#we’re gonna have her play against Osaka
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
vicsy · 3 months ago
Text
Karolina Muchova with a shot of the year!
She advanced further in the tournament — 6:3 7:5 against Katie Volynets.
6 notes · View notes
studiobeebo · 3 years ago
Text
Tumblr media
IM SO GLAD I COULD CONVINCE U BC ITS FANTASTIC AND I HOPE MORE PPL GET INTO IT! and im literally the biggest slut for aquariums so ty ty and hope u enjoy 🤙🏽 @alibrick1
Tumblr media
♡ Aquarium Date ♡
Soshiro Hoshina x Unspecified Gender! Reader
as always if y’all enjoy this please remember that reblogs are greatly appreciated!!
Tumblr media
“What’s so funny?” You huffed, giddiness at the sight of the incredible creature in the tank in front of you quickly turning to suspicion upon turning away to look for where your boyfriend could have wandered off to, only to find him standing a few feet behind you, laughing.
“Nothin’.” He chuckled, a smile still on his face as he closed the distance between the two of you, though now his eyes were on the large whale shark that passed by behind you, which was arguably where his attention should have been considering the two of you didn’t go to the aquarium just stare at each other, but he couldn’t help his focus shifting to you more often than not.
Things at the base had been a bit hectic to say the least and being the vice captain, that chaos naturally landed right in his lap and he was expected to take a large part in getting things under control. That combined with the fact that you hadn’t exactly gotten off easy yourself meant that the two of you had been seeing very little of one another, which was generally expected due to your jobs and the fact that he was never really ‘off duty’ due to his position, but you’d barely had time to do anything aside from maybe eat lunch together and even that had become rare.
To be honest, he was arguably more put off by your lack of time together than you were, yet it was you who ended up finally requesting to get a weekend off with him.
While you decided to shoot high by asking your captain if her vice captain could be included in your time off, you were expecting her to draw the line at him considering the amount of work that had to be done, but to your surprise she agreed. It was something about how she knew good performance stemmed from a well rested mind, but all you heard was ‘you get a weekend off with your boyfriend’ and you were practically running down the hall ordering shinkansen tickets to Osaka and texting Soshiro simultaneously. He didn’t believe it at first, but he was more than happy to agree so here you were, at the Kaiyukan aquarium on a well deserved weekend off.
He himself was pretty impartial to aquariums and zoos, he dealt with insane creatures damn near everyday so there was never really anything about the attractions that really drew his attention. You, on the other hand, were someone who had become very good at drawing his attention and he’d caught himself staring a good handful of times throughout your day.
It was partially because of your looks, especially since you had gone all out considering the fact that you rarely got to do so, but mostly because this was the first time he had seen you looking excited and happy in a while. Usually when you saw one another, you were both exhausted and just about out of any energy you could muster, so seeing you looking into the various fish filled tanks with a wide smile playing on your lips and an extra pep in your step was more than enough to give him reason to stare.
He only laughed because he couldn’t believe himself for being so romantically cringey, plus it was funny seeing you practically smash your face against the glass to get a better look at the gentle giant that swam by every once in a while, but he was quick to act like he definitely-totally-100% wasn’t laughing at you.
“ ‘Nothin’ “, you mocked while gently elbowing him in the ribs before leaning into his side as he feigned dramatic pain. “You’re a shit liar, I can always tell when you’re laughing at me.”
“I don’t know what you mean.~” He hummed, this time letting out an actual ‘ow’ upon receiving a kick to his foot as he wrapped an arm around your waist. “Just in a good mood ‘s all.”
You hummed, shifting your eyes to look at him before looking back at the display before you. You liked to act like you didn’t care in retaliation to the amount of teasing you received from him, but you really did want him to have a fun weekend to relax a bit. You had been a tad bit worried that he might have wanted to spend his small slice of free time having time for himself, not that you would blame him, so you were relieved to see the lack of tense body language that you had been seeing in him as of late and a genuine smile on his face.
“In a good enough mood to buy me dinner?” You challenged with a raised brow, not wanting to dwell on being mushy for long as he let out a laugh of his own while giving a gentle squeeze to your waist.
“You’re not very good at being persuasive.”
“What do you want me to do, pose?”
“God no, that would be embarrassing and then I’d have to act like I don’t know who you are.”
You rolled your eyes and let out a faux huffy “Fine then.”, though when you went to pull away from him he was quick to tighten his grip, reflexes as fast as ever as he pulled you closer and muttered a resigned “Fine, fine.” against your skin while pressing a playful kiss on your temple.
“Gross, people are gonna think we’re dating or something.” You teased, this time actually wiggling out of his grasp to get a move on as your hunger began to creep up on you at the mention of dinner.
He simply smiled, moving to follow after you as he had done so many times before and would probably end up doing until the day he died.
“Yeah, well-“ He started, lacing his fingers with yours as he caught up. “Guess we’ll just have to tell them I got lucky.”
Tumblr media
202 notes · View notes
otptings · 4 years ago
Text
Countless Moons
Tumblr media
-Idol; Niki
-Word Count; 3k+
-Genre; 13+, angst , two endings (one horror, one ambiguous fluff)
-Warnings; detailed death, blood, cussing, aged up Niki, mentions of eating disorder, descriptions of grief multiple breakdowns, mentions of vomiting, self harm, insanity
-Synopsis; 2 years ago you witnessed your boyfriends death firsthand. Now after his 2 year death anniversary weird occurrences have started happening.
-A/n - here is my warning, this has a really detailed death scene that caused me to become choked up while writing this. if you do not think you can handle that please do not read this. requests are open for Enhypen (super small print is a dream, italics are flashbacks)
"I'm sorry."
Tears dripped down your cheeks. Fat and warm as they landed on your hands that you were wringing. Staring at the gravestone in front of you.
Riki Nishimura.
December 9th 2005- November 30th 2020.
Gone too soon.
It was the second anniversary. That means two years. Two years since you've witnessed him get hit by a car. When you thought too long about it you could remember that day perfectly.
That dreaded day.
Seeing his purple hair and the pout on his face after he had gotten lectured by the soccer coach because of it. The sun beating down on you, warming you despite the cold breeze that threatened to force you to put on a jacket. Niki's jacket that he always left for you just in case. Watching as he dribbled the ball, confidence displayed on his face as he kicked it toward the goal. Tossing his arm over K's shoulder as he cheered, turning to face you. Raising his fist, a smile on your face as you happily cheered for him.
Tugging said jacket closer around your body as another cold breeze brushed by. The clouded sky only made the day more dismal. Knowing that not even the sun would shine on you, as if it knew what this day meant.
"I should've listened to you," You wiped away your tears releasing a shaky laugh, "If I was more careful you would never had have to run after me."
The gravel digging into your knees and palm. Hearing your jeans rip as you hit the ground. Turning around in time to see the car hitting Niki. You could hear crunches, and a thud as he hit the ground. A blood curling scream was heard, but you don't know if it was from you or Niki. The driver of the car veered into a tree, who you later found out was drunk, passing out against the wheel.
The horn blared as you ran over to Niki, placing his head in your lap. His purple hair appearing red faintly, his eyes fluttering shut. Begging him to stay awake, tears blurring your vision as you cupped his cheek . Eyes widening you say blood dripping from his forehead.
So much blood.
The crimson liquid spilling around his body, seeping into your clothes as you held him closely. Looking around you saw bystanders staring on in disbelief, watching as you cried over his body in the middle of the street.
By the time the ambulance showed up Niki had stopped breathing. More screams and tears leaving you as the paramedics pulled you off of his body. One of them wrapped a silver blanket around you, another called your parents. You watched as they attempted to revive Niki.
They weren't successful.
His time of death was 5:37 pm.
"I wish you were here with me. I still sleep with the teddy bear your mom gave me, the one that used to be yours." A bitter sweet memory, his mom coming to your house with tears in her eyes. Handing you a box of his belongs. She hugged you tightly, muttering a sorry, before giving you her number. That was 2 years ago, before they moved to Osaka.
You couldn't blame her.
The box was precious to you. Filled with various teddy bears that he had around his room, various assortment of clothes, and letters that he had written you.
Goosebumps erupted over your skin as you felt eyes on you. Was someone watching you? Raking your eyes over the tree line, you thought you saw a glimpse of purple. Chills ran through you. It was time to leave anyway, it was past 7 pm.
Placing the narcissus flower on his grave, you stood up not bothered by the grass stains on your jeans. Pulling the jacket closer to your body, you headed to the gateway of the graveyard.
As you approached the archway you felt an urge to turn around. It was strong, like someone whispering it directly in your ear. Glancing over your shoulder you saw someone crouching over his grave, exactly where you were mere moments ago. The flower you placed in the figures hand as they stood up. An involuntary gasp left your mouth, and then the figure was gone. Vanishing into thin air.
"Niki?"
-
The sun beamed down on him reflecting his silver hair as he stepped into the river. Niki turned to you with a giant smile on his face, his hand up covering his eyes from the son. Strangely you couldn't make out his eyes. You let out a laugh watching as the bottom of his jeans got soaked by the water where he hadn't pulled them high enough. He looked down at the flowing water, a pout on his lips.
The water seemed to continue rising, as fear shown in his eyes. Just like the day the car hit him. You tried to scream at him, tell him to get out of the water, but no words left your mouth. A wave rose out of the water and hit Niki. A gurgled noise filled the air as you ran to the river. You ran into the river, desperately looking for him when you something grab your leg and yank you under the water. You were met by dark red eyes, and a fanged smile.
He let out a laugh as the water filled your lungs. When your vision started to get blurry he whispered in your ear.
"Be back soon love."
-
No fucking way. Your stomach dropped as you read the text.
Niki Niki 💞
Hi baby
Your hand shook as you quickly blocked the number. This was a sick fucking joke. Nausea flooded your stomach, and you felt bile rise in your throat. Dropping to your knees you started to get choked up. Covering your mouth you tried to quiet the sobs leaving your mouth.
Who the fuck would hack a dead persons phone? Why would you think that was okay?
Seeing Niki's contact appear made your heart drop. Memories flashed through your mind.
His face lighting up after the goal, when he looked at you in the bleachers and knew that he wanted to make you proud. His smile shining brighter than the sun. Whining when he pulled you into his arms after, laughing as he rubbed his sweaty cheek against yours. His hair stuck to his forehead when he leaned down to you, placing a kiss on your cheek.
Hearing the sound of his body hitting the ground. Holding him tightly to your body, begging anybody to help you. Feeling his blood soaking through your jeans, sticking them to your skin like paper mache. Watching him open his mouth as he tried to talk to you. The panic in his eyes as his breathing got more ragged. A gurgling noise presenting itself as his lungs filled with blood. Seeing his eyes becoming glazed over as you held him to your chest, begging him to stay awake.
You should've held him tighter that day. Kissed him a little harder. Not bothered worrying about his sweaty jersey. Just cherished the time that you spent with him.
Unknown
this looks weird I know but please listen to me
meet me in the place where we first met
I need to see you love
-
Tears streamed down your face as you held your legs close to your chest. Your skirt was covered in mud and grass stains. The bottom of it was torn where it had snagged when you tried to run away from them. Quiet cries left your mouth as you hid under the bleachers, praying that the bullies would leave you alone. You covered your mouth as you heard them getting closer, chants of your names.
"Come out piglet."
"Yea piglet. You love to play in the mud right?"
"Come out come out piglet." Their laughter got quieter as they walked further away. You slowly relaxed. You just had to wait out here til the bell rung. Only flaw in your plan was that you had no clue what time it was.
"Are you okay?" You jumped pulling your legs closer as you heard someone. Turning to your right you saw a boy with dark brown hair, hanging shaggily over his eyes. He held out his hand, attempting to help you stand up. When he realized you weren't gonna grab it he sat down beside you, not caring about the mud getting on his clean uniform. "My names Niki. What's yours?"
Niki didn't seem bothered at your silence. Taking off his jacket he handed it to you.
"I see your uniforms dirty. You can wear my jacket for the day if you like." Reluctantly you took his jacket, slipping it over your arms as he watched you with a smile. You stared at him weirdly as the bell finally run. Recess was over and you had successfully escaped your bullies.
Standing up Niki held his hand out to you again. This time you took it.
"Thank you." His smile only grew larger.
"Of course. I think we're gonna be friends."
-
"This is fucking stupid." Your words got sucked into the quiet of the night. You knew the Niki was dead. You witnessed his death. Held him in your arms as he died and choked on his own blood. Even spoke a eulogy for his funeral. He was dead as doorknob.
Here you were though. Pacing back and forth underneath of the bleachers. Sneakers crunching the dry grass. It was the middle of December. Instead of studying I was waiting to see who hacked my dead boyfriend's phone.
And what specifically was I waiting for? To have them appear then force them to apologize? They have no morals if they could hack a dead teen's number. What makes me think that any useful would happen from this.
"Fuck!" You growled as you crouched down, tears burning at our eyes. "He's not fucking coming back." You tried to convince yourself. "Everyday was supposed to get easier without you, but they're only getting worst and worst." An uncontrollable wail left your lips. You grabbed your hair, pulling it as you tried to ground yourself.
Nothing made sense anymore. Niki died at 15. It's been 2 years and you're still holding on to him.
"He isn't coming back." You wiped your tears with the sleeve of the hoodie, sniffling as you stood up.
"Who's not coming back?" Whirling around your mouth went dry. A gasp left your mouth as dizziness overcame you. "Are you okay? You look pale."
Him screaming your name was the last thing that you heard before you fainted.
-
"How could you bring her here? She has no fucking clue?"
"And leave her there?"
"He's right this is the best choice."
"Bringing her here is dangerous for all of us. Especially here."
"If you guys even touch her I'll kill you."
"We would never."
"What if she finds out what you are?"
-
Your eyes flickered open at the sound of harsh whisperings. Sitting up slowly you looked around the room. It was a stereotypical boys room, posters on the wall and clothes scattered across the floor. Turning to the nightstand something caught your eye. Picking up the picture frame you saw it was a picture of you and Niki.
Freshman year homecoming. First dance since you started dating, almost 5 years after you met for the first time. Our parents forced us to take pictures, changing up our poses every couple of photos. This was ironically the most hated one from that day.
The sun was blazing, beaming down as your parents snapped photo after photo. His arms wrapped around your waist, chin resting on your shoulder. He whispered jokes into your ears, causing laughs to flow freely. Every picture was almost the same. Niki's lips close to your ear, a wide smile on your face as you laughed.
Tears started to blur your vision as you set the picture frame down, albeit with a little bit of a thunk. The whispers went quiet outside, obviously they all had heard it. Someone turned the doorknob with a click before pushing it open, peeking their head in. Light in the hallway shone behind them, obscuring their face. They closed the door quickly, the whispers starting back up.
What the fuck was happening? You pulled your knees to your chest, pulling the blanket tighter around your body. This had to be another nightmare. Yea. Just a silly little dream. Where my dead boyfriend rose from the dead, texted me, and then took me to some strange house. Of course totally normal dream behavior.
Suddenly someone quickly stepped into the room, closing the door behind them with a resolute thud. You threw your hand over your eyes, covering them from the harsh light that abruptly turned on. Blinking a few items, you looked at the person as your vision cleared.
"This is a sick dream." Tilting his head to the side Niki started to walk over to you. Throwing your hands up you stopped him in his tracks. "Stay the fuck away. You are not Niki. I saw him die." His face softened as he stood in the middle of the room, brown eyes showing sadness.
"I am Niki."
"You're fucking not! I saw him die! I held him as he fucking died!" He jumped at your screams, looking taken aback as tears streamed down your face.
"Love. Please let me explain."
"Don't fucking call me that! Only Niki can call me that!" With a sob you curled yourself into a ball. Praying for this nightmare to end. There is no way Niki is alive.
Thud. Warm blood. Gurgle.
Thud. Warm blood. Gurgle.
He was dead.
Dead.
Dead.
Dead.
Another guttural sob left your mouth, holding yourself tighter in hopes that you could just disappear. You flinched as you felt at the feeling of getting touched, a hand placing itself on back. He rubbed soothing circles as he whispered into your ear, words reassuring you that it was truly him.
"I'm sorry love." At the sound of that, overwhelming thoughts to go to sleep flooded your mind. You opened your eyes, confused at what was happening as you gripped onto Niki's shirt. An apologetic look on his face before everything went black for the second time that night.
-
"I know that you pity me. Some of you feel bad because of what I witnessed. The death of my best-friend, and boyfriend. But you shouldn't. I've known him 5 years but he has made the greatest impact on me. I look at everything in a positive light because of him. I work my hardest because he constantly encouraged me to. Niki was the best person that I know and I feel as if we should all live in his honor. I'm happy that he isn't suffering. I know that Niki is happy wherever he is. And if there is a Heaven he is definitely there. Niki if you can hear me I love you. I'm so grateful that I got to know you. I'll be with you again someday. The sun will shine on us again."
-
Niki Niki💞
I took the liberty of unblocking my number
when you wake up please text me
if you give me the chance I will explain everything
Love🦦
hurry
-
Here we were. Niki sitting on the opposite side of the bed from, just looking at you. Apart of you wished that this was real. That Niki was really in front of you. Drinking in his appearance you let a sigh leave your mouth.
Niki was in front of you.
His hair hung messily in his face, now grey instead of his signature purple at the time of his 'death'. Every other part of him looked normal. A hoodie hanging off of his skin frame, the same one that he wore for soccer practice with his jersey number on the back. He hasn't aged a day.
"I know you're confused," His voice broke the silence, seemingly the only thing that has changed. Having heard it multiple times you hadn't realized that it had gotten deeper, "please just let me explain. If you want nothing to do with me afterwards I'll let you go. I just missed you."
He ran his fingers through hair, before pulling the hoodie over his head. A nervous trait of his. It's nice to see that some things never change.
"I died. I remember the fear that I had that day, how you held me tightly in your arms, choking on my own blood. I remember all of it, and I truly did die." You stared at him, more confusion after part of his explanation than you had before.
"I was scared when I woke up here. I had all of the memories of my death, but woke up with no scars. No physical sign of the accident. Heeseung was the one that comforted me. He told me that I was chosen. Talked about fate's arrows and connecting two worlds. My memory of the speech is hazy after two years." Scooting closer to you he grabbed one of your hands, intertwining your fingers.
"You've been here this whole time?" Regret shone in his eyes as he nodded, "Why didn't you tell me?" His face dropped at your voice. Desperation was clear in the way that your voice cracked.
"I couldn't. They told me I would put in danger. That you would reject what I am now."
Niki cupped your cheek wiping your stray tears. Sighing you nuzzled your face into his palm. His hand was cold. The same coldness that filled you for years after his death.
"I missed you so much. I fought myself day and night. I needed you too. I'm sorry love."
All the nights filled with tears, sobbing until your throat was sore and your head felt like it would explode from the pressure. School days filled with people staring, whispering to each other about the poor girl that witnessed her boyfriends death. Bile rising in your throat every time you ate, thoughts of Niki bleeding out in your arms, remembering scrubbing the blood off of you in the shower. You never could keep food down, rushing to the bathroom after every meal. Tears flooding your eyes as you gagged, constant flashbacks.
But Niki is here. In front of you. His hand cupping your cheek, whispering apologies into the air between you. Maybe everything would be okay.
-
It's been two years. Two years since you've found out that Niki was still alive. As a vampire, but 'alive' nonetheless.
Leaving town was always your plan. After Niki's death what was left for you in Okayama? You always thought about going to South Korea, or maybe even to America. Somewhere to get a full fresh start. Not being known as the dead boy's girlfriend. Who wasted away due to grief. Who died 3 years after his death, a brutal suicide that raked the town.
You were the real Romeo and Juliet. Two young lovers separated at 15, death forcing them to part. You never recovered from his death, so at 18 you followed him. After your funeral your family left town, not being able to bare the pain.
It was a fresh start for you. And Niki.
Your love Niki. Who laid now on your chest as you watched a movie, a cult classic funnily enough. The other members spread out on various couches. Looking down at Niki you ran your fingers through his hair, a sigh leaving his mouth as he relaxed. Grabbing your other hand Niki placed a kiss on it, a smile blossoming across your lips.
In the dead of winter, under countless moons you were together again.
-
thank you for reading this, I really hoped that you enjoyed it. I tried to make it the ending as fluffy as possible without ruining the vibe I had going for the whole oneshot. underneath of this is the alternate ending if you want to go insane read it. it does contain mentions of insanity, and self harm. you have been warned
-
It's been two years. Two years since you've found out that Niki was still alive. As a vampire, but 'alive' nonetheless.
Leaving town was always your plan. After Niki's death what was left for you in Okayama? You always thought about going to South Korea, or maybe even to America. Somewhere to get a full fresh start. Not being known as the dead boy's girlfriend. Who wasted away due to grief. Who died 3 years after his death, a brutal suicide that raked the town.
You were the real Romeo and Juliet. Two young lovers separated at 15, death forcing them to part. You never recovered from his death, so at 18 you followed him. After your funeral your family left town, not being able to bear the pain.
That’s what your parents told everyone at least.
The truth is police found you under the bleachers, writhing on the ground as you nonsensically spouted about vampires and curses. Telling everyone who listened how Niki was still alive. They would tut, turning around while mentioning how the accident affected you. Ruining you mentally. Your parents' concerns only grew when you would speak to the thin air. Claiming it was Niki. That he missed them, and wished they would allow him in the house.
You would claw at yourself to ‘feed’ Niki, blood dripping from your arms. It came to a halt when your parents walked into the house, crimson surrounding your mouth as you happily told them you had turned. You were now a vampire. You could now be with Niki forever.
They shipped you to the farthest asylum. One in Virginia, hidden away in the mountains. Far are from them. Far away from Niki.
Maybe after countless moons you’ll meet again one day. When the insanity no longer claimed your mind, and shrouded your reality.
90 notes · View notes
akaashisupremacy · 3 years ago
Text
How to Find Love
Summary: Iwaizumi is on a quest to find love with an old friend. What can he do to get there?
Iwaizumi x fem!reader/Oc || Read it on A03
Genre : romance, friends to lovers
Hajime Iwaizumi ran into the cafe, eyes wide and panicky. “I’m already twenty minutes late for the date.”
As he composed himself before he entered the place, he took a deep breath. He was determined to enjoy this date because it might be their last. Hiromi had never taken lateness kindly.
“Gomen, the meeting ran longer than expected,“ he said, nodding his head into a bow, too embarrassed to meet her eyes, “I’m so sorry.”
She looked up from her books with a weary smile. Beside her was a pile of four or five books, some of which were beginning to yellow, meticulously tabbed with colorful post-its.
“You still made it,” she said, closing her book “I usually walk out if my date was a full hour late.”
It was a Thursday. She had an afternoon at the library while he had an early off (if it wasn’t for his work meeting). Neither of them worked traditional 9 to5 jobs. He began to wonder if seeing each other would be easier if they did. Iwa was leaving on a Friday for Osaka for the rest of the weekend. He was a physical trainer for a professional volleyball team, which meant that he travelled with them during their season.
They called for a menu and began to order what would be their dinner.
“How’s work?” he asked, surveying her through the menu.
“It’s a lot of reading,” she gestured towards her stack of books, “But we’re at the beginning of a new research-heavy campaign so it’s normal. How about you?"
“Mmm…it’s still the start of the season so most of the team is quite healthy. Some of them are a little excited so we’re just trying to reign them in to keep them from straining themselves.” he said, thumbing through the pages.
He had settled for a hamburg curry rice while she had gone for a bowl of tuna pasta. She looked distracted.
“What’s up?” he asked, leaning into the table now that the niceties were done with.
“I like my job. I like my team. But why do I feel like I’m just grinding day in and day out." she sighed, resting her chin on her books, “There’s got to be more in adult life than this."
“You’ve got to find the reason out on your own because your employer won’t do it for you. Not that I’m qualified to give advice or anything.” he said, looking up from his drink.
“I know,” she murmured, her head rested between her folded arms “It’s just so difficult to find the energy for it sometimes.”
Iwaizumi nodded. He knew what she meant. No one job could fulfill all his desires for accomplishment. He liked his job, but it wasn’t a perfect job. He wished that he didn’t need to spend so many weekends away from home.
Man, this date was sobering.
“You sound burnt out. Maybe take it slower at work?” he quirked his head to match the angle of hers.
“What is it that you want to do that you’re not doing for work?” he asked. Despite less than a year in the workforce, she already looked so glum.
She pulled herself up and swept her books aside, “I don’t know to be honest. Within the next two years, I just want to be published in other big publications. It doesn’t have to be necessarily on food, more like the stuff I write for fun. The stuff I’m willing to freelance while I have a day job, y’know?”
“Like what?”
Their order had arrived. She stabbed her fork into her pasta and gently twirled it around.
“The New York Times has a column called Modern Love where you write a long essay about some type of love. It doesn’t have to be romantic. It can be platonic, familial, or even failed love as long as it is set in modern day. I’ve been meaning to write about my failed relationships.” she said thoughtfully.
Iwa choked on his first spoonful.
“Well, if this doesn’t work out, I can at least write about it. Get three hundred dollars and buy you dinner to thank you for the experience.” she laughed drily.
“Are you always this pessimistic on your first dates?” he coughed, taking a sip of water “Either ways, I’m glad to be of help.”
