#which actively tries to stifle her curious spirit

[titaniumions]

that's RIGHT!!!

Normal Found Family Trope: 10/10 Sweet and amazing

Found Family Trope but it's one kid who keeps collecting parental figure like they're Pokémon cards: ♾️/10 Literal perfection in every way imaginable

[breanime]

Hand In Hand

I can cross the “Roadtrip” box off of my Bandit Bingo card now! I tried to write this a little differently, with MUCH less dialogue and more just... text... so let me know what you think.

*gif not mine*

You stood off to the side, arms wrapped around yourself, holding your coat closed as you watched Caspian supervise the loading of the carts and carriages. The whole court was going on a trip to the islands, where Caspian would be honored by some of his father’s old advisors, but first you had to get to the boats. The journey, you had been told, would be relatively quick: a two-day ride to the docks, and then another three days on the ships.

But that had been before the snowstorm.

All of Narnia had been covered in a brilliant white blanket of soft, fluffy snow overnight. You’d woken up to the sight, excitedly running out of your chambers to tell your dear friend, King Caspian, that it had snowed…

…not realizing that you were still in your slightly suggestive sleeping gown.

You had met him in the hall—you knew his habits so well; he always woke up before you and had an early breakfast in the library, which is where he was coming from when you found him. Excited, you stopped him in the hall, hands on his muscular arms, babbling about the change in weather and how beautiful it all looked, oblivious to the way his dark eyes had widened at the sight of you, and how his breath caught in his throat as he tried (and failed) not to stare. When he didn’t respond when you asked him if he’d seen the snow, you realized what you were wearing, screamed in shock and embarrassment, and ran off.

That had been hours ago, and you’d been avoiding Caspian ever since. You could barely even look at him these days without feeling like your heart was going to beat out of your chest, and now… You were mortified. You had already irritated yourself with your growing feelings for your friend, and now you’d embarrassed yourself in front of him—your King!—and looked like a complete fool, going on and on about the snow.

The snow, coincidentally, had completely lost its charm to you as you stood in the open air. You shivered, not looking forward to being confined to a small, cold box for this trip.

Caspian turned to you, his dark eyes glimmering in the bright light, and smiled. “I’ll be riding with Lady Y/N,” he said, answering one of his advisor’s questions, “The ride will be a bit longer than we expected with the snow,” he went on, “but I’ll do my best to keep her safe and comfortable.”

You felt your face heat up at both his words and smile and tried to smile back. So you’d be riding with Caspian…great.

As the King, Caspian was expected to ride out first, and as his companion, so were you. Smiling, he took your hand in his and helped you into the carriage before sliding in next to you. Caspian didn’t like being overly showy with his station, so his carriage was only a bit bigger than the average cart, and you could feel the heat coming off of him as he sat next to you.

Day one on the road was fine; you and Caspian chatted about the weather (fully dressed now), and how it would affect the trip and the waters and the route. You were always so impressed by and interested in Caspian’s knowledge as a traveler; whether he was detailing his experiences on the Dawn Treader or his travels as King, you hung on to his every word. Caspian always entertained you, answering all of your questions, never getting annoyed or bored with your curious inquiries. If anything, he seemed to enjoy being able to talk with you—about any topic. By day four, the two of you were passing the time telling each other stories, making up your own mythology and quizzing each other on the details. You laughed a lot in those days, and when you stopped at a nearby castle for the court to rest, and you and Caspian went to your separate rooms, you missed his company. But he was always there in the morning, knocking on your door with a tray of tea, muffins, and fruit that he’d procured from somewhere, smilingly apologizing for waking you up. You’d sneak him into your room, both of you trying to stifle your giggles, and spend breakfast whispering with Caspian until he had to go get ready for the day.

It didn’t occur to you until a week of such activity had passed that Caspian had seen you in your sleeping clothes—and vice versa—for eight days in a row (including the day you’d started the journey).

The snow hadn’t let up—if anything, it’d gotten worse, stalling your journey and extending it with each snowfall. Some of the others had been frustrated by the delay, and Caspian had given them his blessing to return to the castle, but you were actually glad for the delay. It gave you more time with Caspian. When the court was traveling, his duties as King were less intensive, and he got to spend a lot more time with you. You knew this was a temporary thing, so you decided to enjoy it while you could. And enjoy it you did…

…Until the temperature dropped more than ever, a raging blizzard hit you while you were traveling, and a wheel had popped off of the carriage, causing it to veer off course, stagger down a snowy hill, and crash against a snowbank.

Caspian had held you the entire time, shielding you from any harm as the carriage tumbled, and his first move once you crashed had been to make sure you were alright. It was already dark out, and when you got out to see where the rest of the party was, all you could see were lights in the distance.

“We can’t travel like this,” Caspian said, referring both to the limited light and the three-wheel carriage, “We’ll have to spend the night here and meet up with the others in the morning.”

He made sure you were unharmed again before going about securing the area, making sure there were no threats around. You wanted to go with him, but Caspian asked you to stay in the carriage where it was safe. You were beyond relieved when he came back shortly after, reporting that the area was safe enough to stay the night in. Ever the survivalist, Caspian started a fire, keeping your spirits up as he told you stories of Aslan. You helped him warm the food—leftovers from your unfinished lunch from earlier—and the two of you shared a private dinner by firelight. It was oddly intimate, as you sat, thigh pressed against his thigh, next to your damaged carriage. When you started to shiver, Caspian took your hands in his, warming them up. You couldn’t tell if the blush in his cheeks was from the wind or… something else.

When it was time for bed, Caspian offered to sleep outside while you took the carriage, but you refused. It was still storming—snow falling in large clumps as the wind screeched—and you wouldn’t hear of letting your King sleep in such conditions.

“We can both sleep in the carriage,” you said, sounding much more confident than you felt, “We can keep each other warm.”

The two of you gathered all of the blankets, coats, and furs that had been stored in the carriage, and piled them onto your laps, sitting very close together. It wasn’t particularly well-suited for sleeping conditions—a nap, sure, but for a whole night’s rest? Not so much. You and Caspian spoke quietly, talking about what you would do in the morning, and how you’d proceed, speculating on how much longer the storm would go on, until he asked if you were still cold. You couldn’t lie to him—not just because he was your King, but because he was your friend, someone you cared about—so you told him yes, you were. Carefully, he put his arm around you, asking if it was okay. You nodded, suddenly unable to speak. He was so warm and firm; you couldn’t help but lean into him. He smelled of the woods: of trees and adventure. His hair tickled your face as he leaned down, telling you how he was sorry that the carriage had crashed, but glad he was with you.

“…I like being with you,” he said, voice low.

You felt the same way—of course. Wordlessly, you reached out and took his hand in yours. You glanced down at your intertwined hands and it just felt…right. Caspian was smiling at you when you looked back up at him, and you were warmed by the sight of it. You smiled back, putting your head on his shoulder and closing your eyes.

“I like being with you, too.”

The two of you fell into a comfortable silence after that, listening to the sounds of the whirling wind and rusting leaves outside, perfectly cozy and warm in each other’s embrace. Before you fell asleep, you felt Caspian’s lips, warmer than they should be, on your forehead as he wished you sweet dreams.

You were still in his arms when you woke up the next morning.

“No breakfast,” he said with a soft smile, arm still holding you to him, “but at least the storm has passed.”

It didn’t take long for the rest of the party to track you down. They fussed over the both of you, making sure neither of you would come down with a cold, and insisting that Caspian travel in a bigger carriage, but he said he was fine with this one. They hitched it to a few horses, took it to a shop where a very nice villager reattached the wheel, and you were on your way again. The ride was long, but you and Caspian kept each other entertained as always.

And he held your hand the entire way to the coast.

Once you boarded the ship, Caspian went out of his way to spend time with you, excusing himself from other conversations to be with you, placing his hand in yours when no one was around. It was a new habit he’d formed—one that you were very much a fan of. He also started kissing your forehead when he said goodnight, and if he wasn’t sneaking into your quarters first thing in the morning for a private breakfast…

…you were sneaking into his.

Even after the ship landed on the island, and Caspian met with his father’s old advisors, the two of you kept up those habits. The snow melted, the flowers grew back, and before you knew it—Caspian was seeing you in your sleeping clothes every day: when you woke up next to him, smiling sleepily as he leaned down and kissed your forehead, your nose, and then your lips, and again at night as he held you to him, kissing your hairline as he wished you sweet dreams. By the time it snowed again, and you were crowned Queen of Narnia, you barely even bothered with your bed clothes at all. It was easier that way. Besides…

…Caspian always kept you warm.

*******************************************************************************************

I’m not gonna lie, ya’ll. I like writing dialogue more than this haha. Let me know what you think, though! Thanks for reading!

Taglist: @lexxierave​ @loveintheroyalfamily​ @suchatinyinfinity​ @fanfictionrecommendations-com​  @maxslime-blog​ @elanor-of-imladris​ @songforhema​ @lucielandss @fandomlifeandeverythingelse​ @themadhatter92​ @realduckvader​ @the-blind-assassin-12​ @christinawxxx​ @anabella-baby @blackcoffeeandgreenteaforme​ @luminex3​ @littlemermaidprobz​ @ashkuuuu​ @luckysstrikes​ @carlaangel86​ @floralpeaceofmind​ @dylanobrusso​ @teacuplotus​ @iaintnofurry​ @thesumofmychoices​ @ymariejp​ @its-my-little-dumpster-fire​ @mrsjaxtellerfan​ @whovianayesha​ @holamor​ @drinix​ @rhabakoli​ @stories-you-wont-hear​ @king4thesirens​ @starkrobb​ @marauderskeeper​ @charlylama​  @gollyderek​ @leahnicole1219​ @evanlys19​  @something-tofightfor​ @banditthewriter​  @binbons-is-theloml​

Caspian Taglist: @miss-nerd95 @a-jem-found-in-a-papaya @ladyblablabla​

Benny B Characters Taglist: @thesandbeneathmytoes​

[elseaa]

Stop lying to me : Chapter 2

Pairing: Nedport

Words: 3454

Abel ran his hand over the Portuguese's cheek and kissed him fiercely, his face flushed, he reached down with his other hand to open the first buttons of his shirt, caressing his chest. When a sudden cry came to surprise them.

“Guys !! Dinner is ready ! "

They suddenly stopped their actions as they stood up, blushing.

-It's not really the right time… He threw out.

-I… Yeah. João replied.

João tied his hair up and buttoned his shirt again, with a smirk, he moved closer to Abel who seemed to do everything to avoid his gaze.

-Tell me, you never did it ? You are virgin, i think… 

-It's none of your business !! Abel reacts quickly.

-I was sure of it ! My intuition never deceives me !

They left the room without a word and arrived in the living room where delicious smelling spaghetti bolognes awaited them.

Evilously, Abel immediately walked over to his little sister, who had returned some thirty minutes earlier.

-Here is the chipie... He said to his little sister.

-But what else? Bella said indignantly

-You still took the waffles I asked you to leave for me!

-Hey? But no, you had already taken them !! 

-We did them together, I need my part !

-Since I'm telling you that this morning there were eleven left instead of thirteen yesterday ... Mamaaaan, Abel is accusing me again

Bella rushed into Sophie's arms and she stroked her hair, she looked at her son, not laughing, after all, it was far from the most believable argument they had ever had.

-Oh my poor… Naughty boy Abel

He sighed then, dropping the funny story for the second time and seated himself at the table with everyone, taking the place between João and his little brother. The dinner went quietly, there was no tension during it which made the moment pleasant, each of Abel's mothers explained their career, Sophie had studied long to become a lawyer while Fatoumata had accepted the first she had been offered a place in a good company, however, over the years she has been able to rise to much higher positions in it thanks to her leadership spirit.

When the meal was over, everyone cleared their plates and dishes, Joao offered to help but was prevented, it was not the role of the guests. Young Michael grabbed his sleeve.

-Come ! I want to show you something. He asked her.

The little blond then took him quickly into the garden without even waiting for his response followed by Pelze.

-I taught Pelze a new trick, she can roll over ! He explained, very cheerful.

Michael then ordered him to sit down to begin.

-She also knows how to give the paw?

-Yes ! You can ask him !

-Give the Pelze paw. Ordered João.

João then presented his open hand to the puppy who quickly and lifted his small right paw to put it in his hand. Pelze's gaze then went to his master who had a treat in his hand that she quickly grabbed with his mouth as João stroked his head, which she enjoyed very much. Abel finally joined them, leaving the garden door open behind him.

- Are we trying to escape from work? He said to João

-It's that ... Sorry ...

- I'm kidding, we can continue it another day

-And Pelze and I want to play! Michael exclaimed.

-Down ! …Get down. Tried to order Abel.

Sitting calmly, the dog refused to obey and just wagged his tail as João tried to stifle a laugh.

-Is this authority ?Asked João, laughing.

-I didn't ask you anything, I'll show you what the authority is ! … The dog just doesn't know all the tricks

-Down Pelze! Michael asked.

Pelze went down immediately after receiving his master's order, having done the exact opposite of what Abel had just said.

-Authority… Authority my ass. Said João low, laughing.

-Even with his rabbit he has no authority. Michael revealed.

-It's not true, don't talk nonsense like that. Said Abel messing his little brother's hair.

-But if ! You know João, every night big brother sleeps with his rabbit in his arms but so when I have a nightmare and I come to sleep in his room, the rabbit is always angry and he doesn't want to sleep at another place in the bed or in his basket and he often annoys me trying to get his place ...

-I feel that there is one who must be silent. Warned his big brother.

-But why ? This is important because when João will comes home to sleep, the rabbit will-

Abel then covered his little brother's mouth with his hand to prevent him from continuing his sentence.

- Enough talking! Go get Bella, we're gonna play football.

-Okay ... I'm going!

Michael came into the house to pick up his big sister.

