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lilacgaby · 3 months ago

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day one

~2k

chapter select!

i do not got this.

[name] could barely sleep because of her nerves. she kept replaying the worst scenarios possible in her head.

what if he rejected her in front of everyone? she'd have to leave the school from the embarrassment. she'd be trash-- the trash of society!

maybe she just needed to eat.

she crawled out of bed, put on her house slippers, and made her way down to the kitchen.

she saw a couple other early risers along the way, momo greeted her and congratulated her on her successful mission, and iida told her not to stay out past curfew.

same old, same old.

she started to make some chai to drink. "maybe momo would want some, i should make her a glass." [name] pondered out loud while preparing the tea.

she went up to give the glass to momo. "ah, thank you [name]!"

"no problem momo."

she then on her way down, eyed katsuki who was heading to the kitchen at the same time as her.

okay [name]. stay cool.

she poured herself a glass. he walked up beside her.

"yo."

"hey, you want some chai?"

"sure."

she poured him some in a glass, and he nodded appreciatively.

so far so good. she didn't even need a third wheel.

katsuki looked around as if to make sure no one else was with them, then he said...

"did you see when usui kissed misa, and jumped off the building?"

"yes! it was so cute, he really is the best."

"how did he not break his legs though? he should've broken a leg, it would've been such an easy plot point to develop. she could've taken care of him and gotten closer to him that way."

[name] thought for a second. "i mean, maybe the author thought it was too predictable though? you gotta read the next volume. what happens next is so cool!"

"no spoilers [name]."

she sighed. "it wouldn't be spoilers if you weren't such a slow reader. hurry up! it's literally pictures!"

"you didn't even finish ouran high school host club loser. don't talk to me."

"pfft. i watched the anime, who needs the manga?"

"the anime didn't even go in depth to all the arcs!"

"whatever man."

"do you even remember the characters?"

"yes i do! i'm not an idiot."

"then who's your favorite host?"

"kyoya."

"why?"

"because-" oh no. "because sometimes he reminds me of--"

"heya guys! what're you doing? flirting over here?" kirishima exclaimed. expertly cutting her off.

she really did need a third wheel. and she did need to thank kirishima and call him the manliest man in the world, because he really saved her ass.

"no, shut up shittyhair." katsuki remarked, before going off to the side to cook something.

'thank you!' [name] mouthed.

'for what?' kirishima mouthed back.

she facepalmed internally, but mouthed back, 'i'll tell you later.'

he did a signature smile, before going to pester bakugo.

she was saved, for now. she went to go get cleaned up for classes. she did her hair, a bit of makeup, ironed her clothes, and readied her bag.

now, to survive school.

✧˖*°࿐

luckily, she sat next to mina the entire day. unluckily, all the girls in the class were avid gossipers. which would've been great.. every week except this one.

normally [name] would never be nervous while gossiping. she could read others like a hawk, and if she didn't have shoes on, she could focus to an extent and feel their heart beats to confirm or deny whatever they're saying.

of course, she wasn't a bully. she'd only ever think about whether they were lying or telling the truth to herself. she just wished she could keep it to herself today.

"hey [name]." oh no.

"we all always talk about our crushes and stuff-"

stop please.

"so we gotta ask,"

mina please step up!

"we gotta ask why you're so respectful? like c'mon! live a little and talk a bit of trash about some people. there's gotta be something or someone you don't like." mina cut in, saving the day.

who knew the third wheeling would extend to people she didn't even have a crush on?

"uh, well it's not that i don't like people, it's more i don't wanna bother myself thinking about them."

"really? well, who don't you like?" damn it jirou and your good questions.

"mineta." phew, good save me!

"that's too easy of an answer, like, do you hate anyone from 1-b?" Uraraka asked.

yay another easy answer! "i don't hate anyone from 1-b."

the girls all seemed to accept it, phew, nobody ask the opposite and we're good.

"hey, but aren't we asking [name] the wrong question?" tsuyu suddenly said

no! not when i was just safe!

"oh yeah, [name]. who do you like?"

"b--"

"who's ready to learn?" present mic yelled as he jumped onto one of the desks in the front.

"get down. alright settle down and get into your seats. class is starting." mr. aizawa said, the commotion effectively covering her answer.

the girls all went to their seats.

--------

the next hurdle was lunch time. piece of cake.

except for the fact that she'd always sit in between katsuki and mina.

no big deal.

everything started out normal. everyone besides bakugo did their best to not question [name] directly, as they found out only when it was directed to her that she'd be forced to answer.

bakugo was luckily never much of a talker himself, only butting in to defend himself or jokingly insult others, even though majority of his insults held no weight.

but sometimes they'd catch themselves in the middle of their sentences, and have to fix their speech before [name] would be forced to answer. the goal post was moved from not confessing to not making her answer any odd questions at all. because bakugo would definitely notice her robotic answers.

"yeah like, didn't [name] totally-- i mean uh-- didn't we all totally flunk that test?"

"[name] remember when we-- uh-- i mean guys remember when we snuck out that one time?"

"which time?"

"dude, the convenience worker totally has a crush on [name]! right [na--] uh-- everyone?"

[name] focused almost unconsciously, and she noticed that katsuki's heart beat was speeding up for some reason. huh.

"you idiots are acting weird today." bakugo said out of no where.

"what? pfft. no way." sero said, trying to play it off.

"you're crazy man, i mean.. we're all acting normal. it's you who's acting weird!" denki said, before laughing awkwardly.

"yeah something is definitely up. how many of you dumbasses are in on it?"

"what? bakugo you're being uh-- irrational."

"since when do you talk like that raccoon eyes?"

"uh-- since i studied?"

everyone face palmed at that.

"okay the jig is up. the fuck is going on?"

"uh.. gotta go. i'm uh-- real hungry! needa get some sun y'know? see ya!" [name] left before anyone could stop her.

mina followed after her, leaving denki, sero, and kirishima to use the collective 5 brain cells they have to try and convince bakugo that nothing was up.

she was so gonna owe them more than a dinner for this.

၄၃

[name] didn't know what lie they were gonna come up with. and to be honest, she really didn't want to find out.

as she sat on the rooftop, she let the chloroplasts out on her skin, which made her have a couple green-ish spots all over.

"eating really does help." [name] murmured.

"watching you eat is so crazy! i mean you're literally turning green!" mina said, eyes wide and wonder filled.

"...you're literally pink.. but okay."

"hey, can't we ask mr. aizawa to nullify the quirk while we're in class?"

"... mina that is the smartest thing you've ever said."

"cool! we'll need to update everyone at our daily meeting today. as long as he agrees we'll only need to worry about other times!"

"we should go now, before class starts."

"okay! you go ahead, i'm gonna go see what our other agents said to bakugo."

"agents?"

"just go!"

‧₊˚✩彡

"um.. mr. aizawa? may i come in?"

"yes." he grumbled sleepily. he was in his sleeping bag, barely looking up at her.

"what is it [name]? is this to clear up about you being on the floor? because i really didn't care."

"uh.. no. this is about something that happened while i was on the mission."

"go on." she could tell that even though he seemed completely uninterested, that she had his full attention.

"well, you see, i was hit by a quirk. a truth telling quirk. and it's going to last for 6 more days."

"oh?"

"and.. i'd really appreciate your help. if you could nullify my quirk during just time when we're sitting in the classroom, it'd help a lot." she bowed respectfully as she made her request.

the room was silent as aizawa was seemingly thinking it over.

"sure, why not."

"thank you! i won't forget this!"

ೀ

the second half of the day went by like a breeze. because mr. aizawa was cancelling her quirk, she lived her life in temporary peace for the remaining hours of the school day.

she smiled with relief, everything is going good now.

she cleared up her answer with the girls while she still could,

"guys, i don't have a crush on anyone. im just too busy."

and then she relaxed fully.

the walk to the dorms was easy, she didn't have to worry about dinner since she didn't eat, and she could always call an early night to get out of uncomfortable situations.

easy peezy.

she had no time to talk to bakugo for the rest of the day, since he had such an early bed time.

at last.. the daily meeting was here.

"alright guys! great saves today! here are the rankings for best agents. [name] would you do the honors?"

"yes. unless the honors is a person. i do not know them well enough to do them.

...

just give me the damn chalk."

mina held back a laugh while she walked up.

"okay, on the bottom we have.. denki."

"what? no way!"

"yes way! you were being way too obvious earlier! which brings me to my next loser: sero."

"no way, this is rigged."

"no it's not! what point of no questions do you not understand! anyways

next up, we have kirishima. amazing work this morning!"

kirishima bowed jokingly.

"and lastly, one for one, we have alien queen mina!"

"this is so rigged!"

"obviously she'd win, they're best friends!"

"sounds like jealously! anyways-- thank you [name]! take a seat."

[name] took a seat as mina resumed her place as the leader.

"okay agents! we have a new addition to the team: mr. aizawa!"

"what?" everyone said collectively.

"correct! i came up with the brillant idea for him to use his power on [name] during class time when we're all just sitting around. that's how i earned top spot!

so now, our sub-operation is this:

plan [name]'s perfect confession."

"what?" [name] scoffed, "that's not part of this operation!"

"and besides.. with what denki told bakubro earlier.. we can't go on with that yet."

"what the hell did you idiots tell him?!"

"we just said you were embarrassed because you have crazy woman issues and don't want anyone to question you right now! he interpreted that however he did!" denki defended.

"hey-- i didn't say any of that. it was all you man."

"way to throw me to the wolf sero!"

"just get out! all of you!"

"meeting over guys!"

"mina what the hell?! i thought you went to make sure they didn't say anything super stupid!"

"i did! but it was too late.. see ya [n/name]!"

my life is over.

prev | next!

#bakugo #bakugo x you #bakugo x y/n #bakugo fluff #bakugo x reader #bakugo katuski #bnha bakugou #bakugou katsuki #mha bakugou #katsuki bakugo x reader #anime fic #anime #fluff

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ohshcscenerios · 4 years ago

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Neighbors

Hello and welcome to our third Choose Your Own Adventure story with the Ouran Hosts! This time around the hosts are attending Ouran University as neighbors in the campus apartments. Let’s see what kind of mischief, drama, and romance come from this new development.

If this is your first time, the rules are simple. After reading a chapter make sure to vote in the poll at the very end to decide what the characters should do in the next chapter. Each decision will affect how the story progresses, who falls in love, who betrays who, and much more so you must choose wisely. Let’s begin!

Chapter One

Haruhi yawned as she scooped instant coffee into her mug of hot water. Just a few sips and she’ll be ready to take on the day. She gripped her mug and walked to her bed, taking a seat at the edge by her nightstand, and promised herself she’d never resort to pulling another all-nighter again. When she attended Ouran Academy she never had to forfeit sleep to study, even when the host club stole most of her free time. University already proved itself much more difficult within its first month and Haruhi prayed she could survive the next three years.

She still had an hour before she’d need to leave her studio apartment and walk to her first class. Thankfully her professor was very forgiving during his early morning classes and allowed a five minute tardy window for those who couldn’t slink out of bed. Haruhi was never late but it was still nice to know she had a safety net, just in case she did have to pull another all-nighter in the future.

A knock at her front door pulled her from her sleep-hazed thoughts. She swigged the last of her coffee before answering the door, although she had a pretty good guess on who would be standing in the hallway. These days there were only a handful of people who visited her - let alone knew where she lived now. After she moved out of her father’s apartment and accepted the campus apartment her full scholarship offered her number of visitors dwindled to a select few.

Just as she stood to her feet her front door swung open.

“Wakey wakey Haruhi!” Hikaru announced as he walked inside. “Oh, you’re already awake.”

Haruhi huffed, rolling her eyes and turning to put her mug in the sink. “I was going to answer the door, you don’t have to barge in like that.”

Hikaru met her at the sink and leaned against the kitchen counter, “Then why was your door unlocked?”

Haruhi looked at him wide-eyed, “Huh? I didn’t lock it?”

“That was pretty careless Haruhi,” Kaoru chastised as he entered her apartment, hands on his hips in a disappointed fashion, “Anyone could have walked in. Be thankful it was just us.”

“Do you want to get coffee?” Hikaru asked.

Haruhi looked at the empty mug in her sink and shook her head, “I already had a cup, I don’t want to drink too much this early. Maybe I’ll grab something with you after our first class.”

“Oh Communications 101?” Kaoru piped up while he looked through Haruhi’s small book collection beside her nightstand, “The professor sent out an email this morning. His daughter is sick so he had to take her to the doctor. Class is canceled today.”

Hikaru added with a wide grin, “We have the next two hours to ourselves.”

Haruhi went to her desk where her laptop was charging to make sure. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her best friends… but they were known to fib every once in a while to try to make her skip class with them. They got away with it once in high school, after that she vowed never again.

Sure enough, after she logged in she saw her professor’s email at the very top.

“Well,” she sighed, clicking her laptop closed, “I guess this gives me more time to study.”

The brothers scoffed in unison. Hikaru pushed himself off the counter and joined her by the desk. “You’re always studying, come on we should have some fun this morning. When was the last time you explored the campus?”

Haruhi thought for a moment but couldn’t give them a decent answer. Truth was, she never cared to explore the campus. She and the twins had been attending university for a month which was just enough time to get settled and well acquainted with her new classes. It took her a week to memorize the many routes to the different buildings on her schedule. The Ouran University campus was big, perhaps too big.

“I haven’t really had time to explore. To be honest I’m still getting used to campus life.” She answered.

Kaoru tsked and wagged a finger at her, “That’s no way to enjoy your college years Haruhi.”

“How about this,” Hikaru kneeled down to face Haruhi still sitting in a chair, “We won’t go crazy today, we’ll just get breakfast together. There’s a few places around campus you might like.”

Kaoru slid a book back into its place on the shelf and stood up, “And if we’re lucky we might meet one of the others too. The dojo is near Lotus and the music department is near Pâtisserie. Which would you rather try?”

Poll: Where should they eat breakfast?

Vote Here - (this poll will close at 5:00pm ETS)

Next chapter update will be up by 7:00pm ETS.

