#still settling in but just chilling since yesterday we ran more errands

[keii]

Road trip pics from June 12th-16th!

Travelled from Virginia > Tennessee > Arkansas > Oklahoma > New Mexico > Las Vegas.

Stayed in mostly shared homes or farms where we interacted with the hosts at times and surprisingly a pleasant visit at each one! Except the first one in Tennessee where I felt like I was gonna find a back door like in the movie “Barbarian” LOL

The hosts we stayed with in Arkansas were so nice?? They had this cute ass, fluffy rag doll kitty and they talked about their garden and anime (bc they noticed us wearing anime shirts LOL). They made us breakfast the morning where we had to depart and gave us homemade tea along with a cucumber they grew from their own garden???

They talked about how the reason why they do air bnb is to meet all sorts of people and to connect with them. Which was definitely obvious with how they were so accommodating for us!

Oklahoma and New Mexico had farm animals so we saw horses, goats, chickens, lots of dogs. Some dogs came over and greeted us and pissed on our tires LOL I also met more cats in those places as well! Super friendly and they came up for pets. But omfg in New Mexico, we asked the host what her food recommendation would be that’s around the area and she suggested this Mexican restaurant and it was SO GOOD?? I swallowed that bowl up and we also got an elote, and churros and omfg… I want to try it again 😭

It was a long drive and we had our two cats with us. They were surprisingly chill for the most part?? Ended up sleeping majority of the time on the drive. Hun and I didn’t want to listen to music so we ended up rewatching FMA:B… dubbed LOL we got through most of it until I switched to Japanese VAs bc I just could not take Vic’s voice. It wasn’t so bad tbh?? I feel like it would’ve been nice to explore the places more and eat out, but we didn’t want to leave the cats behind in the air bnb alone. I’m just very thankful to be traveling with someone who’s reliable 😭 But we made it to Vegas in one piece!!! In a house that’s like 4 minutes from Sushi! LOL Still waiting on our stuff to be delivered by the moving company, and unpacking is going to be a whole other thing, but I’m excited to see how everything’s going to come together 🤭

#can cross off cross country road trip off a bucket list! LOL #still settling in but just chilling since yesterday we ran more errands #I want to draw!!! #I mean I guess I can bc I have my tablet #just need to charge it #x #shrekeii

[elisaphoenix13]

Before The Dawn (Ch.4)

"...what is this?"

Tony had woken Cassie early that morning so she could keep an ear out for Diana while he ran errands. She had no idea where he needed to go so early in the morning but when he got home, everything explained itself. Cassie was in the middle of eating her cereal after making sure the baby was taken care of when Tony nearly burst through the door. After shoveling the rest of her breakfast into her mouth, and Tony got Dia out of her high chair, he herded them out front just in time to see a trailer driving away. Just as Cassie was about to ask what it was for, Tony led them around the corner where she found an alpaca happily grazing on bits of grass.

"Your pet alpaca!" Tony says with a grin and Cassie looks up at him before sighing. "What? What's with that look?"

"You're so extra." She tells him flatly as Diana pries herself away from Cassie's leg to waddle over to the alpaca.

Tony snorts. "Then I wouldn't be Tony Stark."

"I meant a puppy or a kitten. Or even a fish!" Cassie says with some exaggeration. "You went with an alpaca!"

"Don't sass me."

Cassie rolls her eyes and watches Diana pet the alpaca in the way only babies can, glad that it didn't seem bothered with her. She really didn't want to be spit on if it felt threatened. She knew that because she did a lot of reading about animals on the tablet Tony gave her. At least it was another...what did Peter call Tibbs?

A chill animal.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Cassie asks Tony.

"Boy. You going to name him?"

"Uhh...I can't think of anything." She looks at the alpaca that happens to be staring back at her while munching lazily on grass.

"Alright then. We'll call him Gerald." Tony claps his hands together and then rubs them."Let's get him settled in his new home."

Cassie gives him another look. "He's not going to sleep in the house is he?"

"What? Pfft. No. I had a little stable built for him."

