#uuu this took longer than expected...

[kanatashinkaifr]

here's belphegors selfie story part 1 and 2!!!

had to split it up cuz it was too much text.. I kept everything the exact same, with the exception of occasional mistranslations and making it somewhat gender neutral (but this is afab MC!!). the remainder of this story will be posted soon, i'll put the link below. NSFW below the cut, hope you enjoy!! :3

link to the remainder of the story

@adelaine-rose

Booooom..!!

There was an explosion so loud that even the gravel on the ground trembled and rolled around.

Devil with good hearing: Is that an Angel attack..?!

At a watch house in Hades that was always prepared perfectly against Angel invasions, a Devil with good hearing urgently looked up outside the window, and shouted.

However, the explosion didn't come from an Angel invasion this time.

When all the Devils raised their heads and looked up at the sky in unison...

Something was pouring down from the clear sky; leaving long, thin, rainbow-like tracks.

Devil with good eyes: That's... A rainbow...? No, is it a comet...?

Devil with good senses: Ah..! A rainbow coloured meteor..?! That must mean..!

When everyone was captivated by the meteors with rainbow coloured tails fantastically embroidering the sky--

Boooooom...!!

Once again, an explosion enough to shake the ground below the Devils' feet came from the sky.

At the same time, the clouds opened up in a circle, as though there was a hole; and someone... Appeared from the middle.

The devil who was floating in a somewhat gloomy manner among the magnificent, rainbow-colored meteor shower was smiling with a camera that had lenses as big as a cannon in his hand. --If you can also call the phantasmagoric smile reflected in his gleaming blade a smile...

The man who appeared as though he had forced himself through the universe beyond the sky was overflowing with such tremendous presence that he drew the eyes of all those there.

He definitely had horns, the symbol of devils, growing from his head, but they could feel a more oppressive and extraterrestrial energy from him.

It was obvious that he was no mere devil.

Just then, a few devils shouted almost in unison.

Devil with loud voice: That's... Phenomenon...!!

Excited devil: It's Phenomenon...! It's Phenomenon...!!

The expressions of the devils who were stiff with worry and wariness until just now were all colored with excitement.

No one there asked who Phenomenon was.

Just then, The being called Phenomenon above the sky opened his lips that seemed so heavy that they wouldn't open excruciatingly slowly and almost growled in a low voice.

Phenomenon: I have come... To take a picture...

Overjoyed Devil: Oooh!!! It has begun...!!!

Elated Devil: Phenomenon has come to take a picture...!!

The devils shouted and cheered in excitement as though Phenomenon's single sentence notified them of the beginning of a festival.

...Was something that didn't apply to the devils of Niflheim.

Scribble, scribble, scribble, scribble, scribble...

The room is silent except for the scratching of pens, like a room full of students studying for an important exam.

In a place where the excitement outside was faint enough to penetrate even the closed windows, Gusion muttered.

Gusion: If you take the loudest sound an excited devil can make, multiply it by the population of Niflheim, and trace back the percentage lost when the sound breaks through the glass, then retrace the original value of the disturbance we're feeling now...

Bathin: Why would you do that?

Gusion: Pity those of us who are stuck in our rooms doing work, unlike those idiots outside.

Among the devils who eventually gathered and went about their business, Gusion was the first to grow impatient and grumble.

Gusion: Do you know that there's still a misconception among the devils in other countries? That because we're henchmen of the king of sloth, all we do is nap every day.

Bathin: Gusion, quit scribbling and speak up. I can't understand half of what you're saying because your pen is making such a ruckus.

Beleth: Why do you still insist on usin' a pen? You could use a calculator. And why do you always have to squat on the floor? I said I'd get you another desk.

Beleth clicked his tongue as he looked down at Gusion, who was crouched on the floor next to his chair; unlike himself at the desk, or Bathin, who sat across from him and shared the same desk.

Gusion: You think it's easy to change centuries-old habits overnight? I'm faster at calculating like this.

Gusion said, grumbling and calculating in his mind at the same time.

Bathin: It isn't like you to complain while calculating. Did you really want to enter Phenomenon's photo contest that bad?

Gusion: I don't really care about that. The formula I'm perfecting here is far more interesting.

Bathin: Then why?

Gusion: Because I resent being misunderstood. While everyone else is out catching angels, I'm locked up in this room, thinking about how to make my country stronger. A nap? What a misconception!

Gusion: The truth is, being around Belphegor makes me languid and lazy; and I'm tired of putting up with it.

Belphegor's aura, the king of sloth, was so strong that it was contagious to the devils around him; making even the most sincere of devils like Gusion drowsy.

Gusion: But yesterday, Paimon from Gehenna texted me during the day and then followed up before I could even reply, saying, "Aaah, are you sleepingggg? I'm sorry to disturb you, sozzz ;) "...!

Belphegor: Then say no.

Belphegor's languid voice slipped in, drowned out by the rustling of the blankets, from the side of the bed a short distance away from the desk.

Beleth: Haha, that's right. You could've said no.

Gusion:...Do you find it amusing when you're doing all of his Majesty Belphegor's work?

Beleth: If not me, who will take care of him?

Belphegor: That's right.

When Belphegor mumbled something in his sleep, Gusion decided that further conversation was pointless, frowned, and went back to solving the formula.

But the reason they found it hard to concentrate was not only because they were caught on Belphegor's laziness.

Fap, fap, fap, fap...

Gusion: ............

Bathin: ............

Gusion was purposely scratching his nib loudly, just to drown out that annoying sound.

Gusion: (Don't masturbate in front of all your men...!!)

Gusion thought, but Belphegor was the kind of devil who would let the major devils do all the work in his room because he couldn't be bothered to answer to them one by one.

All the work, even that which was inappropriate to be done in his chamber. For example...

Bathin: So, when are we executing that angel in the back?

Right. Like, executing angels, for example.

In the corner of Belphegor's chamber, there was a giant scaffold that looked like it belonged in a public square, with an angel chained to it, waiting to be decapitated at any moment.

Belphegor: Kill it now.

Gusion: No, killing is killing, but you're asking me to decide how to do it; which is why he's been chained in this room for three days now, waiting to see if he's going to be decapitated or strangled.

Belphegor: You want me to decide now? Don't bother...

Gusion: ... You've been saying that for three days now, too.

Gusion frowned. Because even as he was answering carelessly, Belphegor was still masturbating.

When he glanced up, Belphegor's flat stomach was already glistening with

semen.

It was impossible to tell how many times he'd ejaculated, but he still didn't seem satisfied.

When Gusion and Bathin looked at Beleth almost simultaneously, with the same mind, he paused for a moment, and then said with an expression that seemed to have caught on.

Beleth: Agares is hard at work training Niflheim's army, and we're free and easy compared to the atmosphere over there.

Gusion: What are you talking about, again?

Beleth: Weren't you just saying that we seem to be working too hard?

Gusion: It's not that kind of hardship...

It was then.

Knock knock.

There was a knock. Not at the door, but at the window.

Beleth: Ahh, a long overdue return. Andrealphus. Come on in.

Beleth rose from his seat and opened the window so as not to disturb everyone, and a devil with a long, lean body and wings even larger than it was nailed to his back nodded slowly and stepped through the window.

When Andrealphus came into the room with low strides from his leather

shoes and sat down at the foot of the bed, Belphegor said a single sentence: 'Ey, you're back-' and then fell back to sleep.

Andrealphus: It's quiet in here. Outside it's all festive with Phenomenon's contest.

Andrealphus: Your Majesty Belphegor, I know you're always sleepin', but why don't you stay awake tonight?

A hunter who carries a great scythe and slaughters angels in hiding. That was the public image of the devil that was Andrealphus, but there was a certain boyish innocence to his face as he sat at the foot of Belphegor's bed in the

and woke him up.

With Belphegor sleeping peacefully and the devils burying their faces in their respective desks, it seemed friendly and peaceful like a group of boys gathered at a friend's house after school to do homework.

Of course, there was nothing friendly or peaceful about the sight of an angel chained to the side of the room with his head on the execution rack, or Belphegor sleeping and masturbating nonstop despite the wetness on his lower stomach.

Bathin: Why disturb His Majesty Belphegor's sleep? He'll fall asleep again soon enough.

Andrealphus: Didn't you hear? There's a huge fuss about Phenomenon's contest goin' on outside. His Majesty should be a part of it.

Gusion: ......???

Bathin: ......?

Andrealphus: What's with the looks on your faces?

Gusion: .......How do you know my expressions?

Gusion narrowed his eyes to meet Andrealphus's blind ones, but this time Andrealphus pretended not to notice and continued.

Andrealphus: If His Majesty participates, I'm sure he'll win first place, which is good. Because, if he wins first place, then his picture will be displayed all over Hell, and I'll be able to see his face no matter where I am.

Gusion: If that's what you're after, just carry a picture of him around with you.

Andrealphus: No, it'll get soaked with blood.

Gusion: Put it in your phone, keep it as a photo...

Andrealphus: No, it'll get soaked with blood.

Bathin: Andrealphus's phone done broke more than once because it got drenched in blood. Anywhere, there's no way His Majesty's entering the contest, so we might as well give up hope.

Gusion: Hey, wait. Oi, Andrealphus. You can't even see it even if his Majesty's picture is hung all over Hell...!

Andrealphus: It's to do with the feels. Anyways, it can't be helped if he doesn't wish to participate.

Beleth: You're all bein' too pessimistic. He's still our king, after all.

Gusion: He's not going to do it anyway.

Belphegor: But we can still hope.

Belphegor's sleepy reply further sullied Gusion's impression of him.

Gusion: The one who hates being bothered the most is bothering me...

Beleth: Your Majesty, are you really gonna enter the contest?

Belphegor: It's annoyin'...

Everyone slammed their heads back down on their desks with an expression of 'of course' on their faces, but Beleth suddenly went into 'competent servant mode' again and his eyes began to sparkle.

Beleth: I heard that the criteria for the winner of this contest is to take 'a picture where you're the most obscenely filthy'... Don't you think that'd be a piece of cake?

Bathin: ...It's 'a picture where you're the most obscenely messed up'.

Beleth: Haha. Blah, blah, blah. Yes, Your Majesty, how 'bout you wake up for a moment...

Beleth moved closer to the bed to shake Belphegor awake, but Belphegor only lifted his head slightly in annoyance, a frown on his face.

Belphegor: You're the one who should be doin' that, if you'd just stay awake a lil' longer. Those teeth marks on your body, there's more of 'em. again

Beleth: No, no, no. This ain't even close.

Belphegor: What... I gotta do more than that? No, I don't like it. It's annoyin'.

Beleth: An event with all the devils of Hell? It can't be that easy. Why else do you think all the kings of the world are lookin' for Solomon's descendant right now like crazy?

Belphegor: Solomon's descendant?

Beleth's phone rang as Belphegor asked languidly, still in the throes of

sleep.

Beleth's phone rang as Belphegor asked languidly, still in the throes of sleep.

Beleth: Your Maj, one moment. Hello? Ah, a video call.

Beelzebub: [Haha, Beleth, you don't even know the difference between a phone call and a video call. You're like an old man!]

Beleth: I am an old man. I got so many mouths to feed, and I'm breakin' my back

tryin' to feed 'em.

Beleth spoke like a real old man, and the other devils gave him a look that said, "You smell like an old man," and slowly dragged their chairs away.

Beelzebub: [Ah, yes, that's right, Beleth is the best breadwinner in this Hell. Keke. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure the kid from that house has gone home too, have you met him?]

Beleth: Yes, he just came in. Andrealphus, would you like to say howdy to His Majesty Beelzebub?

Beleth said cheerfully, but Andrealphus stiffened and mouthed 'No.'.

Beelzebub: [Keke, looks like he rejected you. Anyway, judging by the silence, MC is not there, Levi! They aren't even in Niflheim.]

At the mention of Solomon's descendant's name, Belphegor who had been dozing off while half awake again slowly opened his eyes.

Beelzebub called out to Leviathan from Hades in a friendly manner, as though he happened to be with him. But Leviathan's expression across the screen was murderous.

Leviathan: [They're not in Niflheim, nor in Hades, nor in Abyssos. So all that remains is Gehenna and Tartaros. Beelzebub. I'll pull out your tongue after I look there, Beelzebub.]

Mammon: [They aren't in Tartaros either. I just came back from looking there. Anyway, what about Abaddon?]

When Mammon appeared beside him and tried to wrap his arm around Leviathan's shoulder, Leviathan deftly dodged, showing it all on the screen.

Leviathan: [There's no way MC would have gone there on their own, unless they're insane...... No, it's not completely unlikely.]

Satan: [Okay, let's go to Abaddon!!]

Even Satan's eyes lit up as he appeared, the devils of Niflheim who had come to Beleth's side and were watching the screen together all looked a little dumbfounded.

Gusion: ...This isn't even an emergency for Hell. How come you're all gathered there?

Satan: [Because we need to find MC to win first place in Phenomenon's contest!]

Bathin: What role will they play?

Mammon: [Huhu, you can figure out who has the most dramatic eye for 'most obscenely messed up' in all of Hell right now, since you're smart.]

Satan: [Why do you look so proud of yourself?]

Mammon: [Of course I'm happy that the kings of Hell have recognized MC's discernment, because they're mine.]

Satan: [Mwahaha! Bullshit!!]

Leviathan: [Anyways, since MC doesn't seem to be there, you can hang up the phone, keep busy.]

After saying that, Leviathan hung up the phone first. And with that, the noisy voices disappeared and peaceful silence returned...

Harumon: Keep busy...! What a cruel goodbye...!! That's so cruel...!! That's so cruel...!!!

Beleth: Where were you hidin' again? You came out now?

Harumon: Vassago kidnapped me again!!! Vassago!!! He bathed me in the finest scented oils!!! He massaged me all over!!! And he brushed me as he wanted!!!!!

Beleth: My, I'm jealous of that. It always feels so good to be touched by a pretty boy like Vassago.

Harumon: What are you talkin' about!!! You horny jerk!!! I've been taken advantage of!!!

Bathin: Vassago... He don't look it, but he really adores Harumon.

Beleth threw the good-smelling, fluffy Harumon onto the bed, and

Belphegor caught him right on the spot, tucking it under his elbow and rolling onto his side.

Harumon: Ugh...! Your Majesty, your elbow...! I-It's pressin' on my guts...!!! ARGHH!! I smell cum...?!!

Belphegor: Funny. A human whose name keeps comin' up during the devil's festival.

Andrealphus: ...? Your Majesty Belphegor, I thought you were asleep.

Beleth: Wow, his eyes are really sparklin'. What is it?

While they were all stunned that he was awake and not sleeping, Belphegor pulled a dice from his chest.

Belphegor: Solomon's descendant. I thought they were interestin', but...

But if they're so great that even the kings are lookin' for them, then...

Belphegor's dice left his hand. It rolled far, far away, stopping at Beleth's feet.

Belphegor didn't even bother to pick it up himself. He just looked up and asked.

Belphegor: What's it say?

Beleth: Six.

Belphegor: Okay, I've decided.

Belphegor, who was still only halfway out of his quilt by the time the dice were rolled, stretched out completely.

In that moment, the air in the room, which had been peaceful and even stretched out, stiffened with tension.

Belphegor: I shall win first place in the contest.

Before anyone could react to the sudden declaration.

Swooosh-!

A tremendous amount of power was suddenly released from Belphegor's body, which had been marinated in drowsiness and languor.

The devils in the room instinctively drew their weapons, tensing every muscle in their bodies. Just then.

Click.

An improbable sound reached everyone's ears. A small, concise signal that seemed to flip a switch in the world.

At the same time, the surroundings were plunged into total darkness. As if everyone in the world closed their eyes at the same time.

The darkness didn't just swallow Belphegor's chamber, it engulfed all of Hell in that moment.

Agares: ...This... All he does is sleep. What happened?

Vassago: ...I'll go fetch Harumon to check out the situation.

The place where Vassago selflessly replied to Agares' irritation was also shrouded in darkness.

Leviathan: This darkness... Belphegor, you lazy bastard.

Satan: Shouldn't he be in bed?

Beelzebub: He must be hungry, or--

Mammon: He suddenly remembered something he wanted.

The place where the kings gathered was also dark,

MC: What, what...?! Did the angels do something again...?!

The place where you are was also in darkness.

You couldn't see anything, and you thought while your heart was pounding with fear and surprise in the seemingly empty space.

MC: I was just passing near the border of Gehenna and Tartaros...?

You had narrowly missed Satan who was searching for you, and had actually returned to Gehenna just as he was leaving it.

But you were too afraid to step into the streets, and everything around you was enveloped in darkness, and you were lost.

The darkness not only swallowed up everything you could see, but it also swallowed up sound, and you couldn't feel anything, as if you were drowning in a black liquid.

Just then.

???: Ah, gotcha.

A familiar voice called out from an unknown direction.

Then there was a momentary flicker of darkness, with no light in any part of the room, no distinction between light or shadow, and then, as if someone had pulled away the blackness in front of your eyes, there was suddenly only a landscape beyond.

It was Belphegor's room, with a calm, dark interior that seemed made for sleeping more than anything else.

Belphegor: Come over here.

MC: Belphegor???

Holding up part of the darkness with one arm, Belphegor spoke in a voice

that hadn't quite awoken.

The man who had covered himself in a sea of near-neutral colors looked weak in his sleep, but all the darkness that surrounded you was of his own making.

Lifting the darkness as if lifting a curtain, he was slightly bent over so that his chest and abs, clad in a single kimono, were clearly visible to you.

MC: (Uh, am I looking at it wrong...? I don't think that's... sweat... on Belphegor's stomach...?)

You stared at him for a moment, suddenly realized that your gaze was too blatant, and shook your head hastily.

MC: This is too good, no, no, this is too sudden, what's going on?

Belphegor: You were too far away, so I shortened the path.

You didn't understand his words, but more than that, you didn't understand the sensations you were feeling.

Surely Belphegor was speaking in front of you, but his voice seemed to come from the back of your throat.

Besides, you should have been in Gehenna because you were standing still where you walking a moment ago, but Belphegor in front of you were waving from his room in Niflheim.

Beleth: My goodness. Our king must be somethin' else, to bother goin' all the way down there, to mess up the dimension by unleashin' energy on all Hell.

You heard Beleth's dumbfounded voice from somewhere, a voice that sounded bemused-but also secretly proud.

Gusion: Hey, Solomon's descendant. Use your head. Not your senses. Think about what this devil in front of you is capable of.

Gusion's voice rang out from somewhere, and you snapped out of it.

Belphegor, who could bend dimensions, space and time, had bent them to meet you, creating the shortest distance possible to reach you.

MC: S-so where am I now? Gehenna or Niflheim?

Bathin: You're in Gehenna, and you're in Niflheim. That's what dimensional travelin' is for. Ain't that nifty?

At the sound of Bathin's calm voice, you felt yourself being released from the fear and tension that the sudden darkness had brought.

You shifted toward Belphegor, whose three eyes were glowing toward you, and then-

Belphegor: This way.

Sure enough, Belphegor was right in front of you, so you reached out, and just as you thought you heard a voice in your right ear, a firm hand wrapped around your left waist, hugging your body from behind and pulling you to your feet.

MC: (I'm going to fall...?!)

You squeezed your eyes shut in surprise, and then something fluffy touched your bottom, and it became bright beyond your eyelids.

MC: Huh, where am I...?

Belphegor: It's Niflheim.

Sitting in the middle of the bed and sprawled out beside you, answered Belphegor, who hadn't even bothered to look at you despite the fact that the front of his tunic was open - and thankfully so.

Beleth: Welcome to Niflheim, my dear Descendant of Solomon.

You were greeted in a cool tone by the handsome devil standing before you.

MC: I was surely in Gehenna a moment ago...!

Beleth: The moment you entered the dimension of Niflheim, our Majesty pulled you into it, and then returned you to your dimension.

Harumon: My...! Not just travelin' 'tween dimensions, but havin' the power to travel 'tween dimensions...!!! I don't know if our king is brilliant or ignorant!

As Harumon complained, Beleth casually walked back to the desk, grabbed a pen, and spoke.

Beleth: Now, I reckon our king's gonna be busy from now on, so the rest of y'all should find another empty room.

Bathin: ... It's been a spell since I saw you. How sad.

Bathin bowed politely and started to leave the room, but Gusion couldn't take his eyes off the paper he was writing down formulas for some interesting puzzle, so Bathin dragged him out of the room.

Beleth: Andrealphus, you too... Huh? When did he leave? Harumon's not here neither?

Beleth scratched the back of his head as he stared at the empty space, then closed the window as if he was used to it and came back and sat down.

MC: If you're busy, should I go too? I just got here, but...

Beleth: Ahh, no, Belphie's busy 'cause of you. Well, I'll be off... Oh, just check this

one. Hey, your Majesty. What about that last road project? Do you approve?

Belphegor: Yeah.

Beleth: Hey, at least take a gander at it. Don't just lie there.

Belphegor: Ye.

Beleth:You're such a good listener. Hey, MC, I'm sorry, can you help him on one side? I'll take the other.

MC: Huh? Okay!

At Beleth's request, you hesitantly lifted one of Belphegor's armpits and placed it on your shoulder. As Beleth approached and did the same on the other side, Belphegor rose to his feet as if he had no choice.

MC: (Ooh, ooh... What is this... Belphegor's thick body odor is coming straight to

the tip of my nose...!)

Beleth walked over and carried Belphegor with you to the front of the desk.

Beleth: Look. This paperwork. What shall we do, approve it?

Belphegor: Nah.

Beleth: Well then... Okay. That's it, then. Now I'm really done... Oh, this one needs the king's say-so, too. Hey, Your Majesty. What am I supposed to do? There's stuff on the agenda that needs your answer right now.

Belphegor: Well, you get to work. I'll do this. No, you do it, not me.

Belphegor said, half-leaning over Beleth and pointing at you with his gaze.

MC: Me? Do? What?

Belphegor: That's annoyin', just ask me one question.

MC: If you brought me here, the least you could do is explain...!

As you said that, you slipped out of his arms and stood to face Belphegor, who sighed heavily as if he was about to do something very, very big.

Belphegor: I'm only gonna explain this once. I'm gonna explain it in one go. If I don't, I'll die of annoyance.

You nodded quickly, and Belphegor smirked, his head jerking upright.