#ouran high school host club #ohshc #choose your own adventure #tamaki suoh #Kyoya Ootori #haruhi fujioka #hikaru hitachiin #kaoru hitachiin #takashi morinozuka #mitsukuni haninozuka #ritsu kasanoda #umehito nekozawa #renge houshakuji

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ekanatsume · 4 years ago

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Ouran High School Host Club REVIEW (with spoilers)

well i once watched the anime back when was little and it touched my heart with emotional events of anime. decided to re-watch again years ago because only remembered that loved very much. watching also increased love for don like rom-com or genre in general but liked too lazy read manga. rediscovered these days. clips on youtube saw comments saying how tamaki kissed haruhi no seriously who wouldn want see stupid king finally kiss our innocent honest reason why started reading manga gonna be good.>

The rom-com genre creates two-dimensional characters most of the time but once in a while, there is some good anime or manga that changes the view of the rom-com genre and Ouran High School Host Club is this manga/anime. While the anime was a masterpiece in itself, but the manga surpasses it and goes beyond. I, who doesn't even like watching rom-com genre stuff, loved it.

This masterpiece really shows the dynamic relationships between its characters. Rather than two-dimensional characters, they feel like three-dimensional characters as the depth is created by the mangaka. The mangaka also created a fine balance between comedy and the characters' traumatic issues. You would never think THAT Tamaki who joked on and on about how he was the father of Haruhi really thought of the host club as a family. Out of the desire to protect them and remain with them, he subconsciously tried to make the romantic love for Haruhi disappear. Of course, with the push of the host club and their assurance that their bond is not something that'll break easily, he broke out of that mindset.

I thought Tamaki was a lot similar to Usui from Maid-sama. I was like, "is this gonna be the I'm-a-prince-and-illegitimate-child again?" I did like Maid-sama but I ain't reading it again in OHSHC. Thankfully, he did end up as a prince and an illegitimate child but the reasons were different. Dude, I never in my wildest dream would've thought that THIS GUY (Tamaki) WOULDN'T GO SEE THIS MOTHER BECAUSE OF THE GRANDMOTHER, WHO FORCED HIM TO SEPARATE FROM HIS MOTHER just because he values the unity and happiness of all his family members. Too depth, Bisco Hatori-san, too depth in the characters. I also liked how he tries to be optimistic because that's the only way he can survive the ordeals. He was the one who tried to help people and make them smile and everything, but while he was having a hard time, he understood the importance of relying on others too. I have a lot to say about Tamaki (aside from the fact that he is too handsome) but I'll just leave it like this.

Haruhi. I don't think this character needs any description (lol). Haruhi pretty much transformed from a lazy kid to a kid who experienced one heck of a ride after being admitted to the Ouran High School. Tamaki gave her a chance to expand her world and she held onto his words and tried her best to experience it. While she was an honest character but at the same time, her dense level was in par with Tamaki's. She experienced emotions and understood her feelings. She encountered the will to follow her dreams along the journey in the host club. Her self-dependent attitude and maturity due to losing her mother at an early age gradually loosened up a bit and she learned how to rely on others. She was also perceptive and notices the behavior of people and the reasons behind them. More than anything, I'm just happy that she learned how to NOT say "sure. Let's go outside" to a confession of "I like you, Fujioka-san! Please go out with me!" Girl had been pretty savage back in the day (lol). But anyway, the character development of her can be seen easily in the story.

I loved the twins best. Their world was the smallest out of all the characters in the host club. Since they learned to be dependent on each other, they shut off all ways for other people to reach their hearts. They didn't want to be the same person and they didn't want to be told apart. Who would've thought the "which-one-is-Hikaru" game formed on such a basis? As nobody could tell them apart, finally someone came (that is, Haruhi) and their hearts were in turmoil. Even with all the lies, they couldn't deceive Haruhi. Kaoru understood as he faced with the feeling of love for Haruhi and the fact that he can't have Haruhi as Hikaru will like her too. Kaoru's devotion for his brother and self-sacrificial attitude made him give up on Haruhi. Although, Honey-senpai pushed him to think about himself and he did, but the truth still stands that his love for his brother was always there, even after Haruhi came. Also, I loved the Kaoru-Kyouya duo! On the other hand, Hikaru was short-tempered, dense character (probably on a par with Tamaki and Haruhi) Even at the midst of his love for Haruhi, he could not think of losing Kaoru in the process. As Kaoru made a scenario where Hikaru would have to hate him, Hikaru didn't hate him and upheld the maturity of being the older brother. At the beginning of the story where which-one's-hikaru-game plays constantly and the twins are entirely dependent on each other in their small world, the twins eventually overcome their contradictory attitudes and push themselves to develop themselves and grow into two different individuals. Even telling them apart was something not the readers could do in the manga. As they accept their different personalities and pursue them, they broaden their world slowly. I liked them a lot in past and still do now.

Hello, I would like to talk about Kyouya now BECAUSE HIS COLD DEMEANOUR IS TOO APPEALING. Seriously, this guy was the I'm-all-about-profit and Tamaki-is-my-way-to-money to "HOW DARE YOU HURT TAMAKI AS A MEANS TO YOUR GOAL"-to-Tamaki's-father. He was the chill-est person out of all the members of the group focusing only on money and recognition from his family. While he was like "Calm down. I'll talk this out" to the other host club members in front of Tamaki's father, he was the one who literally lost his temper, even though that is something he never does. Although Tamaki was the one who gave everyone a chance to expand their worlds and inspire them (that included, Kyouya), Kyouya came to hold the host club dearly and tried everything in his power to support and help Tamaki. Yes, I'm talking about the Kyouya who never even looked at someone without profit in mind. The character development in him hits in a different way.

Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai. Both of them are sweet characters and it doesn't change from the start to the end. I liked the scene where Mori-senpai challenges a duel to Honey-senpai and wins. He then tries to tell him what he should and shouldn't do in his college. Sweet! It also shows that even though the two were close, they both chased after what they wanted to do and going to different colleges to support each other more than before. Honestly, with most of the characters having dark pasts, these two characters were like honey (ye, get my pun?) in the manga. While Honey-senpai goofs around and acts like an elementary school kid, he is incredibly mature and notices the slight changes in the characters and helps them. Mori-senpai, he looks cold and disinterested aside from Honey-senpai but he shows that he cares about his fans and also his club members. Lovely two characters!

I really liked this manga because I normally use anime/manga as a form of escapism from life. Watching and reading about the fictional characters as they live their lives with courage takes me into their world and lets me forget my pain for a while. It's nice, really nice but while I read this manga, the characters inspired me to live my own life, to see the world with my own eyes, and to find the courage to venture into the world. I never thought that my world was this small. Reading this made me realize how I could be living like one of the characters. That doesn't mean living lavishly or make a host club or something. That simply means, I, too, could live fully each day, have dreams, pursue dreams, take everything as a form of experience and connect with people I love better than before. I realized how I was so caught up in my self-loathing and fear that I never tried going beyond that. I can't still read the last extra chapters of this manga because I feel too sad to see them go. It felt like the characters touched upon my fragile heart and gave it the power to start moving. This manga was a wake-up call for me at least. I don't want to live as a reader of the fictional world anymore. I want to live my life as a human being. I want to read manga and watch anime, not as a reader/watcher using it as escapism but as a reader/watcher who enjoys reading manga and watching anime for entertainment. I wonder if I can truly do it but I bet if the host club members were present, they could say "YOU CAN!". I truly am thankful to the characters and the story.

Thank you Bisco Hatori for writing such a masterpiece.

#ouran high host club #ouran high #ohsch #review #ouran high school host club #tamaki suoh #haruhi fujioka #hitachiin brothers #kyouya ootori #mitsukuni haninozuka #takashi morinozuka #ohshc anime #ohshc manga #must read

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utouchmycookie · 4 years ago

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Open Your Eyes

Chapter One: Flash

I (utouchmycookie) am the author of this piece. I don’t own the characters or locations, but the idea is mine. Also, I am ignoring my boring class by putting this here.

Flash walks into AcaDec expecting the heated glares of the girls, at the very least. Being verbally berated and kicked off the team by unanimous decision at the most likely. He doesn't even know what to think of at the most. Social death outside of the popular jocks (who have sway, but not nearly as much as they would at non-preppy need schools) seems like a possible outcome.

None of this happens. He does a double-take. Apparently there are no sides, which leaves the options that a) nobody gives a fuck (possible, but unlikely), or b) she said nothing (he'd figure this to be unlikely, but apparently it was entirely possible). She doesn't bother to look up at him entering the room, earbuds in and hair shielding the notebook she's scratching away in. Ned Leeds gives him the most dangerous look he's ever seen the happy go lucky President of the Computer Science, Ethical Hacking, Cybersecurity, IT, and Coding Clubs give; Michelle Jones manages to scare any sense of relief he'd mustered right off as she glances over the top of her book at him, and her glance says she knows, but the perfect expressionless deadpan and the way she almost immediately turns back to her book without giving him any further insight to what her thoughts are sends him into a horror and terror related trauma induced break down. Yes, he knows that's not a thing or the least bit grammatically correct but it's exactly what was headed for him.

He wishes she would do anything - scream at him in anger, sob in heartbreak, curse hysterically in hurt, even sigh in disappointment. She does none of these. She doesn't even bother to give him particularly serious cold shoulders and silence treatments and talk as if he isn't there and walk as if she doesn't even realize he's in the vicinity of her.

She's colder than she's ever been to him, including when he'd shoved Leeds into a locker, but she's no less polite than she's ever been. God, she's never been anything worse than curt with him, and he's such a dick and a douchebag and a tool and a piece of shit and a worthless waste of space. Even now, as he jostles to get her attention, she simply turns her eyes on him, listens to his cruel jests, and turns away when he's finished. God, here he was hoping for her to show him her heartbreak and here he was falling to pieces with his (and it was his own damn fault, his own stupid fucking choices).

Their (out of the know) teammates definitely recognize the difference in her behavior, but they chalk it up to her finally building an extra wall between them (something they've been trying to get her to do for literal years now. It was always, "Why are you so nice to him? He just shoves your books out of your hands to be a dick!" "I think he just needs some kindness in his life," "As if! I have all the kindness I could ever need, you psychotic whore!" "Sure seems like it." and god-fucking-damn her perceptiveness, her big heart, her endless kindness, her naïvety that she could help him; he would be forever indebted to her kindness and her gentleness and how much it had saved him and then he had ruined it with his stupid ass dumb fucking decisions and even now she couldn't be cruel to him, not even once.). Mr. Harrington pulls her aside after practice to double-check that he didn't hurt her, and the honesty and lack of attack in her response had made it hurt more (and how was that fucking possible anymore?!).

"He's Flash, Sir. He's always rude to me, and yes he did something nasty and it hurt, but it's not of the school's concern, it won't affect my performance in AcaDec, it's nothing I can't handle, and quite honestly, Mr. Harrington? I just don't want to stoop to his level."

"You are one of the most brilliant students I've had the honor of teaching, and are miles kinder and wiser than any other human being I've ever met. You're going to go far someday, and I cannot wait to see what you do someday."

"Thank you, Mr. Harrington. I couldn't do any of it if you didn't put your heart and soul into helping us even when it seems impossibly difficult." And then she smiled that innocent, sweet smile that let you know that she had no idea that she sounded like a brown-noser because she honest to God meant it.

So here's the thing: Peter Parker is an angel of a human being. The planet Earth 's disturbingly large number of vocal, disgusting humans didn't deserve her one bit. Flash among them.

But Peter Parker also suffered left and right.

She had been one of the few who had joined Midtown Tech's high school portion their freshman year, on one of the few scholarships offered. She'd started with an hour commute to school, and her high school career had started horribly. She was alone and friendless and new and definitely not in her socioeconomic class. What she had going for her was the school being an elitist nerd school. You had to be smart, and damn was she smart. That made her popular here. The geeky clubs made her cooler - Marching Band was perhaps not the straight dash to popularity choice, but one that gave her lots of social exposure. The International Club was a genius decision, because nobody at the school had less than Tier 1 universities in their future and everyone knew it was about being well-rounded. Acing Academic Decathlon had shot her right up to the top, earning her a spot in the likes of Liz Allen's favorite people to talk to. Peter hadn't intentionally done it, either, but she'd enchanted herself to the school by being utterly introverted and sweeter than a Pixie Stix without an ounce of dishonesty in her.

Then they'd gone to OsCorp. Norman Osborn and Dr. Curt Connors had revealed an open secret and it should have ruined her social life, but the students in the room had had nothing but sympathy for the horrible way of spilling her private life's facts - her parents were famous scientists, and dead.

The story hadn't gotten outside of their graduating class, at least, but the majority seemed to collectively decide she was their epitome of a Class Cinnamon Roll.

It helped their case that she was out sick for two weeks after OsCorp, and most people assumed that the stress of such horrible things being dragged up in such awful ways meant her mental health giving out and depleting her physical health. She'd come back and looked like shit for a week before she started looking healthier than she had before.

And then the hardest hit yet had slammed her, because Peter Parker never caught a single break.

Everyone in the school knew about Ben Parker's death. Peter's truancy was waived when she missed another week of school. Even the toughest teachers softened at the sight of her puffy, red eyes constantly wet with tears and ghost white face. Someone read the paper, and everyone doubled down on trying to soften up on Peter. Even Flash's buddies didn't have the heart to pick on her knowing she'd seen her uncle shot and held his hand as he died, helpless to do anything. She pulled herself together and two weeks later, and finally made her best friend out of Ned Leeds, generic friends with all the AcaDec girls, and at least acquaintances with the guys. Midtown decided she was not a cinnamon roll, but a gingersnap cookie from the Dollar Tree, like Seymour had once been dared to eat by a Brooklyn Visions' student back in middle school, when they had a kid from lower end Brooklyn who sold the cheap-ass things like damn drugs. Betty had told them they all needed to watch Ouran High School Host Club because they had the same energy as the Host Club drinking instant coffee, but everyone just took her word for it. Anyways, Peter. Dollar Tree gingersnaps. Tough as a Chips Ahoy cookie in light blue packaging, but not crumbly at all, and horribly sweet and spicy all at once.

Two years had been difficult, but survivable, until Thanos.

Plenty of people got fucked by the Decimation and the Blip. Half of the universe had died and returned five years later. A sixteenth of Earth's human occupants had been killed by factors associated with appearing and disappearing. An estimated fourth of all lives had been left in ruins with no way to restart. Not a single person went unaffected. Peter Parker though, she really could not catch a break.

