Tumgik
#but after makoto no muse stuck with me that long.
fantomevoleur · 5 months
Note
Hypocrite.
You've preached about how much your friends mean to you—-about how much you trust them. And yet you can't even trust them to be with you through your hardships. Do you think they'd thank you for hiding this from them? Do you think they're weak and uncapable?
What a shallow friendship.
On anon, tell my muse what they need to hear
Tumblr media
"Shut up-!"
How dare they!
How dare they insinuate his friends weren't competent enough to handle such inner struggles. All of them, every single ally he gained so far each dealt with their own, personal toils. No life would ever be written perfectly. Hardships and downfalls always came at the price of attaining one's true happiness. Through those tribulations did they accomplish great feats, carrying those experiences and mistakes all in their hearts to become better versions of themselves.
They dreamed of accomplishing these goals, and Akira shared those same ambitions as well. It was his dream to see them happy.
"You shouldn't be saying these things like you know them. You don't know them! At all!" His anger spat in the direction of the stranger's allegations. Those once gentle grey hues now turned into a raging storm, violent and dangerous. "So you have no right saying they're incapable of tackling any problem head-on. They're stronger now than before I stumbled into their lives."
If it wasn't for his unfortunate arrival, they'd be stuck in the same cycle. No progression or wake-up call due to his presence meant dire consequences for their future. Makoto would still be receiving blackmail from the principal, Ryuji and Ann would be suffering Kamoshida's abuse, all of his friends may not have made it out alive due to their circumstances.
Because of his actions, how could he even think they deserve to shoulder the pot of troubles simmering inside of him? It's too much.
Tumblr media
"And you have no right to be calling me out when you're a stranger to me. My business is mine, not someone I barely even know." He had enough of them. They didn't deserve his time or this attention, yet the frustration remained even after the boy wandered away.
A hypocrite...
Someone who should eat his own words.
He'll swallow that title, as long as it's for the sake of his friends.
4 notes · View notes
fumikomiyasaki · 2 years
Note
🌧 ehehahsnsm
🌧: to get caught in the rain with my muse
Theme Park/Fair memes
Tumblr media
After a long day Julian cursed a bit given of course he was surprised on this previously sunny day by a sudden rain despite being before proud on his new look... He tried to take shelter somewhere but he actually should have been back by his dorm... However standing under a bus stop of the city he found a familar face that let him smirk...
"Makoto... why is it good to see you?"
"Urgh why do I have to be stuck with you?"
"Come on I just wanna chat to pass time." As usual he just scooted a bit closer to him with a smirk...
"Just because our sisters like each other doesn't mean I have to as well.."
"Aww but I wanna be closer to you... I just liked seeing your pretty face before me.."
Getting red and awfully flustered he looked away from Julian.
"Shut up moron..."
"Well in the end do you wanna run into the rain and risk a cold or at least pass some time chatting with me normally. I try to hold back but I can't make promises."
"Urgh fine whatever."
In the end they tried to pass the times somehow untill the clouds were gone...
Tumblr media
3 notes · View notes
ducknotinarow · 1 year
Note
📝Nina Rogers
| Send me 📝 and i'll give you a random amount of headcanons/facts about my muse!
So similar to Richard we'll do some meta stuff though I feel there is more I can say on Nina? I'll also cover her relationship with Autumn since you don't get that much on the blog.
Tumblr media
Nina is actually short for Valentina, so on official Documents and such she is listed as such. Mainly she just goes by Nina. Full name Valentina 'Nina' Sarah Rogers.
Even though shes adopted, i never gave her a last name from before cause shes just Rogers to me XD
Like Richard nina also had some character inspirations behind her creation I know I said one before but I'll repeat myself.
Tumblr media
Rapheal from tmnt 2003. It's why her color is red and why Nina tends to deal with simallair story beats in a sense. I guess her Leo would be another oc that belongs to my friend Jasmine. They are rivals and yet they do work well together. They butt heads a lot and fight the second eyes lock.
Nina is far more sensitive so she gets angry easy and tends to rely on that anger when it comes to fighting. She just learned far sooner that isn't smart thanks to Steve. She still has her bad temper she just dose better at controlling it but like her Lantia blood suggests shes a hot head for sure.
Tumblr media
Another inspiration because Sailor Moon seems to impact a lot of what I do XD. Is Makoto from Sailor Moon. I always loved how she was the tallest, and Strongest of the group but was also one of the most feminine characters in the series with dreams of falling in love, having a family, and being all into cooking.
Originally Nina used to have a ponytail for this connection. Nina does still have her more feminine trait now. Nina doesn't dress girly but she is very into beauty products also keep her out of the kitchen u-u.
Nina has been an avid fan of Steve for as long as she can recall. She got invested in him as she got older and learned about his story of being this poor sick kid from Brooklyn that became the Hero known as Steve Rogers. And it inspired Nina to do good for others despite her own situations. Being a hot head landed her in a lot of trouble for fighting, however. Steve didn't become her hero though till taking her under his wing and being a mentor to her.
Nina is a hopeless romantic in truth she's a sap for a good love story and claims shes a cupid, she has helped people get together in the end but she shouldn't meddle u-u
This is why Nina's own romantic history is a tad messy. She falls in love kind of easily in that sometimes a girl just says so much as hi and Nina's head over heels.
Despite her break-ups and such Nina has never been against dating and has had both short-term and long-term relationships the shirts being a month the longer ones about half a year or more. Her final relationship though is Autumn her wife.
Nina meets Aumtun in her second year of college, they meet in the campus library where Nina needs help finding a book for a mission because something just doesn't make sense to her. This kind of leads to a lot of thier interactions. Autumn's expertise makes her a sort of secondary source for Nina to hit when she needs help. Of course, the moment she heard Autumn's voice the girl fell hard. So it became a great excuse to see this girl more.
They start to date not to long after this meeting, Autumn was the first girl Nina ever dated who truly loved Nina for all she was and saw her as more than a strong girl. She saw ninas passionate side, her drive, and more importantly her brains. Autumn is the one who told Nina how she's a quick thinker even if she makes a mistake she's able to keep her brain working in stressful moments.
Something that stuck with Nina because she was so used to others thinking she was reckless or stupid no one else ever told her that before. Sure Nina's been in love before but that was when she truly felt something deeper for another person. Finally being felt seen in a way no one else ever has.
Nina lives for social media she has an account on a lot of the main sites.
Twitter: Where she is the most mainly to post updates on her hero work it's been a good way to connect with people and send out alerts for people to clear areas.
Instagram: Is mostly her posting pictures of herself around the tower leaving for missions or returning she never post the same days those go on just to be safe. Has posted many photos of Steve's dad get ups. Lots of Cooper photos
TikTok: Shes usually follows the trends roping Brook, Peter, and even Astrid into joining her. Peter usually has more idea on what's going on and tends to work the camera since he has experience. Lots of skits to trending sounds or dance videos
snapchat: this is mostly her and Aumutn just sending photos back and forth to each other
Nina deff had a Myspace back in the day, she has a facebook but don't use it when people left Myspace. She once had tumblr but she wasn't much of a blogger and just assumed that all it was for.
Nina always wanted to be part of a family. Her own was such a mess and torn apart. Mom didn't want a kid (fair) Dad was stuck with her and seemed to always wish to get away from her. She had a grandmother she often was dumped off to but they weren't exactly always wanting to babysit her.
You can say this adds a lot to her trust issues.And why she can be fast to pull others in despite it.
In truth the reason she can't stand Drac? he reminds her too much of her biological sperm donor. Nina doesn't care if she gets hurt its why she rushes into fights and takes all the hits she can so someone else won't have to. But she fears him hurting Steve again and Brooklyn. To her he hasn't done a thing to prove he won't leave them (I will say him leaving CABEL would be the start to her agreeing to reconsider)
It's unfair to Drac but that's a whole land mine for Nina an issue and area she doesn't want to touch on if she can avoid it.
Tumblr media
Very rough I need to work on this but this is Nina's hero logo an 'S' with a star shape. Nina design a lot of her own brand in a sense even her hero costume she designs before having Tony get it set up to be made.
Next to Steve Nina also admires Tony Stark, mostly for his achievements in inventions and he's the reason she goes to school for engineering he encouraged it even. When she was first brought in he took note of her interests and ended up getting her a scholarship and more for her remaining high school years. This did cause some issues between them Nina not wanting a hand own but he made it clear it never was a hand out he truly thinks she has a mind that needs to be 'properly looked at' an insult and compliment. Tony is differently a second father figure to her no matter the verse. Often when mad at Steve it's Tony she goes too
Natasha is her third idol and the one she learned most her fighting from when she wanted to prove herself to Steve.
Nina’s favorite way to excuse anything she dose is say it’s because she’s [insert random star sign here] Nina doesn’t know her star sing nor understand anything about this stuff so she’s always saying whatever ones comes to mind
1 note · View note
Note
Hello there 💖 Love your writing and just finished yakuza 0, and if you're up for it, I'm in the mood for something different. I love Majima, but I'm craving drama atm. What if he and his badass beauty of a s/o are getting it on and he calls Makoto's name by mistake? New bae is sweet, makes his lunches, but is NO Makoto! How shook is she? Can the couple reconcile or is that the deal breaker?
This is a terrific prompt... I’ve been dealing with some roller coaster emotions as of late so I appreciate a drama req. Pls be patient and I’d love to write this. TYSM for requesting <3
Mistaken Makoto
Reader is Female
Mild smut, angst, mentions of trauma
***WARNING: YAKUZA 0 SPOILERS***
What a day. If she didn't stay and help up, who would?It had been this way all week, and Y/N had only realized how emotionally and physically drained she truly was at the end of it all, which couldn't be more ideal because nothing is worse than realizing how thanklessly overworked one is in the very midst of the issue itself. Thankfully she now had a couple of days off to decompress and relax and the first things on her mind were a quick snack, a cup of tea and hopefully some pleasures of the flesh with her all too irresistible man. She desperately needed some bliss to tear her from her incredibly demanding lack of work/life balance. Good thing her man was more than understanding.
They didn't reside together, but Majima's flat was a lot closer (and fancier) than her place, so she typically crashed there in the evenings especially after late work days. Her apartment was more of a storage unit for her belongings and less urgently needed clothes as she usually spent her nights at his place. Though he'd been pushing the idea of moving in together for months, it was just so much work to pack her stuff and close out her lease and with her long hours as of late, she didn't have the energy to seal this lingering loose end. She planned on it, but something else held her back from making it official. She hadn't even had the time to analyze her trepidation, it was just there, and something far more easily avoided. Money wasn't an issue, so she couldn't complain. She'd get around to it soon enough.
It was a damp, sultry evening... an hours' long rain had set a sexy mist in the air and with the low lights of Kamurocho illuminating her quick and safe walk home, she felt like a seductive evening at home was just what the doctor ordered. Majima had texted her only a couple hours prior, hinting at the same theme as he'd just settled some big work things and wanted to relax. He'd offered a lovely night on the town but because Y/N was stuck at work just a little later than usual, a hot night at home seemed like the move. He'd warned that he was settling in for a nap, and to wake him when she arrived.
Her plan was to forego the food and tea, strip down and slip into bed with him... he loved being awakened by her eager warmth.
After locking the door, she dropped her coat and shimmied out of each of her professional garments, slowly sauntering into the bedroom from which only a dim light from the bathroom shone due to the door being slightly ajar.
What a marvel --- his back was to her, his irezumi slightly visible in the dim light and partial obscurity of blanket. No matter how many times she'd seen it wet, dry, slightly irritated from her nails raking its flesh, it still made her skin tingle. She loved Majima Goro through and through and was willing to do anything for him. He treated her like a Queen and still offered her the world if she needed anything. He respected her independence, always offered to support her if she so desired, and was in turn endlessly grateful for her love and commitment to him. Many a time she wondered how in the fuck that she was The One to tame a yakuza boss... but she had. It was so natural and uncomplicated, she never batted an eye. It was sparks in the air the first time they met and every day and night since.
By the time she reached the bed, she was beautifully nude and ready. As much as she needed him and his attentions, she wanted to at least begin by lavishing him with attention while rousing him from his slumber. It drove him crazy.
After slipping beneath the linens, pressed against him, she kissed his shoulder, slowly and deliberately and then made her way down the back of his arm while slipping her hand along his back and over his hip, gripping the bone. He groaned, rolling on his back as she snuck up to his ear.
"Mmmm, I'm home...."
No further words necessary, he wrapped his arms around her as she straddled him, kissing and biting his lobe, down his neck, stopping to suck along his clavicle. His hands found their way to her hips as he gripped them and urged them to rock back and forth, but she wanted to prolong it. She needed to tease a little.
His eye remained closed, his breathing grew heavier as he gripped her hips hard enough to bruise. She adored it.
Leaning in to kiss his neck, she traveled up to his lips, leaving quick and desperate pecks along them before sinking herself on him. She rubbed his pecs delicately before leaning back and gripping his thighs, preparing to ride him. Just as she'd begun to establish a momentum, his hands gripped her forearms, his eye still shut tightly, lips parted. She raised herself, holding steady, slowly sinking down on him again just as he moaned... "I've missed you..."
She loved it when he mused in the throes of it. She bounced a few times, leaning in to kiss him again, harder, taking his bottom lip and kissing his chin... leaning in further to whisper, "I've missed you too..."
He slid his hand up the back of her neck, gripping and keeping her close. He turns his head, eye still screwed tightly shut as he kisses her cheek. She rolls her hips again. He rubs his lips along her lobe, sighing.
"Mmmm..."
She slams her hips harder, urging him to chase his release as he continues to keep her pinned to him, gritting his teeth. She loves his scent, his sweat, she wants to lap up every bit of it.
"....Mmmma..."
She bites at his clavicle, sucking tenderly as she continues pumping him with her entire body, just wanting to make him feel so good for no reason but adoration and appreciation for him... She just wants to hear him moan and watch his face contort as he fully surrenders.
She sits up, one last slam as she tightens herself around him. She descends, pulsing on him, cradling his head as his lips part one more time. He exhales, groaning.
"....Makoto...."
Screeeeeeeeeeech.
Y/N's heart, stomach, hell, fucking everything dropped. Without a second thought, she pressed her hands on each side of her along the bed and dismantled herself, rising.
His eye flew open, his head frantically turning, searching for his girlfriend, who was promptly planning on redressing and bolting before the tears could burst out of her into every direction. What the fuck?!
"Oy!" He shouts, sitting up, still registering.
She's already made it out of the bedroom, picking up every piece of her clothing trail and hurriedly putting them back on with the urgency of a burning building.
She's grabbing her bag off of the counter as he barges into the kitchen, wrapped in the linens. "OY! Where the hell ya think yer goin'?"
She takes a deep breath and turns around to face him, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm leaving. Fuck off."
"What in the hell for? What's the matter?!"
ARE YOU SERIOUS.
She steps forward and shoves him with a single, open hand. Bag still in her other hand. "FOR CALLING ME 'MAKOTO' WHILE I'M FUCKING ON TOP OF YOU. ARE YOU FUCKING OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"
He catches himself, grabbing the counter and throws his head in his other hand. "Jesus Christ, I'm a little drunk, babe. I'm sorry..."
"Yeah, great. Well, you can be sorry alone. I'm going home."
"Nah c'mon don't be like that, it was a mistake, I love ya and ya know that, don'tcha?"
"You know honestly, I'm not sure. If you're thinking of her while I'm giving it to you, giving you my fucking body, my affection, my time, I think the mistake is my being in this entire fucking equation. I must be insane. I knew there was a reason I wasn't ready to move out of my place yet...."
"Nah babe it's not like that, I swear. I'm really sorry, I know that didn't feel good but I was in such a deep sleep I really wasn't thinkin---"
"---ABOUT ME. You were thinking of another woman. While I'm here. Are you serious? Do you have any idea how much I love you, how you might as well have shoved your tanto straight into my chest? That would've felt better than to hear another woman's name come out of your fucking mouth..."
Majima realized this wasn't a conversation he could charm his way out of. All of the times he came home battered, bruised and bleeding? Yeah after a few minutes of patching, he could calm her down. All of the times he was stuck at the office late and hadn't eaten in hours, she'd bring him something home cooked, knowing full well that none of his favorite shops were open. She'd beg him to come and get some sleep but he'd assure her that he'd get it done and be fine. She'd take it all in stride, this was the man she loved, it was par for the course.
But being called another woman's name, one that held such a crushing significance in his life? Nah.
"...I'm leaving. I need space. Leave me alone for a few days." His eye flew open as he nearly tripped over the blanket, dashing to her and grabbing her arms.
He knelt, looking up at her pleadingly.
"Y/N, baby, please. Please. Yer everythin' ta me. Please don't go..."
She sighed, too tired to even fight the tears. She let them roll.
"I can't do this, Goro. Maybe you love me, but obviously I'm not everything to you. Maybe it's unfair for me to demand to be, but it's what you are to me, and I can't compromise. I won't find myself in another love in which my feelings aren't matched."
"They are matched, babe. Please just stay so we can talk about it. If ya don't wanna stay after that, fine, but please gimme a minute to explain..."