You almost didn't pay attention to his words as his sharply chiseled, handsome features stared back at you...

Belphegor: I'm curious about you. I've taken a likin' to you.

I also wanna win first place in Phenomenon's contest.

I also wanna have relations with you.

But I can't be bothered to move.

So you do it.

MC: ??????????????

You stuttered as the information rushed past you, not quite registering in your mind.

Beleth: Come on, Your Majesty. Just 'cause you're bothered doesn't mean you gotta speak so casual-like that the other person can't understand you.

Fortunately, Beleth kindly turned his chair around to explain.

Beleth: Well, it ain't really that difficult. His Majesty is interested in you, so to speak, and he also wants to win first prize in Phenomenon's contest.

He thinks you can help him take the 'dirtiest photo ever', and he'd like to have relations with you, too.

But he can't be bothered with all of that, so he's lettin' you lead, okay?

MC: Uh... So... He wants to know about me, and... He want to win first place in Phenomenon's contest, and... Have sex with me.... Ahem, I'd like to do that, too... But... I...

Beleth: Yeah. You got it. Clever.

Your face flared up in a belated blush at Beleth's kind words.

MC: (I mean, he's saying we should do it right now, with my own hands, and with Beleth here...!)

Your blushing face looked shamelessly into Belphegor's eyes and the back of Beleth's head.

You panicked and took a few steps back, only to find a cold wall behind you... No, a full-length mirror almost as large as the wall.

Turning away from the mirror, you clasped your sweaty hands together as you stared at a man who had both a sharp, alert appearance and a languid languor that left much to the imagination.

MC: (This...is... too... too... good...!)

You already anticipated seeing the scenes that made your heart pound inwardly once you heard about the theme of Phenomenon's contest, and you found yourself in a more stimulating situation than you could have imagined.

MC: (After all, I don't see Belphegor very often compared to the other kings, so I never expected such an event to take place...!)

True to his name as the king of sloth, Belphegor rarely ventured outside of Niflheim.

Even when he was in Niflheim, he rarely left his room, or even his bed, which made this situation even more exciting.

MC: (I wonder what type of caress Belphegor likes. Does he sweat a lot? Does he like to be touched by hand or does he prefer it to be done with my mouth?)

Belphegor said he wanted to get to know you, but in truth, you were just as curious about him.

With such expectations and delusions bubbling up inside you, you thought it wouldn't be long before you were wetting your pants just by looking at the razor-sharp handsome man standing there with his apron languidly open.

The only problem was, you had to lead the whole thing and make sure you 'messed it up obscenely' to his satisfaction...

MC: (But Belphegor's already obscene...?! That on his stomach...!! It's definitely cum...!! Ahh... I want to rub my lower belly on it and get wet...)

Belphegor: Huh? Huh. Yer' already up and at it? How diligent.

You looked into Belphegor's pale eyes and saw that in his eyes, you were already blushing, and spreading open his clothes.

In fact, your expectations were not just to 'watch' the thrilling scenes, but to actually 'mess' someone up in the most obscene way possible.

MC: You said to do it. So I'm going to do it enthusiastically...

And then, as if by some sort of instinct, you began to run your drooling tongue over the nipple in front of you.

Watching you, Belphegor chuckled.

Belphegor: I ain't one for nuisances, but when I see folks workin' this hard for me, I reckon I gotta lend 'em a hand.

With those words, Belphegor's hand came to rest on the top of your head as if squeezing you, and as he lifted your head with force, your gaze locked with his mysterious three eyes.

Belphegor: [There's no need to rush, just make it feel right]

At that moment, you felt your vision go dark for another very brief moment.

And the moment it receded, Belphegor's hand was on the back of your head... Yet somehow, you felt it on your butt.

MC: Huh? Huh?

Belphegor's grip on your head tightened, and you lifted up on your heels, feeling as if someone was squeezing you under your ass.

MC: Uhh...?! There's a hand, on my butt...?

That wasn't it.

MC: (It feels strange... I feel so good... I'm so turned on... But why... Do I feel so drowsy and lethargic...?)

Belphegor: Ya can sleep, but keep movin' them bones.

A strange command dropped above your head... No, it seemed to come from beneath your chin.

MC: Huh...? I just heard, something here...

You lowered your head, talking gibberish as though you were half-asleep, but of course Belphegor's face wasn't there.

Instead, you could see his abs that were clearly visible through the open front, and the glistening piercing that was embedded in them when you looked down.

When you touched it with your hand, it felt cooler than your body temperature and it seemed to stir your sleep just a little.

But only for a moment.

You shook it off. The languor eventually gave way to the strength behind your knees, and you stood in front of Belphegor with your knees upright, rubbing your face between his legs.

Even as you frantically rubbed between his legs, now as warm as a newborn baby, he literally 'stayed still' with nothing but a pleasant smile.

Beleth: Hey, Maya, watch yerself 'round His Majesty-- hangin' 'round him can wear ya down... Shoot, my apologies for bein' late.

Beleth glanced back at you, but you were already preoccupied with the multi-sensory and arousal that Belphegor had so strangely twisted.

Belphegor had only squeezed the crown of your head once, and you were still feeling the sensation of someone constantly squeezing and fondling under your ass,

Belphegor had only whispered once, but his hot, sweet breath seemed to be blowing in your earlobe, under your armpit, and down your stomach over and over again.

MC: This is strange... Strange... It's strange... But I like ittt...

Belphegor: Now, put in that work, push it harder.

His words sounded insensitive, but they were true.

The more you touched him, the more you felt him, the more aroused your body somehow became.

It wasn't the kind of 'if you like it, I like it' interaction that happened simply because of the affection you felt for the other person.

Belphegor was leisurely watching you, letting you take over the even the arousal that he should be feeling.

Of course, that didn't mean Belphegor's wasn't aroused at all, or nil.

MC: It's hard.

His cock was already fully erect and throbbing against your cheek, just a piece of clothing away.

You drew your knees up to your sitting position and lifted his robe up on your own, rolling it over your chest.

Belphegor: ...That's it. Keep it steady.

Feeling Belphegor's voice and breath echoing in the hole beneath you, you parted the bottom of his kimono.

MC: It's... Pretty...

You said so without realizing it, lovingly stroking Belphegor's shaft with both hands.

It was nodding fiercely and wasn't cute in the slightest, but you found it terribly endearing.

His cock looked like a compressed version of Belphegor himself.

It was neither too long nor too small, just the right amount of hardness and clear color.

And... The piercings that were embedded here and there on his body were embedded there as well.

MC: (If I touch it there... Would it feel even better...?)

You thought to yourself, and at the same time you stood up firmly, wedged it between your breasts and began to move up and down.

[mitsua]

hii !! can you do a short drabble/headcanons(whatever you want it's okay) abt monoma with a pro hero! fem reader(after the timeskip),who used to really fight with monoma in their u.a days but secretly monoma has a crush for her? pls and thank uuu,have a good day💗

Hello! Let me start by apologizing because of my tardiness in answering this request, it's been all so stressfull currently but I've tried to sort out as much time now to keep on writing. I'm so thankful for your request and I hope it's to your liking!

Love mission

Warnings: minor cursing

Genre: Enemies to lovers Series: Boku No Hero Academia

Words' count: 0.57k Pairing: Neito Monoma × FEM! Y/N

You've been fighting with Neito longer than you could remember, how did it all begin?

It's been so long you can't really remember, though by now you think it must have been something really stupid.

However, to your young self, it hadn't been than way—nothing like that, Monoma had been so rude and sarcastic he's gotten you mad hundreds of times it wasn't even funny anymore. Not like it was funny to begin with.

When you paired to fight against him as a part of your training in 1-B you gave your all to get him to shut up.

You have only the memories on your mind as a weird relation with someone you thought you'd never see again—or more like work with since you were on the same profession.

But destiny seemed to have other plans because just five minutes ago you've gotten a petition to work on a mission with him as a partner.

Now you could understand why were you suddenly thinking so much about him, reminiscing on the old days it was as if you've invoked it.

Monoma on the other hand was smiling smugly after managing to convince their colleagues that you were the perfect match for him for the operation to be succesful.

Not like it needed much convincing on his part since a lot of his coworkers and side kicks were his classmates at some point and knew about his crush on you, they all were in for the tea when you'd work together.

Throughout your assignment, Monoma had been a real gentleman with you, soon discarding any anxious thoughts of discomfort you'd get while being with him.

He seemed more chill—but his confidence had maintained, which was something you clearly remembered about him but matched with his new cold and thoughtfull demeanour made you see him in a new light.

Neito had noticed some changes on yourself too, having grown more mature and your body features accentuating took a toll on him for the first seconds he saw you at your office to discuss the details of the mission. After having a right look of you, he'd been paying attention to your likings and how your attitude had evolved.

Of course you didn't know he'd been slightly stalking you on every newspaper he gets with the most recent news about heroes in general—smiling to himself when he saw you in a magnificent dress while at the heroes galas, nominations, awards, parties held made him think about approaching you and spilling all about his long-lasting crush.

After doing all your business and getting out of the villain's hideout safely with ten more prisoners, you went to say goodbye to Monoma, not really expecting for him to look so shocked when he heard you talk as if you'd never see each other again.

He tried his best to resume quickly his cool appearance and laughed uncomfortably, not brushing off the topic entirely—but rather asking if you were free any other time to re-build the relation you had.

You didn't hope for anything serious to go from that question but your heart beating fastly and cheeks burning made you think otherwise. You agreed.

Monoma would not let this chance to go to waste—now his mission would be to make you fall in love with him. Or maybe just a bit more for one of you to actually confess your feelings for each other?

All writings' rights reserved © 2024 Mitsua. (Credit to the respective owners of the pictures and tagged anime character.) ⌇ my navigation!

[aeoki]

School Festival ☆ Tamayori’s Haunted Dollhouse - Chapter 5

Location: Yumenosaki Secret Room Characters: Hinata, Yuuta, Mika, Shuu, Sora, Natsume & Tsumugi

< A few days later. >

Shuu: Non! No, remake it!

Tsumugi: What? But this is the fifth time? I think this would be a passing grade, though…?

Shuu: Passing grade? Don’t talk nonsense. I want you to have a better understanding of the work– no, the worldview!

Tsumugi: Uuu~... I’m doing my best. I watched and studied a lot of works with ghosts as the main feature.

And I’ve worked so hard, I’ve even traded my sleep for it! Look, there are dark circles under my eyes, right?

I look almost like a ghost… Ah, are you telling me to look in the mirror and turn myself into a piece of art!?

It’s finally dawned on me! Oh, you should have just told me from the start~ You’re such a tease, Shuu-kun.

Shuu: I’d prefer it if you stopped misinterpreting everything. Well, you do seem like a ghost and I suppose it is rather eerie.

…Wataru’s outfit took a lot longer than I thought.

I’m aware I’m moving according to an unnatural schedule, however, I don’t want the likes of you telling me, “Sorry for making you do something unreasonable.”

Tsumugi: Ahaha… I knew it, you don’t like me, Shuu-kun~ But I’m happy because you still gave me advice despite that.

Shuu-kun, sorry to be a bother, but could you tell me what to change? I’ll work hard to make something that will gain your stamp of approval this time~♪

Shuu: Hmph, you should be making something that’s to my satisfaction instead.

Your hands are slow but your skills are not bad, so I hope you don’t betray my expectations.

Tsumugi: Umm, if you’re saying that, then you’re similar to me in that aspect, right? Since it took you longer than expected to finish the outfit.

Shuu: You’re being an annoyance, Aoba. If the outfits for “Switch” aren’t finished in time, I won’t lend a hand at all.

Tsumugi: Uuu, that would be troubling! It’s our last “School Festival”, so I’ll work hard to make something that’s to your standards~!

Natsume: ~......♪

Sora: HaHa~♪ Master~ There’s a fun “colour” about you~♪ You always have that colour when you’re doing experiments, but it’s a sparkling rainbow “colour” today!

Natsume: YeAH. It was a lot of fun making the proPS. If I use a flame reaction, I might be able to create a variety of human souLS…

If I were to take safety into consideration, thEN… *Mutter mutter*

Hinata: Ahaha. I have no idea what he’s doing.

It looks like a fun experiment, but it’ll be bad if I touch it and it explodes. Sora-kun, let’s make other props together ♪

Sora: Okay! Sora wondered what sort of props we’d need for the haunted house, so Sora studied by playing video games with ghosts in them.

But most of them had ghosts with long hair or blood around their faces~

Hinata: Yeah, that’s a typical Japanese ghost right there. Since we’re doing a Japanese style haunted house instead of a Western style one, maybe we should use straw dolls?

Mika: Straw dolls sound nice…♪ If it’s completely red from head to toe, it looks like it’s been used to curse someone to death and that sounds lovely and super scary ♪

Yuuta: You’re pretty excited, Kagehira-senpai… Do you like scary things?

Mika: Yeah! I like scary things as much as I do cute things. So you can leave the scary prop-makin’ to me ♪

Tie a knot here and… Look, the straw doll is finished~♪

All that’s left is to paint the blood on and heheh…♪ A cursed straw doll is made~!

Yuuta: Eek! K-Kagehira-senpai! Don’t face it in my direction~! I’m scared I’ll get cursed~...!

Hinata: Ahaha, judging by Yuuta-kun’s reaction, it’s super effective.

As for me, I’m looking at it in a bright place, so I’m still okay. It might scare me if I see it in the dark, though.

Sora: Yuu-chan, calm down~ We’ll be making a lot of these scary props but will you be okay?

Yuuta: I-I’ll be fine… I think…

Natsume: Boo~...♪

Yuuta: Eeeeeeek!?

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry! I won’t do anything bad! So don’t curse me! Don’t possess me and kill me~!

Sora: He doesn’t look fine~

Natsume: Oh, don’t flail about like thAT. I haven’t put the chemicals away, sO it’ll be really bad if you accidentally kick thEM.

WeLL, I suppose it’s my fault since he was already scared, but I scared him even furthER. SorRY, Yuuta-kun.

Yuuta: Eek… I-I’m sorry. My heart is still beating like crazy…

Haa… I’ve finally calmed down. That thing just now looked like a real human soul, so it took me by surprise.

Natsume: I experimented with a few thinGS and it turned out quite weLL.

It doesn’t use gunpowdER and it’s not real fire, so it’s saFE.

I’ll do more experimenTS, make several human souls for the festival and make the visitors tremble in feAR! Fwahahahaha…

Sora: HuHu~♪ Seeing Master~ happy makes Sora happy too~♪

Ehehe, now Senpai can make lots of good memories!

Mika: Ngh, whaddya mean? Are you takin’ part in the “School Festival” so Tsumu-chan-senpai can make good memories?

Sora: Yes! It’s the last “School Festival” for him~ So Sora will be happy if he can make fun memories by taking part in it!

Mika: I see. Then, that also means it’s the last “School Festival” for Oshi-san, but “Valkyrie” didn’t have any intentions of takin’ part in it.

Even though it’s Oshi-san’s last “School Festival”, he’s different from the people who want to make fun memories of it.

Makin’ memories sounds a bit odd for him.

But I think it’s a wonderful reason. Tsumu-chan-senpai is blessed to have such kind juniors ♪

Natsume: HmPH, don’t include me in that groUP.

I’m only taking part in the “School Festival” because Sora asked me tO and I don’t care about Senpai at aLL.

Sora: HeHe~♪ Master~ Sora can “see” Anzu’s footsteps!

Natsume: Little Kitten? Maybe she’s here to check in on uS. Come iN, the door isn’t locked so you can come right on iN.

Hinata: Hey, Transfer Student-san~♪

Yuuta: You might have already heard, but “2wink”, “Switch” and “Valkyrie” are taking part in the “School Festival” together!

We’re making props and outfits for our haunted house at the moment~♪

Hinata: Come give us some suggestions and feedback, Transfer Student-san!

Hm? Yaaay! Thanks! Well, I knew you’d say that since you can’t turn people down once they ask you for help~♪

Mika: Ngh, what was that, Anzu-chan? The straw doll really feels authentic, you say?

Heheh, it’s so scary it makes you tremble in fear, right? ♪

…Ah, I ended up friendly chattin’ with Anzu-chan! We’re enemies so don’t talk to me like we’re buddies!

Shuu: Oh, good grief, how noisy! Be quiet!

Mika: I-I’m sorry, Oshi-san~!

Natsume: Like I saID, stop moving and making such a big fuSS… Well, I’m sure it’s hard not to make a fuss with this many peopLE.

GeEZ. If this chaos is going to continue right until the day of the festivAL, I think I’m going to be quite annoyED…♪

← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE ー Laito Dark [Prologue]

ー The scene starts in the forest

Yui: ( ...I made it to the Demon World, but what should I do now...? )

( They always escorted me to their castle in the past, so I don’t know the way either... )

( Running away was the only thing on my mind, so I came here without giving it a second thought, but perhaps I made the wrong choice after all... )

ーー Guess I have no other choice but to proceed for now.

*Rustle*

Yui: !?

( Don’t tell me Wolves have made it this far...!? )

ー She starts running

Yui: Haah, haah...

( ...Seems like they’re not coming after me...Thank god... )

Haah...I’m kind of tired...

( Perhaps I should find shelter somewhere and wait for the sun to rise...Then I’ll continue my search for the castle once it’s light ouーー )

( Ah, but...But if I recall correctly, the nights here last much longer than those in the human world... )

What now...?

( For now, I’ll find a safe space to rest. There’s no point in aimlessly running around... )

ー The scene shifts to a cave

Yui: Haah...What should I do next?

( I wonder if I should just head back? Even if I continue to wander around here... )

( However, that’s where those Wolves are... )

Uu...

( It’s no use. I can’t come up with any good ideas while mentally exhausted... )

( ...I’ll rest up a little. )

Haah...I wonder what Laito-kun’s doing right now...?

ー Yui closes her eyes

*TIMESKIP*

???: Kukukuku...How lovely...Honestly...Why is a girl’s lonely expression just soーー

ーー irresistibly sexy, I wonder? I can’t get enough of it.

*Rustle rustle*

Yui: Nn...

*Rustle*

Yui: Nn...Stop...

*Rustle rustle*

Yui: It tickles...

( ーー Wait...!? )

( Something is...feeling me up...!? )

ー She opens her eyes

Yui: Kyaaaaah....!!!

???: Uwah...!?

*Thud*

Yui: ...!! Eh...!?

Laito: Owowow...How could you suddenly jump up like that, Bitch-chan...? You meanie...

Yui: L-Laito-kun...!?

Laito: I took a heavy blow right to the face as a result...

Yui: I...I’m sorry. Are you alright?

Laito: Uuu...I’m fine...

Yui: Haah, thank god...

Laito: I know I’ve only got myself to blame for trying to assault you in your sleep but...

Even so, your headbutt was nothing to scoff at.

Yui: ...Sorry. I was surprised when I felt something touch my body...

More importantly, when did you get here?

Laito: Eh? Quite some time ago?

Yui: Eh!? No way...You should have woken me up then.

Laito: I mean, that would have been a missed opportunity, no~?

Yui: A missed opportunity? Wait, how so?

Laito: This situation, obviously! Nfu~

Yui: ...!?

Laito: My cute Bitch-chan finds herself in unknown territory...

With nobody to come to her rescue, she has to spend a night full of insecurities all by herself.

Just the thought of that gives me the shivers! Don’t you feel the same?

Yui: I-I don’t...! I was really scared, you know...!?

Laito: Oh dear~? Are you mad at me?

Yui: W...Well...

( For as lonely as I felt by myself, seeing Laito-kun still be his usual self makes me feel extremely relieved. )

( I could never get upset at him... )

I’m not angry.

Laito: Fufu...Of course you aren’t~ You just love me after all.

Yui: ...How about you?

Laito: What about me?

Yui: ...Do you also...?

Laito: What’s this? You want to confirm it? I’ve said it plenty of times before, haven’t I?

Yui: Butーー

Laito: Nfu...You’re uncertain, aren’t you? ...I can tell...Nn.

*Smooch*

Yui: ( Laito-kun... )

Laito: Of course ーー I love you. (1) A lot, okay?

Feeling reassured now? Nfu~

Yui: Yeah...Thank you.

Laito: Haah, I thought we were going to be apart for a while but...Our reunion came quicker than I expected...

Yui: I’m sorry for coming here on a whim. The Wolves made it to the manor...

Laito: Oh no, Bitch-chan. This is what you should say instead.

‘I missed you so much, I couldn’t stand being apart...So while I was thinking of you...

I subconsciously found myself opening the gate to the Demon World.’ ...Something like that?

ーー Say, tell me. I know we weren’t apart for long, but while you were by yourself...You thought of me, didn’t you?

Yui: Well, of course...

Laito: Did you let your imagination run wild during those times?

Yui: Well...

Laito: You didn’t?

Yui: ...I-I didn’t have the time to...

Laito: Really?

Yui: I don’t lie...

Laito: Fufu...Bitch-chan, no point in hiding it~

I can tell. The fact that your face is flushed as red as a strawberry right now proves my point.

You see...While feeling sad from noticing how my scent slowly faded from your own body.

Your feelings for me should have only grown stronger...

...Just like mine did...Haah...

ー He takes in her scent

Yui: Laito-kun, that tickles...

Laito: You don’t like it?

Yui: Uu...

Laito: Say, Bitch-chan? Should I not put myself at ease by taking in your scent like this?

Yui: ( He really sees right through me... )

Laito: Kukuku....A prisoner of love, you’re completely in my grasp, aren’t you?

ーー I don’t think I have to say this...But you have me in your grasp as well.

The truth is, I was worried you might just follow me here, so I’ve been keeping an eye on you.

Yui: Eh...!? T-Then...You’ve been watching me ever since I set foot inside this world...?

Laito: Exactly. I was watching over you.

I figured you’d come. You can no longer bear being away from me after all.

Yui: ...

Laito: Having trouble proving me wrong because I hit the nail on the head?

Yui: Yup.

Laito: ...Why the haphazard response?

I bet you want to try and defend your case, but you find it too much trouble, don’t you?

Yui: Uu...I-I mean, no matter what kind of response I give, I can’t talk my way out... (2)

Laito: Nfufu~ You seem to know me very well, Bitch-chan.

As to be expected of my Yui-chan~!

