#he hangs out with junko for like a week and then tells her shes an idiot and fucks off and thats it

[drippingviolets3]

Trigger warning for Homophobic harassment and bullying

I’m bored so I’m rating danganronpa THH characters based on how I think they’d react to me telling them about the homophobic harassment I got last year :,)

Makoto Naegi: 10/10. He’d be super sweet and comforting. Might try and talk to the students about it and he might get pummeled, but then because of his luck the students would get in trouble

Kyoko Kirigiri: 11/10. She would totally frame those mfs.

Byakuya Togami: -10/10. He himself is probably homophobic, it’s in his capitalist genes. The most he’d do it pat my back with the back of a broom and go “there there you fa-“

Sayaka Maizono: 10/10 She’d post about it for weeks and would donate the revenue from her band to LGBT organizations <3

Toko Fukawa: 5/10. A closeted lesbian. I don’t think she’d even hang out with me but if she did she’d just be watching me sob violently and be like “Bitch there’s people dying.”

Yasuhiro Hagakure: 7/10 he’d tell me he had a premonition where the students get punished by the universe but the most that happened was that their ringleader got in school suspension </3

Junko Enoshima: -100/10 she was most likely IN the group that harassed me

Mukuro Ikusaba: 5/10 Another closeted lesbian, but legally can’t help (Junko wouldn’t allow it)

Leon Kuwata: 3/10 mf thinks he can change a LGBT girl but still claims to be a ally. At least he’d give me fake support

Mondo Owada: 15/10 THIS👏MAN👏RIGHT👏HERE👏 would get his entire fucking gang and would HOUND those bitches.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru: 6/10 he tries 😭 he tries so hard to help 😭 but the best he can do is force them to research LGBT issues and watch a bullying presentation video

Chihiro Fujisaki: 10/10 he’d consider doxxing them but decides to hack the morning announcements to call out the students individually to the whole school through Alter Ego.

Celestia Ludenburg: -1/10: “stop crying on me broke ass bitch.”

Hifumi Yamada: 1/10 he’d try to help but like…..let’s be real he’d get the Sh!t beaten out of him.

Sakura Ogami: 10/10 She’d just try to talk to the students but they’d shit themselves out of fear

Aoi Asahina: 9/10: She gets a high rating not because she’d throw hands or anything, but because she’d bring me comfort food and let me cry.

#danganronpa #writing #tw: homophobia #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #trigger happy havoc #makoto naegi #kyoko kirigiri #byakuya togami #toko fuwaka #aoi asahina #yasahiro hagakure #sayaka maizono #leon kuwata #mondo owada #kiyotaka ishimaru #chihiro fujusaki #celestia ludenberg #hifumi yamada #junko enoshima #mukuro ikusaba #danganronpa headcanons #sakura ogami

[tyrave]

i wanna know what content other DR fans are lookin at to conclude that Izuru had a a single evil despair-loving bone in his body, cause having played all four games (1, 2, UDG, V3) and watched both animes (1, 3) theres not a shred of evidence that that boy has done anything wrong in his whole life

#ty talks #im an izuru apologist dont touch me #izuru: ive never done anything wrong ever in my life #me: i know this and i love you #seriously tho #the only moderately controversial thing we can talk about that we have proof of is that someone attacked him with a chainsaw #and he dodged it in such a way that the chainsaw killed the attacker #oh and that one time he shot Nagito but like Nagito had the gun first so again #it was like self defense #plus it didnt even hurt him and theres evidence to suggest he knew that it wouldnt #bananas #let my boy be #literally was just locked in a cell for weeks and the first thing Junko did to him when she let him out was frame him for mass murder #smh #danganronpa #izuru kamakura #he hangs out with junko for like a week and then tells her shes an idiot and fucks off and thats it

[owo-shenanigans]

Hey, hey, can I ask for a scenario with a flirty S/O (not like Hanamura, please), and whenever people ask why they do it, or if they do it with everyone etc. They respond that not everyone can appreciate the art of flirting and someday they tell their S/O that they do that because they're insecure about their personality.

That for Mikan, Mukuro, and Angie please

-

Yeah, sure <3 this took me a while to write but i still had fun with it haha. If it was like Teruteru I would have rejected the request I really hate him jsjfjwjswj

Mikan, Mukuro and Angie with a flirty S/O

MIKAN TSUMIKI

She faints. A lot.

“Hey Mikan! I need to rest up, because I keep getting short of breath whenever I think about you.” You wink and lean in… And catch her before she bangs her head on the floor.

After you beat up Teruteru for the third time, Kazuichi asks why you flirt with everyone so much.

“Well, handsome, not everyone can understand the art of flirting, especially when cretins such as this-” you gesture to Teruteru, “exist.”

It takes months after you start dating for her to (timidly) bring it up.

“Uh-uhm…. Dearest…. Why do- do you always flirt with me?” She hides her face but doesn't flinch and immediately start apologizing, which is a major step up.

You take a few minutes to respond, but you take her hands and rub circles on them slowly as you do.

“My natural personality… My dear, is not as wonderful as the one I put on. I hate it. I just… Don’t want everyone else to hate it, too.”

Mikan grabs you in her arms into a tight hug, sniffling. “I could never hate you! I-I care for you deeply, S/O.”

MUKURO IKUSABA

Chief she takes minutes to understand your flirts.

Ten minutes after class started when you had been flirting with her up until it began, her face turns red and she hides behind her book.

Junko starts crying from laughter at how oblivious her sister is, but everyone is used to her random outbursts.

She’s actually the one to ask you why you flirt with everyone so much. “So, squirt,” she says in her foot high platforms, “how come you flirt with the class so much? We all know you aren’t serious.”

“I’m practicing an art, I’ll have you know. Flirting makes people feel good about themselves if you’re good at it.” Is your casual response.

A few months after you start dating, you’re hanging out at the weapons range, Mukuro practicing her knife throwing.

“I’m not mad or anything. But yesterday was the third time someone assumed you were asking them out. Can you stop flirting with people who aren’t me?”

“Ah, uh… I’m sorry.” You shift uncomfortably on the bench. “I just… It’s instinct, at this point. My real personality is garbage, so I taught myself to flirt instinctually.”

Her next knife almost missed the target as she turned to you in disbelief.

“I would date you no matter what. I want to know your real personality, not whatever facade you put on.” Mukuro set her knife holders carefully on the ground before walking over to you, giving you a chaste kiss on the lips.

ANGIE YONAGA

She’s a naturally friendly person who is very physical, so her words are taken as flirtatious often. So she usually takes your words in a friendly tone!

Whenever you two talk to the same person, they overheat from two pretty people in their face.

Kokichi is the one who asks why you act the way you do. “Cmon cmon, Y/N! Why do you act that way? I mean, you aren’t as much of a slut as Miu is, but it’s preeeeetty provocative!”

“Don’t be an ass, Kokichi. Miu isn’t a slut, and neither am I. I’m just an expert at the art of flirting- not that you’ll be on the receiving end of it. And I figure, since I’m good at it, I may as well make others feel good too.”

“Yep yep! They’re just using their Atua-given blessings to make others happy! Which isn’t something I see you doing, Kokichi.” Angie popped up behind you, hands on your shoulders and a terrifying smile to the boy.

“I’veeeee got something to do! Overrrr there!” He blabbered, and ran off.

A few weeks into your relationship, as her head was in your lap, she asked the question of why you flirt so much.

“My former personality… People made fun of me a lot. When I started flirting with people, they… actually liked me. I loved it. So I got better and better so people would be nice to me.”

“Well, Atua says that they’re stupid. My muse, I will love you come rain or shine, storm or drought. I would never abandon you over this. I want to know the real you.”

#danganronpa x reader #danganronpa imagines #angie x reader #angie yonaga x reader #mikan tsumiki x reader #mikan x reader #mukuro x reader #mukuro ikusaba x reader

[mediocreauthor]

NANA Week, Day 4: Fireworks @7daysofnana 

They celebrate their first Hanami since Nana left.

​

She will come. She will come, she repeats herself as she puts Nana’s kimono neatly on the bed. She prepared cow meat sukiyaki, she might be hungry, after all. She takes out strawberry glasses Nana gifted her two years ago. It seems like centuries ago, when their relationship was being put to a test. 

When Nana, no, she is Hachi now. 

I am Hachi since Nana named me.

When Hachi thought she was going through the hardest time of her life. But it was okay, it was all okay because Nana, even though not right beside her, was still here. 

She dusts Nana’s guitar; she may want to play it. Maybe she will hand it to Nobu, while she sings with her sultry, magical voice. Just like she did when she climbed on their table, holding a cell phone. When she enchanted her. She glances at Ren, he is fast asleep on the bed. His little face looks angelic. ***

Her entire body is on fire. She is going to die!  She can’t form coherent sentences to describe her pain, it is too late for an epidural, Fujiko-chan says. She wants to clog her. A hand squeezes hers, she can feel the cold metal of Nana’s ring. “You can do this Hachiko. I am right here with you, you can do this.”

She should wonder where the hell Takumi is, but when Nobu’s hand gently rakes through her hair, she can’t even remember his face. Her daughter is coming. She has waited so long for this. Her baby, the one she sacrificed so much for will be here any moment. The hand holding her loosens and she turns her hand in panic. 

“Nana please don’t leave me!” She can’t recognize her own voice, it sounds ragged and hoarse. Her ears buzz. She sees her other half’s beautiful face through tears, Nana looks surprised for a second, Hachi can’t understand why, obviously she can’t do this without her.

But then she cradles her from behind and kisses her sweaty hair. “I am not going anywhere.”

*** She hears a faint knock on the door. Her chests clenches with anticipation, she missed her people.

Your people.

Swinging the door open with a bright smile, Hachi greets Yasu and Miu. They are both in kimonos as she requested. “Welcome, welcome!” her tone is barely above a whisper. “Ren is napping.” Yasu smiles, heading to the room. He really loves Ren so dearly, just like his best friend would. 

“I can’t wait to be an uncle.”

She will not cry today. She will welcome Nana with a big smile. 

Miu asks how she’s been, they dive into an idle chat. She is the only one who asks how Takumi is too. The rest don’t acknowledge his existence, she doesn’t blame them. She herself wants to forget it sometimes. 

“You have prepared so much. We should have come earlier to help.” Miu begins setting up the table. 

“Oh, that’s okay. I went a bit extra for Nana, I want everything to be perfect for her. Just like our first Hanabi.” 

Miu looks at her with an emotion she knows all too well, it’s on Junko’s, Kyosuke’s, Takumi’s face every time she talks about Nana’s return. She pays them no mind, they don’t know Nana. 

“I heard it rained so much that year.” She comments. Hachi giggles and turns her back to Miu, washing tomatoes that Jun gave her. 

“These tomatoes are good. Where did you buy them?”

God, shut the fuck up. 

She spends the rest of time going over minor details, mixes bath salts to create Nana’s favourite smell (it reminds him of Ren), she folds her bedtime clothes, tastes every dish thrice, turns on the ventilator, Nana would appreciate the breeze. Climbing up seven floors does things to your body temperature. 

Nobu and Shin’s arrival wakes Ren up, her son seeks her with his little grabby hands, once again filling her heart with affection. Shin bursts into the room immediately, his face lit up with a smile. Hachi kisses his cheeks, he hugs her tightly. 

“Hello mama. Why did you make my brother cry?”

“I didn’t make him cry! You guys' arrival woke him up.” Hachi pouts but gives Ren to Shin regardless. 

“We are sorry for that.”

Her stomach clenches and she faces Nobu, he looks at her with a sincerity she doesn’t deserve. He coos at Ren, tickling his chin. “Hello little buddy. Sorry we woke you up.” Ren stops crying in favor of chomping on Nobu’s finger.

“He is teething.” Hachi explains. Nobu studies him lovingly. “You're all grown up now, Ren.”

***

“It’s a boy!” Fujiko-chan declares. 

What? She sees her baby’s face covered in blood and something gross, bellowing. A nurse approaches, taking him away. She wants to reach but her arms feel like chunks of metal. 

“No it’s a girl… I really thought he was a girl.” 

Her eyes meet Nobu’s, tears matching one another. “You did it Hachi.” 

Nurse gives her his son, he is heartbreakingly small, but his warmth comforts her. She looks for a sign, a resemblance of Nobu but this little creature weirdly just reminds him of Shin. Nana walks toward the door, panic envelopes her for a second, but she looks back and says “I will let others know.”

Nobu drapes his arm over her shoulder, they stare, baby stares back. His irises are light brown, filled with curiosity. Hachi gently grazes her finger over his cheek and she can swear he smiles but she is probably high on adrenaline. “Welcome, my love.” She takes in a long breath. “I wanted to name him Satsuki. You know, like- like Ren picked. I really wanted to-” A hiccup crawls over her throat. She can feel Nobu’s fingers on her chin, he looks like he’s about to say something, but kisses her instead, almost reverently. 

They seperate, so much unfinished hanging between the short distance. Nobu rests his forehead against hers.

“How about Ren?”

***

They sit down to eat, she would prefer if they waited for Nana but starving her guests doesn’t scream hospitality either. Misato- Mai, damn it- has arrived, she smiles ever so politely at her. 

“These are so delicious, Hachiko-san. You shouldn’t have gone into all this trouble.”

“Abuh!” Ren protests when Yasu confiscates the chopstick he almost stabbed himself in the eye with. 

“Of course I should have! Nana can arrive any moment now.” Her friends look at each other, mentally communicating, eventually Shin sighs and puts his bowl down. 

“Hachi,” he begins. “Nana may not come today.” She immediately understands from the guilty faces that avoid her gaze that they have rehearsed this conversation. She lets rage take over.

“We always celebrate Hanami together, Nana knows this. She will remember.”

“That was before she left Hachi. I don’t think Nana wants to see us right now.” Nobu at least sounds demure. 

“We don’t know where she even is yet.” Miu adds. 

We don’t know if she is alive, is left unsaid.

“She knows where we are! Isn’t it enough?” Her high voice startles Ren, he picks up the tension right away, eyes getting glossy. Yasu gives him his glasses. 

“We just don’t want you to be disappointed wh- if she doesn’t show up.”

 I am not a fucking child. 

“How dare you give up on her?” She knows it’s unfair. She knows that Yasu spent all his life savings on a private investigator. She is aware the police precinct is sick of Mai’s calls. She knows Nobu stops by Ren’s warehouse every morning, hoping his friend would open the door.

 “If you think Nana actually forgot about us and started a new life in god knows where, were you even her friends?” Her tone is filled with disdain, she hates herself. 

They have the nerve to look dejected, Hachi just continues. “She is just healing. She’s been through so much. She needs a break, she will come back.” She glances at her hands, noticing they didn’t have nail polish. “She will come back.” Hachi weakly repeats. 

“Of course she will.” She perks up, Yasu is confidently smiling at her. “Healing takes time. It might be too early for her, this year. But one day, we will be all sitting at this table together. Don’t worry, Nana.” “Guh!” Ren shakes his head as if he knows what Yasu is talking about, maybe he does. 

Maybe it’s Ren who knows.

Shame creeps up on her, “I am sorry.” she murmurs. “I am so sorry. I just… I thought if I believed enough, it would come true.”

Small explosion noises are heard and the light of the fireworks fills the sky. Ren gets antsy on Yasu’s lap and reaches for her. She holds her son, watches how fireworks reflect on his big, astonished eyes. 

She thinks of Nana’s warm smile by the river, how the small firework Hachi was holding illuminated her face, she remembers Ren (as if she ever forgets), showing the word Satsuki proudly.

***

She remembers Nana’s eyes, wandering around the room, unable to focus on anything. Her movements are jittery, her cheeks are hollow- has she lost weight since the last time she saw her? They lay quietly in the dark room. 

“Hachi, do you want to go to the beach?” She is about to drift off to sleep, her voice is muffled by the pillow. It’s the middle of the night. “I can’t leave Ren alone, can we go tomorrow?” 

Nana’s breath hitches. “Sure, tomorrow.” Her voice is so small. Hachi barely hears the last sentence as sleep takes over her. She should have realized. 

“I want to see the sea.”

***

Ren’s little hand wipes her wet cheeks, he licks it in wonder. She quietly sobs, burying herself in his hair. She sees the untouched strawberry glasses from the corner of her eyes, they taunt her.

Next year, she tells herself. 