She perked up a bit and grinned. Her whole face lit up when she smiled. A wave of warmth washed over him.
“Send me a copy when you get published.” he added, “I want to see what you write about me.”
“I’m definitely going to writet that you were late on the first date.” she said without skipping a beat. She was grateful that they had chosen this cafe. There were not too many people even if it was dinner time, yet the ambient noise that filled the air kept their pauses from being too silent.
Iwa stopped eating and squinted his eyes at her, “You are not gonna let me live this down, huh?" She winked at him with a glint in her eye. He smiled in response.
He couldn’t care less about what the New York Times was but she was evidently fascinated by it. He wasn’t going to own up to uncultured swine he was on a first date. He had already been late.
“Anyways tell me more about this Modern Love.” he settled back into his dinner.
She pulled out her phone and began typing, “The Modern Love column came out with questions to help get to know someone. This could be a fun date activity.”
“Sure, you want to give it a go?”
She shoved the phone in his face and scrolled through the questions. “There are three sets of questions. Each set more intimate than the last. You can choose from the first set.”
Iwa lightly held the phone, his fingertips grazing the back of her hand. He chose the first question that caught his eye.
“Number 4. What would constitute a ‘perfect’ day for you?” he read out loud. Hiromi took her phone back and read the question to herself.
“What’s your answer?” she asked.
“I just got back, I hadn’t figured out what a perfect day would be like here.” he shrugged sincerely.
She snorted loudly, “What a cop out answer!”
Iwa looked up and thought for a bit, “A day spent walking around in the city…maybe a day that starts with a morning jog and a hot unrushed breakfast after. Catching up with friends sounds good too.”
Hiromi nodded. She was fully absorbed as he talked. It was like she was going through the scenes of his day in his mind as he described them.
“What about you?” he asked, snapping out of her out of her reverie.
“A day at the market,” she said quietly. ”Any market day is a good day really.”
“To be honest, it doesn’t depend on the activities so much at times. The people you’re with is definitely important. A day at the market can still be terrible with the wrong company.” she added.
“I wasn’t subpar last weekend, was I?” he asked.
“No...you weren’t.” she replied a little more shyly than usual.
They moved onto the next question.
“What roles do love and affection play in your life?” she read out loud, “Doesn’t have to be romantic again.”
Iwaizumi inhaled sharply. That was such a loaded question.
“If you’ll use this for an article and it gets published, you better buy me dinner someplace nice.” he tutted.
“Then make this one good.” she smirked.
Iwaizumi stopped eating for a few minutes to think through the question. Before he answered, he closed his eyes and breathed out slowly.
“It defined my entire career in volleyball. My best friend and I watched a game and we kind of chose to go into the same school team after that because we were both so obsessed with the sport. Our connection was almost telepathic. We barely used signals when it was just the two of us. We basically ran off instinct.” said he softly, his eyes reminiscing a different time.
“Although we went our separate ways after high school, I spent so much time in volleyball that it defined a huge part of who I was too. I mean, if I didn’t play volleyball, I would probably be in another sport, but I’d still think I’d be different, y’know?”
You could tell he was avoiding the word “love.” Iwa was not one to be vulnerable.
“In college when I was in my first serious relationship, it was the type of love that gave me confidence and assurance. But I guess it wasn’t enough…for me to say it deeply impacted my later choices on career and other decisions, unlike volleyball.”
“I can’t help but feel that any defining…relationship I have romantically will be weighed against with my time with volleyball…my first real love…" he tried to laugh it off, but you felt the weight off his words, “And I’ve been lucky enough to have enough love in my life that I don’t need to constantly be in a relationship to feel complete.”
A moment of silence fell in between the two.
“That’s a lot to heap on a relationship.” she whispered in contemplation.
Iwa awkwardly scrambled for damage control, “…no pressure.” was all he managed to say.
“So why try to date? When it’s so tough to find someone who can match up with volleyball?” she asked.
“Companionship?” he shrugged, “It’s still nice to date around.”
“And you’re…nice. I’ve been wanting to date you since we were in college. I’ve liked you for a long time…” his entire face flushed pink.
Her eyes fluttered wide open. Since college? Is he serious?
“Our friends were right,” she said in a hush, “You did have a thing for me. I thought they were just teasing us.”
“You had a boyfriend back then and when you broke up with him, I was seeing someone else.” he exhaled, looking her earnestly in the eye, “Wasn’t it obvious to you?”
Iwaizumi couldn’t tell if Hiromi just didn’t want to speak or was too busy contemplating. She was too stunned to speak.
“It felt like fate seeing you on the plane.”
A million things were going through her mind, she slowly opened her mouth, “Now that we’ve been on two half dates, what’s it like? Is this what you’d thought it would be?”
“College is very different from now, but the short answer is yes.” he nodded, rolling his shoulders back. “Everything just clicks. I’m so comfortable with you. It’s so easy for us to talk. I like you just as much as I did in college…I just really like you. Time hasn’t changed that at all.”
Hiromi looked overwhelmed. She was unable to look him in the eye. She was barely getting to know him romantically and he had long been decided about his feelings for her.
“Do you wanna ask if they sell alcohol here? You look like you need a drink.” he joked. Hiromi didn’t look like she heard him.
"This is so intense for a first date.” she shook her head in what seemed like regret.
“We can stop,” he gently interjected, “We can talk about something else.”
She finally looked up to him and whispered, “Hajime, you’ve just dumped a lot of pressure on me.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to do that,” he smiled apologetically, “Anyways, I’m aware that we’re both at different…stages of attraction. Besides, I think this would be way more awkward if we both were pining.”
“Wouldn’t that be sweeter?” she asked.
“Way too sappy for me.” he waved with his hand. Hiromi let out a small chuckle. Iwa secretly sighed in relief.
——————————————————————————— After dinner, they headed to the arcade to blow off some steam. Iwaizumi offered to carry some of her books to which he somewhat regretted. Her books were like rocks. How the hell was she lugging them on her own in the city?
“I could carry them on my own if it’s too heavy.” she offered.
Iwaizumi looked at her incredulously. She was at least half a foot shorter and much smaller in build. His biceps weren’t going to buck in front of her.
They wandered around the arcade for a bit, unsure what to do first. Iwa silently prayed they didn’t have to do any dancing. Just when they were about to decide on the claw machine, Hiromi pointed towards a small karaoke booth at the corner of her eye.
“Let’s go in there.” she tugged at his jacket.
Iwaizumi flipped through the songs. None of them seemed to be in Japanese. All of them were in English.
“Did you pick up a default english karaoke song?” she asked, browsing through the catalogue. The room was clearly designed for kids. It was so small their knees touched and Iwa could barely sit up without hitting his head on the ceiling.
“Nah,” he shook his head, “I don’t really sing…in English. Any suggestions?”
Hiromi typed in the number of a song.
“I’m about to introduce you to your first usable English karaoke song.” she grinned at him mischievously. Iwa looked at her suspiciously.
The opening notes started to play—some acoustic guitar and a trumpet. The song sounded…Mexican? For the longest time there were no lyrics on the screen. Hiromi swayed to beat as her eyes were glued to the screen. When the song finally began to hit what sounded like the chorus, the music paused for a second.
“TEQUILA!” she yelled into the mic.
Iwaizumi was so startled he jumped up and hit his head on the ceiling. Hiromi was giggling uncontrollably.
“That’s it?!” he exclaimed.
“Yeah,” she laughed, pressing the mic towards him, “You try on the next chorus.”
When the trumpets began playing, Iwa readied himself. The song hits its familiar pause soon enough and he pulls the mic closer to his lips.
“Tequila?” he said tentatively.
“With more conviction, Hajime!” she urged, taking back the mic. On the third chorus, she moved closer to him so they could share the mic.
The music hits its third pause, they looked at each other and yelled, “TEQUILA!”
They both grinned and laughed, almost as if the act of singing about alcohol was like a drink in itself. He could feel her shins pressed against him as she continued to sway for the music. A glint in her eye flickered as she nudged him to dance along with her.
Iwaizumi wasn’t going to refuse. Especially not on their first date. He swayed what he could on the tiny box while the song lasted.
————————————————————————— At the end of the night, they both sat in the train waiting to get off on their respective stops. The carriage shuttled back and forth, pushing and pulling their bodies back and forth into each other.
“Hajime,” she tapped him on his shoulder, “We didn’t finish the last set. Let’s do a quick one before I get off.”
He nodded, “Pick one we can answer with just one word.”
Hiromi swiftly browsed the list, before looking up.
“Finish the sentence, ‘Right now, we are both feeling…’"
Their faces were both so close they could feel the heat of each other’s breath. The back of their hands were touching, but neither dared to reach out or pull away.
“Hopeful.” whispered Hiromi, an evident earnestness in her voice. She was fighting off her shyness just long enough to look him in the eye when she talked.
Iwa smiled, “Smitten.”
Before she could react, the train jolted as it shuffled towards her station.The train stopped at Hiromi’s station and she got up from her seat, taking the books from Iwa’s arms.
He followed her to the exit and watched her as she got off. She gave a small wave from the platform while she watched the doors closed.
Iwa was tempted to press his hands onto the window, unwilling to end their time for the evening. His last sight of her was her smile when the train plunged itself into the night.
“Did he start out his day at the market with a morning jog?” she asked herself, watching the train swiftly pull away.
Iwaizumi took a deep breath. The night had gone differently from how he thought the date would proceed. For one thing, he didn’t expect to confess so early into the relationship.
He took his phone and curiously googled the questions she mentioned.
It turns out the title of the New York Times article was not “Questions to Get to Know Your Date” as Hiromi had led him to believe. Instead, it was titled, “Thirty Six Questions That Lead to Love”.
“Huh,” he said to himself. He shut off the screen to his phone.
36 was too much. In his opinion 3 was enough.
-----------------------------------------------------------
This is part 3 of a series on Iwa living in Tokyo after he moves back from California. Comment or message to be added to the taglist. 
Also, I’ve been feeling quite down lately, so say some nice things if you feel like it in the comments 😬✌️
Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4
Series taglist: @itstheee-ha-chan
46 notes · View notes
haechanniesunflowers · 4 years ago
Text
NCT 127's reaction to your kid misbehaving with you
Warnings: bratty kids, disrespect, smoking, weight conscious theme, a lil mention of blood, just spoiled kids idk I can't stand bratty and spoiled kids if my future kids ever misbehave with y'all let me know I'ma handle them
Requested by @glossiiipeach
Taeil
Taeil knows how to be a good parent, he's the oldest hyung of 22 other boys. Can't nobody tell him how to handle his kids because he's dealt with Haechan.
He wakes up in the middle of the night and stretches his hand out to hold you, he doesn't feel you there. Getting out of bed he goes to look for you but hears faint voices and follows the source. He's standing outside his 17 year old daughter Jiwoo's bedroom. He's about to knock on the door when he makes out what she's saying.
"mom didn't I just tell you that we're being careful? we're young and don't want a child of course. Why can't you understand that. Now give me back my pills and get out of my room"
"you're 17 Jiwoo. I'm worried about you. What if something goes wrong? And he's not the type to settle down. I don't want you to get hurt please"
"my God mom you're so annoying stop it please leave I'm getting angry"
Taeil can't believe what he's hearing and it's making him lose his mind. He enters Jiwoo's room making her and you shocked. He sees the pills in your hand and looks at Jiwoo. She's beyond embarrassed. Taeil tries his best to contain his anger, taking deep breaths. Nope he can't handle it.
"what's going on?" he asks, not actually wanting confirmation.
"Taeil honey, let me handle this" you say
"does she deserve your compassion y/n? She doesn't even know how to respect her mother, why should I go easy on her?"
Everyone goes silent.
"tell that man to come over tomorrow, I want to meet him. Let's hope he's got some manners because you clearly don't" he says to Jiwoo and leaves the room taking you with him.
Johnny
Johnny is a great partner and parent. He's like a friend to his 14 year old twin sons David and Jacob. They share everything with him, tell him their secrets, their relationship with you guys is built on trust so you guys are cool with each other. But that doesn't mean that they can do anything they're not allowed to do.
You're in the kitchen preparing dinner, Jocob helping you not only because he's closer with you but because he's a member of the family and he knows helping around the house won't make him any less of a man (yes I said equity) you guys taught your children well I'm so proud of you. Johnny comes home an hour early and sets the table (I love this family so much ugh) while Jacob brings the dishes. You go upstairs to wake David up since he said he'll be asleep. You softly knock on the door several times but he doesn't answer so you quietly open the door only to see that he's not in his room. Johnny comes upstairs too to change into comfortable clothes before dinner.
You see the bathroom door open to you wak over and just as you're about to call David's name you see him leaning against the shower wall, smoking a cigarette. In a state of anger and shock you stomp towards him and slapping it out of his hand.
"what is your fucking problem mom" David screams.
Did Johnny hear it right? Are his ears playing tricks on him or did he just hear 14 year old David not only just raise his voice at you but also use a curse word with you. He's there in an instant, face twisting with anger. Someone please save David from Johnny now.
He takes the cigarette from your hand and examines it before turning towards his son. "did you just curse at your mother?" Johnny is scary man. No one says anything.
"we'll talk about the cigarette later. I can't have my boys disrespecting my wife, under my roof. So why don't you repeat it for us, I want to hear it up close". He says.
"no I'm sorry, she scared me" David says quietly.
"oh that's not what I overheard" Johnny says, he won't let him get away with this.
Taeyong
You and him only have one child and have planned to have another when your first born is older. So naturally your 12 year old son Minho was loved and spoiled by everyone around him. He could get away with almost everything. Almost. And disrespecting anyone wasn't on the list of options. You don't let him indulge in technology a lot and send him to the playground instead. You and Taeyong don't realize it sooner that he's surrounding himself with older boys who teach him bad things just for the fun of it.
He comes home one day and straight up yells for you to make him his favorite chocolate shake. "mom make me my favorite drink right now".
You look at your mother-in-law who is visiting you for the weekend and excuse yourself. "Lee Minho where are your manners? Go meet your grandparents" you say glaring at him. He rolls his eyes in return.
"umm no I don't want to right now, and where's my chocolate shake".
"Minho what are you saying, what's wrong with you. I'm telling you to go and-"
"and I said I don't want to. I'll meet them when I want to meet them. Got it?" he says angrily.
Taeyong hears the commotion from his room and comes to see what's going on. He hears the last sentence Minho said and quickly comes closer to you two.
"what was that Minho?" Taeyong asks, his aura dark.
"I don't want to talk to anyone right now and she's forcing me, tell her to stop" Minho is just asking for trouble now.
Taeyong looks at you apologetically and then to his son angrily. "come with me" he says, taking his son by his arm to his room. He's gonna talk some sense into that spoiled kid, oh and he's grounded and Taeyong will personally have a word with those boys Minho's been playing with.
Yuta
We all know our man is woke af and got big brains. He's a friendly but strict father, his sons Hiroto (15) and Fubuki (10) know better than to make him angry. But his daughter Ayame (13) is his weakness and he goes easy on her. Maybe that's why she thinks she can trash talk to you without consequences.
You guys are going to meet Yuta's parents in Osaka and everyone is told to be on their best behavior. Hiroto and Fubuki comply but Ayame has an attitude because she would rather hangout with her friends. Yuta is driving the car and you're in the passenger seat.
"move omg you're touching me" Ayame complains and shoves Fubuki towards Hiroto, the latter sending her a glare.
"Ayame sweetie be nice to your baby brother" you say.
"ugh I don't get why we all have to go. I had to cancel my plans with Aoi and Natsumi. I could meet grandmother and grandfather some other time when I wasn't busy" she complains. You, Hiroto add Fubuki all look towards Yuta to check if this sudden outburst made him angry because it's his parents she's talking about. You can tell by the way he cocks his eyebrow for a second and the way he's gripping the steering wheel that he's getting annoyed. So you decide to tell her to stop.
"Ayame stop complaining, it's not like we meet them every day. They're very sweet and you kids know they love you so much".
"this was your stupid idea wasn't it mom" and with that Yuta stops the car and faces his daughter.
"what makes you think you can talk to her like that" he asks rhetorically. Ayame is speechless, she wasn't expecting this. Yuta thinks the world of you, he's seen you being sick during your pregnancies and the troubles of carrying his children. He's noticed how your body has become weaker and changed. If anything, he loves you even more for being strong and going through it. He's in awe of you and he can't let anyone disrespect you. His brain can't accept it.
"take your words back and say you're sorry right now" he says in a serious tone.
"I'm sorry mom" your daughter apologizes immediately.
Doyoung
Doyoung and you put in extra effort to teach your children the best manners. You guys did succeed but weren't prepared for this surprise. Your daughter Yuna (12) got into a fight with your son Hyunjin (14). It started with them arguing over the remote and escalated to the point where Hyunjin hit her in the head with the remote and pulled her hair. Yuna screamed for you. You and Doyoung were asleep in your room when you heard her scream. You quickly got out of bed and ran to see what had happened. Yuna came running into your arms, crying hysterically. Doyoung followed you, confused and scared. He sees Yuna in your arms crying her eyes out and you're scolding your son.
"Hyunjin how dare you hit your sister"
"it's not like she wasn't a part of it, I was watching the game and she tried snatching the remote from my hand"
"does that mean you hit her head and pull her hair? You're so mean apologize to your sister"
"no shut up" he says annoyed and immediately covers his mouth.
"hey! you shut up and go to your room, you're grounded until I say so" Doyoung says before you could say anything.
Hyunjin runs to his room with his hands still covering his mouth and spilling apologies to you.
Doyoung picks Yuna up and takes you both to your room, calming her down and promising her that he will scold Hyunjin.
"I'm sorry" he says to you, squeezing your hand feeling embarrassed that your son disrespected you.
Jaehyun
Such a loving husband and father and an only child, he did everything in his power to make you two happy. He spoiled not only you but his daughter as well. Ever since Jisoo was born, she has been the apple of everyone's eyes. Your parents, Jaehyun's parents and you two all loved her to no end. She got whatever she wanted. This soon got to her head and now she was 15 and asking for a Prius. It was an absurd request because 1, she doesn't know how to drive, 2, she's not legally supposed to drive and 3, what does she even need the car for. You both turn down her request. She's not having any of it.
She's stopped eating and stays in her room all the time. You're both very concerned but you know her wish can't be granted so you try to cheer her up.
You two are in her room sitting on her bed, she's on her phone. You start talking.
"Jae the lobster you prepared looks amazing and I bet it tastes perfect too, if only Jisoo could accompany us at the dinner table, we could taste it", you say.
Jisoo sighs "all I hear is blah blah blah"
"come on y/n, let's have lobster for dinner because Jisoo clearly doesn't have enough appreciation for the hard work put in and she doesn't have proper manners so we'll leave her to think about what she said and when she's ready to apologize, she can come join us at the dinner table" he says taking you out of the room with him.
Winwin
What did I say about OT10 hmm? We have no choice but to stan.
He's the sweetest most gentle man ever I swear just look at him. Everyone loves him so much. He doesn't look like the type to get angry so it really takes a lot to get him there.
He's sitting on the couch reading his group chat texts and you're sitting on the floor with you 16 year old son Minghao, playing a video game. You're better at it than him and you aren't gonna lose just because he's your son. You're about to win when he throws his controller and unplugs the game, making you let out an annoyed cry.
"what gives" you say
"mom can you stop, you're being annoying ugh"
"hey watch it" you warn him and he pushes the books off the shelf in annoyance.
"y/n let's go out for a walk. It'll give Minghao enough time to think about his actions and clean up the mess he's made".
Yup you both really left him to clean it.
Jungwoo
You guys have a pretty strong relationship and everyone can see that. You're there for each other and help the other whenever they need it. Plus you have two beautiful daughters Chaein (16) and Dami (14). Your family is cute, soft and savage. Yikes
Your daughters are very very close with you and won't dare to disrespect you and they often joke around with you.
Ever since you had your girls, you've struggled to lose weight. Your body had gotten weak after child birth so you needed everything to stay healthy but you couldn't seem to lose weight, you didn't have the energy to. You sometimes felt conscious standing next to your husband but he always reassured you that you look perfect and he's maintaining his weight because of his job. You didn't need to be conscious but you couldn't help it.
You had a lot of work to do that day so you constantly had to go up and down the stairs. At one point you had had enough so you stood there trying to catch your breath. Your daughter Dami also came down and was using her phone so she bumped into you.
"my God mother move! you've really let yourself go"
"that's not very nice of you Dami" Jungwoo says coming up the stairs to help you.
"I was joking dad" Dami says.
"we don't joke about these kinds of things in this household" Jungwoo informs and Dami says she's sorry to both of you.
"ooo busted" Chaein comments from her room.
Mark
You and Mark had a similar nature. You both found it hard to get angry but it was easy when it was at Haechan lmao let the boy breathe
Mark was pretty chill with his family and you guys joked around a lot but nothing too serious.
You were currently in the kitchen losing your marbles over Mark destroying the eggs and using a metal spoon on a non stick pan yup he scraped it alright.
"just watch me do it y/n I think I finally got it"
You're sitting still, internally crying over the ruined pan.
"see? I told you I got it" Mark says proudly, putting the destroyed egg on the plate, sprinkling some salt and pepper on it.
"Mark what is this supposed to be, and you ruined my pan. You said you were going to be careful with it. I'm physically in pain just looking at it" you say jokingly. The damage had been done you why not joke about it.
"oh come on mom it's just a pan stop being so over dramatic about it" says your 12 year old son Levi.
"hey don't be sassing around got it? Especially not with your mother and me" Mark says in a serious tone with his finger pointed to his son.
"sorry mom and dad" Levi says.
Haechan
If you thought he's annoying, you've got another thing coming. Say hello to your sons Changmin and Subin. A combination of Haechan and you.
You love them to death but sometimes it gets too much and you need your husband to control them. It's one of those times. They're running around the house with sticks in their hands. You're trying to stop them to keep them from hurting themselves because those sticks are pointy but they're not listening to you at all. You try stepping between and Subin (10) accidentally runs into you with the the stick pointed towards you. It pierces the skin of your leg, drawing blood. You let out a yelp and clutch your wounded leg. Changmin (12) screams for Haechan once he sees the blood. He immediately comes running and gives you first aid. He asks you how it happened and Subin answers it himself.
"I was playing with Changmin and mom decided to butt in!"
Haechan glares at him and is about to school him but you hold his wrist and shake your head no. He sighs and thinks of better words.
"that's not how to speak about your parents kids" he says, disappointed.
386 notes · View notes
fizzingwizard · 4 years ago
Text
So I’m sure you’re ALL on tenterhooks to find out what I thought of episode 36... the answer is.... LOVED IT!!!! No I really did. If you like Taishiro friendship, this is an essential episode to watch. Doesn’t blow me out of the water, but still just good.
Although Taichi has a big something to do as usual, it’s still very much a Koushirou episode. FREAKING YAY. I have a dozen thoughts about it, and what bugs me the most, of course, is how we needed this episode AGES ago ugh. But we’ve now had two or three episodes in a row that have actually felt like Digimon Adventure, so perhaps all that finger-crossing is working?
They could unravel all that good work in a minute by never addressing it again... or not letting Koushirou show his personality unless it’s his “turn” for an episode from here on... but you know, I will cross that bridge when we come to it.
Pic of the day:
Tumblr media
“I don’t like people. But they are occasionally useful.” - 2020 Izumi Koushirou’s life lesson, lmao
*The red strip at the top is about the big earthquake that hit Eastern Japan yesterday. It’s annoying to have it there for the entire episode - usually they only stick around for a couple minutes - but this WAS a large earthquake. It caused many people to lose power. So making sure everyone knows what’s going takes precedence over Sunday morning cartoons. (I’m in Osaka and didn’t even feel it, but my friends in Tokyo prefecture very much did.)
Lots and LOTS of ranting from a rabid Taishiro fan under the cut!
(also I didn’t check for typos so. yeah)
The episode starts right off by assuring us this is a Koushirou episode. We get the trademark Izumi Koushirou floating in the void of space sequence, which is excellent and very encouraging framing.
Tumblr media
Koushirou Kenobi: “Use the force, Taichi.”
Taichi: “Use it yourself.”
(the episode in a nutshell)
The initial thing that bugged me - okay, so the kids got separated for the umpteenth time many episodes ago, and since then we’ve stuck to Taichi like barnacles. The only glimpses we’d get of the other kids showed: Yamato running towards something, Koushirou flying towards something while researching the satellite malfunction, Jou in the hot springs, and Mimi at the crystal caves. For Jou and Mimi, I don’t care, because they never tried to move, but Yamato and Koushirou were constantly moving. Yet, in the end, it’s Taichi’s group that catches up with Koushirou, rather than the other way around. It DOES make sense - it seems like Koushirou told them to “meet at the giant gold pillar” because that’s where they needed to be to save the world, so it became the rendezvous point. But it just bugs me because, once again, all the activity is on Taichi’s side. But that’s a minor quibble. The end result is still THIS:
Tumblr media
More of the team is together!!! Taichi and Koushirou are together!!! Yaaayy!!!
... the betting pool for how long it will be till the next separation is now open >.>
Tumblr media
Poor Komodomon’s long mop dog fur is so dirty. “Fizz his fur always looks like that.” He’s tracking mud everywhere. “Fizz look at his ears his fur is supposed to look that way.” Next episode - everyone gives Komondomon a bath.
