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emeto-omo · 5 years ago

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I saw your post about McHanzo prompts, so I was wondering if you might be willing to write something where Hanzo takes Mcree out to eat. Mcree’s stomach feels a little funny, but he doesn’t say anything because he doesn’t want to ruin anything, and food actually seems to help, so he winds up eating a lot, but then his stomach actually winds up extremely sick, and Hanzo has to rub it to help him burp and throw up and he’s just miserable the rest of the night because his stomach is so upset.

((Sorry it took so long, anon! I’ll also be adding this to my Ao3 too! https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmetoOmo/works ))Title: Dinner and a Tummy RubCharacters: Hanzo Shimada, Jesse McCreeSummary: It’s their anniversary, and Hanzo has made a reservation at a local hibachi restaurant. McCree, not feeling well, buries it all to enjoy a wonderful anniversary dinner with his boyfriend.

----Hanzo Shimada was not one for anniversaries. Outside of his annual visit to his brother’s shrine, he really didn’t care much to observe any. Jesse McCree, however, lived for them and it was on that premise that Hanzo found himself downstairs watching the clock, waiting on McCree to get ready and praying they didn’t miss their reservation.

“Now I’m ready,” McCree said, coming down the stairs with a shit eating grin on his face. The cowboy looked…well…pretty much like he always looked. Maybe a bit cleaner, and not wearing his usual shoulder draping. Definitely a bit rough, however, for their formal dinner plans.

Hanzo stood in stark contrast to him in black slacks, a white pinstripe button up shirt, and a blue and dark grey vest. “You are wearing that?” Hanzo asked.

“What?” McCree asked, looking down at his clothes. “These are my lucky pants!”

“There are no less than three bullet holes in them. I would hardly call them lucky.” Hanzo sighed.

“I ain’t dead, am I?” McCree retorted, a winning grin on his lips.

Despite his usually stoic demeaner, Hanzo couldn’t help but to crack a half smirk. “Come then, before we are too late and they send us back home.”

“There’s always McDonalds…” McCree reminded him, following him out the door.

----

The car ride over had unsettled McCree’s stomach, turning what had been a mild gnawing in the pit of his tummy all day had become more of a slow churn. Truth be told, he’d been so excited that Hanzo had made reservations, he’d avoided food just to be sure he would have room for dinner. Certainly some food would settle it some, right?

Hanzo wasn’t entirely into the Hibachi scene, a little too much show for his taste, but he knew that McCree got a big kick out of the theatrics. Though he had called it formal, it was truly Hanzo that was overdressed for the venue. A quiet table in the corner had been reserved for them…even after the manager had explain painstakingly that they didn’t do reservations for parties of two. It was nothing a little money couldn’t fix.

“Ya really went all out, Han,” McCree smirked, taking a seat and sitting his cowboy hat in the empty seat to the other side of him.

Hanzo sat and rolled his sleeves up to the elbows. “That is what you keep telling me anniversaries are for.” He said, a bit of mirth in his tone.

McCree took in his lover’s appearance, the way a few women across the room kept shooting flirty glances in his direction, giggling to each other. McCree chuckled, making Hanzo look up at him, clueless he was being eyeballed. “What?”

“Rollin up yer sleeves like that, yer givin’ off serious Daddy vibes.” McCree joked, barely able to say it with a straight face. He knew exactly how ridiculous he sounded, and it was all worth it to see the look on Hanzo’s face.

“Daddy…vibes?” He asked confused, a slight cant to his head.

“Yeah, ya know? Daddy vibes. Them…uh…Kristen Grey feels from that Grey movie.” McCree said, watching Hanzo die inside as he butchered that.

“…Christian Grey?”

“Ah! So ya do watch those movies!” McCree said victorious. He had come down stairs one night a few months back and caught Hanzo on the couch watching 50 Shades of Grey, the archer insisting that he had simple had indigestion and was merely dozing where he sat up…McCree was fairly sure he’d been pretty intent in watching it.

“You can spend this anniversary alone, I can go back home,” Hanzo said, crossing his arms, pink creeping across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

McCree only smiled all the more. “Na, it’s alright, I won’t dog on yer terrible movie taste. Ya watch my spaghetti westerns without complainin’,” he chuckled, the fun mood making him forget about the turmoil in his tummy.

Hanzo settled into a comfortable, faux broody silence, thankful when the chef came to their table to start the show. There had been no expense spared, and before they knew it, they were given a veritable smorgasbord of food before them. Not just the fried seafood, veggies, and steak from the hibachi, but an array of sushi, some Udon, and some of the most potent sake bombs.

It was truly enough for six people, but once they got started, they would slowly work through it. McCree found himself feeling better yet the more he ate, glad it was likely just the hunger that had upset his stomach before. Three sake bombs later, he couldn’t remember that it had bothered him at all. Hanzo had only taken one, knowing he needed to drive, but was happy to get more for his lover while they enjoyed their anniversary.

“Wanna feed me?” McCree asked, cheeks flushed from the alcohol, a flirty smirk on his lips as he pushed the last plate toward Hanzo.

“I think you are likely full enough,” Hanzo found himself smiling, amused.

“I am,” McCree said, rubbing his tummy, feeling it gurgle lightly beneath his fingers. “Ain’t that what you like?”

That blush returned on the archer’s cheeks, and he looked around to see if anyone had overheard. “Here? In the restaurant?”

“Where else?”

Hanzo sucked in a breath between his teeth, readjusting how he sat as he felt himself flush with heat. He grabbed his chopsticks and began to feed the rest of it to McCree, being generous enough to let him stop to get some water to help wash it all down. McCree met Hanzo’s dark eyes as he took the shrimp, steak, veggies, whatever Hanzo would bring to his lips. “I’m so full.”

“Just a little more,” Hanzo whispered, a tenderness to his tone. “You know you have to make it home. There isn’t enough room in their restrooms here for—”

“I know, I can do it,” McCree smirked at him.

Hanzo smiled, handing him the remainder of his own Udon bowl, and instructed him to finish it off while he headed to pay the check. McCree took it in hand and began to finish it, chewing meticulously slow to make sure he could get it down.

While he waited for change, Hanzo glanced back at the table just in time to see McCree’s shoulders lurch some, a gag coming up unexpectedly as he quickly recovered. Hanzo’s heart fluttered in his chest, warm and tingling all over. He needed to get him home.

---

“Han…” McCree whined as they pulled into the driveway, the car jerking some as it pulled in.

“You made it this far,” Hanzo said tenderly, already unbuckling both of their seatbelts once he put the car in park. McCree hiccupped softly, sucking in a quick breath of air as the pressure of the belt was released from his stomach, a weak belch coming up without warning.

The archer came around to his side to help him get his door open. McCree’s mouth was watering some, and for several moments, he sat with his head between his knees hanging just over the payment while he still remained in the seat, waiting and willing the vomit to come up. “Not yet.” Hanzo whispered in his ear.

McCree whined softly but took his lover’s hand letting him help him to his feet, and ultimately back within the house. He breathed swallowed thickly as they got across the threshold, his stomach audibly gurgling, painful in its bloating. “I feel so sick.”

“I am surprised. It was a lot, but not the most we’ve done,” Hanzo said softly, crouching to help McCree out of his boots.

“I was…feelin’ sick before we left,” McCree admitted, trying to force a burp, but aborting it once it put up too much of a resistance.

Hanzo looked up. “We could have stayed home.”

McCree gave him a true, albeit miserable smiled, reaching down to release Hanzo’s hair from the bun it was in. “And miss seein’ ya flush knowin’ how sick I feel now? Nah.”