-Your little brother is too innocent… Bunny boy

-Tss… I don't sleep all my nights with my rabbits ! 

- Does that mean there’s some space for me?

Abel didn't respond instantly, his face turning red. He strode towards him, surprised, João stepped back, finding himself with his back to the wall and the blonde's face close to his. João armed himself with his flirtatious smile and let his hand run around Abel's neck, trying to get down into his shirt.

-You are less shy than the earlier Abel. He whispered in his ear.

-I'm here !! We are going to play ?! Bella exclaimed with joy as she entered the garden with Michael.

Abel took off directly from Joao when his sister arrived in the garden, his red cheeks had not yet disappeared, so he took the ball at his foot to start the games with everyone, after about thirty minutes they changed to play the frisbee that Pelze was happy to catch. After a good hour, Joao stopped dead, missing the Frisbee to pull his phone out of his pocket.

- ... I have to go home, my father tried to call me

-Will you come back to play? !! Michael and Bella asked in heart

-Well… why not? João replied, staring at Abel.

-Next week… I'll take you home. Abel offered him.

-Don't worry, I can go by metro. Said João.

-I insist !

-O-Ok

They went back in the house, closing the garden door behind them, their mothers sitting on the sofa, Abel walked over to them.

-I'm going to take João home, can I have the keys to the car? He asked

-Yes of course ! No problem my angel, take care of yourself! Fatoumata replied.

-By the way, Sophie, stop putting apricot jam in Michael's toast.

-Whyyyy ? 

-No one likes it, even today he traded his toast with one of his classmates, at least put Côte d’or’s chocolate or strawberry jam. Abel suggested.

-But ... but ... My apricot jam is good…

Sophie was very confused but accepted the request, Michael had hid behind his big brother, never having dared to complain about it. Joao was kissed by both mothers, having spent a very good evening just like him, Bella said goodbye to him with her little brother, both were eager for João to come back to play at home. Abel then grabbed the keys to the car and got two into it, it was a nice red Porsche, and tightened their seat belts tightly.

- Are you already driving? It's awesome !

-Yes, I learned very quickly with my mothers and I took the permit barely three months after I turned 18. He explained.

-I didn't care when I was 18 but now that I'm 21, I tell myself it will come in handy. The problem is, I learn from my dad and we argue a lot.

-And with your mother it's not possible? Abel asked.

-Not really. João replied, looking at the city at his window.

Abel's driving was rather quiet, he paid a lot of attention to the other cars and didn't even dare to pass the amber light. He had activated the gps even if it was not very useful to him, he knew the streets of Brussels well after all, João still showed him where to turn when they arrived near his home.

-Here ! I live here ! Exclaimed João.

Abel stopped the car in front of the house that João had pointed out to him, he undid his belt, ready to go out.

-Thank you for taking me home!

-Hold on !

With that, Abel grabbed his arm, preventing her from getting out of the car. João fixed his gaze, his unexpected gesture surprised him, he sat back in his seat, curious to know what the blond wanted from him. Abel took a long time to succeed in expressing his thoughts under João's questioning gaze.

-I wanted to know if… uh, in fact you… You're not looking for the same thing as me?… Are you? Abel finally asked

-Sorry ? Wait how can I know if I am looking for the same thing as you or not when you are not clear whether it is in your actions or your words towards me? João replied curtly.

Joao opened the door and got out of the car without asking more, Abel fell silent after receiving such a response he didn't expect but the brunette was right, never had he clearly expressed what kind of feeling he have for him.

His house was fairly common and not very large with a modest-sized garden maintained only by him and his brother. He gently pushed open the front door, hoping not to attract anyone's attention because of his late hour. But it was without counting on his father who did not seem to have moved from the TV that evening who turned his head directly towards his son as soon as he returned.

-Can I know where you were ?! His father said, sitting in front of the television.

- At a friend's house, I sent you a message though. João defended himself.

-A friend or a conquest ?!

-A FRIEND ! Joao shouted.

-You don't mind coming home so late next time ...

Usually, it was the kind of little discussion that quickly turned into arguments in their families, however, João did not answer, not having the head to that, he put his backpack at the foot of the stairs to stand. directing towards noises that called out to him, his hens seemed to cackle a little too much unlike usual. When he got to the garden, the hens had escaped from their pen, which didn't seem to displease the only rooster they had as his brother chased desperately after the hens, trying to grab them to get them to join their home. enclosure and attracting them with the food was a failure since their seeds had been spilled in a large part of the garden, probably due to Antonio's clumsiness.

-What the hell are you doing? João asks.

-I opened the enclosure to feed them and they started running between my feet, I spilled the seeds and ... there you go

-Tsss .. You can't be cured of you stupidity !

The chipies that had run away weren't hard for João to catch, while his brother had brought one back, had already brought the other three back to their enclosure.

-You see, it was not that complicated

-You always catch them more easily than me. Said Antonio.

-I also take care of it more often, I'm used to

Joao changed the water and the food of his hens before closing the fence of their enclosure as for his brother, he did the same for their rooster without saying a word which was very rare. A heavy silence settled between them. When Joao decided to go inside, his brother didn't follow him, stopped short and looked down blankly.

-… Are you really going to get it? Antonio asked finally breaking the silence.

-Antonio… We have already discussed it

-I really don't want you to pass your license, I'm really afraid that you will start driving. He replied with trembling voice.

-It will be fine, I will be vigilant

Antonio didn't answer, leaving a blank between them, his brother looked at him sadly, fully understanding his concerns.

-I would be very careful, don't worry

-It won't change anything! No matter how careful you are, there are accidents every day and ... and

-Tonio ...

He then began to shed the tears he was holding back, João came forward to wipe them off with his hands and then hugged him.

-I don't want to lose you… I don't want to lose you the same way we lost mom in that auto’s accident. He said, running his hands behind his brother's back.

-I will drive only occasionally ...

João hugged his little brother again, who kept crying silently on his shoulder and gently stroked his back.

-The next day-

Early in the morning Rosa and Marianne were chatting to each other in front of the university's Solbosch campus, waiting for precisely a certain person who had a lot to talk about. When they saw Joao get off the tram, they pounced on him.

-Then then !! How did it go? Tell? Said Marianne.

-That ? What do you mean ?

-Well with Abel! Don't try to lie, we saw you following him after class!

-Won't you make it up that nothing happened? Rosa impatiently.

-Exact ! We just did the work together, I ate with his family and left.

Joao crossed his arms, advancing in front of them, not quite ready to recount his little adventures.

-But he's lying our João. Marianne said indignantly.

-Okay, you won. He said laughing.

Joao finally recounted the events from the start until he answered him as he got out of the car. In fact, he wanted to tell them, but especially enjoyed watching the girls craving to hear his gossip.

-Oh poor guy… How could you! Rosa complained.

-He may have been in love with you for a long time, he has not known anything and you dared to rebuff him.

-Hey ! But I can't help it! He hasn't been clear from the start and then if he wants something from me I might have changed his mind so if he takes the first step I might not say no. João explained thoughtfully.

João walked away, heading towards the audience, reminding the girls that they were having classes, they didn't move and looked each other in the eyes.

-You think the same as me Rosa?

-I always think of the same thing as you!

-No question of giving up so close to the goal. Concludes Marianne.

-The next day-

On this sunny Saturday afternoon, the three of them decided to spend the day together having also planned to study in Brussels and found themselves around 11 a.m. at the Place de la Bourse then taking advantage of doing some shopping and shopping but also taking advantage of the good ones. things to eat in town. When 2 p.m. struck, The sun was beating down so hard as usual that they walked together to the royal park, apparently everyone had the same idea, the park seemed full, several dogs were walking with their masters, many boys were shirtless and also girls looking to tan with their bikinis.

Suddenly, Marianne left without saying anything with her water bottle in hand, she returned very quickly with a full bottle that she had in fact filled at one of the small fountains in the park and a big smile.

-I was a bit thirsty ... She explained.

-But water is not go-

Even before finishing her sentence, Marianne threw the water from her bottle on them while Rosa quickly slipped away with her little bottle of water to do the same, having understood her friend's purpose very well. João, wet t-shirt, tried to grab the bottle with his hands but in vain, the blonde was way too fast, she wanted to reach her second target, the Spaniard who was ready with her bottle finally full. They watered themselves at the same time, the blouse of the Frenchwoman was soaked however, Rosa had been agile enough to avoid the jet of water which ended up on the grass and laughed, proud of his blow, it was then that Joao s 'finally grabbed a bottle, that of Rosa who had not paid attention to him, the Spanish however took out a second empty bottle from her bag and tried to escape but her friend pursued her without weakening until finally succeed in getting part of his back wet. Their game lasted a while longer, they finally got tired of chasing each other and lay down in the grass on the large light blue colored tablecloth they had provided for this purpose.

-Why am I the only one with wet hair? !! João complained.

-Ahah I gave you a lot but it will dry quickly! Do not worry ! Rosa replied, laughing.

-And I can see through my shirt… You're less wet than us Rosa, that's unfair!

The Spaniard shivered, the two of them approached her to take her in their arms, sticking their wet clothes to her, Rosa who had best managed to escape the jets of water was now in such a good looking as 'them!

Half an hour passed, their clothes already seemed dry, Joao had taken off his t-shirt to dry faster while his hair was still a little damp. He was then the first to break the silence that had settled in during their rest in the sun.

- Maybe start studying? That way we'll have the evening to ourselves. He asked.

The girls didn't answer him directly, they moved closer to each other and muttered with a laugh, "He's really planning on studying!" "He's not going to get there." They got up at the same time, looking at him with a sweet smile.

-Of course ! We haven't forgotten, I know a good place to study in peace, it's a small tea room with delicious cakes and good coffee. Rosa suggested.

-Are you hungry or do you want to study? João asked, puzzled.

It was not wrong, she was hungry and was not the only one but the girls' primary goal was actually quite different.

-We can't study on an empty stomach! Allei come on, we're dry so we can go. Replied the Spanish.

The three friends walked towards the place in question, not very big, decorated in pastel colors with lots of green plants and flowers, it looked like the perfect place to relax. Joao opened the door for the girls, entering his gaze was quickly caught by one of the tall blond waiters. He recognized Abel directly.

So that was what they were up to !!!! Thought João.

He then joined the girls who had chosen a round table for three, they giggled at Joao's head, who had finally understood their little plan.

- Could I have an explanation ?! He asked.

-Don't be angry! We often come here together, it ends every Saturday at 5 p.m. Rosa explained.

-Trying your luck ! I'm sure he's free after work, he's finished in 20 minutes.

-No, I said no! I prefer it to be him coming to me. He insisted.

-What you can be difficult ... He will surely be less shy if you took the first step! Said Marianne.

-Nothing says he will accept seeing how I rebuffed him ... Joao confided, a little anxious.

-It's worth a try ! We know you well enough to say that if you weren't interested in it, we'd talk more about it already. Rosa remarked.

Joao resigned himself and accepted the girls' proposal, Abel motioned to them noticing them, unable to greet in due form since even if this tea room was not large, a lot of customers came in, it was another waiter who took their orders and indeed, they spent a lot more time eating rather than studying and as expected, a few minutes before 5pm, they slipped away, leaving João alone and very much in trouble. When the girls were gone, Abel walked over to the table to clear the plates.

- Sorry for not coming to say hello, we're really full on Saturday. Abel apologized.

-Thank you, don't worry I understand.

-The girls left without you?

-Tss, yeah they gave up on me, probably to go see their girlfriends. Joao complained falsely.

Abel pulled all the small plates into a pile, placing the nested cups one inside the other on top, about to leave with the dirty dishes when Joao called him again.

-Hey bunny boy!

Abel whirled around, annoyed by the name.

-I don't allow you to call me that!

-I think it suits you, you finish soon? João asked.

-Yes, in a few minutes why?

-Are you free tonight?

Joao gave him one of his beautiful smiles, reading the surprise on Abel's face who accepted the offer without any hesitation.

[yoshibb]

It’s been a rough month for me and one of the things that helped me through it is @seraphinitegames The Wayhaven Chronicles. A couple playthroughs of this game truly helped lift my spirits. So I wanted to do some fanart for it. I also wrote some fanfiction for this picture too which will hopefully not break the lore too much >.> But seriously, thank you Sera for creating such a lovely and romantic game for all of us. 

F!DetectivexNate fiction with a hint of Adam on the side (spoilers: takes place over halfway through the game)

"I'll stay," he offered, the second Adam asked for a volunteer. Nate realized how eager he sounded and attempted to temper his enthusiasm, "I doubt you'll have need for me if you're planning to knock a few heads together."

"I'm sure that's the only reason," Felix grinned at him and Nate rolled his eyes. He never missed an opportunity to grind him. 

"Sounds good. Call us if anything happens," Adam said, although he could sense the slightest bit of hesitation in his friend. Adam had seemed reluctant to watch Nate's relationship become any closer with Emma since they'd returned from the Agency. 

"I'm sure the Detective and I will be quite capable of handling things while you're gone," he smiled, playing ignorant to it all. Adam's mouth opened and closed, some prudent piece of advice hanging on his best friend's tongue before his lips snapped shut, deciding against it. 

"By handling, do you mean--" Felix filled in the gap.

"Felix, that's enough," Adam cut him off, tired of hearing his quips. Nate threw Adam a grateful expression and headed back into the apartment.

"Try not to have too much fun, Natey!" Felix couldn't resist throwing one last dagger over his shoulder as they parted. Nate pursed his lips, shaking his head at his immaturity. Once back inside, he found Emma leaning into the fridge. He stumbled briefly, not sure how much of the conversation she'd overhead.

"I thought today was our day off," she said. She pulled a carton of eggs out of the fridge along with a gallon of milk. 