Yui: ( ...He seems very happy... )

( I guess I can take this as him genuinely accepting my feelings? )

( In that case, I’m happy too... )

Laito: Bitch-chan, are you listening?

Yui: Ah, yeah. I am.

Laito: Really? I hope soーー

*HOOOOWL*

Laito: Whoops...It’d be troublesome if those Wolves were to show up...

Come on. Let’s go.

Yui: Yeah!

( I really am glad Laito-kun came for me. Now I can rest assured, right? )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the living room of the Sakamaki manor

Yui: ーー Wait...W-Why? We came back.

Laito: Nfu~ Exactly. That was my plan all along after all.

Yui: Is this...okay?

Laito: Hmー Let me think.

What if you’re attacked by those Wolves like Ayato-kun was...?

Laito: Well, I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it...?

Yui: Laito-kun!

Laito: Just kidding~ It was a joke.

But you know, I might just prefer being roughened up by those Wolves over having to stay at that castle.

ーー I’d rather not have to stay there for an extended period of time.

Yui: ...

Laito: Say, you feel the same way, don’t you? Rather than being stuck at that castle crawling with Vampires...

...you’d much rather indulge in some sweet private time with me here, don’t you?

ー He steps closer

Yui: ( He’s trying to beg the question. )

( I guess he really must not want to stay at that castle... )

Right. Let’s do that then?

Laito: Nfu~ You’re good at matching someone’s vibe, aren’t you? I don’t hate that, you know?

*Rustle*

Yui: Laito-kun...

Laito: Yes?

Yui: I like you.

Laito: Fufu... ーー So do I...Nn.

*Smooch*

Yui: ...

Laito: Yui-chan...

*Rustle*

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to Yui’s room

Laito: ーー That being said, this place sure has known better times...The whole manor has been turned upside down...

I think Reiji would have a mental breakdown if he saw this. Nfu~

Yui: We have to try and tidy things up step by step, otherwise we won’t be able to properly live here.

Laito: Good point. However, I don’t dislike the thought of living in this mess of a manor.

Yui: Eeh!? W-What makes you say that!?

Laito: Just try imagining it! What it would feel like to ‘have some fun’ (3) in a room which has been turned upside down~ 

As you find yourself amidst not-so-ideal circumstances, you suddenly experience a strong desire for carnal pleasure and you eagerlyーー

Yui: S-Stop right there! I’ve heard enough!

Laito: Eeh? I was just about to get to the juicy part though?

Yui: M-More importantly, I wonder if those Wolves won’t come here anymore?

Laito: I’m sure we’ll be fine for a while. However, if we stay here too long, they might find us eventually.

Yui: Right...

Laito: So, I had a great idea.

All of the Vampires who live around this area have retreated back to the Demon World.

In other words, their manor is currently uninhabited, right? So why don’t we go live there?

Yui: You mean we could go to the manor of the Mukami’s, for example?

Laito: Nfu~ Exactly!

We stay here for a bit first, then go to the Mukami’s place after. Honestly, I wouldn’t even mind returning to your childhood home for a bit.

Yui: I see...If we go from one place to another, it’d be more difficult for them to track us down.

Laito: I think it’s an almost disgustingly good idea, if I may say so myself.

Yui: However, are we sure we can just invite ourselves in...?

Laito: It kind of gets me all excited! It’s like we’re eloping together. Nfufu~ 

Yui: ( He’s not listening at all. )

( We don’t know when the Wolves will make their move, so we have to stay on guard as long as we don’t know what exactly they’re after. )

( I can only pray life will be back to normal soon... )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) This might just be a stylistic choice, but when Laito says 愛してる or ‘aishiteru’, it isn’t written in kanji as it is in all other routes, but in Katakana. This is quite odd/uncommon because usually Katakana is used for foreign words or words borrowed from another language.

I’m sure there are other people who could do a better analysis of this, but I do think it’s written like this because Laito saying those words is also somewhat surreal in itself? So by writing the word in Katakana, it reflects that sense of ‘strangeness’. 

(2) Literally she says that she can’t escape his ‘pace’. 

(3) もつれ合う or ‘motsue-au’ literally means ‘to get entangled’. I mostly found it in context of tangled vines, etc. but I think we all know what Laito implies here. :p

<- [ Prologue ] [ Dark 01 ] ->

[traekenimagines]

Hunting Season, Part Eight: A Theo Raeken Imagine

Request from Anon: hey, i have a request for hunting season! i would love an imagine about spanking and sex against a bathroom wall, having to be quiet because the pack is in the house. thank uuu x

Yup, there’s smut here! Hope this is okay for you lovely, and enjoy x

Y/N could see it in Theo’s eyes, could see from the way that he looked at her, predatory lust in his features, that he wanted her. She had a feeling that he didn’t care that they weren’t alone, that her pack was in the living room with them. She had a feeling that he would have taken her then and there if she left him wanting much longer.

As much as the idea of fucking him like that thrilled her, she knew it wouldn’t be appreciated by the rest of the pack.

But Theo was still looking at her, and she felt a wetness pool between her legs. Fuck. She needed an excuse to leave, both of them did, and she desperately scrambled for one. She was on the cusp of making her excuse when Theo spoke.

“Just heading to the bathroom.” A glare in her direction told Y/N that she would be expected. She watched as Theo left, trembling with anticipation.

She waited a few moments after Theo had left to give her own reason to leave. “I think I left something in my room. I’m just going to go look for it.”

A series of mumbled okays was her response, not that she really heard it over the blood rushing in her ears, her heart beating ten to the dozen. She climbed up the stairs and just about made it onto the landing before a hand reached out of the bathroom door and yanked her inside, the door slamming behind her.

She was only conscious of Theo’s lips on hers, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth, his teeth clashing against hers. She rubbed her crotch against his already hard cock, causing him to growl against her lips. “You took your time.”

Theo didn’t let her answer as he recaptured her lips, his tongue battling with her own. His hands slid up her neck before tangling in her hair as he pushed her against the bathroom wall. She moaned as his lips moved to her neck, biting and sucking with urgency. “Do you have any idea what you’ve been doing to me, sitting there like that?” He moved one of his hands down her bare thigh, finger slipping under the hem of her shorts. “All this skin on display and you haven’t been letting me touch any of it.”

Y/N knew where this was going and she moved her legs together, desperate for some friction. She could feel how soaked her underwear was and as Theo unbuttoned her shorts, dipping a finger along the edge of her core, she whimpered. Theo whispered into her ear, tongue flicking against her skin as his finger dipped lower. “I’m going to have to make you pay for what you’ve done to me, Y/N. But you’re going to have to be quiet. Do you think you can manage that?”

In an instant, that finger was inside Y/N and she moaned as Theo began to move it. “I said, do you think you can manage that?” He knew full well that it would be an effort for Y/N to get a word out as he curled his finger inside her, a smirk on his face. “Well?”

Y/N gasped as she felt her release build, and managed to focus just long enough to speak. “Yes.” She closed her eyes and bit her lip as she came over Theo’s finger, opening them just long enough to see him put it in his mouth, tasting her. “Turn around, Y/N.”

Y/N did as she was told, placing her hands against the bathroom wall. She gasped as Theo yanked down her shorts and panties, leaving her ass bare. “You made me wait too long for this, Y/N. Remember to be quiet.” A sharp sting hit her skin that had Y/N biting down on her lip, trying not to scream. “Good girl.” Another sting as Theo hit her again, and this time Y/N couldn’t help it as a moan left her lips. “I said be quiet.” She couldn’t, not as she heard Theo unzip his jeans, not as she felt his cock against her skin, threatening to enter her from behind. As Theo spanked her again, Y/N let out a louder moan, wanting nothing more than for him to take her.

“You really want me, don’t you?” Theo spoke into her ear, his cock sliding beneath her ass cheeks. “But we both know you won’t be quiet. You never are.” He took her arm and yanked her around to face him. Y/N’s mouth watered at how close Theo was to entering her.

There was something about him that had her begging, had her pleading. “I’ll be quiet, Theo, I promise. Please.”

Theo took a step towards her, and Y/N backed away, stopping when she hit the bathroom wall. He smiled. “Well, we’ll just have to make sure, won’t we?” He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around him as one hand remained on her ass, over the handprint that he had no doubt left there. The wetness between Y/N’s legs only grew as he clamped the other hand over her mouth.

She let out a muffled scream as he entered her with brutal force, before pulling out completely and entering her again. Theo swore under his breath, in far more control of his actions than Y/N as he continued to thrust into her, hard and fast, that hand still clamped over her mouth. “Fuck, Y/N.”

She said nothing, only moaned into the palm of his hand as her second release began to build, the cold bathroom tiles continually hitting her bare skin. It would be soon, so soon, and as Theo began to harden inside her, she knew it wouldn’t be long for him either.

He had a tendency to roar when he came, and Y/N knew that, for all his talk about her being quiet, it would be a challenge for him to keep it in. She watched as he bit his own lip, but only for a moment, losing focus as she felt himself spill inside of her, urging her release to finally come. She shuddered around him, a high-pitched squeal leaving her lips, the sound softened by Theo’s hand.

As he slipped out of her, putting her down, Y/N became conscious of the sharp pain on her ass. “You know it’s going to hurt to sit down now.”

“Don’t act like you don’t love it.” Theo tucked himself back into his trousers, winking at her. “You should probably make good on whatever your excuse was.”

Right, the thing she had left in her room.

She was zipping her shorts back up, trying to remember how to walk when Theo turned towards her. “Oh, and Y/N, baby, I plan on letting you scream later on.”

With another wink, Theo left the bathroom. Y/N thought she would have him in here again later, maybe in the shower. The image of him soaking wet and panting at her hand, had her heart beating rapidly.

And she would make sure that he would be screaming too.

Hunting Season Masterlist

Masterlist

[lifesabe-ch]

game on - john b. (part 1)

request: can u write about being one of kies friends and u come to visit her for a little and u and john b end up rlly liking each other and u hook up at a keg party or something like that ??? thank uuu

summary: you and your parents decide to come to the outer banks for your summer break, visiting your old friend kiara, but things quickly take a turn when you take a liking to one of her friends

pairings: john b. x reader

warnings: smut 

a/n: okay I know I said I wouldn’t write smut but this came to me and I had too!! reply to this if you want to be tagged in further parts

Holding your phone up dramatically, you wander around a little down the road from the house you were staying in. It was apparently impossible to get any bars there, so you figured you’d try a little further down.

“You’re not going to get any service here.”

Glancing behind you, you sigh as you bring your phone back down to your chest. As you glance at it you realize that you, in fact, were not getting any service here.

Ignoring the boy who was now trailing behind you, you continued your walk, desperately hoping for at least one bar to hold you over.

“Seriously. A storm happened a couple days ago, half of the island still has no power.”

“The half I’m on, apparently.”

He chuckled, nodding, “The half without generators, yeah.”

Shoving your phone back into your pocket, you took in his appearance for the first time. He was cute, in an island boy kind of way. He had longer hair and lighter colored eyes. He was ruggedly handsome, but he could tell that he knew it.

As he flashed you a smile, you realized that trouble was the word that came to mind.

“I’m John B.”

“Why not just John?

He shrugged, “It’s just what everyone calls me.”

You nodded, “Right. I’m Y/N.”

“Well, Y/N,” he spoke, almost as if testing out the feel of your name on his lips. “What brings you to the Outer Banks?”

“I’m here on vacation. Visiting a friend.”

He only nodded silently, taking you in. He wasn't being subtle and he didn’t seem to care. The longer you felt his eyes on you, the more you began to squirm.

Clearing your throat lightly, you gestured in the direction you had just come from, “I should, get back. You know, unpack.”

“Or,” He paused. You realized he did that often.

“I could give you a tour. It’ll be as good as it gets, from a born and raised Islander himself.”

You wanted to say no. You did. You wanted to go home, unpack, and relax. But this boy piqued your interest.

So you let him take you on a tour.

Later that night you had found yourself at a kegger. John B. had invited you, telling you that it was happening just near his house and that it’d be small. But small was not the word that came to mind as you took everything in. People were scattered everywhere, some dancing, some drinking, others both.

You had tried looking for John, but gave up rather quickly. You weren’t too bothered by it, instead just finding a nearby tree to lean up against. As you took everything in, a small sigh left your lips, swallowed by the cup you had quickly brought up to your lips.

It wasn't that you didn’t like it here. Hell, you had missed Kiara so much that when your parents suggested going to the Outer Banks for the summer, you immediately agreed. But you missed your friends. Your home friends. Maybe these parties were better, but at least back home you wouldn’t be standing around by yourself.

Feeling a hand on your arm, you turn to find Kie on the other side of you, a cup matching yours in hand, “Look who it is!”

You laugh, pulling her close for a hug, “Hey! I was starting to think I’d never bump into you.”

The two of you had been friends for as long as you could remember. When you were younger you lived next door to each other, insisting on spending every second together. Even after you had moved away, you kept in touch. Things weren’t the same but, you still considered yourself friends. Which is why you were here after all that time.

Pulling you away, Kie wrapped an around your shoulder, “What’re you doing here?”

You shrugged, “Someone invited me.”

“Seriously? Who was it?”

Before you can answer, you spot him. You see John B. a few feet away, talking and laughing with some of his friends. Your heart practically beats out of your chest.

Kie doesn’t notice, instead quickening her pace, “Guys!”

You see him glance up, eyes meeting yours before looking to where Kie’s arm was around you. As you got closer, you flash the small group a nervous smile. Standing besides John B. were two other boys.

“This is the friend I was telling you about!”  

“I don’t remember you telling us about her,” spoke the blonde, ignoring the way she shoved him in return.

“I’m JJ,” He continued, before gesturing to the others, “That’s Pope, and John B.”

You avoided John B.’s gaze as you took in the other two, “It’s nice to meet you all.”

Kie and JJ did most of the talking, arguing about something that you honestly couldn’t even remember. To say you were uncomfortable was an understatement. You could feel John B. staring at you, but you refused to look at him.

Nothing too crazy had happened on the little tour he had given you, but the two of you had definitely flirted with one another. There was even an almost kiss. And now…

You cringed to yourself as you remembered the awkward situation you had gotten yourself into. One day into this and you were already trying to hook up with Kie’s friends. You didn’t know how she’d react if you told her, but you weren’t planning on finding out. You’d simply pretend it didn’t happen.

Pulling you from your thoughts, you watched as a boy approached your group. He was seemingly more put together than the rest, but you didn’t like the vibes he was giving off.

Apparently, neither did the others.

“What’re you doing here?”

Glancing between you and JJ, the first to have spoken, the boy rolled his eyes, “It’s a party, isn’t it?”

“He means here,” John B. cut in. “Why’re you coming over to us?”

He didn’t bother responding, instead fixing his gaze on you with a grin, “I’m Rafe. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“Don’t even Rafe,” Kie started, shaking her head as she moved to stand beside you.

“Don’t what? I just wanted to ask her to dance.”

Glancing over at Kie, you merely shrugged, “One dance won’t hurt.”

“No. She’s not dancing with you.”

Scoffing, you rolled your eyes at John B., “Says who? It’s just a dance.”

At this, he stayed quiet, only watching as you took Rafe’s extended hand and let him pull you towards where people were dancing.

You didn’t mind dancing with him. He wasn't a bad dancer, nor was he too hard on the eyes. Part of you wished it was John B. dancing with you instead, but you reminded yourself that that couldn’t happen. You weren’t ruining your friendship with Kie over a boy. This one would just have to do.

As you felt Rafe’s hands trail down to your hips, your eyes found John B.’s, staring into you. Without looking away, you turned so that your back was against Rafe’s front, arms linked around his neck.

He looked angry, and that only fueled your movements against Rafe, letting yourself move against him to the beat of the music as his hands roamed your sides.

As the song comes to an end, you flash John B. a wink, turning your back to him as you move to face Rafe. Flashing him a smile, you lean up to his ear to whisper some excuse of having to go get another refill, before moving away. You feel bad for leading him on, but all you can think about is how annoyed you’re making John B. And how happy that’s making you.

As you walk towards a keg, you feel a hand wrap around your wrist. You don’t even have to look to know who it is.

Tugging you slightly, John B. gestures in another direction. Presumably with somewhere in mind, but to you... well, it meant nothing.

“What?”

The boy only raised a silent finger to his lips in response, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he began pulling you inside the small house, shutting the door behind the two of you.

Realizing the two of you were now completely alone, you grinned slightly. You knew what he wanted. Hell, you wanted it too. But, you weren’t going to give it to him that easily. Besides... you were practically in public. His friends, your friends, could walk in at any moment.

So instead, you begin walking around the small kitchen he had dragged you into. The mess on the counter space was enough to tell you that cleaning up wasn’t his number one priority.

“This is where you live?”

He nodded, leaning against the center island, “Yep. Home sweet home.”

“Nice.”

The silence that filled the air was palpable and you were definitely not going to be the one to break it. Leaning back against the counter opposite him, you simply flashed him a smile.

Taking a step closer to you, you watched as his eyes trailed over your frame before meeting yours again, “You know, I wasn’t gonna pull you inside but... I saw you talking to Rafe.”

He paused, taking in your features in hopes of some sort of reaction. You were careful not to give him too much of one.

“And?”

“And it drove me insane. I didn’t like seeing him with his hands all over you.”

With a shrug, you twisted the bracelet on your wrist, “Maybe I liked it.”

Scoffing, John B. ran a hand through his hair. Out of everything you could’ve said, he was not expecting that.

“Did you?”

“Maybe,” You started, stretching your leg out to lightly tap his foot with your own. “Maybe I like the thought of having him all over me.”

Stepping closer to you, you watched as his eyes grew dark, the hazel shade now replaced with a deep brown.

“You liked feeling his hands running up and down your sides? His body pressed up against yours?”

He was close to you now. So close you could count out each individual golden lash if you wanted to.

He brought his face down to yours, tilting his head so that his mouth was just inches from your ear.

When he spoke, his voice came out soft, “Do you want Rafe?”

You didn’t answer him. You couldn’t, it was like you’d forgotten how to breathe.

Pulling away just enough to stare down at your face, he planted his arms on either side of your body.

“Who do you want, Y/N?”

“You.”

With that he pulled you to him fully, wasting no time as he began peppering messy kisses across your jaw, down your neck, and to your collarbone.

A breathy laugh fell from your lips, and you ran a hand through his hair, muttering about how hot you found his jealousy. Smirking slightly at your comment, he began to suck lightly on your neck, letting your legs wrap around his waist as he lifted you up onto the counter.

“Wait,” You mutter, pushing him away slightly, “What if the others come in?”

“They won’t,” He assures you, using a hand to gesture towards the entrance, “I locked it.”

Looking between him and the door, you nodded slowly. You trusted him, sort of. If he says he locked it, he locked it.

Pushing a piece of hair behind your ear, he recaptured your gaze, giving you a soft smile. His pupils were still blown, but his demeanor had shifted.

“Do you want to do this?”

Pulling him closer to you, you brought your lips to his ear, mouth only centimeters away from him, much like he’d done to you before. When you spoke you were quiet, but you know he heard you.  

“I want you to fuck me.”

In no time his lips found their way back to your neck, sucking at the soft skin there and undeniably leaving a mark.

His hands moved confidently, one dipping down the front of your jeans and into your underwear. His fingers quickly find your wet entrance, his thumb gently playing with your slit as he thrusts two fingers into you. You rock your hips against his hand as he curls his fingers inside you, your eyes fluttering shut as you lean your head back against the cabinet. His other hand snakes its way up your top, quickly unhooking the bra you were wearing.

“Do you think Rafe could make you feel like this?”

His mouth was still on your neck, and his fingers were now set at a relentless pace. Your response comes in the form of a moan, your brain hyper focused on what he was doing to you, on how you were feeling.

As he began to palm your clit, you felt yourself coming undone. You attempt to brace yourself on his shoulders, your face falling into the crook of his neck.

Your breath is hot against his throat as you moan out a, “fuck,” nails digging into his skin. You were close, you could feel it.

But before you can finish, he pulls his fingers out of you, a small whine leaving your lips. Your eyes follow his hand as he pulls it out of your pants and up to his lips, sucking his fingers lightly.

Shifting your eyes away from his mouth, you note the smug look on his features as he pulls his fingers out with a ‘pop’. His lips quickly find yours, but the kiss doesn’t last nearly long enough, John B. pulling away far too soon for your liking.

“Maybe Rafe can help you finish?”

Pulling away from you completely, he slipped out of the kitchen with a grin, the shock on your face obviously the reaction he had been hoping for.

As you heard the front door close quietly behind him, you hopped down from the counter, quickly readjusting your clothing, all the while muttering to yourself.

When Kie told you were going to be meeting her friends, you did not imagine this. But game on, John B. Game on.

PART 2

[wolfish-trickster]

Lost traveler

2/?

Loki x female!reader

Word count: 1 478

Tag list: @gaitwae @lucywrites02 @hard-to-be-the-bard @birdgirl90 @laramoonworld

Summary: A mysterious traveler visits Asgard and thanks to an accident has to stay for longer than she expected. Bonds are created but also shattered along the way.

A/N: reader has elemental powers, something like avatar the last airbender.

"Who is this? And what is it doing in my palace?!" the king of Asgard asked (more like roared) upon seeing his two sons standing beside the healing bed with a stranger lying on it.

"I struck her on accident and I want her to be healed," Thor explained innocently.

Loki looked at him with fury in his eyes. "On accident?! You struck her purposefully, because you weren't competent enough to tell a girl from a moose!" he growled.

"Uuu, somebody found himself a girlfriend," Thor teased.

"I did not!"

"Why are you defending her so much then?"

"I-"

"Silence!"

All heads turned towards the pair of healers.

"We need to concentrate. Poor girl must've got quiet the shock," one of them concluded as they shed her cloak and shirt off of her. There was a giant zig-zag burn on her skin, branching from top of her right shoulder down to her fingers and across her back and chest. Both princes visibly shuddered, Thor looked away in shame.

One of the healers started gently applying a thin layer of healing cream on her burns. Just as the lotion touched her wound the girl twitched, growled and fisted her hands. That little movement caused little cracks to appear on the ground around king's, princes' and healers' boots surprising everyone in the room.

"Well, that was rather unexpected," a new voice enters the scene.

"Allmother," healers bowed their heads.

Queen gestures for them to not mind her presence and stands next to the girl on the bed. "This is no ordinary traveler," she gently strokes the girl's cracked amulet.