Tumblr media
So the start of this episode is just a bunch of talking about how dire things are with the satellite situation. I’m not gonna bother translating. Watch the sub when it’s out if you really want to know :P The important thing is, the gold pillar is directly causing the malfunction, no one on Earth can stop the satellite from plummeting to Tokyo, the city is being evacuated, and there are only 20 minutes till impact.
Tumblr media
Koushirou has an elaborate plan which Sora adorably sums up as “So, we’re gonna shoot it out of the sky *makes punching motion*”
Tumblr media
The crux of Koushirou’s plan hinges on a repeat of how Omegamon saved Tokyo from the missile way back in like, episode 2 or 3. Taichi says, “Yeah, but I barely remember how we did that.” Which is hilarious because I don’t remember either because it was 30 EPISODES AGO. Once again this episode feels like it was meant to happen WAY EARLIER THAN IT DID. It’s just weird to be referencing something that happened 30 episodes ago after everything else that’s happened, AND on top of that, there are many references in this episode and none from later than like, episode 10 or 12. Making this all seem very oddly timed.
I’m not quite sure if, within the story itself, it matters that Taichi “doesn’t remember well.” He also doesn’t remember the Devimon battle where he and Agumon were infected with dark energy. That one makes sense for him not to remember. If that hadn’t happened, I would just take his “I don’t remember how we stopped the missile” to just mean it was so long ago. But together, it’s making me wonder if something else is going on.
Or maybe Taichi’s just been hit on the head one too many times (okay, that seems the most likely of all, haha)
Tumblr media
People of Tokyo: Is it Godzilla again? I heard he’s itching to fight King Kong. You know, given how often our city is attacked by kaiju, some might wonder why we haven’t moved away by now. But home is home, ya know?
Tumblr media
The group sets up to fly to the peak of the gold pillar. Obviously, without Yamato, there’s no Omegamon. No one points this out, but Koushirou seems very stressed with his plan, and it seems that he contacted Taichi in the first place because he thought “Taichi’s the one who can pull this off.”
After hearing the plan, Taichi shoots him through the heart with another “Koushirou, you’re so awesome!” and YAY I MISSED THIS SO MUCH!!!!!! *sobs*
Then he does his best to reassure Koushirou by remaining positive and determined that they can and will do this no matter how much Koushirou waves. The majority of the episode is them flying up the pillar while being assaulted by enemies trying to stop them, so it’s not like they get to talk about their feelings (lol). But at least we get a bunch of close ups of Koushirou’s and Taichi’s expressions, and that’s how we see this dynamic in play. Yes, Koushirou is the brainy one who made the plan, but he doesn’t have the confidence to take the lead, so he handed the reins to Taichi. As for Taichi - yes he has the confidence, yes he can do it... but he also has absolute faith in Koushirou. So that’s why this episode makes my little Koushirou fanatic heart skip a beat.
Tumblr media
First of the enemies is this guy, aptly named BladeKuwagamon.
Tumblr media
They’re actually pretty scary! They do real damage. (Blood in Digimon word is glowy unicorn-like stuff haha). Birdramon gets stabbed, but before Sora can get too upset, she just yanks the blade out of her chest...
Tumblr media
... and then crushes it into dust with her beak.
Sora: Holy crap, my partner is metal AF.
Tumblr media
Forgot to mention earlier but 5 whole minutes of the 20 minute countdown are used up just by digivolving apparently xD Taichi keeps asking Koushirou “how much time is left” and Koushirou’s panic grows more visible with each passing second...
Tumblr media
MetaLiffeKuwagemon looks cooler than he is. Supposedly he’s there to bring out the big guns, but to be honest...
Tumblr media
... the BladeKuwagamon don’t seem to need the help :P The enemy’s strategy is obvious: isolate each member of the team to prevent anyone from getting to the top. This is why Koushirou’s so stressed: he’s got a plan that is totally reliant on there being a leader strong enough to pull it off AND there being enough backup to protect that leader from the large number of enemies. And Koushirou doesn’t like these odds.
Tumblr media
Garudamon gets stabbed AGAIN
Tumblr media
Sora: Go on, we’ll be fine.
Taichi: Are you sure??
Garudamon: *DESTROYS EVERYTHING WITH FIRE*
I MEAN HONESTLY! Garudamon is not only my favorite of Piyomon’s evolutions, it’s pretty much my favorite Adventure evolution. Always has been since I was 11 years old. And she (and Sora) NEVER get that credit. Like. Growing up, with US dub Adventure, I interpreted Sora as more of a straight up tomboy than she is in the original. That’s okay, that’s whatever, but what was most important to me was that I saw her as the third “strong” member along with Taichi and Yamato. Those two were clearly in a class above her, but I saw her as being in the same “Taiorato” league. Garudamon seemed to prove that: she was so cool, so powerful, and... yeah, I just always thought she had so much potential to be awesome and never got why it wasn’t used. That’s also why I was disappointed in Tri - like, I liked Soushitsu, but I just wanted more from Sora’s arc. Same thing in Kizuna: I understand Sora’s arc, I don’t hate it or anything - I think it makes sense for her. But since I wanted something different for her all those years ago, it just left me feeling a bit flat.
but enough about other Digimon series :P Garudamon gets to be super cool here and I only hope we get to see more of it in this reboot. I’ll forgive it some of its other mistakes if we do :D
Tumblr media
With Takeru/Hikari and Sora isolated by the BladeKuwagamon, it’s up to Taichi and Koushirou alone to race against the clock! Their teeth are clenched, sweat runs in rivulets down their skin, their hearts are pounding in desperation...
Tumblr media
Koushirou: Taichi-san! If we don’t get to the top soon it’ll be too late!
Taichi: Just don’t call me late for dinner!
Koushirou: ASDFGHJKL;’ DAD JOKES NOW?? REALLY????????
Tumblr media
MetaLiffeKuwagamon makes life that much harder by knocking them against the pillar. However, this is a pillar of data, which enabled the BladeKuwagamon to evolve into MetaLiffeKuwagamon in the first place. Bugs aren’t that bright.
Tumblr media
Taichi and MetalGreymon are nearly submerged inside the pillar as a result, and then we get this sequence of red and black. The pillar had been emitting dark lightning, so I started to think... omg... is MetalGreymon gonna get a Dark Evolution???????
Tumblr media
.... Nah. That would have made sense, but.... nah :P
Overall I’m glad though, because that would really have turned this into a Taichi episode instead of a Koushirou one.
I’m not personally certain what the point of bringing BlitzGreymon out was. I had figured he would be like, a super fast evolution that would enable them to make it to the top. That would also have turned this into a Taichi episode. But...
Tumblr media
... Taichi tells Koushirou that he will have to go divert the satellite because Taichi has to deal with MetaLiffeKuwagamon.
I was both really pleased and really surprised. Because, again, now what’s the point of BlitzGreymon...? Why did we need a new Agumon evolution? There’s no particular reason why they couldn’t have just isolated Taichi with the enemy the same way the others were and had him tell Koushirou to keep going on his own then. They did do that, but first they gave him a new evolution. Why? Just because it’s cool?? I assume that must be the reason but we don’t even see BlitzGreymon fight xD It’s... it’s weird. But whatever.
Tumblr media
Taichi: Go, Koushirou!!!!! You can do it!!!!!
Fiz: *dies a thousand brilliant deaths*
So, Koushirou tells Taichi that he can’t do it - he can support Taichi, but he can’t take the lead. Taichi’s just like that’s wack, dude, of course you can do it. What I LOVE about Taichi and Koushirou’s dynamic is just that: Taichi never sees Koushirou as a weakling. The fact that he’s small, or that he’s brains over brawn, or even that he’s kinda antisocial - those are all reasons an energetic, extroverted kid like Taichi might bully, or at least think poorly, of Koushirou.
But Taichi values Koushirou. He knows how hard he works and is impressed both by that hard work and his talent. What’s more, he doesn’t see Koushirou’s brains as his support system. The whole time Koushirou’s thinking he’s there to support Taichi with his plan, Taichi was thinking, “I’m here to support Koushirou’s plan.” That is SO, SO important. And that’s why I LOVE this episode. The one thing the reboot seemed to really understand, that hooked me from the start, was the way it just GOT Taichi and Koushirou. They each support and follow each other, while each feeling like the other is better than them. Ugh I could like, cry over Taishiro now... omg....
Tumblr media
Taichi is successful in pushing Koushirou to go on, but of course Koushirou himself is still plagued with doubts. He reflects on how he’s always been fine being alone. He hasn’t particularly wanted friends and didn’t mind not having them, even though adults worried.
(Side note: this is a normal, if kinda rare, personality trait. I have it too. I always score Koushirou on “what Digimon character are you?” tests too lmao. Just like some people feel the need to be surrounded by others at all times, there are those whose social needs are very very low. I’m one of them. There’s nothing wrong with it except that even those people can get lonely and it’s easy to misunderstand them as shy or snobby. So what I love about Koushirou is, yes he learns to value his relationships more, but also learns to value himself. He is Koushirou: a brainy kid who’s happy on his own, but also happy with friends. While some people, like Mimi, struggle with that aspect of his personality, others, like Taichi, just accept it. To me that’s the best life lesson there is: there are always people who can and will be friends with you. Yes, I’ve lost friends because I just wasn’t social enough for them. But I have other friends who I’ve known for literal decades now. And I REALLY love those friends.)
Tumblr media
Koushirou feels grateful that he has AlturKabuterimon, and also that he has Taichi. So... here he is, reflecting on the last time he had meaningful interaction with that great friend Taichi... back in episode three. -____________-
Seriously, this would mean a lot more if this dynamic had been built on continually until this episode...
Tumblr media
Koushirou then briefly reflects on each of the other Chosen. Notably, every single solo image of them is from an episode that Koushirou either wasn’t in or wasn’t with them at the moment. Then we get this group image. It’s from EPISODE 12. (I’m actually not sure of the episode number but the point is, it’s from A LONG LONG TIME AGO. I think it’s the swamp episode??) That drives me NUTS. We shouldn’t have to reach soooo far back to find meaningful moments!!! Urk.
Tumblr media
Koushirou makes it to the peak of the pillar and AlturKabuterimon attacks the satellite to drive it off course. We see the impression of what looks to be HerculesKabuterimon and I really thought we’d get an evolution - it seemed way more appropriate than freaking BlitzGreymon - but nope.
Tumblr media
Oh well. Koushirou still saves the day. The people at home get to see the Crest of Knowledge take over their screens, hopefully giving rise to the idea that a nerd superhero is protecting them. Koushirou is the hero we deserve.
Tumblr media
The satellite falls into the water. I was like, shouldn’t that cause a tsunami lol?
Tumblr media
... be careful what you wish for >_>;
fortunately people were evacuated soooo things will be okay.
Tumblr media
He did it!! He’s so happy! AlturKabuterimon’s triumphant holler is adorable.
Tumblr media
Taichi and BlitzGreymon fought hard OFF SCREEN!! OFF SCREEN!! HIP HIP HOORAY! And then we get to see him leaning on Sora T_T could this episode give me any more perfect moments?? Looooove it
So yeah, if you can’t tell, I’m thrilled with this episode. There are just a couple things I would have liked to improve: better animation, at least one palpable heart to heart between Taichi and Koushirou, or just a bit more time spent explictly in Koushirou’s head - but honestly we got something that is pretty darn good, especially for this reboot. I hope we do get more like this, both for Koushirou and for the others. I hope the growth here isn’t forgotten moving forward. I really, REALLY want to see more of that “I lead, you support me - you lead, I support you” mutually beneficial relationship that is the foundation of Taishiro <3
So next week! Mimi’s back and the heads are gonna roll!
Tumblr media
Lmao!
Tumblr media
My theory that she’s finding crystals to make Crests seems unlikely to be the case now that we know the rocks constract the rock Digimon. But... hey, we’ll find out next week.
Tumblr media
Also Taichi’s gonna make this face after talking with Mimi bahahahaha. I can’t wait.
19 notes · View notes
way-veee · 4 years ago
Text
yan yu
Tumblr media
rating: m
genre: romance, fluff, comedy, wayv being absolute crackheads
word count: 1.5k +
pairing: reader x wayv
pt. 6
“okay, sure, has the osaka part of the report been sent in yet? the editors need it by friday, also can you get me an estimated time for the cover photo and staff member list?” 
you roll your eyes as your manage asks you a multitude of questions  over the phone due to the change in arrival.
“yes i sent in the report yesterday and the cover photo will be taken on the last day. everything’s fine, don’t worry i got this.”
you hear her huff through your phone.
“okay that’s great. i read part of the preview you sent over last week and it seemed pretty good. keep up work like that and the report will be trending in no time.”
you nod into the phone.
“listen,“ you start, “ i was wondering. what would happen if maybe i covered wayv in a not so unrealistic light. what if i focused more on their struggles and issue with their company-”
“y/n” your manager snaps, definitely upset. “if you do that you’re fired. do you hear me? we don’t need our company getting shit on by sm or their fans because you wanted to have some political coverage to make you feel authentic or whatever. if i see anything like that i’ll fire you right on the spot. i swear to god.”
“okay i’ll take that as no. nice talking to you as always.”
“you too” she responds flatly.
she hangs up a second later and you pocket your phone, ready to go out.
you try to push probably being fired from your job out of your mind and enjoy the day.
wayv was at the studio again today, practicing their choreography and finishing lyrics. you wanted to get more coverage on the process for the report so you decided to go as well.
the boys left earlier in the morning than you, and not wanting to wake up at 6:30 to sit in a cold practice room, you had declined.
you go to the cafeteria and get a latte and bagel for your breakfast. you tuck the bagel in your purse for later and walk out the front exit of the building to get to the bus stop.
it was cold while waiting for the bus so you put on your hat to keep warm. the bus came fifteen minutes later and you gladly boarded, taking one of the only empty spots beside a girl that looked about your age. the bus took off with a jolt and you leaned back into your seat sipping your vanilla latte.
“hey i know you!”
you look over at the girl surprised, you didn’t think you knew her.
“you were in my vocal class senior year!”
you inspect the girls face more thoroughly. her sloped nose and clear skin jogged your memory. 
“ohhh i remember you! you’re nene, the one who sang adele for their final exam.”
(not very well if you recall correctly)
“ya! that’s me!” she responds cheerfully while looking you up and down “and you sang....”
“i didn’t.” you reply embarrassed, looking past her at the highway falling behind the bus window.
“riiight, that was when you ran out of the exam and threw up in front of the science classrooms!”
you nod desperately trying to forget when you were too nervous to perform and vomited in front of your classmates.
“then the principal came but you wanted to come back and-”
“how’s the singing going now?” you cut in, slightly annoyed.
“oh great!” she replies with perfect teeth and rosy lips.
“i’m still doing auditions but i have a feeling something big is coming my way. plus i’ve already achieved something better!”
“what’s that” you reply, losing interest in the pretty girl from high school that you remembered was also quite boring.
“i’m dating a celebrity!” she yells.
everybody on the bus slowly turns to look at us, mostly annoyed at us being loud. you shrink down wanting to disappear from this conversation.
“oh, that’s so cool...” you say not wanting anything more to do with this girl.
“do you wanna know who it was?”
“no that’s okay, you probably shouldn’t tell people anywa-”
“they were in nct 127!”
“what” you say a little too loudly.
“you heard me” she smirks definitely liking your shocked reaction.
she disinterestedly plays with a pink charm on her purse. she was going to make you ask to her to tell the rest of the story. you had to know a little bit more because wayv and nct 127 were both sub units. 
you hated girls like this.
“nene, can you please tell me a little more? if you can, i understand if you can’t but-”
“okay, it was like 5 months ago and i was at one of the recording studios downtown doing backup vocals for this really cool band called the rain and as i was going to get a snack they literally walked right past me.”
she retells the story so perfectly and without skipping a beat. you figured she was telling the truth. 
“and i totally make eye contact with taeyong. like eye contact” she emphasizes making big eyes at you while continuing.
“the recording manager said that they’d be on a break in 20 so i waited outside and when taeyong came out he says hi to me. and we talk for a little bit and he gives me his number! his actual phone number.”
“wow” you say trying to sound enthusiastic. maybe this was just a boring story and you shouldn’t have asked about it.
“so then a week later we set a date at the dorms... and you know” she says smiling cheekily at me. 
“he was super sweet too, he told me this funny story of when mark went on a date with a reporter because she kept writing bad articles about them and she totally thinks that he likes her and that they’re like dating or something. anyways, when i got there..”
your jaw dropped. it made sense now. why they were nice to you and became your friend so suddenly. 
god you were so dumb, 
why didn’t you think that the managers of wayv would also get the rough drafts of your report too. they definitely told the boys about what you had initially said.
it was apparent now that they were just using you so you’d write a positive report based off of friendship not truth.
“hey y/n?” nene says pinching your arm with her pointy nails. “oh...” she says while definitely trying to suppress her smile. “i forgot, aren’t you are reporter too?” she tilts her head looking at you bemusedly to see how you’d react.
“this is my stop” you say while gesturing to the red flashing light announcing the street that the dance studio is at.
“bye y/n!” nene screeches from inside the bus. “you know where to contact me!”
you wave meekly as the doors shut and the bus passes by you.
while walking to the studio your sadness of being deceived turns into anger and embarrassment. you hated celebrities and vocal majors and cold days and bagels. 
you walk into the building and find the room number you had written down on a piece of paper. you walk up two flights of stairs and down a large hallway with closed doors.
finally, you bust into their room to see them by the full length mirrors practicing formations.
they saw the pain and anger on your face and were frightened by how different you seemed.
“y/n, are you okay?” kun asks getting up off of the floor visibly concerned.
you knew that you shouldn’t do this here for so many different reasons. but you felt like you had too. wayv meant too much to you for it all to be fake.
“is this real.” you ask, staring at them and their confused expressions.
“y/n what do you mean-” kun starts
“is this real. is our friendship real?”
they look at you quizzically. why were you bringing this up now.
“yes, we’re friends now. remember we got past the whole hating eachother bit and banded together to make music and you were gonna write the article-”
you cut ten off sharply
“are you just being nice to me because of my job. because you want me to write something nice about you guys.”
they stay silent as you feverishly try to push back tears. the buzz of the room is so loud in your ears.
“i know this is dumb because we haven’t known eachother for long. but i thought that we were friends. i thought you guys- you superstars liked me for who i was. i- over this week i was really happy working and talking with you guys. i’m so stupid to think that you would actually like me.”
you started to get really nervous for speaking your thoughts to them in a rom-com fashion. you wanted to crawl into the floors and disappear.
everyone is quiet for a moment. thinking over what you said as you clutch the cold bagel in your purse trying not to cry.
“what about the song? do you think that was fake? or that we do that with every reporter?” lucas asks.
you look up at them.
“do you know what yan yu means?” yangyang asks
“of course” you reply. “ it means to speak”
“that’s going to be the name of our new title track.” he replies
you look at yangyang wanting him to explain.
winwin steps forward slightly looking at the ground.
“we called it yan yu because you allowed us to speak. because of all that you’ve done while you’ve been here. the thing we care about most isn’t the article, it’s having our own voices. we want to tell the world- through our music that we’re ready to be heard because we finally have something we can say that’s ours. this is all because of you, we can speak now because of you.”
you look into his eyes as they soften in the corners. you know that what winwin said is real because he never liked you enough in the first place to make up such a heartfelt lie. 
you start to melt a little as you continue to process the words.
“if we wanted you to write a positive article we would’ve just seduced you.” hendery says. “it’s easier and probably has faster results especially if there’s more of us-” 
you run and hug hendery before he finishes. you smile in his arms as he hugs you back. you pretend that you’re not crying but his shirt is probably wet now, so they’ll find out very soon.
 what they said was so sincere and nice. you were now convinced that what you had with the boys was real to them too.
all of your worries from early dissipate into the stale air above you. you felt someone hug you from behind only to feel lucas’s warm chest against your back. you smiled bigger as you felt the other members join your hug, feeling warmer and warmer each time a member joins.
a moment later when they were all silent you spoke, trying to not let your voice crack from your crying.
“you deserve to be heard. you guys have so many important things to say and a lot of music that needs to be listened to. i’m glad i could help you all become the fantastic artists you’ve always been.”
you feel the hug tighten around you and you swear your heart smiles within your chest. 
how were you ever going to phrase this in the report.
“no, xiaojuns arm is too far above lucas’s it looks weird.”
“are you sure that’s not what the video looks like?” ten questions walking over to inspect the boys formation.
“no shes right” he says moments later after glancing at the laptop screen.
he adjusts their arms and they slowly runs through the next steps as you try to compare them to the video they had given you on one of their laptops.
you stop them seconds later, “lucas coming down from the high kick you were behind by a few seconds and henderey you need to extend your leg more.”
they run the moves again as you enjoy your newfound power over the boys. they had been practicing a new intro choreo for their music bank performance for a little over two hours. 
you had agreed to help them because you thought it would be good to add how much hard work and dedication it took to just perform a two minute intro for your article. 
okay, another part of you also felt bad for barging into the practice room, accusing them of being fake friends and thinking that they were influencing you so you’d use the little power you did have to make them look good. maybe a little more of the second, but they didn’t need to know that.
“wait stop! did you guys change that cross formation there or was it in the second half.”
“um,” ten says while sweating and breathing vigorously from the nonstop motion. “we changed the triangle formation in the second half to the diagonal line. this is the cross formation.”
“okay, i wasn’t sure, i’ll mark it down. also lucas and yangyang you guys need to fix your levels on that cross because it looks unbalanced” you say while scribbling that down on the stage direction sheet.
“jeesh” xiaojun whispers to the boys, “she’s worse than our choreographer and that’s his actual job.”
the boys chuckle while glancing over at you as you wrote the note down.
“well we’ll be out of here faster and the performance will be good.” kun shrugs while trying to hold back how tired he really was.
lucas pokes kun’s shoulder with one of his long fingers and he goes tumbling down to the ground. the boys laugh hysterically.
“you won’t even be able to walk by the time we do have to perform!” lucas yells in his face while laughing at the tiny amount of pressure that had sent him tumbling to the ground.
“okay we’re gonna take it from the top one more time!” kun yells at you while trying to get up off the ground as the boys continue to laugh at him instead of helping him.
you nod and rewind the video. you had a few more notes but wasn’t sure if they could handle it today. kun seemed pretty tired so reluctantly you just pressed play and let the music run.
you watched the boys in such fascination at how fast and expertly their bodies moved. it was insane to you how some of them couldn’t even dance before becoming trainees but now were better than some professional dancers.
the boys were hard at work on this sunday afternoon. practicing the same painstaking motions over and over again until it morphed into art. to this day i will never understand how idols can turn such mundane actions into a performance piece worthy of national acclaim. for now i have only one solution, i believe there is something inside them that is extraordinary.
part 7 will be linked down here:)
20 notes · View notes
chaerrie-on-top · 4 years ago
Text
The Stars Aligned For Us
chapter 2
That night, Dahyun comes back to the apartment and finds her roommate on the couch. As Dahyun kicks her shoes off at the cubby at the entrance of the living room, she curiously glances over to the couch where Chaeyoung sits. Her legs are pulled up to her chest, with an intense stare casted at the cellphone in her small hands. An untouched box of Korean takeout food sits on the coffee table in front of her. Chaeyoung's face is as pale as a ghost as she looks at her phone, her lips jutted out a bit.
"Everything okay?" Dahyun asks as she slowly approaches her roommate. Chaeyoung shakes her head, and a silent tear rolls down her face. Dahyun sits beside her. "What happened?"
"Jisoo and I are in another fight," Chaeyoung explains. "He never understands my feelings; I feel like I'm talking to a wall half the time." Chaeyoung sighs and wipes her teary cheeks. "He invites me to his apartment, then plays games while I just sit there. I'm never his first thought..."
Dahyun frowns. "You deserve better, Chaeyoung."
"I know but... We've been dating for so long-- over two years. He was never like this before..."
Chaeyoung gives Dahyun a small smile, "Ah, I'm sorry for crying so suddenly." "Don't worry about it," Dahyun tells her. "Tell him how you feel. If he doesn't respect your feelings, then you need to move on. He isn't the right one for you."
Chaeyoung nods, "You're right. I'm gonna go call him," and with that she grabs her takeout container, stands up, then heads for the short hallway leading to her room.  Chaeyoung turns and faces Dahyun for a brief moment, "I ordered some chicken and noodles for us to share. It's in the fridge if you're hungry."
"Oh, he's calling me!" with that, Chaeyoung turns and disappears down the hallway.
Dahyun calls over her shoulder, "Thank you!"
***
The next morning, Dahyun wakes up a bit earlier for her morning class to put some extra effort into her appearance. Miss Celestia gave her the gemstone to take home with her, the amethyst, and Dahyun had left it on her bedside table over night. Sitting up right in her bed, Dahyun picks up the pink stone and holds it in her hands. She glides her thumb over the smooth, shiny surface. She hopes that her wish comes true today (if it comes true at all).