No one outside of Flash's crew didn't believe Peter's having a Stark Internship. Therefore, learning that she had been at Stark's funeral due to being a close companion of his - and seemingly the girl out of the "girl and Spider-Man" who he had saved half the universe for, according to Ms. Potts-Stark directly, was a good sign as to the hurt she was feeling.

It was Thursday afternoon, and Mr. Mounts didn't care what they did this afternoon, because they had a paper due on Friday and half of a class in specialty Tech school that had an entrance exam who were taking AP Lit a year early had already turned in their papers. Mr. Mounts was a smart man, and a great teacher, but he was not technically inclined. He did not care though, so they all saw his YouTube views projected onto the Promethean Board with the noise up. That meant there was no stopping if the viewing of an ad — sort of.

A live news channel cut off the video with an announcement, the scene of a man who had lost it as a direct result of the Decimation and Blip completely ruining his old life during an appointment with the Maria Stark Foundation trying to help him get a new one on track. He'd gone absolutely psychotic, murdering the innocent charity worker, and setting himself loose on the streets. The news was warning of him being loose still and mourning the middle-aged woman now dead, by displaying a nice picture of her from the Maria Stark Foundation. Peter had announced, "I'm going to puke," and bolted out of the room. Ned and MJ had been on her heels, and the rest of the class was in shock.

"Oh Jesus Fuck," Sally finally said. And yeah, that was fair, because Flash knew that face as well as the rest of the AcaDec kids. It was the face of the sweet lady who once brought them Belgian Cream Pie straight from the German Bakery down the street from her apartment; she had got it at half-price because the owner's son was thoroughly charmed and the owner thought she would make an excellent daughter-in-law and that was deserving of half-priced pie even though he knew it was never going to happen.

There's a knock on the door, which opens to reveal Principal Morita looking very depressed and trying not to cry - "I need to borrow Miss Parker - oh fucking shit," he hisses.

"She went to the bathroom to puke, Sir. With Michelle Jones and Ned Leeds."

Somehow, the day only gets crazier. Everyone knows by the time Peter is safely tucked away in Mr. Morita's office, with the police officer who had to deliver the news, Mr. Morita, MJ, and Ned. The only people to go in or out is the secretary - who sends messages to the three students' teachers, as if they aren't tuned into the rumor mill - and a social worker.

MJ and Ned are sent to fetch lunch so the social worker can talk to Peter with only adults.

"Peter?... Do you have any other family you can contact? We... Uh, we tried the contact left in case of this type of horrible event, but given the nature of the contact, we couldn't get a call through -" the social worker pauses, "If not, we have options. Good homes that want a beautiful, brilliant girl like you."

"I'm sorry about that, Ma'am, but I'm sure you're aware that phone lines are a bit risky where my family is concerned. I can as soon as I heard," Pepper Potts-Stark announces as she brushes into the room. A mild-looking man follows her in, his red and white cane rattling as he swipes if in front of him. "And this is Miss Parker's lawyer, Matthew Murdock."

"I hate that we have to meet in such dismal circumstances."

"Oh, Honey," Pepper coos sadly to Peter, sinking down beside her and setting off another round of tears. "I know, Baby, let it all out, I know."

Chapters 2 and 3 up now!

#peter parker #peter parker/flash thompson #female peter parker #marvel #spider-man #pepper potts #team red #wade wilson #matt murdock #michelle jones #ned leeds #midtown #acadec #flash thompson

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ko-fanatic · 6 years ago

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Genetic Emancipation (part two)

Rating: Mature

Fandom: Ouran High School Host Club, Repo! the Genetic Opera AU

Relationships: Kyoya x Kaoru,

Trigger Warnings: Illness, gore, blood, drugs, plastic surgery addiction.

Summary: He wasn't mad. Well, he was, but it wasn't Kyoya's fault. Not really. Okay, it was kind of Kyoya's fault... Love hurts, huh. Oh well, there's always Zydrate and money to be made.

Parts in this series: Part one

The streetlights around the cemetery never worked, and no one ever came to fix them. The sketchy side streets seemed so much more dangerous when they were so poorly lit, but it was the safest way to get to the cemetery across town, which was one of the best places to get their Zydrate. After all, what was the danger of Yoshio Ootori when poverty and starvation were more painful, drawn-out deaths. Besides, if Kyoya could help take his father's attention away, then he would; it's something you do for someone you love...

Or something you love, he thought bitterly, despite the fact he knew Kyoya wasn't like that. Kyoya was an addict, yes, but he wasn't when they met and they fell in love before he was plastic perfect. Perhaps it was partly out of guilt, also; he was the one to give Kyoya his first taste of the blue vial. He'd just hated to see the boy lying there, face bandaged and almost crying out in pain because of how much it hurt.

It just started a downward spiral. More surgeries, more Zydrate, and he watched as Kyoya's soft face turned to defined cheekbones, the slight bump of his nose being restructured into something smaller, apparently "cuter". If you looked at Kyoya's old photos, you wouldn't recognise him, but... that was the point, however much Kaoru hated it. Now, his eyes were going to change, too.

He was something close to angry when he thought about all of the things Kyoya wanted to replace. His heart was damaged for years, an operation every few weeks as valves decayed and holes appeared. However, that designer heart still beat with common blood, so why the hell did everyone want him to show it off?

Maybe Hikaru had a point when he said Kyoya looked like daddy's little hooker?

He shook the thought away, berating himself for being such a crappy boyfriend in that moment. Kyoya said it himself; in his position, it paid to look a certain way. His outfits were fashionable, they showed off his thin frame and porcelain skin, they drew attention to him. He was only the fourth child, and that made his boyfriend something of an attention seeker, but it wasn't bad. Kaoru liked seeing him in those outfits...

He squeezed through the bars of the cemetery easily, buttoning his black coat up further. His breath fogged in the cold, late night air, and he mused that he might be able to see the outline of a star or two beyond the red glow of light pollution. A nice night, and he was thankful it was dry, even if it was freezing; that was what layers were for.

He strolled around, trying to pick where to dig first. He had to be careful of guards, of course; the PA system announcing "Grave robbers will be shot on sight" as a stark reminder. It was the only warning you got if you were dumb enough or, like he and his brother, desperate enough to do this shit.

Of course, Kyoya had offered him a way out, but... Well, daddy dearest certainly wouldn't approve, and Kaoru wasn't writhing in agonising guilt over this. People threw away perfectly good organs and Zydrate, almost like the world wasn't still in crisis. Hell, in a world where Yoshio fucking Ootori couldn't give their child a full, new heart for years because of the shortage, then what hope did poor schmucks like him and his brother have?

"I'll be quick..."

Kaoru jumped when he heard muttering coming from inside one of the crypts, because that would just about cap the disaster of a dying world they lived in; zombies. Still, he was curious; and you know what they say about that, curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back.

"I'll just... catch it, and run back inside..." The voice continued. It was soft, almost sweet. There was something melodic in there, behind a slight raspy edge. Whoever it was sounded young, too.

He ducked behind a gravestone, but still began to dig so he could at least say he was being productive, watching as the door slowly creaked open. There was a warm glow from inside, so the voice obviously had some kind of light; but why would anyone hole themselves up in a place like that?

A tall, skinny boy with blond hair crept out of the stone building, the slightest sheen of sweat on his face and his lip clenched hard between his teeth. Yeah, it really was nothing to be afraid of. The kid had a tremor running through his shoulders, and was obviously more scared of everything than Kaoru would ever be of someone that scrawny and sickly-looking.

He couldn't make out the title of the book the kid hugged close to his chest, but it was thick. Some sort of encyclopaedia, perhaps? He wasn't sure, but for now he just kept an eye on the blond as he went about his work.

The kid suddenly pounced, however, the jar in the other hand making clinking noises as the glass clashed against the stone of the grave marker, trapping some kind of bug. So that was what he was after. Kind of a gross hobby, if you ask him, but he was literally digging up a corpse, so he couldn't really judge. Each to their own, and all that.

Kaoru fucked up. It wasn't long before he realised that he was digging right into a trap - literally - but he couldn't do anything about it as the alarms went off and he heard the marching of heavy boots in the too-near distance. Shit. Seems like even Kyoya couldn't help him; but to be fair to his boyfriend, he had warned Kaoru about the traps being placed around to prevent grave robbing... He should have been more careful.

The kid ran straight back to the door he came out of, only for it to close in his face. He pounded on the wood, howled to be let in like some kind of dog, citing over and over again that he - apparently - "couldn't be outside". Did he get grounded or something? Whatever, if they didn't hide fast, then they'd both be pumped full of bullet holes by Ootori-san's delightful guards.

"Hey, dude," He called, though he kept his voice down, trying to be subtle, "Follow me."

Not that he knew where he was going either, but hey. Better than sticking around. He seemed to take the hint too, as he followed without hesitation. Kaoru's feet hit the ground so hard that he swore he could feel shocks of dull ache winding up his legs from the soles of his feet, despite his heavy boots. He ran as fast as he could, but kept visual on the blond. The kid obviously wasn't that fit - panting and huffing as he sprinted along - but adrenaline seemed to be doing its thing.

He scanned the area, trying to look for a way out - he'd take anything at this point. Still, it would be hard going; Yoshio's security meant that everything was shut tighter than the man's asshole. He tried to brush away the thought that these were likely his last moments, trying to focus on actual survival rather than overthinking.

It seemed some deity was listening to his prayers, however, when he spotted a door in the wall. It seemed like it was mostly meant to be concealed, but there was the barest outline there - you wouldn't see it unless you were looking for it, which he was.

He rammed his shoulder into the door, letting out a small grunt of combined pain and effort before trying again. And again. And again.

"Are you just going to fucking stand there kid, or are you going to help?" He snapped at the boy, wide eyes staring out from behind his mussed fringe. Now Kaoru was closer... was that a wig?

"I... I don't think I can..." The boy began, almost a whisper, but he was soon interrupted by a loud crack from the door. Better late than never, Kaoru guessed, but he still gave the kid a half-hearted glare for just standing there.

The smell was rancid, but the sight that greeted him... Well, it was like walking into a mine to find the walls encrusted with diamonds. Bodies piled high, almost floor to ceiling. Gutted, naked, laying there in this little stash, waiting to be found. He couldn't help the smirk that quirked his lips when he thought of all the Zydrate he could get from here. It went without saying, all the money that would make.

"Jackpot," He breathed, almost disbelieving, while the kid only let out a choked noise of shock. Well, this wasn't everyone's cup of tea; or, more aptly, bread and butter. Everyone had to make a living somehow, and apparently Hikaru and he had been missing out on a veritable goldmine.

"This... This can't be real..." The kid muttered, sounding absolutely horrified; as if he'd been living under a rock for years and had no idea what the state of the world was, "This can't actually be happening... Right?"

As Kaoru opened his mouth to reply that, yes, this was very real, the guards finally crashed their little party by physically grabbing the poor kid and dragging him out by the armpits, kicking and screaming. The shitty thing was, Kaoru hadn't had any opportunity to get some Zydrate. Still, his life was more important than drugs. He just had to remember where this spot was so he could hit it next time.

He was fucked now, though. No way out. This was it, and Hikaru and Kyoya would be left alone, which wasn’t fair on either of them. Son of a bitch… If Kyoya weren’t getting his corneas sliced, then he could call off the dogs, but that wasn’t an option.

It got very quiet, all except for a digital voice stating “medicate immediately”. No sounds from the guards, no sounds from the kid. It was like they’d all dropped dead then and there. More Zydrate for him, he supposed, but it was beyond fucking creepy.

Kaoru poked his head around the busted in door, cautiously trying to survey the scene without drawing attention to himself, only to get the shock of his life. What the fuck was a Repo man doing out here, and what did he want with the kid? The blond was so sickly looking, it wouldn't make sense for him to have everything in working order. Even Kyoya, who liked to look as put together as possible, looked like hell when his heart went into failure after failure, arrest after arrest.

Still, there it was. The tall man carrying the limp boy like a doll, arms hanging limp and head cricked back at what looked like an awkward angle. Still, there was something undoubtedly… tender about the way Repo held the kid…

He wasn’t going to run after them – he wasn’t suicidal – but… maybe he could ask Kyoya to do a little digging. Satisfy that niggling curiosity.

#ouran high school host club #repo! the genetic opera #kaoru hitachiin #tamaki suoh #kyoya ootori #kyokao #repo! au #genetic emancipation series #my fanfiction #ohshc

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kindcstguardian · 6 years ago

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MISC.

NAME. (くるすあきら) Kurusu Akira. CODE NAME. Joker. ARCANA. The Fool. DATE OF BIRTH. ( Star sign: ). SEXUAL ORIENTATION. Bisexual demiromantic. LANGUAGES. Japanese &&. English. BLOOD TYPE. AB - HEIGHT. 175cm. WEIGHT. kg.

VERSES.

Main verse. TAG.「 V ❥ ᴍᴀɪɴ ; Akira ／ᵃ ᵐᵒⁿᵒᶜʰʳᵒᵐᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᵖʳᵒᵛᵉˢ ᵗᵒ ᵍᵒ ᵇᵉʸᵒⁿᵈ ʷʰᵃᵗ ᵐᵉᵉᵗˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵉʸᵉ 」 Takes place at any point in the game depending on thread.

Pre-game verse. TAG. 「 V ❥ ᴘʀᴇ ; Akira ／」 Before he was framed for acting accordingly to the situation, Akira lived a tranquil if not boring life with little to no friendships in his hometown.

Post-game verse. TAG. 「 V ❥ ᴘᴏsᴛ ; Akira ／ ᵀʰᵉ ᵖᵃˢᵗ ⁱⁿᶜʳᵉᵃˢᵉˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵘᵗᵘʳᵉ ʳᵉᶜᵉᵈᵉˢ· ᴾᵒˢˢⁱᵇⁱˡⁱᵗⁱᵉˢ ᵈᵉᶜʳᵉᵃˢⁱⁿᵍ ʳᵉᵍʳᵉᵗˢ ᵐᵒᵘⁿᵗⁱⁿᵍ」 Time to bid his farewells, he ought to return home though what is home when he was already there? A new family that he had formed in this new enviroment that no longer was strange neither unknown — he had figured out both sides, dark and light. People, those with a good heart from the start that were willing to risk it all for a delinquent, the ones that didn’t judge him for actions he hadn’t commited in a rotten world whereas adult with wicked minds had been formely in charge. Yes, he will miss them all but he still gets to keep in touch and travel during long weekends thought it isn’t the same as before.