"How do you now she's a traveler?" Thor asked.

Frigga turned to her family. "For how long have you known me?" she smirks.

A grin matching her own forms on the younger prince. "Long enough to figure out you already knew about her."

She nods. "There is something about her. Look how young she is. She can't be older than you," she gestured towards her sons. "Poor child," she caresses her face.

"What will we do with her when she heals?" Thor asked still looking everywhere but her.

" 'WHEN she heals'? You mean 'IF she heals'. Look at her, brother. You did that," Loki forced the thunderer's face towards the lightning burns on her body.

"We will gladly show her a way out of Asgard. We need no foreigners in this place," Odin declared.

"We won't do such thing. Have you even thought of how she got here without our knowledge in the first place? Heimdall never opened Bifrost for her."

'Right, he didn't. Why even would he?' Loki thought about his mother's words.

Odin's mouth opened and closed, finding no words to argue back at his wife.

A moment of silence passed. Until Thor decided to interrupt. "So we can keep her then?"

'Keep her? What is she, a stray cat?' Loki was this close to saying that, but sometimes it's better to keep quiet.

"We shall befriend her, learn about the places she visited and when the time comes say our goodbye. You two will keep her company, Norns know this lonely soul needs it," Frigga announced.

Odin agreed (through gritted teeth) and pushed two princes towards the exit. Loki stole one last look at the wounded traveler and out of corner of his eye he saw his mother slipping the girl's bracelet off.

~~~

The first thing you felt was dull ache in your right shoulder. Then you felt soft blankets surrounding you and soft mattress below you. The third and most horrifying thing you felt was your naked wrist. No warmth of your amulet.

You shot straight up in the bed.

Wrong decision.

The sudden movement sent jolts of new pain into your arm but frankly, you didn't care. You held your wrist and closed your eyes, wishing it was just a dream. But when you opened them and removed your palm, you were still bracelet-less.

You started to panic even more, but then you noticed them neatly placed at the foot of the bed. Your healthy hand went to grab your shirt when the giant wooden door opened with a creepy creak. A young girl entered with towels and bandages in her hands. She wore a light blue simple dress, her dark hair was braided and pinned up. She didn't look threatening, but you still tried to grab something as a weapon on instinct.

Your fast movement apparently startled her. She dropped towels and bandages to the floor with a yelp. She looked around and her eyes fell on you. "Oh, you are awake already."

"I am. Where's my amulet? Where am I? And who are you?"

"I am Maya, assistent of the first and second healer. They are the ones who healed you," she gestured to your bandaged arm.

"Nice to meet you Maya, now tell me. Where. Is. My. Amulet," you almost growled.

The poor girl started to tremble. "I-I don't know. The queen took it and-"

"And she is returning it safely," your eyes locked with a tall graceful woman appearing behind Amaya. She wore a long golden gown with that matched her wavy hair. She had a simple elegant updo with several braids here and there. You looked down into her palm. There laid your precious bracelet. Cracked.

Your heart nearly dropped to the floor. With trembling fingers you took it from her hand and started cradling it near your chest, tears started flowing down your cheeks. "What did you do? What did you do?" you whispered, your voice was weak and shaky.

"I tried to heal it," the 'queen' went to wipe your tears but you turned your head away from her. "It will heal. But not as fast as I would expect. Or as fast as you would want."

"What?" you didn't understand. Heal it? It's a crystal containing magic. Not a living object!

"Those cracks, they will start to fade. Just like wounds turn to scars. It will be alright," she tried to reassure you.

Your cold hand wiped your wet cheeks. "Really?"

"Yes, really,"she wiped your cheeks clean and gestured for Maya to check your wound. While she was unwrapping the bandage queen took your amulet from your hands and tied it safely back where it belonged.

"So, child. Loki told me you are a traveler. Is it true?"

You nodded and hissed when the little healer assistant's finger nagged at your burn on accident. So the other brother's name is Loki, huh?

"Unfortunately you kept your name a secret from us. Would you mind revealing it?"

"Astrid," you never tell your real name to complete strangers. Even if they helped you and kept you alive when they didn't have to. Old habits really do die hard.

Queen chuckled. "That isn't your real name, is it?" shivers ran down your spine. How did she-? "Very well. Everyone deserves to have secrets. Mine however will be something other than my name," she extended her right hamd towards you. "Call me Frigga."

Your weak bandaged hand shook hers. Her fingers and palm were warm and comforting.

"How do you feel now?" Maya asked you when she finished cheking your wounds on your back.

"Better, can I go now?"

"And where would you go?" Frigga asked.

You shrugged. "To woods probably. I'm used to sleeping in nature."

"You can go to woods if you'd like to. But your temporary home will be this room, no cave or a tree branch."

"But-"

"No objections, my dear. You are our guest here, and you will be treated with respect."

Your eyes widened. Nobody has ever done something this kind before. "A-alright. Thank you. For everything."

"You are very welcome," Frigga smiled at you kindly. She then turned to Maya. "How is her arm?"

"All pain will disappear by sunset. However she will be scarred for the rest of her life. I'm sorry," she placed her hand on your left shoulder and lightly squeezed.

You grinned up at her. "It's okay. Scars are cool."

"Fine then. I will be going. Goodbye Astrid or whatever your real name is," she waved at you.

"Bye Maya."

"Keep her secret to yourself Maya, would you?" Frigga instrucked.

"Of course my queen," she bowed her head and closed the heavy door behind her.

"Now that we know you will be alright and staying with us for quite some time, would you want to meet your saviour?"

You thought about it. Getting new friends won't be that bad. You nodded. "I would love to."

[zibulon01]

So so so, your Chimera AU! First, it's beautiful! All the details, the colors, the ambiance, I love it! Plus, it's a DFO au UuU Talking about it, how did AFO react and when did he find out what they had done to his son? Has Izuku ever tried to flee the HPSC? And how did teachers react if they ever discover the origin of Izuku's quirks?

Thank you so much! I’m glad that you like it! ^^

Of course DFO is there, to spice things up a bit. I don’t have many AUs, but most of them are DFO too. 

AFO didn’t knew about it until very recently as he was in a comatose like state for a while after his fight against All Might (longer than in canon), that and the fact that Inko moved away from where they lived and did everything to hide her trail as she knew they were at risks of being discovered (it was something that AFO told her to do if something happened). He looked for her for a while with no avail, and even thought that she had moved out of the country. Also, the research task was hindered by the process of rebuilding his organizations and networks scrambled in the hands of new villains who rose while he was away, plus his health problems obviously. No one could have known that the Commission would have managed to track Inko back early enough before she completely disappeared, and took the opportunity to blur the trails even more once they had acquired mother and child. What happened afterward is a mystery for everyone, but AFO wasn’t expecting to find his son in the HPSC’s clutches, with several quirks nonetheless. 

No need to say that he was absolutely furious about them messing with HIS family, especially considering how noumus were made (he thus assumed that they had killed him for the purpose of their experiments, however Chimeras’ creation doesn’t involve performing the operation on dead people, contrary to noumus). So yeah, he was in the mood to embed a few city blocks into the Commission’s office buildings and transforming Tokyo into a giant crater. :D

Izuku tried to escape the facility in which he was held several times, but it didn’t ended well for him. Being both the son of a scary supervillain and the most successful of their creatures made that he was closely monitored, but after attempting to get out, it got even worse. When the Chimeras don’t “behave properly”, or at least not up to their standards, they “reeducate” them, so to speak. Izuku retried over and over to escape them and getting out of their control is one of the reasons his treatment was harsher than the others, to the point that Izuku started to fake his obediance and shoved back most of his feelings and urges to flee back down to attempt at preserving what was left of himself. Even if he’s resistant to the drugs they use for this process, they do end up affecting him, and bit by bit, he saw himself being more and more influenced and slowly becoming what they wanted him to be like. The HPSC assumes that these fits of personality resurgences are due to some defaults in Izuku’s experimentation process, as he is pretty much the very first functional Chimera there is, thus even if he’s very effective he’s still considered as a partly flawed project. Even now, Izuku stills wait for an opportunity to get away.

If the teachers were to discover about the Chimeras’ true nature, it would be an extremely messy situation for sure, most of them would be shocked, distraught, or have difficulties to believe it. But just the fact of them discovering that Izuku doesn’t just have a very versatile and boosted quirk, but several separated quirks would already be enough of a predicament (*glance toward Gentry’s Suspected Traitor AU). 👀

Even if they were to believe it, then comes the debate of should they reveal it to the public or only keep it in the heroic spheres (at least trying to). The current situation is pretty unstable with lots of villains incidents plus what is going to happen to UA, so the public would be already pretty worried and relying on heroes more than ever with whatever dwindling trust they have toward them. Spreading doubts about the camp that’s supposed to be on the right side isn’t going to help at all. Also, i can definitely see heroes taking different stances about the situation, as some of them might see it as a necessary sacrifice to restablish peace in such troubled times, plus some others fearing to be ejected from their positions if they were to go against the HPSC and what not.

I hope i have answered most of your questions, although i am still working on it so things might be incomplete or need some reworking later. c:

[smutandfluffohmy]

Carved Pumpkin Smiles And Candy Corn Kisses

From: Smutandfluffohmy Character Parings: Peter Pan X Reader Warnings: Murder? Curse AU? College AU?  A/N: Ummm would you guys be chill if I posted more halloween fics through November because I hate Thanksgiving (unless someone has thanksgiving themed requests 👀) AND sorry for being MIA longer than I expected this semester has been rough 

“Boo!” You screamed as you rounded the corner to scare Peter.

“Oh no, how very scary.” Peter teasingly said as he adjusted his cowboy hat and continued walking.

Huffing you pulled off your mask and walked faster to catch up with him, your shoes squeaking on the tile floors. “You know deep down you were scared.” You said playfully shoving him.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”Peter said.

“Hey Felix!” You called out to Felix who was trying to put on his hat with his gloves on.

“Hey guys. Can you help me?” He said holding out the hat towards the both of you on the tips of his gloved hands. You took the hat out of his hands and tugged it on and patting the side of his face playfully.

“So movies at my place?” Peter said coughing awkwardly as he looked from you to Felix trying to divert your attention.

“That’s right yeehaw man! Felix and I dropped off everything with your folks in the morning.” You said awkwardly dropping your arms over your much taller friends shoulders.

“I heard it’s supposed to rain today.” Felix said as he tried his best to walk side by side with the three of you making your way towards Peters house. You tensed up as you thought about the ill combination of rain and horror movies.

“Don’t worry we’ll protect you.” Peter teasingly cooed at you as he pinched your cheek. The three of you walked to Peters house in more of a hurry not wanting to get caught in the rain. Peter fished his keys out of his pocket and started unlocking the door. 

“My mom left a big bag for trick or treaters but we can just eat them and turn off the lights.” Peter said as he swung the door open leaving it open for you two and started making his way to the kitchen. 

“We’ll be right there!” You called out as Felix and you disappeared before Peter could ask where you guys were going. Carefully stepping over all the pumpkins that Peters parents have put out and carved.

“Peter quick help us carry this pumpkin inside!” Felix called out to Peter who was making snacks inside the kitchen. Felix and you shuffled as the pumpkin felt heavier and heavier.

Loudly groaning Peter came outside as he saw Felix and you carrying a comically large pumpkin. Sighing he helped you guys carry it inside.

“Why did you guys bring a pumpkin? We already have plenty.” He asked.

“Yea but we can all carve this one.” Felix said giving the pumpkin a slap.The next hour the three of you spent cutting the pumpkin, cutting three different but equally as bad faces on the large pumpkin.

“You guys suck.” Peter said examining the faces Felix and you had carved.

“Yea okay Martha Stuart.” You laughed pointing at his lopsided pumpkin smile.

“Hey! Mine is great I don’t know why what you’re talking about.” Felix said flipping Peter off as he added a couple finishing details to his side. Cleaning up the mess you three made you moved on to play video games in the living room.

���Peter feed me that chocolate I’m busy!” You said as you kept your eyes glued to the screen as you tried to beat Felix on this level. Hanging your mouth open you patted Peters foot with your foot and sticking out your tongue.

Huffing Peter opened up a candy and put it in your mouth, looking around his living room looking for a place to sit. Halloween decorations were scattered everywhere with life size frankensteins monster, Dracula and others taking the other seats. Shuttering at how creepy they looked in the dim tv light he looked around, candy was spilled next to you and Felix sat on the floor. The only place was to either watch his friends play standing up, sit next to you with Felix between his legs or to just plop down between your feet.

Sighing with a bolt of confidence rushing through him he sat down between your feet. Felix who was invested in the game side eyed him with a knowing smile causing Peter to elbow him in the ribs. You however were too invested to think too deep into it, resting your elbows on his shoulders and your chin on the top of his head without thinking much about it.

Peter’s face grew hot and Felix was genuinely trying his best to not laugh at how much Peter was moving around.

After playing for a while it was finally dark enough to start playing horror movies.Moving everything off the couch and grabbing a couple of blankets the three of you were curled up under. Slow drops of rain started falling, a shiver running down your spine. 

Flipping through various movies the three of you began eating candy, glancing sideways Peter scrunched his nose as he saw you eating your candy corn.

“Why would you eat that?” Peter said in disgust pointing at the candy in your hands.Looking down at the candy in your hands you scrunched your nose at him.

“Shut the fuck up Candy Corn is the best.” You said as you continued eating the candy.

“Candy Corn tastes like ass.” Peter said as he continued eating the Skittles in his hands.

“Yea it tastes like ass.” Felix said next to you eating his third pack of black licorice.

“Shut up you’re eating black licorice you deserve the death penalty.”You said throwing a piece of candy corn at his face.

“The two of you deserve the electric chair” Peter said as he continued eating with a wide grin on his face. The three of you watched horrors movies as the rain started pouring harder as the movies played on. The three of you ended up huddled together becoming one big tangled mess of blankets. Each time thunder struck it seemed the three of you got closer, you guys looked ridiculous but nobody was brave enough to say anything especially with big life size killers of the movies you were watching sitting mere feet away from you guys.

“Hey Peter you should get us more popcorn.” Felix said pushing the empty bowl towards him.

“What the fuck why me?” Peter said sinking deeper into his side of the couch.

Felix looked from you then to Peter and back. “Well because it’s your house.” He said and you nodded agreeing with him. Peter reluctantly got up and sided eyes his living room cursing his parents for not being normal at decorating.

“Here you can take this to protect you.” You said half jokingly handing Peter your costume knife. Glaring at you Peter took it out of your hands. ‘I’m only doing it to amuse her.’ Peter thought to himself but he couldn’t help but notice the feeling of dread that filled the pit of his stomach.

“I can go with you and protect you if you’re such a scaredy cat.” You joked half heartedly getting up with your blanket wrapped around you as you started following Peter.

“I mean if you can’t stay away from me for that long sure why not.” He said in a goofy smile that made your heart skip a beat.

“I’m only going because I want more popcorn.” You huffed thanking the darkness for disguising your red face.

“Wait for me guys.” Felix said getting up from the couch “We all know I’m the only one that can protect you two losers.” He said tagging along behind you.

A loud clap of thunder filled the house, the light that filled the house for a second illuminated a figure that was just in-front of Peter. The three of you let out blood curdling screams filled with panic Peter jabbed the knife toward the figure. 

“What the fuck! You didn’t tell me the knife was real!” Peter shouted as he yanked the knife out of his mothers halloween decoration.

“I didn’t think you would actually use it!” You yelled back pointing from the knife to the decoration.

“Why did you stab the little exorcist girl!” Felix chimed in yelling pointing at the big slash on her arm.

“Why are you guys screaming at me!” Peter yelled at the two of you.

“You started screaming first!” You yelled back defending Felix and you.

“She’s like 12 dude!” Felix shouted pointing at her pale face and back at Peter.

“I’m not the one carrying around a real knife!” Peter yelled as you and Peter continued bickering as Felix slipped away to grab more candy the initial fear leaving him.

Another big clap of thunder boomed through the house, Peter let the knife fall to the floor and you jumped into his arms without thinking. 

“Sorry. Sorry.” You mumbled to him as you reluctantly looked up at him. Neither of you let go and each second that passed your face grew hotter. “Do I have candy corn in my teeth?” You asked stupidly trying to break the tension but not wanting to break apart from him.

“Shut up for a second.” He said, looking like he was trying to figure something out.

“I though you liked my quick wit, I would say it’s one of my most charming qu-” You started saying but was cut of by Peter kissing you, quickly afraid of your reaction.

“I can’t believe you were resorted to murder to finally kiss me.” You said with a smile trying to cover up how nervous you were feeling.

“I didn’t kill anyone I stabbed my moms stupid halloween decoration” Peter said arching one of his eyebrows.

“Uuu what a devilish criminal” You fake swooned trying not to laugh. Peter rolled his eyes and tried to steady his uneven heart beat.

“Ew you guys are disgusting” Felix said with a mouthful of black licorice.

[harrys-kiwi]

Not Your Decision

summary: (y/n) and Shawn lead the perfect life, they are married with kids and everything is great until she finds out about something that happened many years ago.

request: hi could you write something about shawn cheated on reader before they had children and after she found out (you can do whatever you like for the end) thank uuu

category and warnings: fluff, then angst. cheating. I think maybe three swear words.

authors note: enjoy an angsty husband!Shawn piece. Feedback is very much appreciated. Requests are open.

word count: 2.7k

If you had asked a teenaged (y/n) what she wanted her life to look like in the future, she would have described her life now. She never thought that it would be attainable, but somehow things fell into place, and she thanked her lucky stars every day for putting her husband and kids into her life. 

Despite the odds being stacked against them, Shawn and (y/n) managed to power through all the tough times (tours, rumors, hate, never being able to spend time alone in public) and came out stronger than ever. The love between the two of them was immense, and it was obvious to anyone who saw the pair. It didn’t take long for them to tie the knot, and a few years later they had welcomed two beautiful children into their lives.  

Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t anymore.

It was a day like any other, (y/n) had woken up her husband with a chaste kiss to his lips and he had tried to keep her in bed but she had to get breakfast ready. He pouted playfully, pulling her in for another kiss before getting up to get dressed. She made breakfast and got the kids ready for the day, kissing her husband and daughter at the door as he drove his eldest to preschool. She spent the rest of the morning with her baby boy, thankful when he finally lay down for an afternoon nap.

(y/n) heard the doorbell ring as she finished pouring the chardonnay into two tall wine glasses. She was expecting Brian’s “new” girlfriend Sophie over for lunch, they had hung out several times and she had grown very fond of the girl. She hoped Brian would keep her around, there was something very special about her. She rushed to the door, enveloping Sophie into a hug.

“I’m so glad to see you! It’s been too long, how have you been?” she gushed to her friend, ushering her into the house. 

“I’ve been great, (y/n)! How about you? How are the kids?” she smiled back. The two girls delved into conversation, munching on the food (y/n) had prepared. They settled on the couch when they finished, each with their glass of wine in hand as they began to talk about their men. She saw Sophie tense up as she began gushing about Shawn, and what a great father he was to their two children. 

“Is everything okay, Soph?” She inquired. She was met with sympathetic eye contact as the other girl downed her glass of wine, placing it on the coffee table and turning to look her friend in the eyes.

“(y/n), I think there’s something you should know.” 

(y/n) set her glass down as well, leaning back and turning toward her friend. 

“Yesterday, Brian and I were talking about some things, and I asked him if he’s ever kept a big secret from me. He said that he has, but that it shouldn’t bother me because it’s not about him or me. I asked him who it was about and he didn’t want to answer at first, but then he told me it was about Shawn.” (y/n)’s breath hitched, wondering what this could be about. She had been married to this man for ten years now, surely she knew everything about him that there was to know. She calmed herself with this thought and returned her attention to Sophie.

“I told him that since it’s about Shawn he can tell me, but he said that this was too big to share with me. He told me that he’s the only one who knows about this and that if it ever got out, the consequences would be terrible. He told me not to mention it again, but I think you deserve to know, (y/n).”

“What did he tell you?” (y/n) gulped, trying desperately to reassure herself.

“He didn’t tell me anything. He told me to let it go, but he was acting too secretive for it to be an innocent secret. I’m sorry for bringing it up honey, but I really like you and I would want you to do the same for me.” Sophie said, looking at the confused woman in front of her, trying to read her. (y/n) reached over and grabbed Sophie’s hand, rubbing it gently and thanking her. Although she tried to continue with the conversation, she couldn’t bring herself to focus on anything other than what her friend had revealed to her. 