"Something came up that needed our immediate attention. It'll be just the two of us until later in the afternoon," Nate said. Her bare feet padded across the tiled floor, mind set on breakfast. Her robe draped casually off her right shoulder and her hair was tied up in a loose bun. He wondered sometimes if she was doing it on purpose. It wasn't polite to stare but he couldn't draw his eyes away. 

"That's too bad," she said. He frowned but quickly hid his expression before she could see.

"That disappointed to be stuck with me?" he asked. She chuckled, throwing half a smile over her shoulder at him.

"Don't be ridiculous, you're my absolute favorite vampire to spend time with," she said as she reached into a cabinet to pull out a pair of bowls. 

"I'd be flattered, but technically you only know five of us personally," he said. She clicked her tongue, lightly jabbing his shoulder with her fingers as if scolding him for his pessimistic view. 

She pushed up onto her tip toes to reach the dishes and he closed the distance between them instinctively. Pressing his chest to her back, he reached up and easily extracted the mixing bowl her fingers were grasping for. Her pulse jumped at their contact. While not the initial intent, he was more than pleased by her reaction.

"Well, aren't you handy," she played it off as best as she could, getting her revenge by leaning back against him briefly as she examined the dish in her hands as if it were a piece of fine art. His pulse sped to keep pace with hers, "How about... I can't think of anyone I'd enjoy spending time with more?"

"Now you're teasing me," he said and he gripped the top shelf of the cabinet to keep from following her as she moved away.

"I'm thinking french toast. It's been awhile since I had a chance to make breakfast," she said, "What about you? Want some?"

"That sounds delightful," he leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Ok, come take a bite then," she opened up her neck, brushing her loose strands of hair away and gesturing for him to come closer. Nate's eyes widened.

"I would never--"

"I'm kidding. Don't worry," she laughed, reveling in his response. He sighed at one of the oldest jokes in the book. Yet it had still flustered him, "Come on, you know me. I had to use that one at least once."

He finally cracked a smile if only amused at how pleased she was with herself, "The french toast will more than suffice," his eyes lingered a shade longer on her skin, briefly imagining his lips pressing against her porcelain skin. He swallowed, "Do you cook often?"

"Not as much as I'd like to. Being the lone detective in town doesn't give you a lot of free time, especially during a murder investigation," she said, "Not to fear, I won't poison you."

"On the contrary, I was only thinking about what a privilege it is to taste something you've homemade," he said. She mixed together the eggs, milk, and spices. 

"Charmer," she said and his smile turned into more of a smirk, his gaze falling, half lidded and low. 

"You underestimate me, Detective. I can be much more charming than that," he said. He reveled in the slight flush on her cheeks. However, she matched him blow for blow, smirking as she casually licked her fingers clean of the liquid mix. She turned on the cooktop burner adding to the heat coursing through the apartment. 

"How about yourself, Agent, you ever tried cooking?" she asked as she dipped a slice of bread in the mix. 

"I've dabbled in it," he shrugged.

"I can understand. You're a little lacking in test subjects," she said, "I really don't want to think what a vampire delicacy would be like."

He shifted uncomfortably at the topic, "I enjoy going out to eat when I can as well, as long as the place is reputable."

"So you're a food snob?" she said with a laugh. 

He pouted, "Is it so wrong to appreciate quality?" She chuckled at his reaction as she laid out each individual slice of bread on the griddle.

"You're right, I can't say I enjoy wasting calories on bad food," she said. He maintained his sour expression until she reached up and tapped his pursed lips. He startled and blinked his gaze back to her, "I've never seen you make that face before."

His regular smile returned again, wider than ever, "You always pull the most unique expressions out of me," she shook her head at his flirting, putting her full attention on the french toast. What was it that caused his fingers to tremble in the ache to touch her? He dreamed of peeling off her robe, his course knuckles mapping her curves, relishing in every small shiver of her body. Tsk... he was starting sound like Mason.

In the midst of his thoughts, he found himself surprisingly swaying. He caught himself quickly enough, blinking rapidly in response. He shook the cobwebs out of his head. He frowned knowing the sure signs of rare exhaustion. He tried to recall the last time he even lied down for a nap and came up empty. He could usually last longer than this, but he supposed they'd all been under quite a bit of stress. 

He would let Adam know he needed a break when he returned. When he focused his attention on her again, she was plating the french toast.

"Whipped cream? Syrup? Butter?" she raised a brow in question. 

"All of the above," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets to ground himself.

"Ugh, I bet you have abs like a washboard too," she said disgusted. He laughed.

"How do you know? You haven't been peeking, have you?" he said mock disturbed. 

"I have been unsuccessful so far," she said. He stood up from his lounging position and making his move, capturing her with his gaze. The back of his fingers grazed against the line of her jaw causing her to reflexively tip her chin up to him. A thrill coursed through his veins knowing that she responded to him naturally without any complicated pheromones clouding her judgement.

"You don't need to resort to such desperate measures, Emma," he said. Her heart skipped when he said her name. Not to be outdone, her free hand enveloped his caressing one and tangling her fingers through his. He smiled moving even closer, wondering if he was turning from predator to prey as she drew him within striking distance. 

His thigh bumped against the burner, causing it to click and light again. They both turned their attention away from each other, ending the heated moment as she extinguished the flame once again. She picked up their plates, bringing them over to the couch, gesturing for him to follow. 

Sometimes he felt like there was otherworldly activity keeping them apart. He stifled his sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he trailed behind her. After he sat down next to her, she handed him a plate and utensils. He held them for a moment not satisfied eating with the plate in his lap. He ended up pulling the coffee table closer and cutting his food from there. 

"So, were you a prince in your past life?" she asked. He noticed she'd haphazardly cut her french toast into chunks. He lulled his head in her direction, giving her a weary look, "What?"

"You remind me too much of Felix, sometimes," he sighed.

"That's better than Mason or God forbid, Adam," she said in mock horror eliciting another laugh from him.

"He grows on you," Nate said.

"Like a tumor?" she asked. He blinked, eyes curious, "Did you know that's what he said about Wayhaven?" He closed his eyes, silently cursing his best friend's poor attitude, "Well, it must have, as terrible as it sounds. He's a bit less knotted up now."

"You've noticed?" he asked and she took a large bite with a nod.

"Mm-hmm," she said, "He's even cracked a smile at a few of my jokes."

"He's warmed up to you at least. It may take a little more time for the rest of the town," he finally took his first bite. He let out a muffled groan, savoring the flavor as the bread melted on his tongue.

"Oh come on, it's not that good," her voice cracked although he found her smiling while she watched him. 

"It is! I had no idea you were such a talented chef. Why are we even bothering to visit Haley's?" he said. She shoved him lightly, telling him to stop, "Strangely, I usually have to work a bit harder to enjoy food this rich, too."

"Because of your sensitive taste, right? I went a bit lighter on the spices in the mix," she said. He was taken back by the consideration. He let another forkful linger in his mouth for a moment, so he could properly collect his thoughts. When he remained speechless for too long she started to worry, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, of course not, I'm just-- I'm not used to such thoughtful gestures," he said honestly, making direct eye contact. She smiled initially thinking he was joking but her brows raised, smile fading after studying his reaction.

"Serious?" she asked to confirm nonetheless. He ate another bite, not able to deprive himself too long.

"This may surprise you, Detective, but most humans do not react as well as you did to our secret," he said. He averts his gaze, trying not to give away how much that fact hurts him, "It's hard to empathize with your perceived predators," he continues to eat to distract himself, enjoying it until the last piece.

"I guess that was what Felix was hinting at," she said. He glanced back at her in question, "Honestly, I thought the revelation that demons were walking around was much more terrifying. I mean, maybe last century it would be different but have you seen the vampire literature recently? The most terrible you lot are portrayed as anymore is a tad too sexually aggressive," he almost choked as he started to laugh, "Besides, I'm not afraid of things that will eat me. I think lions and tigers are adorable."

"To be fair, it wouldn't be wise to step into a cage unguarded with one either," he warned, his protective side winning out even at his own detriment. His thoughts drifted somewhere distant for a moment, imagining Emma on the other side of a barrier to keep herself safe from the monster. Never truly trusting him, never letting her guard down. His heart clenched slightly until her hand landed on his thigh.

"Well, not until I tamed him first," she said, rubbing his leg in a comforting gesture mixed with a suggestive smirk. He returned a sad smile and slid his hand over top of hers.

"There will always be a risk, though," he leaned closer. When her gaze lifted to connect with his, there was determination there, causing his heart to skip, matching hers. 

"A risk worth taking," she whispered. Their lips pulled within a hair's width apart. Her fingertips climbed up his thigh and her pupils dulled slightly. The jolt from his nerve endings almost tore a moan out of his throat.

RRRRing!

He twitched in annoyance, gritting his teeth at the grating sound of his cell phone. He retrieved the phone from his pocket and almost crushed it in his grip. He still put on his best smile for the Detective.

"It's Adam," he lightened up when he saw the name.

"It's alright, I need to get dressed anyway," she patted his knee before getting up and heading into her bedroom. His eyes followed her and his lips quirked at the brief stutter in her step. He barely registered Adam calling for him on the other end of the line. 

"Nate, are you there?" Nate juggled the phone before putting it to his ear.

"Yeah, Adam, sorry about that," he quickly apologized, "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine, but this might take a bit longer than we thought. We're having trouble locating the suspect," he sighed. 

"I thought he was already in custody?" he said. He grabbed the used plates to wash them in the sink.

"Yes, he was," his voice inflects as if he's sending a very scathing look towards someone nearby, "We're going to search the area, see if we can pick up a scent of where he went. We'll probably be here awhile. How are things there?"

"Great, no signs of trouble here, why?" he asked, scrubbing the plates rougher than necessary, unconsciously trying to peel the paint off with the sponge.

"Well, you sound..."

"What?"

"Cranky," he said and Nate stopped cleaning for a moment, surprised. 

"I'm fine, what would I have to be irritated about?" he asked. 

"I bet you interrupted a moment with the Detective," he heard Felix clearly and Nate was suddenly glad that they couldn't see him right now. He dropped the plate in the sink before he could crack it beneath his grip.

"Felix..." Adam said exasperated.

"I don't hear him denying it," he could hear his grin from over the phone. Nate rolled his eyes.

"I guess the stress is catching up with me a little," Nate pivoted to another excuse, "It's been awhile since I got any rest."

"I'll send Felix back--"

"No, there's no need for that. You need everyone you can get down there," he said. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck with Felix and his jokes for the day every time he merely glanced in Emma's direction. 

"Are you sure? If anything happens and you aren't in shape to defend--"

"Nothing is going to happen in the middle of the day, Adam. Even if it does, I'm sure the Detective is capable of protecting the both of us," Nate said.

"You can't seriously expect--"

"Goodbye, Adam," he said decidedly ending the call. He leaned over the kitchen counter briefly letting out a long shaky breath. Adam could be overbearing to even Nate sometimes. He frowned thinking of the real reason he was irked. There were many complicated emotions rolling through him at the moment. 

Especially after what the Detective had just said to him.

"Everything alright?" he turned around, finding core of his thoughts behind him. He ran a hand through his loosely styled hair as Emma fixed him with a curious stare.

"Yeah, apparently they are having trouble locating the man they were supposed to interrogate," he said.

"An interogee is sorta necessary for the process," she said with a smile and he returned it, shoulders loosening. 

"They won't be back until late, so I hope you were serious when you said you enjoyed my company," he shrugged. 

"You mean I get bonus time? What did I do to deserve such a prize?" she asked with feigning surprise, pressing a flourished hand against her chest. Nate was always happy to see how eager Emma was to return his flirting, "I was thinking of watching a movie. You want to help me pick?"

"Sure," he said. It was probably best that they didn't go out and mingle about town without backup. He hid a small yawn behind his fist as he sat down once again on the couch. She took up a remote and he stared at her in confusion.

"Don't you have a collection somewhere to choose from?" he said.

"Oh, no, I have streaming services so we just pick one from the list and it'll come directly to--" she interrupted herself when she saw Nate's blank stare, "Do you not know what internet streaming is?"

"No--I know--I just find it impersonal and unnecessary," he said crossing his arms with a small pout. Her grin only widened, "What's with that look?"

"You're like my grandfather," she teased him, and he practically repelled, "'What do we need all these new fangled contraptions for? Back in my day we wrote everything by hand. Walked twenty miles in the snow back and forth from school, uphill both ways.'"

"That's not even possible," he said with a roll of his eyes. He noticed she continued to stare at him with an amused grin and he cocked his head. "It's kind of nice knowing that you aren't the master of everything. Makes you seem--"

"More Human?" he finished for her, a disappointed inflection in his tone.

"I was going to say less like a romantic god," she corrected him. His gaze snapped to her in shock as she caught him off guard, "You cook, you clean, you know all the right things to say, and you could make a person swoon with a mere glance. You're a bit much, Adonis."

He chuckled, caught off guard. He rubbed the back of his neck, sinking under the shower of praises, "I'm sure you'll find I have plenty of weaknesses. I'm certainly not perfect."

"Says the guy that can speak almost every known language and could probably recite the periodic table of elements backwards," she said sipping on her tea. 

"I've had my share of free time," he mumbled, now thoroughly embarrassed.  

"The funny thing is I'm usually turned off by genius types. I'm a B average at best, so it's almost intimidating to spend time with a person that above my head," she said and he tried to ignore the niggling anxiety building inside of him as he waited for her to mention an exception after she finished sipping her tea, "And yet I find you charming."

It was exactly what he wished she'd say so he was speechless for a moment when he heard it. Finally he came up with a standard response, "I'm honored to be considered a special case," he tried not to sound overly relieved, "Still not thrilled about this method of entertainment," he gestures towards the TV screen.

"Come on, old man. Just help me pick," she said, poking him playfully. As they scanned to movie titles and descriptions, he found himself losing focus a number of times. He braced his chin on his palm, resting his elbow on his thigh.