"Goro, what's there to explain? If she's still in such a dominant place in your mind, then what's left for me? I can't share your affection like that. This isn't gonna work. Am I supposed to get over it and hope it doesn't happen again? What do you take me for?"
He choked, taking a deep breath. He dropped the Kansai-ben.
He looked up at her slowly, his face changing, his voice low and serious."I cared a lot for her. I haven't spoken with her in almost 20 years. There is nothing there. Sometimes I'm plagued with nightmares from the events of those years. Between my captivity and the situation in which I met her. I wish her nothing but the best. I have moved on since then, clearly. She only means anything to me because she is a good person. I'm not in love with her, I'm in love with you, and only you."
Y/N swallowed hard, taking his words into consideration... soothed but still feeling an uneasiness.
"You said her name while you were balls deep inside me. How are you going to explain that away? Be fucking honest with me. You have one minute."
"Makoto and I were never physically intimate! She isn't an ex-girlfriend or former love or anything like that! It was an honest mistake, it had nothing to do with the fact that you and I were in the middle of it, okay? I was just waking up, babe..."
"You were conscious. You grabbed me, you kissed me..."
"My mind was still out of it. Come on, I'm telling you the truth. I love you, Y/N. I love you like crazy. Makoto has absolutely nothing to do with my life now. I was just having a fucked-up dream."
Y/N set her bag down and draped her arms around him lazily as he hugged her hips.
"Look, I don't know how much I ever told you about it but here's the brakes: I was told to kill her and if I did, I'd be let back into the family, which was all I wanted at the time. You know all about my Grand days and that tiny apartment and the fact that all I did was run a cabaret club and get followed everywhere I went and my direct boss at the time would just slap me around like a fucking puppy and throw wrenches in everything I did, right?"
She nodded.
"I was told that I'd be in good standing and that I'd get my life back if I did my first hit. I was supposed to take out some ruthless scumbag that trafficked women. It was a no-brainer. I hunt my target down only to find that this ruthless scumbag was a blind woman who had no idea why in the fuck anyone would be after her. You can only imagine my confusion and why I did not kill her. But I was then of course risking worse things than death by keeping her alive and hidden away, all the while lying to my boss. Once he wised up, he tried to kill me, her and the guy she worked for at the time who was a solid guy. I watched him die. I got roughed up time and again, had to find her, make sure they didn't kill her. She was totally blameless and a survivor of the trafficking itself. This woman went through so much and still never batted an eye at her poor hand of cards. Yes, I wound up caring for her very deeply and after all was said and done, I could've told her how I felt, maybe she felt the same, who knows. Instead, I wanted her to be happy and to have nothing to do with me... because at the time, I only created more and more enemies as I climbed the ladder and I knew I couldn't keep her safe forever. I knew that at that time in my life, I had to focus on where I was going, I couldn't drag an innocent person into my mess of a life just because I had feelings for her. I did what I thought was the right thing then and I stand by it now... and where I'm at now, finally, is a place in which I can finally be with the woman I love -- you -- and I don't have to keep you away. I'm not climbing anymore... I'm no longer a real target and neither is anyone close to me."
Y/N nodded again, feeling relieved... but sad. So sad. Sad for being angry at him and sad for his loss... she had no idea the extent of what Makoto was to him and had only assumed the usual out of fear of bringing up such a heavy conversation... but she was glad to finally have it all out in the open.
"Alright... I know I shouldn't ask this but I need to..."
"Anything, babe. What do you want to know?"
"Do you wish you had been with her anyway? I know comparing myself to her is nonsensical but---"
"---Could I love you like I did her?"
"Yes."
"...No. Because the way I felt for her is different. You have to understand, I had to fight dozens and I mean dozens of men to protect her. She kept getting nabbed, I'd have to fight my way through buildings full of armed men to get her out alive. She got shot and almost died. I thought she had at first. It looked grim. So I guess in a way, the way I felt for her then is that I just wanted to protect the only truly good person I ever knew in my life... at that point. How do I feel about her now? I just hope she's happy... and I believe she is."
"You said you haven't spoken to her in 20 years?"
"That's a half truth. When we went through all that shit, she was blind. She never knew what I looked like, she only knew my voice. Years later I ended up in Sotenbori tying up some loose ends that led me to her shop and she didn't realize it was me, telling a perfect stranger how she was happily married with a kid. I was glad to hear it, you know? That was it. I just hope her life now is great because the first half wasn't, you know what I mean? That's it."
Y/N closed her eyes tightly and breathed in slowly, trying to make sense of her emotional state.
"Goro-kun..."
He looked up for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Y/N-chan?"
She sighed once again and carded her fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends, trying to stifle a laugh. Though she was still mildly hurt, the burn of her fury had subsided... she was grateful to have gotten a full discourse out of him and now felt almost foolish for being so (understandably) upset. She all but worshiped this man... he has always been good to her, holding her up on a pedestal, treating her with the respect and care that one only does when they truly and deeply... love and care for another.
She realized it's not a competition, Makoto wasn't "some other woman" or even a threat to her... she was a member of his past, a traumatic and murky one at that. She realized in that moment that it's okay that Majima loved another woman (and more, of course) before her... look at him.
But in this moment for a time before and likely to come, Majima Goro is hers and only hers. He did the right and likely painful thing by scratching at the scab to let her in, to tell her what happened and how it applies to his life now... to give her a perspective on her importance to him now, in comparison to what he's endured. It's a scab because the events of his past never truly heal or leave his psyche... he's just learned to live with and in spite of them, in many thanks to her.
Her unconditional love keeps him grounded, her presence adds to his purpose and for her, the same.
She was indescribably appreciative that the gave her a part of him in his honesty... and she would never take it for granted again. Walking out the door in anger would be, in her eyes, taking it for granted.
He nuzzled his face against her stomach, cradling her hips, giving her all the time she needed to cycle through her thoughts and feelings. God, what a man.
She gripped his chin and pulled him up to his feet, slipping an arm around him, re-tucking the blanket around his hips.
"Let's go to sleep... and bring back the Kansai-ben. I miss it already."
He laughed his usual insane, multi-octave laugh and grabbed her face, kissing her lips, nose, cheek and forehead before ripping the blanket off of him, wrapping it around her and scooping her up, carrying her back to the bedroom.
165 notes · View notes
Danganronpa IshiMondo Hogwarts AU idea
Hi all! So, the other night I was lying in bed, thinking about IshiMondo (as one does), when I got this random idea. It just kind of was a random musing at first, but the more I thought of it, the more invested I got. What was this idea, you ask? Well, those of you who read the title of this post will already know. 
IshiMondo at Hogwarts. And... that’s about it, ha. 
The idea quickly went from a “ha, cool idea” to an “I must have this.” And I would like to say that-- while I know Harry Potter has its flaws (and J.K. Rowling can bite me)-- I still adore the series, while also acknowledging the flaws and downfalls. 
I did write a one shot fic of IshiMondo at Hogwarts, but this post isn’t about that. This is just about my headcanons of what house each student would be in, their blood purity, their prefect status, as well as how it would work having the Danganronpa characters be in Hogwarts. If you feel excited about the fic, don’t worry, it is completed with 25k words. I wrote frantically the last day and a half to complete it, ha. I had no plot in mind when I started, just wanted a IshiMondo Hogwarts story, but I got a pretty solid plot idea after writing for a little bit, so I hope y’all like it. 
I don’t know when I’ll be posting it, just because I have a bit of a backlog of fics to post, oof. Probably sometime next week, after some more editing. 
Anyway, if you are interested in the Hogwarts AU idea, feel free to read on to the rest of the post. It’s a little rambling, so apologies about that. But I’m just super psyched on this idea, ha. And I always focus on useless details when I think about thing, oof. 
(I will add a read more here, just to not have an insanely long post clog your dash if y’all don’t care, ha.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway. The first thing I thought about was which house each student would be in. And this... was surprisingly easy, really. Some of the characters I was a bit stuck on, but was still able to put them in a house and feel good with it, even if for some I’m like “ehhh, they asked the hat to be in that house, lol”. 
One small issue I found for fitting the Danganronpa characters into Hogwarts was the fact that the 88th class only had 16 students, which would be ridiculously small for a Hogwarts year. I explain this one away by saying the war just made their year smaller, since I wouldn’t want to add any students to their year, really. If you go by their canon birth years, 1993 (other than Hiro, ha, though in this AU he’s the same age as the rest), they’d have been about 4 or 5 during the war in 1998, so it would make some sense for their year to be smaller. Also... if you’re wondering why 16 Japanese students ended up in a British school... shhhh. That’s the biggest hand wave in all Hogwarts crossover AU’s. 
Anyway, here’s the houses I put them in. I wanted 4 per house, since there are an even 16 students in Danganronpa, so 4 per house makes sense. I also initially wanted to have 2 girls and 2 boys, when possible, but it didn’t work out for most of the houses. Ah well. 
The students houses, as well as “blood purity” and prefect status, since my fic takes place in fifth year:
Hufflepuff: 
Makoto (half-blood) 
Taka (pureblood) (prefect, duh) 
Sayaka (half-blood)
Hifumi (half-blood, muggle mother) 
~XoxoxoxoxoxoX~
Gryffindor:
Mondo (muggle born)  (prefect)
Sakura (half-blood) 
Leon (half-blood) 
Hina (half-blood) 
~XoxoxoxoxoxoX~ 
Slytherin:
Junko (pureblood)
Mukuro (pureblood)
Byakuya (half-blood- pureblood father, half-blood mother) 
Celeste (half blood- pureblood mother, half-blood father) (prefect)
~XoxoxoxoxoxoX~ 
Ravenclaw:
Kyoko (half-blood) (prefect)
Hiro (muggle born) 
Toko (half-blood)
Chihiro (muggle born) 
~~~~~
Houses defense:  
I honestly feel that these houses are pretty representative of the characters, for the most part. But here is some evidence, which yes, I did put thought into, ha. Please go with the assumption for the houses that the hat also takes into account what qualities the students personally value, even a bit more than what qualities they may or may not possess. This is just how I personally view the hat working in HP, because otherwise... well, it doesn’t make much sense, since everyone has at least some quality of each house. 
Taka, I firmly believe, is absolutely a Hufflepuff, duh. Not only does he value hard work above literally all else, but he is fiercely loyal and does his best to be kind, even if he doesn’t always succeed. More than that, while he is intelligent, he absolutely does not value intelligence, since he hates geniuses, which eliminates Ravenclaw. He is ambitious, but he is the legit opposite of cunning or sly, ha, so Slytherin is out. And while he is brave, he is not at all reckless, nor do I think he values bravery much, so no to Gryffindor. Thus, Hufflepuff through and through. 
I also feel confident with Mondo’s placement. He’s totally a Gryffindor, oof. He’s so hotheaded and reckless in canon, always running headfirst into things without thinking it through first. And with his thing against being weak, he tends to make up for it by being recklessly brave, not to mention how he’d have to at least fake bravery with his position as a biker gang leader. He doesn’t really fit in the other houses either, since he’s not super ambitious, he doesn’t really value intelligence (I like to imagine that he is intelligent, but he wouldn’t value it, which I personally view as being important in Hogwarts houses), and while he is loyal, he doesn’t value hard work or kindness, really. Thus, Gryffindor. 
I think I got Slytherin house pretty spot on, ha. Junko is totally a Slytherin, given how she... literally created an entire killing game and deceived her entire class. If that’s not ambitious and cunning, I don’t know what is... I don’t know much about Mukuro, but I imagine she’d want to be with her sister if nothing else. Byakuya and Celeste are total Slytherins, given their ambition and drive for success. 
Ravenclaw I was a bit confident about too, other than Hiro. But Kyoko definitely has big Ravenclaw vibes, with her inquisitive and sleuthing nature. She seems to be one to value intelligence, too. Chihiro is an intelligent character, who also values intelligence, so that also fits. Same with Toko, though I suppose she could possibly go with Slytherin... but I don’t view her as very ambitious, honestly, when you take away Genocide Jack/Jill, which I usually try to do (people with DID are not serial killers, thank you very much). Now, Hiro... this was one I was a bit stuck on. I contemplated putting him in Hufflepuff, since he has the whole, you know... stoner vibe, ha. But I think Ravenclaw does fit him. While he doesn’t have good grades and isn’t portrayed as being very intelligent, he is a talented clairvoyant in canon, and if he were in a world with divination, I firmly believe he’d be an excellent divination expert, which is a form of intelligence. He also has big Trelawney vibes, who is a Ravenclaw, ha. 
The rest of Gryffindor I wasn’t super sold on, but I feel they fit. Sakura is certainly brave, even if she’s not super reckless. I think, though, that she’d want to be in Gryffindor and would ask the hat to put her there. Since she doesn’t have any strong ties to any other house (she is ambitious and loyal, but she’s not either thing above everything else), I think the hat would respect her wish. Leon I honestly wasn’t sure on, since I don’t know too much about him as a character, but I wanted him and Mondo in the same house, so... yeah. Plus, he has the whole rebel vibe, ha. Hina I almost had in Hufflepuff, but that would have messed up the 4 per house thing, so I changed her to Gryffindor. I do think it fits, though I don’t know too much about Hina, since I never finished playing the game and don’t know her later game character much. Early on, she seems to be one to be willing to fight for what she believes in, though, so Gryffindor would prolly fit. 
Hufflepuff was also a bit of a struggle for me, but I think Makoto definitely fits. He’s very friendly and kind, as well as loyal, so I think Hufflepuff fits him well. Now, Sayaka and Hifumi... eh, I felt it fits a little, since neither really strikes me as having many qualities of the other houses, but I was not super sold on either. Sayaka is ambitious and can be cunning, but she just... doesn’t really strike me as a Slytherin, and I also don’t think she’d want to be placed there. Hufflepuff is more of a cutesy house (I say as a proud Hufflepuff, so don’t @ me), so I do think she’d like the house more. And with not having many qualities of the other houses other than Slytherin, I think the hat would also respect her wishes. Now, Hifumi... I had considered him for Ravenclaw (switching him and Hiro), but I just didn’t think that fit all too well. He doesn’t really have qualities of any of the houses, in my opinion, which then instantly would put him in Hufflepuff, since Hufflepuff is more than willing to take any student. Which I personally view as a good thing, ha, so please don’t think I’m putting down Hufflepuff. 
~~~~~
Blood purity: 
Now, the whole blood purity thing I didn’t put too much thought into other than who I think would be bigger with ‘muggle’ things than others, like Chihiro. Hiro I had be muggle born just ‘cause, though, ha. Most I had as half-blood, just because it seemed a good middle of the road thing. Junko and Mukuro are pureblood since Junko seems like she’d be a snob about it, while Byakuya and Celeste just have a single pureblood parent mostly because of a throw-away line in the fic I wrote, ha. I didn’t feel it mattered too much with all of the rest of the class other than Taka and Mondo, though, since blood-purity is kind of a meh thing. 
However, with Mondo and Taka, I did put some thought into their blood purity.
Taka I had as a pureblood since I think it makes sense, given his cluelessness with popular culture in canon. This can translate well to him just not knowing muggle things. Also, I thought that having his grandfather be a Death Eater would also work out, as that would give him a very good reason to dislike the man and also gives him a big reason why he doesn’t want to be like him. It makes more sense than his grandfather being Minister of Magic and having a scandal, since during the time Taka was a child in this AU, Fudge was Minister of Magic, and then the other dudes whose names I forgot. 
Mondo, though, I think would work best as a muggle born, especially considering his brother’s biker gang. I like to imagine that Daiya still has the gang in this AU and that Mondo would be at least an honorary member, so having Daiya be muggle worked out well. Plus, it would add to the IshiMondo dynamic, giving Mondo the ability to teach Taka about the muggle world, kind of like I have him teach Taka about popular culture and all that in my other IshiMondo fics.
~~~~~
Prefect defense: 
Before going into the individual characters, I wanted to mention that I chose to have only one prefect per house mostly due to how few students are in the year. If there was one boy and one girl per house like in canon Harry Potter, that would be half the year as a prefect, which... makes no sense, ha. I was originally gonna have that before realizing that it made no sense. So, one per house in their year. That’s still a lot proportionally, but imagine the anger if one house had a prefect but another didn’t, so... yeah. While I like the idea that all of the class gets along well, there would still be some inter-house rivalry to consider. 
Anyway... I’m sure most people who saw my list and saw that I made Mondo a prefect would be like “... wait, what?” and think I just had that as an IshiMondo thing. And while, yes, that is part of it, it’s not all of it. Given his position as Biker Gang Leader in canon, I do think that he would do well with responsibility, even despite his disinclination for rules and his quick temper, and all that. And considering that someone like James Potter was somehow made Head Boy, I know that the character being a perfect rule follower isn’t necessarily what gets them the badges. While Sakura would probably make a good prefect, I don’t think she’d want to be one, which is another thing to take into consideration. 
I don’t think I have to explain why Taka is a prefect, ha. 
Now, as for Kyoko and Celeste... with Kyoko, I felt she was the only one of the Ravenclaws I have that would actually be decent as a prefect. I mean... Toko and Chi are too timid, while Hiro is, well... Hiro. And as for Celeste... I actually originally had Byakuya as the Slytherin prefect, given how he’s definitely one who’d want the prestige of the title, but then I realized that there would be 3 boy prefects and only one girl. I think, given how each year in HP had one girl and one boy per house, that there would be an even girl/boy ratio with the prefects, even with the limited number of prefects in their year. Plus, Celeste seems like she’d do as good (or bad, ha) of a job as Byakuya. 
