know. I didn’t want to complicate things,” he admitted. “I was surprised you even called me to help you with physics. You never ask for anyone’s help other than his.”

So that’s it. The problem solver was also a problem the entire time.

“I guess . . . You’re right. I came across like that, didn’t I?” I let a few tears fall, but a smile broke out on my face. “I’m. I’m sorry, I’m just. I. I don’t know. I’m so confused. I don’t know what to do”

Crow only pulled me closer to him, his hand moving from my shoulder to my arm.

“I . . . thought I liked Yusei, but I don’t know. I just can’t understand him,” my voice became louder, “can’t get close to him. I was – I was just hoping he’d notice.”

It’s true I did like Yusei, but at that moment, I wondered. Was I attracted to him because of him or because of what he did for me?

“So, what do you want to do?”

I looked at Crow, not even bothering to hide my tears anymore.

“I mean, you did kiss me, but don’t let that hold you back. If you still plan on pursuing Yusei, I won’t stop you,” he said as he looked to his left as he said that and frowned.

Crow’s not one to lie. I knew that. But, I could easily tell when he’s undermining his true emotions. He didn’t want to hurt me, be insensitive. He knew I had liked Yusei for a while. I got that.

He really needed to be selfish for once, though. It’d be easier for me as well as for him. Especially since Yusei had yet to confess any sort of feelings for me.

Romance movies normally didn’t take this turn that I struggled with then. Sure, there were those love triangles that got on my nerves, but this wasn’t a love triangle. It was a love tug-of-war. I couldn’t rely on movies to tell me the answers to my feelings this time. I had to go with my instincts and my own feelings.

I always hated that part in the movies where the guy or girl claimed to have fallen in love with someone else, but it turned out they only fell in love with the idea of the person they wanted to be with, not the actual person. Especially in those cheeky high school dramas. Yet, it was that type of idolization that got celebrated in the movies.

I would turn off the movie as soon as I realized that’s happening because who the heck wanted to live like that? They’re just a person.

Was my longing for Yusei any different? Did I want to be with him or did I want to be with an idea of him?

In all honesty, my longing probably fell into the “falling in love with an idea” trope. He saved me from blindly accepting everything around me. He helped me understand how a D-Wheel maneuvered. But, there was something about him I couldn’t reach. Instead of trying harder or instead of doing something more productive like not doing that, I settled, hoping he would willingly open up.

Pathetic.

“No,” I said, voice trembling. “No, I’m not going to do that.”

I could hear Crow’s breathing become more ragged.

He didn’t even turn my life around like Yusei did. But, he was there for me. He was always encouraging me to become better but never asking me to change when I wasn’t ready to take that step. What really was the clincher was that I felt the need to change with Yusei just so I could measure up and get him to talk to me, somehow. Crow made me feel comfortable with myself.

Changing as a person’s important, but constantly changing without a break just for one person’s exhausting.  

“Aki, you sure?” he asked, his voice a whisper. “Is it really what you want?”

“As sure as I am about at least passing my Physics test tomorrow,” I joked, turning to face him, not even caring that he saw my tears anymore. “And I’m pretty confident about that now.”

“Aki . . .”

“Also, would it hurt you to be selfish for once in your life?” I asked with a “I can’t believe you” light-hearted tone. “If you hadn’t been so selfless, not wanting to complicate things for me and all, we wouldn’t have had this problem.”

Crow laughed, his cheeks a light shade of pink.

God, he’s cute.

“Okay, okay, my bad, my bad,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. “I guess you got me there. I’m sorry.”

After all he did for me that night, on my birthday, no less, he’s the one apologizing? He’s a mess. But, I was a mess too. At least we could both be messes together.

“Crow, it’s fine,” I murmured. I wrapped my arms around his neck, his around my waist. The two of us smiled.

“Don’t pull away this time, Aki,” he whispered.

“I won’t,” I whispered back, softly laughing.

“And try not to smash into my teeth. They’re the only ones I got.”

“Just shut up and kiss me.”

And he did. All of the romance movies I’d seen couldn’t even come close to preparing me for it because did he ever. Didn’t even give me a chance to catch my breath first.

It’s a good thing he had his arms around me.

 After we let go, everything was out of focus.  My room was like one of those surrealist paintings and everything’s hazy and dreamlike. My head felt incredibly light and I struggled to keep my balance, so I didn’t let go of Crow right away. He didn’t seem to mind. He was still holding me, fortunately, his arms wrapped firmly yet gently around my lower back.

“You alright?” he whispered, his voice husky. It made my heart flutter.

“Yeah, but no sudden moves, okay?” I whispered, my face pressed against his shirt.

No verbal response, but I felt a quick kiss on the top of my forehead. And another. And one that lingered a while longer. I pressed my body firmer against his, a giggle escaping my lips.

I didn’t want the moment to end.

It was true I didn’t realize Crow was the one I liked – like that – until that evening, but it was that night that made me understand how much I’d fallen for him.

How much I wanted to do annoyingly cute couple things with him like go to the movies, watch the sunset, or just hold hands.

How much I wanted to just be with him, laugh with him, be with him every step of the way.

How much I just wanted to kiss him. Over and over and over again.