"We could watch Twilight and you could tell me all the things they got wrong," she asked with a chuckle. His lips tugged up for a moment in response and then he inwardly groaned.

"Sounds exhausting," he said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't even subject Adam to that torture," she said. He noted the way it bugged him slightly whenever she spoke fondly or playfully of Adam. It was an unpleasant and unfamiliar feeling. He pushed down the disgraceful emotion and returned his gaze to the screen, "I think I'm gonna go with La La Land. I heard that was good. Will that work for you?" 

"Mm-hmm," he answered, his eyelids drooping a tad.

"Nate, are you alright?" she asked, her hand resting on his back, causing him to sit up in alarm. 

"Sorry, I'm fine. La La Land is a good choice," he said, answering her worried frown with his usual smile. 

"I know this is a strange thing to say to a vampire, but... you look exhausted," she said. He sighed, drawing a hand across his face.

"I'm a little tired, but it's nothing serious. The long week must be catching up to me," he assured her. 

"You could rest in my bedroom if you want. I'm sure I can guard the apartment for a few hours," she offered. He put his hand over the one now resting on his shoulder, mimicking her earlier move.

"Thank you, truly, but I could go another week without sleep. Let's just enjoy the movie," he said. She gave in seeing how emphatic he was. To be honest, his reasons for staying awake were two fold. He was dedicated to do his job and that meant protecting Emma at all times. Secondly, he'd finally gotten a chance to spend some alone time with her and he didn't want to waste it. When she turned back to the TV, her hand twisted around and cupped his. She let their clasped hands rest between them and he noted the increase in her pulse and the spreading warmth of her palm. He tightened his grip, assuring her that he enjoyed it as much as she did. -------------------- This movie was not as good as she'd hoped. She didn't know why she kept trying Oscar movies. She should stick with action schlock. However, she had a feeling action wasn't Nate's favorite genre and she wanted to find something he'd enjoy too. Speaking of Nate, he'd made a few observations at the beginning of the movie, talking about the last time he'd been to Los Angeles, but he'd been quiet for awhile now. 

She found out why when she felt a sudden pressure against her side, his head perching on her shoulder. She didn't move for a moment, not sure what to do. She'd never seen any of them even close their eyes for too long. She turned her head enough to see his awkward position had to be uncomfortable, as much as she enjoyed it. 

Carefully, she guided his body down so his head was pillowed on her lap. He was so peaceful. Her mind flashed back to the moment she'd found out he and the rest of the team were vampires. She managed to bottle it at the time, but between her fear of an unknown world and anger at being lied to, she wondered how everything would effect her relationship with Unit Bravo. Nate in particular. 

She knew he'd wanted to tell her the truth for awhile, only to be interrupted every time by Adam. So when he froze, not chancing a blink while waiting anxiously for her response after she'd discovered their secret, she couldn't bear to hurt him. And she was glad she didn't say anything rash because once everything was out in the open and she'd had time to calm down, the whole thing was much easier to accept.

Well, she wasn't going to wake him now that he was out. She'd noticed Nate had been the most dedicated to researching and catching Murphy of all of them. He'd poured over documents and books and went through old Agency files searching for a lead. She guessed even supernaturals wore out after enough stress. She took the blanket that was laying over the back of the couch and tossed it over him. 

He released a soft moan and she acted quickly, stroking gentle fingers through his hair, brushing any stray bangs from his forehead. He relaxed again with a sigh of contentment. However, she continued combing his soft locks. They felt like silk sliding through the gaps in her fingers. It was just as soothing for her as it seemed to be for him.

----------------

Nate wanted to get up but it was like he was paralyzed. He felt so at ease with Emma by his side. Her intoxicating scent, her open body language, the gentle way she touched and held his hand, it was too hard to resist. He'd passed out on her shoulder. His mind cried for him to awaken again but it was as if ten tons of weight were pressing down on top of him. 

Instead, her careful hands were guiding him down, safely cradling his head to come to rest in her lap. It felt heavenly, relaxing against her warmth. But now it became an almost impossible nest to escape from. He felt something spread across him, sending him even deeper. He tried to speak and tell her not to worry about him, but instead all that came out was the weakest of protests.

With delicate fingers, she sent him under for good, brushing his hair from his face and caressing him until he let out a content sigh and lost consciousness.

---------------- It was just past sunset when the rest of the team returned. Emma had moved on to watching sports after the movie ended. Nate never woke up the rest of the afternoon. She was actually contemplating nudging him right before the guys had walked in.

"Nate?!" Adam called and Emma sighed in annoyance as Nate bolted awake. 

"You could at least be a little gentle about it," she scolded Adam.

"W-What--Emma--Adam--" he came back to his senses, brushing his hair back, and looking between the two of them in utter confusion.

Felix's laughter cut through the tension and Nate visibly winced, "Oh my God, you actually fell asleep and on her lap no less?"

She couldn't help but take a little pleasure in Adam's horrified expression. Mason stood in the background, leaning casually against the wall, smirking at them with approval. 

"So how'd the interrogation go?" she asked if only to bail out Nate, who seemed to be computing things at about half his normal speed. Adam jumped at the chance to change topics.

"It was a waste of time. He managed to escape us before we even had a chance to talk to him," Adam said.

"But how about you two, you seem to have made some significant progress?" Felix smirked, mercilessly shifting back to the previous topic. 

"I apologize, Detective. That was very irresponsible of me," Nate seemed a bit more with it this time around. She shrugged at his apology.

"You couldn't have been out for more than a few minutes. Pretty impressive how dedicated you were to your job even when you were obviously running on fumes," she said. He kept his gaze on her, smiling bashfully as he knew she was trying to cover for him, "I know you guys don't need that much sleep, but I think there's a limit."

"Well, if you're offering your bed--" Mason finally added to the conversation only for Nate to immediately shut him down with a glare.

"Seriously, Mason?" Nate said.

"Aw come on, Nate. I want some snuggle time with the detective," Felix quipped and Adam finally put a stop to it. 

"Alright, alright, this whole conversation needs to end, now," he said as if the topic was physically hurting him. She held up her hands, leaving them to their own devices as she got up from the couch. 

"Why don't you all have yourselves a break? I'll be in my room if you need me," she said.

"We don't need to rest. Not to mention it would be reckless to let our guard down for even a moment--"

"Adam, I promise to keep away from all sharp objects and electric sockets. I'm just going to be reading," she mock gasped in horror, "Oh no, that's a terrible idea, I could suffer death by papercut."

Adam ignored the numerous snickers behind him, narrowing his gaze at her with a growing frown, "This isn't a joke, Detective."

"Certainly not, and neither is your health. So please do whatever it is hardasses like you do to relax. Lift weights, wrestle bears, whatever," she said and before he could talk back she jabbed a finger into the center of his chest, "Don't make me pepper spray you again, mister."

"Oh please do, the audience demands an encore," Felix laughed, unable to hold his tongue any longer. Adam growled at the reminder, letting go a huff of frustration.

"You are the most impossible woman," he said thoroughly flustered. She smiled at the reaction, briefly glancing at Nate before she went into her room. She expected to see him enjoying the lighthearted exchange but instead she saw him staring at Adam with a complicated expression, trying to work out a problem he couldn't quite solve. It was as if something was gnawing on him, a mixture of shame and worry. The next time she blinked, however, his furrowed brow had relaxed and he was returning her gaze with his trademark soft smile. 

She resisted blowing him a kiss, shaking off her suspicions and making her full retreat.

[roastedlizlow]

Youth

Series: Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side (3rd Story) Pairing: Osako Chikara/Bambi Prompt: Youth WC: 2450 Author’s Note: I have a friend that really loves Osako-sensei (same, honestly), and I suddenly had the idea for this, so I decided to jump at that thread before it unraveled itself, which brings me here! This stays fairly true to his route basis and content, while throwing in references to the sort of extra curricular sessions and “social studies” that Himuro and Wakaouji were able to have with Clover and Daisy! 

                                                                                   ALSO READ ON -> AO3 !

He tells her to strike with force again the adversities that befall her, in order to seize her youth. Go! Head on! 

This is power! This is love! This is youth! He’ll scream it from the rooftop if he has to, not that Himuro would be too happy about that if he did. Not that it would really stop him, since it’s far easier to go on and live than it is to really sweat a bit of scolding.

Given how he took his scolding on his very first day of teaching, it’s no wonder he’s charging on so willfully.

That first day... Ah, how he wanted to make sure the students had all the energy they could muster. That had been his homeroom, and he wanted them to make the most of their youth!

One student had grabbed his attention, her wondering face an easy mark for calling out to. He writes his name clearly on the board, and points, voice boosted with certainty and power.

“Go ahead! Now, you, go ahead and read this!”

She had jumped to her feet, standing straight, confusion in her face as she tried to discern if it was a test or not. Looking back on it now, maybe it had been, but that was what started a tradition.“Yes, Sensei! It reads... Dai-haku-ryoku, right?”

“Hehe, it reads Osako Chikara! My name! Even though I’m small, I do everything with great intensity! It’s nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you, Osako-sensei!”

When did he become so charged by her though? When did he start to feel the need to shout his feelings for her this way? Did it begin on those first extracurricular lessons, where her interest fluttered, her stance shifted, her drive was just barely starting to kick? Perhaps, it had been the later ones where her enthusiasm to point something out to him turning into long looks, brushing hands and tuggings on sleeves? Or was it when he saw her begin to pour her love into her notebook, beginning to improve her study habits, taking on her bad grades in order to improve them, to make herself proud?

As her homeroom teacher, he’s supposed to think the best for her, for all his students, but when did he start seeing her in a different light? Her tireless efforts, her smiles, her expressions, the way her eyes brighten up when she’s taking on a challenge, her voice, her nature, no, no, he should focus on his tasks. There’s no messing around, not when it's a high spirit at stake.

He tells her to strike with force again the adversities that befall her, in order to seize her youth. And when he speaks, he feels her pulling at him, reminding him about what it means to do so with genuine energy. Go! Head on! Charge against it and prove to yourself that you can do anything!

He sees her out her all into all her activities, helping Fujiyama (and eventually Niina too) build a judo club. Of course, he chose to advise it! How could he not, when two of his homeroom students wanted to embrace their ambitions? His love of judo only fueled this, of course, but they... they seem so excited to give it their all.

This is just one instance of his being a... guardian to her, the one that gradually found passion in her life. Her, readily fixing up the old club building that came to be the Judo Club’s building, him, cheering them all on. Because of the lack of members, he actively couches with the intent on giving it all he can. He knows very well that, with their talents, they deserve so much more, but he’s not giving up! That’s not in his nature, and it’s not in theirs either.

Yes, he’s always been cheering her on, and she, in return, has been cheering him on too. She’s always gone all out for Culture Festivals, behaved herself during the school trip, and they even managed to tour quite the distance! It feels good to embrace the present, everywhere you go!

He’s tried, tried to keep a reasonable and levelhead, past the jokes he said on the first day about looking for a girlfriend (he really should stick to the whole married to the job, he knows), past all the small signs of affection he’s given out.

Her eagerness... that’s what he really loves in her.

On the day he carries her home from the beach after the Sports Festival, her third year, he realizes that he said just that to her. That had been a slip up, an honest one. He let his feelings take charge and lead him.

His hands ruffle through her hair, perhaps promising her more than he realizes at the time. Because of her determination, and because of him, she had gotten herself injured, but he, he has her back. Somehow, this is one of the marker of him being aware of just how much she has grown. She is no longer the student lacking ambition, she is one who turned her grades around, who helped build a club from the ground up, who can make it into a first-rate university.

He’s glad to have lifted her up, helped her get her jumpstart.

So all the study sessions before, and afterwards, they all have come to add into the moments he’s been in her presence. It doesn’t stop, not yet.

Culture Festival, third year, she truly proved she turned her school upside down and around, didn’t she? Seeing her there, adored by the school, making the most out of her high school life. The coat draped over her shoulders, the crown rested on her head, tears forming in her eyes. She’s brimming with joy and he’s... he’s happy for her.

Oh, dear, he’s really fascinated by her, isn’t he? But, it would be wrong to say otherwise. She possesses all the qualities of someone who has made herself proud, seized her livelihood in order to make it last.

“Sensei!” Her voice snaps him out of his thoughts, wide eyes looking up at him. She’s close..! Always so bold... Long lashes, cheeks dusted in pink, she... ahem! She really is intriguing, radiating youth as she is! Every day has been passing so quickly, but so wonderfully. All in the blink of an eye... how will he feel when the Rose Queen has to relinquish her septire? Those questions come, playing as they would be thought to.

On New Year’s, he decides to visit the shrine, to pay his respects and wish for another good year. It’s the perfect way to really get into the next groove. He... had debated calling her, inviting her bring on new hopes and “release” any hindering vibes (maybe afterwards, on the beach, like he’s shown her he’s done before), but he chooses to go against that conscious stream. She deserves to go with her friends, if she had planned on going.

Alright! Welcome this new year! Treat me well!

It’s crowded at the shrine, an unsurprising observation, so as he’s clapping his hand, and closing his eyes, scarf keeping him especially warm on this winter morning, he’s attuned to the laughter behind him.

“Now, now, Bambi, we’ll support you!”

“Yes, you won’t trip here.”

He can’t help but recognize those voices, Hanatsubaki and Ugajin, which means... right, the one they’ve nicknamed Bambi is... her.

In fact, there’s a shift beside him, clapping. He looks. Is he surprised? Or just generally thrown off but how convenient this is! She’s living her life! This glint of who she is outside of school, of how she’s continuing on, he’s glad.

She opens one of her eyes, glancing over, a smile lighting up her features. “Osako-sensei, you’re here too?”