~~~~~
And that’s about the extent of my musing on this all, ha. Honestly, I like the idea, and while I’m sure there are other Hogwarts/Danganronpa crossovers, I don’t think there are any IshiMondo ones. On AO3, at least. I know I didn’t have to sort all of the characters and put this much thought into it, since the fic I wrote was primarily focused on IshiMondo, but honestly? I do like the idea. And maybe, if other people like the idea too, I can write other Danganronpa/Hogwarts crossover fics, though I think it would mostly focus on IshiMondo, since I like Taka and Mondo best. 
For those who stuck around this long, I’ll go briefly over the fic I wrote, if y’all are curious. Like I said, my main desire when writing was that I just wanted an IshiMondo Hogwarts story and that was my primary motivation. I set the story in fifth year, since I wanted to talk about Taka being a recent prefect. As writing, though, I had the idea of making Taka struggle to produce a patronus, given his canon problem with letting himself loosen up. Also, I always headcanon Taka as having had a pretty bleak childhood, which primarily comes from the fact that the creators said when they were coming up with his backstory, they had to stop since it got dark quick, oof. Going along with this, I then figured it would be cute to have Mondo help Taka with it, which brings the two closer. I didn’t want them to be friends or “brothers,” though, so it was kind of a mini “enemies to lovers” thing. 
I didn’t want them to be totally at odds, though, so I also came up with a reason for them to go from enemies to kind of uneasy acquaintances before the fic took place. The reason I gave was that, in the end of their fourth year a few months before the fic started, they had faced a boggart in their defense against the dark arts class and Taka’s was his death eater grandfather, who told him he would never be good and that he was nothing more than a death eater like him, which made Taka cry. Mondo was like... oh shoot... and helped him out, saying that he was actually good, duh. Taka was freaked out by this, since he was like... wait, aren’t we enemies??? And also, you’re a trouble maker, why do I like you??? So he suppressed everything to prevent his fragile world view from crumbling. But Mondo was like... dude... I think I like Taka now, and maybe always did, wtf... which lead to Mondo cleaning up his act over the summer break, and then helping with the patronus in their fifth year. 
Anyway! That was a bad explanation of the fic, but I really like it and I hope y’all do too, when I post it, ha. I mostly just need more Hogwarts IshiMondo in my life, tbh. 
Sorry for the insanely long and rambling post! Hope someone got something out of it, ha. See y’all later! 
17 notes · View notes
stargazer-balladeer · 4 years
Text
Them with a Shy S/o [Persona 5]
Tumblr media
anon: Hello! Congratulations on your Followers! I wanted to ask if you can write the "Them with a shy s/o" for the Persona 5 cast as well? Thanks!!
Tumblr media
Characters Included: Akira Kurusu, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makoto Niijima, Haru Okumura, Futaba Sakura & Goro Akechi
Note: A lot of you guys like Persona 5 huh? Oh well, I can see why :) Hope ya’ll enjoy this!
Reader’s Gender: Neutral
Warning: none
Tumblr media
Akira Kurusu
This guy? He'll find it cute— no, scratch that. ADORABLE that his s/o's shy. He'll be all over them when he laid eyes on them, they better be prepared >:)
We all know this guy's a tease, right? And you are NO exception to this. Actually, you had it worse.
Because you are shy, he'll find every reaction of yours cute and always seem to tease you about it, until you were pretty much the twin of an apple -_-
But he knows his limit, of course. If he sees that it's either making you uncomfortable or hurt by what he's doing, he'll stop.
When you two first meet, it's you avoiding him and him pouting as you ran away. Pretty much a cat-and-rat chase, which the Phantom Thieves find funny, watching their leader chasing his s/o.
The reason why you're running? You heard the rumors and thought it was true. Not wanting to be his next victim, you ran whenever he's near you.
He only managed to talk to you (without you running away) when Ann drag you over to Akira, the group have had enough of this shenanigans.
You two hang-out in either LeBlanc or outside, but mostly in LeBlanc though. You two just chilling while drinking coffee (or tea, or whatever beverages you prefer) and just talk.
He'll find it hilarious if he finds out you're talkative, he might tease you about it but other than that, made no comment about it. He loves your voice so it's a bonus for him :D
How he ask you out? He asks you in a straightforward manner while you were drinking, which made you successfully chock. You two panic for a bit before you answered him yes, with a bit of embarrassment ofc.
Ryuji Sakamoto
He might not at all notice you, srry. Unless you're either friends with his friends (or his friends pointing at you) or you're a victim of Kamoshida. Yeah. That's the only way for him to only notice you.
He might not really care about you much but when he notices you everywhere he goes, he suddenly cared about you.
Like Akira, he finds your shy trait cute and find it hilarious when he finds out you're talkative. But he also LOVES hearing your voice so its a plus for him.
I don’t see Ryuji as a tease though, he might be as shy as you are! Which frustrates the group when Ryuji is being his Tsundere self. Like you would go up to him and he will either freeze or go away from you, that is, IF he realizes his feelings for you.
But he finds every reaction of yours cute but he wouldn’t admit it.
How you two meet? The first bulletin pls. If you’re friends with one of his friends, namely Ann, she would basically drag you over to meet him and the rest. If you’re a victim, chances are you appeared as a Shadow in Kamoshida’s Palace. 
He would find your shy self indifferent really, he already has seen that reaction of yours everywhere he goes (his delinquent self and all). But he might get to know you if you two were (force) to be together or left alone, he finds silence uncomfortable afterall.
You two will be often seen hanging out during and after school, probably in front of a store or the arcade. Akira (with Morgana) and Ann will also join in but not all the time, so its basically you and Ryuji.
How he ask you out? Very hesitant, shy and in-denial. It might take some time, and his friends pushing, for him to ask you out. But when he does confess, you could hardly understand what he was trying to tell you. Him stuttering while blushing while still acting cool, yeah, you were hella confuse.
But when you DO understand, you’ll blush and nod, too shy to say anything (much to Ryuji’s relief and dismay).
Ann Takamaki
This girl’s basically gushes about how adorable you were and spoils you rotten, much to your embarrassment. You two definitely met by her approaching you and just start talking.
If she sees you were uncomfortable with her, she would keep her distance. Other than that, she’ll be stuck with you. Good luck with that.
She’s so energetic that she would drag you to places where you’ve never been before. 
She’ll be the one who orders for the both of you if you are uncomfortable doing so, she really doesn’t mind.
She might tease you a bit, just to get a reaction out of you. But if she sees you were getting hurt or uncomfortable by her teasing, she’ll stop. This woman respects your privacy to a whole new level -_-
Like I said, Ann drags you places to places. You two are hardly ever seen in one place really, except for school, LeBlanc and that store that sells sweets. 
She doesn’t really mind your shy self really, but when she finds out you’re chatty, you two will be talking non-stop. Your topics will keep bouncing from one to another, till there is nothing left to say (which would probably never happen since you two always seem to find something to talk about).
How does she confess her undying love to you? She does it in a cliche way, this girl lives for cliches :) She does it by giving you 3 red roses, which means “I love you”. Whether you know or not about flower language, she wouldn’t tell you at once. She’ll wait until you figure it out. 
If you don’t know, either search in Google or ask someone (Siri?). You should probably go to Haru or Makoto for this.
If you already knew or just figured it out, you would immediately go to Ann and say your answer to her. Pls say yes ;-;
Yusuke Kitagawa
This boi doesn’t really care about your shy personality, no, he finds it endearing. You somehow managed to caught his artistic eyes. Don’t get me started with this poor boi. He doesn’t know how to approach you! So he did it the only way he knows how, following you around.
Ofc, this has an opposite effect than what Yusuke wanted. This made him creepy and stalker for you, so you keep running away while him chasing you. You even thought he was a kidnapper or a thief (not literally tho COUGH COUGH).
The group finds it amusing (Mommy Makoto sighing in the background) as they watch the scene unfold. But as the days go by, they were kinda worried and concerned about the two of you. So they decided to take matters in their own hands.
They managed to get you and Yusuke in the same room together. They even instructed Yusuke to not be weird. Yusuke, being confused, decided to follow their orders. 
The two of you managed to have a civil conversation about sunsets of all things. Ofc, you were still wary around him but you soon found yourself being comfortable around him. 
Yusuke isn’t a tease at all, actually, he’s more oblivious than you even! Yusuke doesn’t really understand the concept about love but is willing to learn about it.
(PS: Pls also feed this bby boi ;-; he needs it DESPERATELY)
You and Yusuke can be found either in a art gallery or his house. It’s also either watching him paint, listening to him rant or being his muse. It might be boring to others but you always found yourself enjoying his peculiar self.
He doesn’t mind if you’re talkative really. He likes to listen to you whenever you talk about something, he also finds this trait of yours endearing.
How he ask you out? Pls don’t ask ;-;. This boi doesn’t even know his feelings towards you, which was VERY obvious to everyone, heck, even you! You, being your shy self, is very hesitant to confess to him. WHAT IF HE DOESN’T LIKE ME? -_- <-- my reaction
It take everyone to explain to him his feelings. You might need to wait a bit long for him to finally realize his feelings. But when he does, he’ll immediately confess to you. This boi doesn’t know how to be embarrassed unfortunately ;-;
Makoto Niijima
This girl would notice you if you were in the Student Council or classmates with her or a victim of someone’s Palace. Other than that, you’re pretty much a background character for her. 
You always thought she was intimidating so you avoid her as much as you could. When Makoto notices you avoiding her, she would be hurt ofc. Did she do something to you that she doesn’t know of? You can be sure that Makoto would rack her mind for DAYS, trying to recall what made you avoid her so much.
If she couldn’t find out about it, be sure that she’ll approach you the following day. Managing to corner you, which is unintentional for her part. She would ask you the question and when you answered honestly (you can’t lie to her), she would be confuse. 
But ever since then, she would make an effort in becoming friends with you. She’s not bothered by your shy self, she finds it cute though :)
If she finds out you’re talkative, she’ll be surprised about it but it was warmly welcomed, especially during her time in being President. During her signing papers, you would talk to her about your day and some unrelated topics. She doesn’t mind at all, she finds your voice soothing.
Pls give this girl a rest ;-; she works wayyyy too hard. 
You two can be found hanging out in LeBlanc or either houses. You two can be drinking coffee (or whatever beverages you prefer) and just chat with one another.
How does she confess? It might also take some time since she wants to make sure that what she’s feeling is true. Bc I can see her as the person who likes someone, it’s already that person that they want to marry and spend their whole life together. 
But when she is sure about it, she would take it slow and confess to you. She’s patient so she watches as you fumble your words up. She’ll be overjoyed that you accept her feelings though. 
Yay! Happy mommy Makoto :D
Haru Okumura
She already notices you wayyy before you notice her. She notices your shy self and talkative self, she finds it adorable though. I’m gonna bet that she will be the one who approaches you first and strike a conversation with you.
You couldn’t afford to run away from her, she’s too precious! TwT So you decided to converse with her also and find yourself enjoying her presence much. 
Her aura around her gives out a soothing one, it easily attracts someone to her. It could be a weapon or defense, not sure. But one thing is for sure, you’re hook at once.
She might tease you here and there, but she’s rather passive. She enjoys cuddling and holding hands with you, even before you two started to date. She’s touch-starved ;-;
She is the kind of person who listens to other people talking. She wouldn’t dare to interrupt you while you are talking about something you are passionate about.
You two are never in the same place, like Ann. You two can be found everywhere, since I like to think that Haru likes to explore new areas. But she’s not gonna drag you around if you don’t like it. She would DEFINTELY stay with you at home, cuddling with you in the couch.
Haru might seem shy at first, but don’t be fooled! When she finds out she has feelings for you, she would straight-in confess her feelings to you. It might involve a bouquet or two :)
Pls say yes ;-; this bby deserve da world :)
Futaba Sakura
She doesn’t know you at all, unless you are either a part of the Phantom Thieves or a friend of her friends. Though she wouldn’t meet you either in that, so you best believe that you are a member of this outcast group or else you wouldn’t meet this hacker girl.
She can relate to you so much, although hers is much more of anxiety than shyness. She can still relate to you. You two might not talk at all, unless someone forces them to talk each other (i.e: mommy Makoto or daddy Akira :3 I don’t ship them tho).
You two instantly click though, much to everyone’s relief and dismay. You can bet that Futaba would drag you in her shenanigans, better be prepared :)
SHE LOVES THAT YOU TWO CAN TALK ENDLESSLY :D
Where you two can be seen? In her room. She never leaves her room unless necessary. So you two hang-out there, hope you don’t mind. You two play video games together or her teaching you how to hack.
She isn’t much into touchy-feely things but she would welcome a hug or cuddles. She’s more touch-starved than Haru unfortunately ;-;
How she asks you out? Simple. She doesn’t. And the worst thing, you don’t either. So you two can be friends for so long until either one of you confess.
So you better toughen up if you want her to be your girlfriend >:) This girl would surely say yes if you (stutter your) confess(ion). 
Goro Akechi
This boi is almost like Akira in so many ways, except for the fact that he handle his situation in a much different way. This two bois can be best bros if they want to -_-
Anyway, back to hc.
You two would meet during his school days or outside. He recognizes you as the shy girl in his class. He might scare you away though, since you can’t handle his fangirls or his charming looks, much to his confusion.
He tries talking to you but you always manage to find a loop-hole, much to his dismay. He managed to talk to you when you two were (coincidentally) riding the train.
That’s the start of the bittersweet friendship you two have.
Much like Akira, he WILL tease you to get reaction from you, he finds this adorable. He would leave teasing kisses around your faces and leave a lingering kiss on your lips, leaving you wanting more. He’s such a tease -3-
But he’ll stop if he sees you embarrassed or hurt, he’ll kiss your entire face in apology. At the end, you are as red as a Cherry.
You two can be seen either in either your home or in LeBlanc or anywhere private, since he has a fanbase. He would rather for the two of you to be at home or at LeBlanc since it really provides privacy. 
His work schedule is all over the place, so be sure to always be prepared whenever Akechi wants to hang-out with you.
It’s also a plus if you can cook pancakes for him :) You get his approval
How he asks you out? In the most basic way, asking you if you are available tomorrow to eat dinner or watch movie. SAY YES PLS :)
(He’s internally panicking ofc)
BTW, be sure to be prepared when he breaks up with you at the end. You know what I mean :) 
Tumblr media
[x] Main Page || [x] Persona 5 Page
311 notes · View notes
quicksiluers · 3 years
Note
For the ship prompt, 30 and Grant/Julia or Grant/Sherman 'cause tourist Grant has been my headcanon ever since i read his memoirs
ok so this one....I had to stop writing at some point and I apologize for where I left it because if I didn't stop, I was never going to. I may continue this if people like it! And it's got a mix of both in there, cause you know I love them both :) But I'm thinking of going back later to add...if people like it enough, maybe lol
there should really be called "can Ali write under 1,000 word challenge?" and have me fail them all because each one has been way too long
“So they started thinking about making the part back in the 1860s because they thought of having something like New York City had with Central Park. Which, for my money, I think the Golden Gate Park is far superior. I mean, Central Park is great but this right here? It’s amazing. Does Central Park have a Japanese tea garden in it? I don’t think so. Anyway, so they really got into work on it around 1870…”
Grant nodded his head along, but his mind zoned out as he walked with the energetic redhead beside him. His enthusiasm was special, that Grant couldn’t knock him for.
Julia had planned to meet up with a friend of hers for most of the day and being the type of person not to sit around and do nothing, he had decided he would explore the city. San Francisco had always been a place he wanted to visit but never got the chance. They had already hit up a few of the more touristy parts, which while he enjoyed, didn’t really give him the feeling he was looking for from the city.
Julia told him to see if he could find a local to help him. Grant thought it odd, asking a stranger out of the blue to point him in the right direction, but he told his fiancé he would keep it in mind.
A hand grabbing his shoulder brought him out his musings, “Let me show you the Japanese tea Garden, it’s really incredible. It started as a village and a tea garden when they had the World’s Fair back in 1894. After the fair, they sold it off to the city who then hired this guy Makoto Hagiwara to take care of the garden. He was one of the main guys to be around to see it turn into what it is now and brought all kinds of Japanese animals for people to see.”
Grant hadn’t been sure what drove him to ask the redhead, Sherman?, for assistance. He had noticed him when he was crossing the street toward the park. It was hard to miss the red hair. Grant had been looking down at his map, trying to pinpoint the best spot to start when he passed the lanky stranger by. That was when he heard footsteps behind him and turned around, meeting the man’s brown eyes.
Now he found himself being pulled along the sidewalk, the ginger chatting away nonstop. How could he talk so much, so fast? The amount of information he was spewing out was dizzying.
“Hopefully the tea house isn’t too busy, it’s early enough in the morning where we should be able to get in,” Sherman explained happily, hand still gripping Grant’s shoulder. He tried to slip his way out of it but it was no use. Heat crawled onto his cheeks. Julia was the only person that was really able to pull him along like this. Their touch almost felt the same, though Sherman’s was stronger, firmer, and…
What are you even thinking?