Cassie picks up Diana while Tony leads Gerald to the small stable behind the house, and they watch as he gives the alpaca a large pile of hay. She knew that this would likely turn into one of her daily chores, but she was okay with it because she expected it. There was just one thing she refused to do.

"I'm not picking up his poop." Cassie says as she turns to take Diana back inside.

"What?! You wanted a pet!"

"You wanted to be extra so you have to pay the consequences!" She calls back.

"Do you take after your mother or was your dad a secret sass monster?"

"My dad!" She replies and closes the back door when she gets back inside. "I hope you take after your mommy." She mumbles to Diana.

=======

A few years passed similarly, and as Cassie got older, she took on more of the household responsibilities. She cooked more, cleaned, took care of Diana and Tony, and took care of Gerald too. For the most part, Tony did clean up after the alpaca but every once in a while she would have to do it. Potty training Diana was actually pretty easy. She was ready to learn by the time she was running and she wasn't even two years old yet.

The biggest thing that happened was when...puberty hit Cassie. Fortunately she had an idea of what was going on, but neither of her parents had been able to give her the talk before the snap. Tony...bless his heart...gave her the talk even though she knew he was wildly uncomfortable about it. He hid it well, but it wasn't that the subject made him squeamish, but the fact that he had to be the one to talk to her. He felt he wasn't the right person to answer all of her questions, so he told her what he could and then did the smart thing by calling Pepper.

To Cassie's amusement, Tony had no problem buying her sanitary products when she needed them. When they were at the store and Cassie told him that she needed to restock, Tony nodded and took her down the feminine hygiene aisle.

"You're not embarrassed?"

"Nope. It's a part of life and one day Diana will need them too."

Tony sighed after he said that and it made Cassie laugh because she knew it was because he was faced with the reality that his little girl would one day grow up. She smiled when she was done laughing and pat his arm before picking out what she needed and adding it to the cart.

Now, at fifteen, she was currently stuck in the bathroom after looking under the sink and finding that she hadn't put her new box of tampons under it after their shopping trip yesterday. Cassie groans and reaches for the door and cracks it open.

"Dia!" She calls loudly.

"Yeah?" The five year old replies from downstairs.

"Can you get my box of tampons from the bag on the table and bring them up to me?"

"Kay!"

There was crinkling of the grocery bag a couple moments later, thumping on the stairs, and then the bathroom door swung wide open. Cassie's eyes widen and she scrambles to at least get Diana in the bathroom so she can close the door, and the little girl puts the box on the sink. The teen was used to Dia barging in on her whether it was in the bathroom or her bedroom, and was working on privacy with her.

"Dia! I talked to you about this!" Cassie sighs and grabs the box.

"Daddy is in the garage." She says.

"Okay, well, that's not the point. You knock and crack the door open just enough to come in if I'm in the bathroom or changing in my room." Cassie points to the door. "Practice that while leaving and close the door behind you, okay?"

"Can we make cookies?"

"Diana."

The little girl sighs dramatically and leaves the bathroom just like Cassie taught her to, and when she closes the door behind her, the teen finishes up. After storing the box under the sink and washing her hands, she goes downstairs and shakes her head with an amused smile when she finds Diana pulling out all of the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies. Just this once she would go with Dia's decision since cookies did sound good, and it would probably lure Tony out of the garage for the day.

"I guess I better go put my hair up." Cassie says and turns back toward the stairs.

"Oh! Me too!" Diana says and follows after her after carefully putting the sugar on the counter.

It was a bonding technique they enjoyed together. Every morning, or after a bath, Diana would go into Cassie's room with a brush and the teen would turn on the TV so Diana could watch it while Cassie brushed her hair. Now, while Diana crawled onto Cassie's bed when they got to the teen's room, Cassie grabs her brush and a couple of hair ties and smiles when she sits on the bed behind the little girl. This time, Diana was content to read one of her picture books while Cassie brushed her hair, and the older girl took a little longer than usual to put Dia's hair up in a small ponytail.

"Will my hair get as long as yours, Sissy?"

"Sure it will."