Her look... Osako returns it with ease. This year has already started off with a blast! He doesn’t want to distract her from her friends for too long, but he can’t just ignore her either. Keeping his laughter low, considering the situation they are in. Perhaps, just as quickly as he tries to stifle back the noise, she claps her hands and then tugs at his sleeve. Did her friends give her an okay? Does she just need the support of him to make it through the crowd.

Maybe they could still have that chance to go for that relieving jog at the beach?

It isn’t until they catch a break that he understands her rather forthright dependance: She’s wearing a kimono. It really... It really suits her! Certainly, running is out the door, but that’s gone to the sidelines for the witnessing of her embracing every moment of her present life!

“Sensei? What did you wish for?”

How curious she is, even now! But right, he can’t say a word! Why would he, when it’s grey, when his thoughts are leaping forward.

“Hm-hm, that is a secret!”

“Really?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Y-Yes..!!”

“Fine... then...” He nods, watching as her gaze doesn’t falter from him at all. “I wished for your -- for everyone’s -- graduation and futures!” It’s not all of it, is it? But it’s true enough, because that is part of it. This year is sure to treat her well. She’s worked hard for it.

But even that is enough to satisfy her, it seems, because she’s beaming, elated. Osako misses the blush settling in on her cheeks, or perhaps he attributes it to the movements within the crowds they’ve at to make, but her heart really is soaring.

“Now! Let’s have this game be equal! Tell me, what’s your wish?”

To this request of his, she pauses, shaking her head. None of the fire leaves her eyes as she answers him. “I poured my heart into my wish, so it has to come true! I’ll make it that way! So... I won’t tell you it to you until it does.”

“...You really put your spirit into it?”

“Yes!”

“Alright! Then, as long as you keep your eyes on it, and strike against it, head on, then, of course, you can reach it!”

Time seems to fly after that. Valentines Day, just another marker. On that he walks into in the faculty room and spots neatly wrapped chocolate on his desk. It has to be homemade, he figures, from the wrapping, which has the characters for his name written on it. It has to be from her, but perhaps she doesn’t mind if he accepts it or not. It’s a gift, appreciation for all he’s done for her -- for Fujiyama too -- right? How great that age is!

Of course, he... knows what it probably means, but in order to not think about giving it back... he makes sure it isn’t seen. Somehow, today, he may as well be the same age as his students... in spirit, of course! As a guardian, he’s tasked himself to defend them and help them pick up after their mistakes, show them that adults can come back from their mishaps and mess ups.

That’s life!

So this... this is another part of it! A trial! A... A... thing to tackle down! That’s it! Breathe, channel himself. Grab and hold down the worries with a magnificent grip! and things will work out.

She’s kicked the ball to his feet. It’s not proper to sweep things under the rug, so by gosh he’s going to take it on. That’s why he chooses to...

Run. Run to clear his head. There’s no time to change, so he’ll jog in his usual attire. He won't see her anymore... he won’t... be able to watch over her anymore... huh? How does he feel? He’ll be able to continue on, certainly, but...

Does he expect to see her, on her graduation day, on the beach? A pounce prepared by her bent knees, fists clenched, she is relentless in her fiery spark.

“You’ve helped me so much over these past years. You were there for me and helped me learn to love studying... Sensei..! This is me embracing my youth!” Fire in her eyes, determination setting in. Yeah, she is unwavering in every sense. She’s grown up, learned to take challenges and spiral them all out into stepping stones for her future. “From now on... I will strike against Sensei head-on..!”

...Huh?

“Sensei, I love you! So, let me stay by your side!”

In proper terms, saying no... turning down her passionate confession, would be it, but that would be... displacing his own feelings. She has graduated now. After this, yes... she won’t be in his homeroom anymore, they won’t be seeing each other as often... Unless he does what he’s encouraged her to do.

All out! Full force! There’s no turning back!

“You’re serious, huh?”

“Yes!”

“Alright! Then I will also strike against you head on!”

She looks as though she’s about to cry, from pure excitement, joy. Leaping into his arms, he catches her with ease, as if he had always been meant to. This beach is the one that holds the stage to their fate. This is where their true beginning is!

Together, they will push back against any adversary and seize the life they’ve worked to live.

She’s able to speak through her tears, through her joy.

“I finally get to tell you my wish! It was this!”

It is that feeling that carries him right to the very edge of his fourth year of teaching. Thoughts, this barrage of processing he wishes to go through really turns and turns. Did the students notice that he’s riled up, in the best way? Is that why they weren’t surprised at all that he’s come to the roof, that he’s staring down the horizon?

Shouting from up here is looking better and better now. He’s super charged up! Sure, there’s a lot different in this year. A completely new homeroom, all these young ones that surely all know his name. The faces of those troublemakers and those learners he had gotten so familiar with aren’t there anymore, but he gets to go back to his home, to see her.

No matter where they are, they are living, right? Just think... when he gets home, will she be waiting? A break from pouring her heart out into her assignments she’ll be taking, probably, waiting to take aim at him. Will it be a mock throw? A chop? A challenge nonetheless!

He’d get her back, of course, by lifting her up, way up! She’ll laugh, for sure, trying to reach, a cycle of liveliness, of vitality, of vigor!

“Chikara-san! Welcome home!”

Uh-huh! He’s really looking forward to it! The raising, embracing, the warmth, working together on their meal for the evening... Whatever happens, whatever she aspires to be, he’ll support her, help her prepare, to continue running toward that youth they’ll always have.

[high5nerd]

Alone Together---Chap. Twenty

FYI Sadie is now in her teens, in case that left any previous confusion. Sandy also looks more like pilot!Sanderson, which was a fanart piece I saw and really enjoyed someone make.

Sadie came in with a dazed expression on, her eyes focused off in another world as she closed the door behind her and stood there, unmoving. Alice and I looked up from our conversation, waiting for her to say something.

Alice glanced at me, and after I shrugged, she asked her sister, "Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah…" she sighed.

"You sure? You look a little off."

"Nah. I'm fine." she finally smiled, walking towards her room, still dazed and her body swaying as if she was a ghost.

Alice and I watched her go down the hallway, her being genuinely curious and I being wary.

"That's just freaky." I said once her door was firmly shut closed.

Alice shrugged lightheartedly, "Ah, she's full of surprises and weirdness. Nothing unusual. Kind of like you!" she smiled at her jab.

I smirked at her before flicking her shoulder, and she laughed, trying to grab my hand before I could flick her again.

Sadie continued to be all dreamy and...ghostlike, in a sense, for the following week. But she finally snapped out of it when the heatwave came that June. Oh. My. God. It was like being at the foot of an active volcano. That's how hot it was. You could literally see heat waves sizzling on the pavement outside and on the roof of Alice's car, and anything metal outside you better avoid, or be prepared for burning. If you wanted cool air as well as be outside, you had to stand completely still, not even breathe, and wait for a gust of calming wind to swirl through the backyard.

I have never been so bothered by temperature before. I didn't know I could, but the heat caused me to shed off the robe and just walk around in my pants. Even Alice changed into a breezy beach dress so her clothing wouldn't stick to her body. Sadie would not stop complaining, and was lazy as ever.

"Ugh! How hot is it outside again?" she moaned, wiping sweat off her upper lip as she hung upside down on the couch. Her woven sandals nearly fell off her feet as she lazily swung them.

"Almost a hundred and seventeen degrees Fahrenheit," Alice said with her head buried in the freezer, her voice slightly echoing, "that's the record this month."

"You've got to be shitting me." Sadie griped as she tried reaching for her glass of water.

"Language, young lady." I scolded.

"Sorry."

Alice finally made some sort of of frozen treat with orange juice and cups by sticking a popsicle stick into the middle and leaving it in the freezer. Thankfully, that quieted down Sadie for a while, but once that was gone the now fifteen year old was face down, flat on the floor with her music in her ears, absentmindedly flipping through songs until something reminded her of winter.

"Why is she complaining, there's worse things than a heat wave." I muttered, folding my arms.

Alice closed the freezer and looked at me. I stared back, still unamused.

"What?"

"At least you're somewhat resistant to temperature. You can control that." she chided gently.

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, I get testy when it's hot like this. Why wouldn't I? Anyone would, even an age old spirit like me.

Alice and I moved outside a few hours later, tired of the indoors when it was truly a nice day outside. One thing I did like about hot weather was that there was no way I would see Frost around. I wasn't sure if he would melt or get sick or something, but knowing that he can't be around during then felt like Mother Nature was allowing me vacation from him. First his immense hate when I first met him, and now the loser would not stop talking to me. Annoying brat.

Alice's voice shook me out of my thoughts, and I looked over at her. She was lying on the grass with her eyes closed shut, the wind blowing through her hair gently. Blades of grass somehow wove into her now bright, blood red hair. She looked like a summer elf.

"Sorry?"

"I was wondering if you knew any place we could go to that would be cooler. Like a pond or something?" she looked at me through squinted eyes.

I thought for a while. Ponds weren't usually the best place to swim in. Not only was it mucky and gross if you touched the bottom, but some sprites like to live there, and if humans happen to come across them and their nests, they're most likely to cause trouble. The last time I wandered into their territory I nearly lost my sanity from their incessant laughter.

"There's a quarry I've found a long time ago...Is that something that strikes your interest?"

Alice's soft smile told me indeed. Sure enough when Sadie was informed to get her bathing suit and whatever she needed for swimming, she was ecstatic. Nearly bouncing around the house finding her sketchbook and her sunhat. If anything she was the one bringing all her stuff while Alice had nothing besides the bathing suit she had on and her hat.

I had forgotten exactly what the quarry looked like over time, and I could tell Alice and Sadie loved it when we got there. The water was as blue as the Caribbean sea, the skies clear without a single cloud in sight. There was a nice patch of trees that shaded one part of the sandy side that Sadie made a beeline to, as well. The quarry was of almost a square shape, nearly half a mile long and about two thirds of a mile wide. On three sides of the quarry was solid rock, like a wall that touched the sky. Flora guarded the entire place, whether it'd be trees, bushes or overgrowth of flowery vines. It almost gave off a tropical feel.

Alice cheered as she took off her dress and ran towards the water. I smiled as she jumped head first into the water, and she resurfaced a moment later with a happy sigh. I looked over at Sadie and noticed she was focused incredibly hard on her drawing, her music in her ears again.

I made my way over to her casually, my hands behind my back. I bent over to look at her drawing. For the time being it was just lines and shapes, some darker than others.

Sadie noticed my presence and stopped her music, looking up with a smile, "Hi, Pitch!"

"Hello. What are you drawing? You look so engrossed in it."

She pointed to the quarry itself, right where the rock grew into the sky and one could barely see the green on the surface.

"I'm drawing that, but I'm going to be putting a face in the rock once I'm done. I'm going for something surreal...ish."

"Well, I'm glad you have a heightened interest in art," I ruffled her hair, "it's very nice seeing it in you."

Sadie smiled and turned back to her drawing, sketching in more lines and ovals in the center of the rock wall.

"Hey, Pitch!"

Alice was jumping up and down in the water, "Come on! The water's nice!"

I shook my head at first, but Alice gave that puppy look that always was capable of getting me to do things for her. With a sigh, I waded in, sucking in my chest at how chilly the water is.

"God! This is not what I had in mind." I grumbled, not liking the feel of my pants becoming heavy with water.

This is not what a Boogeyman would be doing. Good God, this water was cold at first! But after dunking my head under and meeting up with Alice in the sunlit part of the quarry, the water was much warmer than the shaded area. She laughed and floated on her back, watching me tread water.

"I take it you're not that into swimming." she grinned.

"Look at me!" I gestured to myself, "Do I look like the summer spirit or the Boogeyman? I'm like a shark in this water."

"Ooh, scary," she laughed, twisting herself around until she floated on her stomach and stared into the water like a dead man.

That gave me time to roll my eyes before she surfaced. Out of nowhere, she splashed me right in the face, causing me to splutter and cough. Once I wiped the water from my face, I saw Alice stifling a laugh. I gave her a wide grin, making her eyes widen.

"You're going to regret that."

I felt younger. I felt like I was human again when we were swimming around avoiding splash attacks. With anyone else I would never even think of sticking a toe into water, but Alice was an exception. She swam as if she was meant to have fins rather than legs, and our splashing stopped after we just swam around underwater. I had fun watching her move so elegantly through the water. Her slender legs bent back and forth as she curved in circles, arching her back as she shot around a rock and through underwater grass. Her hair swirled around her like a halo, contrasting against her basic blue bathing suit.

She looked over at me, her eyes open underwater. Noticing I was watching, she smiled, little bubbles floated up to the surface from her closed teeth. I grinned back, watching her swim around me like she was a dolphin.

I floated back up to the surface, needing to refill my lungs with air. Never before have I felt so calm from swimming before. Underwater was like another world, more blue and lively than above the surface.

But Alice didn't resurface along with me.

I peered down, waiting to see even bubbles rise up, but nothing met my eye. I glanced over to Sadie, who was now in the sunlight with her belly on the ground, getting a tan on her back. She wasn't worried where her sister was.

"Alice?" I called out.

Almost immediately, she popped out with a gasp, way beyond where she was before. She treaded water near the rock wall, waving a hand over to me.

"Pitch! Come here! I found something!"

Diving underwater, I followed her voice. I resurfaced close to her, and she smiled in greeting. She pointed a finger to a cave at the floor of the quarry, right into the rock wall we were near.

"I found an air pocket through there. You want to check it out?"

Sure enough, we did. I followed her through the tunnel that slowly arched upward into the air pocket she told me was there, and it wasn't like any other air pocket people would think.

There was nowhere to get onto dry land, so we had to tread water in order to keep our heads above the surface. The light from outside seeped through and made the water seem to glow, reflecting off of the dark rock ceiling. But within the cracks of the ceiling, were glittering rocks, unidentifiable to see whether they'd be precious stones or not. But what was more breathtaking was the drawings on the ceiling. They were etched into it, deep enough to feel against your fingers. Changing from geometric patterns to pictures of constellation beings, like Orion and Gemini, it covered the entire surface until it was two inches below the waterline.