#osaki nana #komatsu nana #ai yazawa #nana manga #nana week #Terashima Nobu #okazaki shinichi #honjo ren #yasushi takagi #miu shinoda #if this timeline dont match its because i am stupid #dont come for me

[gothic-lolita-gambling-girl]

Headcanons for Trigger Happy Havoc Girls adopting/caring for an animal with their s/o

Pairing: THH Girls x reader

Genre: Fluff (I guess?), sfw

Warnings: none

Length: 1693 words

Author’s Note: This wasn’t a request, and the length for each character is very inconsistent. Most of these look unfinished because I was constantly running out of ideas, so I’m sorry for that. ~Mod Celeste

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aoi Asahina:

Animal(s): Fish

When you first tell her you want to adopt, she thinks you’re talking about a human kid, so she freaks out

You were not, however, and when you tell her that you were talking about an animal, she somehow gets even more excited

She starts talking about all of the different species and how cool each one is, going back and forth, trying to decide which one would be cooler to have

Somewhere along the way, she gets the idea that adopting a literal shark would be a good idea

You quickly shut that down, suggesting something a bit more... manageable? affordable? obtainable? instead

Reluctantly, she agrees to starting out with a simple goldfish

Later that month, you stop by the pet store to look at all the fish available

Having done a bit of research prior to the visit, you decided on a couple of common goldfish (Aoi wanted more than one, and you figured it would be easy enough to take care of two)

After purchasing the fish, and all of the accessories that you need to purchase with it, you do a bit more research on how to take care of a pet fish

When you get home, you help Aoi set up their new tank, filling it with gravel and other accessories you had bought, moving them into it while following the instructions you read online

I feel like she’d want the fish to swim with her, which you’d then have to explain to her that you can’t put your pet goldfish in a pool because they would die

She would then suggest that you get a bigger tank so she can sit in there with them, but you’re able to talk her out of it, thankfully

While she may be a little dense at times, she’s still a very good pet owner

Celestia Ludenberg:

Animal(s): Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg (her canon pet cat)

uh

Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg is a thing

So this is basically just you taking care of him because yeah

Ok so like,, you know how Celeste treats her cat like a god?

Yeah, so do you

You literally pamper this cat so much

He refuses to eat dry cat food, and he expects his meals at exactly the same time (he’ll throw a fit if they’re even a millisecond late)

Normally, you and Celeste take turns feeding him

He won’t sleep in any bed if either you or Celeste aren’t in it, and you had to buy one of those step ladders for dogs to put at the edge so he can climb up because he’s too lazy to jump

If you go even twenty minutes without giving him affection, he’ll either walk up and start hissing at you, or he’ll just ignore you the rest of the day

He likes the room temperature to remain at exactly 70 degrees, and he won’t accept anything above or below that

Overall, he’s very high maintenance, but it’s worth it in the end

Both you and Celestia love the cat very much

Toko Fukawa:

Animal(s): Bugs

I’m pretty sure she has a pet bug

That’s canon, right?

Okay, so,,

Kameko Fukawa

When you’re first introduced to Kameko, Toko’s nearest and dearest friend, you’re not really sure how to react?

Of course, you’re not going to judge Toko because of it, you’re just?? shocked??

You love the small bug regardless, and you help take care of her whenever you can, even just keeping her company sometimes

When Toko informs you that she was thinking about getting a friend for Kameko so that she wouldn’t be as lonely, you help her find one

Surprisingly, your local pet shop happened to have a small variety of insects for purchase

After asking which type the pet store worker would recommend, you finally decided

Excitedly, you introduced Kameko to her new friend and though you couldn’t really tell, she seemed happy to have someone new to interact with

Genocider Syo:

Animal(s): Bugs

Oh God why would you trust her with any type of living being?

You have to keep a very close eye on the two bugs to make sure that she doesn’t lose them or anything

She’d probably be very careless with them, and the last thing you want is for them to be lost, injured or killed

Even though she doesn’t really bother to take care of them, she still cares for them, but she’d never admit it

She’d probably talk to them when nobody else is around (which is rare, considering the fact that you don’t really trust her), telling them all about the events of her day

She cares for both bugs more than she’d ever admit

Junko Enoshima:

Animal(s): Bichon Frise (Dog)

Yet another person who should never be trusted with a living being

You’re hesitant to adopt any kind of animal, knowing how careless Junko can be

After a long disagreement, you finally decide to visit multiple pet stores before making your decision

In the end, you decide on a bichon frise

Junko pays for most of the supplies, but you end up having to take care of the dog mostly by yourself

You take her on walks, feed her, take her to all of her vet appointments, etc.

You also have to make sure that Junko doesn’t try to harm the dog to feel dEspAir

Though she makes several attempts, you always manage to stop her in the end

Just,, never leave them alone together, maybe?

Kyoko Kirigiri:

Animal(s): African Grey Parrot

Kyoko didn’t really have much of an opinion on getting a pet, so when you ask her, she’s indifferent

She wouldn’t care what type of pet it is, she just wants to make sure that you’re able to take care of it properly

After a few weeks of contemplating, you decide on an African Grey Parrot

You already had a bit of experience with taking care of birds, so you figured it would be a good idea to get something you had handled before

At first, Kyoko acts mostly uninterested in the bird

Of course she helps you feed them, clean their cage, etc.

She’ll even talk to them on a very rare occasion, asking them questions she knows they can’t answer out of boredom

As time goes by, she slowly becomes more and more attached to the feathered creature

She even suggests getting them a friend to hang out with so they don’t feel lonely when you’re both gone, even though she rarely leaves them alone

Mukuro Ikusaba:

Animal(s): Wolf

Mukuro has wanted a pet wolf for as long as she can remember

She didn’t care what breed it was, she just wanted it to be a wolf

So, when you asked her how she felt about getting a pet, that’s what she suggested

Yes, she understood how difficult it would be to not only get a wolf, but also to care for one

However, it was all worth it in her eyes

Reluctantly, you agreed to looking into it, at the bare minimum

Once you had enough money (which Junko was willing to lend you hoping that the wolf would eventually attack you both or something), and you had found somewhere you could purchase them from, you finally got your new pet

Mukuro spent hours each day caring for and training your canine, preparing it for treatment in the wild if that’s where it ended up again

She also felt that it would be a good idea to use the animal as a sort of guard?

If anything were to happen to her, she would expect that they take care of you and keep you safe

Since Mukuro is used to very harsh training, she sometimes ended up overworking the wolf

You’d notice this, and you would ask her to go a little easier on the creature

Of course she didn’t notice that she was putting them through so much, and she made an attempt to control herself a bit

She doesn’t want to end up hurting them, and she’s a little afraid that she will one day

Sakura Ogami:

Animal(s): Rabbit

Sakura had been thinking about getting a pet, so she decided to approach you about it

When she had asked you about it, you said it was a nice idea, and you helped her decide on what type of pet to adopt

Almost immediately, the two of you had decided on a rabbit

Sakura was rather fond of them, as they never seemed scared when she held them

So you sought out to find a shelter to adopt one from

The second you laid eyes on your pet, both you and Sakura fell in love with them

You knew that they were definitely the one, there wasn't a doubt in your mind

The small mammal would sit by you and Sakura and watch her prepare her protein shakes, train, etc.

Sakura would make sure that your rabbit has a very healthy diet, and that they drink lots of water so they can be strong

Sometimes, when you and Sakura aren’t available, you would have Aoi babysit them

After watching the bunny the first time, she would ask if she could do it again frequently

Sayaka Maizono:

Animal(s): Sugar Gliders

Sayaka calls you to tell you that she’s coming back home from being on tour and that she has a surprise

When she walks through the door with a pair of sugar gliders, you are both shocked and ecstatic

She tells you that one of her friends is moving into an apartment that doesn’t allow pets, so they asked her if she could take care of them for her

They had nobody else to go to, so she said yes

You were still a little bit worried about it, but she reassured you that she had watched them before, and that she knew how to take care of them

She makes sure to tell you how to take care of them, and she makes sure that you’re comfortable looking after them by yourself while she’s away

#danganronpa x reader #mod celeste #mod celeste has no idea what she's doing #mod amy #trigger happy havoc

[cheezritsu]

Osamu Miya || Cool Ranch Dorito Body

It’s an hour before close, and Onigiri Miya is silent. Everyone relaxes, taking a deep breath after the last laborious round of customers. You close your eyes and lean back against the counter, taking in the rare moment of tranquility on this thursday night, mentally preparing for—

BEEP!

And your concentration brakes faster than a car screeching at an amber light. Up on the screen is a fucking grocery list of a takeout order—two of them actually.

Your brow furrows in anger and betrayal. You peek out from behind the pantry to see who ordered this egregious amount of food an hour before closing, and not even five minutes after a rush.

Lo and behold, batting their lashes as Osamu pushed up his sleeves were the most troublesome of your junior wait staff; Minami and Junko.They sat at the counter with poorly concealed doe eyes, hands holding up their heads as their love struck gazes followed Osamu as he walked back toward the stove to start cooking. Your eyes meet with theirs ever so briefly, and an amused smirk curls across Junko’s face before she sticks out her tongue. Minami taps her wrist, as if to say “tik tok bitch!”

Of course. It was only last night when you’d confessed how much you disliked making wait staff orders late at night. You’re more than annoyed with these two; a white hot anger makes you lightheaded. Your nails dig into the wet rag in your hand, unconsciously wringing it out onto the floor.

“Those cunts,” you whisper vehemently. And then, realizing that that word came out of your mouth, you gasp and clamp a hand over your mouth.

Osamu pauses half-way through balling onigiri, his brows shooting up into his cap. “Excuse me?”

You sputter, trying to come back from whatever possessed you to spit so angrily when Kazuko, the sous chef, cackles. “Hol-ee shit,” he says, bracing his scarred and calloused hands on his knees in a way that makes you worry for the old man’s back. “Didn’t know you had that in you!”

“I don’t, I don’t know why I said that.” your ears burned with complete embarrassment, but also with indignation. “I just got a little heated.”

“A little,” Osamu hums, his attention now split between you and the food. This was a first—Osamu never gave anything precedence over making food. It was his raison d’etre, after all. “I’ve never heard you use that word.”

“I generally dislike using it,” you grimace, busying yourself with restocking inventory, like you were supposed to. “But, you know, I just hate when orders interrupt closing procedures. It’s like,” you know there’s only so many cooks, and Kazuko’s an old man—no offense—“

Kazuko holds up his hands. “I appreciate the sentiment.”

“—so I just don’t understand why they have to make it harder for us.”

At this point, Osamu is putting the finishing garnishes into the to-go box, carefulling wrapping nori around Minami’s order in a way that unsettles you. It was almost as meticulous as when he made food for his brother—I’d never tell him I care about him to his face, Osamu once confided in you. So I do this instead.

Minami surely didn’t mean as much to Osamu as his own twin brother, but you couldn’t help but feel disappointed as he securely tied the bag. “Those girls worked hard today. They deserve a good meal.”

“Never said they didn’t. But I could have taken their order and set it aside fifteen minutes ago, right?”

“I don’t see what the big deal is.” He walks away from you, heading over to the counter and handing Minami and Junko their orders. Their voices are a high-pitched chorus of “Arigato, Miya-san!” That ring in your ears like a bout of tinnitus. You don’t miss how their eyes skim over his entire body, from his bare forearms, to his broad shoulders, and then back up to his face, where his mouth is no doubt in that lazy smile as he tells them, “Stay together, have a good night.”

“We will,” Junko giggles, tucking her flaxen hair behind her ear. She’s a cute little girl—probably a rising third year with high cheekbones and blonde hair that isn’t done justice under incandescent lighting. She waves Osamu goodbye as she smiles over her shoulder, and Minami loops her arm together with Junko, whispering conspiratorially.

Kazuko stands next to you, hands on his hips with a wry half smile. “He has no idea, does he.”

“Not a fucking clue.”

“I can hear you two gossiping back there,” Osamu says, whirling around with no trace of amusement on his face. “I don’t pay you to talk shit.”

Your mouth falls ever so slightly open. “Oh? But you clocked out Junko just a minute ago, and she stopped working,” you glance at the clock with a sardonic shrug. “Oh, ten minutes ago?”

Osamu sighed, deftly lifting his hat to wipe the sweat off his forehead. You always liked seeing the little tufts of inky black hair underneath—it was nicer than his twin’s brilliant blonde; more fitting.

But Osamu was exasperated, and exhausted. “She said she forgot.”

“Third time in two weeks she ‘forgot’.” Kazuko quips.

“What’re you implying?”

“You’re so dense,” you roll your eyes, walking around him to begin your managerial duties. You mutter insults under your breath, and Osamu turns with narrowed eyes.

“What was that?”

You shouldn’t say it. He wouldn’t even get it, and he’d probably just deny everything and let those girls continue to take advantage of his kindness because they were young and it was late and—

“So you’re just going to keep grumbling to yourself like a coward,” Osamu snipes. “Got it.”

“You dumb, stupid idiot,” you throw the rag to the ground, heel turning to catch his condescending smirk. Oh, were you going to enjoy watching it wither.

“Maybe if you would stop walking around this place in your tight as fuck black shirt like a himbo, or tying your apron around your tiny ass waist, then Junko and Minami might actually work in this restaurant instead of staring at your broad shouldered, inverted dorito chip ass body—“

“Are you body shaming me?”

“I’m not done!” Your tone is commanding, shutting him up instantaneously. You’re too hyped up to notice the red creeping onto his cheeks as he watches you continue to scream.

“You stand at this damn counter making fresh onigiri all day with your big strong hands or whatever, too busy smiling and giving people your undivided attention so you don’t catch me cleaning up after everyone’s messes. But by all means!” You fling your hands up, walking past his stock still form. “Turn a blind eye to the fact that I do an extra hour of work each night because your underage wait staff drools over you.”

You pace out of the kitchen with a huff, knowing that the first place you’ll have to clean is the goddamn toilets. You leave Osamu and Kazuko frozen in shock, before a snort pierces the air.

“Tch,” Kazuko tries to snuff his laughter, but his grin keeps getting wider. “Inverted dorito chip body.”

“Shut up,” Osamu says, although there’s hardly any malice in it. He looks down at where his arpon hangs with a seriousness it doesn’t deserve. Then, he says quietly, “Do I really—“

“Yes,” Kazuko doesn’t even blink in his reply.

“But you wear your apron like this too.”

“Yes, but I’m 54 and have a normal body, Osamu-kun.”

The next day, Osamu wears his Onigiri Miya tee-shirt much baggier than usual, and he nods his head when you walk in. When Junko and Minami groan at the sight, you have to admit that maybe, just maybe, you were a little disappointed too.

#i only exist to clowm osamu now #osamu miya #miya osamu #osamu miya x reader #miya osamu x reader #miya twins #inarizaki #haikyuu!! #hq!!

[hyperfixationtimego]

IDK IF YOU MEANT JUNKO IS HER GF AND BEST FRIEND BUT!!! Celeste/Kyoto friendship, they’re both man haters 💜 /j

I remember a game night thing back then, Clue reinvigorates Celeste’s interest in murder mysteries and she honestly impresses Kyoto when she tricks Togami into revealing his cards (mainly questioning his truthfulness/credibility)

After that, Kyoto and Celeste try to find videos, games, and books of murder mysteries to solve, but with Celeste able to figure out who’s lying and Kyoto’s detecting ability, they’re unstoppable. Junko likes to nitpick the murder mysteries too, even though she likely has no idea who the murderer is.

After a while of their regular things being too easy, one day they walk into the kitchen area to find Chihiro and Sonia (again no idea if this is in character but her cosplayers are always cute) putting some fake blood on Ibuki. Makoto is upsetting the area, like knocking over the knife holder and such. They’re super confused, until Makoto says (very unconvincingly) “:O someone killed Ibuki!!! you guys gotta figure it out”

That becomes the new regular thing, like every other week they make a new murder mystery for the two and they have to solve it (including the fact that some stuff will be inaccurate, and just how the group thinks it would happen). Peko isn’t that fond of it, but she’ll do it if Chihiro gives her the 🥺 look, and both Miu and Leon absolutely love the chance to play characters (I forgot her name but if Peko does it, Tsumugi/blue hair will do it too, she just prefers to be the victim) - queer eye anon

HDBSBSBS NO U WERE RIGHT I MEANT IT LIKE JUNKO’S HER GF AND KYOKO’S HER BEST FRIEND HDBSBSBD DON’T WORRY!!

and yes yes they are 😌

and also !! legit 👀 like. it pisses Togami off to no end (seriously, how did she do that?? how could he be tricked so easily???) but Kyoko’s like “,,,,,oh my god,,,,,,,,such manipulation,,,,,,,such incredible deductive skills,,,,,”

long story short kirigiri develops a squish (platonic equivalent of a crush) on this weird mean goth bitch and just starts hanging around her more often until eventually Celeste is like,,,,,,,,,fine, if I simply MUST adopt you as a best friend, I suppose I will, seeing as I have ABSOLUTELY NO CHOICE in the matter :)

so they start spending more time together, and Kyoko’s usually the one who’s like “hey I found another murder mystery thing we could try-” to which Celeste’s response tends to be more lighthearted “oh, very well, if I absolutely must-”

It’s incredible - no piece of mystery media stands a chance against them <3

also a little off topic and might be a bit ooc, but I think we should all consider buzzfeed unsolved!kyoko and Celeste because that just seems goddamn hilarious to me ndndbdbdbddbd

and BDBSB YEAH THEY’RE SO SWEET?? Makoto came up with the idea, but Sonia and Chihiro are absolutely essential to the operation as a whole.

Sonia’s interest in serial killers provides a necessary take for the psychological perspective of real life cases, so they know for certain it’ll be stimulating for the detective of the two, meanwhile Chihiro’s brainpower allows for both creative and logical placement of clues, red herrings, and more!

Plus, all three of them are absolute sweethearts that most people have trouble saying no to <3 (they’ve even gotten Byakuya to participate once or twice! Celeste and Kirigiri were both delighted and bewildered!)