BNHA. TAG. 「 V ❥ BNHA ; Akira ／」 Quirk. Mirage: by touching someone, Akira will be able to copy their physical appearance and keep it up for about a day and a half ( this includes, reverting to himself back and forth ); however, if he wants to copy their quirk as well, he needs to consume something that contains the DNA ( i.e. hair, body fluids, etc. ) in this case, he can only have two quirks active at once ( three counting his ), these last half an hour at most. Pushing himself beyond his limits will cause the quirks to merge and he would be unable to use them at all without hurting himself, hence why it depends greatly on which quirks he has in hand and if they are worth using together ( i.e. ice-hot count as two already + explosion making it three: making dry ice and related to that ). The downside of using his quirk to its full potential ( keeping someone’s appearance plus their quirk ) is that he really can’t break his concentration at all, constantly pushing mental barriers about acting on instinct while also recalling where a quirk ends and when another starts or it will all come appart, making him drop unconscious in the act. His quirk is extremely stressing to use at full, therefore Akira usually chooses to either sharpen his observation and deduction skills by people-watching and taking both mental and actual notes for the copy their physical appearance; or... collect, ask on some cases, hair and keep it in a tiny handmade book filled with punched pockets with a zipper to always carry around. Just in case. School. Not much changes from his background, the ravenette still bitter about how a majority of adults are corrupted as ever and will use their quirk if their oh so fragile ego feels threatened even though it’s against the law; honestly even though heroes are everywhere and exceed the quota, they literally can’t be everywhere at the same time. Nevertheless, being accepted in U.A. when such thing happened to him and forever appears in his files? What a jest. Though he was surprised that a hero academy accepted him to begin with, already loving Ketsubutsu Academy. Some small headcanons. x The reason he wanted to become a hero is because Hawks saved him when he was twelve years old, his vague grasp of age and maturity made him feel like Hawks was an extremely cool adult, unlike his teachers who blatantly ignored the system and even picked on quirkless kids going as far as to crush their dreams ( so what if it was true? That they could not be heroes, but they were kids. Dreaming was something they were supposed to do, not be crushed by reality. It would eventually wear off rather than leave a big invisible scar, wasn’t the bullying enough? ). Plus, the more he learnt about the flying hero who patted his head followed by some inspiring words and a bird-related joke, the more Akira’s admiration grew: that man already had his agency and was a ranked high in the list right after his debut? Maybe there was hope, there was something about Hawks that was so different to other heroes, he seemed to dislike fame, he wasn’t as loud as All Might or Endeavor but he didn’t pass as an underground or behind-the-scenes hero either. It was a mystery that, as a fan, he wanted to uncover despite being aware he could never. x His childhood friend actually came with the idea of his hero name being Joker and more card games related names for his attacks.

My Candy Love / Amour Sucre. TAG. 「 V ♡ MCL ; Akira ／ ʷᵃⁿᵈᵉʳⁱⁿᵍ ʷⁱᵗʰᵒᵘᵗ ᵃ ʳᵉˢᵖᵒⁿˢᵉ ᵇᵘᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵉᶜʰᵒᵉˢ ᵒᶠ ᵐʸ ʰᵉᵃʳᵗᵇᵉᵃᵗ ᵍᵘⁱᵈᵉˢ ᵐᵉ」 Sweet Amorris, quite the peculiar place in an extreme and unnecesary saturation of pink coloring the institution. Not to mention, right across the other side of the world in Paris, France — not that he minds the opportunity to futher expand his horizons. Though, he’d have been grateful if his parents were with him here rather than learning how to survive on his own. He’s grateful of Daniel, though, a man who hired him as part-time worker and let him sleep in his office ( who has a bed there? Apparently, bakers due waking up at five in the morning and closing for three hours in which they took a power-nap ).

Doki doki literature club. TAG. 「 V • DDL ; Akira ／」 What’s the purpose of joining a club when the best one is — clearly, without question — the going-home-club? To review what he has done in classes at his own pace or proceed to study beyond, reading the textbooks and doing its exercises, looking for missing information in his phone or a library if he wanted that background noise and the need of other’s presence. Still, he found himself being dragged into the Literature Club. It’s not like he ever raised a pen for poetry, perhaps, vague memories surfacing in his mind when he thought he could have a talent of sorts but it’s long dead by now. Still, the ravenette decided to consider it and is a not-official member.

Ephemeral: residents of the dark. TAG. 「 V • ; Akira ／」 Trickster, that class of creature situates itself within the twenty more powerful ones. With habilities similar to a shape-shifter but also a contract demon, they are truly the joker — a wildcard — of monsters. Along Chloé, the new zombie student, Akira finds himself as puzzled and lost as her.

Ouran High School Host Club. TAG. 「 V • ᴏʜsʜᴄ ; Akira ／」 Takes place a year after the events of P5. Akira ended up in a different school from his hometown given the few connections he previously had of what he could call friends or nice acquaintances didn’t bat an eye at him. Which is why, he entered Ouran High School through a scholarship due not wishing to spent the money he has from beating shadows back at Mementos go to ‘waste’ neither spent his last year of highschool surrounded by those who judge rather than attempt to find the truth. Because of his background history, the institution was not fond of the idea but he did display a high level of intelligence, strategy and physical strenght enough to make their mind change ever so slightly. Once he managed to enter, Akira still uses his glasses despite not being needed to fix his eyes but to cover his ‘neutral and scary expression’ and actually joined the Host Club under the delinquent persona that, oddly, sells quite a lot. Initially, many females were intimidated but found him utterly charming and returned to ask for him.

Yan Sim / Lovesick. TAG. 「 V • ; Akira ／」 Takes place a year after the events of P5. Delinquents were, apparently, quite the normal sight within Akademi High despite being a prestigious institution with brillaint students already making connection with the world to guarantee a future within the industries. Turns out, that Akira was accepted without further care in his background ( after all, there were Aishi students too, and from the information he could gather — they were no better ). Without joining a club in particular, Akira is trying to live quietly until, perhaps, something were to take place and caught his interest to intervene...

Big Hero 6. TAG. 「 V • ; Akira ／」 Takes place two years after the events of P5. Having just graduated from highschool, Akira is puzzled at what he wishes to become in his future while he still keeps in touch with his friends and former Phantom Thieves, he still isn’t sure of what he wants to do. Thus, he mostly takes a part-time job in a café in San Fransokyo.

Inuyasha / Feudal Era. TAG. 「 V • ; Akira ／」 Born from a human and a demon, Akira is yet another victim of judgemental stares and hatered due being a hanyo, an hybrid: humans fear his demonic heritance whereas demon hate his human side, seeing him as lower than dirt. Still, he stopped minding that and lives peacefully — only those from his village know what he is, whereas visitors or if he travels, it’s impossible to tell he is any different unless in combat or if he feels threatened. Whilst demons can smell his scent and pinpoint that he isn’t normal.

Eldarya / Fantasy. TAG. 「 V • ; Akira ／」 After a month of the events that took place, Akira feels that he is being followed in his hometown and when he subtly turns around, he is, indeed, being followed but what caught his attention had to be — that it wasn’t a human that was after him, but some sort of creature he could swear was a shadow. Unbeknown to him, that was only part of the plan ( and the trap waiting for him ) due the ravenette decided to run off towards a place where others wouldn’t be hurt while feeling that thing chasing after him — that’s where he landed in the circle of witches and was dragged into a world, an alternative dimension, co-existing with Earth. He, too, realized he was with his Joker attire. Without a clue on what took place, Akira decided to investigate and joined the Garde L’Ombre, to know beyond what was labelled as public knowledge for his sake and to help here as much as he could. If he was going to be stuck for an unknown amount of time, it was better to help rather than cross his arms. Currently, he lives in the headquarters of the Garde.

Royalty. TAG. 「 V • ; Akira ／」 Born into a poor family, his best choice was either to join into knighthood for the good pay and climb his way up until reaching a commander point or become part of the royal staff — he chose the latter and currently mantains the highest position within servants and is both respected and feared by fellow personal.

TITLE. TAG. 「 V • ; Akira ／」 TBA.

TAGS.

「 Akira Kurusu ／ 𝙹𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚛 」

「 Akira Kurusu ／ MUSINGS 」

「 Akira Kurusu ／ INQUIRY 」

「 Akira Kurusu ／ VISAGE 」

「 Akira Kurusu ／ MANNERISMS 」

「 Akira Kurusu ／ ROMANCE 」

「 Akira Kurusu ／ CRACK 」

「 𝙿𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚜／ VISAGE 」

✘· Haru Okumura ♡（ˢʰᵉ ⁱⁿˢᵗⁱˡˡˢ ᵍʳᵃᶜᵉ ⁱⁿ ᶜᵒᵐᵐᵒⁿ ᵗʰⁱⁿᵍˢ&ᵈⁱᵛⁱⁿⁱᵗʸ ⁱⁿ ᶜᵃʳᵉˡᵉˢˢ ᵍᵉˢᵗᵘʳᵉˢ·ᵐʸ ʰᵉᵃʳᵗ'ˢ ᶜᵒⁿˢᵘᵐᵉᵈ ᵇʸ ʰᵉʳ）

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incurableweeabootrash · 8 years ago

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Top 10 Anime That Doesn’t Shamelessly Sexualise Women With Fanservice

The most awkward and annoying thing about anime is that little thing known as ‘fanservice’, moreso fanservice that creeps it’s way into shows otherwise focused on other things. It’s what I like to call ‘doing a Game of Thrones’.

In my experience there are honestly quite a few shows that actually have confidence in their own writing, and don’t feel the need to add softcore erotic moments disguised as jokes in order to desperately snag viewers and make their money back. But unfortunately, the shows that do have fanservice are now the predominant preconception of anime to outsiders, and female viewers especially can be turned off by this.

I’ll admit I’ve been guilty in the past of developing a ‘fanservice filter’ for shows like Kill La Kill, where I taught myself to tune out at certain moments until the show got back to showing the things I liked about it (The fights, the crazy fun tone, the characters, the intensity, and even the story eventually. It’s not my favourite show, but I cite it as an example of me overlooking and ignoring awkward bits because there were other aspects of the show that I liked). But not everyone is willing to do that, and it really puts a barrier up to new anime watchers who understandibly just aren’t comfortable with that. So with this unfortunate blight potentially lurking in any show to a new viewer, I thought I’d make this list to make sailing these uncharted waters a little easier. I'm going by memory, so apologies if any of these shows have something in them I've forgotten about. But here’s the top 10 anime that doesn’t have panty shots, breast-orientated ‘gag’ moments, or other ‘male gaze’ unneccesary sexual content. I’m also excluding shows that had a moment that made me uncomfortable with any attempted ‘funny’ moments that crossed boundaries, e.g. Meliodas’s inability to keep his hands to himself in ‘Seven Deadly Sins’. (Needless to say, I hated that character).

In no particular order:

1. Princess Jellyfish / Kuragahime

“Instead of becoming a princess, I became a freak.”

…Yes, that title sounds a tad dumb in English. But Princess Jellyfish is great character driven show about a young woman named Tsukimi with a passion for drawing and marine wildlife, specifically jellyfish, who feels that she hasn’t really blossomed into the beautiful woman she was told she would grow up to. Living in the fashionable Tokyo district of Harajuku, Tsukimi sees people more beautiful than her everyday. But her life starts to be shaken up a little when she befriends a beautiful woman who isn’t all that they seem.

Princess Jellyfish has the advantage of being written by a woman for a grown female audience, so there’s no sexual pandering to teenage male viewers to be found at all here. It’s also only 12 episodes, although the manga continues the story further. I really do recommend it for it’s likable characters and it’s simple but effective narrative.

2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

“In order for something to be obtained, something of equal value must be lost.”

FMA:Brotherhood is the story of two brothers living with the consequences of their failed attempt to bring their mother back to life with alchemy. Seeking to gain back what they lost from that attempt, Edward and Alphonse Elric join the military as State Alchemists, becoming a tool for whatever purpose the military desires in exchange for access to their expansive library on alchemy. However, they soon discover alot more than they intended to, along with some things they never wanted to discover.

Probably one of the most popular anime out there, with an exciting and twisting plotline that carries you through to the end of it’s 62 episode run. Now, that’s admittedly a lot of episodes, but I can safely say that the story is worth it. Be warned that you actually have to skip episode 1 due it being a filler episode designed only for fans of the original 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist. Yes, really. The very first episode is a filler, and it even contains a subtle spoiler. So yeah, skip it, as well the recap episode halfway through. It’s all on Netflix btw.

One slight flaw is how it occasionally jumps into a jarring cartoony art style whenever it tries to be funny, which doesn’t really fit with the rest of the show, but it depends on your sense of humour whether this is a problem or not.

I recommend this show if you like adventure, action, a bit of fantasy, and suspense and mystery.

3. Death Note

“This world is rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me?”

Another popular and well known anime within the community, Death Note is the story of an overachieving high school boy named Light (it probably sounds less pretentious if you’re not English) who discovers a notebook that will cause anyone who’s name is written in it to die. With such power in his hands, Light decides to use it to reshape the world and rid it of criminals and injustice. But what he holds in his hands is a murder weapon, and prodigal young detective L is soon on his case in the hunt to find the cause of all these mysterious new killings.

Death Note is very much a psychological thriller. In fact, there’s basically no action scenes at all in it. The tension instead comes from the cat-and-mouse battle of wits between Light and L as they constantly try to outsmart each other. But what makes it interesting is the fact that you’re following the story of a protagonists who is pretty much a serial killer, and you actually weirdly kind of root for him. This show is also all on netflix, and is 37 episodes.

EDIT: It has been pointed out to me that the character of Misa, who works as a model, could be considered as sexualised at a few certain moments, although I would say she’s in control of her own sexuality. You’re welcome to your own opinions on this. But nevertheless, it’s a show that isn’t riddled with fanservice shoved in your face.

4. Golden Time

“Accident or amnesia, you can’t rewind your life and start again. If you struggle, you’ll just hurt yourself, and the people around you.”