Hanzo could only smile, and reached up to unbuckle McCree’s belt, helping him out of his pants there in the entryway still. As the cowboy stepped out of his pants, Hanzo reached up to run his hand over the swell of McCree’s stomach. Rrrrruuuuuuuuurrrrrhrrrggggllllll.. his stomach audibly whined, the bubbles streaming beneath the flesh under his touch.

“God…” McCree moaned miserably, putting his hat on the hook and moving to unbutton his shirt. He just wanted free of it all, the nausea causing anxiety to climb.

“Shhh, I am here,” Hanzo whispered, kissing his tummy lightly, and standing once more, moved to help McCree over onto the couch.

“Shouldn’t…we go to the bathroom?” McCree worried, not arguing however as Hanzo helped him setting down into the soft cushions.

“I will get the trash can. No reason for you to be more uncomfortable than need be.”

McCree settled back, closing his eyes with a groan. His poor tummy felt like it was a ship adrift on the open seas, roiling to the whims of a summer storm. Just the idea of rough waters made McCree’s mouth water again, and he pressed the back of his hand against his lips, trying to hold back the flood til Hanzo returned.

It was barely a minute when he returned with a small, plastic trash can lined with a plastic shopping sack from the last time they grabbed groceries. Immediately McCree pitched forward to spit the bitterness from his lips, shuddering and giving a weak gag at the stringiness of it.

Hanzo sat and rubbed his back. “Relax. You can let it up.” He said gently, grabbing the remote to turn on one of McCree’s westerns for background noise.

Several minutes passed, filled with groaning and whining from his stomach, the bloating so painful it was almost unbearable. He squirmed uncomfortably, liquid sloshing audibly with every move, but no matter how much he willed and spit, and tried to strain a belch…nothing came up. He had broken out in a cold sweat now, and Hanzo could only watch on with a frown.

“Do you want me to rub it?” He asked softly, still in that scion-esque formal outfit. His only concern was for McCree, not worried about putting wrinkles into his expensive clothes.

McCree nodded pitifully. “Please…” he begged.

Hanzo’s hand rested firm on his stomach, just adding to McCree’s discomfort, even as he began to rub in slow circles. Once he found the bubbles, he chased them, trying to rub them away only to force a loud, wet and gurgling belch from McCree’s lips. “Mm, god..” he groaned miserably.

“Better?” Hanzo asked.

“K-keep going.”

Hanzo pressed a little harder, eliciting another longer belch from McCree, ending with a definite wetness as he spat brown bile into the trash can. He could feel it in his throat, growing like a pressure geyser, and opened his mouth. He let the drool pool and spill from his lips in a long string, his eyes watering some as he felt it burn on the back of his tongue. God, why wouldn’t it just come out?

He let his hand fall wet upon Hanzo’s and pressed in and up hard, instantly making a choking sound as he pitched forward and expelling a small gush of vomit into the trash. “There you go, let it happen.” Hanzo said comfortingly, taking upon himself to press again, forcing up a large air pocket as a burp, only for it to end in a more forceful wave of puke.

McCree was shaking now as his body took the hint, barely giving him a moment for breath before he gagged hard enough it sprayed out of mouth and nose both, and forcing viscous chunks of udon noodles and veggies to spray over the lip of the trash can and onto his lap and the floor. His veins in his neck strained as he gurgled another bunch of tangled noodles up, causing him to choke mid gag, and expel them further onto the coffee table.

Hanzo didn’t make any comment on it, just rubbing McCree’s back with one hand while the other rubbed his stomach. “I’m so sick…” McCree whispered, getting a break finally to catch his breath.

“Not feeling any relief?” Hanzo asked him, kissing his temple. “You feel warm.”

“I feel worse…if…urk….hurrrrrrrrrkkkkk.” He dry heaved loudly, gripping the trash can again. Another painful dry heave tore through on the tail of that one, and he spat a little blood in the trash from the strain.

“Bathroom. Perhaps a better angle will help,” Hanzo whispered, getting up and helping him carry the trash can. They were in for a long night.

-Fin

#mchanzo #sickfic #emeto #jesse mccree #hanzo shimada #overwatch #my writing #fanfic #vomiting

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skywardsoul · 5 years ago

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Diannakko Week 2019

@dianakko-week day 6, Adulthood! I want to apologize for having fallen a day behind. I hope you enjoy this nonetheless!

Diana and Akko go to visit her family in Japan. It might just be a fun trip for Akko, but for Diana, it's a chance to ask Akko's parents for her hand in marriage.

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20391742/chapters/48565283

Read on FF.Net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13372417/6/Dianakko-Week-2019

Few things scared Diana Cavendish. She was raised a proper witch, and witches were supposed to instil fear, command it. Not to mention she had years of aristocratic training under her belt. Trying to intimidate her was about as difficult as moving a mountain. That being said, as she stepped out of the car and followed her girlfriend to her parent’s house, Diana was very afraid.

It wasn’t that Akko’s family scared her at all, no it was quite the opposite. What Diana was scared of, was herself. For there was a moment, a single grave mistake Diana made when she first met the Kagari family, and the fear of ever making another one had hung over her ever since. Here she was, one of the most distinguished witches of her era, the family head of one of magic’s oldest and noblest clans, a fully fledged doctor at the Lady Beatrix Hospital for Magical Maladies and yet the first impression she made was that of a bumbling goofs.

The incident happened when Akko’s family had flown into England to visit their daughter. Since It was Diana’s first time meeting Akko’s parents, she had wanted to obviously make a good impression. She had Akko tell her everything about them in the days leading up to their arrival. What was their favorite foods? What did they like to see on their travels? What was their opinions on magic? Everything but the goddamn kitchen sink. When it came time to greet them at the airport, Diana felt confident that she had the perfect understanding of who Kumiko and Hayato Kagari were. What she wasn’t aware of however, was that Akko was not an only child. As Akko so conveniently forgot to explain in all the time they knew each other, she had a kid brother, two years younger than her. A kid brother who, when viewed from behind, looked remarkably similar to his elder sister, especially since Akko had just cut her hair.

Akko had gone off to buy a snack from a kiosk while Diana had patiently remained at the gate. It had been several minutes since Akko left on her venture when Diana thought she spotted her, turned around and staring at a restaurant. It seemed like the snack was not enough for her insatiable love. Struck with a random and rare romantic whim, Diana decided to sneak up on her girlfriend, and hug her from behind. So she did just that, pouncing on Akko and wrapping her arms around her waist.

“Hello there Miss Kagari,” Diana said in a somewhat sultry voice. “Hungry? Got tired of waiting?”

She had expected Akko to respond with a surprised squeak, and maybe follow it up with an adorable bout of embarrassment and a flustered excuse.

Only that was not the response she received. What she got instead was a surprised scream, followed by a decidedly more masculine voice then the one that belonged to her love speaking very rapidly and very angrily in Japanese. Turns out she hadn’t snuck up on her girlfriend at all. No Diana Cavendish had the great pleasure to make her first interaction with Akko’s parents be one where it looked as if she decided to assault their son Kaito.

Thankfully Akko was nearby and was able to quickly explain and somewhat smooth over the incident while Diana felt her very soul leave her body. The Kagari’s were very understanding, well except maybe for Kaito, and accepted Diana’s apology easily. Akko’s father found the whole fiasco quite humorous.

“I told you to change up your hairstyle Kaito!” Hayato said through a booming laugh. “You look too much like your sister for your own good!”