THEY ALSO GET OUMA INVOLVED BECAUSE HE’S THE ONLY ONE THAT EVER GIVES CELESTE ANY TROUBLE IN DECIPHERING LIES FHSBSBDBSBS (she usually gets it right on account of her own luck, and if she gets it wrong, It tends to be either salvageable or ambiguous enough that she can pretend she was right and nobody can tell they were ever on the wrong track)

Miu pretends like she needs fujisaki, nevermind, and naegi to beg her for her participation, but she’s honestly more than willing because!!! She gets to yell and be loud and have fun and play weirdos!!!! And sometimes she even invents new things for practical effects, just ‘cause she can! And she knows it makes her friends happy!

Leon’s a pretty good actor until Celeste stares him down - then he immediately either loses his nerve or fucks something up ❤️

and dhsbsbdbsbdb Peko!!!! Peko and Fuyuhiko get involved because a) chihiro gave them both the 🥺 face, as you said, and b) fuyuhiko,,,,,,,thinks the concept,,,,,,,,is fun,,,,,,,👉👈 but shut up he’d never admit that!!!

Tsumugi makes costumes!!!! And totally loses herself in the roles!!! She gives the BEST performances, and Celeste and Kyoko are often left sitting there like “wow ok” because hdbdbdvdvdvdvdvddv????

They get Nagito involved a lot, both due to his luck and the fact that he’s very easy to convince (and often comes up with more cool ideas for the scene of the crime/evidence/general concepts!) though, if he’s involved, then Hajime needs to be as well, becauee everyone can only take maeda’s self-deprecating bullshit for so long until they need someone to shut him up hdbdbdbdb

Hiyoko acts like she thinks it’s dumb, but actually really wants to be included 🥺 👉👈 so mahiru takes it upon herself to “force” her into helping

Sakura and Hina love to help however they can! :D I don’t rlly have anything specific for them, I simply think they’re very cool and would be very eager to help because they love their friends <3

Sayaka is INCREDIBLE when it comes to thinking up “murder” plots! Motives, manipulation, the likelihood of certain actions being taken.....+ due to her high intuition, she’s able to discern what types of things kyoko and celeste prefer during their little games! She also provides insight into emotional response for the actors, which helps to make it a lot more immersive!

Mikan gets very very very nervous as a performer and is usually very unreliable in that aspect, but she gives pointers on whether or not certain wounds would be enough to kill a person! She also provides emphasis on vital organs and helps with anatomical accuracy!

Gundham adores being able to give monologues, and the three in charge of everything do their best to give him macabre, weird roles so he can speak and confuse the two girls to his heart’s content ❤️

if they ever need to talk to chiaki during an investigation, they usually need to wake her up, or get her to stop playing a video game (which she’s not supposed to be playing!!!!) in order to interrogate her (she also forgets a lot of the details and evidence she’s supposed to give them shdbsndbsnsb)

she also likes to give chihiro ideas for plots and things, though mostly uses her games as inspiration !

Shuichi and kyoko are friends so he’s like “yyyeah okay I’ll do it” and so by the same token, Kaede is automatically (and emphatically!) involved as well

Kirumi gets involved because if it’s a request, she’ll do it 💛 plus she kinda loves being involved with this stuff ngl jsnsbsn meanwhile ryoma is like this is dumb but if it’ll make u guys happy then I guess I have no choice

Maki’s pretty difficult to convince, ngl, but if kaito pesters her enough, she might drop by to give her two cents on some of the most plausible and effective methods of getting rid of evidence, as well as what she would do if she were in the position of the murderer (makoto and co. are like wow maki thank u very cool we are absolutely terrified)

shinguji makes it a point in the anthology to embarrass himself at the drop of a hat for his friends’ benefits regarding things like this, so they’re obviously in hbdbdbd plus they love being able to study kyoko and celeste’s behavior while working on each “case,” because without a doubt they are two of the most interesting specimens of human thought patterns and processes he’s ever SEEN <3

since it’s for the sake of two girls, Tenko’s very excited to do whatever Sonia or Chihiro asks of her (she’ll do things that Makoto asks, too, but it takes some convincing....) and Himiko.....isn’t a particularly convincing liar to begin with, but her experience with stage trickery comes in handy pretty often! (though they have to practically drag the information out of her shdbsndn)

Angie agrees to participate on the grounds that all of her characters get to bring up and endorse Atua. she gets picked for murder victim quite a lot bsbssbdb

also highkey 👀 the canon cases get re-enacted at some point (for the first game’s third case, they actually let Celeste be in on it as a little treat for Kyoko! it was absolutely bonkers and they both had literally so much fun!!!)

#queer eye anon #celestia ludenberg #danganronpa #dr headcanon tag #non despair au (danganronpa) #Kyoko kirigiri #Ibuki mioda #Sonia Nevermind #chihiro fujisaki #makoto naegi #Peko pekoyama #fuyuhiko kuzuryuu #Tsumugi shirogane #Byakuya togami #miu iruma #leon kuwata #kokichi Ouma #Nagito komaeda #Hajime hinata #hiyoko saionji #sakura oogami #aoi asahina #sayaka maizono #mikan tsumiki #gundham tanaka #chiaki nanami #shuichi saihara #kaede akamatsu #maki harukawa #Korekiyo Shinguji

[troloyunu]

Do you have any headcanons about Mikan?

Hi!!! So let's see...

-She wears a pastel pink blouse and pastel blue skirt in canon, THUS I announce that it is my right to hc her as someone who wears pastel colors constantly.

-She also loves oversized sweaters. Imagine her in a huge pastel colored sweater with some leggings underneath. The comfort.

-Speaking of comfort, she has a comfort plushie. It's a sheep. (I am so deeply self projecting because mine is also a sheep plushie.)

-She meets up with Chiaki to play games one day of the week. (Lets say in a no despair au lol) she feels nervous at first because Chiaki doesn't talk much when she is playing games and Mikan feels like she NEEDS to entertain people when they are hanging out so she blabbers a lot but slowly learns to just be quiet and enjoy the company. It is also really comfortable because she doesn't need to feel worried about saying the wrong thing. Not that Chiaki would judge, of course.

-She also hangs out with Gundham because of his hamsters. I'd like to think it starts with Peko wanting to pet them first but then he gathers quite a crowd. Sonia is there too. And by addition so is Kazuichi. He drags Hajime into it too. Chiaki likes animals a lot so she also comes. Etc etc.

-She and Komaeda are buddies!!! They help each other a lot because of how accident prone they are and the... Uh. Self confidence stuff. They relate to each other a lot and learn to recover from everything (including Junko) TOGETHER. They are together always along the way. They are each other's support system.

-She cuts her hair really short post game. Her uneven haircut is a reminder of her being bullied in the past and she learns not to normalize that with therapy and gets rid of it. She tells people it's solely because she didnt like how it looked like that but her friends know.

-Ibuki cuts her hair in solidarity. Which is A LOT because she loves her hair. Ibuki supports her a lot. They really love each other, whether romantically or platonically.

-She takes up gardening because she still loves the feeling of someone or something being dependant of her, but this time she re-learns caring for people/things not because she likes them being helpless without her but because it feels good to nourish something. She does get a pet eventually as well. Maybe a bunny. Or maybe a lizard. Idk lol

#danganronpa #sdr2 #trolanswers #a-cup-of-lavender-coffee

[just-a-cheese-stick]

Naeleon week Day 1- confession (non despair au)

@naeleonweek2020

Makoto and Leon had been best friends since the start of their time at Hopes peak. They started talking to each other when they were placed in most of the same classes their first year.

It started when Leon tossed a note to Makoto’s desk, joking about something the teacher said that sounded weird out of context. At first, Makoto decided not to read it since he was in class, but as the kid next to him kept tossing more and more notes, he gave in.

Makoto read each note, each one making him smile without fail. He glanced back at the boy tossing them to him to give a chuckle, only to see who it was.

Before hopes peak, the lucky student had done some research on the other ultimates who were soon to be his classmates. He recognized that particular boy as the ultimate baseball star, Leon Kuwata.

Funny since he didn’t remember Leon’s hair being as scruffy as it was in his pictures.

Makoto was taken aback by this for a second, but responded with a small chuckle.

He took out a paper of his own from his notebook and a pen to respond to the other.

“Why are you throwing notes to me?” He folded the note neatly and slid it to the baseball player sitting across from him.

Leon noticed the neatly folded piece of loose-leaf paper slid over to his desk, and reached down to grab it.

He opened the response from the smaller boy who sat across from him and smiled a bit at it. He picked up his pencil and scribbled a response before attempting to replicate the neat folding of the note when it was passed to him before passing it back.

“Idk you seem nice”

Makoto saw the response, and tried to resist smiling ear to ear. Someone cool and popular like Leon wanted to make conversation with someone as basic as him? He stared at the note feeling his face heat up, before picking up his pen to send a message back to him.

They continued their chat throughout the class introduction, agreeing to meet up at lunch. They had been best friends ever since.

Now it was December. The two had been best friends for 3 months now. They were each others confidants, as well as best friends. Leon sometimes jokingly called Makoto his soulmate, since they understand each other so well.

But that statement was more than just a joke to Leon. He started to notice he was growing feelings for the brunette. Feelings way more intense than he’s felt for any other girl he’s ever met.

He could try and deceive himself, say it’s just what a true friendship is. But at the bottom of his heart he knew he had it bad for Makoto.

Midterm season drew close, which had everyone stressed and dreading the exams.

While Leon could usually care less, Makoto really wanted him to do well. So for him, Leon studied for the midterms. While it wasn’t too much, he still wanted to make Makoto happy.

The two even studied together in their dorms and in the library. Leon still got distracted a lot, but he was actually putting in effort. That made Makoto really happy. And afterwards, they’d walk off school campus to the coffee shop down the street and hang out.

Exam day came, and just walking into the exam hall, it was easy to tell everyone was stressed, tired, anxious, or all of the above. It was freezing outside. Snow was falling at quick speeds in high winds. Some people brought blankets or extra jackets into school. Others huddled into themselves or simply ignored the cold. Nonetheless, it was frigid indoors and out.

Makoto sat down in his assigned desk and took out his phone for them to collect, in order to ensure nobody cheats or gets distracted.

The desks were placed 4 by 4 rows, and students were sat in alphabetical order of their last names.

Aoi sat in the very front of the first row of desks. Behind her was Junko, who sat in front of Chihiro. In the back of the first row was Hiro, and in the front of the second was Mukuro, Junko’s twin sister. Sitting behind her was Kiyotaka, who appeared to be the only person who didn’t look like a zombie. Actually, he seemed quite eager to receive the first exam paper. Behind him sat kirigiri, who would be the runner up in The Who-Looks-The-Least-Lifeless challenge. She kept her calm and quiet nature constant, but appeared slightly tired nonetheless. In the very back of the row was Toko, who was too busy reading something to be paying attention to the cold. In the front of the third row was leon, who, unlike the two diagonal from him, looked like he was going to fall asleep any second now. Behind him was Celeste, who sat in front of sayaka, who was wearing a fuzzy looking hoodie with bear ears at the hood. She definitely looked comfortable. Makoto sat behind the three, and he looked exhausted. He brought a blanket into the exam hall and was wrapped in it, still shivering a little in the cold. At the front of the fourth row was Sakura. She appeared a little tired, which was odd, but not as odd as it would be in the situation they were in. Behind her sat Mondo, who had huddled himself into his jacket, and was trying to hide it. Togami and yamada sat in the two chairs behind him. Both, like toko, seemed too invested in a book to care about their surroundings or the cold.

Jin kirigiri came to the front of the exam hall designated for class 77B and loudly clearing his throat to silence the low chatter, turning the room silent.

From the corner of his eye, Makoto could see kyoko furrowing her eyebrows a little bit at her father. She mentioned once that he often overworked her to the point he refused to let her see her mother as she was on her death bed. The two had rocky relations ever since.

The headmaster began stating the exam rules and expectations, which, very little people paid much attention to.

“Please power off anyelectronic devices and place them on your desk so I can come around and collect them. You will get them back as you leave the exam hall when you’re dismissed.”

School bags and satchels could be heard unzipping almost in unison at that statement. Soon, phones and laptops were placed at the corner of nearly every desk, soon to be confiscated and replaced with a thick packet of papers and a #2 pencil. With that, the exam started.

It was like that every day of that week, leading up to Friday. Every day it snowed buckets, and every day people came into the exam hall cold and tired, and every day they took a midterm exam.

Friday afternoon. Makoto was one of the last ones in the exam hall, finishing his last part of the midterm. The only other people with him were hiro, leon, and mondo.

despite there being no windows in the gymnasium, Makoto could hear the snowstorm picking up.

“I hope everyone’s ok” he thought to himself. He was especially worried since this was when students began to clear out for winter break. His parents weren’t going to be able to come until Sunday, so he was glad they’d be safe.

He finally got to the last question. To his delight, it was a question on a topic he was really familiar with.

With eagerness, he aced the last question and got up from the desk, walking to the front table to turn in the finished exam.

Finally. His exams were done. He was so tired, physically and mentally. Finally. He’d be able to take a rest.

Makoto drowsily walked back to his dorm and flopped down on the bed.

He tried to nap, but he couldn’t sleep. His mind was racing. A lot of things were fuzzed together and racing thorough his head. He was stressed, tired, overwhelmed, and worn out.

But, there was one thing that remained constant on his mind. Leon. He’d recently been having dreams about him quite frequently. Dreams where he asks him out and he says yes. But he always wakes up from them knowing that will never happen. It was pretty clear to him that he had a crush on the redhead. But he never had the guts to say anything. But for whatever reason, he wanted to be close to him more than anything in the world.

But he was too tired.

He stayed in his dorm, gazing blankly at the ceiling; occasionally glancing at his window to watch the snow storm. It was pretty bad outside. Close to blizzard speeds, quite frankly.

He checked his phone to make sure the weather would be clear enough to get home Sunday when he heard a knock at his door. He got up and shuffled towards the door to open it, feeling a wave of cold corse down his body as his feet touched the floor. He turned the doorknob and opened it to be greeted by Leon standing in the doorway, looking excited about something.

“You’ll never believe this, but when I got my phone back, I checked my notifs and saw I got a B on my first two exams! Isn’t that awesome?” Leon said sounding proud of himself.

Makoto could feel himself beam ear to ear, pulling his friend into a tight hug. His entire body coursed with pride. He’d seen how hard he was working and it paid off.

Leon hugged back almost instantly squeezing the other out of pure excitement. Both boys were smiling ear to ear.

“Leon that’s amazing!” Makoto said pulling away from the hug.

“I know right?” Leon paused briefly. “Shit man it’s cold in here. Wanna come to my dorm? It’s a bit warmer in there” Leon then added.

Makoto thought for a brief minute. He was really tired— mentally and physically. But on the other hand he really wanted to spend time with Leon before winter break. “Sure”

Makoto picked up his phone and weighted blanket and fallowed him to his dorm, trudging a little. They made it to the Leon’s room and both sat down. “Those exams were exhausting, huh?” Leon stated.

“Yeah” Makoto said with an exhausted sigh.

“I dunno about you but I’m exhausted. I’m gonna-“ but just as Leon was about to finish his sentence, the lights to the dorm room went out.

“Shit was that the power?” Leon muttered under his breath. The entirety of the dorm building appeared significantly darker, and the tv that was on in the background of the dorm had completely shut down. In addition, the winds from the ongoing snowstorm had seemed to have picked up over the past few minutes.

“Yeah, pretty sure,” Makoto replied, slightly more interested in checking out the window and watching the leafless trees swaying violently in the storm.

“Damn” Leon paused. “Wait, that kills the heater too, right?”

“Oh god,” Makoto said starting to panic.

“Well shit!” Leon cursed. “Smart move bringing that blanket, man. But damn that isn’t good”

“Well, maybe we could have a sleepover” Makoto stated optimistically.

Leon turned his head towards him in curiosity. Makoto could tell that was kind of spontaneous, especially to someone who wasn’t komaru.

“Well, when I was younger and we’d lose power, komaru and I would always stay in the other’s room and have little ‘sleepovers’ where we’d stay in each others rooms and build pillow forts. We don’t have to do any of that but maybe we could just talk?” Makoto offered.

Leon thought for a second. He wasn’t used to friends wanting to spend that much time with him. Heck, he wasn’t even used to people he’d dated wanting to spend that much time with him.

“Yeah sure,” Leon replied with a slight smile.

Makoto’s face visibly lit up.

The two stayed up a few hours playing uno and other sleepover games and wearing those soft hoodies you never want to take off and are super comfy.

Before bed, they both snuck down to the kitchen where sayaka, mukuro, and kirigiri were all talking and holding lanterns.

“Oh, hi guys!” Makoto said seeing his friends.

“Oh, hello Makoto,” kirigiri stated calmly. “Need anything?”

“Nope. Just getting some cocoa,” Makoto replied cheerily.

“Wait Sayaka, weren’t you going home today?” Leon asked his friend.

“Mom couldn’t drive in the weather. She’s probably gonna come pick me up tomorrow, or at least when the storm calms,” Sayaka replied.

“Cool. Stay safe dude!” Leon said to his friend.

They made some cocoa and headed back upstairs to the dorms, where the awkward question of sleeping situation came up. Being as the beds in the dorms are somewhat small, they’d either have to smush together and share, or one would take the floor. While both secretly kind of wanted to lay together on the bed and share body heat, Makoto decided to sleep on the floor.

Makoto took his blanket and an extra pillow from the bed and laid down.