"Daddy keeps telling the haircut lady to cut it short like this." Diana pouts and Cassie laughs as she ties her hair.

"That's because he doesn't want to hurt you if he ends up having to brush your hair."

"But you almost always brush my hair."

"Almost. Just be patient. Your hair grows fast and soon you won't need his help."

Cassie smiles and gets back up to look in her mirror and brush her hair back into a ponytail, and Diana patiently reads her book while she waits. A few of her things ended up finding a semi-permanent home in the teen's room since she spent so much time with Cassie, and there were times she ended up falling asleep with her. Cassie didn't mind it since it didn't happen all the time, and she even enjoyed the company. There were just some things only another girl would understand that Tony wouldn't. Or maybe he would understand but Cassie didn't feel like torturing him.

"Would Mommy have brushed my hair?" Diana asks quietly and Cassie sets her hairbrush down when she finishes.

"Maybe. He would have at least tried."

"Because of his hands?"

"Mmhmm." Cassie holds out her hand and helps Dia off the bed when she takes it.

"How come Daddy doesn't talk about him or Peter or Harley?"

Cassie stops and kneels down in front of Diana. The little girl knew about the snap even if she didn't fully understand what happened. She knew that her mom and brothers were taken away because of it and Cassie's dad as well, but she didn't know that Tony watched it happen. He asked Cassie not to tell Diana that bit of detail and she promised she wouldn't, only telling Dia what she could to help her understand.

"Because it still hurts him Dia." Cassie says softly.

"Does thinking about your daddy still hurt you too?" Diana asks.

"Yeah...not as much as it used to but...the reasons are different. That's all I can say."

"... okay."

Poor Diana knew when a subject should be left alone, and unfortunately the taboo was about her deceased family. She just wanted to know about them and the majority of the task landed on Cassie's shoulders. Sometimes the other Avengers would visit and tell stories that Diana drank in like a sponge, but for the most part it was Cassie telling her the stories and whatever Tony let slip. The older girl often caught Diana looking through Peter's photo album before bed and would tell her a couple of stories before having her go to sleep. Cassie never begrudged Tony for it though. He watched Stephen and Peter (and the other people he allied with) turn to dust. Cassie was fortunate enough not to actually see anyone get dusted. Especially her father. If she did, she had a feeling she would be hurting just as much as Tony.

"Let's go make those cookies now. Maybe we can make some with butterscotch chips for your dad."

"He likes milk with his cookies too!"

"He does. I think we'll all have milk and cookies."

Diana smiles and races down to the kitchen to pull out the rest of the ingredients, and Cassie turns on the oven when she finally makes it down as well. After checking that Diana got everything they needed, they started to pour everything into the mixer. As they were pouring the flour mixture in with the wet ingredients, the mixer was going too fast for the amount poured in and the flour blew up in their faces. The two cough and wipe their faces free of it before finishing, and Tony walks in just after they put the first two sheets in.

He promptly started laughing.

"You making flour bombs in here or cookies?" He chuckles.

"Guess you'll have to find out." Cassie answers as she wipes the rest of the flour off of Diana.

"Having fun piccola?" He asks Diana.

"Uh-huh! We made some cookies with butter...umm…" she furrows her brows together in thought and then smiles. "Butterscotch! Just for you!"

"Oh yeah? I'm looking forward to them. You two always make the best cookies." Tony smiles as he sneaks behind them to grab the bag of coffee beans from the cupboard.

Cassie promptly smacked his hand though and took them to put them back.

"No! Breakfast only and two cups maximum!" She scolds as Tony shakes his hand.

"I feel like I'm losing my authority in my own house." He gripes half-heartedly.

"Don't be so overdramatic about coffee. Just wait a few minutes and you can have milk with cookies like we're going to." Cassie huffs.

"Alright, alright. I'll go watch tv in the living room." Tony says. "No more flour bombs."

Cassie grabs a cleanish measuring spoon and chucks it at his head.