(y/n) heard the baby cry as she rushed to tend to him, cuddling him into her and making her way back downstairs. Sophie didn’t stay for much longer, sensing that her friend needed to be alone. The rest of the day was hell for (y/n). She racked her brain for things that Sophie might have meant and although she knew her husband wasn’t guilty of anything bad, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this secret was something not even she knew about. 

When she heard the door unlock in the evening signalling her husbands return, she took note of her sweaty palms. He yelled out his usual greetings before coming into the kitchen with a wide smile, pulling his wife into him and kissing her passionately. (y/n) felt herself instantly relax in his hold, and she mentally kicked herself for being so nervous the whole day. This was her husband. She loved him more than anything and he loved her more than anything.

The three of them sat at the table for dinner, Shawn and (y/n) listening to their daughter as she went on about everything that had happened to her today. (y/n) looked over at her husband, seeing his playful enthusiasm as he questioned his daughter about the details of the events she had related to them, and she felt her insides warm up. 

She was just finishing the cleaning of the kitchen when she felt two strong arms wrap around her, and a kiss being planted on her neck. She giggled and turned in her husbands embrace, hands finding their way into his hair as she pulled him in closer for a kiss. They both smiled into it, content with just holding each other in the kitchen for a few moments. Shawn kissed his wife’s forehead before pulling back and sitting on one of the barstools.

“Now, I wanna hear all about your day baby.” He smiled, as (y/n) leaned on the kitchen island across from him.

“Well it was the same as always, except Sophie came over for lunch.” She related.

“Brian’s Sophie?” He asked.

“Yes, I really like her. I hope Brian keeps her around, she’s good for him.” (y/n) gushed.

“She seems sweet.” He nodded, picking at his nails.

“She actually said something a bit strange!” (y/n) giggled, looking over at her husband.

“Oh yea? If it’s about their sex life then please spare me.” The two of them laughed in unison, (y/n) grimacing as she stood up straighter.

“No, thank god no. She said that Brian told her that he knows a secret about you that only he knows. He didn’t tell her what it was, but I am very excited to hear all about it.” She wiggled his eyebrows at him, still smiling playfully. But Shawn’s shift in demeanor brought back the slight twist in her stomach she had felt the whole day. 

“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” he forced a smile, “but I’m pretty sure it’s nothing I haven’t already told you.”

“Is that so?” (y/n) quizzed. She didn’t like that her husband didn’t meet her gaze. 

“Of course baby, we tell each other everything.” He said, looking into her eyes.

“Yes we do,” she said slowly, “which is why I hope I already know what Brian was talking about. Sophie said that he said something about disastrous consequences?”

“(y/n), I don’t know what he’s talking about. Can we just let this go?” (y/n) tensed up. She hadn’t suspected anything bad before, but the way he was acting alarmed her greatly. 

“No, because I get the feeling you do know what he’s talking about and the way you’re acting makes me think I don’t know anything about it.” She said, trying to remain calm. 

Shawn sighed as he rubbed his face, pushing his hair back and getting up to take his wife by the hand. He led her to the living room, sitting next to her on the couch and clutching her hand. He didn’t think he would ever be in this position, and it had been so long ago that he forgot how nerve wrecking this was. The longer the silence persisted between the two, the more tense he grew as he realized what the hell he had done and would have to reveal now. He knew that what he did was awful, but it was worse that he had hidden it for so long. But he couldn’t lie about it now. She would never forgive him if she found out, and he couldn’t take that chance. He looked up to his wife to find her looking at him desperately, just wanting to understand what the hell was going on.

He hated himself for doing this to her. At this moment, he wished he was someone else, someone not guilty of doing the worst thing you can do to someone you love. He took a deep breath as he felt his heart clenching and his insides churning. He held onto (y/n)’s hand tighter, enjoying the last “peaceful” moments of being with her.

“There is no easy way of telling you this, (y/n). Everything I’ve done regarding this situation was wrong. I am despicable for doing this and for keeping it from you for so long.” (y/n) knew her husband well enough. He didn’t have to say more, she could already feel her hands begin to shake in his and the tears fall from her eyes. Her chest felt tight and her stomach was churning in a way that made her nauseous. Seeing his wife’s reaction killed Shawn, and what made it worse was knowing that he was the reason she was in this state. 

“It was a very long time ago. It was the first time I went on tour after we got together and I was halfway around the world from you. I’d never missed a person more. I got so drunk trying to dull that pain that I stopped thinking about what I was doing,” he began to cry as he felt his wife pull his hand from his and hold them over her mouth to silence her sobs. “I don’t remember anything, I just know that the next morning, Brian told me what he saw I’d done while we were at the club. He couldn’t tell me a lot because he hadn’t seen very much.” He cried as he related the lowest point of his life. He couldn’t bear to look at his wife, the sounds of her choked sobs being enough to break his heart over and over. He didn’t think he could feel worse than he did that morning when he found out that he had betrayed the girl he loved, and yet he felt even lower right now. 

She spoke up after a while of silence, “what did you do Shawn? Say it.” 

He sobbed as he looked up at her, a fresh wave of tears coming on as he saw how broken she looked. “I don’t know,” he croaked “Brian said he saw me walk out of the bathroom with a girl I’d been dancing with earlier.” 

“Say it, Shawn!” She raised her voice.

“I cheated on you! I cheated on you. I hate myself for it, I hate myself for not telling you about it, I will never not hate myself for any part of this. I-”

(y/n) no longer heard anything Shawn was saying to her. She was feeling things she didn’t think people were capable of feeling. Thousands of thoughts were running through her head. How could he do this? How could he pretend like everything was okay between them when he had betrayed her from the beginning? Why did he allow her to enter holy matrimony with him when he knew that she knew nothing of his crime?

She grew sick thinking of what he had just told her. She wanted to yell at him, kick him out, but she knew there was no point. This was too much to process and she couldn’t make any decisions right now, not while she was in this state. She pushed passed him and walked up the stairs, rushing into the bathroom and kneeling before the toilet bowl. The sting in her throat was nothing compared to the sting she felt inside of her, physical pain oozing through her body. She pushed away the body that was behind her, holding back her hair, as she stumbled out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She tried to drain out the noise of her husbands voice which she usually loved so much, but now wished she would never have to hear again. She focused on her breathing, trying to slow the world around her. When she opened her eyes, she found her husband kneeling in front of her from where she sat on the edge of the bed, tears still streaming down his cheeks, cheeks blotchy. 

“Please, please say something (y/n).” He begged as she refused to meet his gaze.

“What am I supposed to say Shawn? You already know that what you did was wrong, and that keeping it from me was wrong. As to why you did it, well, I suppose you were too selfish to lose what you had. Even if that meant allowing me to live a lie. You don’t love me enough to tell me any of this, I’m sure you would have never told me by yourself. So what am I supposed to say? I’m married to a man who has lied to me since the offset of our relationship.”

Shawn sobbed into her lap as he listened to her words. “I love you more than anything in the world, (y/n). I was so, so scared of losing you.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make, Shawn!” She yelled, suddenly finding her voice. (y/n) stood up, pulling at her hair as she paced along the bedroom. “What you had to do after cheating on me was tell me about it and let me handle it from there on. You lost the right to have a say on if I stay with you the minute you went with another woman while you were supposed to be loyal to me!” She cried out.  

Shawn could feel his world falling apart. Although he knew how wrong it had been to hide this, he felt a pain beyond measure as he listened to what she was saying. The worst part was that she was right, and that he could not defend himself because of how astronomically he had fucked up. 

“You’re my family now Shawn. You, and the kids. I never wanted anyone else but you, and I will never want anything else but this life with you and our kids. But shit, you had no right to do anything you’ve done the past years.” (y/n) thought how different her life would be if she would have found out about this when it happened. She doesn’t know if she would have stayed with him or left him. But either way, she would have been able to play a role in that choice. Even if she would have chosen to stay with him, it would have been in her hands. She felt betrayed, and scammed out of her dignity.

How things would ever go back to the way they were, she had no idea. 

[truth-and-lies-drv3-imagines]

Hey there! If you have time, could you write headcanons about the reader eating a lollipop or something sweet, asking them if they want a taste, and then kissing them, with rantaro, shuichi, and kokichi? their reactions too please! thank uuu❣

I fulfilled your request, kind anon… I hope you don’t mind if I focused a bit more on the kissing part… *wonk*

Rantaro Amami

 -You wereactually traveling together on a foreign coast, and all the sweets and foodswere mouth watering to say the least. You begged him to buy you at least a fancylooking lollipop, but Rantaro told you he’d gladly treat you to everything youwould like… And now there’s this full basket.

 -You decided tostart with the lollipop. You couldn’t believe that teddy-bear shaped onesactually existed, and you were more than excited to give your green one a goodlick. Finally getting to taste it, the flavor was overwhelming even, and thatdidn’t go unnoticed by your partner.

 -He asked if hecould have a taste, but you couldn’t really bring yourself to actually let him.An idea quickly came to your rescue, and it was just what you needed. Youprayed it was enough; you pursed your lips, and planted a soft kiss on hismouth, hoping he could also feel the strong flavor.-“You know y/n, if you want meto actually get a taste you should open your mouth a little wider.”

 -He grabbed youby the chin and captured your lips in a kiss, licking your bottom lip forentrance. You complied, flustered, as he let his tongue wander a little beforepulling away.

 -“Kiwi flavor,huh?” he chuckled, a little blush present on his face, while yours was as redas a tomato.

Shuichi Saihara

 -You were on adate together, casually taking a walk in the park. Out of a sudden, you got acraving for sweets and you didn’t hesitate to make that known to yourboyfriend. Thankfully, there was an ice cream place nearby, so you didn’t haveto walk much longer.

-You got yourfavorite flavor, while Shuichi insisted on treating you. He didn’t get onehimself though, and you couldn’t help but feel a little bad. He was so nice toyou, not returning the favor didn’t feel quite right.

 -After a littlebit of walking, you asked him if he wanted to have a taste. Shuichi agreed,clueless about what was to come. You channeled all your positive feelings forhim and took the leap, kissing him right on the lips. He felt the small chillfrom the icy treat, your touch being quite refreshing.

 -You pulledaway, and your gaze met his for a small second before both of you lookedelsewhere in embarrassment. You were a bit new to this dating thing, andshyness never seemed to miss from any of your interactions.

 -“I-I didn’texpect that was what you meant by having a taste… Not that I mind…”

 -You bothgiggled awkwardly and continued your date, getting another taste every once in awhile.

Kokichi Ouma

-You were at home with Kokichiby your side, just playfully hanging out. You had bought some gummy bears tospite him, and that was working perfectly, making sure his eyes were all onyou. All the little guy could do was pout from a distance, since he didn’t wantto bother you too much; that was your bag of gummies, not his.

 -“Wanna have ataste?”

 -His interestpiqued, he opened his mouth widely, patiently waiting his treat. Of course, youdidn’t intend to give it to him, and threw the gummy bear between your lips,even mumbling ‘delicious’ at the end. Then he went on the offense.

 -He kissed youaggressively, as if trying to pry the gummy bear out of your mouth. You didn’treally care about it anymore and melted into his touch, which was slowlyturning into a make-out session. He got gradually gentle, starting to lean ontoyou and hold tight.

 -Soon enough, hepulled away suddenly, flashing you a quick grin and sprinting upstairs. Still alittle dazed from the intense kiss, it took you a few moments to resume eatingyour gummy bears. But…

 -“where did mygummy bear go”

[mikarashis]

Haunted Dollhouse - Chapter Five

School Festival ☆ Tamayori’s Haunted Dollhouse - Chapter Five

Season: Spring

Location: Secret Room

<a few days later>

Shu: non!  It’s no good; remake it!

Tsumugi: eeh, but this is the fifth time?  Can’t I get a passing grade already...?

Shu: a passing grade?  If you’re going to sleep-talk, only do it in your sleep*.  When it comes to works of art, I should have known you’d be unable to comprehend them!

Tsumugi: uuu~...I’m trying my best.  I did watch and study a lot of material about ghosts.  I’ve even sacrificed my sleep for this!  Look, aren’t there dark circles under my eyes?  I’m turning into a ghost myself...ah, wait, in other words, I have to imagine looking at this mirrored for it to work!?

I finally got it!  nmou, why didn’t you say so from the start, it would have been easier~.  Shu-kun is so unkind.  

Shu: I don’t want to be misinterpreted by someone like you.  Well, in any case, if you are indeed a ghost now, you’re a strange one.

...it took longer than expected to make the costumes for Wataru.  I know all of this has forced us into a nigh-impossible time crunch, but I’m still not the type to say ‘I’m sorry for being unreasonable’ to you.

Tsumugi: ahaha...after all, you really hate me, right?  But I’m glad that, despite this, you’re still talking with me properly and offering advice.  Shu-kun, if it’s not too much of a bother, please tell me what I’ve done wrong.  And next time I’ll be sure to do everything properly so I can get a passing grade~

Shu: hmm, the important thing is not the grade, but rather creating something that I’m satisfied with.  The work may be tedious, but remember that all I can truly evaluate is your proficiency, so don’t expect more than that.  

Tsumugi: um, when you say it like that, it sounds like it applies to you as well.  Are things not moving quickly enough?  

Shu: you talk too much, Aoba.  Even if only Switch’s costumes were at stake here, it’s still not adequate.  

Tsumugi: uu, that really is a problem!  But, since this is the last chance we have to participate in the ‘school festival’, I’ll try to work to your standards~!  

Natsume: ~.... ♪

Sora: Haha~ ♪ Shisho~, you have a happy ‘colour’~ ♪ 

well, your ‘colour’ is always happy when you’re doing experiments, but today it’s all sparkling and rainbow-hued!

Natsume: yes, it’s fun to make props.  I was seeing if I could use the flame tests from science class to create different hitodama colors...?  But would it be safe... *mumble, mumble*

Hinata: ahaha, I really have no idea what’s happening.  It looks like a fun science experiment, but I’m afraid to touch anything in case it explodes.  Sora-kun, should we work on something else? ♪

Sora: right!  What sorts of things will be ne~ed.  Sora’s played games before where demons and monsters just pop out.  Something with long hair and a bloodstained face~?

Hinata: yep, that sounds like pretty standard horror fare!  But if we want to go in a Japanese-style instead of a Western-style, how about a wara-ningyo?**

Mika: how nice, a wara-ningyo... ♪  If we make th’ whole body red like it gets after cursin’ someone, that’ll give people a real scary feelin’ ♪

Yuta: you’re getting pretty excited, Kagehira-senpai.  Do you like getting scared?

Mika: yep!  Fer me, I really love cute ‘n scary things.  So if there’s any scary props that ya wanna make, leave ‘em t’ me ♪

Gotta connect this here and...there, the doll is complete~ ♪ Next, use some paint t’ stand in fer blood, fufufu~n... ♪ 

There, a cursed wara-ningyo~!

Yuta: hiiii!  K-Kagehira-senpai!  Don’t turn that thing towards me~!  I’m scared, it’s cursed~...!

Hinata: ahaha, your reaction was perfect, Yuta-kun!  For me, it’s fine to look at it in a brightly-lit room, but it might give me a shock to see it in the dark!

Sora: Yuu-chan, can you try to calm down for Sora?  Will you be okay if we keep making scary props?

Yuta: i-it’s okay...I think...

Natsume: hyu~  *rumble, rumble*... ♪

Yuta: hiiiiiii!?

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!  I’ll never make mischief again!  Don’t curse me; don’t kill me~!

Sora: are you sure you’re okay~?

Natsume: ah, try not to thrash around too much.  If you kick the chemicals, it will be very hard to clean up.  

Well, I fear I’ve made you even more frightened by what I was doing.  I’m sorry, Yuta-kun.  

Yuta: haha... s-sorry, my heart’s still pounding... haa, I think I’m a bit better now.  Regardless, that looked like a real soul, so I was surprised.  

Natsume: I’ve been trying different things, but this appears to be working well.  It’s not gunpowder or anything, so because it’s not a real fire, it’s perfectly safe.  If I can duplicate this and prepare a lot of them for the haunted house, it’ll give the guests a real thrill.  Fuhahahaha...☆

Sora: Huhu~ ♪ If Shisho~ is happy, then so is Sora~ ♪ Now we can for sure make a lot of good memories with Senpai!  

Mika: na, what d’ya mean?  Ya wanted t’ take part in the ‘school festival’ t’ make memories with Tsumu-chan-senpai?  

Sora: yes!  Because it’s Senpai’s last ‘school festival’, Sora wanted to join and make some fun memories there~!

Mika: huh...so that means that ‘s the last one fer Oshi-san, too, even though t’ start with we weren’t even gonna participate in the ‘school festival’.  

But I’d kinda like t’ make some fun memories, too, since that’s the case, though we’ve already had a lotta setbacks.  Don’t get me wrong, though, I think ‘s a real nice reason.  ‘m glad Tsumu-chan-senpai has been blessed with such kind kouhai~ ♪

Natsume: fuun, do not include me as a kind kouhai.  Sora asked me to join, so I did, but that has nothing to do with senpai, right?

Sora: Hehe~ ♪ Shisho~, Anzu’s footsteps are ‘visible’!

Natsume: Koneko-chan?  I wonder if she came to visit?  Please come in, the door is not locked.  

Yuta: Tenkousei-san, hello~ ♪

You probably know already, but our three units are joining together for the ‘school festival’!  We’re making props and costumes for the haunted house~

Hinata: if you have any ideas, Tenkousei-san, please let us know!

Hmm?  You will!  Thanks for agreeing!  Well, I thought you would if we asked you~

Mika: na, what’s that, Anzu-chan?  Ya wanna know about the doll?  Fufun, ‘s scary ‘n gives ya the chills, huh ♪  

..but, that’s enough talkin’ with ya!  I can’t afford t’ get too friendly with th’ enemy!

Shu: aamou, you’re being so noisy!  Quiet down!

Mika: s-sorry, Oshi-san~!

Natsume: anyway, I hope there’s no trouble...well, with so many people here, maybe it can’t be helped.  

Sheesh.  I suppose the noise will continue right up until the production, how tedious... ♪

Notes:

* - Shu makes a bit of a pun here because the word for ‘talking in your sleep’ uses the same characters as ‘talking nonsense’, so Shu’s kind of combining the two here.  

** - a wara-ningyo is a straw doll often used for cursing someone; the closest thing to compare it to is that it’s very close to a voodoo doll 

[magioftheseas]

Heart Over Head Over Heels

Summary: Two times Matsuda Yasuke gets forced into developing and furthering his bonds; one time he wasn't. Island Mode AU where Matsuda Yasuke survives the events of dr0 and goes onto be placed within the NWP with the rest of the remnants of despair.

Rating: T

Warnings: Mild medicinal drug use. Also Matsuda’s filthy fucking mouth. Some mentions of illness. Also this fic is like, ~10.7K.

Notes: Few things are more indulgent than this, lbr. I just...got nothing. Please read dr0. Do it for him. Also MatsuKamu is the most criminally underrated pair. MatsuKoma and MatsuHina are pretty good, too. I honestly would not be opposed to writing Matsuda interact with the other sdr2 kids, but I’m really not sure if literally anyone except myself would give a shit about that.

**Alternative Ao3 Link**

Commission? Donate?

This whole thing was bullshit. Absolute bullshit. Everything about this was bullshit.

Jabberwock was a nonsensical bullshit island befitting its nonsensical bullshit name, and he wanted no fucking part of it. He barely had time for idiots in middle school, why did he have to have nothing but time for idiots now?

Lovey-Dovey Heart-Throbbing Island Adventure. God. What was his life now, a shitty harem game? Ew.

He supposed with Usami here, it could be like the third movie of Heretic Angel ☆ Mochi Mochi Princess Buko—but Usami was too sugary saccharine even for Buko. She’d be at-place in a knock-off wannabe brand of S@nR*o, but nothing actually refined or respectable. He wouldn’t mind her too much—

“Matsuda-kun, uuu... You really should be making friends...”

If not for her insisting on this bullshit.

“That’s no good, Matsuda-kun! Friendship is very important and leads to a long, hopeful life!”

��Unless you’re dying of a brain disease,” Matsuda said bluntly. “Then friendship don’t do shit.”

“Awawawa!!!”

The sun was shining through the windows. The beds in the hospital were comfortable if anything else, and the hospital itself was very conveniently the quietest place here. And this idiot rabbit was flailing at him in distress. What a comical sight. Not as comical as his manga, mind you, and he really was extra pissy that the volume he’d be waiting for wasn’t in the library. Still, this hospital bed wasn’t half-bad to just lay on and the ceiling wasn’t half-bad to stare at.

If only his cabin could be this comfortable and quiet. But after being waken up the third morning in a row by a screaming punk rocker, he didn’t much care for it, so he made himself home at the hospital building instead. Read up on the texts there. Studied. Played with the scalpels. Threw them at Usami when she showed up.

“Matsuda-KUN!!!” He stared past her at the punctured holes in the wall that could be connected to create the tacky outline of a tacky rabbit thing. Needed more holes though. “Enough is enough! You NEED to go out and make friends!”

“I’m working to be a competent doctor, not a well-adjusted person,” he said. “So why don’t you take your tacky saccharine sweetness and spread it on some cupcakes instead of bother me?”

“H-Harsh! So harsh!” Usami whined. “Uuu, my darling student...so harsh...! You’re only seventeen, Matsuda-kun, you needn’t be so harsh...”

Matsuda’s brow quirked, and he pushed himself up.

“I do my chores,” he said. “And I study. You really shouldn’t expect more.”

“B-Bu...” Usami sniffled. “Matsuda-kun... You mustn’t be so...hopeless... Please won’t you make friends? If you collect enough hope fragments—they become stars that grant your wishes!!”