"Isn't it cool? It's almost like temple engravings." Alice sighed, craning her neck up to see the giant star in the center of the ceiling.

"Romantic, too." I grinned at her, making her blush, "Is that why you brought me here? For privacy along with this?"

Alice laughed shyly, "Fine, you caught me."

I gently kissed her, holding her close so she could take a break from treading water. Her legs wrapped around my hips, her hands weaved into my hair and pulling gently.

I pulled away, breathless, "We should go back. Sadie might get suspicious."

Alice moaned into my neck, causing a hungry growl to rumble in my chest. "Let her wait. We're finally alone."

And who was I to not grant her that pleasure?

[iamwhelmed]

For Whom the Bell Tolls: Chapter 15

This was the one I was dreading so. It’s long, it’s action-packed, and it’s bloody enough for me to bump this fic up to an M rating. I’d say this is what everything has been leading up to, but you haven’t seen anything yet ;D

Also on AO3 and will later be on Fanfiction.net!

Summary: When monsters start to invade Mayview, the morality of the connection between a medium and their spirit comes into question. Is killing a spirit any different from taking the life of another human? Relationships between club members become strained, and if Max thought the club was coming apart before, it certainly is now.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Stephen backed into Johnny, who reached back and gripped his arm in a shaking hand.

RJ whipped beat down a lingering fleshy tentacle down with a bat from the gym broom closet, crouching down just as Ollie swung a net, filled to the brim with soccer balls, over their head. The balls made contact with another tentacle, crushing against the wall under the weight. "What is going on? What are these things?"

RJ straightened up, fixing their hoodie with hands that wouldn't cooperate. "It's something out of every horror movie we've ever watched!" They turned their wide eyes on Johnny, who slammed the door on yet another tentacle inching through the cracked-open door of what would have been Miss Baxter's classroom. "What do we do, Johnny?"

"I don't-!" He swallowed hard. "I don't know!"

What was there to do? Find a way out of the school? That seemed like a good start, but he wasn't entirely sure the… things… hadn't already made it out into the rest of the city. Were his parents okay? He flinched, both hands reaching up and grasping his head. Were his friends' parents okay? "I don't know! I don't f-!"

Something loud and obnoxious revved up, riding fast up the staircase in the distance. RJ and Ollie turned around, and Johnny let his hands fall back to his sides. "What the…?"

One of the clumps of flesh, which had been occupied carrying itself up the stairs, paused in its plight, seemingly as curious as Johnny was about the sudden racket.

Then the thing was nothing but blood, crushed under the weight of a lawn mower pounding up the stairs behind it. Johnny and company watched as it momentarily became airborne, faces contorting in confusion at the sight of the activity club- and the journalism club- latched to the mower with Isaac at the back, spouting wind, and Max at the front with a metal bat.

"WAA HOO!" Max crowed as the lawn mower hit the tiled floor, using his free hand to steer it to the side, heading down the hall. He thought he might have seen Johnny on their way by, but he wasn't too bothered with him at the moment, though it was nice to see somebody he knew hadn't already been sucked up and digested. "Did I tell you this was a good idea or what?"

Ed nearly tumbled off as Spender unintentionally fell a few inches back. He waved his arms around manically until Isabel screeched and reached the hand that wasn't clinging to Spender's waist for dear life to grab him by the collar. "WHAT!"

Max looked over his shoulder. "I said-!"

"I HEARD YOU!"

Spender reached out and grabbed Max's shoulder, nodding ahead. "We're almost to the cafeteria! That should be the center of the school! From there, we'll fan out!"

Max nodded and turned back around, gripping the wheel with more force. "Hey, Isaac! We need some more juice!"

"I'm-!" He grunted from the back, maneuvering himself so that his hands were pushing them more forward as opposed to upward. His efforts nearly sent him falling off, but Dimitri and Collin gripped his bottom half at the last second, Suzy pressing one hand to her mouth to stifle a yelp. He raised one hand to silently thank them before putting it back to work. "I'm trying, okay? This takes more energy than it looks!"

The mower slid into the cafeteria, mowing- pun intentional- down a monster ready to strike a student down. The girl wiped frantically at the tears streaming down her face before crawling away as fast as she could.

The club hopped off, then Collin and Dimitri, who paused and turned around to help Suzy down.

Isaac was the first to charge forward, conjuring a massive bolt of lightning larger than his head, sending it straight into the closest clump of flesh he could find. "Oh my god, dude!" Max gestured to the bloody monster, swaying back and forth, trying to regain its footing. "I thought you said you were running low on energy!"

"Well," he moved out of the way as Ed took out the other half with a painted sword. "Now I'm not."

Max scowled at Isaac, but he shrugged it off.

The rest of the club got to work taking down monsters, Max and Isabel going at a monster with three arms and a sideways, sharp-toothed mouth, Max swinging at its core and Isabel distracting it as best she could with her umbrella. Spender and Ed double-teamed another monster, Spender wrapping a shadow around its only eye as Ed drew up a spear and sent it through the gum-only mouth parting to scream. Dimitri stuck close to Suzy and Collin, driving his hand through everything that so much as tried to peck at them.

Isaac stayed close to them, but was less focused than Dimitri might have been. All he could do was fight, all he could think about was lightning. He grabbed one monster's tentacle near the tip, hand squeezing the eyeball attached as he sent wave after wave of electricity bolting through it. The monster screamed, and though the human-spirit hybrid sound unsettled him, he wouldn't let it distract him. He raised one leg and let wind collect around it, a tornado rolling and growing and roaring around it. It took him more concentration and balance than he had, but with a swift kick to the monster's side, it went flying across the cafeteria and into the wall, stuck in wood and drywall.

"ISAAC, LOOK OUT!"

Straight-faced, he spun around, sizing up the sharp, bloody teeth opening and salivating over him. The mouth was as tall as he was and took up one full side of the monster before him; its jaws parted further and the smell was putrid, something like eggs and feces, overwhelming and nauseating. Isaac nearly puked on the spot, but before he could even raise an arm to his nose, it charged.

Isaac remained where he stood, unflinching.

"Back" Dimitri came down on it from overhead, leg raised and vibrating, covered in orange aura. He cut the mouth straight off the body, sending the rest of its body falling backward, motionless. "Off!" He landed next to Isaac, turning a lidded glare on him before he could even say "thank you". Suzy and Collin, holding onto each other, approached them slowly, leaving what little cover the lawn mower offered them.

"What exactly were you doing?"

"What?" It was less of a question and more of a comment to brush him off.

"You didn't even move! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"No." Isaac raised one hand and set it at his shoulder, rolling it around. Another tentacle approached him, fast as a snake in the grass, and he sidestepped it as Dimitri cut it in half. Their eyes met again, and Isaac turned around. "Just not exactly trying to get out alive."

Dimitri froze, tightened eyes widening, as Suzy and Collin reached him.

Isabel screamed out as a clawed monster got her right in the shoulder, although just barely. She twisted around to get at it when Ed leaped in front of her. The clawed hand reached for her again, but Ed raised his scythe and cut it clean in half. It kept coming, not stopping even when most of it was sliced, until the monster itself came running at them. Ed growled and set his scythe aside, setting it on the ground and leaping to stand atop it so that he was taller than the monster. There he drew a large, sharpened circle and, with great balance, leaped from his perch and sliced the monster right down the middle. Blood and ectoplasm predictably followed, and Isabel had to wipe her face of it. Ed landed on his heel in front of her, immediately turning around and running straight to her. "Izzy! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Ed. I'm fine!" She smiled at him. "It's just a scratch!"

His sigh was heavy with relief, and so was his smile.

"All right, children, gather round!" Spender raised both hands and gestured for his students to come closer. Each pair made their way over, albeit struggling among the messes they'd made. Suzy stepped in the mucus of a monster on its last legs and squeaked, falling backwards into Collin, who caught her in exasperated arms, and shook her foot clear of it. Undigested students and teachers crawled around in the mush, looking dazed and confused, helping each other up or falling all over the place. Max paused to help a sixth grader up who, though scared and delirious, thanked him kindly for, uh, buying him a cookie from the cafeteria. Max waved him off and approached the growing circle with the rest of the group. "Now, there are a lot of monsters around here, and it'll be awfully difficult for any of you to fight them alone." He glanced at Ed from the side, who reached up and grabbed at his still-healing shoulder. Isabel frowned. "So we'll be splitting into teams. Dimitri, you'll be coming with me." Dimitri nodded, and Suzy and Collin both reached up and grabbed at either of his arms. "Isabel, Ed, you two are together." They looked to each other and nodded. Spender turned on Isaac and Max, both looking deathly serious, as he supposed they should have been. "Max, Isaac… can I trust you two to work together?"

Max looked at Isaac head on, but found his partner only looking at him from the side. Still not up for eye-contact, huh? "Yeah," Max answered for both of them. "We can do that."

The teams split up, Dimitri and Spender (and, of course, Suzy and Collin) heading to the East wing, Isabel and Ed heading for the South wing, and Isaac and Max headed for the West wing. The mood of the room, though initially strong with confidence, had petered out as each group parted. A hint of dread fell in cold air, riding on the coattails of obligation. There were a few uncertain looks back, primarily from the present non-spectrals, but they all had their fair share of uneasy thoughts.

"Dimitri!"

He twisted around at Isabel's voice, one eyebrow raised. She'd paused on their way out the door they'd come in, waving at him from across the cafeteria as Ed pressed passed the threshold. "You're a little rusty from so long outta the game, right? Be safe!"

He blinked, then shook his head and chuckled to himself. With a wave and a grin, he yelled back. "You too! Wouldn't wanna see that pretty smile all torn up!"

Isabel's waving hand dropped instantly, face flushing as red as her aura. He winked at her and continued on his way.

Isaac was terrifyingly brutal, far more than Ed and even laughably more than Isabel. When Max had weakened one monster down, Isaac was ripping them apart like nothing. Max cringed and wiped the blood that'd hit him dead on, raising an eyebrow at the carnage in their wake. "Hey, dude?"

"What?" Isaac was more preoccupied dragging a fist of electricity through a monster than he was answering whatever it was Max was about to ask, the ring of his tone didn't exactly hide that.

Max dodged a tentacle, which he noted with disgust was slick with slime and ectoplasm, and took a swing wherever his instincts led him. Gratefully, his sixth sense knew what it was talking about most of the time, and the hit landed square in the unblinking eye-of-sauron-looking sucker rising on him to his left. "Is there a reason you're blatantly ignoring your own moral code?"

Isaac paused as soon as the monster he'd driven a fist through fell to his feet, unmoving, wiping away the blood at his cheeks, perhaps ineffectually, considering his hand was covered in it up to his elbow. The sideways glance he gave Max wasn't as cold as it had been the weeks leading up to- Max mentally shook the thought off- his betrayal, but it was still distant, like an invisible arm extended, palm upturned. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Max shrugged, pushing down the curiosity urging him to glance around at their torn-apart, ravaged school; Isaac was not only more important, but momentarily more interesting. "You're kinda acting… violent."

Isaac shrugged right back at him, gesturing to his entirety. "You're beating that thing to death with a metal bat, and I'm the one being violent?"

Max glanced down at the monster raising one shaking claw up to his face before taking the final swing and stepping away with a wince. "Right." He'd forgotten, in the adrenaline of it all, that those things weren't just spirits, they were people. They had friends and family, even if they were all long gone, and that thought got to him the worst. They'd been stuck, struggling for dominance of their own body, living with nothing but agony and torture long enough they didn't even have a life to return to. He guessed, by that thought process, that he was releasing them for all of that, but he still wasn't sure the concept sat well with him.

He came to stand by Isaac's side, frowning as they both stopped to take in the scenery. Blood and ectoplasm were all over the halls and lockers, clumps of monster remains littering the hall, looking like hatched monster eggs instead of corpses. The students they'd saved, and presumably their other teammates had saved, wandered around the halls looking lost and horrified. Max got that; they were swallowed whole, after all. People don't usually expect to survive that. Ghosts that had been saved alongside students hugged each other and spun around in glee, though others moved casually along as usual. They must have been used to getting devoured and spit back up. The lights hanging above swung menacingly, blinking on and off, sometimes fizzling out before coming back on only moments later. Some lamps were shattered, but others had just been smacked around. Max side-eyed his shoulder and brushed ectoplasm from it. "Do you think they've gotten out into the city?" His dad and Zoe and Pj and Lefty came to mind. Part of him wanted to leave the school right then, go charging down the hill until he hit home so he could be sure they were completely safe, or he could hide them.

Isaac shook his head. "No. The city was pretty calm on our way back here, remember? These things are attacking the school specifically. I just don't know why."

Max sighed, and Isaac continued on down the hall. He followed him, careful not to trip and slip over the mess that surrounded them.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

Max licked his dry lips, cringing inwardly when they tasted like copper. "Is there a reason you saved us?"

Isaac paused ahead of him, and Max thought he might turn on him and snap, go into hysterics about his reasoning and get all mushy and heartfelt and dramatic.

Instead he huffed.

"I just needed your help. Don't think about it too much."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued on, and Max felt irritation rise as he scurried off after him.

"Why are you being such a jerk?"

"Because you're asking rhetorical questions."

Another monster down, only infinitely many more to go. Spender stood straight and readjusted his glasses, watching Dimitri give the monster they'd tag-teamed a finishing blow. As predicted, it created a mess, and he could hear Suze and Collin shrieking to themselves somewhere behind them. He grimaced. "You know it isn't safe, don't you?"

He couldn't see them with his back turned, but he knew they nodded their heads.

"That's just who they are." Dimitri stood too, vibrating his hand clean of ectoplasm. "Suzy goes running headfirst into danger, and Collin's just along for the ride." He glanced to the side at them and smiled, and Spender could practically feel their moods lifting.