Of course Diana had seen Akko’s family many times since then, each one going off without any major issue. Yet that first meeting, that incident at the airport still haunted Diana’s mind anytime she was set to interact with the Kagaris. As she stepped out of the car and followed her excitable girlfriend up to the door of her parent’s home, Diana’s worry returned with a vengeance. If there was anytime she couldn’t mess up in front of Akko’s parents, it was now. Akko believed this trip to be a simple visit. For Diana, it was much more important. Sometime over the course of their week spent in Japan, Diana was going to ask Akko’s parents for her hand in marriage.

She was aware of the fact that the concept was a bit outdated, and was seen in a generally negative light nowadays, but it was the way of the Cavendish family and goddamnit maybe sometimes Diana liked being old fashioned.

Akko knocked at the door eagerly and stood back, practically buzzing in place as she waited for it to open. It wasn’t long until they heard a voice through the door.

“I told you salesmen to go away, I don’t want to buy any!” Hayato’s voice had a playful tone to it.

“Dad!! It’s us!” Akko responded with a giggle.

The door to the Kagari household swung open to reveal Hayato Kagari standing in the doorway.

“Well would you look at that! It wasn’t a salesman at all! Just and adorable bunny and her wonderful girlfriend.”

Akko practically tackled her father as she leapt forward to hug him.

“Tadaima!” Akko said through a bout of laughter.

“Okaeri,” her father responded in turn.

Akko’s father was a very kind and goofy man, standing no taller than Akko herself. If not for the grey in his hair and the lines on his face, he could easily be mistaken for a man much younger. He was energetic, much like his daughter and the ruby red eyes he shared with her more often than not were warm and welcoming.

“Hayato, who was at the door?” Akko’s mother’s voice drifted in from the kitchen. “Was it the girls? Are they here yet?”

“Yes honey! It’s them! Cool it in the kitchen for a bit and come to greet your daughter will yah?”

There came an annoyed “hmph!” in response before Kumiko Kagari entered the living room, wiping her hands on a towel.

Akko’s mother was fairly opposite from her father. While still a wonderfully polite woman, she was much more reserved and would scold her excitable husband and daughter when necessary. She was a good deal taller than Akko and her father and had pale, green eyes. The only physical features she shared with her daughter was her brown hair, and rounded face. Although a year older than her husband, pretty much anyone would agree Kumiko looked younger.

“Atsuko!” Kumiko said as she wrapped her daughter in a hug. “Oh it feels like ages since we last saw you!”

“Mom, It’s only been a couple of months…”

“Someday, if you’re ever a mother you will understand why that feels like ages,” Kumiko retorted.

“Hello Miss Kagari, Mr. Kagari. It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Diana greeted, figuring now was a good time to do so.

Hayato turned to her with a smile. “Oh Diana, always so formal eh?”

“Well I-” was all Diana got out before she received a similar hug to the one Akko got.

“Dontcha know you don’t have to be so stiff around us by now? You’re practically family!” Hayato said. “And you’re Japanese has gotten so good! I can’t even tell you’re not a native speaker.”

“Hayato! Put the poor girl down, you’re making her uncomfortable!” Kumiko said commandingly.

“Oops! Sorry Diana. Got carried away there,” Akko’s father said, releasing her from his hug.

“That’s quite alright,” Diana said, giving him a smile. “It makes me happy to know you see me as such.”

“Say, Mom,” Akko interjected. “Where’s Kaito?”

“I sent him to the store a little a while ago to pick up some ingredients I still needed,” Kumiko explained.

“Yeah you’re mother is really going overboard with dinner today. Halfway through making the main course and she decides she’s gonna serve soup too. She’s been sending your brother back and forth all day.”

“It’s not ‘overboard,’ Hayato. Our daughter lives halfway across the world. Excuse me if I want to make sure dinner is special when she comes home.”

“Still! You spend so much time in that kitchen it’s almost like you live halfway across the world. Sometimes I think you love the stove more than me.”

Akko laughed as her parent’s started a strange sort of playful bickering. Diana couldn’t help but laugh at the antics too. She thought back to Hayato’s earlier words, how she was considered part of the family. She smiled as she watched Kumiko gesture angrily at her husband with a wooden spoon. It felt nice, having parents again.

“Tadaima!” Came a call from the front door, as Akko’s brother returned. “Who’s car is in the driveway?”

“It’s ours!” Akko replied with an excited shout as she tackled her brother in a similar fashion to the way she greeted her dad. “Okaeri, Kaito!”

“Argh! Akko! Get offa me!” Kaito said struggling to remove his elder sister.

“Oh come on! Don’t pretend like you aren’t happy to see me!” Akko said, releasing her brother and ruffling his hair.

Kaito smacked away her hand, but had a smile on his face as he fixed his hair. “Yeah, Yeah...It’s good to see you again Akko.”

“Heard mom had you playing errand boy. Just like when we were kids.”

Kaito rolled his eyes. “You don’t know the half of it. If i have to go back to the marketplace one more time, I swear old man Ryuo is gonna assume I’m making some kinda cry for help.”

The two siblings broke into a bit of shared laughter...one that ended semi abruptly when Kaito’s eyes meet Diana’s own.

“Good evening Kaito,” Diana said.

“Hello Diana,” he responded curtly, and somewhat dead pan.

Diana knew that Kaito didn’t quite like her. After how they first met, she couldn’t blame him for holding a little resentment, but she had an inkling that the issue went further. According to Akko, the two siblings were very close growing up as kids. When Akko made the announcement to her family that she wanted to go to school overseas, Kaito got fairly upset. Akko even said that the siblings relationship strained somewhat in the months leading up to her departure. If Diana had to hazard a guess, even factoring out their strange first encounter, Kaito saw Diana as a representation of everything that made Akko move away.

That was just a guess, but really the only guess she had. Diana grew up learning to read people to an absurd level of perfection, yet she could never tell just what Akko’s brother was thinking. It really was striking, just how much Kaito resembled his older sister. Everything from their height, general body build, shape of their face, and hair color were nearly identical. It didn’t help that Kaito like wearing his hair fairly long. The only real way to tell the two apart was their voice and eye color. Kaito had his mother’s striking green rather than his father’s red. It was honestly hard to believe they weren’t twins.

Now if only Kaito shared his sister’s friendly personality. Thankfully, before things could get truly awkward, Kumiko called out from the kitchen.

“Dinner is almost ready! Everyone wash-up and then get you butts to the dining room stat!”

No arguments were made as the other members of the house did just that. The Kagari’s ‘dining room,’ was really just a nice table situated in a corner of their living room. Akko had long since explained that the act of referring to it as its own proper room was a family in-joke. Once everyone was seated, Kumiko arrived, balancing various plates of food on her arms. Diana would have offered to help, but had learned the hard way that Kumiko Kagari never accepted help in the kitchen, carrying dishes to the table or otherwise.

“I’d be careful with the curry Diana,” Kumiko said to her once she was seated. “I know you aren’t the best with spicy foods. I may have made it with a bit too much kick.”

“Thank you for the warning,” Diana said with a nervous chuckle.

For awhile, Dinner had been going great. Akko talked excitedly with her parents, cramming as much of her day to day happenings as she could into her rapid fire sentences. Hayato kept the atmosphere at the table light telling jokes, and much to Akko’s charging, sharing embarrassing stories from her past. Every once in awhile, Kumiko would chime in with her two cents. Kaito largely stayed silent, but would laugh along with his family whenever he found something funny. Yup, it was a typical dinner with the Kagari family. Just like ones Diana had shared with them before. She had been a bit on edge what with her secret objective but as the Dinner went on, Diana felt herself begin to relax. Everything was going great.