“Hey, is the sun getting to you?” Grant felt pressure on his forehead, Sherman’s brown eyes staring down at him with concern. Unconsciously, he leaned into the touch, the cool feeling of it soothing him. His skin felt like it was on fire “You’re pretty red, do you want to sit?”
“Uh…,” Grant pulled back quickly, silently cursing to himself. Why had he done that? He coughed into his hand, trying to cover up his burning face, “N-no it’s fine, I just…”
“You’re not used to the heat,” Sherman injected, smiling proudly as if he figured it out, “Totally understandable. You said you were from Illinois right? That’s a different type of heat.”
“Sure…,” the word was drawn out, Grant nodding after a moment. That made sense, it seemed like the taller man already bought into it, “Yes, I guess that makes the most sense…”
“Well, we can get something at the tea house. Which is right over here, I think you’re really going to like it.”
Walking along the path, he tried to keep a good amount of space between them but it was too crowded for that. He felt his arm brush along the redhead’s a few times, the other man seemingly oblivious as he talked on and on about something else. At this point, Grant couldn’t keep track. Everything was too mixed up for him to focus. Why did he feel so weird? It was like butterflies in his stomach, which in itself sounded horrifying. He’d only ever felt like this around Julia and that was a whole other level. He couldn’t have…whatever was going on when he and Julia were engaged! What would she think?
All he needed was an excuse to get away from Sherman. That was it, simple as that. He’d go back to the hotel, tell Julia he hadn’t been feeling well, and just decided to hang out inside for the day. The idea of lying to her filled him with dread. He couldn’t do that, she would know in a second it was something else. Julia always had a way of knowing.
The whole situation left him confused and uncomfortable. None of it was Sherman’s fault, he was just being helpful. And he seemed concerned when he thought Grant wasn’t feeling well. It was Grant’s fault for making the whole situation seem weird.
Walking through the garden brought him a small sense of calm. The pathway was less crowded, allowing them to explore around. Sherman pointed out the different structures and described how they were built, how much time it took, and what parts of Japan they were popular from. Grant was absorbed into his descriptions, asking questions along the way that the ginger seemed to have every answer to. The uncomfortable feeling disappeared as they walked, Sherman pulling him over towards the pond and pointing out each of the fish that peacefully swam around.
“You seem like you know a lot,” Grant teased, crouching down to have a closer look at the fish. All the different colors caught his attention. He pulled out his phone, taking a quick look back at the suddenly quiet tour guide.
Sherman had been staring down at something but had turned his head quickly away. “Well, I do spend a lot of time around here,” he stuttered briefly, catching Grant’s attention. That was the first time he’d done that today, “I have a brother who brings his kids into the city a lot and they’re always asking questions.”
Taking a few photos, Grant stood back up with a small smile, “Well, that’s nice. I’m sure they love learning all about it.”
As they walked up to the tea house, Sherman talking a mile a minute again, Grant wondered what had made the redhead so quiet before. Had something caught his eye and made him shut up for a moment? That seemed out of the question.
Had he been looking at him?
What a ridiculous thought. Grant felt his cheeks heat up again, pushing away the notion.
God, why was he acting like this today? Couldn’t someone just be nice without anything behind it?
The tea house was special. They had gotten there at the perfect time, able to sit down a try out a few of the food options that Sherman liked the best. He also recommended the Sencha, which was a type of green tea that Grant particularly enjoyed. Though the weather was a bit warm, the tea brought with it a soothing sensation that he was in desperate need of.
Making a note of coming back, Grant pulled out his phone to take a quick photo for Julia. He tried to sit back a bit to get the photo and Sherman attempted to lean out of the shot, “No, it’s fine,” Grant reassured, waving his hand a bit, “You can stay in the photo.”
His red hair contrasted nicely with the greenery around them. The lighting was perfect too. It wouldn’t hurt to have one little thing to remember Sherman by.
Not odd at all.
They continued their journey through the park, Grant taking a particular interest when they were passing the pol field. A few horses were galloping around, seemingly warming up before a match was going to begin.
“Do you play?” Sherman asked, picking up on Grant’s flickering gaze as they slowly walked by.
“No, my father wanted me to but,” he paused, mind wandering off before he reeling it back in. No use in revisiting that, “I stuck with other equestrian sports.”
He felt Sherman’s eyes on him, that awkward silence falling over them. Maybe he didn’t mind the redhead’s constant talking
Eventually, they found themselves at the end of the park, crossing the street to walk closer to the beach. The sky was a perfect blue, with a few clouds peppering the sky. Waves rolled over naturally, a few kids crying out in glee as they rushed into the water, and others lounging on the beach sand without a care in the world.
“If we talked along the road here, we could go see the Golden Gate Bridge,” Grant felt Sherman’s hand press into his back lightly, turning him in the direction he was pointing, “It’s a bit of a hike and I wasn’t sure what else you had planned for the day…”
Grant glanced down at his watch, “I’m not sure I would have the time…”
The redhead’s face fell, only for a moment, before he nodded in understanding, “No yeah I totally get it. We walked the whole park which is pretty incredible as it is, that’s a lot of walking. And then we’d have to walk the whole way back because I don’t know what direction you were coming from or where you were sta-“
Reaching up, Grant grabbed the collar of Sherman’s shirt and pulled him down, pressing their lips together. The silence was almost blissful. His lips were warm, cracked slightly from the summer air. There was a lingering mix of sweetness and bitterness from the tea and cookies from the tea house. He moved to tilt his head before he caught himself, embarrassment rushing through him. What was he doing?
Pulling away, Grant took a few steps back from the redhead who was staring back at him in confusion. How could he have done that? “I-I’m so…,” he stuttered, hands shaking slightly. Before Sherman could say anything, he turned and rushed back across the street.
“Grant! Wait!”
The trees and people passed by in a blur, his mind spinning out of control. What was he doing? Kissing someone he barely knew, without even asking! He didn’t understand what had gotten into him.
It felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest.
8 notes · View notes
caffernnn · 3 years
Note
I really have no idea about what will be happening in Thom. I’m just reading and enjoying the universe, but do you have any theories yet and favorite scenes? The “my hands are your hands scene” really stuck with me!
⚠️ WARNING: THoM spoilers through Chapter 5 ahead ⚠️
Ahh thanks for asking!! It’s been nice revisiting the universe and just taking in the little details (seeing the habits and cute lil domestic things that make up the daily lives of makoharu/sourin/Freebird now) but with things now starting to amp up in recent chapters, it’s time to start becoming a detective 😌
The “your hands are my hands” moment was such a striking/beautiful one (have you seen Ale’s art depicting the moment? SO good!), and it is also the scene inspiring one of my theories/predictions, if you can even call it that. I left a long comment on Ao3 talking about this on the most recent chapter, but there are so many signs pointing to Haru inevitably being involved in whatever conflict comes next. He’s made it clear that he is willing to stand down and try to remove himself from any conflict if that’s truly what Makoto wants, but there are so many little symbols and indications in the story already that make it seem like Haru doesn’t have a choice (and never really did). For example, as much as his actions affect Makoto, Makoto’s actions moving forward will also force Haru’s hand. We know that even though Makoto struggled to understand Haru and Sousuke’s sacrifice and draw towards chaos in EWOATT, he knew in his heart that he would fight for his loved ones (he thought as much before the battle in the outskirts; he told Haru as much when they were musing about their future together). He compared himself to Eve and said he’d pursue the temptations of the tree if he thought it’d make a difference, which feels like blatant foreshadowing. We know that he thinks about others too much and can be driven to the point of martyring himself until he’s drained empty if there isn’t someone there to stop him (his internal battles throughout ewoatt; his struggles with teacher burnout and care fatigue now). He’s already shown curiosity in looking further into Misaki’s situation, and I doubt he’ll fully remove himself from whatever is going on with Diamondback, now that we know Hiyori has him on his radar (who knows how much he truly knows about Haru; who knows what he learned since coming to Iwatobi; who even knows what was said between him and Makoto when he asked him for a cigarette???). I worry that even though Makoto is the one who told Haru that their fates are undeniably intertwined now, he’s going to forget that the sentiment works both ways and whatever he’s about to do next is going to throw Haru right back into the fray. And this is all only thinking about if Makoto gets involved in whatever iwatobi’s broken gangs have brewing. Even though they’re in peacetime right now, Haru is still Freebird’s kingpin and guardian, and any move made by anyone in his family now is going to doom him to act. He’s in a damning position of endless devotion to his family, and I think a part of him knows as much (almost falling apart at the thought of losing anyone else after the overdose incident; the way he couldn’t even give a definitive vote, like he knows he has desires but not a true choice in the matter).
FAVORITE SCENE: loving the lighthearted moments so far, like Haru calming Makoto down before school, and Namiko and Misaki’s precious interactions. However, I guess I’m angsty as hell and my favorite chapter/moment so far is Chapter 3 (The Hanged Man P1). Left too many thought about that in the Ao3 comments as well, but part of my love for this universe stems from how it confronts the influence of addiction on others, and seeing how Haru confronts/copes with his own addiction while also trying to inject hope into so many others’ addiction stories hit me in a very personal way. It’s painful but realistic and as much as I love the whimsy and romance in Beth’s writing, I think I’ll always be most drawn and amazed by her moments of sobering realism and how she addresses overarching conflicts like addiction/poverty/etc. in her works.
Thanks for giving me a chance to ramble — I’d love to hear any of your thoughts, theories, and/or favorite scenes as well!! 💚💚💚
9 notes · View notes
lynneshobbydomain · 4 years
Text
Dungeon Chaos (KomaHinaNamami Week Day 4)
Prompt: Dungeons and Dragons
Rating: T
Summary: Chiaki’s never played a tabletop roleplaying game before, so being invited to one is both exciting and nerve wracking. At least she knows most of the people there.
“Hey, Onee-chan!” Kokichi landed hard against her desk, and Chiaki barely moved out of the way, her finger dancing across the console. “You play a lot of video games, right?”
“Yes,” Chiaki answered without bothering to look up. She was trying to defeat this boss, and she had it up to the hardest mode that she could play. She also decided to challenge herself and kept her character under level just for the extra amount of satisfaction. She knew that she was reckless, she usually didn’t try to play like that. She liked completing games, a hundred and ten percent of the way, but today was frustrating, and she wanted to have a struggle. It was better than starting a fight with Nagito or Hajime over something stupid. 
“Would you say you’re good at roleplaying games?” 
Chiaki paused the game after hearing that. “Is it the same as dating sims? I’m not very good with personal connections. I never know how to respond to people or how to react to them. The situation always calls for something, and if the wrong choice is made, it lowers the friendship and romance meter. I usually end up getting the no “choice” path because of it. Or the normal route, I suppose.” She looked up at Kokichi, who was comfortably swinging his legs back and forth, leaning into her personal bubble. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, what if I told you you could do all of that in real life, and you’ll know instantly what the wrong choice is?” Kokichi grinned. “Shirogane-chan from my class is hosting a DnD group. Saihara-chan and I joined, and I already asked Fujisaki-chan and Naegi-chan. Shirogane-chan told me that she was looking for more members, and our class isn’t playing.”
“Hmm.” Chiaki pressed a finger to her chin in thought. Nagito and Hajime were out getting food for her since she had been so caught up with her game. It wouldn’t surprise her if they went on a mini-date to eat a bit of lunch before bringing her back something to eat. Either that or Nagito’s luck struck, and they were trying to get out of whatever situation that wound up being. She hoped it was just a stuck vending machine. She didn’t want to go maxim capacity and have it be that a school building fell on top of them. 
Chiaki was hanging out with Nagito too much if that was the first conclusion she came to. “I’ll have to ask and see if they’d want to. Hajime might since he likes playing video games with me. Nagito...he might feel like he’d just bring bad luck and disaster onto the game if he played.”
“Wouldn’t that make it more fascinating, though?!” Kokichi asked, leaning in with sparkling eyes. Chiaki was amused that he acted like her on occasion when she got excited. The common joke around the class was that Chiaki was somehow related to Kokichi, even though they could prove they weren’t. “I want to see Komaeda-chan’s luck in action! I’m always not around when something big happens.” He pouted slightly. “Maybe that’s his luck affecting me too?”
If so, it was strangely good luck. Chiaki shrugged, “When is the game supposed to start?”
“Hm? I was just supposed to get yes or no answers. I have your cell number, so I’ll tell you the deets when I get them from Shirogane-chan.” Kokichi grinned. “Oh, that reminds me. Any preference for a story?”
“You can choose your story?” Chiaki blinked. “Like backstory or…”
“Campaign story. Setting. You know. The background that we’re going to be tossing our characters in. I told her that I wanted to do Dragon Heist because you know. I’m a thief by trade.”
“You’re playing the rouge character than when a background of being a criminal.” Chiaki mused thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I’m not necessarily picky. So long as everyone has fun, I think that’s all that matters.”
“Ugh, well better than Yamada-chan. He told us that he wanted to do The Tomb of Annihilation. Since we have so many beginner players, Shirogane-chan’s not sure if that’s a good way to start.” Kokichi said as he glanced at his nails. “Well, whatever. If you run into your dream team, ask them for their opinion, too, okay? Better not forget Onee-chan. I’ll cry!”
“I understand.” Chiaki watched Kokichi leave. She hummed thoughtfully before going back to her game, losing herself until Nagito and Hajime came back with food.
Vending machine once more decided to get stuck again.
Better than a whole roof falling down, that’s for sure.
X
The conversation about the DnD disappeared from Chiaki’s mind. She was setting up for her weekend stream event when she heard her phone ding from across the room. Ignoring it, she went about getting her console hooked up to the right appliances when she heard a soft knock on the door. “Kokichi said something about a DnD group that’s happening tonight. He’s asking if you forgot to tell us?”
“A what now?” Nagito spoke up, and now Chiaki had to look. Hajime was standing at the door of her office, holding her phone casually in his hand. Nagito was peering over Hajime’s shoulder, clearly reading the text. “Huh. Ouma-kun has a strange way of wording things.”
“Like you don’t use emojis when you talk.”
“Not to that degree. I like to use numbers more.” 
“DnD…” Chiaki trailed off before the lightbulb hit. Guilt flooded, and she looked at her game dejectedly. She was so eager to play the new game that came out too, but..she was curious about the roleplaying setup. She also never played a game with different people in a setting before. “Kokichi asked me if I wanted to come and play it, and I promised him I’d tell you guys. I’m sorry. It slipped my mind.”
“Do you still want to do it?” Hajime asked, his thumb hovering over the phone screen. “I can tell him we’re on our way, we just need the address.”
“This could be so exciting! What kind of hope do you guys think will spring from playing a roleplaying game? I wonder if all our talents are going to shine through. Oh, but that might mean my bad luck may hit unexpectedly. Maybe I should sit this one out.”
“No!” Chiaki and Hajime said together at the same time, startling Nagito into silence. “You’re coming too,” Chiaki replied firmly. “I want to see you play a game with us. You’re always on the sidelines. That can’t be fun.” 
“I don’t mind watching, it’s exciting to see you two go at it.” Nagito grinned.
“Phrasing,” Hajime grumbled as he decided for them and typed out a response. “We should get going now if we want to make the next train and get to where they’re at.”
“They’re not playing at the dorms?” Chiaki questioned.
“Yamada-kun hangs out a comic book store not too far from here. They host the games, so we get the tablespace, and we can be as loud as we need to be within reason,” Hajime explained as he tossed Chiaki’s phone back. Kokichi had typed up the address, and it was clear to see that it was indeed a comic book store. “Let’s go.”
X
Chiaki didn’t typically go into comic bookstores. Still, she had to admit that the atmosphere reminded her of a lot of video game stores. The store was small and cozy with blue and red walls. Their shelves dedicated to different publishers that were all categorized by the title name. There were single-issue comic books as well as graphic mangas that were proudly displayed. The novelty statues that were in some of the display cases showed off some of the more famous superheroes and supervillains. Chiaki could see that there were some video game statues in there as well. They continued to walk until they reached the back of the store where a table was set up, and she saw that everyone was already there and waiting for them. On the table next to them was a tray full of snacks, pizzas, as well as sodas and cups. 
“Onee-chan!” Kokichi didn’t waste time running over to her and body-slamming her into a hug. “I thought you ditched me! You promised that you’d talk to your boytoys about whether or not you’d be coming! I didn’t think I was so easily forgettable!” Tears slipped down his cheek.
“Ah, uh...Ouma-kun I don’t think Nanami-san would forget about you that easily. Hinata-kun just said that she forgot.” Saihara tried to dissuade Kokichi from any more tears. Chiaki was impressed by how fast Kokichi could wipe away the evidence that he had been crying so quickly. 
“Nishishi! Don’t worry, beloved! I was just playing. Come on, sit, sit.”
Everyone was already there too. Chiaki didn’t recognize most of them. Makoto, she knew mostly from running into the halls. The girl that sat at the end of the table was wearing a dramatic looking dress with long silver hair that was braided and had a flower crown. Pointed ears were poking from the strands, and decorated with an ornate silver covering. “So before we begin playing, how many of us already have character sheets made?”