After a quick shower and some coffee, Dahyun picks her outfit: high-waisted blue jeans with a few rips along the front of her legs, a cream colored silky puffy-sleeved shirt, and white tennis shoes. For her makeup, which she tends to skip whenever she has class, she goes for simple orangey eyeshadow and some mascara. She stands at the full-length mirror in her room, turning round and round as she critiques her outfit. Dahyun frowns as she starts to feel uglier the more she looks at herself. Finally, since she was going to a science lab today, she switches the pretty silk shirt for a cropped sweatshirt. This was a bit more in her comfort zone; she wouldn't stick out too much wearing this. She slings her bookbag onto her shoulders, plugs her earbuds into her phone, and starts out her way to class.
The weather is nice today; the rain stopped overnight and the clouds made way for the warm sun to shine over Seoul. Despite it being almost mid-fall, the weather significantly warmed up today. The ten minute walk to Dahyun's class was filled with a confusing mix of peace and anxiousness. Despite feeling pretty happy and excited for the day; she found herself scanning the students walking by, scanning for The One. No one stuck out to Dahyun, and she began to feel silly for ever thinking the wish actually came true. However, a small part of her still felt hopeful.
A few minutes later and Dahyun is in the classroom, approaching her table with a fast-beating heart. Her palms grow sweaty, which she wipes on her jeans. The way her science lab class was structured was that most of the work was done with your assigned tablemates. See, Dahyun didn't mind her tablemates, they were all fine.
Then Dahyun sees her; sitting there with her long silky brown hair and bright, fake smile on her face. You see, all of Dahyun's tablemates were fine except for Im Nayeon. She was really nice to everyone <i>but</i> Dahyun. Well, actually, Dahyun theorized that she was nice to people's faces but terrible behind their backs. Dahyun just happened to be an exception. Dahyun takes a seat in between Nayeon and one of the tablemates, Jihee. Across from the three girls sits Mina, Nayeon's best friend, and Jihoon, the only male in the group. Jihee smiles and greets Dahyun.
"Did you guys hear about the new exchange student?" Jihee asks. "She's from Japan. I heard she was joining our class."
"Ah, Mina you should see if you guys can communicate," Nayeon snorted. "Maybe you know her."
Mina rolls her eyes, "Nice try, Nayeon."
The weird thing about Nayeon was that Mina was completely harmless, a total sweetheart, so Dahyun had no idea why Mina chose to be friends with such a spiteful person. This area of Seoul, including the schools, was a really small, tightknit community. Everyone knew, or knew of, everyone. Dahyun had knew Nayeon and Mina since elementary school, when Mina had moved to Seoul from Japan with her parents. The three girls became really close, as Dahyun and Nayeon were the only students kind enough to stick around and play with Mina despite the language barrier. However, once high school came along a rift occurred between Dahyun and the two others. Nothing was ever the same.
Mina and Nayeon giggled among themselves, meanwhile Jihee turned to look at Dahyun. "Cute jeans," she said. "Where are they from?
"I dunno," Dahyun confessed. "My mom got them for me."
"Aw that's cute," Nayeon butts in. "I think it's really sweet that your mom still shops for you. Mine stopped doing that in middle school, but I guess you don't mind."
Mina giggles. "Leave her alone, Nayeon. I wear clothes my mom gifts me too."
Nayeon opens her mouth to say something, but the professor walks in with a girl following closely behind him. Dahyun turns her head to watch as the professor stands in the middle of the classroom, leading the girl with him. "Good morning everyone! We have a new student joining us today. She comes all the way from Japan to join our lovely school." He pauses, looks at the girl expectedly.
"Hi, my name is Sana. I look forward to being here: the campus is beautiful," She greets the class with a small bow. Her eyes brush over Dahyun, and the two find each other holding each other's gaze for a split extra second. Dahyun can't take her eyes off her, watching the way she confidently approaches her table after the professor tells her to join Dahyun's group. She takes a seat next to Mina, who now sits between Jihoon and Sana.
"Mina, speak in Japanese," Nayeon tells her as the table gathers their supplies to continue the experiment they had been working on last class.
"Nayeon, stop!" Mina laughs, her cheeks tinting pink from her best friend's embarrassing comments.
"Oh, you're Japanese? Where in Japan are you from?" Sana turns to Mina, smiling at her kindly. Sana nonchalantly gathers her chestnut brown hair and flips it over her shoulder, so that the long soft curls cascade down her back.
"Hair up ladies, we're dealing with chemicals here," the professor says as he walks by the table.
Nayeon groans, ties hers into a low bun and pulls out long strands to frame her face. However, obedient students Dahyun, Mina and Sana tie theirs back with no issue. "I'm from Kobe. I moved to Korea when I was a kid."
"Oh that's cool! I'm from Osaka."
"Nayeon, can you pour the vinegar?" Jihoon asks, pushing the glass beaker towards Nayeon. Nayeon reaches her hand towards the beaker, "So, Sana, your Korean is really good."
"Mhm!" Sana agrees. "My aunt lives her, so I speak Japanese and Korean fluently. I'm not perfect at Korean, but I've gotten better since living with my aunt."
nayeon nods along, listens to Sana talks as she goes to wrap her slim fingers around the beaker. However, Nayeon accidentally knocks the beaker over and right into Dahyun's lap. The entire table gasps aloud, with Nayeon already blubbering out a pathetic apology. The ruckus makes everyone turn and watch, the professor scrambling over to the table to make sure everything was okay. Nayeon bites her lip, an obvious smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth as she lies through her teeth. "Dahyun-ah, I'm so sorry."
"It was just vinegar," Jihoon tells the professor as he checks to make sure the acids and more dangerous liquids hadn't spilled.
Nayeon waves at her face and plugs her nose. "That's gonna smell."
Dahyun's cheeks burn red and she dismisses herself to go clean up. She speed walks out of the classroom and down the hall, cringing at the liquid seeping through her jeans. The uncomfortable fabric sticks to her thighs, making her walk with an awkward limp at the icky feeling. "Dahyun, wait!" Sana's voice calls from behind her, the girl running down the hall to catch up with her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Dahyun avoids her pretty eyes, feeling embarrassed under her gaze. She keeps her eyes on the floor in shame. Sana follows behind her like a lost puppy as the girls duck into the bathroom. Sana leans against the sink, watching Dahyun wipe her thighs off with a damp paper towel.
"Do I look okay?" Dahyun asks, turns in front of the mirror. "Even though it looks like I peed."
Sana giggles, digs her hand around in the bag she brought with her. She pulls out a small electrical fan and holds it towards Dahyun, who scoffs in both disbelief and amazement. "Yes, you do. Your pretty face distracts from anything else," Sana tells her as Dahyun takes ahold of the fan. Dahyun blushes even more, her neck, forehead, and cheeks feel hot to the touch. Sana and Dahyun giggle to themselves as Dahyun turns the fan on, aiming it towards her thighs.
A girl comes out from one of the stalls, Dahyun and Sana stepping to the side as she uses the sink. Dahyun keeps the fan blowing on her thighs, her eyes diverted to the floor as she feels the girls look at them strangely. "It's vinegar," Sana tells her, as if it makes it any better. The girl blinks at them for a moment, Dahyun and Sana purse their lips as they hold in their laughter. After a moment, the girl starts to giggle a bit. She rushes to dry her hands, then exits the bathroom without another moment to spare. Dahyun and Sana burst into a fit of laughter, the girls laughing so hard they lean onto the sink for support.
"I'm sure I looked so dumb to her," Dahyun tells her between a fit of giggles.
"We," Sana corrects. "I mean, we didn't know she was in here. I wouldn't have been so bold if I knew it wasn't just us." Dahyun chuckles, finding the situation bearable with Sana there to experience it also.
"Wanna go get lunch after class?" Sana asks. "Maybe show me around..." Dahyun's eyes open wide as she stares at the brash girl before her for a moment, before she breaks into a smile and nods in agreement. The girls stand there for a few more minutes, patiently waiting for the spot on Dahyun's pants to dry. Sana takes the fan back and drops it into her bag before propping the door open. "Let's go back and get this class over with."
Chapter three
6 notes · View notes
perhapsitmaybedragons · 5 years ago
Text
I am actually still doing ok on the writing front this year. I desperately wanted to write this Detective Conan one shot and I got it done. It is the longest one shot I have ever written (I’ve seen longer, but this is long for me).
AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22690015
Shinichi/Ran pairing with Heiji running around being pals with Shinichi cause I love Heiji.
A Study In Scavenger Hunting
Twenty year old Shinichi Kudo could not for the life of him begin to understand what was going on. Usually mysteries were met with enthusiasm, especially since he’d regained his normal body three years ago. But when it came to his girlfriend, mysteries were rarely welcome. She’d come over for their usual date night then after he took a phone call he came back and found she’d vanished.
Well. Not vanished. She sent him a text, so he knew she was safe. And they’d talked on the phone since then, so he knew no one had taken her against her will (not that it would have been easy for most people to make Ran do something she didn’t want to do. Her karate skills had only gotten more fine tuned over the years.) But he hadn’t seen her in going on four weeks now. When she went by her parents’ place both insisted they hadn’t seen her, though he noted that Eri looked guilty. Shinichi had been a big help in getting her and Kogoro to see the light and get back together. She’d taken some pity on Shinichi and insisted that he didn’t need to worry. That Ran was just “working some things out”.
“Working things out,” he muttered to himself as he got dressed for work. He’d started going to college first, but the cops kept calling for assistance and before he knew it he had a job offer as a detective, though officially his title was ‘consultant’. He and Heiji had both been hired, and due to Shinichi agreeing to an ill advised bet, he wound up agreeing that the pair would work two years together in Tokyo and two years together in Osaka. He was still kicking himself over that one, but how was he to know that for once the battle Heiji wanted to face off in would be kendo instead of a battle of wits.
But they were on year one, so at least for now Shinichi was on his home field. Which also meant he had time to try to get out of it. Or to at least figure out different living arrangements. He and Heiji were close now, practically brothers, really (though Shinichi refused to admit this). But the pair weren’t suited to living together. They got along pretty well, but competitions between the two could be fierce and they were known to stay up most of the night trying to one up each other. Sometimes Ran and Kazuha joined them, but the girls almost always fell asleep before the guys were done.
“Ya still on about that, Kudo?” Heiji came out of the bathroom wearing only a tank top and boxers, a toothbrush in one hand that he gestured with wildly. “Just call her and ask,” he used the toothbrush to mime a phone call “'Ran! I love ya, why don'tcha tell me what’s going on?'”
Shinichi threw a pillow at him. “You’re going to be late if you don’t get more clothes on.”
“I can get dressed at the station,” he shrugged, “So long as I put some pants on, who cares? Besides, you’re tryin’ to distract from the point. And the point is to just come out and ask her.”
“Like you just came out and told Kazuha how you felt about her?”
“That was different,” Heiji sulked. “You took all the good spots. It took me ages to figure out a good enough place to tell her. And I did tell her…ya know. Eventually.”
“So Ran will tell me when she’s ready,” Shinichi shrugged. “I just have to wait.” He looked mature in the moment, but Heiji could see right through him. They both knew Shinichi was getting impatient and that he desperately wanted Ran to come clean about what was going on.
“What, you think she’s gonna dump ya?” Heiji put the toothpaste on his toothbrush. With a full mouth, he added “and wisha boat da ass her ta,” he brushed quietly for a moment and then ran into the bathroom to spit. “marry ya,” he finished.
“Idiot, who said anything about that?”
“Saw the ring box in your underwear drawer.”
“What were you doing in there?” Shinichi hissed.
“Looking for a clue,” Heiji said with a shrug.
“A clue for what, how to invade my privacy in as many ways as possible?!”
“A clue for why you were acting so funny a few weeks before Ran was. Honestly, I thought maybe you knocked her up or something. But then, she never spends the night here so I’m not sure you two have gotten there.”
“Maybe if you weren’t always here,” Shinichi said pointedly.
“Surprised it’s taken you this long to pop the question. You’ve been in love with her since what, grade school?” Shinichi didn’t answer him, so Heiji continued on. “She waited for you the whole time you were Conan and she didn’t freak on ya when she found out the truth after you changed back. So it’s weird she’s freaking out now, right? That’s why I wondered if you knocked her up, since nothing should have shaken her after the Black Organization got taken down.”
“Or it might make her more nervous,” Shinichi was mostly talking to himself so he moved from the bedroom to the living room. Heiji followed him. “Think about it, when we finally took them down…that was a rough day. We were lucky we all got out alive. Takagi-san got a broken arm and Mitsuhiko, Ayumi and Genta probably really need counseling but weren’t physically injured …but Ran found out the truth the same day we all almost died.”
The outcome had been the best they could possibly hope for, but Shinichi still felt guilty about the whole ordeal. The Black Organization had found him out and tracked him down ..to the elementary school. He and the Detective Boys had all been grabbed from the side of the road on the way home from school, he and Ai identities both having been discovered by the organization. The actual kids had been grabbed as a way to get he and Ai to comply no matter what. A gun to Ayumi’s head got a faster response from Ai than someone threatening her.
It had lead to a final showdown between the police and the organization, with Heiji leading the cops. In just a little over twenty four hours Conan Edogawa went from being a little kid to disappearing into Shinichi Kudo. And with how everything had gone down, the list of people who knew both sides were one and the same expanded from a handful to include Tagaki, Sato, Shiratori, Inspector Megure, the Detective Boys, Kogoro, Kazuha …and Ran.
“Maybe she would say no if I asked her,” Shinichi sank onto his couch and put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, looking miserable. “Maybe it’s just too much danger. Ran wants kids,” they’d never discussed it, but Shinichi knew Ran had always seen herself as a mother some day. “she wouldn’t want her husband, the father of her kids to be in danger all the time.”
“She knew the risks,” Heiji didn’t seem to see the big deal. Shinichi didn’t bother to pretend to be surprised. Heiji was a great detective, but he was also a 'miss the forest for the trees’ type when it came to emotions. “She agreed to date you, and that whole mess was years ago now. I bet nothing’s …hmm.” Heiji had been making his way to the front door, probably about to head out (Shinichi momentarily wondered when the guy had put pants on, but he wasn’t about to ask). But now Heiji was holding up an envelope that seemed to have been slid under the door. “Hmm. What’s this?”
“Hand it over,” Shinichi commanded. He could see his name on the envelope, and he knew that handwriting.
“What if I want to see what’s in it?”
Shinichi vaulted over the couch and snatched the letter before ripping it open.
Dear Shinichi,
I want to talk to you and get some things straight, but you’ll have to find me first. Not long ago you made a journey for a second time. Go there and await your next clue, which will be delivered by an irregular crew.
~Ran
Shinichi poked Heiji in the stomach. “All right, whats she up to?”
“You think I know?” he asked innocently.
“I get up earlier than you do,” Shinichi snorted, “ I already went this way multiple times and that letter wasn’t there. You pretended it came, but you actually dropped it from underneath your shirt before you pretended to pick it up. Which means whatever she’s doing, you’re in on it.”
“Oh, Kudo,” Heiji tsked at him, “The lady wants to play a game. You’re just gonna have ta play along with her.”
“And what about work?”
“I told them yesterday that you and I would both be out today,” Heiji gave him a thumbs up sign. “You’re all set. I’m just your guide to make sure you don’t go too far off the path.”
“So you already have the answers?”
“Actually, no,” Heiji admitted. “I helped her a little bit, but she came up with most of it and didn’t give me any clue for where we’re actually going. I’ll be seeing the clues at the same time as you. But I’m not allowed to tell ya anything.”
“Helpful,” Shinichi grumbled, taking his jacket off. If he was going to run around today he wasn’t going to do it in a full suit. The mystery aspect was intriguing and he was quite happy Ran had arranged this for him, but it was a little harder to be enthusiastic when the first clue was this obvious.
“So, where are we off to first?”
“Teitan Elementary school. She’s poking fun at my having to go there twice, and the 'irregular crew’ is the Detective Boys. Ran made a Sherlock reference,” his smile got brighter. “She’s calling them the Baker Street Irregulars. Guess she must have listened to me talk about Holmes so much some of it sunk in even if she didn’t want it to.”
They ran quickly to the elementary school and found the Detective Boys waiting for them at the playground. Ayumi and Mitsuhiko were on swings while Genta stood leaning against the swings’ frame. “Shinichi-kun!” Ayumi launched herself out of her seat and took off running into his arms. The boys followed suit. While they were saddened that “Conan” wouldn’t be by to play with them ever again, they had taken in stride that he and Shinichi were one and the same. Shinichi was now asked to babysit them from time-to-time and he took them to soccer games whenever he could. They didn’t know it yet, but he was currently working out a murder mystery party for them for Ayumi’s next birthday.
Shinichi gave each one a hug before putting them down. Part of him still expected to see Ai with them, but of course she had also returned to her adult body. But she still insisted on all of them calling her Ai, and had told the Detective Boys she really was Ai when they had asked for her true name. Ayumi grabbed his hand and yanked him down to her level, forcing him from his thoughts.
“Hi, Heiji-san!” she called over Shinichi’s shoulder before getting to business. “Your clue is ..umm… let’s see…Mitsuhiko?”
“Your own Auguste Dupin-” he started but Ayumi cut him off.
“Right! Your own Auguste Dupin is within the building, though no apes are in sight. Find her and ask for your next guiding light!”
“Dupin?” Shinichi titled his head to the side as he thought. His first though was to his father. Dupin, after all, was Sherlock’s predecessor. But that isn’t the first character he would pick for his dad, and somehow he knew Ran wouldn’t either. “Auguste Dupin was Edgar Allan Poe’s creation,” he muttered to himself, “similar to Sherlock, but came before him,” he tried to get into Ran’s mindset and let go of his own.
Who would set the framework to Ran’s mind? A builder? No, he was being too literal. Ran was smarter than that. Someone who laid the foundations for someone else, who made someone better. “A teacher?”
The kids nodded and smiled in response. “And we got one more for you!” Genta crooked his finger at Shinichi, indicating he should come closer. “What’s sticky and spotted all over?”
“I uh ….is that a joke one? Is this actually from Ran?” He felt like he’d heard a stupid joke like this sometime ago, but he couldn’t remember the answer.
“You,” Genta answered before Shinichi could process. He’d pulled a bottle of soy sauce out from under his shirt and managed to shake some of its contents on Shinichi’s formerly white shirt.
“Hey, what’s the deal?” He resisted the urge to call him a brat. The Detective Boys were all smiling up at him with the most over the top innocent looks he couldn’t take seriously. Somehow, this factored into Ran’s plans though he couldn’t figure out how. “Well, now I need to go home and change.
“You can’t!” Ayumi cried. “She said it’s important you get to the end as soon as possible. No stopping unless it’s a bathroom break.”
“All right, all right,” Shinichi agreed, trying to make sure Ayumi wouldn’t start crying. “Is Kobayashi-sensei inside?”
Ayumi nodded and wiped at her crocodile tears, forcing back the urge to smirk. She squeezed Shinichi’s hand and lead him into the school, with Mitsuhiko and Genta following closely behind. Heiji kept further back at a more leisurely pace. It was a weekend, so the school should have been closed, but apparently Ran had been calling in all sorts of favors. The group made a bee line for the classroom the Detective Boys and Conan had all once shared. Sumiko Kobayashi was at the front of the class, sitting on one of the desks chatting animatedly with Shiratori.
“Oh, Kudo-san. You’re making good time on this,” Shiratori said in approval. “Heiji-san,” Heiji gave a two fingered salute in greeting.
“Your clue is on the board. Please have a seat,” Miss Kobayashi said. Shinichi awkwardly sat in one of the desks, trying to figure out how to get his adult sized legs comfortably into the seat. “I didn’t mean there,” she said, laughing. “You can sit on a desk the way I was, just pick anything up if you knock it down.”
It was obvious that Miss Kobayashi was the one who had written the note on the board, though Shinichi figured Ran had still provided the clue.
Always a princess, my previous protector. Holding place in a different kind of court.
“Ooh, a princess,” Ayumi cooed.
“But what’s it mean?” Genta asked.
“You kids don’t already know?” Shinichi stared them down. He figured they’d probably crack if he gave them a stern enough look, but all three shrugged.
“She didn’t tell us the answers or what happens at the end,” Mitsuhiko admitted.
“Ok,” Shinichi decided not to press it. The group were usually bad liars, but if they were especially enticed by something they could all manipulate. “Well, we’ll see you guys later.”
“Where are we headed to now, Kudo?”
“The mall, to see one of my least favorite people.”
The mall was crowded, of course, but Sonoko was easily spotted in the middle, her arms crossed and looking annoyed. “Took you long enough, Detective Geek,” she said by way of greeting. Shinichi figured he was probably still making good time but without knowing the end game it was impossible to know for sure.
As he’d explained on the way to Heiji, Sonoko had been the one to defend Ran from bullies before Shinichi came into her life. And given her rich family, princess was only a slight exaggeration.
“So, what’s the next clue?”
“You’re not getting it.”
“What?!” Shinichi’s eyebrow twitched.
“You’re not getting it looking like that,” she pointed at the stain on his shirt.
“The kids did this to me, you think I left the house like this?” he felt a headache coming on. Sonoko had that effect on him sometimes. He didn’t hate her, but it wasn’t like he’d ever choose to spend time with her.
“At any rate, we’re getting you a new set of clothes and then I will give you the hint.”
“Don’t I just need a new shirt?”
But instead of answering him, Sonoko took off forcing Shinichi and Heiji to follow after her through the crowds until they came to an expensive boutique. Sonoko was being handed a package from one of the workers when the guys caught up to her. She thanked the worker and then shoved the clothes into Shinichi’s arms. “Go change. This one’s on me because I love Ran and you will not be seeing her dressed like that. Not today, anyway.”
Shinichi found a dressing room and swapped out his clothes. He emerged shortly wearing a nice, deep blue tuxedo.
“There. Cleaned up about as well as we can expect you to,” Sonoko said approvingly, grabbing his earlier clothes from him and throwing them in the garbage.
“Hey, I still need those!”
“No you don’t,” she insisted, “and you’re going to be late. You want your clue or not?”
He was about to protest, but noticed Heiji fishing the clothes out of the trash behind her. “Fine. Clue, please.”
“Well, for a great detective like myself, this clue would be too easy, but we’ll see how long it takes you to crack,” Sonoko gave a haughty laugh and Shinichi cringed. She was not on the list of people who knew about his time as Conan, and he didn’t want her to be. But he really wanted to let her know that all of her great solves had been him. Especially right now. “Anyway, the clue is:
Back to where you would have begun from,
Back into your den of friendly wolves
Not surprised to see you come,
That pair will give you the goods”
“Why do some of these rhyme?” Heiji wondered aloud. “And wolves/goods? Bad writing,”
Shinichi ignored him and focused on the words. “After all that trouble of you getting us an off day, and now we have to go to the precinct anyway.”
“Why’s that?” Sonoko asked, genuinely interested. “Ran said it was important that none of us know the answers.”
“Because of 'okami’, a not so nice slang term for police,” Shinichi explained. “usually spelled to mean 'one who is above’, but otherwise..”
“Wolves,” Sonoko and Heiji answered in unison.
“Ok, but who’s the pair?”
“The only pair of cops we know that’s dating each other and who knows about Conan,” Shinichi explained, waving for Heiji to follow him.
“What about Conan? He went back to America, dummy!’ Sonoko called after him. Neither Shinichi nor Heiji answered her.
What is Ran trying to lead me to? Shinichi wondered as he jogged along, a little annoyed by Heiji keeping pace next to him. They both raced into the police station, looking around for Takagi and Sato. The pair waved them over.
“Ah, you made it to us already. Great job!” Takagi said encouragingly.
“Though we wouldn’t expect any less of our little Conan-kun,” Sato ruffled Shinichi’s hair affectionately. Sometimes she slipped and called him Conan, but oftentimes it was fairly obvious that it was her intention. This was one of those times.
“Thanks, but could I get the next clue, please? I don’t know what time Ran is hoping to see me by. And she …I haven’t seen her in a few weeks.” He would not have admitted this to most people, but Takagi and Sato reminded him of himself and Ran so much that it made it easier for him to tell them his girl troubles. And they told him theirs in return. They were currently trying to get everything together to save up enough money that they could get married and Takagi could be a stay-at-home dad when they were ready to have children.
“Ok, then,” Sato suddenly stood at attention, “But while your clue was to lead you to us, we don’t have your next clue.”
“Who does, then?!”
“That would be me,” Inspector Megure patted him on the shoulder. He’d somehow snuck up behind him, causing Shinichi to jump. “You all right, there? You’re not usually so jumpy.”
“Sorry. Just too focused on this thing, I guess.”
“I understand,” Megure patted his shoulder before removing his hand. “Your clue is:
I craft something better,
but still stand above,
you can’t out reason me
but I give you my love
Even Holmes needs a home
And that’s all she wrote. Do you need me to write it for you?”
“No need, Inspector. I’ve got it.”
“She really needs to decide if she wants them to rhyme or not. These are all over the place,” Heiji complained.
“You don’t have to come with me,” Shinichi pointed out. “You could stay here and get some work done. I’m pretty sure you’re behind on your paper work.”
Heiji shushed him and gave a nervous glance at Inspector Megure. “He’s joking, he’s joking!”
“Hmm. Maybe I should just check on–” Megure started, but Heiji cut him off.
“Kudo, why don’t you explain what this clue meant? I bet everyone would love to hear, right? Right?” He elbowed Takagi, who nodded enthusiastically. Apparently he was pretty caught up in the whole thing, because he looked excited.