“Wow, sounds like bullshit.”

“Matsuda-kuuuun!”

“But you’re just going to keep on bothering me until I go out,” he said, running his fingers through his hair with a sigh. He slipped off the bed and slipped his feet into the hospital slippers. “Well, I have been getting tired of seeing your face, so... Maybe a new face to get sick of wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Yes!” Usami cried tears of hurt and relief. “Go out and make friends, Matsuda-kun! Love, love!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

--

...make friends, huh...?

He wasn’t sure where to start. Everyone here was a nutjob to varying degrees and in varying ways so how was he supposed to choose?

With the sun beating down on his nape, his irritation festered just a bit more.

Friends... Friends.. Friends...

For some reason, it just annoyed him more and more to the point of giving him a migraine, of all things.

“Urgh...” Matsuda rubbed at his temples, biting his tongue with a hiss. “Ah, geez, what even the hell?”

First thing’s first, he should go to the market and grab some extra medicine for his headaches. He had been popping pills more often for—some reason, and he had a feeling he’d really need it for the moments to come.

He made his way there in long, swift strides, glare narrowing and scowl deepening.

All this is temporary anyway. I don’t have to waste that much time, it’ll be fine, it’ll be fine—

The doors opened as he stepped through. There was a low buzz in the air from the air conditioner, and Matsuda made a beeline for the pharmacy aisle.

Someone else was there and this would either be majorly convenient or majorly aggravating. Perhaps both. But, aah, well...

“Ah...!”

Fluffy white curls swept through the air as Komaeda turned on his heel, blinking those wide, gray-green eyes back at his dull stare. Matsuda’s frown deepened just as a smile spread across Komaeda’s thin lips—and why was he looking so hard at this guy’s face again?

“Matsuda-kun! Good morning! Fancy meeting you here!”

“Yo,” he said, raising a hand alongside his brow.  “I guess even headaches can get headaches.”

Komaeda laughed, backing away from the shelf.

“Aha! Sorry, sorry, was I in the way? I don’t...mean to cause you trouble, Matsuda-kun, of course not...!”

“You’re not in the way, you’re just there,” he said, stepping forward and plucking a bottle of the shelf. He pocketed it without a second thought.

“You’re right!” Komaeda explained. “Someone like me could only ever take up space with my worthless self! Ahaha, I’m so sorry, Matsuda-kun!”

...Urgh...

For some inexplicable reason, this just irritated him further.

...But, that said...

“Do you have any plans?” Komaeda flinched, almost cowering back in the sparkling presence of the shockingly pink ticket Matsuda held up. “If not, we’re hanging out.”

“M-Matsuda-kun...!”

Matsuda barely batted an eyelash. “We don’t have each other’s hope fragments, right?”

Never mind that I don’t have any hope fragments at all...

“A-Ah, well...” Komaeda’s cheeks enflamed. Gross. “If... If someone as amazing as Matsuda-kun is asking, then... I can’t refuse...!”

“Kay,” he said, placing the ticket in Komaeda’s hand. Immediately, it dissolved in a flurry of sparkles. It was as if he signed a devil’s contract. “Kay. Let’s get going. Hurry up or I’m going to leave you behind.”

“Y-Yes, Matsuda-kun! Right away, Matsuda-kun!”

With how long Komaeda’s legs were, it was almost irritatingly easy for him to keep up with Matsuda’s stride. There was almost a really weird sense of nostalgia to having someone follow him like a lost puppy—but thinking about it gave him a headache so he popped a pill and proceeded to just stop thinking about anything at all.

“So,” Komaeda chirped, fluttering every bit like a nervous bird. “Where are we going?”

“Dunno. Just started walking.”

But from the look of things, this was the direction of...the fourth island, right?

Ah, there’s an amusement park, there.

Well, that was a typical venue for dates, right? Better than sitting on his ass for hours while staring at a screen while picking at popcorn stuck in his gums. If he had to get up and “make friends”, he might as well be active. Or something.

At least the hospital slippers were comfortable for walking around.

“...um...” Komaeda’s smile twitched as he fiddled with his fingers. “So, we’re...going to the fourth island, right?”

“Sure looks like it,” he said and they crossed the bridge. Waves rolled underneath their feet. “How do you feel about amusement parks anyway?”

“I haven’t been to any since I was a kid,” Komaeda mumbled. “Um, Mioda-san wanted to go with a large group, but... She also wanted to ride the roller coasters and that’s...absolutely...not an option...for someone like me.”

“Someone like you,” Matsuda mimicked. “Well, I’m not one for being jerked around either. So it’s whatever.”

Komaeda laughed lightly.

“It’s...really more than just that,” he said. “It’s far too dangerous.” His breath caught and then his eyes began to swirl. “So many people can die in roller coaster-related accidents! For someone like me, someone like me...! It’s just...not an option...!”

Matsuda glanced at him as he wheezed, voice cracking, pitching, and distorting.

Without thinking, he reaches out and takes his cold, clammy hand, making Komaeda nearly choke.

“M-Matsu...?!”

“No roller coasters,” he said. “Got it. Like I said, I don’t really care. I’m not one for being jerked around.”

Komaeda swallowed back saliva as though his throat ran dry.

“I... Um...” He blushed and hurriedly nodded. “Okay...”

With that, Matsuda tugged him along.

--

“Riding...on the mouse...is a must...!!”

“A must, huh...?”

“A must!!”

“Kay.”

Matsuda did not ride on the mouse but instead lounged on the unmoving carousel. He watched Komaeda straddle the mouse however and grip the pole as it rose and fell. For that brief moment, Komaeda looked utterly delighted and like a real little kid.

...ah, huh...

The music played on an on in a looping, saccharine melody. Komaeda giggled with glee. Matsuda was this close to falling asleep. In fact, his eyelids grew heavy and with time, slowly, but surely, they fell.

“Mm...”

“Matsuda-kun!”

Matsuda perked up, blinking blearily a few times. The merry-go-round wasn’t moving, and the music was no longer playing. Komaeda, however, was smiling brightly down at him, fingers clasped behind his back.

“I know I’m not the most terribly interesting company,” he said. “But, sleeping like this is bad for your neck, Matsuda-kun!”

Matsuda’s joints popped and scraped against one another in agreement.

“Not the worst position I slept in,” he yawned. He took Komaeda’s offered hand and helped himself up. “Did you enjoy yourself, at least?”

“O-Of course!” Komaeda stammered out. “How could I not?!”

“...I could think of a few ways,” he said but didn’t elaborate further on the topic. He stretched. “So, what else are we doing?”

“Eh...” Komaeda blinked at him dumbly. “What else...?”

“Yeah, what else,” Matsuda repeated, unimpressed. “Just going on one ride would be too half-assed even for someone like me.”

“But...!” Komaeda gasped. “Someone like me... Just one ride is more than I could ever ask for from someone like you, Matsuda-kun!”

Matsuda scowled.

“Are you saying you don’t want to go anywhere else?”

“It’s not about what I want...!”

“Then shut up,” he snapped and Komaeda’s mouth did indeed snap shut. “If you keep overthinking, you’ll overheat and that worthless brain of yours will end up melting. You’re already stupid enough so let’s not add further brain damage to the mix, Komaeda.”

Komaeda blinked up at him and then swallowed, nodding in return.

“Come on,” Matsuda said, gesturing him to follow with his shoulder. “I wanna try the Ferris Wheel next.”

“The... Ferris Wheel...?”

Matsuda stopped, spinning around on his heel.

“Yeah,” he said. “Do you have any problems with that?”

Komaeda’s smile twitched.

“I... A few... Like if it breaks...or stops...” Once again, his eyes swirl. “Or stops, breaks, and then rolls away.”

“What kind of shitty action movies have you been watching? You should be watching more worthwhile flicks—like Home Alone or something.”

Komaeda blinked up at him, eyes bright and shimmering.

“...I don’t watch action movies. They’re loud and uncomfortable. And voyeuristic. Not to mention I’ve been in those situations before...” he trailed off.

“I get it,” Matsuda said, huffing. “We can go on something else. There’s a train ride around here, right...?”

A train...

“Oh, no!” Komaeda gasped out. “No, no! If you want to go on the Ferris Wheel, then you can, Matsuda-kun! But...” He fiddled with his fingers. “It’d be such despair if something happened to you because a lowly worm like me was there, so...”

Like a merry-go-round, this conversation is going in irritating circles.

“Are we going or not?” he asked. “Yes or no?”

“W-Well, I...”

“Yes,” Matsuda repeated, stressing out the word between his teeth in a hiss. “Or no?”

Komaeda flinched, hesitated, and then shakily he nodded.

“Um, um... Y... Yes. Yes, we’re going. Sorry, Matsuda-kun.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said coolly, turning back so they could resume going on their way. “Like I said, you just shouldn’t think further on the matter at all. Idiot.”

Komaeda shivered but soon enough skipped up after him with a giggle.

“Matsuda-kun, you’re sharper than a scalpel! Hahaha!”

Matsuda hmphed at that.

--

Komaeda looked up at the Ferris Wheel with the strangest expression, at each passenger car rising to meet the sky before descending, each pausing at the ground to potentially welcome someone inside.

Matsuda shrugged off his thoughts and the two of them stepped inside and settled on the cold plastic seats as the doors creaked shut.

“...it’s very different,” Komaeda murmured, looking out dazedly, shifting the slightest bit. “I never rode the Ferris Wheel before...” He smiled faintly. “I was too scared of it rolling away, but... It really isn’t so bad...”

“Yeah?” he droned. “I rode it once because...”

He stopped.

Ah... Huh...?

“Because...?” Komaeda frowned. “Matsuda-kun...?”

Matsuda rubbed his temples as they began throbbing again, this time more fiercely like there was a violent recoil inside his head.

“U-Urgh...!” He quickly fished out that bottle of pills, and swallowed another one dry. He groaned, rubbing as the pain dissipated. “Fuck... Christ... Do I have a fucking tumor or something?”

“A-A tumor?!” Komaeda paled with a look of utter horror. Irritably, Matsuda waved his hand with a sigh.

“No, it’s nothing, it’s nothing.” The words almost felt planted on his tongue. He couldn’t really explain it and—he felt the compulsion to just ignore it entirely. “Honestly with how ridiculous the whole situation is... Chronic headaches developing suddenly isn’t that weird.”

Even though deep down I know there’s more to it—

I feel pressured to just ignore it.

“Ah...” Komaeda faltered like a wilting flower. “Matsuda-kun... Please take good care of yourself...”

“Geez,” he grumbled. “I shouldn’t have you of all people telling me that.”

Komaeda smiled sadly and Matsuda averted his eyes from that sight to the one of the amusement park as well as the rest of the island spreading out before them. Matsuda straightened his posture as he stared out further, to the endless blue of the ocean and sky.

“...when the sun sets,” Komaeda spoke up suddenly. “This is sure to be quite the stunning sight, don’t you think, Matsuda-kun?”

“I guess,” he replied. Komaeda laughed.

“With how vibrant orange complements blue, it’ll really be radiant to see, I’m sure,” he said. “But... As it is now... This is...nostalgic to look at... I was worried but... This...really isn’t so bad... It’s calming, I think.”

Matsuda turned and Komaeda had a gentle, serene smile that seemed different from the rest of the calm, vapid smiles he’d toss around so carelessly.

...This is nostalgic for me, too, he thought. But... It’s still really different.

Their car creaked as it continued to rise. Komaeda suddenly shivered.

“A-Aha...” He wrapped his arms around himself. “Ah, ah, um, sorry... Sorry... I don’t know why, I really was fine but then—!”

“Oi,” Matsuda said, voice lower. Slowly, he began to move. “Komaeda, are you...?”

Komaeda shook his head furiously.

“I-It’s just! We’re so high up! So high, so high! If we got stuck here—or if we fell with no way of protecting ourselves—that would just be the worst, wouldn’t it?!”

His breath hitched.

“That makes this really dangerous, doesn’t it, doesn’t it, doesn’t it—!”

And then suddenly, the wheel stopped and Matsuda toppled forward. Komaeda yelped.

And then, Matsuda’s hand smacked against the other end of the car, his knee hitting the seat and making him shudder, all while Komaeda’s nose was crushed against his chest.

“...Ow,” Matsuda cursed colorfully, wincing as he pushed himself away. Komaeda’s eyes were wide like dinner plates, and Matsuda plopped back down on his seat. Both his hand and knee seriously ached right now.

“M... Matsuda-kun...” Komaeda looked around, and then wheezed out a laugh. “I-It stopped! It completely...utterly...stopped!”

“I noticed,” he said, frown deepening. “Well that’s just fan-fucking-tastic.”

Komaeda burst out laughing.

“I-I knew it! I just—I just knew it!” he gasped, giggling manically as his fingers tangled into his hair and pulled. “I knew this would happen and now we’re stuck here—someone like me got someone as wonderful and amazing as the Matsuda Yasuke-kun in this despairingly unlucky situation! I really am the worst! Just—the worst! The lowliest, most disgusting, most deplorable—!”

Matsuda’s hand smacked over his mouth, silencing him.

“Komaeda,” he said lowly and sternly. “Shut the hell up. None of that is even accurate. I was the one who said I wanted to be here, right?”

Komaeda quivered, his breath hot against his hand. Irritably, Matsuda shoved his hand against his mouth harder to utterly muffle any possible sound.

“I’m taking complete responsibility for this one and you’re not to fucking take that from me,” he said firmly. “This whole thing is the result of my dumbass decision making. Got that?”

He pulled his hand away to run his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

“...That fucking rabbit bitch better get our asses down soon,” he grumbled. He noticed Komaeda was staring at him with sparkling eyes and glared. “What the hell’s with that stupid look?”

“Matsuda-kun, you’re...even more tsun than Hinata-kun!” Komaeda gasped. “It’s incredible! Amazing! There’s no way Hinata-kun’s talent can be Ultimate Tsuntsun Hair when you exist!”

“...well you’re back to a level of acceptably stupid.” Matsuda sighed. “Geez, you... So what’s wrong with you anyway?”

“So many things!” Komaeda exclaimed cheerfully. “I’m wrong just by being here!”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Matsuda snapped. “The way you talk, the things you say, the way you act—it’s all creepily familiar to someone I knew.”

It hurt, a bit, both in his head and in his chest.

Komaeda’s face fell, and he laughed softly.

“...Matsuda-kun’s the Ultimate Neurologist,” he said. “I kind of figured...you’d just know.”

“So you’re tight-lipped now, huh?” Matsuda rolled his eyes and folded his arms. “Well... It doesn’t matter... If I’m right, then I’m right.”

“Right,” Komaeda agreed, smile twitching at the seams.

“And if I’m right,” Matsuda went on. “I’ll be...seeing a lot more of you after all this is over. That said, I’m still keeping a close eye on you. You’re my responsibility now, too, Komaeda Nagito.”

Komaeda’s smile widened.

“Matsuda-kun.”

Matsuda perked up, and then he was almost blindsided by how bright Komaeda’s smile seemed in that moment.

“Please take good care of me.”

--

“M-Matsuda-kuuuuun! Sensei is... Sensei is so sorryyyyyy~!”

“Yeah, you better be.”

Usami wailed to his annoyance. At the very least, Komaeda was in a good mood afterwards, laughing without any worries whatsoever.

“Well, this thing should be working properly from now on,” Souda said. “Probably... It looks like it should.”

“Do you really think that?” Hinata asked. “A Ferris Wheel is...much more complicated than anything that can be worked on in a shed, right?”

“Hinata-kun, you’re talking to the Ultimate Mechanic!” Komaeda scolded. “If anyone knows, it’s Souda-kun!”

“Yeah, what he said!”

“Didn’t you just say probably?!”

Usami sniffled.

“S-Students... Please... Please don’t fight... We should all be happy that Matsuda-kun and Komaeda-kun are okay...”

“And it’s all thanks to Souda-kun!” Komaeda gushed, making Souda preen even more.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“Hey, uh... Matsuda...?”

Matsuda perked up, Hinata shrinking back a bit under his unimpressed stare. Averting his gaze, Hinata rubbed at the nape of his neck.

“Are you, uh...feeling alright...? Komaeda seems fine, so...”

“I’m fine,” he said. “That wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to me. Compared to being kidnapped without warning by a freaky rabbit to some freaky island in the middle of fucking nowhere... The Ferris Wheel getting stuck is hardly a misfortune worth writing home about.”

Usami and Hinata both flinched.

“I...see... Well, I’m glad both of you are doing alright...?”

“Yeah,” Matsuda said. “Yeah...”

He idly dug his hand through his pocket. His fingers grazed through something warm and smooth. Polished like a gem. He paused, and he glanced towards Komaeda, laughing and smiling and perking up at his stare and brightening in response.

Matsuda’s hand closed around the hope fragment and squeezed until it dissipated.

“Matsuda-kun, I really did have a lot of fun!” Komaeda chirped. “Next time, let’s go someplace like the beach! Hopefully my luck won’t bring a tidal wave raining down on us!”

Matsuda just gave a thumbs-up in response.

“Souda-kun, come to think of it, we were supposed to gather materials!” Komaeda exclaimed, making Souda perk.

“Oh yeah, now that ya mention it...”

“We should get going!!” Komaeda ushered him without further discussion on the matter. “Go, go, go! If Sonia-san hears you’ve been slacking off, she’ll be very disappointed, Souda-kun!”

Souda didn’t need much ushering after that, and with one last wave from Komaeda, the two of them ran off.

“How diligent!” Usami cooed.

Matsuda blinked a few times, unimpressed.

“...well, I should probably...”

He was only half-prepared to head back, honestly, so he shouldn’t have been surprised.

“...wait. Uh, Matsuda...?”

He stopped, and he wasn’t oblivious to Usami practically twinkling with delight. For now, he ignored her and focused on that hideous pink ticket that Hinata was holding out. Hinata himself looked awfully flustered.

“It’s...still early enough in the day,” he mumbled. “And we haven’t really...hung out at all since we got here.”

Matsuda just blinked.

“If you can make Komaeda that happy, then you must not be so bad, right?” Hinata asked with a wince. Come to think of it, Matsuda’s knee was probably going to make one ugly bruise. “So, uh...what do you say?”

Usami’s sparkly, expectant gaze was burning holes into his back.

Matsuda sighed.

“...Sure thing.”

What the hell.

“Love, love!” Usami chirped oh so happily. “Then I’ll leave you two be!”

Matsuda took the ticket and both it and Usami dissolved into another flurry of sparkles. The devil’s contract claimed more of his soul.

--

They went back to the hospital on the third island so that he could grab some ointment for his knee. It throbbed as he walked which was a literal pain, so the ointment helped a lot. And that was a good time for Hinata to just...look around his makeshift bedroom in slight awe.

“You, uh...really, uh...” He swallowed, glancing at the haphazard stacks of manga and textbooks on the table and a few neat stacks of various snack boxes. “You really made yourself at home...in this patient room...some of this is from your cottage, isn’t it...?”

“A couple of the books from the bookshelf, others from the library,” Matsuda said, and rummaged through one of the boxes for a few packages of rice crackers. “I wasn’t allowed to take the television and Usami most certainly whined at me, but y’know I don’t...give a shit...so it’s whatever.”

“It’s pretty quiet out here,” Hinata mused, looking out the window. “Even though the music venue’s on this island too, you can’t hear it at all from here. This hospital is...actually pretty isolated.”

“Yep,” he said. “Hence why it’s my preferred place of stay.”

Hinata nodded along. Matsuda tossed him a rice cracker and he caught it with a jump.

“Er... Thanks...” He pocketed the snack, swallowing as he did. “So you... Do you actually talk to anyone? Besides Komaeda, obviously, uh... What about Tsumiki?”

“That bitch?”

“Urk...” Matsuda looked so incredulous then that Hinata couldn’t help but falter, the corner of his lips twitching. “Well, she’s not like...an actual licensed doctor like you apparently are, but... She’s the Ultimate Health Committee Member and that...counts for something, right?”

“Hardly,” Matsuda huffed, affronted. “That’s like putting a hall monitor on the same level as a police officer. Oi, I may have skipped ahead a few years, but I did not suffer through grueling medical school to hear this level of bullshit.”

“...ah, sorry...” Wincing, Hinata ducked his head in apology. “I didn’t...mean anything by it.”

Matsuda waved him off with a sigh.

“It’s fine,” he grumbled. “Ms. Bitchtits Health Committee Member actually is more qualified than the typical idiot with a first aid kit. Sometimes she stops by, but... Well...”

He trailed off, thinking of crying and wailing that left his ears ringing for hours.

“...we’re not exactly amicable.”

That said, Tsumiki Mikan was someone who seriously, personally bothered him so much so that he tended to steer clear of her, metaphorical allergy to her sniveling aside.

“Yeah,” Hinata said, giving him an unimpressed look. “I’m not surprised to hear that. Tsumiki is...” A pause. “She’s...fragile. And you’re kind of a complete asshole.”

Oh, honey.

“Fragile and disturbed,” he quipped. “And you know it.”

Hinata flinched, and then his frown deepened.

“...Asshole,” he huffed back.

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Hinata Hajime...really was an unremarkable oddity. Painfully average but still among the talented and still one of the talented—urgh, his headache was starting up again like there was something intimately wrong with those words—then again, being typical in an atypical crowd technically flipped things around, right?

Though not knowing your own talent—that was just plain weird.

Then again... I feel like my memory’s not the best either. A lot of things are...a blur...and a headache.

He might need to take another pill soon.

“...Um... So...”

Ah, Hinata was talking again. And Matsuda remembered.

“Right,” he said. “Our date. Alright, let’s get going. I think I can walk.”

Hinata, eying him ever warily, nodded in response.

“I... Yeah...”

“Yep.”

Once again, the two of them were off.

--

He shouldn’t be surprised; thus, he shouldn’t be disappointed, but... Still...

“We...were on the third island anyway,” Hinata muttered lamely as Matsuda’s eyes narrowed. “A-And hey, the movies here actually aren’t too bad.”

Well, he told himself. It’s not like I’m with Hinata because I sought him out or anything.

“You take all the boys here, huh?” he asked. “Wow, you really are a manwhore.”

“Shut the hell up!” Hinata screeched. “You didn’t have to come!”

“Yes I did,” he retorted. “That’s the point of this trip, right? Collecting hope fragments. It’s okay. I’m used to being used. Let’s just make this quick and painless.”

Hinata flushed so red-hot that steam poured from his ears. Ever nonchalant, Matsuda shrugged it off.

“Y-You...” Hinata shook his head furiously. “You just...say whatever the hell you want, don’t you?”

“Yep.” He wouldn’t deny something that obvious. “This trait is hardly exclusive to me though so if you’ve been whoring yourself out as much as I know you have, you should be used to this kind of shit now, right?”

“I haven’t been...!” Hinata choked on air before he could even taste the word. “You... God, you’re beyond insufferable. I don’t have any idea how Komaeda could stand you.”

“Komaeda could also stand sucking my dick and it's a mystery to me too,” Matsuda said without thinking.

Hinata’s mouth fell open, eyes going blank. He did not speak. He did not even breathe.

“...joking,” Matsuda said, and Hinata wheezed.

“O-Oh my god, just fucking go!” he hissed and shoved Matsuda further. “G-Go... Go pick out a seat or...fucking something...!”

He very nearly shoved Matsuda into the glass door and...