“I still don’t see why you went and bought a house,” Kumiko said to her daughter. “Diana’s family owns a mansion, a mansion Atsuko!! Think of all the space you could’ve had!”

“Moooooom, I told you,” Akko said with a roll of her eyes. “Diana didn’t want to live in the mansion her whole life. Besides, I’m more comfortable in our house then a big place like that anyway.”

“What makes you not want to live there?” Hayato asked Diana.

“Well, I have a lot of complicated feelings towards my family home. One’s I’d rather not associate my relationship with,” Diana explained as politely as she could.

It would do her no good to explode into a rant about her aunt or reminisce about her mother.

“Well I can understand wanting to make your own life, trust me,” Kumiko said. “But giving up such a big living space for it? I mean a manor like that is the perfect place to raise a family! If you ever have children you might get crowded in that current house of yours.”

Diana nearly choked on her food.

“Mom!” Akko said, a blush staining her face.

“Oh come on. I said ‘if,’ not ‘when,” Kumkio replied with a wave of her hand. “Besides, you want children eventually right Diana?”

Diana felt her earlier nervousness return with a vengeance.

“Um, well, I suppose-”

“Wait a minute, is that even possible?” Kaito interjected. “They’re both women.”

Diana doubted it was her sake, but used to opportunity to shovel some food into her mouth. Hopefully that would keep the question from being directed at her.

“Please Kaito, don’t be silly. Adopting children is always a possibility. Besides, they’re witches,” Kumiko said in a know-it-all kind of way. “I know they have ways to conceive children between women. I wasn’t born yesterday.”

Diana swallowed her food, but immediately went for another bite. This was definitely not. Where she wanted this conversation to go. It was much too proposal adjacent for her tastes.

“Can’t be worrying about kids yet Kumiko! The weddings gotta come first!” Hayato said with a loud laugh.

Akko groaned in annoyance. Diana felt like she was starting to sweat.

“You’re getting married?” Kaito asked Diana flatly.

Diana swallowed the food in her mouth before responding with a waver “Well, no, but-”

“But you do plan to don’t you?” Kumiko asked pointedly “Marry my daughter I mean.”

“Mom, stop.” Akko said “This isn’t an interrogation.”

“Nobody’s interrogating anyone Akko. Your mothers just curious.”

Diana felt her face starting to heat up. Was it always this hot in here? She tried to ignore it and kept eating.

“Weddings are important Atsuko. I just want to get an idea of when I should expect one.”

“You’ll know when I know!” Akko said to her mother.

“Is that soon?” Kaito asked dryly, again directly to Diana.

Yeah. He definitely didn’t like her. Diana tried to act natural, taking a couple of more bites of food before responding.

“Uh, Diana,” Akko said, trying to get her girlfriends attention.

She had a feeling that her girlfriend was trying to save her from having to answer, but Diana was determined to tackle this herself. If she appeared to be nervous about marrying Akko, her parents would never sign off on her proposal.

“It's hard to say. It’s definitely a goal, after all I love Akko, but I don’t know if I could-”

“Diana,” Akko tried again.

“I mean trying to nail such a specific time frame is-”

“Diana!” Akko shouted.

Diana finally snapped her attention to Akko, freezing mid sentence holding her spoon above her plate.

“You know you’ve been eating mom’s super spicy curry right?”

Slowly, Diana looked to the food she had been shoveling into her mouth in her attempts to appear nonchalant. Ah. so she was. The sweating and sudden increase in temperature made sense now. Suddenly the effect of the curry all hit Diana at once, and she felt like she was on fire. She remembered shooting up from her seat in a panic, remembered Akko shouting something, Kumiko steering her into the kitchen, and then drinking an inordinate amount of milk.

Diana felt like an idiot. For the second time, she had utterly embarrassed herself in front of Akko’s family. She slid to the kitchen floor, defeat written across her face. She could hear Akko’s voice coming from the living room. From what Diana could hear, she wasn’t happy. Diana brought her knees up her face and rested her head against them. She felt like a child. She wasn’t a nervous teenage girl, meeting her girlfriends parents for the first time, but that was exactly what she acted like. If she could have melted through the floor just then, she would have.

Diana heard someone enter the kitchen, and looked up, expecting it to be Akko. She was surprised to say in the least to see Kaito standing there instead. The youngest Kagari shuffled a bit awkwardly.

“Hey. Akko sent me here to check on you,” he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Even his mannerisms were similar to his sister’s.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yes, I am now,” Diana answered.

Kaito looked like he wanted to leave just then but instead let out a sigh and moved to sit next to Diana on the kitchen floor.

“Look, I’m sorry for earlier,” He said after a second.

Sorry? For what? That she made herself look stupid.

“I hardly see what you have to be sorry about,” Diana responded. “It’s not like you forced me to eat the curry.”

“No but anyone could see you only did that because we were making you nervous,” Kaito said. “And that, was at least partially my fault.”

Huh, he was a perceptive one wasn’t he.

“Honestly I thought you would be enjoying this. A chance to see the girlfriend you dislike make a fool of herself?”

Diana didn’t know why she said that. She usually had more tact for things of this nature, but after everything that had just happened, maybe she didn’t have the patience for tact.

“I don’t dislike you,” Kaito said.

Diana merely raised an eyebrow at him.

“Okay well I did...maybe I still do a little, I don’t know,” Kaito stammered. He rubbed his head again. “It’s not like I don’t like you as a person or anything Diana… It’s just…”

He tapered off the thought.

“Just, what?” Diana pressed.

“Akko and I have been partners in crime for pretty much forever. I guess I just got kinda mad when she decided to move away. I thought, at the very least, she was gonna come back once she graduated you know?” Kaito paused to take a breath.

“But then she met you, and the next thing I know she’s living halfway across the world for probably the rest of her life. I don’t hate you Diana...I just hate not getting to hangout with my sister. Anyone that reminds me my best friend moved away is gonna make me a little cranky. That’s all.”

Silence fell between the two. Until Diana broke it with a laugh. Here they were, two adults, both with such childish problems.

“You know what, Kaito? I understand,” She said, turning to Akko’s brother with a smile. She saw him blink in surprise as she held out her hand to him. “But maybe we can move past that?”

Kaito shot her a grin that would have looked perfectly at home on Akko, and shook her hand.

“Deal.”

There was another pause, although this time Kaito broke it.

“You were gonna ask my folks if you could marry her, weren’t you?”

Again, perceptive.

“I was.”

Kaito stood, stretching his legs a bit before walking to the kitchen door.

“Don’t bother. The answers gonna be yes. They consider you a part of this family more than my dad’s own brother, although that might be because he nuts,” Kaito said, turning to look to her with a smile.

“That’s not exactly a high vote of confidence,” Diana responded.

“You love her, right?” He asked.

“With all my heart,” Diana instantly responded.

“Then you’ll be fine,” Kaito said as he walked out.

Akko walked in right as her brother left. Instantly she was at Diana’s side, and pressed a much needed kiss to her lips.

“You doin okay?” Akko asked worriedly, running her hand through Diana’s hair.

Diana smiled. “Yeah, I am. And you know what Akko? I think I finally got your brother to like me.”

#dianakko week 2019 #little witch academia #diakko #alec writes #lwa

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thejollyroger-writer · 5 years ago

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Bottom of the Ninth, Two Outs, Full Count

Part Two of Opening Day, Starting Pitch, which is a prologue for Love, Baseball, and Other Things (Part One // Part Two)

Also on AO3

WARNINGS: This story contains both Millian and abusive Swanfire. Sorry if that's not your cup of tea, but this is a prologue, and I'm obsessed with traumatic backstory. This also contains death of a character, grief, alcoholism, verbal and physical abuse, and abandonment. It starts exactly where part one left off.