Due to a tragic accident, Banri Tada is struck with amnesia, dissolving the memories of his hometown and past. However, after befriending Mitsuo Yanagisawa, he decides to move on and begin a new life at law school in Tokyo. But just as he is beginning to adjust to his college life, Mitsuo’s ex-girlfriend Kouko Kaga dramatically barges into Banri’s life, and their chance meeting marks the beginning of an unforgettable year. However, the buried memories of the Banri before the accident sometimes resurface, transforming him into the person he was before with none of the memories of his current self.

Golden Time is a great mix of drama and romance, with the drama not neccesarily revolving around the romance. What I also like is that the romance isn’t just a ‘will they, won’t they?’, as it actually shows how the relationship plays out and how it copes under the pressure of Banri’s problems with amnesia. Plus it’s just another good story set in real life. It’s 24 episodes

5. Attack On Titan

“And just like that, everything changed. At that terrible moment, in our hearts, we knew. Home was a pen. Humanity, cattle.“

Living in a walled city hiding from giant strange humanoid monsters known as Titans isn’t the cushiest of lives, but the struggle and fight to survive in this show is a thrilling ride. Honestly, it has some of the best action scenes that visual media has to offer, all brilliantly directed and animated. It’s 24 episodes, though most will tell you to get to episode 5 before you write it off.

6. Madoka Magica

“Remember this… and take it to heart: kindness sometimes leads to even greater tragedy.”

I literally can’t say anything about this without spoiling it, but make sure you watch until the end of episode 4 before judging it. It’s also only 12 episodes in length. The best part about watching this show is that you can then show it to other people and grin evilly as you watch their reaction to it…

As per the theme of this list, it doesn’t have anything awkward, sexual, or immoral. All you need to know is that it’s really quite a good story, and it’s a fun cute show about magical girls. Honest!…

7. Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions

"I am the eye of the wicked lord, member number zero, Rikka Takanashi!“

An entertaining show about high schoolers who’ve watched too much anime and now think they have superpowers, and have invented characters and backstories for themselves. This phase is known as ‘chunibyo’ in Japan. Also along for the ride is our protagonist Yuuta, who’s already grown out of that phase but still finds himself roped into the ‘Far East Magical Society’.

It all starts off silly, but there is actually a bit meat to the story as it goes along. Best of all, it eventually leads to a really sweet relationship in the second season that actually shows a very good demonstration of consent. Yuuta won’t do anything his girlfriend isn’t ready for, even if it means they can’t kiss or even hold hands initially. Her delusional ‘chunibyo’ state also adds an interesting element to the relationship. Basically, I came out of this show all ‘OTP’ for them xD

Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions is 24 episodes long in total, including both seasons.

8. Ouran High School Host Club

“Listen, Senpai, I don’t really care whether you guys recognize me as a boy or a girl. In my opinion it’s more important for a person to be recognized for who they are rather than for what sex they are. “

As the only lower class student in a school for the incredibly wealthy, Haruhi has nowhere near the money to pay for the vase they accidentally breaks in the schools ‘Host Club’. (a service unique to Japan where you can basically hire time with an attractive man at a cafe and have him treat you like a lady. Yes, really.) As such, Haruhi is contracted to work off their debt at the host club and is given the job of making the female customers swoon over them. However it’s only after Haruhi is hired that the rest of the men at the host club realise that Haruhi is biologically a girl. Nevertheless, the customers don’t seem to notice.

Ouran Highschool Host Club is a fun entertaining show with great likable characters, and Haruhi is the perfect neutral foil to all the personalities in the show. It’s actually kind of funny as well, though of course humour is highly subjective. The show seems to be quite popular with female audiences, but I would say that anyone can find enjoyment from this show. This anime is 26 episodes long.

9. Wolf Children

"You might think this sounds like a fairy tale. You might even laugh at my story. You probably think that stuff like this just doesn’t happen. But everything I tell you is true. This is the story about my mother, and the wolf man she fell in love with."

An excellent film that’s great to just get lost in for the duration of it’s admittedly lengthy runtime. Wolf Children is the story of a woman raising two rather different children after a romantic encounter with a werewolf in human form. Unsure as to whether to raise these children as wolves or humans, the mother does her best to support them no matter the challenges. Honestly a really enjoyable movie. Recommended if you like Studio Ghibli.

10. Clannad

“I was only living because it was too much trouble to die. I got up in the morning, went to work, I ate dinner, and then I went to sleep at night. It’s like my body was doing it out of habit.”

Clannad is probably most well known for being most anime fans first experience with the ‘feels train’. The first season of delinquent student Tomoya’s adventures in helping out anyone he comes across in school while ditching class, and it’s all good slice of life stuff with the occasional good moments of drama. But most people will tell you that the second season, Clannad: After Story, is where it gets into the real meat of it.

Clannad is another character driven story, with drama, romance, and a slight hint of the supernatural.

And there we have it. Overall, it was an interesting challenge making this list. There are a lot more than 10 anime that fit this criteria, but I only wanted to include the ones I thought were in the top 10. The challenge came from the fact that I chose to exclude any show that had even one instance of an uncomfortable moment. By that logic, I had to exclude Future Diary even though I love it, as well as Steins;Gate despite it’s eventually thrilling story. I even had to exclude ‘Love Live! School Idol Project’ in spite of it mostly being the most innocent thing ever, all thanks to Nozomi’s imfamous ‘washi washi’ scene that was basically sexual harrassment disguised a ‘mischievious’ joke. (Fans actually complained about that and in response, she didn’t do it at all in season 2).

However, I still recommend those shows, especially Future Diary and Steins;Gate for their plotlines, but you have to be willing to overlook just a single awkward moment in each. (maybe 3 moments for Future Diary) Anyway, I hope this was helpful :)

#anime #top ten list #feminism #kuragehime #princess jellyfish #fullmetal alchemist #golden time #death note #attack on titan #puella magi madoka magica #love chuunibyou and other delusions #clannad #wolf children #ouran high school host club

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cameoamalthea · 8 years ago

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More on Sin

I don’t think that sexuality is a ‘sin’ but I can’t deny that lust is certainly listed as a Deadly sin.

A bit about my own religious up bringing and thoughts.

I was baptized Catholic and spent my child hood Church hopping with my mother who enjoyed the welcome of new choices and being saved and brought in so much that she left the church to join another right afterwards. I also attended community church on Wednesdays and for event s with my best friend. The community church was a black church and they had a school bus that went around the different projects picking up poor kids and bringing them into the church to sing and have fun community events. I was probably the only white girl there, but I never felt out of place, all children were welcome.

My mother, for her part, fluctuated between being very Christian and very pagan and just very drunk or high and doing her best to be devil himself. She’d shame me sometimes ‘honor thy mother and father’, mixing in religious notions with her standard emotional abuse, but often her emotional abuse was just calling me a cunt and telling me I was bad, and how sorry I’d be if she died and how grateful I should be she wasn’t selling me since I was old enough (I was 12 - 14 during this for reference).

She also tried to get me into partying and having sex when she got heavily into drugs. She wasn’t going to be a mother anymore, and I think she’d have liked me to be her friend and companion and partner in crime. She offered me drugs. Left me alone with teenage boys who were around my age, but far less innocent than me. She wanted me to get into sex (maybe she thought I’d offer to turn tricks for her then).

At the time I got more into being Catholic. I prayed the Rosary. When I woke up in the middle of the night, paralyzed with fear that I was alone and my that someone could be on top of me and touching me, I prayed for Jesus and for Mary to stand by my bed. I recited the prayers as if I had a Rosary then and took to holding one for comfort, alongside an X-men action figure. I liked Rogue, I related to Rogue.

I related to Rogue because I knew what it was like to be a freak and to be untouchable. In middle school, in the south, someone spread a rumor that I was a lesbian. I’d always been bullied. I was poor, and just enough on the autistic spectrum to not understand how to be normal or make friends or to understand when I was being bullied but not enough to be offered any protection or instruction on how to survive. With middle school came being called a lesbian and no one wanting to be near me. When the school made a holocaust museum they had visitors take a badges when you went into the maze of card board box exhibits. A crowd of kids forced me to wear a pink triangle as a joke.

In High School, in another state after I was sent to live with an aunt and uncle at 14, I got very into vocally accepting gay people, consuming gay media and in college I got into gay activism long before coming out as bi myself.

When I came to live with my guardians I wanted to go to Church, Catholic church, but none of them went to church except my uncle’s mother and Grammy was Southern Baptist. I went off and on with her for a few years, but in 2004 rejected the church when they said we should pray for George Bush to win a second term.

I spent free time reading Anne Rice and writing about my own vampires and thinking about gay vampires, about bi vampires. My wish fulfillment character was a beautiful teenage boy who became a vampire and dated whoever he wanted and did whatever he wanted and it was sexy because boy’s couldn’t be sluts, and if you were all ready a vampire lesser sins probably didn’t matter.

In Middle School we’d had sex ed that consisted of telling us if we ever had sex with anyone we’d be worthless and talking about how great it would be to save ourselves as a gift for our husband’s on our wedding night. “I saved this for you’.

I had idea what to do about my period blood that soaked through everything or the smell when I was wearing pads as long as possible rather than ask my mother to buy me anything or how to clean the stains. They taught nothing of this, but they taught me how much my virginity meant and they made it sound so good to be pure.

With nothing in my life safe or clean or under control and the constant threats both from my mother and the cartel she owed money too when she somehow ‘lost’ the money she was supposed to give them for dealing’ the idea that even I had worth and could have this honor to protect and cherish, and that this valuable thing couldn’t be stolen sounded amazing.

I didn’t judge others, but was personally conservative. I would be a virgin until my wedding night. I wouldn’t do anything ‘bad’ or ‘sinful��. I thought judging gay people was wrong, and I joined the United Church of Christ because they were accepting, but I held myself to a high standard that saw my virginity as something precious to guard.

It wasn’t hard either. I didn’t want sex. I’d later come to understand that I’m sex repulsed. On my wedding night I came to understand that my insides were all torn up and I’d need surgery to fix that, and I was vindicated that when I said I couldn’t wear tampons because they’d get caught and tangled my aunt should have believed me. That the pain was real and it was a problem.

Puzzle pieces fit together, evidence pointing towards sexual abuse when I was a kid. I didn’t want to be shaped by that. I wanted to have and enjoy sex. I wanted to be with men and women. I’d promised to be abstinent until marriage, they made me sign a contract in middle school, but I didn’t promise I’d be monogamous afterwards, that wasn’t in the contract.

I could understand why adultery was wrong. That’s breaking a promise and lying. But I didn’t see anything wrong in doing something if everyone concerned is informed and agreed. I wanted to try sex to see if maybe there was a circumstance where I wouldn’t feel so ‘wrong’ about it.

Still sometimes the guilt came. The thought that I should repent and confess and try to be good and pure again.

On paper I believed in sexual liberation. That gay people should have the right to be gay. That women should be able to do what they want, just as men did, without the double standard.

I’d always hated the double standard as a teen where so much fan service was for the male-gaze but it didn’t exist for women, hardly at all anyway, except on shows meant for gay men.

I loved Queer as Folk in High School and I wished I could be that and I wished I could be Jack Harkness on Doctor Who. I wished for sexuality free from shame or guilt, to not care what others thought. Then I found anime and yaoi and things drawn for the female gaze and for the first time I felt empowered in my own sexuality. Ioved Ouran High School Host Club, that fantasy of boys performing for the girls and it being ok for the girls to publicly adore them or even like forbidden things. The twins were my favorites.

And in High School this didn’t feel like sin, it was just watching or reading or thinking. I’m sure if I were a teen now I’d be assured it was bad, that I was fetishizing gay men and supporting fetishizing men, which is homophobic (even though Ouran is about boys choosing to perform for girls, the way in real life society expects girls to perform for boys). I’m glad I’m older now, and that I had that then.

And I’m glad that I reject the notion that sexual or romantic desire is in and of itself evil and sinful, at least consciously. But still there’s a part of me that wonders how I can say I’m a Christian and seek to distinguish between lust and sexuality.

I suppose I’ll look to other sins. Drunkenness is decried in the Bible, but Jesus provided wine for a wedding and drank it, Gluttony is a sin but Jesus provided a feast for the wedding too. So perhaps Lust is like that. Bad in excess, when it leads to actions that harm others.

#religion

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starsingingauthor · 6 years ago

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Darkened Whispers- 1

Fandom: Ouran High School Host Club Pairing: KyouyaxOC Summary: A teen-aged girl begins the year at Ouran and is more broken than those around her assume. Can her false smile keep everyone fooled or will her mask crack and reveal the broken girl within? Contents: Nightmare, small injury A/N: So, I’ve been working on this off and on since 2012. This is the more recent revision, this chapter having been finished Jan 4, 2016. So yeah I am really behind on this story. Word Count: 3,112

[Chapter 2]

Chouko walked along the pink tinted halls and looked at the map clutched in her hand, books held to her chest with the other hand. Today was her first day in the large school and she didn’t want to be late to her first class. She could hear whispers from the students around her as she walked, knowing that they were speaking of her. In the halls filled with sunny yellow dresses that poofed out at the bottom and periwinkle suits she was quite out of place. She wore a simple blouse and jeans, clothes that marked her as a “commoner” or so the whispers led her to believe. She shook her head and continued on, finding her class quicker than she had expected and knocked on the door to gain the teacher’s attention. After they spoke a little the teacher told Chouko to wait until class started and he would have her introduce herself to the entire class.

Slowly the class filled and it was finally time for the teacher to call attention. Chouko shuffled a bit where she stood at the front of the class. This was not working well for her idea of fading into the background. This was the exact opposite of that plan. The teacher finally let her introduce herself to the class and was seated next to a boy the teacher had called Ootori. She quickly settled into the seat and pulled out her notebook to begin taking notes.

Soon time came for class to be dismissed to lunch but Chouko remained in her seat. She knew the whispers would be even worse if she went to lunch and everyone saw her bento. She was certain that everyone here ate food from the cafeteria instead of bringing food from home. So the teen placed her bento on her desk then pulled her headphones out of her bag and placed them around her neck, pulling her layered chocolate hair out from under them and plugged the cord into her mp3 player that also sat on her desk. Chouko looked at the songs listed on the mp3 player while she ate, deciding what she wanted to listen to when a voice startled her out of her thoughts.

“Why are you eating alone, princess?” She looked up to see the only blonde haired boy in the class standing at the door looking at her. She rolled her thumb over the volume control on her mp3 player to turn it down before answering.