[linkispink1995]

Better Together (3) Surprise

Previously

Series Masterlist 

Chapter Warnings : language , lots of fluffiness 

I had just finished helping Jackson with his reading , it was Friday and Buster had been with us for an entire week and I was slowly starting to get used to him. Friday meant it would be another late night for Steve , which also meant tonight was going to be hard for night for him since Jackson would most likely be asleep when he got home. After Jackson had his pajama's on and was settled onto the couch with Buster and some cartoons , I began to wash dishes. I had dried the last dish when I heard knocks at the door on the front door , did Steve come home early and lose his key. I sighed before opening the front door to see Matt holding Emma who had just turned a year old recently in his arms. I spoke saying "hi Matt is everything okay" he nodded saying "yeah it's Friday" I shrugged at his confusion before he added "It's the last Friday in September". I shrugged again before he continued with "you offered to watch Emma for the weekend while Colleen and I go to California". I then somewhat remembered that I said that , Matt's sister moved to California after high school and Matt and Colleen haven't had a minute to themselves since before Emma. I being a good friend offered to watch her for them only to forget , I nodded saying "yeah of course I remember" Matt responded saying "your a horrible liar Y/N" before I could respond Buster perked up and began to bark at Matt and Emma. Matt spoke again saying "when did you get a dog" I Shook my head as he added "I told him not to get a puppy" I rolled my eyes before peeling Emma out of Matt's arms before saying. "Where's Colleen" Matt responded saying "in the car she's already said her goodbyes a dozen times to her" I nodded as he added. "She's usually pretty chill , she goes to bed at seven and she usually sleeps through the night unless there's a thunderstorm but I doubt that'll happen since it's been nice out today. she should be pretty tired her and Colleen spent the whole day doing errands so she might fall asleep early , and she might be a little fussy going down sometimes Colleen reads to her and sometimes that helps". I responded saying "sometimes" he nodded saying "yeah most of the time Emma's sleeping with us". I nodded before saying "hey Matt" he nodded before I added  "was I this crazy when I left him with you'll" he nodded silently before handing me her bag and placing a kiss on Emma's cheek before leaving.

After Matt left I placed a blanket on the floor in the living room and scattered a few of the toys that were in Emma's bag onto it before I sat down with her. It felt like it was forever ago that I was sitting on the floor playing with my sweet baby boy , who was now laying on the couch by himself since the moment I sat down and started to play with Emma , Buster imminently became interested in her since she was probably the smallest thing he had ever seen. "Why is she here" Jackson asked for the third time since Emma arrived , I responded saying "Uncle Matt and aunt Colleen have to go out of town and I offered to watch Emma so why don't you come sit with us". He shook his head before I heard the front door and open and close , I stood up before placing Emma on my hip. I walked into the kitchen to see Steve placing flowers in a vase , I spoke saying "how was work" he responded saying "fine I guess , hey listen I-" he stopped when he turned around to see Emma in my arms before he repeated Jackson word's from earlier. "Why is she here" I responded saying "Matt and Colleen are visiting his sister and I offered to watch her for the weekend" Steve sighed saying "really" I nodded saying "yes really" he rolled his eyes saying "fine whatever , I planned a nice dinner for us after we put Jackson to bed but yeah that's fine". He placed the flowers down before walking back down the hall towards are bedroom before shutting the bedroom door , was Steve mad. I shrugged that feeling aside before walking back to the Livingroom with Emma.

I was sitting on the floor playing with Emma before Steve entered the living room which imminently caught Emma's attention , for some unknown reason Emma was very intrigued by Steve. He took a seat next to me causing Emma to abandon her spot by Buster and imminently sit on Steve's lap. I got up from the floor to get a glass of water from the kitchen , when I returned Emma was tugging and pulling onto Steve's hair and that's when I realized exactly why she was fond of Steve.

after Jackson went to bed and I had Steve set up Emma's portable crib I stood in my room rocking her , she was almost asleep before I heard the sound. The sound Matt said was the only one that would disturb Emma her sleeping , thunder. I sighed before Emma started fussing , she clung to her blanket as she began to wail , thankfully Jackson was a heavy sleeper. I remember when Jackson was younger he was beyond terrified of thunderstorms and would have to sleep with me , and he sometimes still would when a storm came across. I knew exactly where he got it from , Steve when he was younger was afraid of them too and I know this because I distinctly remember teasing him about it when we were kids. It felt like just yesterday I was cradling Jackson and comforting him from a storm , I felt like my baby boy was growing up faster then I thought and holding Emma in my arms made me wonder , did I want another baby?