He...definitely deserved that.

Honestly.

--

The inside of the theater smelled like salt, butter, and mistakes. He did rather like the font they used for the neon signs reading Ticket and Screen. Fucking brilliant. A real arthouse.

Already, rather eerily, there were snacks for selection and no one at the table. Usually this kind of situation would go horribly badly, but—this whole trip started with a talking magical stuffed rabbit thing. He’s probably not going to be poisoned or cursed if he eats the popcorn.

Not that he even wants any popcorn or anything.

“Popcorn’s a must, right?” Hinata asked as if he read his mind. Gross.

“I think... I’m good with my own snacks.” Aah, but... “I’ll grab a drink. I’m fucking thirsty.”

He grabbed the large cup and went straight to the soda machine. Thankfully, they had the good brands like Dr. Hopper. Actually pretty pleased with that, Matsuda filled his cup.

“Right,” he said and sipped his straw. “So, Hinata, what movie were you thinking of taking me to?”

Hinata froze, hand hovering over the hotdog he was prepared to grab. Seeming to think better of it—thank fucking god—Hinata dropped his hand.

“I don’t really know,” he admitted. “I didn’t actually think you’d go with me.”

“Ooh boy,” Matsuda sighed and took another sip.

“B-But there are all kinds of selections!” Hinata exclaimed hurriedly. “Like, uh... Horror?”

“Pass. I hate gore.”

“I, oh, but aren’t you—never mind that.” Hinata shook his head. “Uh, what about an action flick?”

“Action...” He paused, thinking about it. “Ehhhh, no. I’m not crazy about that either. Those can get pretty violent, too.”

Hinata gave him a withering look.

“Um... M... Mystery...?”

Poor thing looked completely lost. He really should spare some mercy.

Nah.

“Most mysteries about solving a murder case, right?” he asked. “Again. Not a fan of gore. Even if it’s only a little bit.”

“Then what do you want to see?!” Hinata demanded, sputtering.

Matsuda gave another pause and popped his lips before taking yet another sip.

“Mm...”

What I want, huh...?

He thought about it.

Well, if I was going to sit on my ass for two hours and stare at a screen, what I’d want to be playing on the screen would probably be...

“Anime.”

Hinata blinked once, twice, and seemed to have aged ten years in ten milliseconds.

“...anime,” he repeated.

“Anime,” Matsuda said. “Preferably one of the Ponpon movies. The fourth one is objectively the best but the seventh one is my personal favorite.”

“I’m not familiar with that series,” Hinata replied blankly.

“Aw, really? That’s a shame.” He sipped. “It’s a mainstream classic, y’know.”

Hinata once again just blinked at him. At least this time, he inhaled, exhaled.

“Anything...stand-alone?”

Matsuda hummed.

“...The Tale of Princess Kaguya.”

Hinata straightened up at that, perking.

“...Kaguya...?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know who Princess Kaguya is,” Matsuda sneered in disgust. Hinata quickly waved his hands.

“No, no! I do...! I just... That’s...” He bit his tongue. “Never mind. Let’s go see if they have it. Maybe they will? I... Hopefully they will, yeah...”

Hinata hurriedly scampered off to find the film reels. Matsuda went with him since he might as well, but he didn’t really need to be there. Hinata found the film reel he wanted, and the two of them could just go into the theater and take a seat without any problems.

Matsuda refilled his cup when he had the opportunity. He would have just taken a seat without any problems... But, Hinata, of course, made him go to the bathroom before they sat down.

Jerk.

--

Well... That went as expected.

Hinata seemed rather dazed as they walked out. Satisfied, Matsuda tossed his empty cup.

They hadn’t really spoken during the movie. If anything, they were almost obscenely quiet to the point where even when Hinata nibbled on his rice cracker, the sounds were as soft as crunching could be. And then, Hinata cried. And he tried in vain to hide it by rubbing his eyes until they swelled up more. Matsuda just watched the credits as Hinata shifted and squirmed.

Then they went to the bathroom, and Matsuda headed out of that quickly so Hinata could “discreetly” wash his face in peace. And now they were both here, standing in the lobby and not really looking at each other.

“...that was really good,” Hinata said finally, tugging at his tie. “It was...uh...really good. Really...pretty...”

“What can I say?” Matsuda asked. “I may half-ass a lot of things, but my taste is as refined as can be.”

“Uh...huh...” Hinata swallowed. “But, yeah, I actually really enjoyed that. Thanks.”

“This movie date was your idea,” he pointed out. “So, shouldn’t I be thanking you?”

“...uh.”

“What is that shit over there.”

“H-Hey, wait!”

Too late, Matsuda had already made a beeline for the table in the corner.

“What...is this?” Matsuda squinted as he picked up the tote bag, and he grimaced at the sight of a cutesy pick outline of Usami’s face in the corner. “Are they prizes or something...?”

“Oh, yeah, they are,” Hinata said, rubbing at the nape of his neck. “You’re supposed to get a free tote bag after your first movie, so uh... Guess Usami left one here for you.”

“Free shit that I’ll never need. Amazing.” A pause. “Well... Actually, a tote bag has a lot of use. I guess...this isn’t so bad, then...”

Hinata snorted. “Yeah, it’s not.”

“...These stickers, though...” There was a neat little stack of them, and Matsuda could almost feel Hinata grimace with how quickly the mood dropped at the mention of them. “Gross... Aren’t these of that creepy bear thing?”

“Urgh, yeah. Just...ignore those. Everyone else does.”

Matsuda wanted to, but he couldn’t help but see the text.

I’m sorry, I was born stupid.

“Wow. Charming.” Not that he didn’t have any room to talk and—urgh looking at the damn thing was giving him a major headache. How much of an eyesore could one tacky sticker be? “Mmgh...”

“Are you alright?” Hinata asked, suddenly worried. “You got...really pale for a moment there, Matsuda...”

“Did it...?” He winced as he rubbed at his temples. “Urgh...”

What even the hell is this?

“We should, uh, probably go back, right?” Hinata asked and for some reason, Matsuda felt his headache worsen, his vision blurring, Hinata’s very

figure

flickering.

What?

“O-Oi, Matsuda?!” Hinata seized his arm, and his focus snapped to attention with a recoil that left him stinging. Matsuda very nearly shuddered, and Hinata squeezed his wrist. “H-Hey... Can you hear me? Are... Are you alright, Matsuda...?”

Matsuda’s eyelids fluttered and he shook his head furiously.

“I...”

“Come on,” Hinata pulled at him. “You’re really not looking so good—I can go get Tsumiki...”

“No.”

Matsuda stood his ground, resisting the pull for now. Scratching irritably at his neck, he shrugged.

“I think... I just need to lie down for a bit.”

“I... Are you sure?” Hinata frowned. “If something’s really wrong...”

Hasn’t something been really wrong from the start?

He shoved that thought away.

What the hell ever.

“It’s whatever,” he said. “Just take me back to my room. Specifically, my room at the hospital, but saying take me to the hospital doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence that I’m fine or whatever, huh?”

“Not really,” Hinata agreed and sighed. “I... Alright... Come on, Matsuda. L... Let’s go back.”

“Yeah, yeah...”

--

It was starting to set and—it really was as radiant as Komaeda said it would be, with everything awash in a vibrant orange and pink.

Matsuda popped in one of his pills and took a swing from one of the water bottles he had stocked up.

“...long day,” he said, cracking his shoulders. “It seemed to go by so quickly.”

“That usually happens when you spend time with people,” Hinata said before pausing and adding, “I...think so anyway. I guess it depends on the person you’re spending time with.”

Well, he couldn’t disagree with that.

“...hey, Matsuda...?”

Matsuda perked up. Hinata seemed sheepish, almost tense as he averted Matsuda’s cool blue gaze.

“How are you feeling?”

Huh?

“You’re still worried about me?”

Hinata reddened considerably, scowling.

“Of course I am,” he snapped. “You acted really weird all of a sudden. It’s normal to still be a little concerned about that...”

Huh...

“Well, I’m fine,” Matsuda said. “So you don’t need to worry, yeah?”

“I see...” Hinata exhaled as if in relief. “Well, that’s good. Just be careful alright? Take it easy, or at least...try to...”

It’s almost like you actually care about me or something.

“Mm...” Matsuda set his water bottle aside to grab and toss Hinata another bag of snacks. Hinata once again caught it. “Here. Why don’t you take something for the road?”

Matsuda could see the gleam of a hope fragment with the snacks in Hinata’s grasp. With a squeeze, Hinata pocketed them both.

“...Thanks,” he said, still not looking at him. “For agreeing to go with me, and... That movie was nice. So...thanks for that, too.”

“You’re welcome,” Matsuda replied. “Thanks for taking me in the first place. You’re not so bad to hang out with... I guess...”

Hinata smiled wanly, the edge of it twisting.

“That’s something,” he said, laughing just a little. “Then... I’ll be seeing you later?”

“Yeah,” Matsuda said, raising his hand. “See ya.”

Hinata waved back, heading out, shutting the door with a soft click.

Matsuda plopped onto his bed.

...geez...

Well, that was something.

What even was that, anyway—

“Matsuda-kuuuun, you did so well, love, love!”

Whoosh, thwack.

“H-Huuuuuuueh?!”

Despite that initial freak-out, Usami’s ears drooped with resignation as she turned to see the familiar scalpel stuck in the wall. Another dot for the connect-the-dots outline. “U... Uuuu... Matsuda-kun... Why do you always throw knives at me?!”

“Shut up,” he chided. “Don’t show up without warning at a weird fucking hour. That’s rude. At least knock on the fucking door like a regular person.”

“I-I’m...!”

“Right,” he recalled. “Not a person.”

“I may not be human but I have the heart of a maiden!” Usami whined. “P-Please don’t think badly of your teacher... Uuu...”

“You’re too pitiful to think badly of,” he said. “So if you’re worried about that, you shouldn’t be. You’re just weird in a lot of ways—such as weird in that you’re afraid of a little tiny scalpel.”

“Yaaaaay!” Usami cheered, and Matsuda could only turn away and stare into the void.

...this is my bullshit life now.

“I am really proud of you, that said!” Usami went on with a chirp. “Are you feeling more hopeful now, Matsuda-kun?”

“That is one of the stupidest, most inane things you could have asked me.”

“U-Urk!” Usami flinched but admirably, kept on trying with that sugary, pleading smile. “Then... How do you feel now that you’ve deepened your bonds with a couple of your classmates, Matsuda-kun?”

She tilted her head. Matsuda pushed himself up, brushed past her, and reached out to pull out the scalpel from the wall. He observed the sheen of the blade, his reflection.

“...nostalgic,” he said. “Haunting.”

“H-Haunting?!” Usami squeaked. “Matsuda-kun, that’s such a worrying word to use! W-What’s wrong?! How can teacher help?!”

“You can leave,” he said. “Your squealing is making my headache worsen.”

“U-Uuuu!” Usami shrank in on herself. “Matsuda-kun... I really do just want to help...”

...I can believe that much. It’s just the method that I can’t help but question.

Something really does feel...incredibly wrong about this.

Urgh, and he kept getting headaches. It really was irritating.

“...it wasn’t bad,” he said, sighing. “Hanging out with people like that...wasn’t so bad.”

Usami lit up.

“Yay!” She positively beamed. “Just keep at it, Matsuda-kun! Strong bonds lead to a stronger heart!”

Not always.

Aah, that really hurt for some reason.

He looked towards the window, at that setting sun, at wine-dark ocean waves rolling underneath.

It really was nostalgic...and haunting.

But...not so bad, he supposed.

“Love, love!” Usami chirped. “A bright and shining hopeful future awaits on this lovey-dovey heart-throbbing island trip!”

“...if you say so.”

--

The birthplace of hopeful and shining futures—Hope’s Peak Academy. Revered and admired by the world at large, cradling the world itself at its fingertips. Yep, Hope’s Peak Academy was one hell of a place.

Nothing like a paradise built on the backs of the disenfranchised.

Matsuda couldn’t care less for this damned place at this point—by all accounts he should care even less for what was to become the Ultimate Hope Marionette in a sea of puppets where HPA cheerily pulled the strings.

And, yet.

He finds himself in the madman’s basement, scowling at the fucking cryptid in the middle of the room, atop the neatly made bed, staring at nothing with the creepiest pair of blood-red eyes.

“God, what are you—a fucking lamp? Or a houseplant?”

The cryptid perks up, red eyes gleaming in a way that totally wasn’t creepy or just plain fucking weird at all. Yeah, right. Seriously why the hell did they do that?

“Matsuda Yasuke-kun,” he acknowledges, cool and smooth. “Hello.”

Gross.

“Yo,” Matsuda said, raising his hand and shoving the cart forward. It only rolled ahead two feet. “Three guesses as to who the fucking idiot in charge of your daily examination is today and the first two don’t count.”

“It is you.”

“It’s me,” Matsuda replied, waving his hand. “Good, you’re still able to pick up on basic context clues. You need to exercise your brain to prevent atrophy just like with any of the other muscles in the body.”

“False.”

“Wow, do you hear that? It’s the sound of an input I didn’t fucking ask for. I’m taking off marks for that shit, no flower circle for you today. Nor a gold star, if that’s what you prefer.”

Blink. Blink.

“How boring.”

“I can’t believe the fucking lamp has the audacity to say that to me. That’s it—you fail the course. Try again next semester, you little shit.”

“You seem to be in a worse mood than usual,” he simply observed, shifting the way he sat ever so slightly. “Things have been harsher on you as of late, haven’t they?”

“Ew, did you just ask a question out of concern? Fucking stop that.” Matsuda pushed the cart a little more. “If you really want to know, Kamukura, it’s because I really don’t want to fucking be here right now.”

“You may leave, then,” Kamukura said. “You know as well as I do that this procedure is unnecessary.”

“It’s protocol you fucking idiot savant, necessity isn’t the issue here.” Somehow, he managed to push the cart enough that it was in the necessary vicinity. “Even if I did just leave to tell them there were no issues, I’d still have other shit on my plate I’d have to put up with. What I need is a break from fucking everything.”

Sighing, he started with the examinations, taking Kamukura’s temperature and checking his heartbeat.

“...Actually,” Matsuda found himself saying and almost couldn’t believe it himself. “A break sounds great. How about we go out for a bit?”

Blink. Blink. At least he didn’t have to worry about those creepy fucking eyes shriveling up anytime soon.

“We?”

“Look,” Matsuda sighed, pulling away. “Hinata used to have this healthy tan. You’re pallid like a goddamn corpse. It’s beyond creepy. For the sake of my sanity, you need to get out of this shitty lab every now and then and do fucking something.”

“...how dull...”

“It can’t be worse than sitting in a dark, empty room all day, right?” he snapped, pointing at him accusingly. “Well, whatever. I can’t actually make you do anything. Tch.”

He resumed the examination.

“After I finish with this,” Matsuda said. “I’m gonna postpone all other plans and leave campus for a bit. I’ll be waiting at the front gates for five minutes exactly. If you want to go, there’s your one and only window of opportunity. Got it?”

No response. Kamukura didn’t even seem to be looking at him.

With a scowl, Matsuda knocked him with the back of his fist. Even for a normal person it barely would’ve hurt, so, of course, Kamukura didn’t so much twitch. But, he did glance at him.

“Goooot it?” he droned. “Do you understaaaaaaand?”

“...Yes.” Kamukura nodded blankly. “Of course I do.”

“Good,” Matsuda huffed. “Geez, you’re so fucking obnoxious.”

--

The examination went as expected. He did his reports as expected, not so much as batting an eyelash at the leering and sneering from a bunch of gross older men whose faces blurred into a series of wrinkles. The same shit as always. What was he supposed to do at this point besides dish the usual salt and spite?

In the end, he was still under their thumb.

Theirs and hers.

For a place called Hope’s Peak, I’m being crushed, aren’t I? Ha. Ha.

Aah, what even was the point of it all?

He could ask himself that endlessly, but regardless of what answer he came up with, it’s not like he would live any other way.

Which is why a break wouldn’t just necessary, it was downright optimal. If he continued down this path without taking any breaks, he might end up snapping and trying to strangle the fucking Class Rep or something.

Yeah, that’d be...bad.

So no hard feelings about just fucking off today. None whatsoever.

The sun was as merrily bright as ever, the sky a sickeningly vibrant blue, and Matsuda had never been happier to just fucking leave this hellhole.

But he told himself he was going to stick around for five minutes, and he actually set a timer on his phone to make extra sure.

That asshole wouldn’t even appreciate this level of dedication. Then again, his brain didn’t even have room for appreciation with all that supposed talent stuffed in.

Why am I even doing this, then?

The situation was the same with the last question.

“Gross,” he grumbled. “Am I a fucking softie deep down after all?”

Were those reserve girls right about me? Ew. Ew.

“Urgh, I need to stop thinking about it...”

He checked his timer, and then...before he really realized it, he was watching it count down.

He might not even show up.

He might not even bother.

So why should I?

Why should I—

Beep, beep, beep.

“Matsuda Yasuke-kun.”

Matsuda perked up, and, sure enough, there Kamukura stood, broody nonchalance as expected, right on the dot.

“...Could have showed up earlier, asshole.”

Unsurprisingly, Kamukura ignored that remark.

“Where did you plan on going?”

“Out,” he said. “Of here and this place. At least for a bit.”

“That is vague,” Kamukura replied. His expression didn’t change but Matsuda could just tell the guy was unimpressed.

“You’ll figure it out,” Matsuda scoffed and held out his hand. “Now, come on. Let’s hurry so that we don’t miss the train. We’re holding hands so that I don’t have to risk you wandering off, i-di-ot.”

Kamukura reached out and took his offered hand. He squeezed it once and then went limp like any doll would. Still, he followed Matsuda’s stride when Matsuda tugged him along.

And, really, wasn’t that the only thing that mattered?

I should just stop bothering with the whole thinking thing altogether.

--

He bought them both tickets, and he really shouldn’t have been surprised that with all the empty spaces on the train, Kamukura deemed appropriate to sit right next to him.

“You could have at least tied your fucking hair back.”

“Boring.”

“Urgh, you’re worthless at conversing.”

“False. One of my talents is Ultimate Conversationalist. I simply have no interest in exercising it.”

“...you’re worthless in general.”

No response to that. Kamukura just sat and stared at nothing as he always did.

Matsuda only sighed.

“This is your first time leaving the nest,” he said. “The least you could fucking do is fidget or something.”

“Boring.”

“Yeah that’s what I figured.” Another sigh. “Then just keep lookout, alright? I don’t want anyone who knows me to see us together. Can you do that?”

“I can.”

“...will you?”

“Boring.”

Matsuda’s eye twitched.

“...Taking that as a yes, you braindead talent gorilla. Consider yourself lucky.”

“Correct. I have Ultimate Luck as well.”

Matsuda stared into the void.

I might just be a masochist after all.

“False. You are more likely a mere sadist.”

“What the actual FUCK did I tell you about reading minds, you fucking fuckwit?!”

“Not to do it.”

“THEN DON’T DO IT?!”

“Boring.”

At this rate Matsuda was going to strangle him. And that would just go badly for everyone involved, he just knew it. Especially if it turned out he did have a sadistic streak, like Kamukura suggested.

Urgh. And Kamukura’s fucking hair was in his face. Urgh.

--

In the end, one of the first things he did after reaching their destination was buy a hair tie. He had to pull Kamukura’s hair back himself, and, unfortunately, he had enough experience with this kind of bullshit to actually pull it back into a pretty neat ponytail.

Gross.

“Wow, now you actually look like a human and not that fucking creepy-ass ghost bitch that apparently enters via TV,” he said, pulling away. “Too bad you’re never going to feel human. Despairing.”

Matsuda’s face twisted a bit at the taste of that last word, but, of course, Kamukura didn’t comment on it.

“...Right. Let’s keep walking.”

The city was bustling as ever, several people just walking about and minding their own business. Flashing billboards and traffic lights, cars rushing by, skyscrapers that really matched the name... It was noisy and obnoxious and he felt better already.

Kamukura stuck by closer than he had to, but Matsuda overlooked that for now.

“Let’s see,” he hummed. “What to do, what to do... Hey, Kamukura, one of your talents is Ultimate Tourist, right?”

“Yes. That said, I do not care.”

“Man,” Matsuda whistled. “You really are such a waste of science and space that it seriously pisses me off sometimes.”

But, at this point, I’m just resigned to it like I’m resigned to all the other shitty stuff in my life.

“Let’s just go around and do whatever meets my fancy,” he said. “Since you’re worthless, I’ll have to pull both our weights. I won’t hear any complaints.”

Kamukura said nothing to that. Good.

The talent gorilla could listen after all.

--

True to this word, they just did whatever he felt like.

The walked around for a bit to observe different buildings, and he did some shopping for new slippers and sandals. Kamukura followed him around like a dutiful dog, but remained rather quiet and largely disinterested even when Matsuda wandered around a museum to stare at various sculptures and paintings. Or when Matsuda dragged him to a rather high-end restaurant. Kamukura only seemed interested in nibbling on bread. But, when Matsuda ordered him a soup, he was more focused on ‘fixing’ it with spices than actually eating it.

It really, really was to be expected. But, at least Kamukura did eat it all. No reaction, though. At least, on his face.

“The food at Hope’s Peak is vastly superior to this. So why eat here? Is it just for the experience?”

“Of course it’s for the experience, you dumbass.”

They still got ice cream at one of the stands afterwards.

“I’m getting strawberry, and you’re getting...?”

“I don’t care.”

“Vanilla, then. Got it.”

Kamukura finished his ice cream as swiftly as the soup. Again, no reaction, and this time, not even so much as any additional commentary afterwards.

And so it went.

“There are various shows at the theatre,” Kamukura said after they passed the theatre in question. “Do you have no interest in that?”

“Do you?”

“...No, I do not.”

And went.

“This city doesn’t have much, but even here there are binoculars,” Matsuda muttered as they waited in the glass elevator, watching the city go lower and lower as they got higher and higher. “I wonder if that’s a must-have for any big city... Or something like that?”

“How boring,” Kamukura replied. “So boring.”

Matsuda snorted.

“At this rate, you might upgrade from lamp to animatronic. I guess that’s impressive in a despairing way.”

And isn’t that what the researchers want? Ultimate Hope Puppet.

Either way, Kamukura gave no further verbal comment. Matsuda sneezed.

“Urgh.”

They arrived at the highest floor. People were more scattered and there was a lot more space to walk without having to avoid brushes of accidental contact. Matsuda made a beeline for the binoculars mounted on the stalk. Kamukura followed, ever dutiful, and for a moment, Matsuda paused to look out the wide windows showcasing endless blue. There were barely any clouds in sight.

“Alright, let’s see what fuckers are jaywalking.”

“You would really waste money and time on such a worthless activity?” Kamukura asked.

Matsuda merely flashed the yen coin before slotting it in.

“Of fucking course.”

He had plenty of coins and plenty of time to kill even now, so why the hell not, right?

“Hey,” he said after a few attempts. “Try this. I want to know how many you get. My record’s fourteen.”