“Me!” Kokichi quickly pulled his out of a thick book and slammed it down on the table, shaking it dramatically. “Behold! Your Phantom Thief as arrived along with-” he grabbed Shuichi’s hand and held it up high “-your beloved Paladin!”
“Oh, awesome! What species are you two doing?” The girl asked, clasping her hands together. 
“Halfling and human.” 
“Oh. I see. How plain.” The girl ignored Kokichi’s indigent screech. “I’m going to assume you got yours done too, Yamada-kun?”
“Of course, I did. I sat down for hours trying to come up with a backstory that will mesh well with any campaign we all agree on. I have decided upon the paladin as well! My chosen warrior will be fighting alongside the Goddess of Sune as well. I may be adding in a bit of bard into the mix later down the road. Do you need my copy of my backstory, Shirogane-san?”
“If you have it,” Tsumugi said. Chiaki watched as they exchanged it across the table. It was starting to feel overwhelming. How was she supposed to keep track of what’s what?
“Psst, Onee-chan.” Kokichi caught her attention and gave her a grin. “Don’t worry about it. Yamada-chan likes to show off that he’s a veteran to this. You and the dream team aren’t the only ones that are new or don’t have a character sheet.”
Chiaki felt a little calmer with the assurance. Makoto spoke up, looking confused. “So how are we even supposed to do this? I tried to do it myself, but my sister laughed at me over the phone and hung up.”
“It’s okay Naegi-kun, I was lost too,” Chihiro replied quietly as they carefully smoothed down their skirt.
“How about all of us pair up with the newbies and help them design their characters and then we can talk about the campaign? Session zero is usually nothing but set up anyway and making sure the rules are understood. If we get a bit of gameplay going, all the better.” Tsumugi said, just as Kokichi immediately bounded over and sat down in between Chiaki and Hajime.
“Okay! I’ll take the dream-team and Onee-chan! Someone else can help the two helpless nerds over there.” Kokichi said as Shuichi reached over and handed Kokichi his handbook. He dragged the three over to a separate table.
“Do you guys have a dice set?” At the shake of their head, Kokcihi turned his head over his shoulder. “Oi! Beloved! Toss me the catapult!”
“The what?”
Shuichi ignored Tsumugi’s surprise as he picked up a dice bag that looked like it was made of leather and rounded into a ball. He tossed it over the table, making Kokichi catch it with both hands. Without another word, he dramatically overturned his bag. The dice spilled out, hitting the table and rolling everywhere on the floor’s surface. 
It took a little bit to help clean it up, but the minute they were able to do that, Kokichi finally sat them down and spoke. “So. What do you guys think you represent?”
Represent? Chiaki frowned deeply as she looked over to see that both Hajime and Nagito were thinking about it as well, taking Kokichi’s words into consideration. “Hope,” Nagito spoke up, and Chiaki sighed. “Luck and hope.”
“Uh...hard work, I suppose? Talent?” Hajime tried.
“Hm...something that has to do with fun, I think,” Chiaki said quietly, pulling her hoodie over her head as she tried to block out some of the noise and light. She hadn’t realized that the group behind her was going to get so loud.
Hajime subtly made her move so that she was sitting in between him and Nagito. Kokichi didn’t bat an eye or ask questions. “Okay, so halfling for Komaeda-chan, a fighter for Hinata-kun, and…” he paused humming to himself before nodding. “I think Onee-chan will make for a good bard.”
“Should I go for a healing class?” Nagito questioned. “Considering that everyone else is fighter types. I recall that Chiaki would have to take the role less played with during her MMORPGs, and Clerics are usually the ones used for that, aren’t they?”
“You sure that you want to stay behind and just cast healing spells?” Kokichi questioned, “It’s fun if you’re up ahead in the battle.”
Chiaki was about to open her mouth to offer, but Nagito was faster than she was. “I don’t want my luck to ruin your guys game. It’s better if my character is a bystander to let all of you shine. I don’t mind.”
“So a halfling cleric. I’ll make this easy for you and say that you should go with Life Domain. Mostly because of your luck, hope, and morales.” Kokichi said. “We’ll roll dice for stats and everything in a bit. How about you Hinata-chan? I said the fighter, but...you want someone to be hardworking, right? Human’s pretty typical, but...I mean, we already have a human paladin. It wouldn’t take us long to weave your backstory with Saihara-chan’s. You two could know each other in-game. It’ll make for roleplaying easier. Because in addition to knowing him, you’ll know me because I cause a lot of trouble around the town.”
“Probably enough that a cleric would also know you?”
“Heard of me sure, unless you’re gonna be friends with the paladin. Oh, if you two follow the same God, that’ll give you something to talk about too.” Kokichi snapped his fingers.
Chiaki hummed thoughtfully as she listened to the conversation, her mind whirling as she thought about what she wanted to be. She peered over Hajime’s shoulder as he flipped through the book, angling it so that she could see. “Are there any uncommon monsters?” Chiaki questioned.
“What do you mean?” Kokichi asked.
“I mean,” Chiaki pulled on her hoodie. “Someone that’ll take a look and think that he’s dangerous, but in the end, he’s actually a good person?”
Neither Hajime nor Nagito could miss what reference she was making out of that. 
“...Tiefling or Dragonborn usually,” Kokichi said slowly, picking his words carefully. “Teiflings are what you want to go with if you’re trying to scare people. Half-orcs or orcs are common ones too, but Teiflings are considered to be people from hell. They’re not exactly looked at well I think it’s a flip of a coin what town would prefer what monster though over the others. Dragons are terrifying in their own right.”
“Why not go with Tiefling?” Chiaki offered, looking up at Hajime. “You’ll get the hardship of trying to win everyone’s favor, and you can work hard at show-casing that appearances shouldn’t be judged on.”
“...Alright.” 
“What about you, Chiaki? You agreed to be a bard, but...are you sure that’s an idea?” Nagito questioned.
“Bards usually are the ones that have the most, though they’re usually played more sexually,” Kokichi said bluntly. “Since Onee-chan likes to have fun, it’ll be interesting for like...a bard to actually be just that. A playful character that doesn’t take anything seriously.”
“Hmmm...I’m a pretty serious person by nature…” Chiaki said slowly, “so playing something that’s a little bit out of my comfort zone will be hard. It should be fun. But what species would be best for me to go with if I’m only trying to do that?”
“Why not a gnome? A gnome bard.” Kokichi offered. 
Nagito suddenly burst into laughter, causing all three of them to look at him. He held his hands up, giggling and trying to control himself. “Sorry, sorry. I just had this thought that...Hajime’s Tiefling will be with the two shortest people in the game.”
“Oh yeah, you’re right! Nishishi! That’ll be hysterical if you three decide to get together in the game!” Kokichi laughed. “Okay, okay. Let’s roll the dice and see what you guys get for stats and equipment.”
X
“I still can’t believe that your luck can affect a fucking roleplaying game,” Hajime stated as they left the store in good nature. They managed to get their characters set up, with Nagito being stupidly powerful for being the first level due to his high rolls and his luck. The campaign they decided to choose was the Tyranny of Dragons. Since no one was a Dragonborn or could speak in dragons, it nearly caused a Total Party Kill within the first mission. It was only thanks to Kokichi’s quick thinking and Hifumi’s foresight for things that could go bad and turned the tide.
“It wasn’t just Nagito’s luck, though,” Chiaki helpfully pointed out as Nagito laughed easily at the accusation. “Did you see how bad Naegi-kun was rolling?”
Nagito was rolling pitiful numbers. It got to the point that most of the table thought Tsumugi was trying to prolong his suffering by fudging her rolls from behind the screen to help them out a bit. Makoto’s dexterity was decent, but the number of times he tripped and caused a problem was...alarming. It didn’t help either that Kokichi thought Chihiro and Makoto were the best people to mess with. He slipped a few things into Makoto’s equipment bag that raised eyebrows and questions when targetted. 
“I have to admit it was riveting that we were facing the Champion head-on!” Nagito held his hands up excitedly. “Did you see how Hajime rolled so high to get so many critical hits? We thought he accidentally picked out Ouma-kun’s trick dice!”
“God, that was embarrassing.” Hajime groaned. “But the champion was annoying. I’m glad I fucked him up when I had a chance. Tsumugi plays a decent villain character. I don’t think I’ve wanted to strangle anyone as much as I do those cultists.”
“It’s terrible that they’re controlling the dragons somehow with the mask, but I’m eager to see what else happens.” Chiaki agreed, “I didn’t fall asleep once, and it was hard!”
Hajime and Nagito both wrapped their arms around her, Hajime going for the waist while Nagito settled for the shoulders. “I’m glad you had fun, Chiaki,” Hajime said softly. “I was worried that it might’ve been overwhelming.”
“At first it was, there were a lot of things to take in, and I wasn’t used to the area. However, as I got used to it, my stats increased, and I was better able to focus. It helped that both of you were on either side of me the entire time and that Ouma-kun was distracting. Poor Saihara-kun, though...he had to bail Ouma-kun out of doing some peculiar things.”
“Yeah...pickpocketing the mayor might’ve not been the best idea in the world.” Hajime agreed.
“I’m not so certain.” Nagito injected. “I still think that Ouma-kun and myself have a good hunch that the mayor isn’t who he says he is. I think that our group is still being used, but I’m not sure how.”
“We’ll just have to rely on our gut instinct for now,” Chiaki leaned into their hold. “My mind is going a thousand miles an hour. I’m starting to get sleepy trying to keep up.”
“Do you want me to give you a piggyback ride, Chiaki? At least to the station?” Hajime asked, already getting ready to get on his knees.
“Yea...I think that might be best.” Chiaki was getting tired, and it was hard to stand. Hajime bent down, and Chiaki allowed herself to fold forward around him. He hooked his arms under her legs as she tiredly clung to his shoulders. 
“Hahaha, I’m a little worn out myself; that was a lot of information to be given all at once.” Nagito rubbed the back of his neck. “So should we plan to tell Ouma-kun that we’ll come next week?”
“Hmm...go for it.” Hajime nodded. “I’ll remind Chiaki when she wakes up.”
“Not...sleep….” Chiaki closed her eyes before she could complete the sentence. She was looking forward to next week too. 
16 notes · View notes
eiriini · 4 years
Note
☭ :)
Send ☭ x for a vs. battle quote to your muse
BGM: Why do you leave me alone now?
Tumblr media
Battle Intro:
There is silence, unnatural at most. There’s no talking him out of this, is there…? Is violence the only way? Once upon a time, Xander did say, “When swords clash, only then will some men talk.” You don’t want to do this. You’ve never wanted to face him on the battlefield as an enemy. But what chanced? What path could you have taken to divert from this ending?
“Makoto…. I do not want to do this. I do not want to fight you, but you will not listen to me. You have one last chance do not meet me in battle.” But he doesn’t relax. He doesn’t back down. You feel a frown forming on your face, but do the best you can to stop it. He’s serious about this – you know that look in his eyes all too well. The other hand shifts into something inhuman. Some kind of substance drips from its open maw. 
The once person you thought would never turn on you. No matter what… Why? Was it…? No. 
No more thinking about it.
No more.
“… Enough.”
Victory:
“No more, Makoto. You have no openings, so please, do not force yourself into more pain.” You’ve won, clearly, but it doesn’t feel like a victory. This feels all like a dream, but the pain says otherwise. “We are both unsuited to go on. Please, set your blade down.” You take this moment to try and collect yourself, offering him a hand. “We can still do this, together.”
Half HP:
It’s hurting – your side. Your eyes, your mind. It’s all hurting. Even as you shift into a beast that history calls ‘mythological’, it’s out of self defense. In this form, you cannot speak, but you let out a loud roar and stand your ground. Bracing yourself for the next few hits to come. For the right time to hold him down and talk. Things can still be worked out, can’t they?
Low HP:
The haze of dizziness is beginning to sink in. Your form doesn’t stick around for long. The more damage you take, the shorter it gets. A familiar rage boils in your heart. In your blood. You grasp the pendant around your neck, trying to calm the dragon’s words. “Makoto, please! I beg you to stop fighting! This is all a misunderstanding! We do not need to do this!!” 
.. But do your words reach him?
Defeat:
Hah. It seems things have turned the tide. There’s mercy within everyone, and you notice him showing signs of it. Weapon in hand set down, and it rushes to you. You hear your head pound as the adrenaline begins to subside. You hold onto the divine blade tightly, and listen to his terms of surrender. Listen to his words of why he couldn’t stand down, and he asks you to stop. Unable to hide the sadness that comes to you, there’s also guilt. Finally, the blade is dropped from your tired hand, and you nod. “You have grown. That, I am happy for. I agree; we do not need to clash anymore. But, please, may I ask you of one thing? … May we never fight like this again?” You’re scared of him. You’re scared of hurting him anymore. At least it’s over.
Death:
You’ve always been stubborn, and are glad that you’ve stuck to being that way. Is this what it feels like to be impaled by the Yato? You look down, the jagged edges poking out towards you. You notice that it’s shaking near the hilt, and look back up to the one wielding it. The battle’s over, but you know you won’t last long. Too much damage has been taken, and the warmth is already leaving you now. Attempting to smile, hands raise to hold his face, and you shake your head. Makoto’s easy to read, and the look on his face horrifies you. More than the battle that just took place. “I am sorry.” You say, using most of your energy to stand. “Do not blame yourself, Makoto.” A whisper follows those words, but it’s mumbled. You begin to feel the cold reach your heart. Just one more minute, please! PLEASE! “Forge … ahead. I will be –” you cough, but continue, “will be nearby. I…” 
But Death’s hand has covered your mouth. Lulling you into a slumber, hoping to be reborn in a more peaceful era.
Assist:
Without him ever noticing your presence, you drive your blade up from behind a target. “You all right, Makoto? I’ll protect you. We are a team, remember?” You give him a smile, reassuring him that things will go better. You’re sure of it.
Taunt:
“If all you want to do is save the world, why do you not try and safe yourself?! How can you even follow your wish if you cannot do it for yourself?! You have to look at the bigger picture!”
Reacting to Taunt:
You growl in his direction. He knows the words to say to get your riled up, and even if in this moment he doesn’t mean to, they get under your skin. “Enough!”
Flee:
You don’t even allow him a moment of reprise. You don’t let him take an action to react as you back up. Transforming into your dragon form, you take to the skies. Posing for an attack, you suddenly turn and fly off as fast as possible. You block out the screaming – his call of your name stabs your heart, but you keep going. Going until he no longer sees the dragon in the sky. There’s a moment when you must learn to retreat, even if it hurts.
[ KAMUI HAS RETREATED. OBJECTIVE FAILED. RESTART? ]
Reacting to Flee:
“You–!” A sigh follows, watching him turn and run. You think he’s fleeing, and as much as you want to follow, you don’t. You test his resolve and see if he’s truly running, or attempting to ambush you. Either way, it’s a moment of reprieve. Not happy, but gladly taken.
[ MAKOTO HAS RETREATED. OBJECTIVE FAILED. RESTART? ]
Tie:
Not all things are black and white, and you know that. It’s obvious that something is amiss. You two are more equal that you thought. Does that, then, render this combat useless? It feels like it, now. “What are we doing?” You ask, clutching your blade as he stands there, slightly confused. “We are going to knock ourselves out if we keep this up. This is not the answer we are looking for. Please, lay your weapon down! We can still talk about it!”
Perfect Victory:
Maybe you went a little too hard. More than a little, but you didn’t want him to put himself in a situation that would cause pain for the both of you. A frown forms on your face as you lift him from the ground, making sure his feet are steady before letting go. “I understand that you are upset, but fighting it not the answer. … Are you OK? Let me heal you, and then we can talk.”
Low HP Victory:
You’re happy that this is over, but you’re both battered. You did what you could to hold back on some strikes, but others couldn’t be avoided. The earth feels cold against your feet as you walk over, intimidatingly putting the tip of the Yato against his throat.
But you don’t stab him. You can’t, really. Instead, the blade finds purchase in the ground beside the two of you. Tossed aside, and you find yourself kneeling on the ground.
“I am sorry for what I have done. Words could not reach you, and you would not listen to my reasoning. There was no choice I had left. I… I am sorry, but please, no more. I have never wanted to fight you. All I wanted was for you to listen to me.” You reach a hand out to him, hoping he’ll take it. Hoping that this can be put behind. You don’t expect forgiveness – no one does after having to fight someone they adore. 
But you hope this will be the end of it.
Finishing Move:
So, this it? Has all reason left? … Why are humans so stubborn? You’ve asked yourself that over and over, but there’s no answer. There’s no time to truly think on it, as you call upon the water within your heart. Launching a torrent of water his way, and catching him in the cyclone, you take what few moments you have left to reshift into a human and follow it in. Blade in hand, you spot him within the spiral. Tears form in your eyes as you bring up your blade.
“This ends NOW!” That’s the last thing you shout, unable to hold back emotions. You didn’t want this, but fate has written it so.
And yet, you can’t understand why you still feel something on your face.
You certainly are your father’s daughter, Kamui.
7 notes · View notes
Text
Naezono Week, Day 3: Ruined
            Sayaka frowned slightly as she returned to her brunet companion, who was still looking rather down as he sat at the table he’d picked out for them. She placed the cup holding his ice cream blizzard next to him and placed her hand on top of his as it rested on the table.