With a sigh, he continued onward. He was worried about them. They weren't spectrals with any powers to speak of, and there wasn't a whole lot to hand them for weapons- anything that'd be effective, anyway. They did have Dimitri, at least, who seemed nothing if not intent on defending them. Even should he fail, he had a feeling Dimitri would pick up more than half the slack in his place.

"They'll be after us now, you know."

Spender raised an eyebrow as they continued down the hallway, silently urging Dimitri to continue his thought. He was always the more serious of his students, and often had a tendency to appear- and to be- more mature than his classmates. Even then, with what were perhaps the most terrifying enemies Spender himself had ever faced (aside from one, he could almost hear Lucifer reminding him), Dimitri seemed cool and collected, eyes focused on the hall ahead of them. "Who will be?"

"The men who arrested us. You think they're gonna just let us go 'cause we happened to escape? With all due respect, sir, they're gonna come after us."

"Maybe if my superiors hadn't predicted something like this would inevitably happen."

Dimitri blinked and looked up to him, and Spender was reminded that he never looked more his age than when he'd been surprised. He smiled back at him. "You have people on the inside?"

"Of course. This isn't the first time the spectral world was in danger of being exposed" He frowned again, humming more to himself than aloud. "Though, it is the first time such a large number of non-spectrals have been in contact with a paranatural entity, and we can't be sure word hasn't spread outside of the city."

"Because of my article?"

Suzy's voice was tentative, but he could hear how ready she was to take responsibility. SHe must have felt some semblance of guilt for the part she'd played in leaving the school defenseless, but he by no means blamed her. Even if she had gone to the authorities, he imagined even an adult unfamiliar with their world might have had the same reaction.

"I doubt your article raised too much suspicion, Suzy. You are, after all, a school newspaper, and as I recall, your organizer hasn't been very good about funding you." Suzy growled under her breath, but he had a feeling it was less directed at him and more the situation at hand. "As true to journalism as you were, I can't help but think the conclusion most would come to was that it was an attention-grab."

"Right."

Dimitri chuckled. "You knew Isaac would come around, didn't you?"

Spender smiled.

The last monster in their wing, at least she was semi-certain of that, hit the ground with a thud and a twitch; Isabel and Ed high-fived. It'd been a little larger than some of the other ones they'd tag-teamed, but still not quite as ferocious as it might have been had they been separated. It was fat and it smelled of stale blood and an uncleaned mouth, stench strong enough they'd both raised a fist to their mouths simultaneously to keep from upchucking right then and there. Its skin perpetually was melting and sinking back into itself- on the bright side, it would often slip over itself. It was easy enough for Isabel to flip it over while Ed sliced it down the middle. "Man," she crowed, setting a hand on her shoulder, rolling it around to stretch it. "It feels good to be your partner again!"

Ed smiled at her, and she smiled right back.

She stopped and looked from him to the ground, fumbling around with the words she wanted to say. Could she just come out and ask him why he'd been lying to her? Would he tell her the truth? Would it be better for her plan if she never confronted him about it and just hoped he'd change his mind? Maybe. But maybe they'd both been dancing around each other, and maybe they both should have been upfront from the beginning.

Maybe she could turn things around by doing what she should have done in the first place.

"Hey, Ed?" She clenched her umbrella in one nervous hand, looking back to him as she began. It was then that she saw his eyes were somewhere behind them, and he didn't exactly look relieved. She turned to face the end of the hallway as he was, and his distracted gaze certainly made sense then.

The monster was larger than every other they'd faced, she could tell even as it slinked around at the end of the hall. It sat so high its head, or what she guessed was its head, brushed against the ceiling, leaving a trail of ectoplasm and blood on both ends. It rammed into the lamps above, bending and snapping them as it passed. When it moved forward, each fell to the floor, hitting the ground and darkening the hallway with a threatening

SMASH… crunch… crunch…

They both took a step back as it approached them, millions of eyes blinking with no coordination, looking at everything and nothing all at the same time. There were thousands of mouths for each eye, some talking, some screaming, some crying.

Some hissed and cackled.

"Help me!"

"What is happening?"

"You'll all get what's coming to you!"

"This body is mine! It's mine!"

All at once, she was reminded that they weren't just fighting normal spirits- these things were human, too, or had been once. Isabel reached out and gripped Ed's arm, and he turned only slightly to look at her, eyes still pasted to the monster approaching. Her eyes were trained to the set settling on them, blinking but never wavering as it grew on them.

He'd knocked down around twenty different attempts on Isaac's life in their time partnering up that afternoon, he was sure of it. Isaac was acting recklessly, tearing through monster after monster with no remorse, though he knew nobody had filled him in on just what the monsters were yet; that might have been a good thing, considering he was sure he'd be horrified with himself if he knew, but it was bad because he wasn't treading as carefully as Max was, and he still had no clue why. They'd just taken another monster down, Max batting a claw with fatal-intent headed Isaac's way, when the urge to say something finally kicked in.

"Isaac."

Max watched him pause mid-step, sighing into the dead air without so much as turning to look at him. They hadn't cleared their wing just yet, but if he didn't say something soon, he had a feeling one of them wouldn't be walking out of Mayview Middle alive. "What?"

"Do you wanna tell me what's been up with you?" He waved a hand to Isaac, who couldn't see the gesture, but he did it anyway. "I've been trying to figure it out since Thursday, and honestly I can't come up with a reason you would have sold us out like that. And then, a day later- almost twenty-four hours on the dot- you break us out! Why? And before you even did all of that, you were avoiding us like we ran your dog over or something! I get that we had a fight, dude, but it wasn't that deep! What is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?"

The hallway was completely silent, aside from the bouts of confusion that had the wandering student body mumbling amongst themselves. Nobody that passed by paid them any attention, too wrapped up in what just happened to them to acknowledge the only two composed bodies in the wing. Max stared Isaac's back down, hoping he could feel the heat of his glower, sense the boiling irritation seething between them. The light above them flickered on and off, fizzling faintly with life.

Then Isaac clenched his fists and whipped around. "You wanna know what my problem is?" Max took a step back upon seeing Isaac's wide, wild eyes, watching his aura grow and flare each time he blinked. "My problem is you! It's been you this whole freaking time! Wanna know why?" Max might have nodded had Isaac given him time to. "Because I was an idiot and I trusted you! I knew you for all of a week and I trusted you! Completely! Like some stupid little kid!" Isaac laughed to himself then, eyes falling from Max's to his hands- his trembling, open hands. "And look where it got me! I thought you'd be my friend! I thought you'd stand up for me! I thought you'd like me! How stupid is that?" Isaac ran a hand through his spiked hair, and Max noticed it looked duller than it used to. His aura started to die down, leaving only Isaac, who looked so small right then and so, painfully, broken. "All this time I've been holding onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, somebody would swoop in and take my side! That somebody would actually care about me and want me around! But you didn't!" Max flinched. "You betrayed me just like my gut told me you would! I was dumb enough to think that you'd be the first one to care and you just became one of them! I'm such an idiot!" Isaac's eyes found his again, looking bloodshot and glassy and wet, but the tears weren't falling. Isaac was smiling at him, laughing to himself between words, though it was clear neither of them thought anything about the situation was funny. "It's my fault, okay? I screwed up. I wanted you all to care about me, and if you didn't like me, I thought maybe..." He exhaled through his nose and shrugged with an undertone of defeat. "Maybe if I made you guys mad, then I'd be on your minds, you know? You'd think about me. But," Max felt his stomach dropping, feel the familiar sensation of guilt creeping up on him as Isaac shook his head and chuckled again. "But it just hurt worse…"

"Why" the words came out in croaks, so Max cleared his throat. "Why didn't you say anything?" Isaac looked up at him with his head downturned. "If that's how you felt, why didn't you tell us?"

The light above them flickered on. "It's not like you would have listened anyway."

Max paused. That wasn't true- without even thinking, Max knew that wasn't true. He would have listened. He knew what it was like to bottle something up, to feel like he couldn't speak his mind, to be scared he'd just make things worse is he did. Oh.

So that's what Zoe had been going on about…

Max took off his cap and ran a hand through his sweaty hair before setting it back on. "Isaac, listen-"

Then there was a scream, unsettlingly familiar, sounding so agonized Max and Isaac both felt horror settle over them.

The same scream rang through the halls of the East wing. Everyone halted and glanced upwards to the second floor, eyes wide, fear gripping each of them as the last of the scream settled over their heads. Dimitri and Spender were the first to run off down the hall, carrying themselves toward the staircase with such speed and urgency that Collin and Suzy had to mentally play catch up. Suzy, who had wrapped one arm around Collin's as the scream entered the hall, swallowed audibly. "That wasn't…" Collin looked at her, mouth open but never saying a word. "That wasn't Isabel, was it?"

"Isabel!"

Ed lunged after her as she rolled across the hall, grasping at her torn shoulder, the same place she'd told him she'd been bitten a few weeks prior. She came to a stop as he landed on the other side of her, reaching down and lifting her up in his arms. "Isabel, are you okay?" She winced up at him, one hand clutching, with pain and with vengeance, at her bleeding shoulder.

"I'm fine, but I swear I'm going to kill that thing!"

"You're too hurt to move, Izzy!"

"And you're not?" He frowned, nearly reaching up to touch one of the healing bite marks at his side. Instead, he squeezed her side where he lifted her.

"I'm healed enough."

"I can still fight." She sat up in his arms, close enough that their foreheads would have brushed had she moved any closer. Ed set a cautious hand over hers where her wound was.

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as can be."

He helped her to her feet without another word. The monster at the other end of the hall shrieked from all of its mouths, each individual voice ringing in their ears, a wave of sound hitting them with so much force they both stepped back. Isabel took her hand from her shoulder, but kept Ed's in hers; she squeezed him. They looked from the monster to each other, and suddenly everything felt right again.

LIke the old times, like usual, when they were a team, when they were best friends- when nobody and nothing could tear them apart, because they were going to be together for the rest of their lives. Ed found himself grinning again, the way he used to before the train and the last three weeks, and Isabel reflected it with her own bloodthirsty smirk.

"Your love for her will make you stronger. Focus on that."

Then, with a battlecry that rivaled even the monster's screams, they were charging- together, full force, auras melding like fingers intertwining. Green against red, red fixing into the green, braiding to become one with every leap they took towards the enemy. The monster ran at them, knocking out the last of the lights, but their auras lit the way for them, and with another cry, they lunged forward.

Together, they became a bullet, shooting through the monster, taking a huge chunk from the square middle, large enough they left a gaping hole so huge that they could have seen right through it without squinting. The monster roared and lunged forward still, slowing to a stop along the way because its targets had shifted right through it. Isabel and Ed came out the other side, shooting across the hall until Isabel set one foot on the ground below them. Ed followed suit, and they both slowed to a stop.

The first thing they did was glance at each other as their auras faded. He gave her his smallest grin, and she mirrored everything he was feeling in her smile. They turned to look at the monster as it let out another ferocious howl, echoing in the near-empty hallways.

Dimitri had cut right through one of its fleshy arms with his hand, the eyes along the length of it closing for good as the limb hit the ground. Max attacked its other side with a solid hit to three of the eyes, causing the monster to lurch to the side Dimitri was on, squealing in pain. Isaac was next, summoning a storm cloud as he charged forward. Hail rained down on the monster, causing Max and Dimitri to stumble out of the way, Max whining to anyone who'd listen, though primarily whining to Isaac, about how close that'd been. The monster folded back, slinking backwards, towards Ed and Isabel. They both crouched down, ready to form another bullet should they need to.

To their surprise, Spender launched into the air, grazing the ceiling above, and used the shadow of the broken shards of glass on the floor to slice its head clean off, sending it spiraling their way. With a noise of disgust, and a stuck-out tongue on Isabel's part, they moved as it went right by their heads.

On the other side of the hall, they could hear Suzy and Collin screaming and laughing, hugging each other and leaping for joy, though the leaping part was clearly at Collin's expense.

Dimitri met Isabel's gaze and grinned, offering her a simple thumbs up. She grinned from ear to ear and returned the gesture.

[kuriquinn]

Underneath the Underneath [1/?]

Summary: As observant as he is, it take Kakashi years before he realises he's in an actual, adult relationship.

Disclaimer: This story utilizes characters, situations and premises that are copyright Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Shonen Jump and Viz Media. No infringement on their respective copyrights pertaining to episodes, novelizations, comics or short stories is intended by the author in any way, shape or form. This fan oriented story is written solely for the author's own amusement and the entertainment of the readers. It is not for profit. Any resemblance to real organizations, institutions, products or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All fiction, plot and Original Characters with the exception of those introduced in the books, manga, video games, novelizations and anime, are the sole creation of KuriQuinn and using them without permission is considered rude, in bad-taste and will reflect seriously on your credibility as a writer. You will be forced to juggle geese until you drop dead should you be found plagiarizing.

Warning: Spoilers for pretty much everything up to Chapter 699.

Canon-Compliance: As close to canon as fanfiction can possibly be. With a few personal additions :P Takes place during Part I, Part II and the Blank Period.

Fanon-Compliance: Takes place several years before An Inch of Gold and Unplanned.

AN: OC alert! There is an OC in this story! Ohmygosh! Okay, so I have had a lot of interest in my OC, Manako, over the past little while, and I got a few requests here, on AO3 and on tumblr to start showing her relationship with Kakashi a little more. I had been meaning to wait until once I finished with all my SasuSaku headcanon stuff, but then I thought, why not write it now? Kakashi and Manako's relationship happens entirely off-screen so as not to interfere or impose on the canon, so I can write a few pieces every now and then for those of you who are curious. I hope you enjoy!