“She’s telling me to go to my parents’ old house and that my father will be there. Because, at least for now…he’s the Mycroft to my Holmes.”
“I didn’t know she knew this much about Sherlock Holmes,” Heiji pondered, “Thought she kept telling you to shut up about him.”
“I guess…I guess she wanted to make this special for me,” Shinichi admitted, considering something. If she was mad, if she was going to say no when he got ready to propose, why would she go through all of this? He didn’t know what was waiting at the end, other than Ran, but he would run like hell and through hell to get to her.
“Well, that’s my exit.”
“What do you mean? Are you actually going to stay and work?”
“Shuddup about that,” Heiji hissed at him. “Ran just said to stay with you until you got the clue to go see your folks. She said once you were there it should be all on you. I got somewhere I gotta be. See you later, Kudo.” he punched him in the arm and took off. Shinichi acknowledged his departure and waved his goodbyes to his fellow officers before making his way back to his old house.
His parents had offered it to him originally, and he planned to take them up on it …someday. For now he had wanted to try making it on his own. Heiji moving in hadn’t been a part of that plan, but it was probably for the best. The lights weren’t on inside, so it appeared that no one was home.
He knocked, but no one answered so he pushed the door open. “Hello?”
He was met with silence. He walked in, suddenly wary. Things going wrong seemed to be the rule of his life rather than the exception and part of him felt like he was going to walk into yet another murder mystery. But instead, all that happened was his mother pouncing on him from the darkness.
“I missed you!”
There was the sound of an irritated snort, and Shinichi blinked hard as someone flicked on a light. He had started to adjust to the darkness and the sudden change had his eyesight go all screwy for a moment. It wasn’t just his parents.
Eri and Kogoro were also standing there. And Kogoro looked irritated. He often glared at Shinichi before the teenager had become Conan. Now that he was back to normal the glares had gotten more intense, especially as Kogoro now knew it had been a mentally teenage boy seeing his daughter naked during bath times.
“Hello,” he greeted them awkwardly.
His dad squeezed his shoulder.
“Kogoro, say something nice,” Eri urged him.
“I will only say this once,” Kogoro’s arms were crossed so tightly Shinichi wondered if it was possible for it to cut off circulation. “For now, you make my daughter happy and that is the only reason I will allow this. If you ever make her unhappy…you will be dealing with her.”
“With her?” Shinichi raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
“You know damn well that girl can take care of herself. If you ever do anything to hurt her, I won’t have to come after you. I’ll just help her hide the body.”
“Understood, sir,” Shinichi agreed awkwardly. He coughed and then straightened up. “But I would never hurt her. …I wouldn’t try to, I mean. I love Ran a lot. Actually, I want to…I’d like to…”
“Don’t say it. I know what you’re going to say and I don’t want to hear it. It’s between you and her.” Kogoro wasn’t making eye contact and now he looked embarrassed. “I will accept whatever Ran says on it. And that’s as good as you’ll get from me.”
Eri patted him approvingly on the arm. “I have to say I agree with my husband. It’s for Ran to decide.”
“Dad, I believe you have the clue?”
“I do indeed. I offered to make it harder for her, but she wouldn’t let me,” Yusaku looked offended at the idea. “So here we are:
sakura”
“…that’s the whole thing?” Yukiko asked, looking irritated. “You probably forgot some of it, dear.”
“No, that’s it. Shinichi knows what it means.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because he already left,” Eri pointed out. “Look, he didn’t even close the door after himself.”
“I can’t believe I’ve agreed to help with this,” Kogoro muttered.
“What, you don’t approve of him?” Eri looked amused. “I agree, marrying a detective is always trouble.”
Kogoro muttered something under his breath, but Eri ignored him. “Should we get going, then? His next stop is to her, right?”
“I don’t know,” Yukiko admitted, “She didn’t tell me the clues or the route. Just a general idea of what’s going to happen.”
“It’s the last clue,” Yusako said confidently. “And I think we all know what’s going to happen,” He pulled his wife close to him. “And I think it’s about time.”
His first thought was that Ran would be inside the old preschool, but he found her outside sitting on a bench apparently waiting for him.
“Sakura. For the sakura classroom where we first met,” he said appreciatively. “Solving the clues required knowing Holmes, Dupin and about our lives together so far.” he sat down beside her on the bench. She wore a red dress, and was staring intently at the paper scraps on her lap. Shinichi looked closer and realized they were like the paper badges she had made them in preschool. Wordlessly, she handed them over to him.
The first one had her name on one side. On the other side, what was written was:
Time to play a dirty trick,
Turn about is fair game
Hope I’m not being too slick
So ask about my name
“Your name?” He asked aloud, looking at the other badge. His name was on one side. The other side read
My answer is yes.
“Answer?” he pondered it over, going through the events of today. Starting with the fact that Heiji had brought up the ring box in Shinichi’s underwear drawer. “You mean….Ran?” She finally looked up at him, a gentle smile on her face. “You knew I was going to ask?”
She nodded. “I wasn’t trying to snoop. Sonoko told me I should leave some stuff at your place so I could finally spend a night with you…something about it being easier, I don’t know,” She blushed bright red, “But when I opened your drawer to put some clothes in I found the box and I knew what it was without looking,” she pulled her purse out from under her the bench and fished the ring box out. “I put an empty box back because I figured you wouldn’t look at the ring until you were ready. And I wanted to surprise you with something you’d like. I’m sorry, I know the clues weren’t very elaborate and-” she was cut off by him pressing his lips to hers. He tried to pour all the emotions he could into that kiss. How much he loved her, cared about her …wanted her. How much he appreciated that she would do so much for him. He pulled away only after he felt satisfied he had conveyed exactly how he felt through that kiss.
“You did so much for me, Ran. Thank you,” he grabbed the ring box out of her lap and opened it before sliding the ring on her finger. Diamonds and rubies blended together, since red was both of their favorite color. “But why did you not want to see me the last few weeks?”
“It took a while to put everything together, and when I decided to have a clue to lead to your dad I had to wait for them to come back to Japan from the states. They agreed to it right away, but had some things to wrap up before they could come. Originally Ai and Professor Agasa were going to help, too, but they said they wanted to help with something else.”
“Something else?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “We’re supposed to go to an address they gave me after we’re done here.”
Somehow I think I know what they’re up to, Shinichi thought crossly. Right now he wanted Ran to himself, but he knew what was coming next. He pushed himself up and pulled her up with him.
“But why did you have the kids spill soy sauce on me?”
“So sauce? I didn’t ask them to spill anything on you.”
So that was Sonoko’s idea alone, huh? Figures, he thought.
“Where do you think we’re going?” She asked, handing him the address Ai had given her.
“I don’t know about the where, but I bet I know what will happen when we get there.”
“What’s that?”
“An engagement party!” Ayumi, Masumi and Sonoko shouted in unison as Ran and Shinichi walked through the door. The address had been to a hotel, where a helpful front desk person had ushered them into a large ballroom where all their friends and family were waiting.
“Let me see that ring!” Kazuha said excitedly, pulling Ran’s hand towards her. “ooh, nice!”
“Kudo,” Heiji grabbed him by the collar. “That’s not fair, now I’ve gotta do better for when I ask her,” he kept his voice low so Kazuha wouldn’t hear.
“Have you considered not one-upping me?” Shinichi asked gruffly, but Heiji ignored him.
“Let’s see…can’t ask too soon or it looks like I’m stealing your thunder. Ugh, I don’t wanna spend this much money.”
Shinichi rolled his eyes and left his friend to his muttering. He linked his arm back in with Ran’s. “Did everyone know I was going to propose?”
“Yes,” All three Detective Boys chorused at him.
“It was really easy to figure it out,” Mitsuhiko started. “First, you started to get all quiet and contemplative around her.”
“Then, one day, you stopped looking the same. You looked determined!” Ayumi added. “And then-”
“And then the three of us saw you in the jewelry store,” Genta explained.
Well, that explained it. Those three had seen him, gotten over excited and blabbed at some point. “Do you three want to be in the wedding?” Ran asked them. They all nodded their agreement.
“And what about me?” Ai poked Shinichi in the back and both he and Ran turned to face her.
“Well, I don’t think you’d want to be a flower girl, but you could be a bridesmaid if you wanted!” Ran grabbed Ai’s hands and squeezed.
“You’re too pure and you’re too good for him,” Ai chuckled.
“Gee, thanks.”
“But maybe I’ll take you up on that. At the least, I would like an invitation.”
“Did you guys invite everyone we know here?” Shinichi looked around the party and made mental notes of each person he saw. Some were from old cases he’d solved, some were his high school friends, there were loads of cops running around and of course the Detective Boys were weaving in and out of the crowd. “I half expect to see Kaito Kid pop out of somewhere.”
“Oh, he was here earlier,” Professor Agasa explained, apparently summoned out of thin air.
“What?!”
“He left a gift on the table,” he gestured in that direction.
“Wait…Professor,” Shinichi cottoned on quickly. “What’s your brother’s name again?”
“Brother? I don’t have a brother.”
“So why are there two of you here?”
Agasa took off running, and Shinichi decided not to run after him. The real Professor Agasa was engrossed in a conversation with Shinichi’s mother. And the fake …well, if Kaito Kid was kind enough to bring him an engagement present, he supposed he could let him go this time. Especially since he had more important matters to attend to right now.
“Was that-”
“Yep.”
“Do you need to-”
Shinichi put a hand on each of Ran’s arms and squeezed gently, making sure she was looking him in the eyes. “I’m not running off and leaving you ever again. There’ll be another time to catch Kaito Kid. Right now…right now I just want to be with you.”
21 notes · View notes
trouvelle · 5 years ago
Text
Time’s Up
A/N: Happy happy happy birthday, @mintchocolateleaves!! This one’s for you boo. I tried to cook it up as fast as I could, to get it posted before the day ends but alas... it’s past midnight and all the magic is gone. Nevertheless, enjoy this one! This isn’t for Emogust though, bc sadly it fits none of the prompts. An AU where Conan is back as Shinichi (Black Org is no more, and stuff and stuff). 
The day is eventually going to come. 
Shinichi knows. He knows that day will come, yet his mind forces itself to erase the thoughts of it. Instead, it’s filled with nothing but false, desperate hope with the image of a beaten, stitched up heart. Shinichi knows. He knows.
His finger plays with the brown hair that he loves touching so much. The smell is intoxicating. Alluring. It’s a smell that belongs to only one person. That one person that means the world to him. That one person that is strikingly similar to a goddess, as she is simply divine and beautifully crafted like an angel. He plants a kiss on her, inhaling the heavenly scent that flutters his heart.
The girl whose head is comfortably resting on his lap lets out a chuckle, voice deep with a texture that makes it one in a million. The girl whose eyes are filled with such powerful emotions that Shinichi couldn’t even describe. Love, he decides. Love, kindness, sincerity, grace, worry, passion, generosity.
Every day Ran makes Shinichi wonder. How someone could always keep a warm, serene smile on her face. Every day, she baffles him.
He wonders why she chooses to stay with him, after years of hiding the truth from her, making her worry, putting her through all the torment. If she’s willing to put his past behind them, then so can he. He can do the same for her and for himself.
They never talk about their lives before he returned as Kudo Shinichi. Only once did she ask for an explanation, and it’s immediately after he revealed himself. He told her everything; about how he’s Conan all along, how Haibara Ai (who’s now around their age) is also another victim of the Organization, how he couldn’t have done it without Hattori and Kaito KID’s help. She’s forgiven him, as always. She can never stay angry at him. She also never wanted to broach the topic ever again.
One time he catches her say, “Remember that haunted inn we went to with Hattori-kun and Kazuha-chan?” when the inn is featured on the television. However, she drops the conversation right after that, the silence reminding him that she was still unwilling to talk.
One thing remains the same, though. 
“I’ll always protect you,” Shinichi whispers. Ran smiles. She knows.
Φ
It’s spring. It’s that time where love sprouts everywhere. It’s that time where flowers bloom beautifully, birds singing their songs and grass turns greener than before. It’s that time where the cherry blossoms bloom, drawing tons of couples towards them like a magnet, wanting them to enjoy the romantic vibe.
There’s this one place. There’s this spot with a lone, abandoned cherry blossom tree. It’s not so far in the small woods behind Teitan High.
Thus, during a break at school, they go to the cherry blossom tree whose grace is only for their eyes. Ran intertwines her fingers with Shinichi’s, showing her loveable smile, the smile that he loves so much.
“I love you,” Shinichi says. He blushes. “With all my heart.”
"I love you too," Ran mutters, looking up at him shyly. "With all my heart."
Φ
It’s that time again, when Ran feels that suffocating feeling in her chest. Her breath hitches, gasping for air while droplets of sweat trail down from her temple towards her chin. It’s those times when Shinichi loses his cool and panic, calling the hospital immediately after each time it happens, each time getting worse and worse.
It hurts him even more that whenever Ran faints, she has no knowledge of what happened before. Almost as if she suffers from a very minor amnesia, yet Shinichi never dares to tell her. He always puts on his practiced smile, saying, “You are just here for a check-up. They had to temporarily put you to sleep, that’s all.”
Ran, naively nods, easily accepting those words. 
Φ
Shinichi has been visiting Osaka more and more often lately. He knows his bond with Hattori has undoubted deepen after everything that has happened. Seriously, he would’ve been a dead man had Hattori not been there to save him.
What he didn’t expect was that he’s going to rely so much on Kazuha as well.
He has been telling Kazuha about what’s been happening to Ran. At first it’s only to update her about Ran’s condition. Shinichi soon finds that he actually enjoys talking to her. To Hattori’s credit, his girl is very insightful and perceptive. Sometimes Shinichi calls her in the middle of the night just to ask her if she has anything to offer him. A handful of times, Hattori is the one to answer his calls.
“We’re NOT doing anything,” he always insists, “Kazuha just fell asleep while studying.”
Shinichi responds with a snort. “Keep that up and you’re gonna get a serious case of blue balls.”
They end up talking too, until Ran stirs in her sleep and Shinichi has to hang up in fear that he might wake her up.
Φ
There are times where Shinichi forgot how nigh Ran’s time is. The moment their lips are locked into a deep kiss, his mind turns blank, concentrating on the now, never thinking of the past or the future. He loves when the familiar, warm hands trace down his sides to his hip bones, tender fingers sliding south until it reaches the spot that makes his body ache for more. He moans out her name each time she sends Shinichi to ecstasy in such sweet, passionate love making. It’s the moment after, with Ran collapsing next to him on the soft mattress and instantly cuddling against the boy, arms protectively wrapped around his body while nuzzling his neck.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Ran whispers. “I can’t imagine life without you.”
Φ
Shinichi has tried to contact Kaito Kid—whose real identity he and Hattori found out to be Kuroba Kaito, just a kid around their age. But he insists that he’d come to Shinichi when his time is suitable, when he’s accomplished his own goal.
When they finally set up a meeting, Shinichi did ask him, straight to the point: “Have you used the Pandora Gem?”
Kaito’s eyes betray his confident body gestures. “Are you interested in using it?”
Shinichi offers no reply, his only response is his unfaltering stare at the magician. He runs a hand through his hair, a sigh escaping his lips. “I know you’ve found it, and I know you’ve used it.”
Φ
Shinichi walks on the sidewalk, two plastic bags filled with the needed groceries which bump against his legs with each step he takes. He fiddles with his keys as soon as he reaches their apartment. He opens their front door, stepping in with the bags in his hands, happily announcing he is back with a huge grin on his face.
The house is silent, however. Pressure is felt, and Shinichi feels slight numbness in his legs as he enters the living room, eyes widening at the sight of Ran on the ground. Crystal droplets fall immediately, the sound of items falling and rolling on the ground, voice cracks echoing in the room, the only thing coming out from his throat being none other than the name Ran.
Φ
It all happens so fast. Shinichi is promised at least a year more. One year. A year that they will fill with nothing but happiness, that only she can give effortlessly. The sounds of rushed doctors heading towards wherever ring in his ears. Shinichi can only blindly follow them, attempting to wake Ran up with trembling hands and bottom lip.
Ran, Ran, Ran, is all he says.
Ran, Ran, Ran, he keeps on calling, but her face remains the same: lifeless, pale, drained.
Shinichi has never felt so scared, so afraid. He swears he saw a quick, impossible glance of the colour black. The black that Shinichi has feared to acknowledge so many times in his dreams. The black that is the hollow colour of the long robe that belongs to Death, who is perhaps forcing an implausible grin on his literal skin and meatless face.
“No,” Shinichi whispers, furiously shaking his head as he is forced to stay behind when doctors go past certain doors. He falls to his knees, clutching his hair tightly 
No.
Φ
Shinichi has always had his suspicion about Kazuha’s sensitivity towards the supernatural spectrum of the world. If her handcrafted omamori isn’t enough proof, there’s also the fact that she could actually see spirits. A gift from my grandmother, she explains. 
Kazuha has also further said about how Death is real. Another reason why she hates being in a crime scene for too long, she confides in him. Death is always present, always ready to transport the souls of poor victims. Kazuha doesn’t like to look at Death. According to her, Death reeks of hollowness and hopelessness, among other things. 
Shinichi never quite understands her stories and explanations. He believes in science. He doesn’t believe in such things. He believes in what he can see. He doesn’t believe in what the paranormal and supernatural.
This time, he’s sure Death is definitely calling. Death stands there with arms wide open, wanting to welcome Ran and wanting him to see her lifeless body. Shinichi knows Death is patiently waiting in the dark corners of the sickly colored hospital, it being nothing more than an empty white and some hues of probably blue or yellow. Shinichi doesn’t care.
It’s then when a doctor comes out of what Shinichi calls ‘Doors of Death’. The doctor shows him nothing more but a pity look, his mask hiding any signs of lip movement to warn Shinichi of the hurtful words that are about to come out.
Many doctors and nurses walk by them, and some patients in wheelchairs possibly exploring the area or finding their way out to the exit. All of them spare glances at the man who shouts at the doctor, on his knees once again and hands clutched together in a fist, begging.
Φ
Heiji and Kazuha rush to the hospital as fast as they possibly could. Shinichi staggers towards them, his head shaking continuously. “There’s no time.”
“Time’s up.”
Φ
Ran slowly opens her eyes, frowning at the blinding light of white after being out for what felt like an eternity, shielding them with her hand. She is all by herself. She is in a bed, a transparent tube connected and held secured by a thin, white bandage on her left forearm.
Her confused gaze travels from the dull wall in front of her to the window where she can see the outside world, the sky blue and a few clouds present.
Where am I? She wonders. The sound of a constant beeping echo in her ears, and a doctor soon appears in front of her.
“Congratulations, Ran,” he smiles at her. “You barely survived, but you managed.”
Ran frowns even more. “Barely? What do you mean? What happened?”
The doctor’s smile falters, just a little bit. His eyes are tired, dark circles clearly visible and wrinkles showing. “You had a fatal heart attack, Ran,” he starts. “You’ve always had a weak heart condition which seemed to be accelerating in intensity within the past year.”
“You were found unconscious at home. A young man immediately called, and just in time as well.”
“Shinichi?” Ran gasps. “You mean Shinichi?” She sits up, not caring if she is allowed to or not. “What… where is he?”
“Shinichi… he’s headed out somewhere.” Ran’s expression gradually softens at those words. The doctor then hands her tape. “Here,” he whispers. “He told me to give this to you.”
As soon as the small device left the man’s hands, he calmly makes his way out. Confused and curious, Ran rapidly untangles the earphones, pressing the Play button to play the message that is left in it by Shinichi’s voice. Ran smiles, only for it to completely disappear with each word she hears.
Φ
Time is passing by slowly, almost too slowly. Ran tightly squeezes the tape, holding it against her chest as she lies down, numbly shifting on her side, facing towards the window that holds her away from freedom. She slowly opens her mouth, lips trembling and eyes glazed with tears that allow themselves to roll down over the bridge of her nose and her cheek. She feels a painful lump in her throat. A lump that makes swallowing so, so hard. Her head starts to ache, eyebrows finally furrow together after processing what she just read, gritting her teeth and softly shaking her head in denial.
She finally lost it when she heard soft sobs coming from outside her room. She finally lets out a scream, clutching onto her hair and wetting her face with her tears, curling into a ball as agony took full control over her. With loud and hitched sobs, she whispers ‘no’ over and over again.
Φ
The doctor hears the cries coming out of the room. His back leaning against the space next to its respective door, hallways filled with nothing but an eerie silence and a vast emptiness. He quietly turns around, letting his forehead rest against the cold barrier and let his own tears spill. His own heart aches, wanting to rip it out, if only he could.
His nails scratches the walls, hands eventually curling up into a fist and screamed silently, gasping for air as he lets out choked sobs. 
Φ
Ran,
I’m guessing you already know the truth by now. 
I’ve kept you away from the truth, again. Once more, I’ve kept away a secret from you that you deserved to know, yet I always decided to keep my door shut. Not because I think you’re better off not knowing, but it’s ‘cause I never had the guts to. I can’t lose you. Not now, not ever. 
Nothing can come close to describing the happiness I felt whenever you woke up. Who was there to blame for the condition of your heart? I thought I could be your donor, so long as you can continue to wake up. I wish we could have more time together.
I was told that you have a long way to go. At least a year, was what they said. They over-calculated. My biggest mistake was trusting their words. 
Don’t look for me. This time—I promise you—I’m not on a long and deadly case. I’m not shrunken into a grade-schooler either! I’m just... just refer to me as your guardian from now on. Guardian angel, if you wanna push it that way, but Kazuha said guardian angels are not actually angels. 
What you need to know is that I’ve beaten Death. You’ll live, and that’s all that matters to me. I’m always here for you and I’ll always protect you. 
Ran, you know I love you. I always have, and I always will.
Φ
Shinichi told her that he has no choice. He has even looked for the Pandora Gem and actually knows where it is. The current owner of the gem is also willing to lend it to him.
It’s Kaito Kid, he confesses to Kazuha. And Kaito did warn him about the effects of using the gem.
Shinichi knows that Ran wouldn’t want it.
Kazuha has been thinking about this for a long time, hard. She knows if she was to do it, if she could even pull it through, if it would even succeed—Ran is never going to forgive her. But when she puts herself in Shinichi’s shoes, she knows she would do it for Heiji in a heartbeat. Part of her believes that if the situation was reversed, Ran would want to do the same for Shinichi. 
But Shinichi has already had his mind made up. Kazuha looks at him, the boy who has been growing closer to her lately, who she talks to even more than Ran or Sonoko these days. Kazuha stares at him, and he stares back at her through his cloudy eyes.
In the end, he doesn’t even know if he was putting Ran’s happiness first or his own.
40 notes · View notes
bxcketbarnes · 6 years ago
Text
Another Year, Another Tour
Tumblr media
Pairing: Calum Hood/Reader
Words: 1798
Author’s Note: So, I love the show Bones. Great show. Booth is hot af. Anyway, the episode I was watching the other day had the greatest line in it and I totally needed to put it into a fic. Here is that fic. The line was, “I do facial reconstructions... and him,” but obviously the job will be something else since it’s not an AU. ANYWAY ENJOY xox
Meet You There Tour is a go. I was called by 5 Seconds of Summer’s tour manager, Livvy, to see if I would work with them again as their joint photographer. Obviously, I agreed. I loved being on tour with the boys, not only because I’m Calum’s girlfriend, but because they are just really great and fun to hang out with. Plus, I enjoy working with Andy. He’s a hell of a great photographer.
“So, the flight to Japan leaves this Saturday at six-thirty in the morning. Did Calum tell you?” Liv’s voice comes through the speaker on my phone as I pack my suitcase.
I hum in response, muttering a yeah as I focus all my attention on neatly folding my clothes since I’ll be gone for months.
“Also, you should probably know this… there’s a new girl working on this tour. She’s part of the management team since Dave left to go on vacation with his family in the Bahama’s,” she informs me and I nod my head, grabbing my phone off my bed.
“Good for Dave. He deserves a break,” I chuckle while combing my fingers through my hair. “Have you met her, yet?” I ask, looking down at my nails before picking at them a bit. “Also, do the guys know?”
Shuffling is heard on the other line before Livvy speaks up. “I haven’t no. She actually lives in the U.K. so she’ll be meeting us in Japan, at the venue when we get there. And, no. The guys don’t know yet,” she answers and I nod my head once, letting out a hum.
“Okay. I’ll see you on Saturday then! We’re gonna get drinks, yeah?” I ask her since I actually haven’t seen her since the wrap party after last years tour.
“Of course. There’s a bar in the hotel so we don’t need to go far,” she chuckles and I chime in as well, giggles leaving my lips. “Have a good night, Y/N. Say hi to Cal for me.”
-
My head rests against Cal’s shoulder, eyes drooping shut every couple of minutes as we all waited for our flight. I didn’t get much sleep last night and I had to get up at five am. The brunette grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together as his thumb gently strokes the back of it.
“I told you to go to bed early,” he mumbles into my ear and I let out a scoff, tilting my head to look up at him.
“I tried, but someone decided to visit,” I giggle tiredly, nuzzling my face into his neck. “It’s fine. I’ll get to sleep on the plane. Plus, I enjoyed last night.”
Calum chuckles, pressing a quick kiss to my head. “Yeah. I think it was the first time in a while where we just had a night to ourselves. I love our friends, don’t get me wrong, but I love just laying in bed with you and doing absolutely nothing,” he mentions and I agree, nodding my head slightly.