Thanks again to @welllpthisishappening and @profdanglaisstuff for prompting this story into existence, @ultraluckycatnd for reading over it, and @kmomof4 for flailing so much over this little verse that has become the only thing I can think about. If you'd like to be tagged for future installations, let me know!

(also, sorry there's no cut, I'm on mobile and apparently Tumblr hates me anyway.)

-----

By the time Milah’s birthday rolls around in the middle of April, he has the ring tucked inside a box of letters from his brother and a reservation for the night she turns 26 at her favorite restaurant across town. He even bought them a night at the quaint little hotel next to Washington Square, so they don’t have to trek back across the river to get home that night. And he has the whole thing planned out: dinner, then a show at the Walnut Street Theatre before taking her dancing and taking her back to the hotel through Independence Square, finally lit up for spring, where he’ll stop and ask her to marry him. It’s a perfect plan, really, and he realizes when he calls the restaurant two nights before to confirm the reservation that he has never been this excited for anything in his life.

His friends can tell, too. David is happy for him, planning to propose to his own girlfriend while they’re on their post-graduation vacation, and Emma pokes fun at him regularly about the smile that is always on his face.

So when two uniformed officers knock on the door to his apartment three days before Milah’s birthday and ask if he’s Killian Jones, emergency contact for Milah Smith , it takes all his strength not to lose the contents of his stomach all over their finely-polished shoes.

“Yes, I am,” he says, pulling himself together enough to talk to them, to make sure that he’s not overreacting. “Why, has something happened to her?”

The way their emotionless faces seem to fall at his question causes him to lose his balance, and he reaches out to hold on to the doorway before he falls at their feet.

“There’s no easy way to say this, Mr. Jones,” the one to his left says, and Killian doesn’t fail to see the irony behind the fact that his name is Marry . “I’m afraid Milah was involved in a car accident on the Ben Franklin Bridge this morning, and by the time the paramedics got to the scene, there was nothing they could do for her.”

“Oh, god,” he groans, his shoulder hitting hard against the doorway, the only thing keeping him standing. “No, no, no, no.”

“We’re terribly sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” he chokes out, starting to close the door before the men standing on the other side of him see him fall apart. But once the door closes, he loses the strength to stay on his own two feet, and he falls to his knees, his head resting on the cool wood of the apartment door.

In losing Milah, he lost everything. Three days from spending the rest of his life with her, and now he would have to live with the question of whether she would have said yes for the rest of his life.

Of course she would have said yes , he tries to convince himself, but it’s useless. He’s learned to never assume even the easiest of things, that’s how he’s survived everything that’s happened so far in his life. So that little voice in the back of his head keeps telling him over and over that there’s a chance she may have said no.

He has no idea how long he stays seated against the door. He does know that the sun has swung across the sky and begins to shine brightly through the front windows, and that by the time he pulls himself back onto his feet, his legs are numb.

He wishes the rest of him was just as numb.

So that’s exactly what he makes happen.

It started with one glass of whiskey, then turned into three, then six. By the time David and Emma come back from visiting their mother for the weekend, the sun has turned the sky a dark shade of crimson, and he is passed out on the couch, what remains of the last glass still in the cup his hand is wrapped around.

“Killian!” David yells, rushing across the living room to make sure he’s okay. He’s breathing, but refuses to budge, and once Emma finds the now-empty bottle of Jack on the counter, they figure out why.

“I hope he’s okay,” Emma comments, adding the bottle to the pile of recycling under the sink. “He usually doesn’t drink this much, and especially not whiskey.”

“Either something happened, or he just randomly decided he was in the mood for half a bottle of Tennessee whiskey.”

“Well, given that he usually refers to it as ‘number 7 swill,’ I doubt he decided just on a whim.”

David turns his eyes down to Killian, his whole face painted with worry, but there’s nothing they can do for him until he regains consciousness, so they leave him there, returning to the piles of papers they left spread across the kitchen table. They study in silence for a few minutes, the ticking of the clock over the stove driving Emma insane, so she speaks, her eyes flitting up to her brother for just a moment.

“I, uh, need to stay here again,” she says quietly, her eyes glued to the paper in her hands so they don’t have to reach what she knows is a worried glare from her brother.

“Neal again?”

“For fuck’s sake, David, don’t say it like that.”

“When are you going to leave his sorry ass for good?”

“I love him, David. I know you know this, and I know you understand. And he loves me, too, he just has some issues he needs to work out and everything will be just fine.”

“Everything is not just fine , Emma,” David growls, his back teeth grinding together angrily. “You think I don’t notice the marks he leaves on your arms? The fact that you’re always crying after you talk to him? You need to leave him, before he does something that he can’t just apologize for.”

“I can’t just leave him,” she says, her voice soft, and when she adds, “Not anymore,” he drops the textbook he was balancing on the edge of the table.

“What does that mean, Emma? Are you— did he—”

“I’m pregnant, alright?” she says bitterly, throwing the paper in her hands back down on the table so she can hold her head. “I’m almost three months pregnant, and I’m too afraid to tell him because I know when I do, he’ll just leave. Is that what you wanted to hear from me?”

“Christ, Emma,” he whispers, and as soon as he realize that her shoulders have started to shake with silent sobs, he pushes his chair back to walk across the table and wrap his arms around her. She turns in the seat, burying her head in his shoulder. “I can’t — I’m sorry.”

While they stay like this, David shedding a few tears for his sister, as well, Killian begins to slowly wake on the couch, head pounding and stomach churning, and when he slowly makes his way to the kitchen to find some water, he is surprised to find David and Emma, but when they see him, they begin to break away from each other.

Sitting down across the table from them, taking very careful sips out of his glass, he finally says, “I take it this means you heard about Milah.”

When they both seem to be more confused by this statement, he realizes he must have made an error.

“Is she alright?” David asks, and somehow Killian smiles instead of breaking down once more, but it only lasts for the quickest of moments.

“No, quite the opposite, actually. She was killed this morning in an accident on the Ben Franklin.”

“What a fucking day,” Emma says under her breath as David moves back across the table to pull his friend in for a hug.

Four days later, the day after Milah would have turned 26, they hold her funeral in one of the nicer churches in town. After asking Liam and David to wait outside, to give him a minute alone with her casket, there is nothing comparable to seeing her laying there, lifeless, surrounded by silk and flowers. Pulling the small velvet box out of his pocket, his hands grip the edge of the wood, the only balance he can find.

“I was — I was going to give this to you,” he chokes out, doing nothing to stop the stream of tears that fall down his face. “I still… I’ve been trying to decide whether I should give it to you, or keep it as a reminder of just how damned much I love you.” He reaches up to tuck his index finger under the buttoned collar of his shirt, pulling out the chain that holds his mother's ring. “But I think, now that I'm here and thinking about it, that I will keep this, both as a keepsake of you, of the years we spent together, and a reminder that my life has been torn apart one too many times from letting people into my heart.”

He holds the ring out in his palm, staring down at it for a moment before he closes his hand around it, feeling the edges of the diamonds cutting into his palm.

“I love you, my darling,” he whispers, leaning down to press his lips against her forehead, a sob fighting its way up his chest when he feels the coldness of her skin against his.

The pain overtakes him. He spends the next three days numbing himself, a dangerous combination of rum and whiskey and whatever else he can find in the apartment, only leaving the confines of his bedroom to find the next drink or relieve himself. On the fourth day, Emma, Neal, David, and Mary Margaret are sitting around the table in the kitchen, actively ignoring the subject of the grieving man who has locked himself away from the world.