“Please don’t call me princess, I am no such thing. But to answer your question, I’m eating alone out of choice. I don’t mind sitting here alone. It gives me time to think and also to listen to my music.” Chouko responded softly. She watched as the blonde boy walked closer, obviously about to say something more.

“What kind of gentleman would I be if I left such a young lady alone to eat?” He asked in a charming manner.

“One who is observing my want to be alone. Please Suoh-san, go eat with your friends. I am more than capable of eating lunch alone.” She told him bluntly, not particularly in the mood to deal with anyone who was interrupting her lunch.

“Ah, I know. You should come visit us at the Host Club after classes. You’ll be able to meet more people from the class and make friends easier.” The teen seemed excited at his idea, while Chouko was less so.

“I’m sorry but I must decline your offer. I have other things I have to attend to after classes and I would rather not delay in taking care of them. Thank you for the offer though.” She declined politely, she didn’t even really know what a host club was and wasn’t really interested in finding out right yet. Her classmate didn’t say anything further as he turned and left the room, leaving Chouko to finish her lunch in the relative silence of the classroom.

It didn’t seem as though that much time had passed before classes were nearing their end. Chouko finally allowed herself the chance to look around the classroom and quickly noticed Suoh sitting a few seats away. His hair was a bright blonde and his eyes a violet color that she never thought was possible. Next to her sat Ootori. His hair was smoothed back neatly and his eyes hidden behind wire framed glasses. He suddenly glanced at Chouko, causing the girl to avert attention back to the notebook in front of her that was filled with both notes and doodles along the edge margins.

When classes finally ended Chouko gathered her things and left the room fairly quickly. She ignored the continued whispers as she walked down the halls towards the exit. She only was really thinking of the fact that she might actually be able to fade into the background as she was planning to do. She didn’t want to accidentally make enemies out of anyone in the school, they could easily mess with her in some serious way. To them she was the commoner that had somehow gained access to their exclusive school. They would never accept her as she was and she was kind of okay with that. She planned on floating through the next couple years without really leaving any indication that she was there. With a light sigh she pushed on back to her house and thought of what would be good for dinner.

Chouko walked down the short hallway in her home, an empty glass held in her hand. She was making her way towards the kitchen to get a drink of water before going back to sleep. She stopped suddenly when she heard whispers coming from the rooms around her.

“The poor girl. Who’s going to take her in?”

“It’s a miracle that she survived. It was a mess.”

Chouko realized quickly what was happening and turned to run towards her parents’ room. She wanted to see them again. She pushed herself harder when she heard the sounds of paramedics shouting to one another but the teen seemed to be going nowhere.

“No! Please!” She called into the darkness before she heard all the noises begin to fade.

“Things will change soon.” An eerily familiar voice spoke behind Chouko, startling her and making her fall forward into a dark chasm.

Chouko gasped sharply as she woke from the nightmare. She sat up quickly and put a hand to where her heart was pounding away in her chest. With a glance around the room she noticed that her alarm wasn’t to go off for a couple more hours.

“Should go ahead and get up. Don’t want to go back to sleep after that nightmare.” She pushed herself off of her bed and walked over to her closet in the dim morning light. She pulled out a red and black striped shirt, a dark pair of jeans, and a black belt before she laid them on her bed. The teen sighed as she grabbed her towel and made her way into the bathroom. “Why am I having nightmares again? I haven’t really had any for the past year or so. I guess it is from all the stress of attending a new school.” She spoke softly to herself even though there was no one in the house to be woken by her words. Chouko stepped into the bathroom and pressed a few buttons on the small cd player that sat on the counter. When music filled the room she started to get ready for her shower, dancing or singing along with the music a bit.

It had been almost a week since Chouko began attending Ouran Academy and things had been going almost exactly as she had planned. It seemed the other students were whispering less as she passed by, maybe she would fade into the background as she wanted. She arrived to her classroom and began laying her things out in preparation for the lecture the teacher was sure to give. As she was setting up she didn’t notice the pen roll off her desk and stop at a pair of nicely polished shoes.

“Makoto-san, I would like to invite you to the Host Club after classes. It seems our president has already invited you but you declined. We believe it might be of benefit for you to attend.” Chouko looked up quickly when she heard the voice. She was surprised to see Ootori standing beside her desk holding her pen.

“Oh, I guess I could come by today.” She said after taking back her pen. She felt there was no way she could say no to Ootori. He seemed to have such an impressive aura but she wondered what she was getting herself into, both of the members of this club were quite handsome in their own ways. She sighed and turned to the front as the teacher walked in and prepared to give his lecture.

The day passed without much else interest as Chouko waited for the final bell. Once it finally rang and the students filed out of the room she gathered her things in her bag. On her desk was a crudely drawn map that Suoh had placed there before he walked out with Ootori. Once all of her things were in the bag she picked up the map and made her way out of the classroom ready to see what kind of club this was.

After three different stairwells and a numerous amount of halls Chouko was convinced that she was lost. She had been wandering for a good while and had yet to find the Third Music Room that was depicted on the map. She had, however, found that the school was symmetrical in almost everyway that she could tell. With a sigh she started to climb the fourth stairwell as she looked back over the map. Had Suoh played a prank on her?

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he did.” Chouko spoke softly to herself, not noticing the other person walking down the stairs at the same time. It seemed the other person didn’t notice Chouko either as they collided and the teen threw her arms out to try to regain her balance but her bag threw her off just enough to start tumbling down the stairs. She hit the bottom with a yelp, quickly recovering enough to check for damage.

“Oh no, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” The boy hurried down the stairs and knelt next to Chouko. The girl looked up through slightly blurry eyes and noticed the boy had slightly darker hair than her.

“I think I will be.” Chouko said as she rubbed her ankle a bit before deciding to rub the bump she had received just above her temple in her hairline. The boy helped Chouko to lean against the stairs before he turned back to head up them.

“I’ll go get someone to help.” The boy hurried back up the stairs and left the girl alone with her thoughts. Of course it was all a joke, why would anyone want to be nice to her. It was those rampant thoughts that made her eyes almost tear up again. Suddenly she was brought from her thoughts when she heard the boy telling someone else where she was. “They’re just down the stairs. I wasn’t paying attention and accidently ran into her.” Chouko looked behind her to find a tall boy with short black hair standing there.

“If you just give me a moment I’ll be fine. There is no need to worry about me.” She said quickly, rubbing the bump at her hairline.

“You’re bleeding.” The tall boy said before he lifted the surprised teen up and began to walk towards another room. The shorter boy followed the two, speaking to the girl a bit as they walked.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you.” He said softly as he held a door open.

“I should have been watching where I was going.” Chouko told him as she was set down on a nearby couch. “It's not the first time I’ve fallen down the stairs either.”

“Oh no, what happened?” A voice Chouko recognized spoke up, drawing her attention behind her. She looked and saw Suoh and Ootori walked towards her, the latter holding a first aid kit.

“I was trying to find the Third Music Room and wasn’t paying attention. Then I ran into him and fell down the stairs.” Chouko pointed towards the short brunette to indicate them as she didn’t know his name. “My bag kind of threw me off balance and I fell down. It isn’t too bad.”

“But you’re bleeding.” Suoh said as he noticed the small amount of blood trickling down from a small cut on Chouko’s temple.

“Let me see.” Ootori said as he pushed Chouko’s hair away from the cut to get a better look at it. He pulled a couple things out of the kit and went to work cleaning and putting a bandage on the small cut. The girl winced at the action and then looked at the dark haired teen.

“Thank you Ootori-san.” With a quick look around Chouko noticed there were a good number of other people around them. “I guess this is the Third Music Room, isn’t it? I spent most of this time trying to find this room.” Chouko laughed slightly, throwing the others in the room a bit off guard. “Oh, I guess I should introduce myself. I’m Chouko Makoto.”

“I’m Haruhi Fujioka. You already know Tamaki and Kyouya. The one who brought you here is Mori-senpai.” The brunette boy spoke, pointing to the tall dark haired boy. Chouko nodded to Haruhi before she thanked Mori for helping her. She was surprised when a small blonde boy bounced up clutching a pink stuffed rabbit to his chest.

“I’m Mitsukuni Haninozuka but you can call me Hunny and this is Usa-chan.” The boy held up the bunny for Chouko to see. She stared at it for a moment before she spoke.

“That is adorable. Could you answer one question for me though?” Chouko looked at the boy who nodded eagerly. “What year are you in? You seem so young but you are in high school obviously.”

“I’m in the year ahead of Tama-tan.” He nodded before bouncing off again, followed by Mori.

“I wonder what he’ll look like in ten years.” Chouko muttered causing Haruhi to laugh slightly at the comment. Soon after the members were sure Chouko was okay they went back to their duties. Chouko watched with a small smile on her face as she saw what they were doing. Girls were smiling and laughing all around her as they interacted with the hosts. She sat for a long while just watching before she cautiously stood up and looked around for Kyouya. Once she found him she made her way to his table, noticing idly that no one was at the table.

“Ootori-san, what all of you are doing here is wonderful. Bringing even a small bit of joy to these girls. I was hoping maybe I could help out.” Chouko stuttered a bit with her request before quickly continuing, trying to prove she could do something. “My parents ran a small bakery for a while and taught me a good bit. I could make the snacks and tea and everything. That would free up Haruhi to continue with his duties with the other girls.” Chouko spoke quickly, hoping that she wasn’t making a fool out of herself. Kyouya watched her for a moment before he stood up.

“I’m sorry, we aren’t accepting..” He was partially through his statement when Tamaki interrupted him.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’m sure the ladies would love the home cooked things that you could provide them. What do you think Kyouya?” Tamaki smiled at Kyouya before the other teen sighed.

“We could run a trial, you can work for the club for two weeks and we’ll see how the ladies enjoy it. We’ll then decide where to go from there. How does that sound to you, Makoto-san?”

“Thank you. I’ll try my hardest to help out.” She smiled at the two, surprising them slightly. In the time that she had been in their class they actually had yet to see her smile. In truth, this was the most either of them had ever heard her speak.

“Then you’ll start tomorrow. Let me show you where you’ll be working from.” Kyouya led the teen away from the table and to an area that they had converted into a kitchen to use for the club.

The trial period had passed uneventfully, the hosts all deciding that things were better with Chouko working in their kitchen. Over that time the hosts and customers became vaguely aware that during club hours music could be heard from the converted room. None of the customers ever questioned the music but slowly the hosts began to question it. They noticed sometimes the music seemed sad, the lyrics seeming somewhat dark for someone who was normally smiling when she was making the food. It was one such day that the hosts decided to try to figure out what was wrong with the girl.

Haruhi walked into the kitchen as heard the song that Chouko was idly singing along with was another one of the sad songs, stirring ingredients in a bowl without look at them.

“Chouko-senpai, are you okay?” Haruhi’s words startled Chouko, causing her to spill a bit of the batter on the counter. Chouko picked up a small towel and cleaned up the batter before she addressed the question Haruhi had asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You know, I’m not going to quit telling you to call me Chouko. Adding senpai to it just makes it a mouthful.” Chouko said as she turned to pause her music. She had a small speaker set up where she could plug in her mp3 player and have music while she cooked. As she turned away Haruhi noticed she wasn’t smiling at all, that she seemed to be dreading something.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re fine. Will you please tell me what’s wrong?” Haruhi asked seriously, causing Chouko to stop with her back to him.

“Can wounds of the heart ever heal?” Chouko said before she shook her head and walked around the counter. “Would you mind taking that out to Hunny-senpai’s table?” She pointed to the small cake topped with strawberries. Haruhi nodded his head and grabbed the cake, walking out of the room with a glance back at the girl.

[Chapter 2]

#fanfiction #ouran hshc #kyouya ootori #kyouyaxoc

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lumiolivier · 8 years ago

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Chapter Twenty-One: Long Live the Red Hats

Word Count: 6050

Chapter No. 21/?

Notes: There is something that gets a little cringy and borders into harassment, but it’s not too terribly bad. I’m also thinking about posting this to Fiction Press to boost my numbers over there. Thoughts?

Chapter Twenty: Hangovers and a Harajuku Staple

He may have cleaned up. He may have quit smoking pot. But at the end of the day, Kyle was still Kyle and Kyle was late. With the way last night went, though, I wasn’t complaining. The last thing I wanted to do today was babysit. It was bad enough I had Veronica. I didn’t need that in my life today. What I needed was cold, blended, and caffeinated all to hell.

“You want me make you something, baby?” Julian offered.

“Yes, please,” I grabbed our aprons from under the register, “Can I have a bridge to jump from?”

“No,” he shot me down, “You’re not that bad. You’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want to work overtime tonight,” I pouted, “I don’t want to work here period.”

“Then, what do you want to do?” Julian asked, flipping the machines on.

“I want to travel the country,” I sighed out, flipping the open sign, “I want to cosplay with you. I want for some publisher to see my shit and think I’m a good writer and for this to not be a colossal waste of time.”

“You are a good writer,” he assured.

“How would you know?” I rested my throbbing head in my hands, “You don’t read fan fiction.”

“Oh really?” Julian handed me an iced latte with two shots of espresso, “I don’t read fan fiction, Miss Ouran High School Host Club/Black Butler crossover? Miss Kiss, Kiss, Sign a Contract?”

“Excuse me?” I perked up.

“Miss Sebastian Michaelis lies dormant in the soul of Kyoya Ootori?” he smirked, “And Ciel Phantomhive’s in Haruhi Fujioka? And you say I don’t read fan fiction.”

“Somebody’s been busy,” I blushed, “When did you start reading my fan fiction?”

“Last night,” Julian admitted, “I was bored, sitting in that diner by myself. I tried getting a hold of Paul, but he wasn’t answering.”

“I’m sorry,” I felt bad for him, “I didn’t ask you to follow us.”

“But I did anyway,” he beamed, all proud of himself, “So, question.”

“What?”

“What made you cross them?” Julian wondered, “Why Kyoya with Sebastian and Haruhi with Ciel?”

“Well,” I explained, “In the English dub, Kyoya and Sebastian have the same voice actors. In the Japanese dub, Ciel and Haruhi have the same voice actors. It was begging for a crossover. Not to mention, if you think about it, Sebastian and Kyoya aren’t very different. You can’t tell me that in a modern setting, Sebastian wouldn’t be mistaken for yakuza.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, “I see it. But yes. I’ve read something you’ve written. It’s wonderful and I’m so proud. But since you showed me yours, I suppose it’s time I show you mine, right?”