            “Naegi-kun…? Are you okay?” The bluenette asked softly, rubbing her thumb across his knuckle.
            Makoto blinked slowly before looking up and mustering a small smile.
            “Yeah, I’m fine! Just, uh… a little tired…”
            … A smile just for her.
            ‘Oh, Naegi-kun…’ Her eyes flicked to the nearby TV. While it was on silent so as to not disturb customers in the restaurant, there were still dialogue boxes displayed as the reporters commentated. It was well within Makoto’s view. Chewing her lower lip thoughtfully, she then burst into a grin, beaming down at him. “… Let’s just take our treats and go, okay?”
            “S-Sure…” Makoto nodded tentatively, picking up his ice cream and letting her take his hand as they left the restaurant.
            … Leaving a few gossipers in their wake. But Sayaka paid them no mind.
            ~*~
            Numbly, Sayaka raised a finger to her lips, her wide eyes staring back at an equally gobsmacked Makoto. They were currently on the bed in his dorm; books, papers, and pencils sprawled out between them, but they were long since forgotten by the two teens that were trapped in their own little worlds.
            That had been unexpected.
            … Well, except not really. Not to the stunned idol, anyway. Truth be told, she’d been wanting to do that for a long time now, if only to get a giggle out of seeing the look on Makoto’s face right this moment. But… she’d held herself back for more than a few good reasons. The only real shock, at least for her, was that she’d succumbed to temptation this ‘soon’.
            They’d already studied at Hope’s Peak for a year. She thought she had it in her to hold out until at least their senior year… but maybe that was too high of an expectation?
            “D… Did that just happen…?” Makoto wondered aloud, his airy voice revealing his mind wasn’t completely there.
            Sayaka tried to bite back a giggle at his still nonplussed expression. She did. But that face and that bewildered reaction… Priceless.
            “Of course, dummy~… I would have slugged any other girl, if they did that to you~!”
            … And she was not exaggerating that.
            ~*~
            They eventually found a nice, quiet park bench to sit at while they enjoyed their frozen treats in the brisk fall weather. Was it strange to crave ice cream when the temperature was getting colder? Maybe a little. But it wasn’t a bad thing – after all, it’s not like parlors were exclusively open in spring or summer.
            Besides~… It was always cute seeing Makoto with a ‘moustache’.
            “You sure you’re okay with this, Maizono-s…” Makoto trailed off at her pouty glare. “… Sayaka-chan?”
            Sayaka merely beamed at the satisfactory honorific.
            “Why wouldn’t I? We’ve got the afternoon free and can do whatever we want.”
            Makoto frowned as he held his cup in both his hands and looked down.
            “You know what I mean…” He mumbled.
            Sayaka’s smile softened before looking up into the seemingly endless expanse of blue sky contently.
            “I do. And I meant every word of it. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be!”
            “But… Aoba-san… Haneyama-san…” Makoto trailed off, shaking his head with eyes clenched shut tight. Sayaka soothingly placed a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look in the eyes.
            “I’ll see the girls next weekend, remember? We all promised.”
            Makoto let out a ragged sigh.
            “A private party, maybe… If it wasn’t for me, you could go with them wherever, whenever-”
            “And I’d be stuck seeing you ‘next weekend’ instead…” Sayaka remained calmly, grin never wavering as she patted his shoulder. “I would pick you every time, Naegi-kun. Every time.”
            “But it was your dream…” Makoto muttered, a conflicted expression still on his face.
            ~*~
            “L-Love? Me?” Makoto’s face  was tomato red. “Isn’t that a bit much?”
            Sayaka giggled, sporting a healthy blush of her own.
            “Not at all… “ She winked flirtatiously at him. “In fact, you’re showing me that love can go even further…  I’m already at the point that I can’t imagine life without you.”
             Not ‘don’t want to’ – can’t.
            Makoto stammered nervously as he ran a hand through his hair.
            “Y-You’re probably just exaggerating…” His blush deepened as she shook her head gravely. “W-Well… I-I mean, it’s not like I want to imagine life without you, either. You’re everything you are in the TV and magazines… everything and more.”
            Way more.
            “Aww~ I’m so glad you think so!” Sayaka teased, pecking him on the cheek affectionately. “I’m gonna have to work on you some more if you still ‘can’ imagine life without me, though~…”
            Makoto waved his hands defensively.
            “I-It’s nothing like that! I just…” He looked down with still burning hot cheeks. “I don’t want to get in the way. And this…”
            Sayaka wrapped him up in a hug, to the boy’s shock. She smiled as she leaned into his shoulder.
            “You won’t be a burden. You’ll never be a burden, Naegi-kun.” She pulled back so she could look in his eyes again, adopting a solemn expression. “Though… if we do this… We can’t tell anyone. Only we can know.”
            “I… I get it…” Makoto nodded numbly. “Though… if you feel like I’m causing too much stress… Hey…!”
            The idol bopped him on the nose.
            “If things become too much, well, that’ll be the end of it…” Sayaka flippantly remarked, sporting a coy, teasing grin.
            That grin did nothing to alleviate the anxiety in Makoto’s heart.
            “The end of it… Yeah, I kinda figured…”He muttered.
            Sayaka let out melodious giggles at that response. He didn’t even question what ‘it’ was… That was just like him, to put her before himself. So selfless. So generous. So innocent…
            But she wasn’t talking about the end of their relationship.  
            ~*~
            “My dream…” Sayaka mused with a content smile and sigh as she leaned over, resting her head on the bemused boy’s shoulder. “I guess Komaru-chan never got around to telling you. Which is good. Because I was being serious when I said I’d be angry if she told anybody…”
            “T-Tell me what…?” Makoto asked curiously, looking at the bluenette out of the corner of his eye.
            “Well, seeing as how my first dream was short-lived, I guess I can tell you~…” She had a fit of uncontrolled giggles. “Even if it was ‘all your fault’…”
            Makoto spluttered at the accusation.
            “T-Trust me! I’d have asked for my hoodie back if I’d known your manager would find it and-”
            Sayaka slight curled into him, staring up at his face, letting him know she hadn’t been accusatory. He nervously laughed it off, and she pecked him on the cheek for embarrassing him like that.
            “I wouldn’t have let you take it back, anyway.” Sayaka informed him, her tone light. Whimsical. “It’s nice and toasty. And makes sure I’ll get to smell you every day~…”
            Despite being thoroughly embarrassed, Makoto couldn’t help letting that one slide.
            “Hey, wasn’t I the one that said you smell nice…?” He cracked a small grin. “Does that mean I get one of your hoodies?”
            Sayaka seemed to think about it for a second.
            “… Sorry, don’t have any to spare, but you can have one of my shirts?” She burst into another uncontrollable fit of giggles at his gobsmacked expression.
            “I…! You…!” He spluttered, losing control of his vocal chords. Sayaka patted him consolingly.
            “Oh, alright… If you want my lingerie so bad~…” She peeked up at his face and was not disappointed with him going totally silent.
            makotonaegi.exe has run into an unexpected error, please scroll down the page to reboot.
            …
            …
            …
            “… Okay, I walked into that one…” Makoto exhaled, the ex-idol patting his shoulder consolingly once more.
            “Yes, you did. But your expressions are always fun, so I’m not mad!” She hummed gleefully.
            Makoto frowned as a thought occurred to him in that moment.
            “So… wait… You brought that hoodie on that tour ‘cause you wanted to?” He was nonplussed at how the ex-idol had done that on a whim…
            Sayaka nodded, resuming her sitting her position.
            “I did. And I left it out for my manager to find.” Sayaka beamed at how thoroughly confused she was making the poor boy. “Oh, Makoto… You still don’t get it.”
            Aforementioned Luckster blushed at how easily his given name rolled off her tongue so easily.
            “G-Get what…?” He asked helplessly. She fully turned to him, sporting a fierce pout.
            “You already ruined me for everyone else.” She poked his cheek adorably. “All those months, you put up with my selfish requests for absolute secrecy. Were the perfect gentleman. Put up with my calls at 3am. Let me keep your clothes. You should have done something months ago, but you were so patient. I had to ruin it for you so we could be together!”
            Makoto’s mind swirled as he tried to process that last statement in particular.
            “S-So… wait… Wh-What’s your dream now, if it’s not to be an idol?”
            “I wonder~…” Sayaka hummed, leering at him mischievously. “I could tell you, but it broke Komaru-chan’s brain. I’m nervous about what it will do to you~…”
            Makoto stared at the bluenette in bewilderment. She didn’t look nervous at all!
            “You’re practically begging to tell me!” He refuted. This only earned more giggles.
            “Well, if you really have to know~…” She chirped, taking a deep breath before whispering into his ear excitedly. Once done, Makoto reeled back with a face that was practically glowing red.
            “You told Komaru that?!” He yelped, aghast.
            So much for “only we can know.”
            Sayaka tilted her head adorably.
            “I would have told you first, but you were too busy being sweet and selfless. Komaru-chan has a right to know these things, too, since she’ll be ‘imouto’ later.” Sayaka nodded sagely as if that made total sense. She reopened her eyes curiously. “So, what do you think…?”
            Makoto coughed.
            “U-Um… You must… love me a lot…?” He smiled shakily, and sweatdropped as the ex-idol pinned him to the bench mischievously.
            “I did say that you ruined me, Makoto~…” She chirped innocently. “Now you take responsibility~!”
            … This girl had it bad. But then again… so did he. He wouldn’t have been patient for so long if he didn’t.
13 notes · View notes
levspeaks · 5 years
Text
obligatory yttd aus under the cut ! these are for uhhh kyouya and my ze and dr muses. this is so long it’s mostly for my own reference i am so sorry
kyouya : i hate him a lot. he’s very good at like ... everything because he instantly turns on the “charm everyone into helping me” thing and it’s awful. probably gets exposed as a selfish or manipulative person, but then proves himself by going out of his way to defend someone or save someone or whatever. scary. ends up with the most tokens in the target game during the 2nd trial lmao (tho for what it’s worth he’d press the button at the last second)
quark : keeping with his theme in his game, probably gets hurt or nearly hurt a lot. he serves a similar role as the kids in the game  --  that is, someone who the others are trying to protect, usually with very little success. probably the one who gets stuck in a cage in the ro room. :( that said he’s a very smart kid who helps a lot with puzzles. he votes for whoever he thinks is the greatest threat.
snake : has one (1) goal and that goal is to get back to clover. if this is still keeping their time jumping and fields thing, he also has the benefit of having survived at least one death game before  --  this time, though, he doesn’t have clover’s eyes, which means he’s out of his element a lot. doesn’t give out his tokens too much so if i need to stick him in the lower set i can but tbh he’s kind of in the middle
makoto : hates this. hates it so much. he doesn’t want to vote for anyone and he spends a good chunk of time just refusing to do so. when he does vote, it’s usually for whoever placed others into the most danger. we could def pull a trial one and have him be the keymaster in one game only for someone else to twist it around (even posthumously for that matter) and nearly get him voted for. gives his tokens away p freely tbh
kazuichi : kind of sucks at the puzzles, but is crazy useful when they get into the areas that require knowledge of technology. he votes for whoever seems the most dangerous (unless he’s confident that they’re the keymaster or the sacrifice, obviously), even if this isn’t necessarily the smartest move. would 100% end up as one of the people with the least tokens in the 2nd chapter.
toko : baby. is mostly useless with puzzles and all that because she’s too busy stressing herself out. i feel like she’d be alone in her first trial sorry babe...if i’m being honest with myself she probably gets voted to die when genocider is revealed but it doesn’t really matter when that happens yfm. fr struggles to get clear tokens because she doesn’t want to talk to anyone if she even makes it that far. she can be one of the people in russian roulette 
fuyuhiko : awful little gremlin who makes it obvious that he doesn’t trust anyone and thus gets a target painted on his back. he keeps to himself a lot in the puzzles, usually wants to investigate by himself etc even though he’s not good at analyzing details (though he does notice them, so that helps). a similar plot as in the first game, where after peko dies (sorry babe), he starts to loosen up and be more helpful.
the imposter : probably gets exposed because of that list of contestants, where there’s like “togami” listed but also just a “???  --  ???” entry yfm. doesn’t impersonate togami the entire time but rather relies on their ability to persuade people to overlook things like, for example, never being to identify who exactly all the players are. it’s fine. probably dies tbh
kokichi : sucks ... is awful ... tries to convince everyone that he’s the sage at one point, either for Funsies or because he’s worried they’re about to vote for the keymaster and he wants to avoid that. is scary good at sussing out what everyone’s role is, as well as solving the puzzles. definitely dies at some point 
chihiro : a lovely wonderful angel who is also fundamentally useless until they get to the areas that use monitors. hmmm maybe the ais can use alter ego tech so chihiro seems suspicious? like from an old business deal or something. entirely too trusting and gives out too many tokens
2 notes · View notes
Text
Part five of HaruMichi BatB!! Masterpost link This chapter is a little weak, I think, but it’s here and I hope you enjoy it!
The gardens needed no tending. Whether by design or cruel coincidence, they bloomed in beauty with no mind to time or curses.
If not your hand in marriage, mayhaps I may have but a flower in your garden.
Michiru no longer belonged here, atrocity that she was. But Haruka could not have looked more perfect had she been painted into the scene. She had finally changed, donning a simple white tunic and navy trousers. The sunlight caught her hair in a golden halo. She leaned into a rose bush, strong hands delicate around the thrones as she smelled the petals.
Doubt bloomed in Michiru’s heart. A beautiful woman in a beautiful garden should not be intruded upon. She should enjoy it, without—
And then she looked up, the shyest of tiny smiles creeping up one side of her mouth. “I like flowers,” she said, tone inexplicably apologetic.
“Well then I hope you will like it here.”
Haruka made a show of looking around. “It’s very nice.” She looked back to Michiru. “I like your hat.”
Michiru reached up to the rim. “Oh, thank you.” It was a lady’s hat, wide brimmed to keep the sun off delicate skin, trimmed with ribbon and lace. A farce on one such as herself, but she could not but try to dress for the occasion.
“Do you spend a lot of time here?” Haruka asked as they began to walk the winding path.
“I have not walked the gardens for a very long time.”
“Do you not want to? We could—“
“No, no, it’s quite alright. I merely haven’t had a reason.”
Lies upon lies. She would rather be hidden away, where the sunlight did not glint on her scales, where she did not feel brush and moss along the length of her tail, where she did not ache to have the warm arms of a human woman to link into the crook of Haruk’s elbow as they strolled. It was one thing to be a monster in a dark haunted house, and quite another to be one in the light of day.
And yet again… she was not sure she would trade seeing Haruka’s sheepish excitement at the flowers, the way joy burst out of her in the sun before she could think to reign it back in.
“I just haven’t seen so many flowers in one place before,” Haruka said after a while. “There are some gardens back home, kids take pictures there for prom, but I never feel… and they’re not so grand as this anyway.”
MIchiru could not be sure if asking more would be prying. She chose a sideway question to be safe. “What is prom?”
Haruka laughed, warm and bright and Michiru’s heart ached for more. “Prom is… well, like one of your balls, I suppose, did you have balls? But it’s with schools, when you’re a teen. And all the girls are supposed to go with boys, and all the boys are supposed to try and get lucky. And you’ve got to wear a horrible dress, usually with sparkles on it, so I never went.” She smiled, scratching at the back of her neck. “Mina went to like, five though. Dated boys just to go to their proms. She loves that sort of thing.”
“Mina is…”
���My roommate. And best friend. She’s much more glamorous than me.”
“There are things much more valuable than glamour.”
Haruka chuckled again. “Tell her that next time she buys me a tie with sequins on it.”
“I don’t expect to have the chance,” Michiru said, too candidly. Haruka looked to her with knotted brows.
“What…” she started, but then shook her head and looked forward. “There are probably things you can’t tell me, right? But if there are things that could help, I can do them. I’m here anyway, and I mean…” She shrugged. “I’d like to do what I can.”
“Thank you, but there’s nothing to be done.” Michiru adjusted her hat to shield her face from Haruka’s questioning frown. “I am what I am, and I must stay here.”
———-
The problem, she mused later, back in the safety of solitude, where shards of her vanity mirror still littered the floor, is that there had always been stories, and the stories were always spectacular and dramatic.
She had been cruel, certainly. She had wanted to be left alone, and that was what she got. And maybe it wouldn’t have come to this, had she done even one thing different.
“I do not want the towns people to attend,” she’d said when planning her coming-of-age. She saw them every day, and their absence meant more invitations could go out. She craved more than what their small population had to offer.
“I do not wish to see anyone,” she had said when her parents passed. She was expected to grieve publicly, to consol everyone else who know the lord and lady of the house, and she wanted no part in it.
“I would not marry you or anyone else here were you the last men on earth.”
And that was all there was. She inflicted cruelty and cruelty was inflicted upon her. She could not tell Haruka there was nothing more to it than that. She had never even found the courage to tell the shades the nature of the curse. They deserved to believe there was a way out.
She slid from her bedroom to the room off its side, where one wall opened to a balcony. At its center she kept a small round table, and the table she kept a hand mirror.