Emma knows that David is worried about him — he’s told her that much at least a dozen times since Killian first told them of Milah’s death. The fact that her friend is struggling so much, so obviously, and no one is trying to reach out to him, though, just angers her.

So she decides she can’t take it anymore.

“Christ, enough of this,” she says, slamming her empty water glass down on the table. “That man in there needs help, and if I have to be the one to give it to him, then I will be.” She pushes her chair back, jumping to her feet, but before she can walk away, she feels Neal's hand wrap around her wrist.

“No.”

She whips her head around to face him. “Excuse me?”

“The darkness that took over Neal's face lightens, but his grip on her wrist does not. “He'll be fine, just give him time. Stay here.”

“What? No, he's — he's not okay, Neal. And on the off-chance that he is, he can be the one to tell me that, not you.”

Even if David wasn't watching his every movement intently, he would have noticed how hard Neal pulled on Emma's arm to get her to step back to the table.

“I'm not gonna tell you again, Ems,” he growls, his fingers beginning to leave marks on Emma's wrist. “I don't want you to go in there.”

“Good thing that's not your decision to make,” David says, his whole body tense, but when Neal snaps his head to face him and he sees some of the tension leave Emma's shoulders, he knows it was the right moment to step in.

“Well, it certainly isn't yours.”

“That is my sister that you have your hand around, if you'll remember.”

“David, please,” Emma says softly, and Neal smiles up at her, though that smile scares her more than anything else.

“Yes, David, please,” Neal repeats, the wicked smile still spread across his face when he turns back to him. “Emma knows how this works, and she knows what happens if she doesn't listen to me.”

“You son of a bitch!” David yells, jumping out of his seat angrily enough that it clatters to the floor behind him.

“David!” both Emma and Mary Margaret yell, but he's already halfway around the table, his hand flying out to grab the front of Neal's shirt.

Neal still hasn't let go of Emma's wrist.

“You're going to take your hands of my sister and never, ever touch her again, do you hear me?”

Neal is still smiling.

“And what, exactly, are you going to do to me if I don't?”

David pulls him out of his seat using the front of his shirt. His hand around Emma's wrist tightens further.

“See, that depends on just how angry you make me, because right now, I want to rip your fucking throat out.”

Mary Margaret has turned so white in her seat that Emma fears she may pass out — but she seems to be the only one that's noticed.

“Can I — can I ask you something, Nolan?” Neal asks, his voice free of any of the fear David was hoping to instill, but Emma feels the way his hand trembles. “Why the Knight in shining armor act all of the sudden? This can't be the first you've learned about me — “

“David, please ,” Emma begs, but David either fails to hear her or chooses to ignore her, taking the bait he's laying in front of him.

“She's pregnant, you bastard,” David practically yells, the secret that he's been trying so hard to keep, not even sharing it with Mary Margaret. “She's carrying your child and you're too goddamned selfish to care about it one bit.”

“David,” Emma whispers, and she is finally able to pull her hand out of Neal's grasp, that's suddenly loosened.

“Oh, Emma,” Mary Margaret says at the same time, her big brown eyes full of both excitement and sadness.

Neal turns slowly to Emma, who has covered her face to hide the tears that have started falling, and David finally releases his fist from his shirt. “Is he — is he serious, Ems?” He has the nerve to soften his voice so much, to suddenly take all of the anger it's always full of away, and it just hurts her all the more. She's so afraid of his anger, his temper, his fear of commitment, but he's —

She nods, a glimmer of hope lightening the pounding in her chest. Opening her eyes, she darts to look at him, and she can tell that he is thinking over something.

And then he shakes his head, raising his hands in surrender, and backing away from the table. “I’m not — I can’t —” he sputters, but his coherency is gone. “I’m sorry.”

The three of them watch, stunned, as Neal grabs his jacket from the back of the chair and walks out of the apartment.

Everything is silent. Still. David and Mary Margaret are too afraid to move, knowing that as soon as they do, everything will crumble.

Emma will crumble.

But instead of either of them breaking the silence, disrupting the stillness, it comes instead from a bright-eyed and uniformed Killian Jones coming from his bedroom. The three of them dare to move enough to turn their attentions towards him, and when he finally senses the tension that has filled the apartment, added only by his escape from his bedroom, he raises his eyebrows in question.

“Where are you going?” David asks the question they’re all thinking.

Emma asks the other: “Are you okay?”

He pushes the front of his hair back to slide his baseball cap over it. “I, uh, have a game. I can’t wallow in grief forever, so I’ve decided instead to focus on my pitching game. It’s what…” his voice drops off, his eyes falling to the floor as his hand reaches up to grasp the same chain that always hangs around his neck, which they all see holds another ring beside his mother's. “It's what she would have wanted.”

The engagement ring , Emma realizes. It's what Milah would have wanted.

For a moment, Emma is inspired. Sure, it took him four days to get there, but he's pulled himself back together after losing Milah — and really losing her, not just having her walk out like she knew Neal was going to do. He's turning the energy he's been using to destroy himself back into something more productive.

She can do that, too.

Grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair, she slings it over her shoulder and follows Killian out towards the living room.

“I'm going with him.”

“What?” Mary Margaret asks, at the same time David says, “Stay here, we can talk about it.”

She turns to Killian, his bright eyes lighting up the shadow the brim of his hat lays across his face, and shakes her head, turning back to David.

“I don't want to talk about it. It's over. He did exactly what I expected, so there's nothing to even talk about.”

“Emma—” David starts, but she walks out of the kitchen, leaving the three of them bewildered.

“No,” she calls through the doorway. “I'm leaving.”

“Yeah, uh, me too,” Killian says, a million questions on his lips, as he follows her out of the apartment.

Their walk down the steps and out to the street is silent, and it continues that way for a few blocks, Emma's hands stuffed into the pockets of her jacket and Killian's fidgeting with the strap of his duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

He has almost decided on how to ask the question lingering on the tip of his tongue when she speaks instead.

“I'm really proud of you, d'you know that?”

He turns to her, but her eyes are still set on the sidewalk at her feet.

“Come again?”

“Your whole world crumbles down around you, and you took a few days to grieve before you pull yourself back up and focus on something productive.”

“Thanks?” he asks, her words igniting a warmth in his heart that he wasn't sure he would ever feel again. “I watched my father drink himself half to death after my ma passed, and when I looked in the mirror last night, I realized I was doing the same thing. The only thing I ever wanted in life was to not end up like my father, and I saw myself doing just that.” He tugs at the chain around his neck, threading his pinky through the ring that has just been added. “And that's not what Milah would want. She always told me to — to stick with the things I enjoy the most, and I realized the reason I stopped focusing on my pitching game was in hopes of finding a career to sustain us. Now that I… now that I no longer need that, I can go back to doing what I love without the fear that it's going to be enough.”

Emma has no response to this, so they walk in silence again for a few more moments.

“Neal's gone.”

Killian breathes out a small chuckle, though once it's out, he can't figure out why. “How long do you think it will be this time until he comes running back?”

Emma flattens her hands against her stomach, but since her hands are in her pockets, Killian doesn't see it. “He's not coming back this time.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Well, for one, David threatened him. I believe the exact promise was to 'rip his fucking throat out,’ and I wouldn't put it past him to follow through on that.” They both allow themselves to laugh at this, a small release of some of the tension built around them after all that's happened in the past few days.

“And for two?” Killian asks, and when he sees Emma turn to look at him out of the corner of his eye, he returns her gaze.