“How boring.”

“Fucking do it, Kamukura.”

Kamukura rolled his eyes but he did step forward, poised and ready. Matsuda entered the coin and sucked in his breath.

Kamukura only moved as fast as the binoculars would allow him but it was still pretty fast. People were even staring. This might’ve been a bad idea.

Aah, to hell with it, Matsuda decided, rubbing at his neck. It’s only for what, two minutes and a half?

“Seventy-seven.”

“Wow. What the fuck.”

“I could sense hundreds more,” Kamukura said. “But with these binoculars I could only explicitly observe seventy-seven.”

Matsuda nodded, unsurprised yet mildly impressed. Not that he’d ever show it.

“Do you think you could observe more if I slot in another coin?”

Kamukura’s eyes narrowed.

“That would be a waste of time and money.”

“I’m doing it.”

Matsuda didn’t even skip a beat and slotted in another coin.

--

Before he knew it, the sun was setting, and they’d definitely need to get going. Well, shit.

“Time really flies,” Matsuda sighs. “I guess it’s a matter of what you’re doing and who you’re spending your time with. Or something.”

“Time passes as it always does,” Kamukura said. “It is merely your awareness of it that shifts.”

Matsuda gave a harder, heavier sigh.

“We really should hurry back,” he said. “It’s risky for you to be gone for this long although, I’m sure you can circumvent any issues that arise.”

“I can.”

“It must be nice,” Matsuda went on. “Having no worries and no feelings whatsoever.”

Suddenly, Kamukura stopped in his tracks. Matsuda paused as well. Others continued to bustle about, the world continued turning. Matsuda, however, did not turn back.

“You got something to say?” he simply asked.

“I...” Kamukura paused. “It is not nice. It is merely nothing at all. It is boring.”

“Is that it?” Matsuda asked, turning to him with a raised brow. “You’re really disappointed about us not having time for the theatre after all, huh? It’s your fault. You took so long to eat your damn food.”

Kamukura said nothing, his lips drawn in an impassive line.

“Maybe next time,” Matsuda said. “With any luck—which I know you have—there’ll actually be something decent playing. Or something. We could also try an amusement park or something. They might have a Ferris Wheel, which would probably be better for jaywalker-spotting. That might be something.”

One of the first rides I ever went on was the Ferris Wheel because that bitch dragged me onto it.

Still, no response.

“C’mon,” Matsuda said, gesturing with his shoulder. “We got a train to catch, remember?”

He walked back and took Kamukura’s hand to pull him along.

“God, you really are so fucking hopeless.”

--

There wasn’t anyone else in the train car with them on the ride back. This time, at least, Kamukura sat across instead of right next to him. With the orange, dulling light, Matsuda felt his eyelids flutter. He yawned and began to slump.

“Mm... Wake me up when we’re nearing our stop... Mmgh...”

“Matsuda Yasuke-kun.”

Matsuda perked up blearily, squinting with confusion and irritation.

“...what is it?”

“Tell me,” Kamukura said. “What was your true motive for all of this? Leaving campus, insisting I go with you, dragging me along to all these mundane locations, subjecting me to unremarkable experiences... Would you truly have done all that if you were alone?”

“Aah, what’s this? The supposed savant of everything actually asking a question he doesn’t know the answer to?”

“It is not like that,” Kamukura replied, almost snappily. “I merely wish to hear your answer in your own words.”

“...does that matter to you?”

No initial response.

“Answer my initial question,” Kamukura demanded coldly.

If he were anyone else, he most certainly would have been intimidated. But, he was himself, so he didn’t really care. With a sigh, Matsuda leaned his head back and sighed.

“...seeing you sitting despondently in that empty lab, all day, every day, really seriously pissed me off. I wanted to drag you out of there if only for a little bit. But, as you know, I can’t exactly force you to do anything...”

“Why?” Kamukura asked when he started to trail off. “Do you have a personal reason as to why you had such a desire?”

...a personal reason...

Matsuda’s gaze narrowed sharply.

So that’s what this is about.

“...back when I was a kid, my mom died from sickness,” he found himself saying. “Her condition had been so bad that my dad, the fucker, had packed his bags and fucked off somewhere. When she finally died—unsurprisingly, I didn’t take it well.”

But I wonder if you already figured all that. It’s on my file.

Did Kamukura care enough to read that?

It didn’t matter.

“I didn’t leave my house for over a week. I barely left my room if I could help it. I mostly ate snacks, pissed in some bottles, spent most of my time sleeping or...lying around reading manga...” Matsuda laughed softly and dismally. “It got so despairing that even that stupid, dumb cheap bitch got worried.”

How long ago was that...? What day was it? What was even the season?

He didn’t remember. He knows that the sky must have been the same, at least.

“If that idiotic childhood friend of mine didn’t take matters into her own hands... If she hadn’t dragged me out then...and again...and again...when I otherwise would have been content to just wasting away like any other corpse...” Matsuda shook his head. “Well, even now I’m a dead man walking...all thanks to that girl. So I guess...seeing you like that... I couldn’t help but interfere.”

And Kamukura merely sighed.

“...I see,” he said. “So you had an underlying compassion after all. How boring. I predicted this.”

“Now don’t get the wrong idea,” Matsuda said, just as coolly. “It’s definitely not like I’m a good person for doing all this, y’know?”

With the harshness of the orange, the shadows looked so much darker. The world looked all the duller under such vibrancy.

“A good person wouldn’t have helped make you.”

Without even a pause.

“...I know this.”

“Good,” Matsuda huffed. “It’s best not to forget something like that. After all, my childhood friend—she is, without question, the worst person to ever live.”

“...you’ve told me as much before,” Kamukura said, quieter than usual.

With that, Matsuda let his eyes fall shut.

--

It was starting to get dark when they returned to the gates of Hope’s Peak Academy.

“Aah... Wow, it’s...late.”

“Yes.”

Matsuda scratched at his scalp, grumbling.

“Wow, I seriously wasted a day like that... Pretty impressive for a waste of space.” A pause. “Sorry. Two wastes of space.”

“You seem proud of yourself.”

“I’m a pretty proud waste of space,” Matsuda said. “That’s all there is to it.”

Kamukura hummed noncommittally.

“Before you go and become one with the fucking night like I’m sure you’ve always wanted to do,” he went on. “Remember what I said, alright? Don’t stay in that dinky empty lab all the damn time if you can help it. Even if I’m not there to take you somewhere, it wouldn’t hurt to just...go for a walk by yourself.”

There was a rustle from the cold late breeze. It really was quiet, save for the hooting of some owl he’s sure tamed by the creepy wannabe goth freak from the class opposite of his.

“You never know what you’ll find, even if you just stick to here,” he found himself saying. “There are all kinds of colorful characters at Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“How boring.” Kamukura’s look seemed to darken—or maybe that was just the shadows. “I could not care less for the lesser talented individuals frolicking about.”

“I figured you wouldn’t,” Matsuda sighed. “But I think it’s best to not limit the faces you see to the ugly mugs of the researchers and mine. That’ll definitely make your brain molder.” He waved his finger. “And if nothing else, blue skies and green grass are more stimulating than gray floors, gray walls, and that gray as fuck ceiling I’m sure you memorized by now.”

“I have,” Kamukura said.

Matsuda snorted. “Of course you have; so you see my point.”

“Yes,” he replied. “But I could offer an easy counter.”

“Well, don’t,” Matsuda scowled. “Instead just listen to what I have to say. Let the words fucking soak into that overstuffed brain of yours.”

Kamukura stared back, and in this increasing dark, those crimson eyes were the only source of light save for the scattered stars above.

Fucking. Creepy.

“I’m done talking,” Matsuda said. “So go...disappear off into the fucking night like a goddamn ghost. I won’t keep you waiting.”

And yet, Kamukura waited a little while longer.

“...today was not unpleasant,” he said. “When do you predict we will be able to do this again?”

Matsuda blinked.

“...Aah, what’s this?” he asked. “The supposed savant of everything actually asking a question he doesn’t know the answer to?”

“...I am not omniscient, Matsuda-kun,” Kamukura said. “You know that. You know me better than anyone or anything.”

...do I...?

Another rustling breeze.

Do I really?

...

When you put it like that, it’s almost like we’re friends or something.

Disgusting.

“...Kamukura, I...” He stopped himself, ducking his head. No... “I don’t know. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Good night.”

Kamukura reached up and pulled out his hair tie, shaking his head and letting his hair fall freely. He returned it quietly, and Matsuda took it back.

Of course. The researchers would question if he suddenly had a hair tie on him.

Matsuda squeezed it, and by then, Kamukura was already long gone.

It would be a cold, lonely trip back to his dorm. But it was alright.

Tomorrow would be another bright and shining day at Hope’s Peak Academy—and it would be hell as it always is.

--

Bright. Shining. Hopeful.

“This is an announcement from Hope’s Peak Academy’s School Trip Executive Committee! Good mooooorning, everyone, love, love! It’s another hopeful, shining, tropical day! Everyone, do your best and give it your all! Love, love!”

Hell.

“Urgh... Too early for this shit...”

Matsuda threw an arm over his eyes with a heavy sigh.

I’m in charge of collecting materials today, right? Troublesome.

Considering he tended to get partnered up with one of the aggressive athlete meatheads, he’d risk the door keeping knocked off the hinges if he took too long to show up. And then he’d have to ask that simpering neon shark-face mechanic to fix the damn thing.

For fuck’s sake... I don’t want to do that.

And so, Matsuda pushed himself up.

...But I need to keep collecting hope fragments, huh...?

“Mmm...”

I need to keep a closer eye on Komaeda out of principle... And Hinata... Well, he’s...

...also someone I feel the need to be close to...for whatever reason...

Ugh. It was way too early for a headache.

Matsuda scowled as he popped in some pills and swallowed.

“...making friends...” He sighed. “Geez, I’ve never had friends before in my life. What makes that rabbit bitch think I could possibly make friends?”

After mom died... No, even before that... I’ve never been close to anyone before...

...right?

“Ugh...” His head really was throbbing, but the medicine would kick in soon enough, and he would, rather blissfully, just stop thinking. “Doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter.”

He slid his legs off the bed and stood, going straight to the window, showcasing what really was, for all intents and purposes, an island paradise.

“Another vacation day in hell,” he muttered sardonically, and yanked the curtains closed.

[magioftheseas]

Even Still

Summary: A haircut, a nightmare, breakfast, and another day.

Rating: G

Warnings: Brief discussion of trauma and a nightmare.

Notes: This is another commission. This one’s for @photoshopronpa who I really hope enjoys it~! Writing Himiko was pretty fun, and I hope you find it cute. The harumeno is pretty understated but part of that is because Maki’s as tsun as she is. >w<;;

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

Commission? Donate?

She had decided to cut her hair that morning. And, unsurprisingly, Yumeno had overreacted when she walked in.

“A-Ahhhhh! W-What are you doing, Harumaki?!”

“Quiet.” She once again slices her knife through her hair, letting several raven strands flutter to the floor. “I thought you were meditating, Yumeno.”

“I-I did meditate!” Yumeno fiddles nervously with her fingers. “My mana’s been...fully restored so, um... I decided to check on Harumaki and you’re...using your knife for that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked. “I am most familiar with it.”

“...You’re supposed to be using scissors...” Yumeno really seemed bothered, pinching at her fringe. “I know we have them. Shuuichi uses them.”

Maki hummed noncommittedly, grabbed another handful of her hair, and sliced.

And Yumeno squealed.

“HEEEEY! Your ends are all uneven, Harumaki! Y-You don’t have any experience cutting your hair at all, do you?!”

“So what if I don’t?” she snapped, flicking more strands from her hand. “Mind your own business.”

“Nooooooo!!” Yumeno stomped her foot, over and over again. “No, no, nooooo!!!”

Maki’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Do you want to die?”

Yumeno’s eyes were shut tight so that she didn’t see Maki’s glare, and she shouted louder so that she couldn’t hear the just as dangerous lowering in Maki’s tone.

“NOOOOOOOO!!!”

Annoyingly, Maki didn’t have any other options.

...urgh.

--

“Ehehe, with my magic, I’ll make Harumaki’s hair all nice and tidy just like mine...” Yumeno giggled as she adjusted her cloak around Maki’s shoulders as a makeshift barber cape. Maki only rolled her eyes.

“Just get it over with.”

“Like this, our hair will be matching, Harumaki,” Yumeno hummed, combing through Maki’s hair. “That’s right, that’s right... Everyone knows spring rolls are best in warm bunches...”

Maki flustered a little and huffed.

“Just get it over with.”

“Okay!”

And so, she started.

“Alakazam!” Yumeno exclaimed as she snipped at Maki’s ends. “Abracadabra!”

Maki wrinkled her nose and remained stoically silent.

“Whoosh, whoosh!”

She continued to say nothing.

“Snip, snip!”

It’s not as though there were anything to say.

“Hocus pocus!”

Around the time Yumeno finished, Saihara had returned.

“Ah, I’m back, sorry for the...”

“BEHOLD!!!” Yumeno exclaimed loudly, flapping her cloak to add extra flair and wrenching it away. Maki, unruffled, merely stood and smoothed out the wrinkles of skirt. She gave Saihara an unimpressed look as Yumeno brandished her with pride. “Tadah! I have transformed Harumaki completely!”

“It was just my hair, Yumeno,” she said, irritated.

“But it looks great!” Saihara exclaimed and then went and fetched a mirror to show her. “See, Harukawa-san? Yumeno-san did an incredible job.”

“Of course I did! It was magic!” Yumeno huffed, hands on her tiny hips. “Now pet me, Shuuichi!”

“Haha, alright, alright...”

Maki took the mirror, staring at herself. Cold red eyes blinked back, a cold, pale face kept its twisting, deep frown... And her once long black hair was now short and a little curly at its ends, carefully layered with a slight wave. Slowly, Maki smoothed it down, lips parting just a bit.

When she lowered the mirror, Yumeno was still preening under Saihara’s head pats. Those small, thin fingers were clinging to Saihara’s sleeve so that he wouldn’t stop until she was satisfied. Despite that, Saihara seemed as content as he was resigned to his fate. But, still, Maki could see the tiredness in his gaze as he turned to her.

Despite that tiredness, there was...an expectancy to it.

...sometimes I can just see how he took after that idiot.

“It’s not bad,” she said. Yumeno perks up, eyes sparkling. “Thank you... Yumeno.”

Sometimes, she is still envious at how Yumeno can smile the brightest out of all of them.

Even so, that gracious, innocent smile and delighted giggle still managed to stir her heart.

--

Living with Yumeno and Saihara, unsurprisingly, continued to take some getting used to. But it’s not because of their living conditions, not really. Maki has memories of crowded orphanages so she doesn’t bat an eyelash at sharing a small house with two other people. But, providing for themselves and that tiny house was difficult.

So Saihara got a job first, and Maki soon followed. Yumeno had tried, but she got overwhelmed quickly.

She had been depressed about that for a while. It was to be expected all the same.

And she bounced back quickly.

Yumeno had only been getting better about that. Maki found that as enviable as she did admirable.

Not that she would ever let Yumeno know. For someone so small, she could get quite the swelled head.

“Harumaki,” Yumeno said. “If you have any questions, then feel free to ask me. I’m an expert on short hair.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

“Okay.”

Even over stupid things like this.

...But at least Yumeno wasn’t bothered. She was a good sport, at least.

Maki found that enviable as well.

--

Tonight, Yumeno once again wakes up in a cold sweat and eyes full of tears. It isn’t long before her shivering body curls in on itself, and she whines.

“U-Uuu... Uu...”

It’s another one of those nights, and Maki wasn’t getting any sleep anyway. With how close the three of them sleep together, she doesn’t have any hope of simply ignoring Yumeno’s muffled crying.

She wasn’t going to anyway.

“Yumeno.”

“H...Harumaki...” Yumeno scrambles to cling to her, and soaks her blouse with tears. Maki, ever used to this, merely strokes her hair. Yumeno sobs softly, shoulders tensing, and breaths hitching. “Haru... Makiiiiii...”

“Shhh.”

Maki’s hushing is careful. Here, she cannot help but be careful. After all...she has more than enough “experience” with crying orphans. And that is, more or less, what they all are.

Especially in a world like this one.

“What did you remember?” Maki asked quietly.

“T-Tenko,” Yumeno snuffled. “S-She... She was smiling...and laughing... With Angie... I-I was...too... And then...they started choking on their own blood...”

“Shhh. Do not share more than what is necessary, Yumeno.”

Yumeno’s shaking worsened.

“U-Uuu...”

“Shhh. Shhhhhh.”

This scene was not an unfamiliar one. Maki still remembers, however coldly, the time Yumeno had first woken up, face awash with tears, cold sweat, and a running nose. She had tried, rather pitifully, to turn away when she noticed Maki watching her. When Maki approached her, touching her shoulder, she curled into a smaller ball. It wasn’t until she gently said her name that Yumeno threw herself into Maki’s stiff embrace. Said embrace had relaxed, of course, but it had still been...

Strange. Uncomfortable.

Even now, it was strange and uncomfortable. But perhaps that was because of Yumeno’s crying face and the frailty of the small body curled so closely with her own.

With time, Yumeno tires herself out on crying, but...not so much that she falls back asleep. She hasn’t done in a while.

“...Eye hurts...” Yumeno rubs at the eye in question. “Harumaki... Uu... Pet my hair, please.”

Maki does so, and she listens to Yumeno’s soft sigh, and the steady breathing of Saihara close by.

“...Shuuichi...” Yumeno squirms a bit. “He’s okay, right? I case a spell on him to give him good dreams...but I didn’t have enough mana for myself... That’s okay, though...because I have Harumaki...”

She’s grateful for the darkness at a time like this.

“Saihara is sleeping fine,” she said. “You didn’t wake him.”

Yumeno nodded a few times, lower lip jutting out.

“He seemed depressed the other day...”

Maki said nothing, but she knew why that was. It was her own fault. She had tied her hair back and someone stopped her, asking if they knew her from somewhere.

“You really look like Harukawa Maki from the last season of Dangan—”

Saihara had thought quickly, calling her a different name and dragged her away. But not before apologizing profusely. They were in a hurry, after all.

“...Do not concern yourself with that.”

Yumeno pouted. Still, she nodded. She knew better, after all.

“...does it have something to do with why you cut your hair?”

...or perhaps not.

“Do you want to die?”

“Wah!” Yumeno gave a squeak, and hid her face in Maki’s chest. “Scary! D-Don’t make me cast up a magic shield! I-I would...if I...had mana to spare... But I-I can muster some up if I focus hard enough...”

That other idiot rubbed off on you.

Maki petted her hair and said nothing.

Yumeno slowly unburied her face, and reached up, touching the ends of Maki’s hair. Almost as though she were ascertaining its presence.

“...Harumaki,” Yumeno said. “Um... Thank you.”

Maki blinked once.

“It is nothing,” she replied, sighing.

Yumeno nodded in return. She didn’t say anything else.

For a moment, neither did Maki. Silence dragged until Maki’s impatient brow furrowed.

“Are you going back to sleep or not, Yumeno? You should.”

Yumeno grumbled.

“Can’t I enjoy being wrapped up in a warm spring roll for a bit longer?”

“...I would rather you sleep, Yumeno.”

Yumeno was quiet for a bit. Maki could tell from her breathing that she still wasn’t sleeping.

“...Harumaki...” Yumeno buried her face again. “For being such a toasty spring roll, you’re cold.”

I’ve still much to learn.

“Sleep, Yumeno. Please.”

“Aah, the magic word.” Yumeno yawned. “Okay, then... Mm, mm...”

She drifted to sleep soon after that. But for a little longer, Maki stroked her hair as she stared blankly at nothing in particular. Her heartbeat against Yumeno’s cheek was a steady one.

--

“Good morning!!! Rise and shine!!”

“Says the one up last,” Maki said coolly as she buttered a piece of toast. Saihara just chuckled.

“It’s good you’re up with so much energy again, Yumeno-san.”

“My mana has been fully restored!” Yumeno said, puffing out her chest with hands on her hips. All with twinkling eyes and a stern brow. “That nap was most magically efficient. Definitely...!”

“It’ll be better when you eat, Yumeno-san.” Saihara waved her over. “Harukawa-san already prepared a plate for you.”

“Yay!” Yumeno plopped down, sending the usual prayer before digging in. “Mm, mm.”

...Chabashira said Yumeno looked like a small animal when she eats.

“Mm, mm. Mm, mm.”

...she was not wrong.

“Mm, mm.”

Maki buried those thoughts quickly.

“Mm, mm... Harumakiiii,” Yumeno spoke with her mouthful. Not the most attractive, but Maki, in thinking of a bunch of messy-faced orphans with cheeks just as full of food, was unaffected. “Thank youuuuu f...fer the meal.”

“It is nothing,” she said, eyes falling shut as she took a sip of her juice.

“We do appreciate it a lot, Harukawa-san,” Saihara added a bit uselessly. But, that was the kind of person he was. A sidekick to his core.

“...It is nothing.”

But hopefully Yumeno does not have him help her perform any ridiculous magic tricks. Especially when we’re still keeping a low profile.

After they’re done eating, Saihara washes the dishes. Yumeno fiddles with the remote, hesitating again on whether or not she should turn the television on. Maki said nothing.

She said nothing even when Yumeno plopped onto her lap with a sigh.

“I can tell they won’t have anything on,” she said. “And I’m not in the mood to watch anything anyway.”

It goes without saying that such was usually the case with all of them. Saihara would watch the news station, but it certainly wasn’t because he enjoyed it.

Saihara was drying the dishes quietly. When he put them away, there was a bit of clattering.

“Mm...” Yumeno squirmed a bit. “You two have the day off, right? I can do...a magic show if you want. Like a small one. I’m sure I can.”

“Ah, actually, I’m taking a night shift, Yumeno-san,” Saihara said. Maki could hear the rueful smile in his tone. “I’m sorry. Maybe later?”

“Oh...” Yumeno hummed, slumping only a little. “I see...”

“...sorry...”

“It can’t be helped,” Maki said.

“...yeah, don’t worry about it, Shuuichi...”

They both could tell she was disappointed. Maki felt Saihara’s glance at them, and then, she had to sigh.

“But...if you want, I don’t mind seeing some magic.”

Yumeno blinked up at her.

“The spell you did earlier to change my appearance was impressive,” she said, playing with her hair. It was irksome, fiddling with shorter strands than she was used to. But she’d manage. And... They really weren’t half-bad. “So... I don’t mind seeing more.”

Yumeno’s eyes were sparkling.

“Ooh! It was! Now Harumaki is prettier...just like me.” She blushed, flattered. “Aah...”

Maki heard Saihara make an odd noise.

“I-I’ll make! So many flowers bloom from behind Harumaki’s ears!” Yumeno exclaimed. “Enough to make flower crowns for both of us!”

“...”

...I’m curious.

Even though Saihara did laugh at that, she was definitely curious.

It was to be another day Yumeno managed to impress her.