“Slow down there, friend,” I stopped him, “What are you talking about?”

“My portfolio,” Julian gave me a look, “What else would I be showing you?”

“You know damn well what,” I nudged him.

“Mimi,” he gasped, “I am a classier lady than that.”

“Are you?” I grabbed the first customer’s order, “Are you really?”

“Yes, I am,” Julian covered himself, being a drama queen, “I am more than just an object.”

“I know, honey,” I giggled, “You’re also a massive dork.”

“I could’ve told you that.”

“Hold on,” I stopped in the middle of making a cappuccino, “What’s today?”

“Tuesday?”

“What day?”

“The twenty-ninth,” Julian started to get nervous, “What’s the twenty-ninth got to do with anything? Should I have gone full Russell?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I promised, “You don’t need to pull out Russell. You’re fine. It’s just…It’s the last Tuesday of the month.”

“That’s all well and good, Mimi,” he questioned my sanity, “But what’s that supposed to mean?”

“The last Tuesday of every month,” I grinned, “You’ll see. Just wait for it. It should be happening in the next hour or so.”

“What kind of drugs are you on today?” Julian joked, “Or is sleep deprivation screwing with your head?”

“Neither,” I made the woman’s change, “Don’t worry. It’s nothing bad.”

“Mimi!” Kyle stumbled through the doors.

“Where have you been?” I scolded, “You’re usually only ten minutes late. We’ve been open for an hour, Kyle.”

“I know,” he kept his head down, “And I’m sorry. I’m…I feel great.”

“Oh, Kyle,” I let out a heavy, exasperated, and disappointed sigh, “Look at me.”

“Um…”

“Kyle,” I forced his gaze. Surprise, surprise. If I couldn’t smell it on him, his glazed over, bloodshot eyes gave it away. Fantastic. Kyle falling off the wagon. There’s what I needed today, “You went back, didn’t you?”

“Mary Jane’s a cruel mistress,” he pushed through the kitchen doors, “And she’s got a tight grip on my heart.”

“Dammit, Kyle,” I grumbled.

“Sorry, Mimi…”

“Not even noon and I need a drink,” I growled, “They better hurry up.”

“Who?” Julian asked.

“Again,” I settled, catching a tiny contact buzz from the dumbass in the kitchen, “You’ll see. Now, do me a favor and keep an eye on him.”

“Sure,” he nodded.

“I’ll let you know when they get here,” I told, “Watch him like a hawk, Julian.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Julian gave me a half salute and went to take over my babysitting duties. I couldn’t handle Kyle baked today. All I wanted to do today was lay on Julian’s couch after work with my head in his lap and watch whatever cartoons the good people of Japan had to offer us. But I had the supreme honor of staying over. I just needed a night of calm. I needed the first night Julian and I spent together again. Maybe even the night after we met.

“My goodness,” a small bus had unloaded into the café, “Look at you, Mimi! You’ve gotten so big! I remember when you were just a little thing.”

“Hi, Betty,” I couldn’t have been happier when this sweet, adorable, old lady stood in front of me, donning a big, red hat, “I’m not that big. I’m still that little girl inside.”

“You should stay that way,” she insisted, “That way, you’ll never get old.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” my heart felt so full, “What can I get for you?”

“I don’t know,” Betty looked over the menu, “I don’t want anything fancy.”

“How about a simple coffee?” I offered, “Maybe some French vanilla creamer?”

“That sounds heavenly!” she chimed, “Yes, please!”

“Do you want anything with it?” I asked, “Muffin? Scone? Cinnamon roll?”

“I think I’ll have a muffin,” Betty decided, “Banana nut.”

“One of those sounds pretty good right about now,” I agreed with her, “In fact, I think there’s a batch about to come out right now. Julian!”

“Hold on, sweetheart,” he warned me, coming out of the kitchen with a tray on his arm, “These are still pretty warm.”

“What kind are those?”

“Orange cranberry and banana nut,” Julian stocked the case, “What’s up?”

“Aren’t you adorable!” Betty sang out, “You must be new!”

“Yeah,” he melted, “I’ve been here a couple weeks now.”

“Julian, this is Betty,” I introduced him, “She’s the president of the Lenexa Red Hats. Betty, this is Julian. No title.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Betty,” Julian gushed, “I’ve heard a bit about you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, honey,” she awed, leaning over to me, “Mimi, he’s cute.”

“Yeah,” I started turning pink, “He is. Just moved to town.”

“Where are you from, Julian?” Betty asked.

“I was born in Chicago,” he told, “But I moved here from St. Louis.”

“City boy?” she shot me glances, “City boys aren’t boy scouts.”

“Betty,” I slid her coffee across the counter, “Play nice.”

“I did a couple weeks of survival training once,” Julian admitted, “I’m pretty sure boy scouts wish they were me.”

“Alright,” Betty let it go, “I like him. He’s ok with me.”

“I’m glad we have your approval,” I giggled under my breath, “Six dollars even. Julian, will you be a lamb and grab a muffin, please?”

“What kind?” he asked.

“Banana nut.”

“Of course,” Julian pulled a muffin out of the pastry case and put it in a paper bag, “Here, Betty.”

“Thank you, honey,” Betty smiled, making the entire world light up.

“How long are you and the girls with us today?” I wondered.

“We promise we won’t be too much trouble,” she teased, “We’re going up to Kansas City today. This should be a quick in and out for us.”

“What’s in Kansas City?” I grabbed the next Red Hat in line.

“We’re doing the gardens tour,” one of the others, Martha, broke into our conversation.

“That sounds beautiful,” I approved, “I’m jealous. You guys couldn’t have picked a prettier day.”

“I wish you could come with us, Mimi,” Betty sighed, “It’s such a sight. You don’t get to see much for flowers around here.”

“No, we don’t,” I started on an earl grey tea for Martha, “Mostly hay fields and soybeans around here.”

“Why don’t you play a little hooky?” Martha instigated, “Come with us!”

“I can’t,” I broke the news, “I have to keep things running around here. I’m in enough hot water with the boss as it is. I had to skip out early yesterday and now, I have to stay and balance the books tonight.”

“When will Jeffrey Griffin learn?” Betty pouted, “You have a life, too, sweetheart. He can’t have a hold on your soul.”

“That’s right,” another one of the Red Hats joined us. Gladys. I loved Gladys, “You’re a free spirit, Mimi. And it needs to be let out of its cage once in a while.”

“When was the last time you went out and had any fun?” Martha asked.

“Last night,” I told, “But it wasn’t really for me to have fun. My best friend’s boyfriend broke up with her and I needed to cheer her up.”

“That’s awfully sweet of you,” Gladys praised, “But you still need to do some things for yourself, too.”

“That’s what I tell her!” Julian chimed in, “All the time!”

“You’d think she’d start listening,” Betty gave Julian a little nudge.

“Maybe one day.”

“Remind me to hit you later,” I teased.

“Will do!”

“I like him,” Martha sang.

“Me, too,” Gladys agreed, “Is he your boyfriend, Mimi?”

“No,” I tried to keep my shakes under wraps, “He can’t be my boyfriend. We can’t date coworkers.”

“Again,” Betty raised hell, “Why won’t Jeffrey let you live your life?”

“I don’t know.”

“Probably because he’s so miserable in his own life,” Martha assumed, “He has to make everyone just as miserable.”

“Amen, sister!” Julian gave her a high five.

“Well, we should be off,” Betty grabbed her banana nut muffin, “It was lovely meeting you, Julian.”

“You, too,” Julian surrendered to her hug. There was no turning that down, “Come back soon, ok?”

“We will,” she assured, “Last Tuesday, like always.”

“You ladies enjoy your trip,” I grabbed the door for them.

“And Mimi,” Gladys took my hand, “Please. Don’t let Griffin rule your life. Or anyone else. If you want to quit your job and see the world, do it. If you want to love that hot piece of ass in there, do it. I saw the way he looks at you and it wouldn’t surprise me if the feeling was mutual. If you want to run around the home with your underwear on your head, don’t let the orderly give you a sedative and a bite guard. You spit out that bite guard and your medication and put your panties on your head. To hell what people think!”

In her own, strange way, Gladys told me exactly what I needed to hear. I knew I loved her for a reason. I gave her the biggest hug, but not too much. Gladys was fragile, “Thank you, Gladys. I think today is that day.”

“That’s my girl!” she kissed my cheek, “Good luck, Mimi.”

I was going to need it. As the Red Hats emptied out of the café, I got back to cleaning tables, hoping it’d be enough to get Griffin off my back and I wouldn’t have to stay. Then again, there’s a possibility that Gladys’ speech sparked something in me. Gave me the balls to leave here without a job. There goes my Crunchyroll premium account. Still got Netflix, though.

“Julian,” I sighed out, already exhausted and it was only noon, “Will you still love me if I’m out of a job?”

“Of course,” he promised, “What are you talking silliness about?”

“Post them,” I demanded.

“What?”

“Light and Misa,” I elaborated, “I think I’m putting in my two weeks. This place doesn’t deserve me.”

“Good for you, Mimi,” Julian beamed, “I’m proud of you.”

“Although,” I thought it over, “Quitting could cause a lot of collateral damage. There’s a chance I’ll end up getting kicked out.”

“If you do,” he took my hand under the counter, “Then, it’s a good thing I’m down the road, isn’t it?”

“You’d let me move in?” my heart radiated such a warmth.

“Of course,” Julian confirmed, “Like I’d let you live on the street. Don’t give me that.”

I rested my head on his shoulder, “What would I do without you?”

“I don’t know,” he threw his arm around me, “You’d probably fall apart. Just a little, though. You’re tough. You can do this.”

“So,” I perked up, “I’m doing this? I’m really doing this?”

“I’m sure you have dreams bigger than the café,” Julian assumed, “At least I’m hoping so.”

“I want to get published, dammit!” I pitched a little fit, “But I’ve looked into it and it’s a long, drawn out, pain in the ass process. The last publisher I talked to said I’d have to wait at least six months after submission for them to even come around to reading my manuscript. Not to mention, I haven’t had an original idea in months.”

“You could write about us,” he suggested.

“That’s sweet, Julian,” I let him down gently, “But I don’t think I could do us justice.”

“Or maybe,” Julian thought it over, “You could write a fic so good that someone from a studio sees it and you end up writing the source material.”

“That’s even more farfetched than me writing about us.”

“Think about it,” he put things into perspective, “Your fan fiction. That’s an original idea, isn’t it?”

“No,” I clarified, “That’s an off-shoot of the series.”

“Is it?” Julian went on, “The idea had to come from somewhere. If you change the names around a little, you can convert your fan fiction into an original.”

“And with some major plot reconstruction,” I figured, “I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, Julian, but I don’t think it’s going to work.”

“Maybe that’s your problem,” he grabbed the next order for me, “Maybe you should start thinking things can happen and things can work. My god, I need to get you around some of my friends.”

“What good is that going to do?” I asked, resituating the pastry case.

“Maybe once you’re amongst the more creative types cut from the same cloth we are,” he figured, “You’ll start seeing it.”

“Where did your sudden surge of optimism come from?”

“I blame the Red Hats,” he smiled, “Come on, Mimi. You can do this. You’re not staying over. You’re coming home when you’re supposed to. And you’re going to be there when I post our shots from Sunday. Think. What would Light do?”

“Write Griffin’s name in the notebook,” I chuckled a bit, “Then, we’d all be out of a job.”

“Ok, bad example,” Julian caught, “Better one. What would the Elric boys do?”

“Don’t,” I stopped him, “Don’t you dare use my babies against me, Julian. That’s a dick move.”

“What would the Elric boys do?” he repeated himself.

“Dammit,” I grumbled under my breath, “They’d keep moving forwards. Both of my legs are real, so I have that going for me.”

“I guess you could say you have a leg up…”

“Goddammit, Julian…” I shook my head at him.

“Got you to smile,” he chimed.

“You’re an idiot,” I rolled my eyes with a little smile on my face.

“Hi, Mimi!” Veronica came in as her bright and bubbly self.

“Hi, sweetie,” I gave her a look, “You’re in awfully high spirits. Get your revenge lay already?”

“Even better!” she sang out, “I’m not returning my homecoming dress!”

“Awesome!” I threw my arms around her, “You’re still going?”

“I sure am,” Veronica grinned darkly, “You know Luke’s best friend Eric?”

“Yeah. He’s a good kid.”

“Guess who I’m going with now?”

“No!” I gasped, “Does Eric know it’s a rebound thing?”

“He said Luke didn’t deserve me in the first place,” she shrugged, “We’ll see how well this goes and if something takes off from there.”

“Are Luke and Eric at odds?” I wondered, getting her usual coffee order.

“Eric knew about Luke’s side bitch,” Veronica explained, “Apparently, she’s going to school somewhere in Wichita and they met after an away game. Her little brother was playing on the opposite team. Eric told Luke to stay away from her. The fact that he went around behind his back pissed him off. And now, I’m going to homecoming with my ex’s best friend. Life is looking up!”

“Good for you, Veronica,” Julian chimed in, “See? I told you it’d get better.”

“I have some appointments to reschedule,” she grabbed her cup, “Thought I’d drop by and deliver the good news.”

“That’s great news, Roni,” I applauded, “So, no more frown town?”

“Nope!”

“Good,” I sent her out, “Go on. I got other customers.”

“Bye!”

It did my heart good to see that girl in such a good mood again. And that was the final signal from the universe I needed. Gladys’ pep talk. Veronica’s revenge date. Julian saying he’d let me crash with him if worst comes to worst. Good things come in threes, right? Now, all I had to do was wait for Griffin to show his face. I had three years of anger built up deep inside. I couldn’t, in good conscience, keep all of that in. That’s how ulcers happen.

“Looks like the apple cart is still on all its wheels,” Julian noticed, “Ready to shake it up some more?”

“I need Griffin to come in,” I psyched myself up.

“You can do this,” he assured, “You deserve better and you know it.”

“Yes, I do,” I hyped, “I don’t need this kind of anger in my life anymore. Not worth the stress.”

“There’s my girl,” Julian praised as the bell above the door announced Griffin’s arrival, “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

“Mr. Griffin,” I stopped him, “Do you have a minute?”