“He’s too afraid of commitment to stick around and become a father.”

She watches as Killian's eyes grow wide before turning down to her stomach, a smile growing across his face.

“You're pregnant?”

He's relieved so see her begin to smile, too, as she nods her head. Stopping them on the sidewalk, he wraps her in a hug — and she realizes just how excited she really is, even if Neal is no longer in the picture.

Maybe it's even better this way.

“And you know you're not alone, right? You have David and Mary Margaret to help you, and me.” He leans back, his arms still wrapped around her shoulders, and when he smiles at her again, she believes for the first time since she saw that positive sign that everything might actually be okay.

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hitoritravels · 6 years ago

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☆Japan Trip 2019 Day 1 Part 1: RE:Start☆

こんにちわ、ひさしぶり

...erm hello it’s been a while. Nearly a year and a half if I’m not mistaken.

It’s been...one heck of a year. 2018. I took a first step that was beyond my wildest dreams. And it only got more...wondrous. I met a longtime friend for the first time for an unforgettable night. I broke out of my shell and had the pleasure to meet and play Pokemon with people I had never met and they were some of the nicest people I had ever met. I got to meet the man who helped me feel a little less misunderstood in the world and tell him how much his work has helped me. And cried into his shoulders I even got to see a childhood hero sing right in front of me and sing a song that just...carries a lot of emotions for me.

It was something. Last year.

But it wasn’t all roses

I started to...fall back into bad habits. Old patterns started to show up again. I started hurting those that were just trying to help. Making decisions I knew would make me unhappy. Starting to choose to be lonely rather than be alone for my own good. Making the wrong people happy.

But I fought on. Because shortly after I returned from my last trip, it was decided that I would be returning to my happy place. The place where I took my first step. A place where all of my dreams came true and more. It was decided that I, along with some friends, would be returning to Japan for Spring 2019. For some of them it would be an exciting first time: they had never been so it was going to be something memorable. For others, it was a chance to try out things that they missed out on last time. And in part it was the same for me as well.

But it was more than just that. For me, it was the next step. It was time to see if I really had made any meaningful progress. If I had really changed for the better in any way since the last time I was here. It was...as odd as it is to say, a reality check.

And so despite a rough few months leading up to the trip, the time finally arrived. It was time to take off and return to Japan. Let’s a go-go~★

Popplio is ready to take off★ Prepare to see my friend more than once as he is my partner on this ride this time ^_^

...is what I’d be saying if we actually took off at that time Σ(-᷅_-᷄๑)

So unfortunately as soon as we boarded the plane, it was announced that the plane had broken down in some fashion. They tried their best at fixing it on the spot but sadly it just did not happen. So we had to leave and it was announced that our next plane would arrive five hours later at soonest. This made a lot of people disgruntled and at the time I wasn’t bothered by it. Oh boy was that a mistake in retrospect.

At any rate I had planned on eating the lunch provided on the plane but since that didn’t happen, we were all given basically free lunches by the airline a la discount coupons that basically covered full meals from pretty much all of the surrounding restaurants. So I ate, played some Pokemon Platinum (starting Piplup was a...mistake? I don’t know I’ll let you know as I make more progress) and eventually, despite the chaotic scramble, we were all boarded and ready to take off for Japan.

Ok this time for sure. I hope >_<;

Our...dinner? Breakfast? Time was a super messed concept for me at this point. being up for practically 16+ hours and running off of...maybe one nap. Send help x_x

But eventually, we made itttttttt

I did it! I made it to Japan! Things can only start getting better from this point on!

...and again, if only things were that easy =x

So let’s start off with something I realized the moment we landed: my lodgings were fairly far away. Like about an hour or so away from the airport. I had stayed with them previously so I recalled that they had curfew hours. Knowing that, I started to change over my SIM card that my favorite recommended to me and my other friends so that I would have data in Japan so I could contact my lodgings and tell them that I’d be running late.

Turns out the SIM card was not. I repeat. NOT. Compatible with my phone. No fault of anyone’s really, my phone and the SIM card just didn’t play well. Everyone else had a grand time with the SIM card so if you’d like to have a nice simple SIM card, delivered to your house prior to your travels, not to mention coming with a bunch of free boons, why not give it a chance? It was a shame it didn’t work out but now it’s all water under the bridge so all is well ☆

I immediately start panicking. It was around 11 PM, I’m still in line for customs, I have no immediate access to data (and therefore directions), the vast majority of all of the places selling SIMs and Pocket WiFis were closed, and even if I rung up directions, by the time I got out of airport customs with all of my stuffs, I would basically be catching the last trains the whole entire way until I got to my lodgings at approximately 1 AM.

Basically I needed access to train maps right away and I needed to not miss any of the trains I needed to catch. Otherwise I’d be out of luck.

Push came to shove and I decided to start roaming on my phone. It was a costly option but dammit this was an emergency and I’m on vacation. I have money to burn. Sort of. >~<

I hastily called up maps, navigated my way from the metro up to the Skytree line, and with the luck of the Gods, the stars aligned and as I started to make my way to the last train, I was told by a friendly officer that the last train I needed to catch was stalled for just a few minutes just to accommodate for any remaining stragglers. I thanked the officer and rushed my butt up the platform to a completely packed train. Running up the platform with no room to comfortably squeeze in, I thought to myself “screw it”, hauled my luggage, used it as a means of opening up space (and since this is a normal affair for Japanese subways, they immediately made enough space for me and my luggage, bless) and I was able to get onto my last train in time. I also managed to get in touch with the Manager of my lodgings and he told me he’d be up waiting since he was still expecting customers to come in anyway. Super blesss.

I pull into a familiar sight. Nisharai station. The last time I was here it was all unfamiliar territory. Now walking down those steps felt like re-visiting an old friend, and despite being in a rush, I still had enough time to really be in the moment. I was back.

After getting setup at my lodgings and quietly putting my stuff away, I sadly realized that I had no chance to really have dinner. Plus I was still fairly tired at this point so I quickly hopped into the showers and hit the hay. It was a very long day. But in the end I made it. I’m back in Japan. And it was time to start going down a very long list of personally important things that I wanted to do get to this time around

Good morning Nishiarai. It has been a long time my old friend★

Despite everything I didn’t sleep very well. A combination of jet lag and a general sense of fatigue that just wouldn’t go away no matter long I slept had me...groggy at best. Nonetheless, I somehow pulled myself out of my slumber; after last night’s mishaps, I was ready to make up for all of it. I was going to give myself the right start that I was hoping for since I got here. So after ordering myself my pocket WiFi from EConnect (bless their hearts they are amazing), I knew what the first thing I was going to do was. It was one of my more fonder memories from last time and this was going to mark the start of a good day

Kohikannn★

For this trip, I decided that I am going to try out more coffee places this time around. Kohikan really surprised me last time and opened my world to just how delicious properly made coffee could be and I was looking forward to seeing what some of the other coffee shops in Japan had to offer. But more on that later~

After having a nice hearty breakfast and a delicious cup of coffee, my next stop would be a Lawson Mini-Stop. Which is basically a Lawsons but smaller? I couldn’t quite tell you the difference to be honest. But at any rate my reason for visiting one is because....

How do I work this darned thing

This is Loppi. Long story short, the convenience store chain Lawson has a system where you could order tickets for a variety of events: concerts, sports games, cultural events, you name it. As long as you’re able to navigate the Lawson website or the Loppi terminal, you could place your order, input some information and a confirmation pin, print out your ticket, pay the price printed on the ticket, and voila: you have yourself a ticket to the event you wanted to attend☆ Sadly my reading skills were not yet at a point where I could confidently navigate the terminal but thankfully there was a dummy option of scanning a given QR code (which I had) and that made it all the more easier to get my ticket. A ticket for what was probably one of the most important and memorable nights of my trip.