                                      ******Flashback****** It was almost two months after Jackson was born and for what felt like the first time in a while Steve and I were in a really good place. we weren't arguing , we were communicating better and not only that Jackson was doing great. he was a bit more alert , he was starting to make so of the cutest little sounds and was the absolute most adorable thing I had ever seen. Steve's Parents were out of town visiting his sister and since I felt bad that Steve would be by himself and that I didn't want him getting lonely. I decided to pack a small bag for Jackson and I so we could stay there with him , we had all finally settled down for the night when I heard the faint sounds of Jackson cry. I quickly got up leaving the peacefully asleep Steve  , I picked Jackson up from the basinet before rocking him in my arms , I tried everything , rocking him , singing to him , giving him his pacifier. Nothing absolute nothing was soothing him I tried standing , sitting I even went downstairs and tried walking around . Lights on , lights off and nothing he was still upset which started to worry me since I knew he was feed and changed and that's when I looked out the living room window and noticed something , it was raining. Not raining but pouring , I could see some lightening in the distance before a clap of thunder which seemed to upset Jackson even more. It was the storm that was bothering him , I remember Steve was afraid of them when he was younger and still was (but didn't like it when someone brought that up). Before I could turn around and took him upstairs I heard a voice say "Y/N" I turned to see Steve standing by the stairs. I spoke saying "thunderstorms he's afraid of thunderstorms like you" Steve sighed saying "I am not afraid of a stupid storm" I sighed before I added "I'll probably be up with him for a while". Steve shook his head saying "no that's ridiculous just come back to bed" I again sighed saying. "I can't I-" he cut me off saying "just put him in between us he'll be fine" I responded saying. "He can't he's tiny" Steve responded saying "he's two months old , and if your really worried I'll put him on my chest , he won't move an inch. I spoke again saying "are you sure he'll be okay" he nodded saying "I'm sure". I awoke the following morning in Steve's arms to the view of Jackson perfectly asleep , and I swore he was snoring almost just like Steve does. I carefully escaped his arms before grabbing the camera out of my bag , that I threw in there last minute before capturing the perfect moment between the love of my life and our son. ******Flashback Over****** I almost had Emma asleep again before another clap of thunder woke her , Steve entered our room before saying "still not down yet" I shook my head before he said. "can I try" I shrugged as he added "It would give me practice" I sighed saying "practice for what". Steve was silent until he responded saying "for if we have to watch her again". Not that I believed his excuse I nodded before handing Emma to him since I was a bit tired from work , taking care of Jackson and Buster and then adding Emma to the mix. Even more time had passed and Emma was still awake , I then remembered what helped Jackson during thunderstorms and what Matt had said early. I walked into the kitchen where Steve was swaying Emma in his arms while whistling what I was pretty sure was a nursery rhyme. I spoke saying "Steve bring her with us" he shrugged while Emma was pulling onto Steve's hair. I added "just put her between us and when she falls asleep I'll put her in the crib" Steve sighed saying "fine but will that even work"

The storm continued throughout the night before I awoke to hearing a voice call for me several times , I quickly sat up to see Jackson standing by my bed. I spoke saying "hi sweet pea , are you okay" he shrugged before I added "is it the storm". Jackson quickly shook his head saying "no I just wanted to see if you were okay" I knew exactly what he was doing , Jackson was currently going through a faze where he would pretend to not be not bothered or afraid of certain things that both Steve and I knew did bother him. Giving that I knew this information I spoke again saying "well can I tell you a secret" Jackson nodded before I added. "I'm a little scared of the storm , so how about you come snuggle with me and daddy" he quickly nodded before saying "mama". I responded saying "yes sweetie" he then added "can Buster lay with us too". I sighed saying "yes Buster can lay with us" he quickly ran out of the room before he returned with Buster and his blanket. as everyone got settled I swore I heard the faint sound of Steve chuckle to himself.