“Need anything, I’m here, ok?” Leon said before turning off the lantern that illuminated the room.

“Ok. Night” Makoto replied, shifting in his blanket to get comfy.

“Night”

It was midnight. There was still no luck with the power, and the temperature had only dropped more. The winds were still strong outside, and snow was piling up. On top of that, Makoto was tossing and turning in his sleep, letting out slightly distressed mutters. He curled up into his blanket more to preserve body heat, but was still undoubtedly cold.

Leon is a light sleeper. The slightest changes can wake him up, so hearing the constant shifting and shaking was enough to begin to wake him up.

Eventually, he couldn’t fall back asleep anymore. The constant disturbance was enough to shake him awake, and once he realized the source of the noise, he became worried.

He glanced down at Makoto shifting anxiously in his sleep, letting out almost inaudible whimpers.

Leon contemplated waking him up, but he didn’t want to be overbearing or annoying. He didn’t want to lose this friend. But his worries got the best of him and he gently shook Makoto awake.

Upon waking him up, Leon was met with a pair of drowsy eyes looking up at him.

“Hey, you ok? Sorry for waking you man, just saw you shifting a lot. Wanted to make sure you’re doing alright.” Leon said placing a hand on Makoto’s shoulder.

Makoto looked up at him wordlessly before throwing himself into a hug with him.

Leon was taken aback by this. He clearly did not expect that.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry Leon, but I can’t take this anymore! I like you! I like you in a way that’s more than I would like a friend! I’m in love with you, Kuwata! I’m sorry I couldn’t take the dreams and the falling and the embarrassment I couldn’t take it! I’m sorry for being so selfish, but I like you,” Makoto blurted out. Tears started forming in his eyes; purely out of anxiety. Did he really just blurt that out?

Leon stared at him for a moment, completely shocked. But then, he didn’t yell. He didn't leave. He didn’t even tell him he didn’t feel the same way. He hugged him tighter.

“So I’m not weird, huh?” Leon said somewhat under his breath.

“What do you mean?”

“Look man, I like you too. I don’t know if it’s weird or not, but yeah. Never thought you’d like someone like me,” Leon said resting his chin on Makoto’s head.

“You mean it?” Makoto asked, his face lighting up.

“Wouldn’t lie to ya, man. ‘Course I mean it.”

There was a silence. But not an uncomfortable one. It was actually quite pleasant. The two held each other for a while, enjoying the other’s company and warmth.

“Well, if it’s not too quick, would ya wanna come sleep in the bed with me? Floors gotta be cold,” Leon said breaking the silence.

Makoto’s face flushed. But he wasn’t going to say no. He could really use that right now.

“Ok.”

They climbed into the bed together. Makoto dragged his weighted blanket along with them, and Leon pulled it over the two for warmth.

He pulled Makoto into his arms and rested his head upon the other’s. Makoto returned the embrace, holding his new lover tightly and intertwining their fingers.

This was nice. It felt warm. It felt safe. It felt ok. They love each other so much. It felt nice to finally be able to channel that onto the other.

Barely 5 minutes had passed and Makoto could hear soft snoring coming from the other. This was a calming sound that he could get used to. He fell asleep soon after.

By around 6 in the morning, the power for the school came back on. It was warmer now. But that didn’t disturb the two. This was the closure they both needed.

#Naeleon #leonaegi #leokoto #Makoto x Leon #Leon x Makoto #makuwata #kuwaegi #Leon #Leon Kuwata #Kuwata #Makoto Naegi #Naegi #Makoto #Fanfiction #Rarepair #Danganrarepiar #Bisexual characters #I hope you like it sorry it’s a hot pile of garbage #cuddling #fluff #exams #midterms #crushing #confessions #don’t hate me it’s a comfort ship #Leon has anxiety if you squint #naeleonweek2020

[nanamicide]

A life of her own - chapter 10

Read on AO3

Dear me,

I haven’t written in a while – there has been quite a lot happening that just left me too tired to write about it. Besides, I haven’t really felt the need to write recently either. I guess it means I’m getting better? I’m not sure. I don’t see Gekkogahara-san as much as I used to either. I now have two sessions of therapy per week instead of one every two days. One is group therapy with Mitarai-kun, Tsumiki-san and Komaeda-kun. The other is an individual session. I don’t know if I still need the individual sessions if I’m honest. I don’t really like how Gekkogahara-san seems so…. I’m not too sure how to put it into words, but it seems to me that she thinks my relationship with Makoto is a bad idea, when in reality, it’s helped me a lot. Our relationship and group therapy have been a breath of fresh air in my life. I have never felt this appreciated, understood, and cared for in my life. I think I enjoy it.

I started going back to class last week as well. I got closer to Ogami-san, which was quite surprising to me. I never thought much of her back when Junko was still alive. Besides, she seems so close to Asahina-san that I would have never imagined that she’d want to be friends with me. I’m not as bubbly as her, or as fun to be around. But I suppose she enjoys our silent sparring as much as I do. I’m also glad this doesn’t have to be one of these girly friendships in which we’re supposed to talk about boys and girly things like whatever Maizono-san was trying to create between us. I understand that she’s really close to Makoto, but we’re so different that it couldn’t have worked out. At least Ogami-san and I have a lot in common, even if we don’t talk that much when we spend time together.

So really, life has been good. This is one thing I couldn’t see myself writing when Junko died, but here I am. I look forward to each new day, even if some of them don’t go as well as planned. And it’s different from the way things used to be. And I like it. This is another thing Gekkogahara-san doesn’t seem too convinced about.

To be entirely honest, I decided to take a little bit of time to write today to get this off my chest. I don’t know what has been up with Gekkogahara-san recently. Up until I confessed to Makoto, she was extremely supportive of me and always encouraged me to do things. Now, she asks a lot more questions than she used to, as if she were questioning whether I’m lying to her. The thing is, I’ve never lied to her, and I didn’t start doing anything like it recently either. I’ve always felt as though therapy was the one spot where I could be completely honest regardless of how irrational my mind was, and I treated it as such. So, I don’t know what I’ve done wrong. I don’t know if I should care about it either.

Deep down, I know it’s wrong. I know it’s changed something in the way I interact with her and in the way therapy helps me. It’s stopped helping me ever since things changed. But maybe I’m just overthinking all of this. After all, it’s possible that my support system has just become so good outside of therapy that I just don’t need it anymore. The thing is, it’s hard for me to bring it up to Gekkogahara-san. Every time I’ve made progress and we had to adjust the way she works with me because of it, she was the one who told me change needed to be implemented. She has never hinted at the fact that I may no longer need therapy. So, it probably means that I still need it. I’m just not seeing any benefits of it anymore.

Maybe I should get another therapist. I don’t know. I think it would be hard for me to open up about everything that I went through because of Junko to someone else. Gekkogahara-san knows me and she… Well, she’s the one who brought about all the progress that enabled me to have the strength to confess to Makoto and have a healthy relationship with him. It’s just all so confusing.

I tried to talk to Makoto about this and he told me that I was probably just overthinking. The more I write the more I think that he might have been right. It’s like on the first day I went back to class and thought he was just too close to Kirigiri-san for it to be normal. I kept thinking that he didn’t really like me and wanted to be with her instead, and we almost had a fight about it, but it was all just me overthinking. I guess that after everything that’s happened to me it’s a little hard for me to really trust people, no matter how great they are. If I could do this to Makoto it’s possible that I am doing the same thing with Gekkogahara-san now. It’s probably all in my head. I’m just not convinced by it.

-

Mukuro slammed her pen onto her desk in frustration and sighed. She couldn’t understand why that journal entry had been so difficult to write when words used to flow so smoothly from her mind to the paper. She rubbed her eyes and laid her head against the soft, leather cover of her journal.

What is wrong with me? She thought, as she reached for her phone to check if Makoto had replied to her last text, only for her mood to sink further when she noticed that she had no unread messages. Just what is going on this week? And why isn’t he talking to me?

She took another glance at her phone and ran her fingers across the screen to open her conversation with Makoto. He had last talked to her over an hour ago, which was quite unusual. Ever since they’d confessed to each other, they had been texting each other during every moment they couldn’t physically spend together. She’d enjoyed that more than anything – he always seemed to be available, and when he wasn’t going to be, he would tell her. It had genuinely been comforting for her, knowing that someone was so easy to reach if she needed anything, and that that person enjoyed their conversations.

She carefully read the last few texts they’d exchanged, attempting to figure out if she’d done something wrong that would have made him mad at her. Yet, there was nothing out of the ordinary. She’d woken up, texted him good morning just like she usually did, they’d asked each other how they were feeling – the usual.

Her mind was going in circles. She needed to understand why he hadn’t talked to her in what felt like an extremely long period of time. She needed to know what was going on so she could fix it – so things could get back to normal, with Makoto talking to her and making her feel important, cared for, and loved. She needed this. Why wasn’t he giving that to her? What had she done that was making him take that away from her?

Kirigiri-san. Mukuro bit her lip, feeling her stomach turn. Makoto is probably hanging out with Kirigiri-san, for what— no, this doesn’t make any sense. Whenever he has plans with any of his friends, he tells me. Why would it be any different with her?

Because she is different, isn’t she? She’s so intelligent and kind, and her work as a detective is so impressive. She brings the truth to the families of the people I kill, doesn’t she? And that makes her so much better than me – so much more normal to be around.

Mukuro’s vision got blurry as tears began rolling down her cheeks. Her shaky breathing made her sob like never before. She was confused – confused by the fact her boyfriend was ignoring her out of nowhere; confused by her own reaction to it. Her trembling hand reached for her phone again as she tried to calm herself down.

Maybe it isn’t that bad, she told herself with every failed attempt at controlling her breathing. Maybe he just forgot to reply to me. He can be so absent-minded sometimes, right? I’ll just… I’ll just send another text to ask if he’s okay and what’s doing or something like that. Yeah, it’ll be okay like this. He doesn’t have to know what just happened. It’s okay. Yeah, I’m fine. I’m alright.

Once she had sent the text, she decided to ignore her phone for a bit, if only to stop herself from going crazy while waiting for Makoto’s reply. She stepped into the bathroom, thinking she would shower now. This would definitely give her enough time to respond, and she’d have something to do that wasn’t just sitting on the edge of her bed while obsessively checking her phone. Two birds with one stone!

However, when she finished drying herself and putting on clean clothes, she still had no new message from Makoto. So, she sent him another text, telling him that she was worried something was wrong and that he could talk to her if he needed. She then decided she’d get breakfast, if only to pass the time until he’d finally reply, but that wasn’t enough either – which made her send a third text, in which her tone had shifted from worried to annoyed. Still, she asked him if he wanted to hang out with her this afternoon.

And five more minutes passed, then ten, fifteen, thirty, and another hour, during which she received no text or call from her boyfriend. She tried to call a few times, but he never picked up.

Mukuro felt more distressed than ever before. She felt stuck in her own head, as though nothing could distract her from the fact Makoto suddenly was unreachable. She wanted to be able to go about her day like she usually would despite the fact that he wasn’t picking up her calls or answering her texts, but nothing seemed to make her snap out of it. She needed to know that he still loved her, that he wasn’t mad at her, and that everything was okay between them. It was the only thing that could have possibly helped her – she was sure of it.

She lied down on her bed and closed her eyes. Maybe she could nap. It would have been complicated for most people to fall asleep in such a state, but Mukuro had slept in tougher conditions when she was still in Fenrir. Yeah, she could do this. She’d just make her phone’s ringtone a little louder – loud enough to wake her up once Makoto would be free to talk and reassure her.

I remember Junko telling me that she’d learned from Matsuda-kun that if you lay still long enough, your brainwaves go into sleep mode. If I just lay here and not move, just like I did when we were hiding from enemies back in Fenrir, I’ll fall asleep.

But she didn’t have time to fall asleep – her phone eventually rang, around four hours after Makoto had last texted her. She bolted up to grab it and pick up the call, without even checking who was calling.

“H-hey Makoto,” she said weakly.

“What’s wrong?”

Mukuro sighed in relief as she heard her boyfriend’s voice. He didn’t sound as upbeat as he usually did, but at least he was talking to her now – she would be able to fix whatever she messed up and that made him ignore her in the first place.

“I uh… Listen, I’m sorry for how much I called you I just thought you were mad and—”

“Mukuro.”

“Huh?”

“Do the things I usually say to you stop holding any meaning as soon as I’m gone?”

“Wh-what do you mean?” She anxiously asked. This really wasn’t what she was expecting from this call.

“It’s just that… That whenever I’m not as available as you’d like me to be you start assuming all these things about me, about us and I really wonder if—”

“I’m sorry, Makoto. I know you—”

“It’s just the second time you’ve done something like this this week,” Makoto said in a somewhat sad voice.

“I know, I’m really sor—”

“I know, Mukuro. I know you’re sorry.”

“I’ll try to do better next time but…” She paused. She wanted to ask him if he was with Kirigiri-san this whole time, but she didn’t want to make it more uncomfortable between them than it already was. Still, the thought wouldn’t leave her mind.

“No, I wasn’t with Kirigiri-san,” he replied, as though he was able to read her mind. “My sister just unexpectedly visited, and I haven’t seen her in so long, so I sort of, you know, forgot about my phone for a bit.”

There was another pause, during which neither of them spoke. Mukuro felt embarrassed, and stupid, for reacting in such a way when Makoto had only been hanging out with his sister – whom he had talked about many times before.

“By the way,” Makoto suddenly said, snapping Mukuro out of her thoughts. “I think it would be cool if you spent the afternoon with us. Would you like to meet us in the park?”

Mukuro’s face lit up as she heard these words.

“Yeah, I’d love to. Thank you for not holding what I’ve done against me.”

“It’s alright, we’ll talk about it when we’re alone, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll see you in a bit then!” Makoto excitedly said before hanging up.

Mukuro smiled. Thank God, he’s so understanding and sweet, she thought as she rushed to the bathroom to fix her hair and try to hide the fact she’d been crying for most of the past four hours.

#naekusaba

[myaekingheart]

The Hazards of Love

Part 1: The Prelude

@naruto-fantasy-week Day 1: Witches + Familiars / Soul Bonds [Kakashi Hatake x Rei Natsuki (OC)] Sometimes fate has a funny way of bringing people together. And sometimes Mother Nature has a funny way of ripping them apart. [Inspired by the Hazards of Love by The Decemberists] read on AO3

               It was dusk when Rei departed, the sky a watercolor portrait overhead. The young woman, with red hair haphazardly tied back, rode down mossy pathways upon a large, white horse. It was in these moments that she felt the most free, as if the woods were expanding her lung capacity and finally allowing her to fully, unapologetically breathe. She, bred for battle, the little assassin, Rei Natsuki. She gripped her horse’s mane tightly as they weaved between towering trees, her heart pounding in sync with his hooves. If only she could melt into the forest floor, become one with the wilds, liberated from the strict convention of her career.

               Amid her daydreams, her grip on Toshio’s mane had loosened and so when a white flash of something startled the steed, she flew off his back and effectively slammed into the dirt. Rei spluttered into the crook of her neck as she tried to catch her breath, glaring at her horse. “What the fuck?!” she called to him, pushing the long bangs back out of her face. Toshio stamped his feet and shook his head, nostrils flaring. In the near distance, crumpled at the base of a large tree, lay a mass of white fur.

               Rei was, at first, understandably cautious. The wolves were vicious in these parts and she knew better than to apprehend a dangerous animal. Her curiosity, however, overpowered her logic. With sword drawn, she inched ever so slowly nearer, praying for the woods to keep still so as not to startle him. And then she saw it: blood.

               The wolf’s chest rose and fell tumultuously, his mismatched eyes searching this way and that. His right was naturally dark and ominous but his left shone red, bright as the blood on his flank, with a nasty scar straight down the center. He growled softly as he watched Rei approach.

               “I’m not going to hurt you” she murmured. “I just want to help.” When it was clear he had finally at least tolerated her presence, she sheathed her sword and knelt down beside him. The wound was deep and intense but had not severed any important ligaments. The outlook, should he let her treat him, was bright.

               The wolf watched with a wild, alert gaze as she pulled a flask of water from the belt at her hip. She popped the cork and poured the cool liquid all over the wound, a stream of diluted blood rushing into the dirt. Then, grabbing her dagger, she sliced away a strip of cloth from her skirt and began to bandage him up.

               He snapped his jaws at her as she wrapped his leg, but she did not flinch. “I know it hurts!” she fired back at him. “But it has to be done. It’ll only take a minute, so suck it up.” A confused expression flitted across his face before he ultimately accepted his fate. Once she was finished, she stood back and motioned for him to get up. “Make sure you can walk on it” she insisted. The minute the words fell from her lips, however, she felt stupid and childish. There was no way a dumb wolf would understand her human commands. And yet somehow, he did. She watched him rise slowly, testing his back leg with a strange sense of concentration. When he had grown more comfortable and agile, she knelt down to begin gathering up her supplies. As she did so, a heavy shadow suddenly stretched over her, growing with every second. Her hands grew unsteady, and then she heard it.

               “Thank you.”

               A man’s voice. Rei’s heart leapt into her throat as she slowly lifted her gaze. The wolf had disappeared. Standing before her now was a human man.