When she’d first changed, she thought it showed her the future. In the glass she saw herself, beautiful and smiling, and she saw Makoto and Usagi regain life and leave. She’d seen travelers come and romance her back to humanity. She’d seen herself change back a hundred times over, and slowly realized it was but a reflection of her desires, not a premonition of anything that would come to pass.
Michiru knew better than to look now, but still her claws wrapped around its handle and brought it to her face. There she was in the gardens, long dress fluttering against her legs. Her hand rested at Haruka’s elbow. Haruka bore no trace of fear. They walked and talked and smiled. Michiru leaned against the wall. She sighed, heart heavy, and watched the scene change.
Haruka was dressed as she was when she came, and Michiru sat next to her in a strange sort of carriage. Her hair and the ribbons of her hat streamed back in the air from the open windows. Haruka laughed and took her hand, placing it on a lever that stuck out between them. The carriage gave a small jerk as they moved it together, and then the Michiru in the glass was laughing too.
“Show me something real,” she whispered.
The image in the glass blurred. She saw the world through her own eyes, through a window at the front of the house. One claw rested against the pane. On the other side, a woman with long blonde hair ushered Haruka into a different carriage,  where another woman waited to take them away. Haruka looked back once, and then was gone.
Michiru set the mirror down. There was some small part of her heart that wanted the right thing. She would not fight it when it came to pass.
8 notes · View notes
rnr4ev · 6 years
Text
‘Tis the Season
Merry Christmas @autumnsayshey here’s my gift to you from the @personasecretsanta2k17 I hope you enjoy it (AND thank you so so much for the art it is adorable and I love it).
P5, Ryuji/Akira -> mistletoe kiss with supportive hugs for all and some pt Akechi friendships. (also snuck in a ponytail Akechi for you)
fic length ~2k
AO3 Link
Akechi watched as the last customer walked out of the cafe, letting his polite smile droop into a relaxed expression as he turned to start rinsing out the dishes and coffee maker. The sign on the door said closed but he didn’t need to worry about locking up just yet, not with Sojiro still out shopping with Futaba. The water was warm under his hands as he scrubbed out the coffee machine. This was the first time Sojiro had left him alone in the shop. It was nice to feel trusted, even after, well after… Akechi was thrown out of his musings by the sound of the bell on the door jingling, followed by a loud bang and muffled swearing.
 Akechi turned to see Ryuji clutching his knee, his previously non injured knee, if he remembered correctly, and some colorfully wrapped presents scattered around him.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah just walked into a chair and tripped. Man, why’d the girls make me carry all the gifts over?”
“Oh are those for tomorrow? I can help you take them upstairs, although I can’t promise if Akira is back or not.” Akechi replied, quickly drying his hands off. Things were, while maybe not the best with Ryuji, they had improved a lot after Akira vouched for him and Sojiro started letting him work at the cafe. He’d never be Ryuji’s best friend, that place would likely always belong to Akira, but Ryuji had put his trust in him surprisingly fast after everything. He’d trusted Akechi enough to let him slowly back into their friend group, he’d trusted him enough to help him through the physical therapy he had had to go through and most telling, he’d trusted Akechi’s help with his mother’s legal proceedings regarding her court official divorce with his father.
 “Man, I didn’t even recognize you at first with your hair up like that. Boss make you do that to keep hair out of the food or you trying to something new?” Ryuji replied, straightening himself up and picking up the pile of presents.
 Akechi reached up to feel his hair, it was up off the nap of his neck. “No, Futaba shot a hairband at me before she left, but she missed so Boss made her pick it up and that somehow translated to putting my hair up for me in Futaba language? I’m not sure it was a bit strange.” Akechi responded.
 “Huh, well it looks nice. You should put it up more often.” Ryuji, now carrying a towering pile of presents responded.
“That’s what Akira and Mona said as well, maybe I can ask Sae-san if she could help me braid it sometime, since she was nice enough to let me stay with her and Makoto, or maybe I could ask Makoto, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Are you sure I can’t help you with that?” Akechi watched as a particularly small package wobbled with every step Ryuji took.
 “Nope, I got this.” with that Ryuji continued walking towards and then up the stairs to the attic where Akira was staying. Akechi went back to washing dishes, stifling a laugh when he heard the telltale sound of crashing and thumping as the package pile no doubt collapsed again upstairs.
 In theory, Ryuji’s plan was simple, so simple it was flawless. So how the eff did he keep on messing up?
 Sure dropping all the presents on the floor and waking Akira from his nap had meant that he wasn’t able to sneak mistletoe up on the beam by Akira’s desk but still, that’s what his back up plans were for. But yesterday he and Akira had been under the holiday decoration at a nearby store and when Ryuji had turned to point it out to Akira, his boyfriend had somehow managed to teleport himself to the other side of the store, examining a small cat costume. Admittedly imagining Morgana in the costume had raised his spirits but this wasn’t the first time Akira somehow managed to wiggle his way out from under the mistletoe with him. If it wasn’t for the fact that Akira’s had given Ann a kiss on the check when they were caught under one together, Ryuji would be convinced that Akira was just flat out avoiding them. But he wasn’t and that somehow made it worse.
 On Thursday, Ryuji had planned everything out, putting mistletoe near the entry to the attic and  of course as soon as he and Akira were about to reach the final step together, Mona slipped between them causing Ryuji to lose his balance, fall into his boyfriend and then tumble onto the attic floor, a few steps away from the mistletoe.
 On Friday, first Akira and Ann were stuck under the mistletoe, and then Futaba and Makoto, and then Ryuji and Ann, who had blown him a kiss and giggled at his frustration.
 On Saturday the worst happened when the mistletoe that Ryuji had strategically placed disappeared right when Akira and him were perfectly situated underneath it. Ryuji kicked over a chair (and then sheepishly picked it back up) when Yusuke told him that the mistletoe made the scene “off balance” and so he had moved it to “improve the composition” or whatever fancy art words he’d used.
 Akira sleeplily blinked up at him as he shuffled the present pile near the small decorated tree in the attic.
“Ryuji? What time is it?” Akira asked, voice groggy with sleep. Behind him Morgana let out a low grumble that was either a complaint or insult or possibly both.
Ryuji shrugged, Akira had a hellish work schedule the past few days so he could comfortably take Christmas Eve off.
“I’m not sure, late probably because Akechi seemed like he was closing. But you should go back to sleep.”
“-m not tired” Was Akira’s reply, slightly muffled under blankets. Ryuji sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Listen, you and I know that Makoto might kill you if you sleep through the party tomorrow so go back to sleep dude”.
Ryuji heard some more muffled grumbling before Akira poked his head out from the covers.
“Your worse than Mona.” he replied sticking his tongue out, “but I am really tired and I did promise Yusuke I’d help him look over the decorations tomorrow, so see you tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.” Ryuji replied, leaning over to give Akira a brief forehead kiss before standing.
 12/23/xx 9:00 pm
Ryuji : ANNNNNN
Ann: wat
Ryuji: i think Akira’s psychic
Ann: ?
Ann: explain
Ryuji : avoids mistletoe better than palace shadows
Ann: lol. Why don’t you just ask him for a kiss under the mistletoe
Ryuji : nah, that’s not romantic or smooth at all!
#1 Best Hacker: >implying that u can be smooth
Ryuji: what the eff futaba stop eavesdropping, aren’t u supposed to be wrapping presents or something
#1 Best Hacker : no, already finished
#1 Best Hacker: >:3
Ann : u just put them all in gift bags didn’t u?
#1 Best Hacker is offline
Ann: just grab him and give him a smooch Ryuji, you can do it
Ryuji: ...
 Ryuji sighed setting his phone down and throwing his arm over his eyes. Two days left ‘til Christmas and all his plans for getting Akira under the mistletoe had failed. The guy just had an uncanny ability to dodge and duck out of any place with mistletoe in it before Ryuji got there. Whatever, tomorrow was Christmas Eve and the party they’d been planning he’d get his mistletoe kiss or die trying. Resolve set, Ryuji rolled over on his side, falling into a peaceful sleep.
 Futaba walked into Leblanc just in time to catch Akira posing with his arms in the air, completely covered in tinsel as Yusuke circled him trying to add to his masterpiece and Akechi surreptitiously tried to take photos on his phone. On the side Makoto was standing worriedly by occasionally taking a worried step forward to break them up and then stepping back as she thought better of it.
 Her phone dinged as Akechi sent out a picture of Akira covered in the glittery decoration to the group chat. She plopped herself down on the booth next to him.
“They been at it for awhile?” She asked scooting over to him to grab a handful of mixed nuts on the table.
“At least an hour” Akechi replied, “I got here an hour ago with Makoto and they were already like that”.
Group Chat
Akechi : [pic]
Ryuji : Oi tell Yusuke the decorations go on the furniture not my boyfriend.
Ann : oo tell Yusuke to add more red
Haru : oh no
Ryuji: Ann no! Tell Akira I’m coming to rescue him rn
 “Akira, your knight in shining armor is coming to save you!” Futaba called out, laughing as Yusuke let out an “excuse me” and Akira let out a grateful smile.
 By the time Haru arrived the decorations had been thankfully, put up in more traditional places with Yusuke instead choosing to fiddle with the tree ornaments.
“Hi everyone, sorry I’m late, the meeting took longer than anticipated.”
She was greeted with various hello’s as she took in the state of the cafe.
Akechi was smooshed in the corner of a booth with both Makoto and Ann fiddling with braids in his hair and talking animatedly to each other. Ryuji was cuddled next to Akira, manga in hand as Akira read over his shoulder. She took a seat next to Futaba who was tapping away on her phone on a bar stool.
 “Okay coffee and hot chocolate are done so if anyone wants any come get it” Sojiro stated passing out drinks to everyone.
 “You know”, Haru started after everyone was sitting comfortably around, warm drinks in hand, “It’s been a long time since I was able to celebrate a holiday like this, dad was always working or he’d go to really official fancy parties to rub elbows with politicians, so I guess I just wanted to say thanks.”
For a moment the group fell silent, then Akechi opened his mouth,
“I -uh never really celebrated at the orphanage, or had actual friends to celebrate with. It means a lot that after everything that happened, everything I did, you all accepted me and helped me recover. So I… thanks” Akechi trailed off, taking a sip of his coffee.
 Ryuji wasn’t sure who started sniffling, probably Ann, although she would definitely slug him if he pointed that out.
The next few minutes where filled with a combination of hugs and sniffles as the group consoled each other.
 As the party wound down, the members took their leave one by one, first with Makoto and Akechi who both mentioned wanting to be home in time to surprise Sae with some presents, then Haru who drove Ann home since Ann was complaining about being too full to move. Next was Yusuke, who after staring fondly at the “Sayori” for awhile stated that he had to get back to his dorms.
Finally the only ones left were Morgana, Futaba, Ryuji and Akira. And then, Futaba scooped up Morgana (despite his protests) and waved goodbye to Ryuji and Akira. It was around this time that Ryuji became acutely aware that one) it was christmas eve and two) with all the celebration going on he’d forgotten about the mistletoe. He reached into his back pocket frantically, and when he didn’t find the sprig he’d been carrying with him he began searching through his jacket pockets.
“Ugh for reals?” he exclaimed as he came up empty.
“Hmm did you misplace something?” Akira asked, carrying over another cup of hot chocolate for Ryuji.
“N-no, it’s nothing” Ryuji stammered, blushing at being caught
Akira looked at him a twinkle in his eye.
“Hmm could it be that you’re missing this?” He replied dangling the mistletoe above their head.
“Wha-?” Ryuji’s question was stifled as Akira leaned over, pressing his lips to Ryuji’s.
“Merry Christmas Ryuji” Akira stated, laughing at Ryuji’s gobsmacked expression.
“You, you- When did you?” Ryuji questioned looking at Akira with an adorably confused expression.
“Well  you seemed disappointed that we didn’t get to have a kiss under the mistletoe and I may or may not have found this in your back pocket so...” Akira trailed off as Ryuji reached up and grabbed the mistletoe from Akira.
“Merry Christmas Akira.” Ryuji replied, leaning over to give Akira another kiss.
Ryuji: I did it!!!!
Ann: good job
#1 Best Hacker : we poppin’ the biggest bottles
Ryuji: Hey what’d i say about eavesdropping
#1 Best Hacker: :3c
11 notes · View notes
kamisamawrites · 4 years
Text
Like the Sun and the Moon
Chapter 10: Prettier Than Any Sakura Tree
Chapter Index
Walking back to the Hisakawa Estate after barring the Frog Lord’s clothes, the sun had already begun to set. Makoto hadn’t meant to stay out for so long, especially with all of her injuries, but her mind had other plans. She couldn’t stop thinking, and it was driving her insane. 
Throughout the day, the night’s events had slowly begun to resurface in her mind. They were hazy, but she could recall bits and pieces. 
Entering the estate, Makoto’s bones felt like lead in her body. Her eyes were sore and her head spun from the lack of sleep. 
As she made her way to the front door, the world suddenly turned on its side and the next thing she knew, she was on the ground.
“Wha…?” she murmured, unable to think straight.
Slowly looking around, she wasn’t able to stop her eyelids from slamming shut. She could vaguely hear someone calling out to her, but like a voice in the wind, it was gone.
Stirring the pot of piping hot porage, Makoto hummed happily as she turned around to find him patiently sitting in his futon. 
Making her way over to him, she couldn’t help the way her heart swelled as dark ruby eyes met her purple ones. Moving pale blonde locks out of his face, she enjoyed the hum that rumbled in his throat as she placed her forehead on his.
“Your temperature went down,” she smiled, pulling away.
“I kind of wish it didn’t,” he confessed sheepishly.
“What are you talking about? Maybe your fever is worse than I thought…” Makoto scolded, eyebrows knitting together in worry.
His laugh was gentle, his voice angelic, and his smile the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. With the way the golden light shone in through the windows, she wished she could have captured this moment and burn it into her mind.
Huffing a little, Makoto turned away from him.
“I’m going to get you your food,” she mumbled, ignoring the fluttering in the pit of her stomach.
Standing up, Makoto felt him grab onto the sleeve of her kimono. Pulling her back, she couldn’t stop the small yelp that slipped past her lips as he hugged her close.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he whined, “Noo~ Don’t leave me~” 
Hiding his face in the crook of her neck, his arms tightened, trapping her in his lap.
“Wha- Uh- Agh…! But- but the food!” Makoto protested, trying to push the heat in her face down.
Shifting slightly to look at him, his pale cheeks were flushed a bright red. Watching him avoid her gaze as his cheeks puffed out made her heart melt.
“I’m not even hungry…” he mumbled, eyes shifting to the side.
“That’s not an excuse! Now let me go so I can feed you!” she scolded, trying to softly pry his arms from her waist.
Instead, he only tightened his grip as he nuzzled into her shoulder. His face hidden behind his bangs.
Watching him from the corner of her eye, she could feel her resolve begin to crack. 
Looking up at her, his ruby eyes shimmered in the light and his lips pulled down into a pout. His voice was so sweet it was like honey to her ears.
“Makoto~” he called, dragging her name out childishly.
Her breath caught in her throat, finding it now impossible to tear her gaze from his.
“Please? Won’t you stay here with me?” he whimpered, eyes big and sad like a puppy’s.
Watching him carefully, Makoto’s internal debate quickly came to an end as a tired sigh slipped past her lips. Shifting to make herself more comfortable, she refused to acknowledge how the way his eyes lit up made her heart swoon.
“You’re such a baby,” she pouted, earning a soft but heartfelt laugh.
“You’re right, where would I be without you,” he hummed, hiding his face in her hair.
A comfortable silence fell between them as they sat together, just enjoying each other’s embrace. Feeling him wrap his haori around them, she played with the white and red fabric, eyes tracing the black cranes that littered the bottom of it.
His breath was cold against her ear as was his skin, his embrace as soft as feathers. He was so gentle, it made her feel as if she were made of glass.
“The sakura trees are in bloom now…” Makoto said, voice soft, as if afraid he might have been scared off if she were any louder.
“I know it’s not fun being stuck in bed all the time, so we should go see them once you feel better,” she said, lifting her head to look up at him.
Watching how his eyes seemed to study her own, she couldn’t help but smile.
Eyes darting away, his cheeks flushed as he mumbled in her hair, “I-I’d rather stay here…”
“Huh? Why? I thought you loved sakura season,” Makoto asked, turning to face him.
“I do but…” he stuttered, taking a deep breath before pinning something in her hair.
Blinking a few times, Makoto’s hand came up to meet his. Her fingers traced the roughly carved wood of the hairpin before she turned her gaze back to him.
“There’s not a single sakura tree more beautiful than what’s in front of me,” he confessed, the corners of his eyes softly crinkling as his lips curled up.
Feeling her heart skip a beat, heat rushed to Makoto’s cheeks as she laughed. Placing the palm of his hand against her face, she leaned into his touch. His hands were rough and thick, hardened from many years of making bamboo furniture. 
“When did you become so smooth?” she mused, returning his smile with a small smirk. 
“I had a lot of time to practice while stuck in bed,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
Pulling her closer, giggles slipped past her lips as he planted small butterfly kisses all over her face.
“You’re always taking care of me, I’ll make it up to you one day,” he whispered before Makoto cut him off.