I awoke the following morning with not only Jackson snuggled to me but Emma and Buster , I carefully tried to move but both Emma and Jackson clung to me. I sighed before seeing Steve standing in the doorway with a mug in his hand , he walked over before placing the mug onto my bedside table. He placed a kiss atop my head before saying "good morning" I responded saying "good morning" he then added. "Okay who need's to be moved first" I chuckled before saying "they're fine , could you hand me my coffee though" he nodded before handing me the mug saying. "I'll uh go make breakfast" I nodded before taking in the view of my son and my niece snuggling to me as well as Buster , which I didn't like to admit but I was growing very fond of him. A few minutes of peace and quiet and one by one they each woke up , first Jackson who then decided to wake Buster , Then Emma who realized she wasn't in Colleen's arms but mine. She of course began to fuss before she saw Buster trotting around to which she then quickly got up and began to follow him. After breakfast Steve went to take a shower , It was shortly after I got Emma dressed I heard knocks on the door which I knew meant that was Matt's dad coming to get Emma. After she left Steve walked out of the bedroom dressed with his hair still wet saying. "Where's Emma" I responded saying "oh Mr. Patterson just got her" Steve frowned saying "oh just now" I nodded before Jackson ran over to Steve saying "daddy now that Emma's gone can we go to the park". Steve shrugged saying "yeah that's fine I guess" Jackson ran by the door to get his shoes before I notice that Steve seemed somewhat sad that Emma was gone maybe even upset. It was odd the way Steve was acting and there was no way Steve was still hung up on this baby stuff right ?

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist , please don't plagiarize my work and stay safe and feedback is defiantly apricated  Thanks - Meg

Taglist @disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @queenofthehairharrington @charmed-asylum @art-flirt

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington imagine #dad steve harrington #dad! steve x reader #steve harrington au

[trans-shuichisaihara]

ch4 of the linked au! it’s still fun free time for now ✌️

read on ao3

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

In the short time since he last really investigated the warehouse, a surprising amount of dust had settled on the shelves and various supplies. It hurt both his heart and his lungs, the latter for obvious reasons, and his heart from the reminder that it would likely have been clean if not for Toujou’s betrayal and subsequent execution.

He shook off the depressing thoughts; he needed to focus on the task at hand, not getting upset over the losses their group had sustained. He tugged a sealed box off one of the shelves, covering his mouth as dust went flying. He was starting to regret agreeing to help Shirogane.

She hadn’t asked for much, however. Just a camera, a nice digital one unlike the ones Shuichi’d used in the trap he and Akamatsu set up so long ago.

Dammit. He roughly wiped at his watery eyes, the dust in the air clearly the source of irritation. Once tears weren’t threatening to spill, he tore open the box, disappointed to find it was only a case of canned food. He should’ve guessed it from the weight and size. Frustrated with himself, he pushed the box away with more force than necessary, pulling himself back up to search a different area.

After half an hour passed with no luck, he was distracted by the sound of someone entering the warehouse, the door softly clicking shut behind them. As he weaved his way around the shelves, he wasn’t too surprised when the heavy footsteps turned out to belong to Kiibo.

“Oh, Momota-kun.” He jerked as if surprised by Kaito’s sudden appearance. “What are you doing here?”

“Lookin’ for something for Shirogane. What about you?”

“I’m also running an errand for someone!” He smiled, extending his index finger pointedly. “Iruma-san demanded I come grab her some snacks and, um-” If he’d had a human face, Kaito imagined the slight dimming of his eyes would translate to scrunching his face in thought. “‘The largest rubber you can find’, whatever that is.”

Kaito hesitated. “Uh, well, we can definitely get some snacks. I don’t think you’ll need to worry about the other request.” He definitely didn’t want to go looking for that.