“Flight 349 to Osaka is now boarding,” the woman on the intercom spoke in a monotone voice.
Everyone had got up, gathering their carry on bags and heads towards the gate we needed to go to. Our hands never separated as we made it to the gate and I grab my passport and plane ticket from my pocket, handing it to the man that stood by the door.
The older man checked everything before handing it back to me, wishing me a good flight as my hand left Cal’s. I slowly make my way onto the plane, hearing the guys close behind me. My eyes search for my assigned seat, muttering apologies to people I’d run into accidentally. I found my seat and I shove my carry on into the small cubby above the seats before sitting down beside the window.
Calum sits down beside me after about a minute, his hand landing on my thigh as a sigh leaves his lips. “I think I might just take a nap with you,” he mumbles and tilts his head towards me, a lazy grin on his plump lips.
“Naps are the absolute best. I totally think you should,” I grin and lean over, kissing his lips. I pull away after a couple seconds, a whine leaving his lips. “Hopefully someone will wake us up when we get there.”
A little over twelve hours later our plane flies into Japan. The smile on my lips widens at the beautiful country as I had missed being here. “Dude, we totally need to get more of those different flavored kit kat’s,” I tell Calum, glancing towards the brown-eyed boy as he rolls his eyes.
“Why? You didn’t even like most of the ones we got last time,” he mentions and a scoff leaves my lips.
“We didn’t even get all of them. Hence why we need to get more,” I state with a duh expression on my face.
Cal reaches over and grips my chin in his hands, shaking my head a bit. “Fine. Only because I love you, though,” he laughs and I give him a cheeky wink. The airport was coming into view as we began to descend, the stewardess telling all the passengers to put on their seatbelts.
It becomes a bit crowded as everyone gets off the plane, entering the busy airport as I look around for Cal and the guys. I bite my lip, getting a bit nervous as I can’t find them and continues to turn in circles to look among thousands of faces.
“Y/N! Babe, over here,” I heard his voice call out and I snap my head towards the sound, standing on my tippy toes. I see the beautiful brunette wave his arm above his head, seeing them standing beside the conveyer belt that the suitcases come out on.
I squeeze my way through the people, making my way towards them. A smile comes to my lips as Cal had grabbed both mine and his suitcase, the five of us beginning to walk towards the exit of the airport to meet everyone else before heading to the venue.
“Is there a reason we always go to the venue first?” I ask while chuckling, trying to grab the handle of my suitcase, only for Cal to roll it away from me.
He shrugs his shoulders, smiling down at me as we can hear screams coming from outside. “I don’t know, babe. To see everything before the show since we get busy with interview’s and stuff?” Cal questions and I snap my fingers.
“True. God, you always so right,” I laugh and link my arm with his.
“Of course I am,” he scoffs in a dramatic way as the doors to the airport open. The screams become louder as our security team holds the girls back so they don’t trample over us. Here we go…
-
The boys, Andy, and I step into the back of the venue after almost half an hour of them saying hi to the fans. I fiddle with the camera that hangs from my neck, grinning ear to ear as I remember the memories of the last time I was here. The time Cal and I had our first kiss.
“You guys made it!” Liv’s voice calls out and I turn my head towards her voice, seeing her walking up to us. She gives everyone a hug, a small smile on her lips while playing with the lanyard on her neck. “So, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
A platinum blonde makes her way towards us and I can’t help but look over her features. Well, damn, she’s definitely gorgeous. A smile comes to her lips as she gained each guy’s attention and stops about a couple inches from us. “Hi! My name is Carly. I’ll be a part of the management team this tour,” she tells us in her English accent, her blue eyes moving to each person.
“H-Hi, I’m Calum,” my boyfriend stutters and I raise an eyebrow, turning my head towards him as I cross my arms over my chest. Oh, really? I roll my eyes a bit as she reaches forward to shake his hand, moving to each other band member first before looking towards Andy and me.
“You guys are?” She asks and Andy introduces himself first, a respectful smile on his lips. Carly’s eyes move towards me after he was done, waiting for an answer.
“I’m Y/N. I do the photography… and him,” I nod my head towards Calum with a distinct tone of voice, a smile on my lips. Her lips part a bit, glancing towards Calum as his eyes were on me, lips parted in surprise.
“Okay,” Carly drags out, laughing awkwardly while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “it’s nice to meet you all.”
-
Calum and I got into our hotel room, my heart pounding against my chest as I fear that I’ve said too much earlier. I chew on my bottom lip, glancing towards the bassist as I drag my suitcase towards the corner of the room.
A sigh leaves Cal’s lips as he plops onto the bed, turning onto his back. “So, what was that back there?” He asks and I narrow my eyes at the man.
“Are you kidding? I should be asking the same question Mr. I Stutter At The New Pretty Girl,” I mumble and Calum sits up.
“Okay, I’ll admit that she’s really pretty but I was just surprised. I’m not mad about what you said if that’s what you’re worried about,” he mentions and I sigh softly, moving to sit next to him on the bed.
He sits up, grabbing my hand and intertwines our fingers. “It just slipped out honestly. I just wanted to let her know that you were taken,” I shrug and glance towards him to see a silly grin on his lips.
“Well, you’ve definitely shown that. Putting out our sex life, geez,” Cal chuckles and I smack his chest, letting out a small giggle as well. “I mean… if you really wanna let everyone know about us then we can totally break in this king-size bed.”
He gives me a wink as his hand leaves mine and slides it across my lower back. I hum in thought, shifting a bit so I straddle his lap. “That does sound tempting,” I whisper and runs my fingers through his hair. “I love you.”
Calum grins, leaning upwards to press his lips against mine. A deep sigh releases through my nose as my other hand strokes his cheek while moving my lips against his. After a few moments, he pulls away, his forehead resting against mine. “I love you too. So so much.”
-
Taglist: @asht0ns-world @dukesnumber1 @thebookamongmen @singt0mecalum @bbycal @maddz-world @gotta-try-something-new @twilightparker @ashs-cheergirl @therainydays4 @thatcheekychic @calumsendgame @shower-me-with-roses @dashlilymark @babylon-uncrowned @lukeskisses
393 notes · View notes
candidcanine · 5 years ago
Text
Chances and Cherry Blossoms
My lone entry for 2doc week, for Day 6- Birthday (and for Day 5- Vacation, I’m too lazy to create separate entries so I fused them, shhhhh). Happy birthday to Murdoc, my favorite pickle man!
Fic Summary:
Murdoc gets lost in Kyoto with 2D. It isn’t the worst birthday he’s ever had, but it’s certainly shaping up to be his most interesting.
Not gonna lie, this is just a poor excuse to write tooth-rotting fluff about these two going on a (not so) romantic date in Japan. Sue me.
“Alright, so if we take a left turn at this corner, we should see a bus stop. Then we hafta board the bus going… clockwise, which is the number 34 one. It’ll take us to a street which should be a twelve minute walk away from the temple entrance… Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Murdoc echoes, crossing his arms as he watches 2D wrestle with an extremely rumpled map. “You’re not sure? Can you at least check the map on your mobile instead of using that rubbish? It’s the 21st century, Stuart, ever heard of GPS?”
“I’m saving the battery, I forgot to charge it yesterday. It’s for emergency calls.”
“Call Noodle.”
“No.”
“Then for the love of all things unholy, please tell me we’re going the right way.”
“It’s hard navigating in a foreign country,” 2D says defensively, his eyes firmly glued on the map. His strides lengthen as they near their supposed destination. If Murdoc wasn’t so exhausted, he would’ve found 2D’s misplaced determination to be downright hilarious. “We’re not lost, I promise.”
“Really? Because you keep saying that, and I end up getting disappointed every time,” Murdoc pants, struggling to match the other’s strides. Eventually he gives up and leans against a telephone pole, trying to soothe the burn in his aching muscles and lungs. He watches in amusement as 2D’s lithe form speeds away without him.
“Slow down, Stu, not everyone has the same freakishly long legs as you. I feel like I’m taking two steps for each one of yours.” 2D looks up when he hears Murdoc’s complaint, jogging back with an apologetic grin when he sees Murdoc had stopped walking. They continue at a slower pace.
“Sorry, I just got a little excited. I think I found the street, we just need to go left and we’ll be at… the bus stop…”
When they round the corner, they find no buses nor bus stops. Instead of seeing a busy street filled with hordes of people, they were greeted with a dead end road lined with small houses, shops, and convenience stores. There were barely any signs of life, save for a stray kitten splashing around in a rain puddle and a group of kids chatting and playing video games. One of them looks up and stares at Murdoc and 2D, unsure of why foreigners were in their little neighborhood.
“Erm…”
“…Well? Where’s it at?”
“It’s supposed to be right here.” 2D scratches his head in confusion. He consults his map and points out a clearly-labelled bus stop for Murdoc. “Maybe we’re at the wrong place? What street is this? Muds, can you check if there’s a sign—”
“There is one. But I can’t read it,” Murdoc says flatly, jerking his thumb at the unreadable characters on the sign. “It’s in Japanese. Y'know, because we’re in Japan?”
“What? They always have English signs ‘round the touristy places—”
“D'you see any tourists around?”
2D huffs, clearly displeased with how unhelpful he was being. He stalks away from Murdoc, his gaze flitting around as if he’d see a hint in the area that pointed to the right direction if he looked hard enough. When he approaches the children, the whole group dispersed like a flock of pigeons encountering a cat. Murdoc bites back a laugh when 2D returns with the most petulant look etched on his face.
“Those kids are so mean, I just wanted to ask for directions. Maybe they got scared off by my looks?”
“Stu, the chances of them even speaking a lick of English are next to nil. Of course they can't— or won't— help. Just admit it, you can’t read directions to save your life. Give me the map so we actually have a chance to get to wherever the hell it is we’re going.”
“No!” 2D clutches the map to his chest like a lifeline. “I can read a map, just give me some time—”
“We’ve already wasted hours of my precious time today because of you. I have to draw the line somewhere, 2D. I don’t appreciate being led around blindly like a dog on a leash. Let me take a look at it.”
“I told you, I want our itinerary to be a surprise. It’s more fun that way—”
“Oh, some fun we’re having, right? Spending over an hour in a cramped train from Osaka to Kyoto instead of taking a bloody cab, taking the wrong trains and buses and having to double back when we miss our stops, eating watery ramen at a dodgy noodle shop 'cause we couldn’t find somewhere better to eat…”
“At least we got to Araishiyama, and we got to see that bamboo grove,” 2D protests weakly. “It was pretty.”
“It’s pretty, I’d give you that. But there’s only so much you can do at a sodding bamboo grove, Stuart. We spent all of five minutes in that forest before you got bored and told me you wanted to leave.”
“Well, I thought you were bored, so I wanted to move on to somethin’ more interesting…”
“…Where did you even get the idea to go all the way to Kyoto without Noodle? Hasn’t it occurred to you what a terrible idea this was?”
“Well, err—”
“We’ve never been to Kyoto before,” Murdoc continues. “So how the everliving fuck did you expect to get around with your sense of direction? It would’ve been better if we went sightseeing with her. Maybe you should’ve scrapped this whole trip altogether. Think about it. We could be back in Osaka with Noodle, roaming Dotonbori and having a pint or two, or eating grilled crab legs—”
“I’m a vegetarian—”
“But no, we had to go at it alone, and spend the better half of a day running around Kyoto like headless chickens. I think I’ve seen enough of Japan’s railways and bus stations to last an entire lifetime.”
2D’s face falls with every word that came out of Murdoc’s mouth.“I’m– I’m sorry, Murdoc, I really am. I think I was too focused on givin’ you the best birthday to think about specifics. Maybe… maybe we should’ve just stayed in Osaka with Noodle. You’re right, let’s head back.”
2D’s voice quivered as he spoke. By the time Murdoc had realized his mistake, it was too late. 2D silently walks back the way they came from, looking almost like a chastised puppy.
Don’t be a grade A twat. You’ve changed, remember? he tells himself, following after 2D. He winds an arm around the other’s waist and pulls him close in an attempt to mitigate the damage he had done.
“Wait, Stu, I didn’t mean it like that. I know you worked hard on this day trip, and I appreciate it, I really do. It’s just… you didn’t really have to go through all that effort for my birthday, y'know? There’s loads of things to do in Osaka.”
“I know, I know, 2D says, but the look of dejection on his face doesn’t disappear. "I guess… I just wanted to impress you, just a tiny bit. I wanted to give you a better birthday than last year.”
“What d'you mean?” Murdoc asks, confused. “I spent my last birthday in sodding prison. The bar isn’t set that high. We could’ve spent this entire day watching paint dry and it’ll still be better than the hell I went through last year.”
2D winces at Murdoc’s blunt honesty. “I mean, I wanted to make up for last year. I know I didn’t even greet you on your birthday—”
“No cards, or letters, or anything, while you an’ the rest were off having the time of your lives without me—” Murdoc adds unhelpfully. He couldn’t help it, he still felt a bit betrayed.
“I’m sorry, Muds, I was still really angry at you then. I won’t ever ignore you like that again,” he assures. “It’s the whole reason why I wanted to make up for it. I mean, I practically jumped at the chance when Noodle told me she wanted to go back to Japan to visit a friend. We haven’t been outside Tokyo yet, and we haven’t had a vacation in ages. It seemed like the perfect way to spend a birthday.
"But I didn’t like the idea of spending all our time with other people. I wanted us to have some… alone time.” 2D’s face flames. “So I started planning a little side trip, just for us.”
“Wait… are you saying this trip was all just some elaborate ploy to get me away from Noodle and her friend?” Murdoc wonders aloud, smirking at 2D. “Wanted me all to yourself, didn’t you?”
“Maybe,” 2D confirms with a bashful smile. “It’s been a while since it was just the two of us out in public. I wanted to spend the whole day with you. I planned it down to the second, but it didn’t really pan out, did it?”
“No, it didn’t,” Murdoc chuckles. “Well, you didn’t have to get us stranded in a foreign country if you wanted to spend a day with me. I’m sure if you asked Noodle, she would’ve let us explore Osaka by ourselves. No need to go all the way to Kyoto.” 2D makes a noise at the back of his throat, turning his head away and mumbling an inaudible reply to Murdoc.
“What?”
2D repeats it reluctantly. “I said, I wanted to go to Kyoto… because I read somewhere that the scenery here was better. They have prettier gardens and pavilions and temples here, and rows of cherry blossom trees too, it’s beautiful…” his voice trails off when he sees Murdoc’s grin.
After a beat of silence, Murdoc erupts into fits of laughter. “Oh, you sap. You romantic. You cheesy—I see what this is. Pffft— Let me guess what you wanted to do. Did you want to hold hands while exploring the temples like newlyweds? Frolic in the pavilion gardens and smell all the flowers? Take each other’s pictures while we kiss under a cherry blossom tree?” Murdoc guffaws when 2D’s face turns red again.
“Did you want to ride one of those two-seater carriages we saw back in that bamboo grove?”
“Muds,” 2D says, hiding his face behind his hand.
“How about hanging one of those charms in a shrine? You know, one for luck, good health, love—”
“Muds.”
“Or maybe pick sakura petals out of each other’s hair, like we’re in one of those goddamn cartoons. What’s it called again? An anime? But it’s not even the right season for—”
“MUDS!”
Murdoc laughs and pulls him in a tight embrace, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Sorry, I’m just playing with you, D. I didn’t know you’d be so sentimental.”
2D frowns. “Stop making fun of me. I know it’s cheesy, but I just wanted the both of us to have a good time, alright? Those were all on the lists of couple-y things to do in Kyoto when I searched it up.”
Murdoc snorts, deciding not to comment when 2D shoots him a glare. “Didn’t say I didn’t like it, bluebird. I just never expected it from you. Sure I’d love to do all those things with you.”
“Yeah, I would’ve, too,” 2D says bitterly, growing more and more despondent. “But then I got screwed over by Japanese public transport, and now it’s like past five in the afternoon and we haven’t done anything. This is probably your worst— err, second worst— birthday ever.”
2D falls silent again, his eyes downcast. Murdoc sighs when the silence stretches on for far too long.
“Stuart, look at me.”
When 2D meets his gaze with inquisitive eyes, Murdoc takes the chance to press his lips against the other in a kiss so tender and feather-light that they both barely feel it at first.
It held no heat, was a spur-of-the-moment decision by Murdoc, and was over as quickly as it had begun, but it seemed to do the trick in comforting 2D. The other man, who had frozen when Murdoc had kissed him, soon melts like putty. When they finally draw away from each other, 2D blinks at him dazedly as if he was still under a spell.
“Bluebird, any day I get to spend with you is great. Whatever I’m doing on my birthday— whether it’s staying at home, getting plastered at a bar, or yes, getting lost in Kyoto for hours on end, it’s better with you there. No, it’s bloody fantastic. So it's not the worst birthday I’ve had, not by a long shot. In fact, today might just be in my top five.”
2D’s lips quirk into a smile. “Top five?”
“Okay, might just be exaggerating a lil’ bit. Top ten for sure. And besides—” Murdoc hooks an arm around 2D’s waist again and leans against the other man. “—It’s nice to get away from the tourist traps sometimes, don’t you think? It’s quiet here.”
“Yeah, it is.” 2D smiles more fully, his arm slinking around Murdoc to rest at the small of his back. “So… I guess we don’t need to follow the rest of the itinerary then? Since you’d rather be in our hotel room in Osaka and we’ve spent enough time in Kyoto? D'you want to go back?”
“Thought you’d never ask. Yes, I want to go back. If we hurry, we might be able to catch up with Noodle.”
They continue walking in amicable silence, taking in the unfamiliar scenery that they hadn’t been able to enjoy in their mad dash to the bus stop. The train station that they had left behind creeps into view, the hustle and bustle of tourists and locals alike growing louder. When they reach the steps of the station, 2D suddenly pauses as if he remembered something.
“Just one problem,” 2D says after a moment.
“What is it?”
“Well, I don’t really have any way of getting home from this stop. Err—I didn’t think we’d quit halfway through our trip, so I don’t know if there’s a shortcut from here.” 2D looks at him with a sheepish grin. “Should we just double back again?”
“Oh, for chrissake. Would you just swallow your pride for once and fucking call Noodle already?”
2D only nods in embarrassment, fishing out his phone and scrolling through his contact list.
It would be ten minutes before Noodle picks up, twenty five minutes before 2D and Murdoc figure out Noodle’s instructions, a full hour and a half (and several attempts) before they get it right and board the train to Osaka, and three hours before they finally arrive at the correct station and walk back to their hotel.
By the time they reach their room, Murdoc’s too exhausted to do much else other than drink all the beer in their minifridge and snog an equally drunk 2D, passing out cold on top of him after a long day of accomplishing next to nothing.
It was a happy birthday, indeed.
45 notes · View notes
neokollection · 6 years ago
Text
S.S. Compilation ㅡ Going In A Horror House W/ Their S/O
NCT 127
‘can you do a reaction of nct where they went to a horror house with their s/o and their s/o is not afraid but they're practically shitting themselves inside the house???? sorry if it's too much, i love your works btw 💞’
A/N: Okay, so I’m answering reactions now with short stories, and my last/first one did pretty well, so I’m assuming y’all like it, so let’s go!! This is such a fun concept to me because I’m a horror whore ^ ^ Also thanks! If you’ve never seen NCT in a horror house I recommend checking out NCT Life in Osaka, which is how I’m determining their reactions- Here’s a link to basically how NCT reacts when scared lol Obviously their reactions would not be in English aside from Mark I think, but just go with it.
Taeil:
“W-What are you looking at?” Taeil taunted the statuesque bloodied doctor, shuffling his feet around the corner as he kept his eyes trained on the staff before him.
With a sudden move the doctor swung his butchering knife toward the two of you, earning an obnoxiously loud scream from Taeil as he put his hands up defensively before clinging onto the arm of your jacket. 
“You’re so loud!” you complained.
“Ya! Y-Ya! YA! MOVE!” Taeil hollered, running around the corner with you in tow as the ‘doctor’ took a step forward.
You rolled your eyes as Taeil rose his hands again and you let out a giggle.
“Are you going to fight them?”
“Yeah!”
His hands were clenched into fists and each time he’d holler insults he’d raise them up, as if he had an ounce of courage in him.
“You go in front; you go in front-” he repeated, pushing you forward.
“Are you sure?” you asked, quirking a brow, “What about the doctor back there?”
Frenzied, Taeil complained at your teasing, hurried looping his arm with your own tightly. He’d tried to put on a brave face at first, but quickly admitted defeat, feeling no shame in cowering behind you after making empty threats toward the ‘monsters’.
Johnny:
Around the suburbs of Chicago were corn fields for miles, some of which converted into corn mazes during fall time.
“Don’t be scared, I’ll protect you,” Johnny teased after exchanging tickets at the entrance.
“I won’t be,” you stated, matter-of-factly with a grin.
“I really don’t believe you,” he shot back, stepping in front of you.
You held onto his hand as he led the way, rolling your eyes all the while.
“What was that?” he asked suddenly, stopping as he heard a rustle nearby.
His face looked absolutely horror-stricken until he broke into a laugh; he was teasing you again... Turning around, he came face to face with a deranged witch, her teeth blackened as she smiled.
“Whoa- What the fuck-?”
Johnny took a few steps back, spooked by the sudden encounter before letting out an airy chuckle, pulling you in tow as he side-stepped the witch. His hold of your hand got tighter as he heard a chainsaw roar in the distance. He cast his gaze to you and you could tell by his wary gaze that he was frazzled, his mind getting the better of him as he imagined something awful.
“Follow me, babe,” you giggled, taking the lead and giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.
He let you do so without complaint, glad to have you with him.
Taeyong:
“You’re not scared?” Taeyong questioned, a smug smile pulling at his lips.
“Not really,” you smiled back-
“Next!”
Taeyong had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Having read the reviews before coming he realized it was no joke.  Looping arms with you, he gulped in silent terror as the two of you entered.
“There’s someone there, there’s going to be someone there-” Taeyong muttered to you as the two of you passed a doorway in the maze.
As expected, a zombie jumped out, making deranged gargling noises at the two of you. You let out a small gasp of surprise, but Taeyong let out a shriek, hurriedly running away.
“Ow! Taeyong!” you scolded, your arm sore from his sudden yank.
“Well, I can’t leave you behind,” he whined, sticking closer to you as you ventured on.
You’d give him an earful after this, just as he sure was giving you one. He let out another shriek, so loud and noticeably high you slapped his shoulder.  A thud sounded on the floor above you and Taeyong quickly booked it toward the exit now that the neon green exit sign was in view. Dumbfounded, you stood, surrounded by the staff who’d gotten the point fairly quickly you weren’t fazed, in fact, a nearby staff member chuckled to himself at your predicament as you marched toward the exit.
Yuta:
Yuta’s reactions were quick, quick flinches and hitched breaths as the two of you tangled your arms, making your way through the eerie hospital-themed horror house.
“I like your girlfriend!” a doctor shouted at him from one of the operating room displays, “Maybe I can get her onto my bed!” he jested, slamming his hand on the operating table in front of him, a dismembered body on display.
Surprising you, Yuta didn’t even flinch at the loud slam of the table, instead slamming his hand against the glass of the operating room display threateningly. Hushed pleads left you, as you drug his uptight-self away, not wanting to get in trouble for causing a scene.
“I’ll skin you alive!” a nurse yelled down the hall, charging at the two of you-
Letting out a drawn out groan, Yuta lost his earlier composure, as he dragged you with him through another hallway, his frantic gaze searching for all viable threats as he hugged you close.
“Chill,” you coaxed, wrapping a hand around his waist to keep him close as you held his hand with your other.
“I am, I am, I am,” he chanted like a mantra, his focus clearly elsewhere.
Doyoung:
“I don’t want to go in-” Doyoung whined, “They won’t shut the door behind us, right?”
You brought his face down to give his cheek a smooch before chuckling at how frightened he was, like a newborn deer caught in headlights with legs that refused to work.
“Come on,” you crooned, “It’ll be fun, and when it’s over I’ll buy you a milkshake-” you bribed.
“Okay...”
Slowly he made his way in with you; you could tell the staff at the entrance was attempting to withhold their laughs and cackles.
“You’ve got me!”
“yEa-” 
His voice cracked as he kept his hands on your waist from behind, shuffling forward.
“Hey boy!” an old woman shouted, hobbling toward the two of you.
Doyoung panicked, a choked yelp escaping him as she got closer.
“Don’t look, baby,” you teased, inviting the old woman closer to taunt him.
Following your words, he dropped his head, nuzzling into the nape of your neck as he chanted to himself quietly.
“Look at me!” the old woman bellowed.
“No, no, no- (Y/n) go, go, go-”
You tried to get him to release you and come to your side instead, it was difficult to walk like this, but he whined and stuck to you like glue, causing you to have to shuffle forward slowly, giving the dressed up old woman a sheepish smile.
Jaehyun:
“I’ll protect you,” he sang quietly in the ill-illuminated hallway, his dimple showing as his eyes vanished with his smile.
“AhhHHH!” you yelped, looking over his shoulder as you let your shoulders jump to your ears.
Jaehyun let out a yelp in response, his expression truly horrified, startled by your sudden scream before he glanced over his shoulder to see what it was that had spooked you.