               Rei whipped her dagger out and stumbled backward, narrowing her eyes at the stranger. “Come any closer and I’ll hang you from that branch by your intestines!” she threatened. He recoiled, his mismatched eyes widening. She studied his every move, every feature. If she was to die right here—or worse—she at least wanted to thoroughly recognize her assailant.

               First and foremost, he was attractive. Frustratingly so. His silver hair fell into his eyes and stuck up in all directions, wild and unkempt. Second was that he was naked. Completely and utterly naked. And in his nakedness, she could not help but notice he was also lean and fit. Her cheeks burned at the mere sight of him.

               “What business do you have wandering around the woods like that, anyway?” she asked, dropping her eyes. “If you’re looking to take advantage of innocent girls, you’ve targeted the wrong person.”

               The man blushed, clearly embarrassed by his own immodesty, as if he hadn’t even noticed until it was pointed out to him. Rather than apologize, he replied, “It’s nice to know your hospitality is limited to animals.” The statement was so strange, it warranted another look at him. A cocking of the brow and a search of the face for any signs of intoxication, or if he was simply a hallucination. Instead, all she saw was a bandage around the thigh and a sharp red eye cut down the center by a nasty scar. No…it couldn’t be…

               Rei tightened her grip on her dagger as she scrambled to her feet. The sky overhead had grown inky black, the stars poking through the darkness to shine down upon them. All Rei knew for certain was that she needed to go home. She needed to get as far away from here as humanly possible. And yet her feet refused to move. If anything, there was an unnerving grip in her chest pulling her ever nearer to him. All she could manage was to pull the ragged cape from Toshio’s flank and shove it into the man’s hands.

               “Put this on” she commanded. “I can’t stand to look at you.”

               The man took the cloak and did as he was told, tying it around his waist like a makeshift hakama. “Sorry” he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. “I hate when that happens.”    

               Blinking, Rei asked in sharp disbelief, “Does…does this happen often?”

               The man paused a moment before asking, “Which part?”

               Unbelievable. Shaking her head, Rei turned to mount her steed and disappear back home. This man was testing her patience—a man she was unsure was even real. No, she needed to remove herself from this situation before she sank too far into her own insanity. Perhaps if she climbed into bed with a cold towel to her forehead, then come morning, this would all be a hazy memory.

               He wasn’t sure why but the sudden threat of her departure struck him with a desperate yearning. He couldn’t afford to let her leave. Not yet. Not now. Acting on impulse, he reached out to grip her wrist. “W-wait!” he called. “I’m sorry” he continued. “I didn’t mean to be so abrupt. I don’t often find other people out here. Nonetheless women as…as beautiful as you.”

               Truthfully, Rei wasn’t buying it. If he was aiming to erase the predatory undertones of his appearance, then this was not helping his case. “Well, maybe that’s for the best” she muttered. There was a fire in her gaze that almost made him back down. Almost.

               “Please…tell me your name” the man then asked.

               Rei considered his question for a moment. She wasn’t sure if it was information she ought to give out. But then again, there was no harm in telling very real things to very fake people. “Natsuki” she replied, her voice breathy as if releasing the pent-up pressure within a balloon. “Rei Natsuki.”

               Rei Natsuki. The name enveloped him in a strange, titillating comfort. “Rei” he repeated, paying close attention to the way her name fit in his mouth. He said it again, nodding. Rei. “That’s beautiful.”

               For a moment, with her hand clasped in his in the moonlight, she suddenly felt as if their flesh was melding into one. She never considered herself particularly beautiful. The thought of someone else thinking of her as such felt foreign and displaced. And whatever was foreign was immediately terrifying. “And what about you?” she asked. “What’s your name?”

               The man cleared his throat before answering, “Kakashi.” The name brought Rei a similar sensation of comfort and anxiety. It seemed so familiar, like a vague echo of childhood nostalgia that she couldn’t quite comprehend. She felt her hand grow clammy in his grip and she knew in that moment that if she did not leave soon, she was likely going to be sick. Kakashi felt her wiggle her way out of his grasp, saw the nausea painting her face, and knew he had made a terrible mistake. “I’m sorry” he said again. “I never meant to scare you. It’s just…you remind me of someone.”

               “Oh yeah?” Rei asked. “Who?” The thought of her resembling a stranger to a man with limited social connections was unnerving and, quite frankly, inconsistent. Her curiosity piqued.

               “I spend most of my time reading” Kakashi started.

               Before he could say more, Rei interrupted. “You read…?” she asked. It wasn’t that she considered him illiterate, necessarily, but rather was simply shocked seeing as so many people these days had given up on books. The thought of having found someone else who thrived within the nooks of narratives piqued her interest that much further, though she was also admittedly unsure of how this factored into the original topic.

               Kakashi nodded in reply, noticing a significant change in the way Rei carried herself. She seemed more open, more accepting, and in that, he could breathe a sigh of relief. “Have you ever read the works of Master Jiraiya?” he asked. “You remind me of his heroine, Junko.” Then, slightly more sheepishly, “She’s actually my favorite.”

               “Oh?” Rei asked. Toeing the dirt, she asked quietly, “What, uh…what do you like about her…?” She couldn’t bring herself to look at him now. She was unfamiliar with the books he spoke of, but she was deeply intrigued by how he could so firmly assess her character after only knowing her for an hour or so.

               Kakashi went on to name off the traits he admired in a woman, exemplified by Junko in the novels. Unbeknownst to him, so many of them paralleled Rei’s personality. She felt stripped down, exposed and terrified. How obvious was she that he could pin her down so clearly? His rattling only further convinced her this had to be a dream. But his grip felt so real, so soft yet strong. Was she really capable of dreaming up something so vivid? She didn’t know. The more she questioned it, the more she feared that perhaps she truly was losing her mind. And all the while, her mind harkened back (on its own accord) to the idea of fate. The idea that everything happens for a reason, that there is a destined companion for everyone. When she looked at him, that strange, shapeshifting man, she somehow saw home. She only wondered if he felt the same.

               Dark storm clouds rolled in overhead to blot out the moonlight.  The moment she opened her mouth to speak, a crack of lightning illuminated the sky followed by thunder so intense, it shook the whole wood. A cold slap of reality.

               “I have to go” Rei said abruptly. She had no clue what time it was but that didn’t matter anymore. Danzo would certainly be searching for her now, seething and strict. She could not let him know what she was up to in the woods.

               Kakashi watched her approach Toshio, who had since become rather impatient, but not without a deep ache in his chest. “Rei, before you go” he called. She turned to him as he approached her at Toshio’s flank. He tenderly brushed the hair out of her face and she felt her cheeks enflame yet again.

               “What is it…?” she asked, her voice small and meek. She was terrified of what he was about to offer.

               Kakashi stammered a moment before motioning toward the makeshift clothing tied around his waist. “What about your cloak?” he asked.

               “What about it?” she rebuked.

               “You should take it with you” Kakashi said. “It’s yours, after all.”

               Rei glanced down at it, the way it cinched at his waist and fell in tatters to the forest floor. Panic rose in her throat as she feared watching him undress. She rested a hand upon his forearm and whispered, “Keep it. You need it more than I do.”

               A small smile touched Kakashi’s lips as her hand lingered on his arm. “I’ll return it to you tomorrow. Come back and see me at sunset. Please.”

               She considered the request for a long moment. For Kakashi, that stretch of time felt eternal. He rested his hand atop hers, a silent prayer that she would say yes. And looking into his mismatched eyes, the way his jaw clenched in anticipation, and his toned chest and strong arms—“Yes” spilled out of her mouth on it’s own accord. Delighted, he kissed her hand delicately before encouraging her back home. His lips stung against the soft flesh and she felt her mind spinning as Toshio raced back to the village.

               Kakashi watched her depart as the rumbling sky intensified. A sinister feeling, like smoke on the moors, crept across the forest floor. He knew what was coming but he did not care. He would deal with the forest’s wrath later. For now, his focus was her.

#naruto fantasy week #kakashi hatake #rei natsuki #the scarecrow and the bell #the hazards of love #naruto #naruto oc #fanfiction

[fugaciousgloom]

Hajime and Nagito never really talked about their past, but an old photo album sparks memories.

Komahina Week 2020 Day 1: Childhood

---

Hajime wiped his brow. The sun sending waves of heat towards him as he lifted the last box out of the moving truck. He made his way up the drive of his new house, looking up at it in pride.

Months and months of savings had led up to this, a small white house with black trim and shutters. Hajime couldn't be happier.

He and Nagito had gotten engaged two months ago, and that was also around the time Hajime got a promotion at his work, so the timing worked out perfectly for both of them.

Hajime shuffled inside, setting the box down in the kitchen. His fiance was sitting on the ground in the living area, already unpacking.

The brunette watched him try to shove one last book on the shelf from the doorway. He made his way over to him, crouching down and taking the book from him.

"Relax, Nagito." He chuckled, "We can just keep this on another shelf or something."

Nagito pouted, trying to snatch it back, "But it's apart of a series, and the other books are already on this shelf!"

Hajime looked at the book in his hand. It was old and worn from use, and the title read "Gregor the Overlander".

He sighed, handing the book back. The living room was coming along okay already. The couch was pushed up against the wall, a tv sitting on a stand opposite it. A carpet was rolled up at the side of the room and a side table sat in the middle of the room, yet to be moved. Next to Hajime, a shelf filled to the brim with books and picture frames. The pictures were all of Nagito and Hajime, though one had Chiaki and her wife Sonia in it too.

One look over the books on the shelf could tell you a lot about Nagito. Most were sci-fi or horror books, with some  medical and psychology textbooks mixed in. The white-hair boy liked to know as much as possible about health, more specifically, the diseases and disorders he's been diagnosed with. Though, there was one book Hajime didn't recognize.

It was big, blue, and had multiple sticky notes sticking out around the top and bottom.

He reached for it and flipped it open to a random page. A picture of a young Nagito sitting on the lap of a woman. She had long, white hair and kind eyes, her arms wrapped around Nagito in a motherly way.

"That's my mother." Nagito said next to him, "She and my father died in a plane crash a long time ago."

Hajime looked over at him, "I'm sorry."

In response, the boy shrugged. He took the book and laid it in his lap, flipping to the first page. "It's my families old photo album." He gestured to a name written on the first page, "My great grandmother started it and it's been passed down to the oldest of each generation every year."

Hajime leaned on his shoulder as he flipped through a couple pages, pointing at a old photo of a young woman holding a baby, "Is that your grandmother?"

"Yeah," Nagito chuckled, "she had Frontotemporal Dementia like me, though she wasn't diagnosed until a couple year before she died."

"So she's where you got it from?"

The boy shrugged, "Probably, nobody else in my family has ever been diagnosed with it."

A silence hung in the air as they flipped through the book, stopping at a picture of Nagito at the age of twelve. His hair was wavy and long, hanging down to around his collarbone. "I was a handful, and started showing signs of FTD at an alarmingly young age." He sighed, "I didn't have many friends and my impulse control was really bad."

Hajime didn't really know what to stay, so he stayed silent. Nagito continued explaining his symptoms and struggles growing up.

"When the doctors finally diagnosed me, my parents had given up trying to fix me." He sighed, "I'm a lost cause."

Hajime grabbed the white boys hand and squeezed it lightly, "You're not a lost cause. Not to me."

His fiance smiled at him, flipping through the book. Every so often he'd stop and point out a picture with a story behind it.

"This was when we took in my foster sisters Junko and Mukuro." The picture was of two teenage girls. One had long, pink hair worn in pigtails. The other had short, brown hair and freckles. "Believe it or not, they were twins."

"Were?" Hajime asked with hesitance, not knowing if he really wanted to know the answer.

"Well, Mukuro joined the military when they were eighteen. She died in a freak accident involving a tank." He explained, "I talk to Junko sometimes, but she grew distant when her sister died. She lives in Hollywood now, anyway, so it's not like we can see eachother often."

"That's sad." Hajime comforted, "Maybe I can meet Junko some day."

Nagito nodded, "Yeah, I'd like that."

He suddenly pushed the album out of his lap, turning slightly towards Hajime, "Well, I've talked long enough. What was your childhood like?"

Hajime shook his head, "I don't have much to say, my childhood was relatively normal."

"I don't mind," Nagito grinned, "I love hearing about you."

Smiling, Hajime cleared his throat, "Um, I grew up with my mother and father as an only child. My mother worked as a nurse, and my father was a cop. That's how they met." He shrugged, "There's not much else to say."

"Your family sounds nice. How come I haven't met them yet?"

Hajime looked away, awkwardly, "Well... my parents aren't exactly happy that I'm engaged to a boy..."

Nagito nodded in understanding, "Yeah, my grandfather was like that." He chuckled, "You better believe my mother set him straight."

Hajime grinned, and held Nagito's hand in his again. "Thank you for sharing with me."

"Only because I love you." Nagito leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

Hajime grinned, giving him a proper kiss, "I love you too, Nagito."

---

I'm not usually proud of what I write, but I'm quite proud with how this turned out. And I love writing domestic fluff.

Thank you so much for reading!

#komahinaweek2020 #komahina #childhood #komahina week #nagito #komaeda #nagito komaeda #hajime hinata #hajime #hinata #danganronpa #dr2 #dr2 hajime #dr2 nagito

[ryouverua]

Tsumugi Shirogane FTE - (Kaede #2)

Fancy meeting you here. Come around these parts often? .... Wait -

Lines like this is why you’re still so relatable in ways tbh -

The first FTE, actually done way back when I first played the first chapter blind, is here!

THERE IS SO MUCH DOUBLESPEAK HERE -

Her life is over because she thinks the deadline has failed and the game will end in failure? Because once something happens, ‘there’s no going back’? Either way, she’s clearly panicking and worried that all of her work and planning is about to amount to nothing which is such a contrast to the ever-confident Junko, damn.

Courting Tsumugi with the wig gift is so passé.

hindsight is everything.

On the other hand, should you be so openly excited about getting the headband??? I mean, don’t you have a cover to maintain???

“Well, I literally just lost all of my progress because you walked in and reset my whole intricate scenario planning program but I can’t even be mad at you because I forgot to save, also Kokichi is hanging around the hallway and his weird horse laugh is haunting me and making it hard to concentrate and I swear somehow he already knows way too much -”

Whose fault is that???

TsUMUGI WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN

Asdfkl;adjsslkjf

Okay like I’m pretty sure at any point this FTE was played she would have the potential to be depressed - the deadline approaching and possibly failing, for example, or the way everyone seems to be working together - but the fact that she’s using this as her cover is bloody amazing lmao.

And Kaede is like, yup! That’s legit!

But I bet she is slightly depressed because I feel like, despite not really being into more myself, this class isn’t very high on the moe-meter? .... I literally have no idea how this works actually just ignore me -

“Like shotput!”

“..... I’ll think about that one, actually -”

I AM LIVING RIGHT NOW

What amazing use of awkward silence omg

CONSIDERING THE ENDING THIS IS SOME HEAVY FORESHADOWING WHAT THE HELL

They’re made for each other.

“Especially for your sake! I’m not sure why, but I’m really getting the feeling that we need to get you some more interests to pursue ASAP!”

I am living for this FTE holy shit

IS THAT LEGIT OR ARE YOU LYING YOUR ASS OFF

OR IS THIS A MOMENT OF CLARITY FOR YOU WHERE YOU’RE LIKE ‘OH GOD I LITERALLY HAVE NOTHING OUTSIDE OF THIS, RIGHT NOW’

I actually chose this because I do this with a few of my friends sometime! We do bring stuff with us though. Maybe specifically a board game cafe or something, or just going out once a week - something for them to look forward to ~

Y... You just. You just sit down and order stuff, my dude. Unless you’re worried about this being a date ~

god I wish the cafes around here were in walking distance

Hm, that’s not a bad point - though Tsumugi gets sponsorships, right? I think that was true. And she even had a bartending job at some point, and big tips from that, so I don’t think money should be a problem for her.

INDOOR CAFE

YOU’RE MOVING FROM ONE INDOORS TO ANOTHER ONE

TSUMUGI PLEASE

Gosh she really does have trouble moving out of her comfort zone, huh? Literally the running theme with her. She can adapt to change, but she hella doesn’t like it at all.

PLEASE TSUMUGI FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TRY SOMETHING NEW

“It’s a date!”

“Oh, I mean, I thought it was just us starting a new hobby -”

“SO IT’S A DATE!”

Kaede just asked Tsumugi to go out to a cafe with her just saying -

I chose this under duress because I’m not really into baking myself and Tsumugi already reads manga and visual novels at the very least. >>

Tsumugi looks me directly in the eyes and tells me I’m lacking girl power lmao

And she’d be right

Oh, there’s her supportive side coming through! What a good attitude. I could learn from that, honestly. I bet that’s how she talks to people when playing piano, too ~

.... She really is insistent about this being indoors, huh. Is she that adverse to leaving ‘her space’? But she definitely goes to cons.... ah, but she’s going as a different person - as ‘fictional characters’. Maybe it’s the idea of going out at herself that’s the real problem here...

Well, the baking route was pretty nice! And finally -

OH REALLY I COULDN’T TELL

traumatic love hotel war flashbacks

I-I get where you’re coming from, and then I just think of that love hotel - wait, wait, that’s not the point -

I think the idea is to get outside the realm of fiction, right? So reading something outside of her comfort zone, which light novels aren’t, is what Kaede is going for here.