Kiibo let out a sigh. “Well, hopefully that’ll be fine then. She’s in a bit of a mood today, so I was hoping to help her relax by spending some time with her.”

... In that way? “Isn’t, uh, isn’t she always in a mood?”

“Of course not!” He clearly took offense to the question. “For instance, she was very happy yesterday to discover the Ultimate Robot’s lab, but now I can barely get her to leave that computer on the 4th floor alone for even a few minutes.”

Seriously, was he jealous? “Hey, chill, I’m sure she’s fine. Maybe she just wants to finish that before working on something else?”

“Her lab is full of half finished designs! That can’t be the issue!”

“Okay, well, uh...” He scratched the back of his head. “What do you think’s goin’ on?”

Kiibo paused. “I’m... not certain. Her mood is normally volatile, yes, but... I think something happened. She may appear to be her normal moody self, but I can almost see this, this layer of panic beneath every movement she makes.”

“I mean, Ouma did go out of his way to freak everyone out this morning, so-”

He shook his head. “That can’t be it. She was already like this when I went to get her for breakfast.”

“Huh.” Kaito moved his hand from his head to his chin, stroking his goatee. “Well, I’m outta ideas. That time of the month?”

“What?!” Kiibo’s face flushed. “Momota-kun, I might not be human, but even I know that’s not appropriate! Not everything is caused by a woman’s cycle!”

He winced at his volume; okay, bad joke. “Well, uh, what else do you think it could be then?”

He huffed, calming himself down. “She seemed fine yesterday, that I know for certain. But as for what caused her to suddenly-” He paused. “Wait. Perhaps it was the Flashback Light?”

“Well, yeah, the Flashback Light freaked all of us out. Iruma especially, now that I think about it. I guess the most obvious solution’s normally the right one.” Except when it came to which Ultimate murdered another and how they did it, but that wasn’t exactly the everyday mystery.

“Perhaps, yes. There’s also the motive to consider. I know we - Ouma-kun excluded - have agreed there is no motive, but...” He hesitated.

“But?”

“Well, it’s just... My inner voice keeps saying that we shouldn’t ignore the motive. That we should try to figure out what it is.”

A shudder ran through his body. “Man, you’re still going on about that Atua crap?”

Of course, he took offense to that too; talking with Kiibo was a delicate balance between avoiding being robophobic and avoiding offending him at all. “As I said before, my inner voice has nothing to do with Atua; I simply mistook it for His voice for a period of time.”

Alright! Time to escape this conversation! “I see. Well, enough about that; let’s go find you some shit for Iruma. Let me know if you find a digital camera; that’s what Shirogane’s askin’ for.”

Kiibo faltered, then brightened up. “I see! If that’s all you require, I can easily provide what you need!” He gave Kaito a long look, before his mouth suddenly ejected a piece of paper. Ah, right; he could print his memory or something. “Please, take it; consider it a gift.”

Hearing Kiibo’s voice without his mouth moving was unsettling enough that he did as he was told. As he flipped it over, an unfamiliar feeling welled up in his chest. He swallowed.

It was a picture from their first breakfast together, the morning after attempting the underground passage. The scene replayed in his mind as if it’d just happened yesterday instead of two weeks ago. Akamatsu being really torn up about it. Ouma doing a relatively normal level of shit stirring. The First Blood Perk. The small amount of hope that has risen from Monokuma’s temporary destruction. Everyone... Everyone was alive and happy.

“I...” His voice caught. He wasn’t sure what he could say that wouldn’t seem overly mushy or result in crying. “Thanks.” He left it at that, carefully folding the photo in half before sliding it into his pocket.

“You’re welcome! Just let me know when Shirogane-san wants my assistance!” Seemingly oblivious to the torrent of emotions his act of kindness had brought forth, Kiibo proudly marched off to complete his original task. Kaito quietly watched him, not having the heart to point out that he wasn’t even sure if Shirogane would accept him as a replacement for the camera.

He did manage to find one eventually, tucked away under a pile of electronics that Iruma had torn through at some point. It had a few scratches but was fully functional as far as he could tell, so he’d call that mission complete. Now it was a matter of taking it all the way up to the 5th floor.