“I’m just kidding,” you teased, there was nothing behind him, “You should have seen your face though!”
He pulled you into a gentle headlock as the two of you stumbled forward. Easily able to shrug him off, you did so before clasping his hand as you tugged him to follow you. At the first couple of jump-scares you could feel his blunt nails biting into the flesh of your hand and his lowly bellowed ‘HuUHH’s each time. And each time after, he’d always chuckle with you nonchalantly until the next time he was startled. He was always shocked initially, but able to play it off and chuckle, offering you to whomever was stalking the two of you or whining for you to protect him.
Win:
In the beginning he was a giggling mess, but it was probably all nervous laughter you guessed.
“Someone’s there,” Sicheng whined, pointing towards the dark doorway at the end of the passage, “Someone’s there! Someone’s there!”
He kept backing up, stepping on your shoes all the while.
“Go!” you ushered, “We can’t go back-”
Yet he kept dilly-dallying around before finally going behind you, keeping his hands on your shoulders like a vice-grip, peeking his eyes open before shutting them, nervous laughter flowing from his lips as the two of you shuffled closer. He kept pulling you back to protect himself and to delay you from reaching the door.
“Stop!” you whined.
If anything, he was giving you more of a scare with his sudden tugs than the actual horror house. He chanted something incomprehensible to himself as the two of you neared and shut his eyes tightly. He was right, someone was there- A vampire-esque character jumped from the shadows, the room shaking with ‘thunder and lightning’ causing Sicheng to let out a yelp of surprise, a painful smile on his lips as he pressed his forehead to the back of your neck, shoes stepping on the backs of your own as the two of you shuffled forward.
Jungwoo:
A soft melody flowed from Jungwoo’s lips in an attempt to distract himself from the current situation before stopping as he heard a distorted laugh in the distance, the screams of other visitors making his hair stand on end. He whined lowly, beginning to shuffle his feet with dread before giving a childish stomp.
“I don’t want to-”
“We have to... It’s the only way out, hun-”
He made a displeased expression, pouting his lips out.
“Why don’t we just go back to the front and-”
You let out a chuckle of amusement at his cowardice.
“No! We’re gonna go the entire way-”
As you began to walk forward without him he jumped to cling to your arm, tucking his face into your shoulder whenever scary things popped out, chanting to himself that it wasn’t real.
“A-Are you crying?”
“No- AhhHH!”
He did cry and after the two of you exited he giggled sheepishly while the two of you wiped his tears.
“It just slipped out-”
“You cry so easily~”
Mark:
Mark busied himself with trying to think of happy times as the two of you shuffled down the ill-lit corridor.
“As there aren’t any clowns I’ll be good, like-”
In response to Mark’s words a creature jumped out of the shadows, oversized shoes and a too-too catching your attention before a bright red nose beamed at you both.
“Oh! Holy fuck! What the fucK!?” Mark clamored, sticking to your side like glue.
You couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction as he attempted to tug you along.
“Let’s go; let’s go-”
Turning a corner a crazed Mad Hatter welcomed you two, a sticky red substance in his tea cup as he invited the two of you to join him.
“Woah!” Mark bellowed, surprised as the lights flickered ominously before the staff ran toward you two.
Hollering obscenities as he backed the two of you up, Mark tried to calm himself.
“I like y-you’re hat!”
With a low whine he buried his face into your shoulder for losing his cool and at his lame words as you skirted around the tea party and toward the exit with him.
Haechan:
His melodic voice filled the halls, as he didn’t even try to keep it to himself, instead, finding the louder he got the safer he felt.
“She no longer needs mEE~!”
You nearly keeled over laughing, his voice raising dramatically like a Michael Jackson adlib each time he was frightened by something before serenading whomever it was that scared him for a whole second. For some reason being goofy was what helped him to keep his mind off what was going on and he kept randomly using English to anything and everything.
“Wow! Very scary mannn~”
His palm in yours was so sweaty, but he had such a tight hold you didn’t dare try to let go to wipe off your hand on your jeans. Once he felt the two of you were a little safe, he sighed to himself.
“I wanted to be manly,” he admitted, “But I’m a loser-”
“It’s manly you can admit it,” you tried, smiling.
240 notes · View notes
jaroslavlewis · 6 years ago
Text
The Same Old You: The Flight Back
PREVIOUS CHAPTER
Title: The Same Old You
Chapter 2: The Flight Back
Author: Jaroslav Lewis
Fandom: Detective Conan
Pairing: ShinRan with slight KazuHei
Summary: Time has passed for them to believe that they have changed only for them to realize that some things haven't. Some things just don't.
Chapter Summary: Turns out his trip back to Japan did not only involve revisiting old places but old memories as well.
Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan and any of Gosho Aoyama's characters. I simply borrow them when I'm bored.
New York, Sunday, 9:00pm
Shinichi places the last neatly folded shirt inside his luggage. It fits perfectly and completes the whole set of his things to bring when he flies back to Japan for Hattori's wedding. He takes one last look and checks. He finds a decent amount of casual shirts, formal button up shirts, jackets, pants, underwear and toiletries and then he nods to himself. This should be good enough to last his whole trip. He zips the trolley bag and then places it near his dresser. He smiles nervously. He is all set. After ten years, he is going back. He is going home, even for a short while.
He hops onto his bed and pulls the warm comforter up to his shoulders. He closes his eyes but he finds out that he is not sleepy enough to doze off just yet. It is still too early, but he contemplates since he is going to fly very early tomorrow. So he closes his eyes again and he gives it a few minutes.
But instead of drifting into dreamland his thoughts travel elsewhere, back to Japan, back to her. The thought sinks in finally. He is flying back home and he is going to see her soon, at the wedding or maybe even before that. Then his eyes shoot open. He is awake more than ever and then he grabs his phone on his night stand.
He decides to browse through it, maybe go on social media again or play a video game. Then an idea escapes his mind.
'I should probably message her…' He thinks to himself as he clicks on the messenger icon and on her name.
He begins to type,
Oi Ran. I'm coming home tomorrow.
Then he shakes his head and deletes it. The message seems too plain, although it does sound like him. But he figures that it shouldn't be how he should approach her especially since it has been a long time since they have spoken to each other.
He pauses, staring at the blinking line, waiting for him to type. He is unable to think of anything. So, he back tracks their old messages he finds out that their last message dates back to five years ago. He does not even remember what they were talking about back then. He back tracks even more and he notices how their conversations went from really long ones to just simple small talk and then to just hi's and hello's until soon they no longer bothered talking to each other. He feels his heart ache against his chest and then he asks himself, 'How could we have ended this way?'
Tokyo, Ten Years Ago
"No more secrets?" She asked. Her eyes searched for assurance as she cupped his cheek with her free, left hand since her fractured right arm was restrained in a cast. He closed his eyes and placed his hand over hers that is holding his cheek. He breathed a sigh of comfort as he leaned onto her touch. Suddenly, he felt warm. His whole body hurt with the injuries but her warm touch miraculously made him feel better, gave him relief.
Her eyes darted to the evident bruises on his cheek, the wound on his cut lip. She took a soft intake of breath as her eyes watered. She bit her lower lip to restrict a sob from coming out of her mouth. She tried to refrain from shedding any more tears only to fail afterwards when he opened his eyes and met hers.
Cerulean eyes looked alarmed with worry as he lifted his hand to wipe away her tears. His pair of sapphires met her amethysts. His delicate fingers brushed through the bruises and few cuts on her face. His heart ached at the sight of her hurting.
"No more secrets. I promise." He assured her as he nodded and gave her a soft smile. He scooched closer to her to get more comfortable as he sat next to her on her hospital bed. He carefully wrapped his arms around her, remembering to avoid holding her too tightly since she still suffered from a number of injuries.
He planted a soft kiss on the top of her head and inhaled her soft scent. He lightly pulled away to gaze at her again. Despite the cuts and bruises on her face, she still looked so beautiful.
Then he leaned in to press a soft kiss on her forehead and then another on her cheek where she was bruised and cut. He lightly pulled away only to lean closer to her at an angle where his lips were positioned just in front of hers. With just barely a millimeter between them the two of them shared each other's breath and then he closed the distance and kissed her so softly. It was chaste and barely lasted a few seconds but it was enough to drive both of them crazy, enough for him to lean in again for more after pulling away so shortly.
So he kissed her again, but this time with a little more boldness than the previous one. Butterflies did somersaults in her stomach as she felt his lips brush against hers in passionate but gentle way.
At the back of his head he noted that it was their first kiss, something he had dreamed of ever since he gained awareness of his feelings towards her. He thought to himself, that the place, the hospital room was probably the most unromantic place to share a kiss but at that moment, it just felt right and it didn't matter where it happened. The only thing that mattered was that they were finally together. No more secrets.
Osaka, Monday, 8:00 PM
It is their first night in Osaka, a week before the big wedding happens. Ran with Sonoko and Sera took an early flight to the city to spend more time with the couple and to plan Kazuha's bachelorette party. Now, they sit at the back of Heiji's car with him driving and Kazuha sitting at the passenger's seat. The couple is kind enough to offer them a ride to their hotel after picking them up from the airport and having dinner together.
"Heiji, don't forget we're gonna meet our parents tomorrow for the final fitting of their attires for the ceremony, okay?" Kazuha reminds her fiancé who remains focused on the wheel.
"What? I thought that wasn't until the day after tomorrow." Heiji reacts while keeping his eyes on the road. Kazuha rolls her eyes.
"It's tomorrow at 12 noon." Kazuha responds and Heiji's eyes widen in shock. His expression suddenly becomes conflicted.
"But I'm supposed to pick up Kudo at the airport that time!" Heiji reasons out. Ran's ears ring at the sound of her ex-boyfriend's surname. Sonoko side eyes at her friend knowingly, while Sera smirks, shaking her head.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Heiji whines, eliciting a scowl from his fiancée. She looks at him with an annoyed, bewildered expression.
"Excuse me? I told you so many times. I even listed our whole wedding preparation schedule on the calendar of our apartment!" Kazuha retorts. Heiji makes a face and shakes his head. It doesn't take much for Ran, Sonoko and Sera to predict that such little issue will lead to the couple bickering. Typical Heiji and Kazuha.
"Well, I can't just ditch Kudo so suddenly. I promised him!" Heiji says, worriedly. Kazuha scratches her head in a frustrated manner.
"Well you can't just ditch our parents as well." She points out. "Kudo-kun will understand. Besides, he's a grown man. He can handle himself."
"Yeah, but it's his first time in Japan after ten years." Heiji sighs. "I'm thinking, he'd at least want someone to be there for him when he arrives and I'm guessing he'd need some help with his luggage too…"
Ran finds herself unconsciously nodding, agreeing with Heiji. Sonoko lightly nudges at her with her elbow and gives her a suggestive look. Ran in turn looks at her questioningly and then shakes her head.
"Well this wouldn't have happened if you took time to pay attention to our wedding prep schedule!" Kazuha scolds. The other three remain silent, awkwardly listening to the couple's fight escalating. Ran clenches her skirt with her fist, silently praying that the little misunderstanding won't lead to another Heiji and Kazuha shouting fest like most of their fights do. She also considers an idea at the back of her head but she doesn't say anything.
"You just never listen to me, Heiji…"
"Ahou!" Heiji's tone raises. Ran flinches at the sound of his voice.
"Ano sa…" Ran begins out of impulse causing Kazuha to turn to her and Heiji to look at her through rearview mirror. She feels her heart pound rapidly through her chest. She bites her lips shyly, at the back of her head she considers the thought that she'll probably regret even suggesting it to them but she also thinks that she doesn't have any choice anyway. "If you guys want, I can go and pick him up in place of Hattori-kun…"
"That's actually-
"…a great idea!" Heiji exclaims.
"…insane!" Kazuha reacts.
Kazuha glares questioningly at Heiji who shrugs at her while he continues to drive.
"Ran-chan, are you sure you're gonna be okay with that?" Kazuha asks worriedly.
Ran opens her mouth to respond but Heiji immediately counters bluntly, "Sure it is! She and Kudo are fine. Besides, it has already been a decade. Ne, Nee-chan?"
'A decade… It's already been that long huh?' Ran thinks to herself, all of a sudden her mouth becomes dry. Realization comes to her. What is she supposed to say to him once they see each other? Suddenly she wishes to undo the events earlier, thinking to herself that she shouldn't have meddled with the couple. But it is too late now…
"Ahou!" Kazuha shouts at Heiji as she hits him violently on the shoulder, causing him to flinch.
"Kazuha-chan, it's okay." Ran assures the bride to be who turns to her with a hesitant look on her face. "I mean, Hattori-kun is right and Shinichi and I are okay. I swear. Besides, we're gonna see each other either way, at your wedding, right?"
"Well then I guess, if it's no trouble for you, then okay…" Kazuha sighs in surrender. She turns at Heiji, giving him another glare. Silence starts to fill the air so suddenly. Ran gazes at her window as her thoughts drift somewhere else.
Tokyo, Ten Years Ago
She had her fears.
She was aware of the dangers and death threats that his duty came with. She was used to the environment of the crime-solving industry. It did not bother her much because she knew how to defend herself. She was perfectly fine…
Until it happened.
She was put to a situation where she had no control of. She couldn't do anything to save him. She couldn't even defend herself. She was powerless against the syndicate. Both of them were. She almost watched him die right before her eyes.
Since then, she could never get the dark, tortured image of him off of her head. Even after the incident, it still haunted her. She had nightmares about it and every time, she was faced with such image in her dreams, she couldn't do anything.
She blamed herself. Maybe if she had been more careful, maybe if she had been stern enough to stop him from following the suspicious men in black, maybe if she had been more inquisitive and stuck to her gut-feeling about Conan's identity, maybe if she cornered him with her deduction and forced him to confess, then maybe she could've done something to protect him.
He always assured her that she was never at fault but deep down in her heart she still felt like she is responsible for what happened. So, she swore to herself she'd never make the same mistake again.
When things got back to normal, she and Shinichi had an agreement that they'd always know each other's whereabouts. It wasn't because Ran didn't trust him. She merely wanted to monitor his safety and Shinichi wanted the same for Ran so he agreed without second thought.
Ran was not a demanding girlfriend. Neither was she in anyway possessive. In fact, she was very considerate with his schedule. All she wanted was assurance that he wouldn't run into such trouble again and that if he does, she would be able to do something about it in any way she can.
Shinichi was more than willing to give her what she wants. He knew her fears and he understood. He loved her and he wanted to make it up to her. So he complied very well.
He always informed her if he had soccer practice, or if he had to go out with Nakamichi and the boys and most especially if he was needed for a case. He made sure to always text her that he got home safely after his agenda. Ran did the same. Shinichi knew her schedule, if she had Karate training after class or if she had to go out with Sonoko and the girls.
They had no problems.
Until a certain incident happened.
Ran had Karate training. Shinichi ran off to solve another case. Like always, they gave each other a heads up. Ran went home by herself. It was no biggie. She'd just have to patiently wait for Shinichi to call or text her once he got home.
So patiently she waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Until hours passed and there was still no phone call, not even a message. It was already midnight. If Shinichi had to extend his hours with the police, he'd tell her but he didn't call. It started to worry her, but she didn't give in to panic just yet. She messaged him via text and via social media and she waited again. Maybe he was busy.
So she stayed up late to wait again, but still no sign of him. She decided to call but his mobile could not be reached.
Suddenly the scenario felt so oddly familiar and then she was scared again. What if he was unconscious somewhere where no one could find him? What if they took all his means to contact for emergencies? What if he is hurt? Or worse… What if he's…
As mindless as it may seem, Ran rushed to find him. She didn't have much of a strategy. All she knew right then was that Plan A: she'd go to his house to see if he is home and if he still isn't, Plan B: she'd go on all night looking for him until she finds him. It was insane and irrational but it is what she did.
So she showed up at his door-step, in her sleepwear and a sweater, panic-stricken and frantically ringing his doorbell while she silently prayed for him to answer. Her eyes stung with tears threatening to fall with every ring that he didn't go out to open the gate to his house.
It took about 8 rings for him to show up with a confused look on his face, still in his uniform and with his hair sticking in different directions.
"Ran, what in the world? What are you…" He didn't get to finish his question as he opened his gate to let her in. He stared at her shaking form. She was shivering not just from the cold and her lack of warm clothing but also because of something else...
He placed his hands on her shoulders. His eyes looked concerned as he looked into her terrified ones. His heart ached. It was the most vulnerable he has seen of her. Ran was a strong woman and it was one thing to see her cry but another to see her so distraught and so frightened.
"You didn't call!" She sobbed. It wasn't an accusation but merely a statement of the reason why she was in panic. "I thought something happened to you! I…"
His arms wrapped around her instantly, taking her into a warm, tight and protective embrace. She continued to shake and shiver against his body. He felt like a total idiot for forgetting and a huge jerk for making her worry. He was supposed to call her soon, but the investigation was too long. His phone died. When he got home he was so tired that he fell asleep on the couch and forgot to tell her he was safe.
"Thank God, you're okay…" She cried with relief. And his heart ached a million times than it already did. How in the world did he deserve such a kind-hearted, loving woman like her? How could he be such an asshole for making her cry again?
"I'm sorry…" He breathed against her ear as he stroked her back, comforting her. "God, I'm so sorry, Ran…"
Tears soaked the jacket of his Teitan Highschool uniform. He felt her shake her head against his shoulder.
"I panicked. I over reacted. I'm so sorry…" She apologized, still sobbing. Suddenly she felt awfully embarrassed and pathetic.
"Shhh…" He hushed before pressing his lips on her forehead. "I should have called you. It wasn't your fault. I'm sorry I made you worry…"
She lightly pulled away to look up at him. She nodded in response and gave him a small smile. At this point, her sobbing has already subsided but her eyes were still watery with tears. She hair was disheveled from all the running she had just done.
He let out a relieved sigh as he ran his fingers through her hair and tucked any stray hair behind her ear. He ran his thumb through her tear-stained cheeks. No more words came out of his mouth for he had no idea what he should do to make her feel better.
New York, Monday, 6:00 AM
Shinichi presents his ticket and passport to the stewardess before boarding the plane. After a brief inspection of his passes, he is able to enter his flight bringing with him his extra hand-carried backpack where all of his valuables are contained. He walks through the aisle while placing his passport and other documents securely inside his backpack. He finds his designated seat by the window. He places his backpack in the compartment, bringing only his smart phone and earphones with him as he sits down comfortably on his seat.
He looks out the window as he waits for the plane to take off. He puts on his earphones but he doesn't listen to any music, instead he quietly observes the dim view of the airport ramp outside. The sun hasn't even risen just yet. He thinks about Japan, how the sun has probably long set there, given the evident time difference. He sits back to relax since he did not get much sleep last night. In about fifteen hours, he'll be back in Japan. It is gonna be a long flight.
Tokyo, Ten Years Ago
He still had guilt in his heart.
It was hard for him to get rid of, not after she got involved in the syndicate case and endangered her life because of him. He thought the guilt would slowly fade away as time passed, but it didn't especially after he saw her one night, shivering in fright, her expression, panic stricken as she embraced him.
Shinichi knew about her fears and he had fears of his own as well. It was the reason why he agreed to their arrangement, why he promised that for the second time around, there would be no secrets between them. It wasn't just a matter of trust. It was more of a safety precaution for both of them especially after the trauma that the case caused.
He confidently thought he could easily comply to it, but there was one night that he wasn't able to and it resulted to triggering her trauma, driving her to run miles away from home to his house to check on him, just to check if he was safe, if he was still alive.
So once again, Shinichi hated himself. He promised he wouldn't make her cry anymore. He told himself that he would make it up to her, that he would protect her this time, in his second life, their second life together but he failed again.
Still, despite all that she forgave him endlessly. So, he worked hard to prove and make sure that forgiving him was not a pointless decision for her, that he really did deserve it, that he deserved her…
Needless to say, he worked too hard that slowly he began to lose himself for her even when she didn't ask him to…
He never noticed it until then.
It happened after soccer practice, just about a few weeks since he decided to come back to the team to help them win the interschool soccer tournament.
It was a simple prank, done by his teammates. But he was not having any of it. It was a serious matter to him but they did not understand how such simple joke could easily tick him off.
"Give me back my phone." Shinichi demanded in a calm but serious manner when he found his phone missing from his gym bag. Being a detective, and knowing his peers so well, he didn't need any evidence other than commonsense to deduce that they were on to something. He had his hands inside the pocket of his shorts as he stood casually and hid his hands balling into fists so hard that his nails created crescents on his palms.
"Come on, Kudo. We didn't take your phone!" A group of boys his age teased, snickering with obvious intent as they sat on the bench of the boys' locker room.
"I'm not playing around with you guys. Give me back my phone." Shinichi repeated in a serious tone but the boys all laughed.
"Jeez, Kudo. Get a grip will you!" One of his teammates that had 'Akamine' written on his jersey said as he took a red phone from his gym bag ready to hand it over to Shinichi who reaches for it with an annoyed look on his face.
Just then, his phone started to ring. Ran's name and picture flashed on the screen. Shinichi's phone is snatched away once again before he could even get it back from Akamine.
"Ah, Mouri-chan's on time as always! As usual, the missus never misses." Akamine commented jokingly. Shinichi growled in frustration as he lunged after Akamine to reach for his phone but his teammate tossed it to another.
"Oi! Akamine! Give it back! I have to take the call." Shinichi shouted but the guys just kept on playing pranks on him.
"Why do you look so scared, Kudo? Are you afraid she'll kick you in the ass, thinking you're cheating on her because you missed her calls?" Akamine teased, triggering Shinichi's anger even more.
"Damn, Kudo. You really are whipped! Looks like your girl is THAT possessive…" One of his teammates commented. "Jeez. Women. This is why I'm not getting a girl friend."
Ran's worried face flashed before Shinichi's eyes. Suddenly it was all he could think about. His pulse beat harder against his ears, muting the sound of his teammates' boisterous laughter. And then, Shinichi lost it.
Shinichi punched Akamine in the face.
The laughing abruptly stopped. The ringing in his ears faded but his phone's ringing does not.
"What the fuck's wrong with you?" Akamine cursed. Shinichi angrily pulled him by the collar, and pushed him to the lockers with immense strength. He raised another arm, ready give the guy another punch in the face when his team mates interfered.
"Kudo! We were just joking around!" One of them said.
"Look, we're sorry okay?" Another apologized, bringing him his phone.
Shinichi let out a huff of breath, calming his nerves. His grip on Akamine gradually loosened. This time, it was Akamine who was furious.
"I asked nicely." Shinichi explained as he took his phone, gripping it tightly on his hand and lifted his gym bag with the other.
"Coach is gonna suspend you from the team." Akamine warned threateningly.
"I don't care." Shinichi answered with a deadpanned expression as he proceeded to leave. "I quit."
With that, he walked out of the locker room, leaving his teammates shocked.
Shinichi sped up to the hallway with his ringing phone. He took a few breaths to calm himself down so that Ran wouldn't suspect anything.
"Hey, Ran. I'm sorry it took a while for me to answer…" He apologized as soon as he answered the phone.
"Gomene. Are you still at practice? I just called to tell you that mine just ended." Ran replied with a sweet tone. Shinichi suddenly felt his anger subside. He smiled to himself upon hearing the sound of her voice.
"It's okay. Our practice just ended as well. I'm on my way to meet you…" He said, making his way to the school gym where Ran and her team usually held their matches.
Osaka,Tuesday, 8am
Ran is up very early despite barely getting any sleep last night. She sits by the vanity mirror of the hotel room which she shares with Sonoko and Sera. Sonoko stirs in her sleep while Sera continues to snore.
Ran quietly does her morning skincare routine in her bathrobe, her wet hair still in a towel since she just got out of the shower. She starts to put on a little bit of concealer under her eyes to hide the little bit of bags she gained under her eyes for staying up late last night, over thinking. Sonoko sits up to watch her, yawning loudly as she stretches her arms.
"Ah, look at you being all excited to see the ex-husband…" Sonoko teases. Ran's face immediately heats up in embarrassment.
"Sonoko!" Ran whines as she puts on a little powder to set her face, then a little bit of blush to add color to her cheeks and then some mascara on her eyelashes which were already so long. Sonoko hops off of her bed to approach her friend. She grabs a chair so she could sit next to Ran in front of the vanity. Ran consciously reaches for a lipstick in her makeup bag. She looks at Sonoko who still has her eyes on her. Ran feels shy. She always gets nervous when people watch her get ready.
"Not that." Sonoko says as Ran uncaps a red-orange lipstick. "Use the nude one. It's better with your all-natural kind of look."
Ran nods and reaches for a different lipstick. She uncaps it and applies it delicately over her lips. She purses her lips together to even the color out.
"Perfect." Sonoko comments while holding her two thumbs up. "You already picked an outfit?"
"Yeah." Ran replies taking a loose, fluffy hoodie and denim shorts from her luggage. Sonoko shakes her head disapprovingly.
"No way you're gonna see him in that." Sonoko says. Ran's eyes widen.
"Why not? It's cute and besides, I'm not trying to impress him or anything. Also, it's just the airport so I should just look casual." Ran explains defensively. Sonoko rolls her eyes.