Yeah, exactly!

...........

Kaede are you just hungry -

Is this why the default setting for this FTE is in the dining hall -

I’M SORRY READING COOKBOOKS IS NOT A HOBBY AT LEAST COOK AFTERWARDS!!!

Oof.... this is way more painful in hindsight. Making all these promises about what they’ll do together, but Tsumugi’s heart isn’t into it because she knows - though whether or not it really is scripted and Kaede was slated to be gone soon is still a bit up in the air in my head. Either way, I think she got caught up in the idea of having fun with Kaede later, and the moment Kaede said ‘after we get out of here’, it all came crashing down. Escapism’s greatest enemy is reality.

‘From completely different worlds’, huh.

She has to contextualize it in terms of it being a new story. One that she can entertain herself and think about in the world of fiction - because then it’s okay if it doesn’t happen in the real world, right? What’s real or not doesn’t matter, if it can be imagined in a story.

LMAO KAEDE NO -

WOW THIS WASN’T A HAPPY ENDING AT ALL - !

#Tsumugi Shirogane #Kaemugi #Kaede Akamatsu #Ryou plays drv3 #spoilers #drv3 spoilers #good news everyone! I still ship it #bad news everyone! That means I am as incorrigible as ever

[thenamesreader]

Good In Me AU Character Profile

Aika Kaneshiro- SHSL Musical Artist

Gender: Female

Height: 5′ 5″

Weight: 48 kg (107 lbs)

Birthday: April 16

Chest: 77 cm

Blood Type: A

Likes: Mukuro, Ibuki, music (obviously), cotton candy (sweet things in general actually), and flowers

Dislikes: Bullies, missing homeroom, people disrespecting her profession

Affiliations: Hope’s Peak Academy’s 78th Class, Class 78-A

Appearance: Aika is a light-brown skinned girl with sunflower gold hair and teal eyes. Her school uniform is slightly altered where she has the skirt switched out for pants. She wears the same typical outfit with a brown vest over a white dress shirt with a red ribbon tied around her neck and black flats.

Her casual wear consists of a brown duster, red scarf, white t-shirt, black two-inch boots, and black jeans. There are usually a pair of round brown sunglasses on the top of her head.

Personality: Aika is a kind and cheerful girl despite always making herself sleep-deprived since she likes to stay up to create songs. She’s also somewhat of a hopeless romantic because of her feelings for Mukuro, becoming a complete disaster if she can make her smile or laugh. Like how Mukuro is way out of touch with her emotions, Aika is too in-touch with her emotions. She tends to react before she thinks which has gotten her hurt a few times. They sort of balance each other out, though, with the musician helping Mukuro come out of her shell while Mukuro helps her handle her emotions.

Despite her flaws, she can be silly, charismatic, and filled to the brim with love for everyone.

Talents & Abilities: 

SHSL Music Artist: Aika has always had a passion for music for as long as she could remember. She started performing and playing music as soon as she could walk. Her first instrument was the piano, which she loves to play in her free time along with the guitar. She and Sayaka Maizono tend to compete since they tend to be top on the charts.

Sharp Hearing: Because of her profession, Aika has a more advanced hearing. She can tell voices apart, easily.

Advanced Dexterity: Aika is good with her hands since she plays so many instruments.

History

Early Life

Aika was raised by her father and aunt since her mother left when she was really young. She grew up surrounded by music, her aunt always singing her lullabies or playing different types of instruments for her. She would always wake up to music playing throughout the house. Most of the tv programs she watched were either musicals or music documentaries.

At the age of 4, her aunt started teaching her how to play the piano. She enjoyed it very much and played anytime she could. When she woke up, when she got bored, when she was sad, when she was happy, when she was angry. The piano was her life. After she mastered piano, she taught herself to play guitar and began writing her own songs.

At the age of 13, she found a band called “Black Cherry” and instantly fell in love, listening to their music on repeat. She even started to imitate their music, practicing and practicing until welts covered her hands.

She attended Sixth Black Root Middle School and Black Root High School with Sayaka Maizono. They attended the same classes and were pretty friendly with each other.

She was soon scouted by Hope’s Peak Academy.

Current

Unlike Maizono who did some... unethical things to achieve her dreams, Aika didn’t and worked hard on her own with the support of her father and aunt. She made sure that she got what she wanted the right way.

After the 78th Class Welcoming Ceremony, Aika ran into Ibuki Mioda when she found the music room. After recognizing that Ibuki had been a member of “Black Cherry” and learning that Ibuki had listened to some of her music, they hit it off. Ibuki soon became somewhat of a mentor to her.

A few weeks after meeting her class and her homeroom teacher, Aika bumps into a girl who roomed across to her who introduces herself as Mukuro Ikusaba and Mukuro’s sister, Junko. She found herself, instantly, attracted to Mukuro and very put-off by Junko’s actions, but, was otherwise able to ignore it.

She soon found herself spending more time with Mukuro because of this, much to Junko’s annoyance.

Relationships

Her Father and Aunt

Aika has a very good relationship with her family. She talks about them, fondly, and always says that they would love Mukuro. In her room, she has a picture that sits on her desk of the day before she left for Hope’s Peak with her aunt and father in it as they celebrated her success.

Mukuro Ikusaba

Aika rooms across the hall from Mukuro. After running into her after accidentally sleeping through her alarm, she found herself, quickly, falling head-over-heels for her. This causes the musician to be somewhat protective of her when something happens. Mukuro is the reason she tries to sleep more since they made a deal with each other in order for Mukuro to start eating more.

The two tend to hang out with each other after class in the courtyard and just talk about anything that comes to mind. She expressed her attraction a few times to Mukuro, in more of a joking way, and has asked her to marry her on multiple occasions but never in front of anyone else after the soldier confessed she was unsure how anyone else would perceive it. Aika actually believes it has to do with how Junko would perceive it.

Ibuki Mioda

Aika and Ibuki are pretty much the best of friends. Though, her bond with her fellow musician probably wouldn’t come as close as she does with her class. Aika and Ibuki can be found in Ibuki’s classroom during lunch or the music room when either of them are free and just play music or come up with songs.

Aika is always pretty relaxed around Ibuki, sometimes listening to her upperclassman ramble about things she’s thinking about.

Sayaka Maizono

Aika and Sayaka are constantly competing with each other to see who can top the charts since their two of the top young artists in the country. They're pretty friendly with each other besides that. They tend to mostly tease each other when they see each other in the hallway.

Mikan Tsumiki

Aika tends to visit her a lot because of her bad habits because she’s either sick or she wore her hands out practicing. Because of her sweet nature, Aika tends to give Mikan gifts and help her out against bullies like Hiyoko.

Mikan often doesn’t know how to pay her back so she gives her anpan as thanks.

Makoto Naegi

Makoto and Aika are pretty friendly with each other as well. She has run into him a few times and she believes he is a real sweetheart. Because of his nature, she gave him the nickname of “Kibo”.

Teruteru Hanamura

Aika finds his behavior gross and disgusting and only goes to him for his cooking. She has to give him credit for something if she were to be honest with herself.

Nagito Komeada

Aika finds him... strange. From the few times they’ve interacted, he has commented on how he sees a special future for her. Aika always interprets it as something to do with her music career.

Junko Enoshima

Aika and Junko have an antagonistic relationship. Junko always gets annoyed since Aika has all of Mukuro’s attention. Aika has also witnessed first hand the abuse that gets hurled at Mukuro by her sister. She’s sometimes snapped at Junko because of it. Some of their fights have gotten bad enough that Junko’s stabbed her in the shoulder and threatened her life. Otherwise, she ignores anything that Junko says about her unless it comes to her profession. Most of the comments that come out of Junko’s mouth anyway is something about how Junko feels she’s really important somehow. She also finds Junko’s obsession with despair disturbing. She feels as if she is planning something, but can’t put her finger on what exactly.

Chisa Yukizome

Aika and Chisa have a pretty strong relationship. Aika might not be her student, but Chisa has a soft spot for her. Since Aika tends to visit her classroom a lot, she tends to be warm and friendly towards her. She tends to take a more motherly approach with Aika and considers her an honorary student of Class 77-B.

Kyoko Kirigiri

Aika is acquainted with the detective. She finds her kind of scary, though, because she feels as if she could read her mind.

Quotes

“I’m Aika Kaneshiro, the Super High School Level Music Artist. I’m in Class 78-A. Um, things to know. Not much. I like music and have bad sleeping habits if that’s what you want to know. Or would you like to know more? My favorite color is blue and my favorite flower is a marigold. I also love, love, love cotton candy.”

“Alright! Hold on to your heads- and hold onto your hearts, ladies-because Aika Kaneshiro is here!”

“I’m sorry, Principal Kirigiri! I won’t be late for class again!”

“What’s with this Junko girl on all these magazines? She seems like a brat.” 

“Yeah! Go, Mioda!”

“All women are queens! Anyone who disagrees is a... um. Is a... A loaf of stale bread!”

“I’ve seen a lot of pretty women in my life, but, Mukuro takes the cake.”

“There are only two things I will defend in my life: The love of my life and my music.”

“Hey, Kibo!”

“No pain, no gain!”

“I’m not afraid of some kogyaru! I’ll drop her in a heartbeat!”

“I’ll find whoever burnt Muki’s cookie and make ‘em pay!”

“Hanamura! Stop being a perv!”

“We’re all searching for something that gives us purpose. For me, it was music. Music still gives me purpose, but... I found something else that drives me, too.”

“It’s never too soon in the story for a love confession, Tsumiki! Never!”

Trivia

Her first name, Aika, means “love song” and her last name, Kaneshiro, means “golden castle”

Aika makes a lot of references to IRL bands, such as MCR. 

While playing the piano once, she hits the G-note and starts crying. When asked why she was crying by a fellow classmate passing by, she replies by saying “It just brings back sad memories.” 

Another time, when talking with Maizono, she gets very offended on how she had described her music and replies “I write sins, not tragedies”, an obvious reference to the song by Panic! At The Disco.

She also uses a line from Twenty-One Pilots’ “Stressed Out” in one of her songs.

Aika has many nicknames for Mukuro. She uses “Wolfie” and “Muki” the most, but, she’s called her “Tiger Lily” and “Sarge” on occasion.

Aika is not a fan of British boy bands. She complains that their songs aren’t that different and they all look the same, the only thing being different about them is their names.

She was sent death threats from rabid fans after publicly stating that in an interview.

Aika’s scarf was given to her by her aunt.

Aika did have a brief crush on Sayaka in middle school. She moved on, quickly, though.

Even though she and Junko have a terrible relationship, she wishes she and Junko could be friends in the future.

Aika likes her younger fans better than her older. They’re just so sweet.

Aika’s favorite animal is a cat. She tends to visit Gundham a lot to see the cats he’s found.

#danganronpa au #good in me au #danganronpa oc #danganronpa 3 #danganronpa: the end of hope’s peak academy #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #sdr2 #super danganronp 2 #dr:thh

[hopeymchope]

Naegi NEVER had crush on kirigiri . Thats a fact . He was in live with maizono pre despair and in the bonus mode of v3 which jints how things were pre despair he CALLED her his FRIEND ! And she went with it meaning ITS PLATONIC ! AND ZERO SIDED ! . Also Kirigiri doesnt like him either . She just wants a normal friend to hang out with ! Stop forcing them together when they are not interested in each other .

Hi again, Anti-Naegiri Troll Anon!

I know you used to send this same set of messages ALL THE DAMN TIME, usually as a comment on various posts and then you never, EVER responded to any kind of messages about how wrong you were or how maybe, JUST MAYBE, you should go be happy with your own ships and stop raining on other people’s.

I like how you just blow past Junko’s reference to Naegi’s crush on Kiri in “IF” and more importantly you completely ignore the events of Danganronpa 3.

Y’know, ‘cause she gives an entire speech about how awesome Naegi is and how “he became [her] hope”?

And Munakata blatantly calls Kirigiri “the one you loved” to Naegi? Who never denies it?

And y’know Kiri said that “only someone she could consider family” could be trusted to see her exposed hands? And then in DR3 she up and removes her glove and HOLDS HIS HAND IN HER EXPOSED HAND, taking it even farther than that statement?

And I want to make sure you’re remembering the same Bonus Mode conversations from V3 that I am.

You mean this one?

The one where school has already ended for the year, Naegi hasn’t seen Kyoko for weeks, and despite those things he’s hanging around an empty classroom in the hopes that Kiri will come back there?

And then she shows up and she wants him to tell her about himself because she’ll like any so-called “boring” story as long as it’s about him?

And then she says she “should control her emotions better” immediately after she says that?

The one where Naegi never calls her his “friend”?

THAT’S the one you mean, right?

I realize you’re working REALLY hard to try and deny any signs of possible Naegiriness, but instead, why not just go live in the world of Naezono shippers and be happy there? Why feel the need to concoct falsehoods and constantly crap on other people’s good time?

Hell, I think Naezono is perfectly fine! I don’t come to YOUR house and pin up a bunch of signs that say “Naezono is bullshit” or anything.

#anon #asks #I shouldn't have replied at all but like #i've seen this pile of BS too many times to skip it again #now I can just reblog this whenever I damn well feel like :P #naegiri #trolls #anti-naegiri anon

[zenonaa]

Read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18318629/chapters/43392422 Read from the beginning here: http://zenonaa.tumblr.com/post/183875659535/read

Comments: Day 2 for TogaFuka Week! The prompt is ‘Seasons’. This time, the gang go to a ski resort and no one dies in this chapter.

***

Autumn could be just as pretty as spring, with its rich blend of red, orange and yellow on the trees and that crunched underfoot. The world boasted leaves ablaze with colour, and while they weren’t gentle cherry blossoms, cute and pink and dainty, they had their charm, their own unique shapes, like those from a ginkgo tree or maple leaves, and if one stopped to admire them, even if just for a minute, they could appreciate their earthy beauty before winter came around again.

When the coach pulled up at the ski resort, snow blanketed the ground underneath a sky almost as white as it. Touko only realised they arrived when the chatter in the coach shifted from a bubbling mess to sharp, excited noise prone to squawks. For most of the journey, Touko had been reading quietly with her holdall travel bag on the seat next to her. Across the aisle to her was Byakuya, who had also spent a lot of the journey reading rather than conversing, holding a small black book that she couldn’t read the cover of because his hand hid most of it from view.

His fingernails were neatly shaped.

“Oh, wow!” Aoi gushed in front of Touko, pressing her face against the window. What she said next came out somewhat muffled. “It’s beautiful.”

It, in this case, referred to the stretch of mountains lining the horizon, looking creased with blue-hued shadows. Next to Aoi, Sakura Oogami smiled. With her large build, usually stern features and title of ‘Super High School Level Fighter’, as well as scars no doubt received from battle, Sakura’s smile as she followed Aoi’s gaze did not set Touko at any ease.

Fortunately, they wouldn’t be sharing a cabin. Touko had been assigned to one with the idol girl, Sayaka Maizono, and a set of twins with different surnames.

“Alright, guys!” said Chisa, standing at the front of the coach in a pink puffer jacket. She had her hands on her hips. “We’re going to check in and then you’ll receive the keys to your cabin. In two hours...”

Chisa threw an arm forward, holding up two fingers.

“... we’ll meet up in the square in the cabin village. We’re all going to try everything at least once. Other than skiing, there’s also an ice rink, and...”

Touko stared out of the window, only half-listening. She had never been skiing, and the one time she went ice skating with her class in her old high school, she had been awful, forced to hang onto the edge as she tottered around while almost everyone else skated around effortlessly. Those who couldn’t skate like Touko had friends to support them, to lead them around so they wouldn’t be left out, and every time they passed Touko, their laughter rang out loudly.

Though Touko couldn’t prove it, she thought their laughter was aimed at her.

Everyone trooped off the coach and followed Chisa to a cabin that housed the reception for checking in. After that, they split into two groups, the guys in their class going with their former homeroom teacher, a man with hay-coloured hair, a silver flask and a lopsided grin, while everyone else trailed after Chisa.

As the class diverged, Touko lingered back to watch the other group leave. Their class contained eight guys, but it may as well have had only one for all the attention she paid. One person, who sat in front of her in classes, who had golden hair and sapphire eyes, who grimaced as he followed after their former homeroom teacher.

“Come on, Fukawa-chan!” Aoi tugged on Touko’s hand, causing her to stumble.

“G-Get off me!” Touko hissed, snatching her hand back, but she fell in line with the others.

In the village, as this area was called, small cabins were affixed either side of a single continuous road, and crossing this road from the entrance led to a wide passageway that opened up to the slopes and buildings hosting various activities. The male students headed left, while the other students walked right.

“This is a cute layout,” remarked Junko Enoshima, whose surname did not match her twin, Mukuro Ikusaba. Touko didn’t know what Junko meant by calling it ‘cute’, but she didn’t care enough to ask. “You know, if I had students coming over to an island for a school trip, I’d totally lay it out like this.”

Mukuro nodded in agreement, which she usually did whenever Junko said something, even though Junko usually said something weird or stupid like that. An idiot fashion girl and her idiot soldier sister, who idolised her and obeyed every order... Touko couldn’t be surprised at their hopelessness.

Chisa handed out a key to everyone. Touko examined hers. Attached to the key was a leather strap with a number on it, corresponding with a number on one of the cabins. In this case, four.