Author’s Note2: In case anyone was not aware of this (and I’ve mentioned it several times), Kakashi and Manako are about 9-10 years apart in age. They meet several years before the Naruto series begins and slowly build a friendship. Despite the fact that this is a universe with different age appropriate behaviours and expectations than our own (for crying out loud, they have twelve year old kids fight to the death and massacre their families), and that for the vast majority of human history age differences and relationships at younger ages have always exists, with or without consent, I have gone out of my way to ensure that nothing physical or intimate happens between the two until Manako is 18 years old (legal voting age in Japan, in many place in Japan, legal age of consent as per Tokyo’s Youth Protection Law). There has been an ongoing trend across many fandoms lately to demonize any relationship with a large age-gap or where one partner is a teenager on the cusp of being legal. Interestingly enough, these same people have no problem with a 17-year-old girl being stalked by a 100-year-old vampire just because he looks like a 17-year-old boy. Go figure.

In laymen’s terms, if you’re one of those holier-than-thou, morality-police, purity-wank douchenozzles that think authors should censor their work to protect your delicate sensibilities from being exposed to stuff that happens in real life…kindly step out of my section of the sandbox and go play elsewhere.

This is the politest I get about it.

“Ah! Kakashi, my venerable rival!” Maito Gai declares with his usual pomp, pointing one finger straight in front of him, while his other hand remains hidden behind his back. “Today is the day when we settle our longstanding, noble contest!”

Kakashi raises his single visible eyebrow at the digit two inches from his nose. “Is that so?”

“Yes! You see, as I was enjoying my balanced and revitalising morning repast, I heard a foreigner mention a competition from their land! The honourable and youthful pursuit of juggling geese!”

From behind his back, Gai produces a tiny gosling that blinks up at Kakashi and honks in puzzlement.

Kakashi returns that blink. Behind him, he hears Kurenai and Asuma stifle chuckles.

“That’s a goose,” he says eventually.

“Well-spotted, you keen-eyed animal, you!”

Kakashi counts to three in his head, and then points out in as reasonable a voice as he can manage, “Isn’t juggling geese a little cruel?”

“Nonsense! Our Konoha poultry is the hardiest of the land!”

That’s not what I…what even…?

There are so many logical, well-thought out arguments against this, and yet Kakashi knows from experience none of them will suffice. And so, he pounces on Gai’s ridiculousness in the hopes he can dissuade him for once.

“If the purpose is to juggle geese, shouldn’t there be more than one?”

Gai’s elated expressions holds for several seconds longer, and then his shoulders slump and he glares into the distance.

“Damn you, Kakashi, with your cool logic!”

Well, that was a narrowly avoided spot of—

“Fear not! I will return with a gaggle of goslings for us to test our juggling acumen!”

And he speeds off, leaving Kakashi holding the goose.

“Well…” Asuma begins.

“That’s certainly an interesting way to begin the morning,” Kurenai adds.

Gai hurries back, snatches the confused bird, and disappears again. Kurenai shakes her head. “Is it just me or does he get more high-spirited every day?”

“It’s not just you,” Asuma assures her. “The man could tire out the gods…”

Kakashi sighs and glances at the sky; the sun isn’t even at its zenith yet.

This is not how his routine is supposed to go.

Not that he ever consciously planned to have something as mundane as a routine. As a general rule, shinobi avoid having those, being that they are trained to expect the unexpected. However, over the years since he moved up the ranks in Konoha, a certain procedure has emerged nonetheless.

Every morning he rises before dawn and visits the cemetery, standing before the Memorial Stone to pay respect to his fallen comrades. Depending on his mood he may simply spare them a few words, or perhaps he’ll spend an hour or two in silent remembrance of Obito, Rin and Minato-sensei. Afterward, he heads to Hokage Tower to see if there’s anything Lord Third intends him to do.

It’s been almost a year since the Hokage removed him from active duty with ANBU, as well as mandatory therapy and instruction to readapt his teaching methods for genin. Eventually he will be assigned his first genin squad, but for now he’s simply on the village duty roster. Still, the missions Lord Third assigns him are always for the best of the village.

In any case, he has a lot more recreational time than he ever did before. Privately he thinks the old man is hoping he’ll use these newfound free periods to socialise more, but at this point in his life, Kakashi isn’t keen on seeking out friendship. As a child he didn’t like the idea of mingling with other people, and as an adult he is even more socially hesitant.

It’s not exactly easy to make friends when every person you’ve ever cared about died and everyone else holds you responsible for it.

Still, in spite of his reluctance, he has forged some connections within the village.

First and foremost, there’s Gai, whose presence in his life was insisted upon by their respective fathers. By now, the taijutsu master is so much of a habit for Kakashi that he’s not quite sure what he’d do without him. No day is complete without one of Gai’s ridiculous competitions, though Kakashi tries to avoid them until the evening for simple conservation of energy. 

In the past few years, he’s also found himself in the company of Asuma more and more often. Kakashi is pretty sure the man has been ordered by his father to keep an eye on him, which would be annoying if Asuma were less interesting. The Hokage’s son is well-learned and well-travelled, and his stories fill the silences that would otherwise be awkward.

Then there’s Kurenai, who goes wherever Asuma does these days, and Yugao. She’s the only one of his former ANBU squad that he speaks to with anything resembling regularity, if only because she’s been going on fewer mission since she and Hayate started spending more time together. Tenzō, when he isn’t off on missions, will invite Kakashi for a drink or a meal (and then they both spend the evening trying to nonchalantly trick the other into paying for it).

He tries not to think of Itachi Uchiha at all.

“Are you actually going to juggle geese?” Kurenai asks, her mouth quirking upwards at Kakashi.

Asuma chuckles again. “That sounds like it would be messy…”

“Maybe I’ll be assigned a mission and be able to avoid him,” Kakashi groans.

“I don��t know – it looks like he’s coming back,” Kurenai points out, staring out into the distance.

Kakashi doesn’t need to be told twice.

Without really looking, he dives through the door of the nearest shop, just in time to avoid Gai’s triumphant return – now balancing half a dozen geese in his arms.

Peeking through the corner of the nearby window, he watches as Gai—upon realising Kakashi is nowhere to be found—begins to demonstrate exactly how one juggles geese to a bemused Kurenai and Asuma.

Kakashi sighs and slumps down, pressing his head against the wall. It’s going to be a while before he can slip away. Maybe there’s a back entrance somewhere—

“Unless you’re looking for a way to blow shit up, you shouldn’t be here,” a bored voice says from somewhere behind him. “My boss doesn’t like loitering.”

Kakashi looks up, noticing in the process that his chosen hide-out is one of the many surplus and supply stores in the village. The smell of ink, paper and gunpowder fill the air, and when he takes notices of the walls he sees row upon row of specialty parchment—the kind for explosive tags. He glances across the sales floor, for the first time taking note of the girl reading a book behind the check-out counter. She’s familiar to him, although in the second-hand kind of way that everyone in a small village is familiar, so it only takes a moment to place her.

Twins are rare in such a small village, and Manako Inuzuka is identical to her sister Hana. Brunette and dark eyed, with a solid-looking medium frame and a languid, unselfconscious bearing he doesn’t see in a lot of girls her age. She lacks the distinctive Inuzuka facial markings, which is odd considering she’s the child of the leader, but somehow she manages to look just as fierce.

Kakashi occasionally has business with Hana—sometimes his ninja hounds require urgent medical care, and she’s set to take over the village’s veterinary practice—but he has never spoken to Manako beyond a few random, forgettable encounters. He doesn’t expect this one to be any different.

Except, then his attention falls on the book she’s reading.

The book which happens to be the next installment of his favourite series.

The one he has been desperately waiting on for the last six months.

“That’s the latest Icha Icha novel,” he says.

“It is.”

“It’s not even supposed to be out for another month.”

“And yet, here it is,” Manako replies, turning a page.

“How did you get your hands on this?”

“I know a guy.”

He begins to approach the counter. “Can I know a guy?”

“That depends—are you into bondage?”

Kakashi does a bit of a double-take at this, opening his mouth and then closing it again as he studies her. She and Hana were in Itachi’s year, which means she can’t be more than fifteen or sixteen years old.

She has to be messing with him.

Even so, he’s not entirely sure what to say to that.  At his silence, she finally looks up, considering him with a critical eye.

“Oh. You’re him,” she says, and Kakashi waits for the usual qualifier—he knows the things people whisper about him: cold-blooded, friend-killer, traitor’s son. But then she adds, “You’re Pakkun’s pet.”

“Pet?” he echoes, surprised and disbelieving.

“Sorry. That’s how the dogs talk,” she says, though she doesn’t sound or look very sorry, turning her attention back to her book in a clear dismissal. “I mean to say you’re his human.”

He’s not sure that’s much better and gets the sense that she’s mocking him.

“Your sister is a lot more polite than you,” he says, which sounds immature and over-simplistic, but he’s still a bit caught off balance and doesn’t know what else to say.

She doesn’t seem ruffled by the comparison at all.

“So I’m told.”

Again, her words drip with dismissal, and Kakashi is inclined to take the hint. He turns back toward the shop entrance.

Except –

He turns around. “Out of curiosity—”

“No.”

He frowns. “You don’t even know what I’m going to ask.”

“You’re not getting my book.”

“I’d pay you for it.”

“But then it would not longer be my book,” she says, and then glances up, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “I’m possessive and materialistic like that.”

Kakashi resists the urge to pout, but only because he is a grown-ass man and a jōnin and feared by half the shinobi world.

“Surely there’s some arrangement we can come to?” he suggests, trying to sound smooth and casual and not like a slavering fanboy.

“You’re that desperate for cheesy romance and long drawn-out sex?” she raises an eyebrow at him, and he feels his cheeks warm beneath his mask because does she have to be that blunt about it?!

“Well what’s your excuse for reading it?”

“I have two X-chromosomes,” she retorts, and then crosses her arms. “And didn’t you hear? Long. Drawn-out. Sex.”

His cheeks flooding with even more colour.

“Should you really be reading that sort of thing?” he asks, a little tightly. “It’s not exactly…”

“Oh, but if it was a teenaged boy it would be alright?” she counters. “Talk about double standards…”

“I never said—”

“I have just as much right to read it as you,” she shoots back. “And if you think about it, it’s kind of creepier when it’s an old guy like you doing it.”

“…Old?”  Kakashi demands, voice cracking a little in astonishment.

“Well, with that hair of yours,” she shrugs. “Easy mistake to make.” He stares at her in reply, and she smirks. “See? It’s not nice to generalize about someone’s age.”

Kakashi decide right then that it’s time to leave.

Juggling geese is suddenly a much less challenging prospect than any more absurdist conversation with this…person. He doesn’t even ask about the back entrance, and is almost on the point of opening the door again when—

“I guess I could make you a deal.”

Kakashi pauses, the sudden image of himself reading his beloved, long-book at the end of a tiring day. It’s been so long…

“I’m listening,” Kakashi says, turning back.

“I need someone to field-test my specialty explosive tags,” she tells him. “But Old Man Third won’t let me hire a genin squad. Something about legal issues or child protection or whatever.” She makes a dismissive hand gesture. “None of the chūnin are allowed to, either, ever since the last time some moron didn’t read the labels and blew off a testicle.” Kakashi’s cheeks rapidly lose all earlier warmth. “And most jōnin are pretentious pricks that think their missions are more important than functioning equipment, so...”

Kakashi’s eye twitches. “Noted.”

“But I’ve heard you’re moderately intelligent, and apparently, you’re fast too, so here’s what I want—you come by every so often and try out my specialty tags, then come give me feedback, and I’ll hook you up with this book.” Kakashi is about to say that seems like an awful lot of work for one book, and then she adds, “And any others that my contact sets me up with.”

“You’re making literature seem a lot more clandestine than it is,” he accuses.

“Not all of us are elite ninjas. Some of us have to make our fun where we can,” she replies. “Are you in or out?”

Kakashi turns the offer over in his head.

The whole thing sounds an awful lot like responsibility, or even worse, accountability, and unless the well-being of the village is at stake, he tends to avoid both.

However, on the other hand, he’s heard from others that Manako’s incendiary devices are top quality, and that she doesn’t limit her work to simple explosives. Which could prove useful in situations where he doesn’t feel like expending effort.

And he really wants to read the book.

It’s telling that the only considerations he have pertain to his own laziness and guilty reading pleasures.

“Alright, it’s a deal,” he says.

“Good,” she agrees, nodding in a businesslike fashion. “But you’re still waiting until after I finish reading it.”

Which causes Kakashi’s shoulders to slump because how did he not see that coming. He can predict the moves of enemy ninja before they even consider making them, and this girl outmaneuvered him with a single sentence.

She smirks at him, black eyes dancing. “Of course, if I didn’t have to cut my break short lugging boxes around and doing actual work, I could probably finish this in the next hour…”

He shoots her an unimpressed look.

“Do you actually think I’m that desperate?”

“I think you just promised to carry out potentially dangerous field testing that could possible get you blown up just to get a chance to read the book. Damn straight I think you’re desperate,” she declares, black eyes dancing. “So either you’re really bored with your life, or really weird.”

She looks him over again, and he gets the sense that this time she is actually studying him, because her eyes linger on his mask.

“Weird,” she concludes, and nods to herself. “Which is good. We’ll be friends.” She then closes the book, holding the place with one finger and pokes another in his face. “But no sex, okay? I don’t want to deal with sad puppy-dog eyes when I break your heart.”

He can’t help his jaw dropping at either implication.

“Now get to work. There are crates of blank scrolls in the back that need to be stocked up here,” she says, going back to her reading. “And if you don’t do a good job, I’m calling out spoilers.”

Which is how Kakashi Hatake, elite jōnin of the Hidden Leaf, finds himself stocking shelves for the next two hours, wondering what exactly he has gotten himself into.

つづく

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated, and very motivating—and if you enjoy my writing, check out my original stories as they are posted on patreon!

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