"Yeah right. You're seeing your ex okay? Put on something nicer. Still casual but show stopping, you know what I mean?" Sonoko proceeds to rummage through Ran's luggage. Ran observes curiously, cocking her head to the side. It takes only a few seconds for Sonoko to fix up a good fashion combo for her. She hands her a mustard yellow crop top and dark skinny jeans.
"You look hot in this. Put this on."Sonoko commands her. Ran looks at the outfit hesitantly. "Just do it! It accentuates your boobs and your fine ass."
"Sonoko! It's too revealing!" Ran whines.
"So what? You got some goods to show. Flaunt it!" Sonoko encourages, pushing her to the bathroom to change. "Just shut up put it on!"
Ran is left with no choice but to obey her friend. So she changes into Sonoko's recommendation outfit. In a few seconds she is out and ready. Sonoko squeals in delight upon seeing her come out of the bathroom in the crop top and skinny jeans.
Indeed, Sonoko knows best. Ran clearly looks so fine in the outfit for it hugged her curves pretty well.
"Okay, it's still very early. We have time to do your hair!" Sonoko exclaims, pulling Ran back to the chair by the vanity. She unveils Ran's wet hair and grabs a hair blower and a hair iron. She plugs the hair blower and starts to dry Ran's damp hair with it.
Ran sits in a very well-behaved manner. Sonoko meets her eyes in the mirror, smiling at her friend who returns her smile with a soft, nervous one.
"By the time we're done, you're gonna totally knock Shinichi's socks off." Sonoko comments. Ran rolls her eyes and laughs. "You know, I'm honestly kind of still opposed to this whole Shinichi thing."
Ran looks at Sonoko questioningly through the mirror.
"You're the one who suggested this whole Shinichi thing. Besides, we're only friends now, Sonoko…" Ran clarifies with a hint of defensiveness that Sonoko takes note of.
"Yeah right. Friends who are to awkward to hit each other up after a break up." Sonoko slams her. Ran stays quiet, clearly affected by Sonoko's response. "I honestly think you could do better though. Clearly, there are a lot more guys better for you than that nerd. I don't know what you see in him. He's Shinichi. But anyway, it's obvious that you're crazy about him, still are and always have been. It's like he's your measure of standard for guys or something. It's weird but I guess that's love…"
Ran wants to deny what Sonoko had just said. But she knows there is no point in it. Her best friend could read her easily. They've known each other all their lives.
"Well, it's different with him. He was a big part of my life. He was my friend first before he became my first love…" Ran says fondly. Sonoko furrows her eyebrows, thinking hard as she continues to do Ran's hair.
"Until now, I still don't get why you guys had to break up. You guys were supposed to be end game." Sonoko comments with a disappointed sigh.
"We had to grow at some point…" Ran replies with a sad smile on her face, reminiscing a lonely memory in her head that she never forgot so easily. "Even if it meant that we had to do it separately…"
Tokyo, Ten Years Ago
Ran wasn't the type to eavesdrop but the mention of her boyfriend's name in some strangers' conversation intrigued her. She stood by the lockers and she was just packing up when she heard the sound of two girls' voices echoing through the almost empty and very spacious girls' locker and shower room.
She noted that they were members of the cheerleading squad of Teitan High, given that they were talking about dance routines and of the upcoming cheering performance they'd have to do on the Japan Interschool Soccer Tournament.
And soon enough, her boyfriend's name was brought into their little conversation.
"Ugh. What's the point in cheering if we're not gonna win anyway?" One of the girls said. She had a shrilly, whiny voice that sounded quite annoying.
"Don't say that!" Another hushed. Compared to the first girl, her voice was less shrilly and sounded more mature. "The soccer team is working really hard despite Kudo-sempai's absence."
Ran's ears perked up at the sudden statement.
'Shinichi? But didn't he just got back on the team?' She thought to herself, confused.
"Why did Kudo-sempai have to withdraw from the team anyway? Is it because of his detective duties again? Guess he's really that big in the industry now huh?" Shrilly asked.
"I guess. But from what I've heard it's not about that this time." Less-shrilly replied. "Rumour has it, it was because of his girlfriend!"
"Mouri-sempai? No way!" Shrilly let out a loud gasp. Ran found herself doing the same thing. Suddenly, she is even more interested to listen. She was confused especially when she had no idea at all about Shinichi's withdrawal from the team.
"I don't know much but some are saying she's pretty possessive." Less shrilly commented. "Not so surprised. She has the vibe."
Ran clenched her fists furiously. She had the sudden urge to smash a locker into a reduced tin can.
"Well, you can't blame her though. With Kudo-sempai walking around looking like a snack, you'd definitely build fences around him if you were his girlfriend." Shrilly giggled. Ran rolled her eyes as she took out more things from her locker, resisting the urge to slam it very loudly.
"True, but there should be a certain limit to it. At this rate, she's just being a hindrance to him." Less-shrilly said. "If you ask me, Kudo-sempai should be with someone up his ally. He's practically a celebrity now but he's going low-key just because he doesn't want to leave Mouri-sempai in the dark. Let's face it, she's too… ordinary..."
"Wow. You're too harsh." Shrilly hissed.
"Just pure facts, darling. The syndicate case should be a good example. Kudo-sempai spearheaded the capture of the members and Mouri-sempai? Wasn't she just a mere casualty?"
The girls were completely irrelevant to Ran but their words pierced through her heart like knives. She wasn't able to notice the tears that fell down from her eyes as she was listening. She sniffled a sob as she closed the door of her locker, in a surprisingly quiet way. She holds on to it for support as she felt her knees going weak. She covered her mouth to avoid making any noise as she cried.
She didn't want to back down on the judgmental girls and become the loser but for some reason, they seemed so spot-on right.
Everything came back to Ran in an instant.
She remembered how back in middle school, Shinichi was supposed to fly to Los Angeles with his parents but he didn't because he couldn't leave her. Then when he got involved in the Black Organization case, he didn't tell her about the situation because he didn't want to get her in danger. And even then, despite going through so much trouble already, he still found a way to protect her. He became Conan for her in Shinichi's absence…
And lately, he had been ditching cases ever since her embarrassing, outburst. She didn't give it much point but since it has finally come to light, she finally realized that all the phone calls he claimed to be "not important" were probably from Megure-keibu but because he wanted to be with her and he didn't want her to worry, he'd immediately shut them all off for her.
So stupidly she believed in his words not because she trusted them to be true but because it gave her relief. Because it saved her from worrying. But clearly, he was giving up a lot of things of her and he was willing to do so even if it meant giving up his own passion just so he could be with her…
Then it hit her. Shinichi always came through for her. He'd always tell her how selfless and kind she was to forgive him after everything he has done. But the truth is, what she did was probably nothing compared to everything that he has done for her.
So, maybe they were right after all. Maybe she didn't deserve him. Maybe he was better off with someone else…
Tokyo, Tuesday, 11am
Shinichi is on board another plane, riding a connecting flight from Tokyo to Osaka after a fourteen-hour flight from New York. But unlike on the previous flight where he completely dosed off, he is wide awake on this one. His neck, aching from the long flight and how he positioned his head when he slept a while ago.
'Only one hour…' He thinks to himself. His palms start to sweat as he feels both excitement and nervousness rush through his veins.
He assumes the possibility that she could have already been there. Knowing Ran, and judging by her comment on the proposal announcement last time, he suspects that she could have already booked an early flight. Besides, she is the maid of honor and it is expected that she is to help Kazuha with the last-minute preparations. Also taking in consideration that Ran is supposed to plan the bride's bachelorette party the same way he is expected to plan the groom's since he is the best man.
So, he makes a bet with himself, that there is a 90 percent chance that Ran's already in Osaka most likely with Sonoko and Sera since they are all-out supportive friends. But he wonders, would she be with Hattori at the airport? He shakes his head no.
There's no way. It would probably be too awkward.
Tokyo, Ten Years Ago
Shinichi is taken aback by the sudden confrontation. He was shocked when Ran dragged him all the way to a particular bench in their school yard to talk privately. She wasn't mad but she did bombard him with questions about his sudden withdrawal from Teitan High's soccer team. Shinichi never planned to hide it from her. He was merely looking for the perfect timing to do so. But alas, rumors about him spread easily like wild fire and though Shinichi never really cared to explain himself to others, he knew it is his responsibility to clarify things with her.
What surprised Shinichi more is that the sudden news affected Ran in more ways than he could ever think of suddenly, it wasn't just about soccer anymore. It was…
Everything.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked, tears started to brim at the corner of her eyes. Shinichi cupped Ran's face in his hands. He looked at her earnestly. He only had one answer in his head.
"Because I love you and I promised to make it up to you, didn't I?" He said sincerely. She shook her head furiously.
"At what expense? You're giving up so much for me…" She sobbed. "You're losing yourself because of me."
Shinichi shook his head in denial. He was stunned. He never knew she had such thoughts in her head. Of course, that wasn't the case. Not to him.
"I just don't want to be the reason for these tears, Ran." He spoke, lifting his hand to wipe away her tears.
"And I don't want to be the reason why you're holding back from doing the things you love…" She said as she looked into his cerulean eyes that she loved so much. "Shinichi, you know it too right? You and I, we both haven't healed since…"
She took his hand in hers and held it tightly as he stared at her with so much sadness in his eyes. He knew what was bound to happen he saw it in her eyes, he felt it when she held him.
"We can't be this broken together…" She said. "We have to heal on our own terms. Separately."
Shinichi wasn't able to speak. He let out a deep breath and looked down. Suddenly his throat went dry. He didn't want it to end in such way but he knew she was right. They would only keep on hurting each other. And as much as he hated it, as much as his heart broke at the thought, his mind told him that it was the right thing to do.
"Is this what you really want?" He asked giving her another chance to take it back even when he knew very well that she wouldn't. She was a woman of word.
"It's not about what we want. It's about what we both need." She replied, letting go of his hands. Shinichi suddenly felt a melancholic coldness surround him at the absence of her touch.
"I just can't believe this is happening…" He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, restraining himself as soon as he felt his face heat up and his eyes becoming heavy with the threat of tears forming. His heart broke and he felt it in his chest. He looked up, to avoid the tears from falling. He wasn't the type to cry and he is not bound to do it in front of her. "I just love you so much, you know…"
He reached up to cup her face. He savored the moment, knowing that it probably would be the last time.
"And I love you too." She said, fighting the urge to cry again. "I'm sorry…"
"I'm sorry too." He told her, pulling her for one last embrace.
Osaka,Tuesday, 12nn
Shinichi is walking through Kansai International Airport while pushing his luggage cart. His feet are still heavy and his neck still hurt from the long flight. He whips his phone out of his pocket to send Hattori a message but it starts ringing. Heiji's name flashes on his screen and he answers immediately.
"Oi, Hattori! I'm here." Shinichi says upon answering.
"And I'm not." Heiji says chuckling nervously. Shinichi's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "I can't make it today, groom duties."
"What?" Shinichi asks, his tone raises in slight frustration but he doesn't get mad because he understands. He just wasn't expecting Hattori to bail on him.
"But doncha' worry. I sent a proxy. I'm betting 100 percent that you'll be more thrilled to see her than me." Heiji snickers over the phone.
"What?" Shinichi asks again as he continues to walk by the arrivals area in search of Hattori, thinking he's merely playing jokes on him.
"Well, gotta go! Bye!" Heiji responds, hanging up. Shinichi is even more confused than he was earilier.
"Oi, Hattori-
He is cut off by the beeping sound on his phone. His eyes search the sea of fetchers in the area until he sees a familiar face among them.
His eyes meet hers for the first time in ten years. She smiles at him and he stops on his tracks, suddenly his feet feels heavier than it did when he got out of the plane.
Tokyo, Ten Years Ago
He dropped all of his bags to give her a proper hug. He held her tightly in his arms, drowning himself in her soft scent that he loved so much. For a moment, he didn't care if it was not proper for him to hold her in such way. So what if she isn't his anymore?
"You take care there okay?" She breathed against his ear as she ran her delicate fingers through his hair.
"You too." He responded as he ran his hand down her back, stroking it comfortingly. Such touch sent shivers running down her spine.
He soon pulled away after a few seconds. The coldness in the air surrounded him upon the absence of her warmth.
"So I guess this is it… LA, huh?" He said, casually putting his hands in his pockets.
"You'll do great." She assured him with a sincere smile. Her eyes shined, almost like she was bound to cry but she doesn't.
"Well, I'm going now… You'll be okay?" He asked, concerned and hopelessly wishing she'd stop him but she gave him a nod instead.
"Have a safe trip." She said, watching him with a heavy heart as he took his bags.
"Good bye, Ran."
"Good bye, Shinichi."
He lingered for a moment, staring at her amethyst orbs, her beautiful face, memorizing her every feature, taking it all in so that it would remain tattooed in his memory. Unknown to him, she did the same, looking at his gorgeous pair of sapphires and his sharp features. Suddenly she felt an urge to cry, but she held it in.
I don't want to be the reason for your tears…
His words rang in her ears.
And then it was time to leave.
I don't want to be the reason why you're holding back.
He kept her words in his head. He gave her one last smile which she returned and then he turned away, walking further and further until he disappeared from her sight.
And when he was gone, she broke down and cry in the middle of the airport for everyone to see.
Unknown to her, he did the same, but on the plane by the window.
Osaka,Tuesday, 12nn
Shinichi remains frozen in his state. He doesn't know how to approach her but his heart is filled with so much happiness. Suddenly it is like he is seventeen again.
"Welcome back, Shinichi…" She says, making him snap out of his thoughts, bringing him back to Earth with the sound of her voice, saying his name as she approaches him. He looks at her beautiful presence. She looks a little bit more mature than the last time he saw her. Her curves are now more defined as clearly shown in her tight outfit of crop top and skinny jeans. She is wearing light make up that accentuates her already beautiful features.
He wonders if she is doing it on purpose but he shrugs the thought away so quickly. He realizes that he probably looks like crap standing next to her. He gives himself a mental kick on the ass. Suddenly he regrets not wearing something better than his plain shirt and jacket. He wishes he took the time to brush his hair since it is sticking in different directions, not to mention that his cowlick is up and unrulier than ever.
But unknown to him, she is secretly admiring his presence as well. She notices his defined, sharper features. He is taller now than when she last saw him. She notes that she looks smaller in her sneakers, standing next to his tall frame, not to mention that his built is now more toned than before. He looks manlier now, with his sharper jawline but his awkward smile made him look more boyish, as though his seventeen-year-old self is peaking through beneath his matured look.
"It's great to be back." He says. They maintain a distance of a meter between each other. "It's nice to see you again, Ran…"
He awkwardly spreads his arms and motions closer to her. It doesn't take too much for her to understand that he is approaching her for a hug. She doesn't deprive him. She meets his distance and wraps her arms around him. Goosebumps creep to his skin as she rests her head on his chest while he leans close to her shoulder. They both drown themselves on each other's scent. She feels him wrap his arms around her waist. His skin brushes against her skin exposed by the crop top. Shivers run through her spine. Even after ten years, the warmth still feels so familiar.
It is hard for them to pull away.
AN: So here it is! I hope y'all like it. It turned out to be a pretty long chapter. I hope I covered everything regarding the break up. If you guys still have questions, feel free to approach me. I don't bite. LOL. This will most likely be the last chapter with inter-cutting scenes since Shinichi is now back in Japan. Yey! Wasn't expecting this to take long to write, but I found it difficult to write the break up scene, tbh. Hope it wasn't OOC.
Anyway, tell me what you guys think. I'll try to update faster but I will most likely update once a week depending on my work schedule and on how long the chapter will take. My goal is to give two updates a week but I'm thinking that's gonna be too far-fetched for me. But we'll see. ;)
~J
Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13195514/2/The-Same-Old-You AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17626277/chapters/41749793
NEXT CHAPTER
31 notes · View notes
femmeslash · 6 years ago
Note
51 Saimota
got a request for kaemaki with this same prompt so i combined them because you know i love my training trio + kaede shit
51. we’re stuck at the airport with cancelled flights and you look really sad
"Momota, we're going to miss our flight," Maki hisses, power walking as fast as she can across the crowded airport concourse.
"It's fine, it's fine! We got plenty of time." Kaito strolls leisurely behind her, his suitcase rolling in tow. "Boarding ends at 6:23. We're good."
Maki decides it's not worth fighting him and presses her lips together tightly. As stressed as she is, no amount of chiding Kaito will ever get him to hurry up. The last three years of being his next door neighbor (and reluctant-companion-turned-friend) have taught her that well.
Across the terminal, Kaede is sipping a latte while she waits for Shuuichi to come back from the bathroom. Their flight back home from university leaves at 6:33, and Shuuichi had insisted on getting to the airport early. Very early, in fact. Kaede doesn't mind, though; she'd rather spend some extra time in the airport than miss her flight home.
"Doing okay?" she asks when Shuuichi returns to the corner of the waiting area they've staked out.
"Yeah... Just a little anxiety."
"It'll be over soon! We've done this before. You can hold my hand if you get nervous."
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass," Shuuichi says. At least there's a little smile on his face now.
* * *
Maki and Kaito arrive at the waiting area for their gate at 6:21, which is much closer than Maki would have liked to cut it. To her surprise, though, it doesn't appear that their plane has started boarding. The lounge is full of people, murmuring to each other in various states of obvious unease.
"See, we made it," Kaito says. "Nobody's leavin' without the great Momota Kaito!"
"The flight's delayed," Maki says flatly.
"Huh? Said it was on time..." Right as Kaito finishes his sentence, the loudspeaker dings.
"Attention, all passengers on flight 578 to Osaka, departing at 6:33? We deeply regret to inform you that the flight will be delayed by at least two hours due to inclement weather..."
"No!" Shuuichi gasps. Kaede can practically feel his stress levels rising from where she sits - his body tenses up and his hands begin to tremble. Kaede makes a soothing little murmur and pats Shuuichi gently on his shoulder.
"It'll be okay, Shuuichi," she says. "It's okay. I mean, I'd rather have it delayed than crash, you know?"
Shuuichi just buries his face in his hands and moans in despair.
* * *
"This cannot be happening," Maki says quietly.
"Hey, cheer up, Harumaki! Least we're on time now!" Kaito leisurely takes a seat in the waiting area, kicking up his feet on the chair in front of him.
Maki sighs, seeing no other choice, and sits down next to him. Realistically, she knows that neither of them could have done anything to prevent the delay, but she's frustrated nonetheless. Sometimes, it just feels like Kaito's presence is the cause of things like this happening to her.
Someone sitting behind them bursts into tears. Maki doesn't look. Kaito, of course, does.
"Hey, hey, no worries! 'S gonna be okay. I'm a pilot too, you know! We're in great hands, an' they'll have us in Osaka in no time soon as it's safe."
Kaede is pretty sure the stranger in front of her is trying to talk to Shuuichi. Shuuichi doesn't answer, curling in further on himself and shuddering. She's about to try and brush the guy off when his companion turns around, and holy shit, she's cute.
"Don't listen to him," she says sourly, looking directly at Kaede. "He's only flown once."
"C'mon, Harumaki, let me look cool!"
"...Another thing he is not."
"A-Anyway! Since we're gonna be here awhile, we might as well get comfortable! Who wants to play cards against the great Momota Kaito?"
"Umm... Gimme a minute," Shuuichi says, sniffling.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Kaede asks softly as he stands up and steps over her.
He shakes his head. "It's fine... thanks."
* * *
Once the dark-haired boy is gone, Kaito leans closer to the blonde girl sitting behind him. "Hey, is your boyfriend gonna be okay?"
"Oh! Yeah, he's okay. He just doesn't like to cry in public."
"Nobody does," Maki mutters.
"We aren't dating," the girl adds. "We're childhood friends, it would be kind of weird."
"Same with me and Harumaki! Gonna spend Christmas together 'cause she's never had anyone to do it with."
"Momota," Maki says warningly, feeling herself blush.
The girl laughs, and it makes Maki's face even warmer. "No, I think that's nice! I hope you guys have a really great time together."
"Thanks!"
"Um, I'm Kaede, by the way. Since we're going to be here a while."
"...Maki."
"Nice to meet you, Maki!"
* * *
Shuuichi comes back from the bathroom still a bit red-eyed, but overall looking better. "Sorry," he mutters.
"Don't be!" Kaito says. "You ready to play some cards?"
"Yeah, actually... that sounds good." Shuuichi wipes his eyes again, then collapses back into his seat.
"We all got introduced while you were gone! I'm Momota Kaito! And that's Harumaki."
"Ah... I'm Shuuichi. Saihara."
"I'm Kaede," Kaede says with a grin, well aware it's not necessary.
By the time their flight finally boards, Maki and Kaede have discovered a shared love of bubble tea and cats, and that both have flower tattoos. Kaede learns that Maki has never been to Osaka before, and promises to take her to all the best cafes. Kaito and Shuuichi are still chatting as they get on the plane; it seems they have an endless amount of things to talk about. They've traded numbers and emails, and promise to meet up when they can.
Well, Maki thinks, it could have been worse. It certainly could have been worse.
[winter prompts!]
10 notes · View notes
journeytooclarious · 3 years ago
Text
Casino Osaka
It is night time in Osaka, and the delivery drones on the streets are busy and amounted to most of the traffic on Nikkei Street. Greysmith slowly glides their aerocar down but a crowd of horns honk at him as a rally of Hell's Angels rides by swirving to the sides and ducking to pass their aerocar. Greysmith jerks up and as the lines of gangsters ride past them he glides down to Nikkei Street.
As they get to Casino Osaka, the crowds of Hell's Angels, who are there as enforcers and loan sharks glare at them 'til one of them hollered at Greysmith and his crew some profanity. Chasewicker gives them a look like that of that of a scared animal 'til Greysmith signals him to go into the casino. And the Amazonian bristle through the entrance of the casino without making a ruckus. While another gangster shouted, "are you that ugly to be wearing a mask under a clear moonlight." As they've entered the casino, the Amazonian tells them "remember what we came here for." "Quick and easy, we need young guns by the name of Remington Kentwaring and his brother Claysinger.
Casino Osaka is filled with rich men playing their hands and poor men spending theirs. All are dressed in a class Greysmith has never seen before. As they walked through the casino floor, the sounds of slot machines and pachinko ring out throughout the atmosphere. Everyone is high on gambling and booze. About a minute in the casino they spotted their targets. Remington at a blackjack table with two beautiful women on both shoulders. While Claysinger is at an adjacent table playing Texas Hold'em with a couple of blokes. Greysmith eyes Claysinger and as he approaches the table he calls for a Heineken for him and Chasewicker. "Can I join in." "Sure as hell, the round is just about done". The waitress comes by with two Heineken, and she was just about to serve them over 'til Chasewicker clumsily figitly bumps into her leaving spilled beers on her dress as he was not accustomed to a loud ruckus in a long time. From the blackjack table, the Amazonian smirked "we should of left him in the aerocar". Greysmith apologizes with a "sorry, beautiful", and hands her a bill and orders another two. Remington looks his way and back to his table. "What are you here for Axaroff?" "I need two young guns that the Martians have never heard of". Claysinger looks to Greysmith, "you're with him?" "Yeah, and you'll be with us". "We're not gonna be on your crazy mission again. I made it clear the last job was the last job". "Fifty million dollars, per person. I heard you're in need of a spare change. You two owe ninety millions to the Hell's Angels from the last armoured truck heist". "Your crew coming in here talking to me like that are gonna bring the hounds sniffing." A group of Hell's Angels walks into the scene looking for the masked man crew. "They're not here to sniff. They're here to attack." "You or me". Then the two groups eye each other. "Both". Claysinger throws the cards across the table and turns the table over. Remington throws his chips toward the gangsters and shoot his revolver from his hip at two of the gangsters. Greysmith turns around and punches a gangster and knocked him down to the ground. Axaroff lifts himself onto the table and slide kick the men that are surrounding them. "Any bright ideas?" says Claysinger. Chasewicker was lost in the confusion 'til he is knocked onto the floor by one of the gangsters. Greysmith comes and kicks the assailant to the ground and picks Chasewicker up. "Yeah, run!", as Greysmith brings Chasewicker to his feet. Both parties scrammed, as the whole casino goes up in mayhem. "Fight, you must learn how to fight again", Greysmith coached Chasewicker. They run up the flight of stairs. Then a gangster flies his fist in the direction of Greysmith. Greysmith slides and ducks with a slide kick to the gangster's knees. The gangster lose his footing and falls down the flight of stairs. A few more gangsters come running towards them and Chasewicker screams and charges with his arms blocking his face 'til he rams them against the rail. The rail breaks and they fall down to the main floor. A few more gangsters enter the fight as Greysmith holds them back. Chasewicker just keeps coming in charging like a bull who doesn't know how to fight. Two gangsters come in with their fists flying and Chasewicker just blocks with his body. Another gangster comes in with a flying kick and hurdles Greysmith and Chasewicker against the rail 'til it breaks and they come landing on a craps table. Chasewicker and Greysmith exchanged a now what stare. Greysmith picks him up and says "run"! Fists are flying and bullets are flying. The two parties make a break for the exit. And see their two aerocars are up in flames. "Now, what"? Chasewicker comes and kicks the wind out of one of the Hell's Angels and he flies backward. Chasewicker remarks snidely, "fight"! The two parties, now seeming like one knocks the gangsters back and takes off in their motorcycle.
0 notes