Why did Shirogane’s lab have to be so far away?

He let out a tired sigh as he finally made it all the way up, hating that he was winded from something so mundane. At least this appeared to be the final floor; any further areas to be opened would hopefully remain within this five-story limit. Not that he - or any of them really - wanted any more areas to open.

“Momota?” A voice greeted his arrival, and he quickly straightened himself back up to avoid looking as out of breath as he felt.

“Harumaki! Hey, what’s up?”

She approached from the direction of Shuichi’s lab, her eyes sweeping over him. “What are you doing?” Didn’t answer his question, but oh well.

“I’m bringing this to Shirogane.” He held up the camera. “Wanna come with?”

“Not really.” She shifted in place for a moment, expression tight, then sighed. “Well, I won’t hold you up. Have fun.” She turned away, and Kaito quickly grabbed her shoulder to stop her from leaving.

“Hey, c’mon, I know that look. What’s up? Got somethin’ to get off your chest?” She didn’t respond, keeping her gaze averted. “Ready to talk about what happened last night-?”

“No,” she quickly objected, “As I said, nothing happened.”

He frowned. “You don’t have to bottle it all up. That’s not-”

“So what do you want me to say to you,” she snapped, shoving Kaito’s hand off her, “That I had my first panic attack since I was 13? That all of the sudden, I’m suffocated by emotions I thought were long dead? I can barely breathe alone with my own thoughts let alone put up with your desire to help everyone.”

Kaito paused, letting her outburst settle until he filtered through her words. “That’s good. Feeling things is normal, being overwhelmed is normal. Panic attacks, well, they’re not, but they’re not uncommon.” He scratched the back of his head. “I know you don’t want advice, but I’m here for you when you need to vent. You don’t have to hide.”

The walls Harumaki built around herself appeared to be crumbling as she struggled to meet his steady gaze. “I...” She sighed. “I don’t like this. I have enough to worry about without dealing with foreign emotions.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Without being scared.”

He reached out again and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Then it’s just like I told Shuichi; you can’t get caught up in your head. Sometimes, you gotta take that nervous energy and channel it into something more productive. That’s what training’s for.” He removed his hand, giving her an encouraging smile. “You’re getting stronger already. Just remember you can be afraid, but don’t be afraid of relying on us, alright?”

She shook her head. “You’re an idiot.” He’d be offended, but the affection attached to the insult was clear. She took a deep breath. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” He gestured to Shirogane’s lab with the camera. “So, you sure you don’t wanna come?”

She glanced back towards Shuichi’s. “I was guarding the poisons in Saihara’s lab, but...” She looked back, a hand moving to run through her hair. “I suppose a break wouldn’t hurt. Either way, if anyone really wanted them, only watching them for a few hours a day isn’t going to stop them.”

He sweated. “Hey, don’t say that. No one’s going to touch anything in there.”

She raised a brow at him. “Not even Ouma?”

“Course not! I knocked some sense into him!” He paused. “But, well, if you see him anywhere near there, just let me know. I’ll do it as many times as needed until he learns his lesson.”

“Saihara thinks that you punching him just made things worse,” she bluntly stated. He flinched. “Honestly, I agree; you’re just as good with your words, so really you shouldn’t be punching people.”

“C’mon, he, he’s not the type to listen to words. Sometimes you gotta just...” He trailed off. He fucked up, yeah, but was it really that big of a mistake? It couldn’t have been. “I’m sure that he needed that wake-up call, and anything I tried to say wouldn’t’ve reached him.”

“If you say so,” Harumaki responded, appearing dismissive, “Well, I’m sure you’ve kept Shirogane waiting long enough.” She nodded towards the lab.

“Right, right.” He sheepishly scratched his neck, letting the conversation drop as he headed towards the lab, opening the door.

The door to Hell.

#oumota #kaito momota #kiibo #maki harukawa #drv3 #drv3 spoilers #my post #fanfic #linked au #ch4 was sponsored by miu