“Always for you, Mimi,” his voice gave me chills. And not the good kind of chills like Julian’s did. More like a snake crawling under my skin, “What’s up? You’re not trying to get out of your overtime, are you?”

“No, sir,” I shook my head, “I appreciate what you’ve done for me the past three years.”

“And I you,” Mr. Griffin put his hand on my shoulder, making me cringe, “You know, sweetheart, I’m glad I have you. If I didn’t, I’m not sure if this little café would be able to stand. And all the people that make this a regular stop on their way to work would have nowhere else to go.”

Dammit. He knows my weakness. No, Mimi. Stay strong, “You’re exaggerating.”

“No, I’m not,” he assured, “You are my angel, Mimi. You keep my son in line, my numbers in the black, and you provide a great service to our little community. Keep up the good work, kiddo. I’m proud of you.”

“But…” I couldn’t speak. I got so tongue tied. And before I knew it, he was gone. He had just come in to check on the café. To make sure we weren’t getting into trouble. Shit!

“What happened?” Julian worried, “I thought you were going to put in your two weeks.”

“He knows the magic of guilt,” I cringed, “Manipulative prick.”

“That’s called a toxic relationship,” he explained, “They don’t always have to be romantic. If it’s two people and one is holding something over the other in order to get what they want, it’s toxic. In this case, it’s your paycheck. You don’t need that.”

“Yet, I folded like a cheap suit,” I grumbled.

“People like him are going to do that,” Julian went on, “You have to fight past that. You can’t let him make you feel an inch tall for the sake of not rocking the boat. Make that boat capsize. He’s not banking on the fact that you know how to swim.”

“Tomorrow,” I sighed out, “There’s always tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “What’s the point in waiting until tomorrow? You’ll end up putting it off again.”

“Where were you last night when I needed to get Veronica out of her slump?”

“Right across the street,” Julian reminded me, “I’m always there, baby. Never doubt that.”

“Thank you, Julian,” my voice broke a little.

“Hey,” he wiped my cheek, “Don’t start on me. He’s not worth getting upset over. You can tell Griffin what for tomorrow, got it?”

“Ok,” I pulled myself together and finished work for the day. As soon as we closed up, I threw Julian my car keys and holed up in the office. I hated balancing the books with a burning passion. The things I do for you, Veronica Sue. The things I do for you. I made myself Julian’s usual poison of choice and got to work.

The tedious…mind numbing…busy work. In this tiny, cramped office, not much bigger than my closet. Julian told me I could get over my writer’s block this way. That the vast blankness in the repetitive actions would knock something loose. How was I supposed to finish the Free! fic like this? I was stuck in a small office crunching numbers. The Free! fic took place near the ocean. In Rin’s apartment. I was nowhere near that. I’d rather be there than here. Ideally, I’d be at Julian’s, but here I was.

Ding!

I stuck my head out of the office and looked toward the door, “How you doing, Mimi?”

“Good,” I let out a heavy sigh. Griffin. Fan-fucking-tastic. Just what I wanted.

“That’s what I like to hear,” he praised, “You’re my favorite little worker bee.”

“Does that make you the queen bee?” I joked, almost mad at myself for saying that out loud.

“King bee,” he corrected me. No such thing, but I’ll let him have it, “Do you need anything? Doing ok?”

“It’s just balancing the books, Mr. Griffin,” I bit my tongue, “I think I can manage.”

“That’s my girl,” Mr. Griffin put his arm around me, lightly massaging my shoulder.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” I gagged a little, getting out from under him, “I need to get back to work.”

“This can wait,” he brushed me off, getting his grip back on my arm, “Can’t it? It’s just numbers. They’re not going anywhere.”

Come on, Mimi. Toxic, remember? Stay strong. Do this for you. Don’t let anyone tell you how to live your life. Ultimately, it’s your decision. Now or never. Don’t wait until tomorrow. You can do this. You can do this. You can do this. This is crazy, but you can do this.

“Mr. Griffin, I’m moving,” I blurted out, “I’m putting in my two weeks as of now.”

“What?” I caught him off guard, “No, you’re not. You can’t leave me.”

No. Don’t let him use guilt, “I have to. I need to move onward and upward with my life.”

“No, you’re not,” he shot me down, “You’re not going anywhere.”

I can do this, “Yes, I am. I’m sorry, sir, but you don’t make that decision.”

“I thought you were up to something,” Mr. Griffin snarled, “I thought you were going to quit on me. Not surprised. You’ve only been here for three years. It’s not like you’re that motivated to do anything.”

“Excuse me?” I shot him a glare.

“If you were,” he argued, “You would’ve been out of here ages ago. Instead, you’ve had this job since you graduated and haven’t left. You don’t have a college education. You’re lucky you even graduated high school. It’s not like you have any other skills. You’re even quiet around the customers. You’re not going anywhere, Mimi. I know better.”

My heart started racing, beating out of my chest, “Yes, I am.”

“Where?” Mr. Griffin asked, “Where are you going? I know how much you make in a year. It’s not like you’re going very far. You probably couldn’t afford a studio apartment in Kansas City. I took you in when you had nowhere else to go. I took care of you. Anything you wanted, it was yours. I even got you a little extra help. And this is how you thank me? No. You’re not going anywhere.”

“No,” I grabbed my bag, taking the biggest leap of my life, “I am. I am going somewhere and that somewhere isn’t here. I’m done.”

“If you walk out that door,” Mr. Griffin threatened, “Don’t think you’ll walk back in tomorrow morning with a job.”

“Good,” I grinned, “That was the point. You need me more than I need you.”

I pushed through the front door, pleasantly surprised with myself. Good for me. I’m proud of you, Mimi. You did it. You grew a spine. The only suck part now was my lack of employment. Instead of calling Julian right away, I decided to take a walk down the road to the Pit Stop. If anyone could be any comfort to me right now, it’d be Sal.

“Hey!” he sang as I walked in, “There’s my favorite customer!”

“Hi, Sal,” I let out a heavy sigh, post adrenaline rush.

“What’s that all about?” Sal worried, already getting my ice cream for me, “You seem down.”

“Not really down,” I explained, “More like lost.”

“Talk to me, princess,” he offered, “What’s got you lost?”

“I just quit,” I admitted, “I just quit my job at the café.”

“Oh,” Sal put his scoop down and came around to the other side of the counter, giving me the biggest hug he could’ve possibly given me, “I’m proud of you, Mimi.”

“Why?” I wondered, “Why would me quitting my job make you proud?”

“Because you were too good for him!” Sal growled, “My brother, as much as I love him, can be…Well, there’s no nicer way of saying this. He can be an asshole.”

“And how,” I agreed, giggling a little.

“And he was no more an asshole to anyone than you,” his tirade went on, “From day one. And you didn’t need that.”

“That’s what everyone keeps telling me,” I sat down, “But now, I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

“That’s what life is, sweetheart,” Sal settled a bit, “Don’t go looking for it. It’ll find you.”

“Can I be honest with you, Sal?” I blushed.

“Always.”

“I think life has found me,” I smiled, “In the form of the guy I was with last week.”

“Thought so,” he brought me my double scoop, “I knew there was something going on with you two. But doesn’t he work at the café, too?”

“I’m the one that got him the job,” my spoon hung out of my mouth. You don’t think Griffin would do something so petty as to fire Julian because of me, do you?”

“No,” Sal promised, “That would mean Jeffrey would have to come down from his high horse to do legwork. That’s not going to happen. Don’t worry. Julian’s job is safe.”

Ring, ring.

“Hold on,” I looked down at my phone, “I have to get this.”

“Go ahead.”

I slid my finger across my phone screen, “Hi, Mom.”

“Where are you?” Mom worried, “You were supposed to be home two hours ago.”

“Sorry,” I apologized, “I had to stay late.”

“Well, hurry up and come home,” she begged, “We missed you!”

“I will,” I promised, “It’ll be a little while yet.”

“Fine,” she let me go, “Get back to work.”

I hung up with my mother and threw my phone back in my bag, “I should be going. Thanks for letting me vent, Sal.”

“Anytime, honey,” he got back up, “If you need anything, let me know, ok?”

I grabbed the shattered remains of my double scoop and left to clear my head. Sal’s sage like wisdom always knew how to cheer me up, but I needed some time to think. I bought myself another couple hours with my mom and Julian didn’t expect me to be done until ten. It was a beautiful night, so I took a walk down to the public pool and climbed the high dive.

I just quit my job. I had no contingency plan. I had no idea where I was going to go from there. I put all my eggs into one basket with doing the con circuit with Julian. Maybe someone’s already seen something in my fan fiction and told two friends who told two friends. I got my phone out and checked my comment section. Nope. Squat. I’m screwed. I have no job, hardly any money, and I have to cancel my Crunchyroll premium subscription.

I just hoped it wouldn’t get to the point where I was so desperate for cash I had to start selling off my babies. Some of my figurines and collectables were worth some serious money. I had a State Alchemist pocket watch made with real silver. I had a replica of Ciel Phantomhive’s ring with an actual sapphire in it (even though in the anime and the manga, it was technically a blue diamond). I couldn’t. Or even worse than selling off my collectables? I really hoped I didn’t have to resort to becoming a camgirl. Last resort. If I’m on the street and starving, then and ONLY THEN would I consider becoming a camgirl.

I don’t know anymore. Maybe I need to get my head right. Let’s look at the positives. What I have right now. I got…I got my ice cream. I got the most beautiful views in all of Lenexa. I got my health. I got Julian. My parents waiting at home for me. Even though they were going to just bitch at me for quitting my job. No, Mimi. We’re thinking positive. I’m hopeless…

“I thought I’d find you up here,” a familiar voice called from the bottom of the ladder, “I stopped by the café and no one was there. Drove by your parents’ house and they were the only ones home. What, my dear Mimi, would you be doing on the high dive at this hour?”

“Trying to make sense of the world,” I sighed out, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“That’s what I do,” Julian climbed up, “It’s a curse. Now, back to the main question. What are you doing here?”

“I did it,” I told him, “I quit. I tried putting my two weeks in. Griffin wasn’t having it. We got into it. And he fired me.”

“So, you’re done?” he asked, joining me on top, “It’s official?”

“Pretty much.”

“Good for you, Mimi,” Julian gave me a quick kiss, “What did he say?”

“I told him I was moving,” I began, “H said I wasn’t going anywhere. That I lacked motivation. He tried giving me guilt trip again, so I got up and left. He said if I walked out, I didn’t have a job tomorrow morning.”

“And?”

“And I told him that was the idea,” I rested my head on Julian’s shoulder, “Then, I went to the Pit Stop, got some ice cream, and came here.”

“This was for the better,” Julian promised, “You know that, right?”

“I know,” I cuddled into him, “I really hope the con circuit’s good to us, Julian. Because that was a serious leap of faith.”

“It will be,” he held me a little closer, “I got a text from Paul earlier with all our Death Note shots from the other day. They’re in a neat little file on my phone. All I have to do is post.”

I grabbed his phone out of his jacket pocket, “Do it. Right now.”

“Right now?” Julian beamed, “We’re doing this right now?”

“What better time?” I wondered, “Do it before I change my mind.”

“Alright,” I watched him log into his website and saw the little green upload bar go up. And the ‘Are you sure you want to upload this post?’ message popped up, “No going back. You sure you want to do this?”

I looked down at his phone screen and hit the yes button myself, “I’m sure.”

Julian gave me a little kiss on my forehead, “I’m so proud of you, baby.”

“Julian,” I wrapped his arm around me, “I’m scared.”

“Don’t be,” he assured, “I’m right here. And I’m not going anywhere, remember?”

“Not until May,” I reminded, “Then, we do the con circuit.”

“Bye, bye, Lenexa.”

“Yeah,” I had the sudden realization hit me. In a little under eight months, I’d be leaving the only place I’ve ever called home.

“Mimi?” Julian gave me a nudge, “You in there? You blanked out for a minute, koibito.”

“I did?” I came back.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “Maybe we should get you home.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, swinging around to the ladder, “I should. I mean, it’s not like I have to get up for work in the morning, but still.”

“Here’s a thought,” Julian suggested, “Since it’ll be Wednesday and book club’s going to be trying to grab ass me again, you think you could make Russell happen for me?”

“I thought you had Russell down to a science,” I pointed out, “What do you need me for?”

“I always need you around,” he stole a kiss, “I’m lucky my head’s attached.”

And that was the icing on this evening’s proverbial cake. I needed that, “Sure. Besides, it’ll be a good distraction, so my parents won’t find out about me quitting.”

“You’re a big girl, Mimi,” Julian reminded me, “You’re free to make your own decisions. And if you saw this as the best decision for you at the time, then let it be.”

“I guess you’re right,” I started climbing down.

“Now, stop staring at my ass,” he teased, “Or you’re not staying with me tonight.”

“I can’t stay with you anyway,” I broke the news, “My parents just got home and Mom told me they miss me.”

“Any idea where they went?” Julian asked.

“St. Louis,” I assumed, “They’re suckers for the riverboats.”

“Oh, the riverboats,” he chuckled to himself, “So many memories…So much puking…”

“What?” I giggled with him.

“I spent my twenty-first birthday on the riverboats,” Julian explained, “I didn’t realize how much they move when they’re in the water, so I learned quickly that wasted and seasick do not make a good combination.”

“You idiot,” I rolled my eyes at him, jumping down from the bottom rung.

“I’m your idiot,” he followed suit, “And you love me.”

“Last time I checked,” I assumed, “You’re alright.”

The two of us got into my car and started heading back home. I really didn’t want him to go. Just one more night. They couldn’t have been gone one more night. Unfortunately, though, all good things. I got my good night kiss and went straight up to my room. I knew they were going to want to tell me stories, but I just wanted to go to bed. I wanted to be numb.

Hold on…

I looked under my bed and found an amber colored bottle waiting for me. Bless you, Julian Cooke. Bless you. If you were here right now, I’d kiss you. I cracked open the Fireball and started drinking. Cinnamon whiskey would be my saving grace tonight. If I had some vanilla ice cream and a bit of Rum Chata, I’d be making one hell of a milkshake. But Sal was kind enough to give me enough rocky road for one night. Besides, this would be plenty to get me to sleep. I turned on some Fullmetal Alchemist, spooned Sebastian, and stuck a straw in the bottle. Soon enough, it’d pull me under.

#Sorry For Being a Closet Otaku #nanowrimo #nanowrimo 2016

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