“Meet in the centre in an hour!” Chisa reminded everyone, and their group fractured further as they retreated to their cabins.

Everyone else had to share one, but Chisa had her own to herself. She disappeared into a cabin marked with the number ‘one’ on its door sign plate. The door shut behind her.

“Meet in the centre in an hour,” mimicked Junko, making her hand mime a mouth and sounding remarkably like Chisa. An ugly snort popped out of her.

Sayaka, walking abreast with Junko, turned her head toward her and touched a hand to her cheek.

“Wow, you sounded just like her!” Sayaka said.

Junko grinned and bumped her hip playfully against Sayaka’s, holding up a peace sign with one hand.

“Thanks!” said Junko. “I’ve been practicing!”

Touko pulled a face as she walked behind her three cabin mates. Two nights. She had two nights of this to look forward to.

The cabin that Touko would be keeping her stuff and staying in for the duration of the trip had four beds made up of two bunk beds. They took up a big portion of the room, one bunk bed either side of the door, tucked up against the nearest corners to the entrance. Touko took off her winter boots so she wouldn’t track snow onto the olive green flooring. Underneath the bottom bunks was a large enough space to stow away any suitcases or bags.

“Dibs on bottom!” Junko crowed. She abandoned her suitcase by the door and threw herself onto one of the beds, landing on her front. Then she rolled onto her back and pointed at the bed above her. “Muku-Muku, you go over me!”

“Okay, Junko-chan,” said Mukuro, and she walked over, carrying a black rubbish bag that she had brought her clothes in. Seriously. She set it down and pushed it under the bed.

While those two settled in, Sayaka slapped on a polite smile and turned to Touko.

“What would you rather have? I don’t mind either way,” said Sayaka.

She said that, but that didn’t mean she was telling the truth. Deep down, she probably had a preference. Still, she had given Touko the choice, and no one forced her to do that.

As for Touko, she weighed her options. On one hand, being on the bottom bunk gave her easier access to her bag underneath the bed, but that applied to Sayaka too. Also, she couldn’t sit up properly on the bottom bunk due to how low down the bunk above started. For the other hand, she could sit up straight on the top bunk, but what if her hair draped over the edge by accident, and someone cut it for a prank?

Though, if the bed collapsed in a freak accident, Touko would squash Sayaka, and not the other way around.

“I’ll have top bunk,” said Touko.

The beds had already been made, so until they were due to meet up with the rest of the class, they just had to get ready for today’s outdoor activities and if they so desired, unpack. They were only staying for two nights, so Touko didn’t think she had to take everything out of her bag or use the wardrobe that came with the room. She got out a coat, gloves and waterproof trousers. To put the last item on, she simply slid them on as normal and then pulled her skirt down after, showing more modesty than the other three, who took their skirts off first.

“So, have you guys ever been skiing before?” asked Sayaka as she stuffed her legs into a pair of woolen tights that she would be wearing under trousers.

“Nope!” went Junko, sitting on her bed.

“I have,” said Mukuro, sat on the floor as she laced up her boots.

Sayaka turned to Touko.

“What about you, Fukawa-san?” asked Sayaka.

Touko twitched and spluttered, “O-Of course not!”

“What do you mean of course not?” said Junko, her face puckered in a squint, and Touko squirmed under their accusatory stares which Touko totally didn’t just interpret them as being.

“You... You just want me to admit that I didn’t have friends to take me,” grumbled Touko. “And... s-stop talking to me in your underwear.”

Junko stood up and strutted over to Touko. She bent over and wiggled her shoulders. “Why, are these two distracting you?”

Heat rose to Touko’s face and she slapped her hands over her eyes. Touko heard Junko laugh and peeked out between her fingers just in time to see Junko straighten up.

“Maybe it’s not going to be so dull sharing a cabin with you after all,” mused Junko with a smirk. Nearby, Sayaka shot Touko a sympathetic look that Touko didn’t ask for, and Touko hardened the icy barrier around herself and grabbed a notebook from her bag to write in.

Less than an hour later, everyone gathered in the centre of the village as instructed, and though Touko wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of spending much of the day outside, to the best of the knowledge, skiing was a solo activity, so she would get a break from her pesky cabin mates even if she had to risk ruining her body with exercise to achieve this. She was a writer, not a muscle maniac like Aoi and Sakura. A swimmer and a fighter... what a tiring combination. No wonder they became best friends so quickly, but friends would inevitably fall out over a guy, or something, so it probably wouldn’t last long.

Friendships always fell apart somehow, or what was thought to be a friendship turned out to be a farce.

“Alright, everyone!” Chisa called out. The class continued nattering.  She turned to Kiyotaka, who was standing next to her.

“CAN I HAVE EVERYONE’S ATTENTION?” he shouted. His voice rumbled, and everyone looked at him. He wore a scruffy waterproof jacket and well-worn jogging bottoms. Not the image one would expect from a student attending Hope’s Peak.

Mondo Oowada pushed aside his earmuffs, stuck a finger in his ear and made a screwing motion. Due to the ridiculous size of his pompadour, he couldn’t fit a hat on his head.

“Geez, are you trying to start an avalanche or something?” asked Mondo.

Kiyotaka covered his mouth, like he believed that he could do that. Junko laughed loudly.

“So what’s up, Harry Hand-me-down?” she said, eyes twinkling, smile showing teeth.

Her question made Kiyotaka’s gaze sink to his feet, and he didn’t reply. Most of the class shot dirty looks at her. Mukuro winced.

Chisa was one of those who glanced reproachfully at Junko, but presumably not wanting to draw more attention to it in front of everyone, she beamed and held her hands together. “Thank you, Ishimaru-kun. Okay, class, I want everyone to buddy up for this. Everyone into pairs, please!”

Touko’s insides twisted, and she felt an ache all the way up to her throat. Chisa clapped twice and might as well have sentenced her to death. Forcing them into groups of two was bad enough, but unlike when they were assigned cabins, Chisa gave them the responsibility of forming these pairings by themselves.

Everyone around Touko drifted over to someone else, while Touko picked at her fingers. At previous schools, when this happened, either her teacher noticed or she would have to tell them that she didn’t have a group, and then she would either be put into a group by the teacher or offered the chance to work by herself. When possible, Touko opted for the latter.

In any case, going up to the teacher was a humiliating experience. One time, when her class went bowling, no one wanted Touko in their group, and she had to join her teachers.

She breathed shakily, as much as she could with her cramping chest, and she tried to will herself to embarrass herself in front of everyone by showing how she was a friendless loser. Sooner or later, she would have to.

“Ah, Fukawa-san!” Chisa pointed at her. “You can go together with Togami-kun.”

The tension in Touko intensified for a moment, and she felt a swooping sensation like she had missed a step on a staircase by accident, but as Touko turned to the other person Chisa named, the tension began dissolving.

Byakuya stood away from everyone else, much like her. He had his arms folded over his chest. Initially, he didn’t react, but after several seconds crawled by, he shifted his head, just a little, in acknowledgement.

“Is everyone paired up?” Chisa left a beat, counting everyone. “Excellent. Okay, everyone. Follow me.”

She gestured for them to follow.

They walked through the cabin village to a building where they all lined up to obtain skis and poles. Touko stood by Byakuya, and as they waited to reach the front of the line, she snuck a few looks at him. Each time, he wasn’t paying attention to her, his eyes trained forward, so she allowed her glances to last progressively longer. He barely moved, as if a marble statue painstakingly carved to perfection. Even the furrow in his brow, an undesirable wrinkle on most, added to his seriousness, deliberate but not unwelcome on his features.

“Someone of your upper echelon must have been skiing before,” said Touko.

Small talk. She never did small talk.

“A few times,” he said, still not looking at her.

Touko nodded and fidgeted again.

After everyone had been given their equipment, they made their way to the ski lifts, shuffling along in their skis. Their footsteps had crunched against the snow, and the skis were no different. The skis squeezed Touko’s boots, and she hadn’t totally got used to it by the time she sat down on the lift. Each seat could accommodate two people, and as they had all paired up prior, they sat with the same person.

Her heart thumped in her chest, and she could feel it in her head too as she and Byakuya slowly ascended the mountain. She stared down at her lap, swaying her legs back and forth and twiddling her fingers. Wind whistled into her ears and shocked her face cold.

In a movie or a cliché ridden fanfiction, the ski lift might have malfunctioned, leaving them dangling in the sky for hours. Then, they would be forced into conversation, or used the opportunity as an excuse to sit closer together for warmth. Touko licked her lips slowly. They might, even, after a heartfelt conversation, take each other’s hands and lean in, and -

The ski lift shunted as they arrived at the top of the slope. Byakuya slid off like a human being. She shrieked and fell face first into the snow, and she practically heard the grinding noise that Byakuya made as he rolled his eyes.

“Are you okay, Fukawa-chan?” came a voice that had to belong to Aoi, because she was the only person who called Touko that. Hands pawed at Touko and Touko’s blood ran cold, but before she could scream, or think to scream, she was on her own two feet again.

“That was quite the tumble!” Sayaka said, taking her hands away about the same time that Aoi did. Both of them had dashed over to help Touko up.

“You’re lucky that I’m not reporting you for sexual harassment and inappropriate touching,” growled Touko as she brushed snow off her legs. She spat out some snow.

Aoi creased her brow, but Sayaka just smiled.

“You’ve got a strange sense of humour, Fukawa-san!” said Sayaka brightly, and Touko was so taken aback that she couldn’t come up with a retort before Chisa addressed everyone.

“All right, everyone.” Chisa waved her arm. “Stay with your buddy and remember, french fries and pizza!”

She adopted the first stance, keeping her skis parallel to each other.

“French fries help you go faster, and point you in the right direction,” she explained.

Next, she pointed the toes of her skis inward, forming a wedge shape.

“Pizza helps you control your speed. The bigger the pizza, the more friction and the faster you’ll stop, but pizza too much too quickly and you’ll fall down!” Chisa positioned her skis parallel again and added, “Try to angle the pizza to the side. Oh, and don’t stare too much at your feet.”

Yasuhiro held his stomach and pouted. “I could do with some pizza and french fries...”

Something so idiotic was to be expected from a guy like him. For the first time since she met him, he wore boots instead of sandals, his arms through his jacket sleeves instead of on his shoulders, and he didn’t have that crystal ball of his out that he used when he tried to coax classmates into buying fortune readings for extortionate prices.

Also, he wore a bobble hat, only possible because he tied his dreadlocks into a ponytail rather than have them stick out of his head like the rays of the Sun in a child’s drawing, and she thought he looked stupid in it.

“We all know how to ski,” said Leon, unaware of Touko desperately making mental notes on what Chisa said.

Sure, Touko had done some research, but reading was one thing. Actually skiing meant something else entirely.

Leon grinned at Sayaka and cocked his thumb toward himself. “Hey, Sayaka-chan, make sure you watch me go down! I’m going to the advanced slopes.”

His shock of red hair would be hard to miss, and when he spoke, he tried to show off his tongue piercing as much as he could. He was the kind of guy who would add breasts to a snowman and with his baseball talent, fling snowballs at his classmates at an alarming rate.

“I’ll keep my eye out,” Sayaka promised him politely.

Chisa nodded at everyone.

“If you’re a beginner, you can go to the bunny slopes,” she informed them all. “Otherwise, feel free to check out the bigger slopes. Just stay with your partner at all times. Remember, you have to look after each other, or else I’ll handcuff you both together!”

She laughed heartily, but Touko couldn’t tell if she meant that last part as a joke or not. And with that, the class split up.

Without asking Touko which slope she would prefer, Byakuya headed toward a steep incline. It wasn’t the steepest one there, but it wasn’t flat, so that made it steep. Too steep.

“Don’t stray far behind,” Byakuya said, and to Touko’s horror, he bent his legs and readied his poles, like he intended them to ski down it. “I don’t care to hear Yukizome nag me about you.”

“B-But...” Touko stammered, but Byakuya took off down the slope, not looking back. He made it seem so easy. So effortless.

Touko didn’t chase after him. Endangering herself wasn’t worth staying off the bad side of a classmate. Even if said person spoke with such spine-chilling authority... and those crystal blue eyes of his... could pierce her heart and leave her weak at the knees... and -

“Fukawa-chan!”

The sound of Aoi’s voice made Touko jump, and the thought of having to socialise spurred her on. Endangering herself it was then. Touko’s skis rasped against the snow like a knife being sharpened as she pushed herself forward. She started down the slope and shrieked as she sped along, the mountain air whipping her face.

If she continued screaming, she didn’t know, because the rush of wind was louder. Her surroundings blurred past her, so even though Touko’s goggles kept her glasses in place, she could still barely see. Last time she lost her glasses, her mothers hadn’t been pleased, and Touko had to be their maid or else they would tell her father about it, they had threatened.

Touko tried to clench her jaw shut. The world jumbled together into a white mess with tree trunk brown streaks zipping through it. On the websites that she studied beforehand, some people described the sensation as flying, just without the danger of leaving the ground. However, rather than a bird, she felt like a fly trapped in a glass and that she was hitting against it over and over again.

Remembering Chisa’s advice, she tried to position her skis into a pizza shape. It was a beginner’s move, but one easier said than done. She tried, straining, focusing on her body, not her surroundings...

... which explained why she drove straight into the back of Byakuya.

In a story or a tv show, the scene might have cut there, to spare the watchers secondhand embarrassment from the spectacle. Unfortunately, this was real life, and Touko could not skip past how they both tumbled, losing various articles along the way, and finally stopped with their limbs tangled together.

For a while, neither of them moved, and Touko would have stayed down for longer had Byakuya not groaned and started wiggling.

“What the hell?” he said, slurring his words a little. His head rocked side to side as he raised it. He regained more thought capability and mustered up a sharp, “Get off me!”

Touko scrambled away from him. Her head throbbed. Her whole body throbbed.

“I’m sorry!” she squeaked, struggling to hear herself over the sound of white noise in her head. She didn’t have her poles anymore. Or her hat. Thankfully, she still had her glasses, though she could barely discern him because her head spun so much.

At least there was no blood. All she could taste was bile.

Her heart thrashed as she wrung her hands together, shaking them pleadingly at him. She couldn’t stop her teeth chattering, or the tremors in her body. “P-Please... d-don’t hit me! Or... let me get ready first... get in the right state of mind...”

Like let her imagine a dimly lit bedroom with candle, in the company of a man with a blank face.

“I’m not a barbarian,” said Byakuya as coldly as the snow around them. He clicked with his tongue and huffed. “Of all the people that I could have been paired with...”

Touko hugged her legs to her chest.

“We were the spares,” she said quietly.

Byakuya didn’t reply.

Her eyes burned more than they had when against the wind. She slumped her shoulders and choked on her words, holding herself tighter.

“I said that I couldn’t ski,” she mumbled, sniffling. “I said. T-They all probably booked this whole trip to highlight this and make a fool of me...”

And it worked. Byakuya pursed his lips.

“You’re not so important that this trip would be staged for you,” he told her, no longer struggling to speak. “Also, skiing isn’t really that important of a skill.

The rock hardness in Touko’s head cracked. Her face relaxed slightly, and she stared over at him.

Was he... trying to comfort her?

He stood up, shaking a bit, but otherwise seemed okay. Touko stayed cushioned n the snow and buried her fingers in her hair, retreating back into herself.

“I’m an idiot. An ugly, worthless idiot with no redeeming qualities,” she said, scrunching her eyes shut. “I’m too stupid to ski... not even someone like Togami could teach me...”

She felt her walls close in, surrounding her in an isolating darkness where she could only hear her own ragged breathing, her own taunting thoughts.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Byakuya sharply, and she flinched.

Her prison shattered. In the space of a few seconds, she had forgotten that he was still here.

He quirked his brow. “Are you challenging me?”

Touko cringed.

“No, I...”

“Because I could teach you to ski,” he said, and he cupped his chin. “Yes... even someone like you... could become competent if you were under my teaching.”

She blinked.

“... Eh?” she went.

“Come with me.”

Like when he hurtled down the slopes, he took off without her, only much slower this time and in the opposite direction, waddling up the slope most likely to retrieve their discarded belongings. Touko crawled, staggering to her feet, and followed after him, bewildered. At least obeying orders didn’t involve much thinking on her part.

***

Half an hour later, they commenced Touko’s first skiing session on the bunny slopes where they didn’t see anyone they recognised, though goggles, hats and bulky coats would help disguise them. Of their whole class, the only person they would be able to spot at a distance was Celes, a gothic gambler who always wore a loita dress.

Touko slid her skis back and forth but didn’t stray from her spot, just like Byakuya told her. The bunny slopes were almost horizontal, so she didn’t have to worry about zooming down into oblivion.

Still, she wobbled, and still, she bit on her chapped lips as she tried not to fall down. Their crash earlier hadn’t done any lasting damage, so there was that, at least. Her shaking was only caused by inexperience, not nerve damage.

“Touch your toes,” said Byakuya, in front of her.

She had to bend her knees, but she managed.

“Walk sideways.”

Touko did.

“In a circle.”

That too.

“Try walking.”

And that.

“Slide more,” he told her. “Use your poles for balance.”