How much I wanted him.

I’d thought maybe it’s just a random feeling trying to complicate how I felt about Yusei. I was wrong.

The raw, fiery, yet tender romantic feelings.

They were all for Crow.

Life outside of this room still existed, the logical and reasonable side of my brain reminded me rudely, however. I still had that test tomorrow, Crow had that early shift in the morning, and Yliaster’s still very much a threat. I let go of him and took one step back.

“It’s getting late. You should probably go,” I said.

Crow closed his eyes and sighed, a smile on his face. “Well, I did say I had that early shift, so I guess I should.” The smile was exchanged for a frown however and he opened his eyes. “You gonna be alright? Your parents’re away on a trip, you told me.”

Always the worrier. I said, “Don’t worry. The security system’s pretty good on the house. They wouldn’t want to mess with me, anyway. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you off, if you want.”

Crow looked at me for a moment as if he wanted to say – or do, maybe? – something else. He shook his head and he and I, after grabbing the housekeys, made our way towards the front door. We stepped outside, the humid and muggy air overwhelming us, where his D-Wheel, Blackbird, was waiting.

“Well, I’m off,” he announced.

“Have a safe trip back,” I said. “I’ll let you know how the test goes tomorrow. Let me know when you get back to your place.”

“I will.”

“And . . . thanks for tonight, Crow. For everything,” I said, putting the key in my back pocket.

Crow threw out a “heh” under his breath and placed his thumb under my chin and his pointer finger on it, lifting it slightly.

“C-Crow?” I stammered, fire burning in my cheeks.

“What, can’t a guy give his girlfriend a goodnight kiss?” he asked innocently.

“You taking my kissing virginity in my own room wasn’t it?” I asked innocently right back.

“That was Part One. Or Part Two, if you count the one you nearly knocked out my teeth as Part One.”

“I said I was sorry.” I pouted.

“You did, so I’m counting it. So . . .  think of this as Part Three.” He moved his thumb lightly over my lips, his other hand finding its way to where band of my white shorts was and pushing me forward until the only space between us was between our lips. My heart raced, butterflies fluttering about wildly in my stomach, not out of nervousness. No, not even close.

It was excitement and passion.

It was.

It was love.

No other words needed to be said between us. The last kiss, the last tender . . . slightly noisier moment we shared that night said everything else.

It was a good thing the Izayoi family didn’t have neighbors.

It was even a better thing I put the housekey in my back pocket.

Because I would’ve dropped it.

 I watch as Crow drove to the main street, his D-Wheel disappearing from view. I unlock the door to the house, making my way towards my room again. It feels weird being here by myself after having been held, but . . . it’s a good kind of weird.  

I glance at my physics notebook. What had looked like confusing terms and formulas actually makes sense to me now. If I just went over it before the test the next day, I’ll be good to go. My friends are certainly going to appreciate it, since no doubt they’ll ask me for advice. To think just looking at it used to give me a headache. To think those were the only problems I thought needed solving. How quickly things can change, huh?

I stretch and start getting ready for bed. I put on my loose-fitting pink pajamas – a long sleeved shirt and shorts – and brush my teeth. I let my hair hang completely loose when my phone wildly buzzed. Three text messages: one from Papa, one from Yusei, and one from Crow.

Papa wants to make sure I was okay with being home alone for one more night and he and Mama are sorry they couldn’t be there for my birthday this year. On other years, I would’ve been incredibly bothered, but I don’t mind this time around. I tell him that. I didn’t tell him why, of course and for obvious reasons relating to why I was glad we didn’t have neighbors.

But, naturally, he’s curious as to why, since it’s the first time I’ve ever said that about them being gone. I’m hesitant to answer since Papa and Mama are both convinced somehow Yusei’s my future husband. But, I have to tell them sometime – just not over text. So, I reply, “It’s a lot for just a text. I’ll just tell you when you two get back.”  

Yusei texted saying he and Jack would be back in Japan momentarily. I stare at the text for a good moment, processing that this was the guy I used to be head over heels for. I respond back with a “see you soon!”, being grateful I’ve finally figured out how I feel about him. A load had been swiftly lifted from my shoulders.

Crow actually remembered somehow in that kissing-obsessed brain of his and let me know that he got home safe, but Bruno kept asking a lot of questions and that took some time. I laugh at that one. But, the second part of the text made me tear up a little. Okay, maybe slightly more than a little. Okay, actually a lot.  

“Make sure you get plenty of sleep, Aki. And good luck tomorrow! I love you!”

I wipe the tears from my eyes. As a child, I always wanted my life to be like a romance genre movie, if only I’d be happy for a day or two. I wanted someone to tell me they love me, to hold me close and say everything will be fine. That was it.

But, what just happened on my seventeenth birthday, awkward moments and breakdowns and all, was so much better than any romance movie. It’s the best present ever. And the best part was I’d be with him for more than two days. Replaying the evening’s events in my mind, I gently trace over my lips with my finger. They’ve been through a lot, especially without chapstick. In a good way.  

I’d still take fighting a worldwide threat over a physics test, but if I had to take the test instead, I wouldn’t mind it.

“I love you too, Crow.”