Last year I went to go see MAMY live, one of, if not my most favorite Japanese band out right now. This year, the stars aligned and I was given the opportunity to see not one but two of my favorite bands live: SECONDWALL and AliA. When this live was announced I could not believe my eyes and while making reservations wasn’t easy, I still made the attempt: I wasn’t going to miss out on an opportunity of a lifetime

To be honest, once I had paid for the ticket I felt a huge sense of relief: I really wanted to have the opportunity to see the stars in my sky once more and have the chance to tell these people just how important their music was to me. Now all that was left to do was hope that everything would turn out fine on the day of the live. Now with that burden off my shoulders, I took off with a hop, step and jump towards my next stop☆

Last time I was here I made a memorable visit to Kiyosumi-Shirakawa on a whim and it was arguably one of the more memorable and important parts of that trip. I had however had after the fact that it was known for housing some fairly top notch coffee shops, and so I decided to try one of them out and see what it was like. But I there were also a few places I wanted to visit first, so it was time to get back to what I loved doing best

Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Park, right next to the gardens! What led me here (aside from the scenery) was....

Volbeat! This is one of the more odd regionals, currently only available on the East Hemisphere. Now to find some Farfetch’d and Zangoose★

There was a school trip happening around the main area. I didn’t stick around long so it wouldn’t be awkward

Snack time~★

After walking around the park and playing Pokemon GO for a bit, I wanted to revisit the gardens to see if any seasonal flowers popped up this time around (there was nothing the last time I was there; unsurprising considering that it was winter when I last visited =x)

Pretty flowers!

As always this place is beautiful☆

There was a bit of an early/late hanami going on here? There was surprisingly less sakura in here than I expected

Our water denizens! Also every black spot in that last picture is a tadpole. There were A LOT of tadpoles

A brave turtle majestically posing

Later days Kiyosumi Gardens! Until we meet again~★

As tradition calls for, I...relaxed and reflected in this garden for a bit. While I didn’t hit as much of a “eureka” as I did last time, I came to realize that despite all of my recent setbacks that maybe...I was a bit on the right path. I remembered what it was that made me happy and however heavy the burdens may be back home, I should not lose sight of what’s important to me and continue to try for what makes me happy in a meaningful way. Being here made me happy in a meaningful way. Changed me for the better. I had come this far: not just by taking the first step but also thanks to the support of my most precious friends and family that have been there for both of my happiest and saddest moments. I remembered what drove me to come here in the first place and how it resulted in me meeting one of the most inspirational people I’ve ever had the pleasure to encounter.

A singer who upon hearing her voice, hearing her sing...inspires me to get up and try again. And again. And while that may not be the deepest reason out there, music has been a very important part of my life, expressing everything I never could. Expressing my happiness where words failed and expressing my sadness when it was too hard to say anything.

And that’s a lot of the reason why I travel halfway across the world, to visit Japan: to meet the people whose music have helped me so much when nothing else could. To meet the people that inspire me, tell them how amazing they are and...maybe try to see and understand what inspires them to be the the way that they are

To hopefully tap into some of that inspiration and...someday hopefully become someone that can help and inspire others in a meaningful way. At least what’s I hope for (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) ☆

Feeling a little more peaceful inside, it was time to move forward. For now it is time for coffee! But that part of the journey is best saved for a different time. There’s quite a bit more from that day to share so I will save that for a different time

Until then,

See you next time ☆

#Hitori Travels #Japan

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retiredguys · 7 years ago

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Whisky Tour Day 2 - Whisky & Flowers

Busy day up and down the QEW where we learned about making and tasting whisky. Bonus stop at Schenck’s Nurseries. Fabulous Dinner with our hosts at Rapscallions. Onward.

We had big plans for Day 2: three Niagara distilleries to visit so we had better get a move on. First order of business was to make reservations at Dillons because they require it - spoiler alert: it was our favourite tour of the day. Planning the route was no big issue because our targets were fairly close together along the QEW in the St.Catherines / Niagara area. Remember last year’s tour we had many days that were 8+ hrs driving, so a couple 15 minute hops are nothing.

First stop of the Day was Wayne Gretzky’s distillery near Niagara-on-the-Lake. This was a combined winery and distillery with a very posh visitors center. There was a wine bar, a whiskey bar, an outdoor patio area with grill, a winter skating pond in the shape of a hockey rink - and the whole facility backed onto another winery (Trius). First whisky tour was sold out so we joined the second tour ($25) and got a good lesson in whisky making, pot distilling, and most importantly, tasting. It seemed our tour-mates knew something of whisky, while we were tasting novices that only knew what we liked or didn't. Enlightening.

After Gretzky’s we backtracked on the QEW toward stop #2 Dillons, but on a whim we decided to pop into at Schenck’s Nursery to see if our Bayfield friend Lou Schenck would join us at Dillons. In the office we saw Lou’s niece Colleen (who we have met before) but nobody could locate Lou. Fortunately Lou drove up (with Bab’s on the phone) just as we were giving up on him - lucky us. Though we only had a few minutes before our scheduled Dillons tour Lou quickly walked us through some of the facility - acres and acres of computer operated greenhouses, orchards, vineyard. And what I had thought was a cute little nursery operation was in fact a sophisticated, long-established, nursery business having global sourcing, markets all around North America, retail and wholesale sales channels, sales forecasting models, and all kinds of scientific innovations. Who knew! We learned Lou can catch a cold if a guy in Vietnam sneezes. Sadly Lou could not join us on the whisky tour for the afternoon but we were very glad we stopped in at Schenck’s.

Dillons was the antithesis of Gretzky’s and we enjoyed the contrast. The posh visitor experience at Gretzky’s was replaced with a nice tasting room and retail center off a gravel parking lot at the end of a field. Glitz versus charm, corporate versus family. At Dillon’s our tour ($0) was given by the Master Distiller Jeff Dillon - we benefited from what we learned at Gretzky’s and the whole distilling process was becoming more clear to us. Best part was feeling the passion Jeff has for his business and his craft. It was our lucky day again - Dillon’s has just released their first barrel aged Rye Whisky (they already have an unaged version) and we were able to buy a couple bottles from Batch #2!!!!

Last stop was Forty Creek Distillery. Biggest of the three distilleries visited today, and having a nice tasting room. We were too late to take catch tour but we did get to sample three of their Ryes. The bartender was very knowledgable (like Dillons) and it seemed Forty Creek was very successful on many measures. This reminded me of successful craft brewery Goose Island in Chicago who were bought years ago by whomever owns Budweiser. So I commented that Forty Creek must be ripe for takeover and we learned that founder John Hall sold to a multinational a few years ago. Is that the fate of successful craft distillers?

We ended the day with dinner at one of brother Tom’s favourite restaurants Rapscallion, in Hamilton. This place has a hole-in-the-wall feel but has a cool menu of unusual (mostly meat) offerings served on small plate. Anne Marie arrived to the restaurant straight from her office in Mississauga (whew) just in time to enjoy a delicious dinner. From our experience these two (Tom and Anne) are always great for finding deliocious, interesting eateries - wherever they might be .... in Cleveland, Chicago, or especially where they live.

Too busy today to enjoy James Joyce, plus I can’t find my bluetooth speaker that we need to listen to Dubliners. We’ll sort that out in the coming days

Tomorrow we’re off to Windsor and Detroit. Hiram Walkers and Detroit Tigers.

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