Touko hesitated. Byakuya jutted out his chin and folded his arms over his chest, and with a start, she did as he commanded, maneuvering around slowly. He stood still and watched as she familiarised herself with what to do. She caught a glimpse of his face. His mouth curved faintly, slanting downward at the ends, and his goggles obscured his eyes. Her heart skipped and she turned her head away.

Under his guidance, she learned to ski at a competent level, and once he was satisfied with her progress, he grabbed his poles.

“Let’s try a slope,” he said. “Walk up it sideways. Don’t rush.”

Byakuya demonstrated, and she copied him, waddling The slope wasn’t long, maybe ten metres in length, with a flat surface at the top and at the bottom. He reached the top first, but she wasn’t far behind, and he turned himself around so he faced down the slope.

“Get into position. Don’t be passive. Angle yourself slightly forward. Flex your ankles, and your knees and your pelvis. Hold your hands away from the body at about hip level with your elbows slightly bent.”

She arranged herself as such and sucked in her cheeks. From up here, the slope looked higher than the impression she got at the bottom. But it wasn’t neverending like the previous slope. This one wouldn’t kill her. It shouldn’t.

“Good,” he said with a nod. “Now, ski down. You won’t have the chance to go particularly fast, so don’t worry.”

He told her not to worry! And he said that she had been ‘good’! Touko blushed and pushed herself forward with the poles. She glided down the slope. Like he claimed, she didn’t increase her speed to the same extent as before, and at the bottom, she successfully slowed to a stop with the use of the pizza stance.

Moments later, he skidded to a standstill beside her.

“Do it again,” said Byakuya. “Do it until you’re bored. Until you don’t have to think.”

She straightened sharply.

“Y-Yes, Togami-kun!” Touko said, and she hoisted herself back up the slope.

After the first half a dozen descents, she stopped counting how many times she skied down that slope. Just as Byakuya wanted, she found that she could ski without having to think too much about it. Her body went through all the right motions. That meant her mind could drift and ponder other matters, like her current novel about a girl starting at a new high school. Recently, the protagonist noticed another student who frequented the library, a tall, lean guy who came from a wealthy family but carried a dark secret.

Touko arrived at the bottom of the slope, and she had started climbing up again when they heard someone call out to them.

“There you are!” Chisa said, running over without her skis on. She stopped nearby and waved her arm. “Everyone is having hot chocolate, and then we’ll be skating after! Come on.”

Byakuya propelled himself over, while Touko stayed where she was.

“Is it that time already?” asked Touko with a flutter in her chest. It hadn’t felt like that long.

“Yuh huh. You must have lost track of time,” said Chisa, smiling. Touko stole a glance at Byakuya and smirked.

“I must have,” Touko said.

The class spent twenty more minutes relaxing after Touko and Byakuya arrived, sitting at tables in a cabin with horizontal panelling on the walls and polished wooden furnishing beneath their feet. A fire blazed, and some of them had dragged furniture over so they could sit near it, others reposing on rugs. Voices filled the cabin with noise, chatter and laughter, which Touko didn’t share in. Byakuya was the only one sat away from everyone else, reading the same book that he had on the drive over. This time, though, she could see the title - ‘Out’. As for her, she stood up with a mug of hot chocolate, positioned near his table. He didn’t tell her to go away, so she didn’t, and he didn’t tell her to stop looking at him, so she didn’t.

After everyone finished their beverages, they all headed over to an outdoor ice rink. As Touko put on her skates, she found herself missing the skis. Skates felt a lot more precarious.

Laced up, she hobbled after the others onto the ice. They spread out. Sayaka skated effortlessly, holding Makoto’s hand while he grinned, but his twitches betrayed his nerves. Mukuro skated laps, and every time she charged past Touko, even with the space between them, Touko cowered against the rail surrounding the rink.

When skiing, everyone had been separated, so no one but Byakuya had been witness to her inexperience. Here, in this confined space, outdoor though it was, she couldn’t hide from their beady eyes, but then she also discovered she wasn’t the only person who lacked confidence on the ice. Hifumi, Yasuhiro and Celes remained close to the rail, and Kiyotaka did too until Mondo grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

“W-What are you doing?” squawked Kiyotaka.

“Loosen up, you dork,” said Mondo with a smirk. “I’m gonna teach you to have fun.”

Nearby, Chihiro stayed in Sakura and Aoi’s care. Chihiro’s movements started stiff as they let the other two do most of the work, but as they got more used to the ice, Chihiro smiled more with that face that got them so much attention from admirers online. Even if they couldn’t programme computers as expertly as they did, their meek personality and resemblance to a bunny rabbit would still obtain them a following.

They weren’t Touko’s type at all, however, so she turned her attention elsewhere quite soon. To Touko’s surprise, Byakuya didn’t skate. He leaned against the rail with his back to it, watching the others. Touko skated around a few times at a snail’s pace, never letting go of the rail except to tread around him, and Byakuya barely moved in that whole time, his arms folded over his chest. Occasionally, he budged along, but he never went far from the rail.

In fact, he never lost contact with it. She had thought that after their collision,they had both just about recovered, but on the ice, he barely stirred, just watch.

By the end of the hour, everyone had grown tired and got off the ice. Byakuya would have been the penultimate one to do so, and she the last. Touko was on the other side of the rink to him when she noticed him march slowly toward the gate, and she reached out a hand.

“T-Togami-kun!” she called out.

He hesitated, standing in the exit, and turned. She tried to stride over to him, but halfway there, felt herself losing her balance. Try as she did, she was suspended between two possibilities, either teetering indefinitely and falling, and the inevitable could only be put off for so long.

And so she braced herself, and let herself fall.

Only, she didn’t hit the ice like she expected.

Touko slumped into something hard, but padded. Opening her eyes, she realised she landed in Byakuya’s arms, her face squashed against his chest.

Her mouth opened, but she could only vocalise what was best described as a mix between static and gargling.

“Do you not know how to walk?” he snapped. He grabbed her arms and set herself upright.

She peered up at him, bottom lip quivering.

“You saved me,” she said breathlessly, her cheeks tingling, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Byakuya adjusted his glasses with his eyes averted away from her.

“I ought to have let you fall. It might have taught you a lesson,” Byakuya said. He dusted off his coat and looked at her again. “However... I was assigned to be your partner and I won’t have my reputation tarnished because of your incompetence. Don’t read too into it. I would rather throw myself off a cliff than be handcuffed to the likes of you.”

Too late. Touko already had read into it. They were partners, yes, but that had been for skiing. She didn’t know if that partnership applied here too. Maybe he was mistaken. Maybe he was using it as an excuse.

“Why did you call my name?” he asked, tilting his head to one side. “What do you need me for? It better be important.”

She jerked her head back.

“Oh, I um...” Touko released herself from her hug and kneaded her fingers. Her shoulders hunched up. “I just... I noticed you weren’t skating, and I was worried that it was because I injured you.”

Byakuya raised his eyebrows but swiftly lowered them. He narrowed his eyes.

“You barely weigh anything,” he said in a dull tone. Touko blinked and placed a fist near her mouth.

“Then why weren’t you skating?” she asked him. “Were you too tired?”

He didn’t reply, not looking at her. She continued frowning at him, then realised.

“Can you not skate, Togami-kun?” she said, widening her eyes.

For a second time, he didn’t answer, but the way his eyes flickered and a muscle jumped in his cheek gave him away.

“It’s okay. I can’t either,” she admitted.

Byakuya squared his shoulders and glowered.

“Why should I be able to? It’s a worthless skill,” he said. He nudged up his glasses and turned up his nose, his other hand on his hip. “I have far more important things to do.”

Touko laced her fingers together, peering at him curiously. “Didn’t you ever go with your class?”

Trips to ski resorts seemed like the sort of thing a rich person would do.

“It was only an option on some school trips, one that I didn’t feel like choosing,” he explained. He looked away and surveyed their surroundings.

The afternoon sky had begun ebbing away but to combat the encroaching darkness, lamps around the rink had switched on, beaming brightly all around them, and the lights they emitted glowed on the ice in fuzzy reflections. They were the only two people in the vicinity. Byakuya curled his hands into fists.

“But... it can’t be hard, can it?” he said, more to himself than to her. “If the others can do it, then...”

He took a bold step forward and right away almost overbalanced. Touko yelped, springing into action, and tried to catch him. If he had been going to fall, he probably wouldn’t have had the strength to stop him, but as it was, he managed to stabilise himself. She kept her hands near him, so close to touching him. His face soured.

“The others who couldn’t skate held onto someone,” she pointed out.

Byakuya pinched his lips together in thought. His brows knitted, and she waited with bated breath. Finally, he turned his head toward her and simultaneously grabbed her hand. It sent a shock up her arm, that made her hairs stand on end.

“Let’s go,” he said. She gave a noise that sounded like she had gravel in her mouth. Even so, he kept hold of her hand and set off with her in tow.

They skated around together slowly, first staying near the edge but gradually spiraling toward the centre as they completed more laps, and the whole time, she could barely breathe. Barely believe it. The two of them were actually holding hands. Her, and him, who might shake hands with someone formally, but not hold hands with a classmate. With a girl.

Their skates stroked against the ice with a grinding sound, interspersed with hisses that grew less frequent as more time passed. His grip on her hand was firm, and she clung to him back. The more they skated, the quieter the grinding became, even if only by a little. Slowly but surely, they improved, and though Touko didn’t let go of him, she didn’t hold onto him because she feared toppling over.

By this time in the evening, temperatures dropped compared to the afternoon, but she couldn’t feel that.

“It’s not so difficult this way,” he remarked as they skated around a corner.

“Y-Yes, you’re right,” she said, cheeks flushed with warmth. She couldn’t stop smiling. “I support you... and you support me... we’re a team.”

It didn’t sound right, but it felt right.

After a few more laps, Byakuya led them to the edge and leaned his back against the rail. They let go of each other’s hands. She sidled up to him and clasped her hands together. Hope’s Peak sat in the middle of a city, so one would be lucky to see a handful of stars in the sky, but out in the mountains, they littered the sky. Staring upward, she picked out various constellations, imagining lines between them that when connected, conjured an image of what the constellation was meant to represent.

Byakuya lifted his hand and adjusted his scarf. Touko shivered and hugged herself.

“It’ll be spring soon,” she piped up. “And warmer. Cherry blossoms will decorate all the trees. It’s hard to believe that everything will become colourful again after a period of cold.”

She was babbling. Why was she babbling?

He shifted slightly.

“Yet it does come back,” he said. “The world carries on even after that period of idleness and decay, and it returns just as strong as last time.”

Byakuya’s lips drew into a smirk. That was as close to a smile as he seemed to ever get.

“It’s appropriate that I was born in spring,” he said.

Touko looked to him curiously. “So was I. When is your birthday, Togami-kun?”

“May fifth.”

Children’s Day, formerly known as Boys’ Day. She grinned widely.

“Mine is March third!” she said excitedly. “My birthday is on Girls’ Day, and yours used to be called Boys’ Day.”

“You’re right,” he said, like it was anything but fate. Destiny. “That’s most certainly a coincidence.”

Touko nodded. Byakuya didn’t reply, so they fell silent. He stared into space, and she soon did the same. Beyond the rink were cabins and coned trees scattered about on a blanket of snow that covered the ground as far as they could see. Further away, the number of cabins decreased, but the amount of trees grew larger, though from where she stood, they seemed tiny, even where there were a lot of them in one place.

She rubbed her hands together. The cold air stung her cheeks, but she didn’t feel any rush to go inside any time soon, and apparently neither did Byakuya. Despite how dark it had become, it couldn’t have been very late. Regardless, the night sky unnerved her, even with its pinpricks of stars.

“After spring, it’ll be summer,” she said.

“Indeed.”

“It gets dark later.”

“I’m not scared of the dark.”

“I am.”

Her breathing hitched at what she blurted out on impulse. Byakuya didn’t say anything, and she chanced a look at him. He seemed to be studying the mountains peaking in the far distance. She gazed at him, Byakuya, white night, and her, herself, named winter child.

One thing could be coincidence. But their birthdays, and their names...? This wasn’t a story. This was real life.

“Soon after we became acquainted with each other, you revealed that you assumed that I got my title as heir from merely being born,” said Byakuya all of a sudden.

She stiffened. Yes, she recalled him mentioning having to compete against his siblings to be chosen to be an heir.

“I remember,” she told him, in case he could be prompted to elaborate.

Byakuya stared up at the sky.

“I was pitted against my siblings,” he said. “Biologically, we are only half-siblings. My father supplied sperm, and the most high quality women were elected to be impregnated with it. So, I competed against more than one hundred people in a series of challenges.”

That couldn’t be right.

“O-One hundred?” she repeated.

“Indeed. After every challenge, the losers were killed.”

She gasped.

“Killed?” she choked out. He glanced at her.

“Well, expelled. Cast away. Stripped of their identities.” Byakuya said it like they meant the same thing. Now, as he spoke, he spoke with his gaze on her. “By the end, there were fifteen of us, and I came out top. In order to do that, I had to be intelligent. I had to be strong. I had to be perfect. I could not depend on anyone. I could not allow myself to feel fear. I would become prey if I showed any weakness. I was, and am, in absolute control of my emotions.”

Byakuya revealed this so casually to her. She blinked, at a loss for words for a moment. For as long as she could remember, she had been an only child. At the time of her birth, she had a half-sister, and even though she never got to meet her, she sometimes wondered what it would have been like if her sister survived. Meanwhile, Byakuya had living half-siblings. Many of them, in fact, that he had to purposely eliminate from a competition and send into exile so he wouldn’t share their fate. So he could continue to exist as himself.

“W-What sort of challenges were these?” she asked him, on the verge of biting on her thumb. “What did you have to do?”

He gave her a look that sent a chill down her on this already cold, cold night. She recognised it, especially in the eyes, when she had stared at her reflection after waking up with a new scar on her leg and another murder headlining the local newspapers.

“Whatever it took,” he simply said.

Touko swallowed. “H-How old were you?”

“Fourteen. I trained my whole life for this. It’s what I was created to do... to head the Togami Conglomerate.”

She stared at him, her fingers itching, and before she could lose her confidence, she grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed.

“You... You are more than that, Tog... Byakuya-sama,” she said.

Byakuya tensed, like he wasn’t used to being called that, and wrenched his hand from her and glared. He wiped his hand on his trouser leg and turned away.

“We should go back to the others now,” he said. “I don’t want to be bothered with their questions about where we were, and I have far better things to do than be with you, like anything else.”

Touko identified his hostility. Had felt it herself toward others trying to get close to her. She wanted to tell him about what she had gone through, but the words died in her throat, melted like snow on a hot day. Before she could speak, he had walked off and left the rink, and in time, she left the rink too.

The feel of his gloved hand during their fleeting touch lingered for a while. Even after it faded, Touko could still picture the scene, and she could clearly visualise his eyes that had her spellbound while he spoke to her. Recalling the sight of his eyes made her shudder, like she was outside in the cold with him again. Their image sat with her at her table at dinner, more worthy of her attention than the classmates that gathered around her with their meals, who all looked at each other mystified.

Aoi waved her hand in front of Touko’s vacant gaze.

“Do you think she got a concussion earlier?” asked Aoi.

Celes steepled her hands and smiled. “It would seem that way, hm?”

“You’re all wrong,” said Junko. She shooed Aoi’s hand away and leaned over the table, positioning her face in front of Touko’s.

The eyes that Touko were fixated on lasted a little longer before they mutated, changing shape and colour, as the upper lashes got longer and the irises became less saturated, greyer, but still tinted blue. They gleamed with mirth, like the fire burning in the fireplace.

Eventually, Junko’s eyes hung where Byakuya’s had been.

Touko came back to reality and jolted, nearly falling back off her chair.

“You have feelings for Togami-kun, don’t you?” asked Junko with a grin that Touko couldn’t quite read, different depending on the angle, how the light hit it.

With a jolt, Touko threw her head forward, nearly slamming it into her dinner that she had forgotten what it was until she saw it now and remembered it to be some kind of beef stew, then she sat up, flailed her arms and hissed, “S-Shut up!”

“Aw, that’s cute,” said Sayaka, holding her hands flat against each other and resting her cheek on them, like they were a pillow.

Aoi inclined her head to one side.

“He’s kind of a lemon, though, isn’t he?” said Aoi, and Touko turned her head sharply toward her.

“No, he’s not!” said Touko shrilly.

Celes’s shoulders shook as she laughed delicately behind one hand.

“He is, but then, doesn’t that make them an appropriate match?” asked Celes. “He’s rich too.”

Touko’s eyes darted over to Byakuya.

He didn’t seem to have heard them from across the room, sat by himself, and continued eating without breaking his pace.

“I’m not a gold digger!” Touko pulled on her braids. “U...wu...”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Sakura chimed in. She rested a hand on Touko’s shoulder and in a kind tone, added, “With work, I think you could be a good coupling.”

“I’m not ashamed!” Touko snapped but she soon broke into a smile, and she didn’t try to shake Sakura’s hand off her. Instead, she placed her palms against her cheeks. Hot. Her face was hot. “Byakuya-sama... and me... huh?”

Touko Togami had a nice ring to it.

#togafuka #touko fukawa #byakuya togami #danganronpa #fanfiction #togafukaweek #croatian rhapsody #everyone else is there... i'll tag the people who come up most #junko enoshima #chisa yukizome