“You don’t need to. I promised, didn’t I? I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe and healthy,” she reminded him, shifting so her back was fleshed against his chest.
A low, uneasy hum rumbled in his throat as his fingers gently played with her hair. His nails felt more like claws as he combed the top of her scalp.
“I’m the man here, I’m supposed to be the one saying that stuff…” he grumbled.
Makoto couldn’t help but laugh at this. Her voice, soft and airy as it rang in the air.
“Would it make you feel better if I played a song for you?” she asked, amusement lingering in her voice.
Picking up her shakuhachi, Makoto smiled.
“I’ll play whatever you want,” she cooed, only causing the young man to pout more.
“I normally would, but I wasn’t done talking…” he said.
“Oh, my bad then. Please continue,” she giggled.
Breathing out a sigh, his body grew tense behind her as his fingers fidgeted with hers.
“I want to take care of you Makoto,” he said, his voice trembling slightly as he swallowed the lump in his throat.
Softly tilting Makoto’s chin to face him, he whispered, “Not just as your best friend, but… as your husband.”
Eyes growing wide, Makoto’s smile dropped at his words.
Leaning down, he gently pressed his forehead to hers before continuing.
“I know I’m not the strongest or smartest man in the village, but I’m serious about this. You’re the only one I want, and I’ll work hard to make you happy,” he said, his breath fanning her face.
Cupping her cheeks, he smiled, “Makoto, I love you. More than anything in the world.”
Hesitantly bringing her hands to his, Makoto’s breathing grew shallow as she blinked the tears out of her eyes. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to beat right out of her chest as a smile pulled at her trembling lips.
“Do you… Do you mean it?” she croaked.
Using his calloused thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks, he couldn’t help but softly chuckle as he pecked the tip of her nose.
“I do.”
Calling his name, Makoto jumped into his embrace as her arms wrapped around his neck. 
She felt so warm in that moment, so safe. His laugh was all she needed to know that everything was going to be alright. That things were only going to go up from there.
She knew in that moment that she didn’t want to be anywhere but with him.
Eyes fluttering awake, instead of the small house deep in the bamboo forest, Makoto found herself in one of the spare rooms at the Hisakawa mansion. 
Panic rose up in her and she rushed to get up, only for a wet cloth to fall into her lap and her entire body to burn. A long, low hiss slipped past her clenched teeth at the pain. 
Her limbs felt like jello, and her body was covered in a cold sweat. Her breathing was ragged from the chills that ran down her body, and her head was pounding. 
“Makoto…!”
Snapping her head up, her eyes adjusted to the dark as she made out a familiar face. Taking a minute to register the boy in front of her, the base of her palm pressed against her forehead as she lowered her gaze. 
Blinking in confusion, her eyes frantically darted to the side, finding that familiar, old crane patterned haori next to her. It was neatly folded, and on top of it was her treasured hairpin. 
A sigh of relief slipped past her lips as the day’s events slowly trickled back into her groggy mind.
That’s right, she was a demon slayer now… 
“Hey! Are you… are you okay…?” Inosuke hesitantly asked, voice soft and uneasy.
Pushing herself to sit up, she hunched over herself as she cradled her head. Her forehead felt warm and clammy, left damp by the small towel.
“I’m fine…” she weakly said, voice hoarse as she hid her face.
She knew this feeling, she had a fever. 
“Great, how ironic…” Makoto bitterly laughed, the words slipping out before remembering there was another person in the room.
Peeking up, Makoto found Inosuke staring at her. He sat next to her, still and silent. 
She couldn’t tell what he was thinking or even what his expression was with his mask on, and it made her uneasy. She couldn’t help the way her nerves grew tense the longer they sat there. 
The silence was deafening as she waited for him to do something, to say something, but he didn’t. It was as if he was studying her. She could feel the way his gaze bore into her, almost like she was his prey. At least, that’s what she felt like at that moment.
“Inosuke…?” she called, her worry overriding her other emotions at that moment.
“Are you really okay?” he asked, finally speaking up after what felt like hours.
Flashing him a reassuring smile, Makoto nodded.
Despite this, he wasn’t convinced. His frown only deepened as a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach grew.
“You were mumbling something in your sleep,” he said, startling her.
“O-Oh… Was I?” she nervously chuckled, eyes darting to the ground.
“How is everyone else doing?” she asked, covertly changing topics.
“You should worry more about yourself. You’ve been out for two days,” he said, voice oddly sharp.
Quietly watching her eyes widened at his words, he could practically see the gears in her mind turn. 
“I-I see…” she stammered, blinking awkwardly.
“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble,” she said rubbing the back of her neck.
Inosuke couldn’t help the anger that bubbled up inside him at her words.
“Why are you apologizing for that?! That’s not what you should be sorry for!” he snapped, his sudden loud voice causing her to flinch.
“What?” she absentmindedly asked, confused.
“If you're so sorry, then stop causing trouble in the first place!” he scolded her, the volume of his voice lowering slightly.
Letting his words sink in, her eyes widened.
“Are you… worried?” she asked.
“Of course I am! You’re my underling and you were not only possessed but out cold for two days straight! If we were out in the wild, you would have died!” he shouted.
Opening her mouth, she quickly shut it, realizing she didn’t know what to say. Turning away, guilt clung to her like wet clothes. 
Her gaze faltered as she tried to comprehend just how much she had scared everybody. 
How much she had scared him.
Lowering her head, Makoto couldn’t look him in the eyes.
“I-... I’m… sorry…” she murmured, not knowing what else to say.
Eyeing her, Inosuke could feel his anger waver. He was mad, but he didn’t want to see her like this either.
“I’ll… work harder,” she said, unconsciously gripping her blanket.
“Just tell me next time,” Inosuke huffed, catching Makoto off guard.
“You should tell me if something’s wrong! You’re my underling, it’s my job to look out for you,” he said, crossing his arms.
Staring at him, Makoto couldn’t help the broken laugh that fell from her lips.
“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” she said, her laugh lingering in her voice as she gave him a tired smile.
It wasn’t funny, none of this was, but the stress of everything had finally gotten to her. Her feelings of inferiority, her bittersweet dreams, the fight with the Frog Lord. 
It was all just so overwhelming. 
If she were just stronger - mentally, physically, it didn’t really matter - if she were just stronger! Maybe then, none of this would have happened.
Clenching her fists, she could feel her throat grow tight as she tried to hold back the tears.
Taking a deep breath, Makoto said, voice soft as she turned away, “It’s getting late. I’m sure you’re tired.”
Taking a second to absorb her words, Inosuke asked, “Are you sure you’re okay alone?”
Without thinking, she nodded, but as soon as he stood up, a strange feeling suddenly washed over her. Watching him make his way over to the door, unease crept its way into her limbs. The room seemed to only grow darker the farther Inosuke got from her, causing an anxiety-inducing panic to wash over her.
“W-wait a second…!” Makoto blurted out, her hand catching the back of his pants.
Turning to look at her, Inosuke quirked a brow.
“You need something?” he asked.
Watching her eyes dart to and fro, she hesitantly let him go, seemingly surprised by her own actions. Giving her a second to sort her words, Inosuke quietly waited.
“I-I… I don’t want to be alone right now…” she confessed, eyes shyly casting down.
Curiously cocking his head, Makoto seemed to grow increasingly antsy under his gaze.
“...W… W-Will you stay here with me…” she mumbled.
“Please?” she whispered under batted lashes.
Taking a second to think it over, Inosuke nodded, silently complying with her request. 
The two were quiet as they sat together, the air not heavy, but not exactly comfortable either. 
“Did you have a bad dream?” he asked, making himself comfortable next to her.
“You can say that…” she mumbled, eyes glued to her hands.
Eyeing her curiously, Inosuke wondered what she was thinking about. Her brows were furrowed and she looked concerned about something. Her hand moved to grab her haori before stopping and returning to her lap. She looked as if she were interrogating herself.
Despite knowing she was strong, he couldn’t help but think she looked so incredibly fragile at that moment. As if she’d break from the weight of her worries alone.
Spotting the damp towel that lay forgotten in her lap, a memory popped into his head.
“Hey,” he called, causing her to look at him.
“Ye-” cutting herself off, Makoto’s breath caught in her throat as Inosuke leaned towards her.
Having removed his mask, his big green eyes and close proximity caused Makoto’s heart to pound rapidly in her ears. Unable to stop the heat that rushed to her cheeks, she felt light when his fingers brushed her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Gently placing his forehead to hers, the low hum that rumbled in Inosuke’s throat caused Makoto’s heart to skip a beat.
“You’re heating up…” he grumbled, pulling away.
“Poncho said that when you’re sick, you can’t get too warm,” he said, grabbing the towel in her lap.
“O-Oh…” she mumbled, unable to tear her eyes away from him.
Gently touching her cheek, her face was indeed quite hot. Her fever must have been worse than she thought, that was probably why she was so flustered. Yeah, that was probably it.
Sheepishly thanking Inosuke as he placed the towel back onto her head, the two grew extremely quiet after that. 
Starting at the ceiling beams, Makoto’s pounding heart was all she could hear as she laid in bed.
Although grateful for his company, she was starting to wonder if she had made the right decision. No matter how hard she tried, she had a sinking feeling she wouldn’t be getting much sleep that night.
Next Chapter
Previous Chapter
0 notes
taintedkibou · 6 years
Text
Crow's punch sent Joker stumbling backwards. His hand caught the edge of the desk, keeping him upright. "How could you even think that?! The world—"
"Isn't perfect," Joker spat, tasting blood in his mouth. "We can make it perfect."
"By accepting Lavenza's guidance!" Crow shouted, hands fisted at his sides.
Joker sneered. "We can make it perfect by staying Thieves and changing the hearts of all the lowly humans that taint it."
Igor's soft laughter drew their attention and Crow moved protectively in front of the petite girl. "This is a perfect example of why you should let me take control of this world. You are both filled with discord. Two sides of the same coin. Lavenza tried to reach you before I ripped her apart." His gaze focused on the scowling Joker. "I guess you didn't hear her voice. Being in control of so many pawns—it's been such an interesting game. What will your decision be?" Igor's voice faded, as did his body. "Time is running out..." 
//
Joker ripped off his mask with an enraged yell, "You don't get it, do you?! Without this... I'm useless. I will have nothing to go back to." His lips trembled, twisting upward in a shaky grin. "I'll just be crazy. The boy who thought another world existed."
"You're smart—"
"And adults are stupid!" Akira covered his ears, trying to shut out the voices of reason. Without this amazing gift, Ryuji and Yusuke would leave him. They had a bright future to look forward to, and he would be an unsightly stain. "I'll... still be useless if they don't accept me."
"You made it this far," Crow reminded him in a soft voice. "You weren't the one used... to commit murders." Via the long nose of his mask, he pushed it up onto his head. "Our end goals are the same. Why can't we...? And then we'll never have to see each other again."
"That's a lie," Akira scoffed, running his fingers through his hair. "You'll probably have Niijima arrest me."
"As a prosecutor, she doesn't have the power—"
"So help me, you imposter tengu, I will stab you with your own mask."
The lilting giggle reminded both teens that they were guests in someone else's domain. "Lavenza." Akechi bowed his head.
Akira stared down his nose at the diminutive attendant. "So, you're that annoying one and the one I never saw... put together. Your personality doesn't match."
Lavenza blinked innocently up at the brunet. "Would you like to see me lose my temper like Justine did?"
Akira smirked. "You're a deadly one, aren't you?"
Lavenza's only response was a soft laugh.
//
Akira found Futaba first.
The young girl threw herself at him after the bars opened, and he held her as she sobbed, rubbing comforting circles on her back with a gentle smile. Once she'd calmed down enough, Futaba grinned at him. "You found me first?"
Akira winked. "I'm saving the best for last."
The redhead pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. The look softened into a small smile, her Thief attire materializing suddenly. "I'll stay here. This is your journey. Bring us all back together, 'kay?"
"Of course."
x
Yusuke's eyes widened after spotting the black clad figure and he pushed away from the wall to stand in front of his cell door. Akira smiled sheepishly. "I'm glad you're o—"
Once he'd gotten close enough, Yusuke reached through the bars and snagged the lapels of Joker's coat. If it wasn't for Akira's quick thinking—bracing his hands in front of himself—he would've slammed painfully into the metal. "I understand if you're upset...!"
Yusuke said nothing. He cupped the back of Akira's head with his left hand--the right still held him in place--and brought him even closer so they could share a kiss through the bars. It was nothing like the friendly pecks they shared before, and Akira found himself lightheaded when they finally separated. 
"When I came to and found myself in this cell, I thought... how fitting." His hands rose, cupping Akira's surprised face. "As we disappeared from that hideous world, my only concerns were that I'd never get to see Ryuji again. Never get to see you again." Yusuke closed his eyes, chuckling low and soft, and pressed their foreheads together. "I finally understand Ryuji's conflicting thoughts and behavior where you are concerned. I do believe I'm finally in love with you, Kurusu Akira. And the pain of knowing I would never get to tell you surpassed that of my body turning to nothing."
Eyes still closed, Yusuke tilted his head, seeking Akira's mouth for another kiss. 
//
Ryuji didn't bother lifting his head after hearing the rustle of cloth outside the cell door. "Yo..." he muttered. "Is this hell? Did we die out there...?"
Akira didn't have an answer for Ryuji's questions because he was just as lost and clueless as the next person. He sank into a crouch, hands folded between his thighs. "If it is hell, aren't you glad you're here with me?"
Ryuji finally lifted his head, taking in all of Akira. During the past several months, he experienced things he would never have even dreamed of being possible. Loved, and found love. Made unexpected friends that stuck with him. Ryuji laughed softly, all doubt gone from his being as he grinned at the masked teen. "I am!"
"Then let's get out of here. Together." 
x
Yusuke's statement to Futaba came to an abrupt end the moment he spotted Joker leading Skull towards them. The redhead giggled and pushed him towards the pair. He silently thanked her as his steps quickened to reach them faster. Joker easily sidestepped out of the way, but Yusuke's reach was long and his wrist was ensnared. Yusuke's other arm went around Skull's neck and the blond had to stop himself from climbing his boyfriend.
"I'm worried you guys will have sex in public when we save the world," Akira sighed, shaking his captured arm. "This is just a reunion."
Ryuji broke the kiss and grinned at Yusuke. "Whaddaya think? Should we have sex in public?"
"E...exhibitionism!" Futaba sputtered, pointing an accusing finger. Haru hid behind her hat.
"You pick the time and place and I'll be there," Yusuke hummed in response.
"Inari!" Futaba's cheeks were a bright pink, her arms crossed in front of her face.
Haru cleared her throat and the small group followed her stare to Crow and his team. Ann's stare of disbelief was locked solely on the couple. Makoto looked collected, but she was the only one that knew what thoughts swam in her head. Crow and Joker stared each other down, unyielding.
Lavenza stood calmly between the two different teams, shifting her gaze from one side to the other. Her voice reached them both. Together, they should be able to put an end to the encroaching ruin. If they didn't end each other first. She smiled at her own quip.
//
"I think we should form different groups," Crow mused aloud at the base of the skeletal path that would lead them to their mutual foe. Hell broke loose with that statement; voices were shouting, rising louder than the chaos above and below them. A shrill whistle cut through the noise, Noir being its source.
"He's right," she sighed. "I think I'll go with Crow."
Skull's eyes widened. "Noir, why?!"
An almost sad smile was directed at him. "I can't heal you."
"If we beat them up quick enough, nobody gets hurt," the blond argued.
"I'll take your place," Queen declared.
Skull drew back. He didn't have anything against her; he just didn't know her. What wrongs had she suffered? "I believe hers was a personal battle," Fox stated soft enough for only him to hear. "Not everyone has cases like ours."
Skull exhaled deeply. His glare was toned down into a frown, which remained directed at the intimidating figure. "They call you Queen," he muttered in lieu of small talk. "Does that mean everyone listens to you?"
"No," Queen replied curtly. "We all have our own opinions. We share them with each other after accessing the situation."
"Skull," Navi interrupted before a one-sided argument could break out. "The longer we stand here, the more that idiot god gets the upper hand."
"She's right," Crow sighed.
"Of course I am." Navi dropped into a crouch so she was eye level with Morgana, and patted the cat-like creature on the head. "Mona, you stay with Crow. Take care of Haru, or else." Morgana yowled at the sudden pressure to his head, jumping away from Navi's hand. "And everyone protects me," the redhead chirped, indicating to her grinning face.
"I gave you armor," Joker reminded her with a pointed stare. Navi's grin only widened, a cheeky laugh escaping.
It was Noir that reminded them they were on a mission. She hoisted her axe onto her shoulder, an act that always brought a grin to Skull's face. "My lady!" he cheered, holding out a fist.
Noir giggled, mimicking his actions to knock their fists together. "Make sure you kick ass, Skull."
Queen's astounded reaction brought Joker smug satisfaction. 'You go to the same school and yet you know nothing about your peers.' He shook his head and turned away with a flap of his coat's tails. "We have company, you two. Keep your personal celebrations to a minimum when we win against the small fry."
A smirk was directed at their new companion, who responded with a tight smile. 
Note: Might as well let this see some light of day. It’ll probably never make it to Ao3 D:
6 notes · View notes