#HE STILL AT LEAST HAD A PRESENCE and even so his moment with kaoru was real sweet .. big bro ryuji my beloved im cryin ... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

floraltypes · 3 years

Text

Ohshc Headcannon

OHSHC - Y/n in a uncomfortable situation head-cannons

saw someone else do something similar and wanted to put my own spin on it :))

TW: creepy males making y/n uncomfy

gender neutral x host club members

Haruhi 💗

You’ve decided to go visit the girl while she’s working.

She’s busy talking to one of her guests so you decided to wait and sit at one of the couches

One of the men quickly walked over, he was here to drop off some shipments but thinks that now you’re a new host/hostess

He sits across from you, just staring for a moment before striking a conversation

“So, you seem like a cutie, are you new here?”

Your eyes widen a bit, taken aback by his presence and how blunt he was

“I’m not apart of this club,” You awkwardly chuckle, hoping that Haruhi is almost finished because now you are starting to feel uncomfortable

“Good, good, that just means I don’t have to share you with anyone,” They wink, standing up and now sitting besides you

Haruhi, stops her conversation with the girls, hearing that awkward chuckle of yours her head turns

At first, she just thinks your talking with one of the boys, one telling a inappropriate joke and you just trying to be kind

But soon realizes that’s not the case, and excuses herself

Haruhi doesn’t exactly feel jealous, just a bit confused, and frankly worried

She can tell by your apparent facial expressions that you’re also worried yourself

Finding a empty tea tray, she grabs it, and rushes over with it, then taking a seat besides you

“Y/n!” She smiles, handing you a tea cup, not even filled. “I’m glad you waited for me, sorry to waist your time,”

You’re overjoyed she’s here, the man sending you some interesting glares and you didn’t want to cause a scene

“I’ll do better at watching the time. Um, i’m sorry you don’t look familiar,” She looks at the man while taking one of your hands and intertwining it with hers

“Oh, you were waiting for someone?” He asks you. “You should have told me, it was like you were leading me on,” he scoffs, standing up and leaving

Haruhi looks at you with a small smile

“What a jerk, would you like me to make some actual tea now?”

The both of you laugh, you feeling much more comfortable with her being by your side

Tamaki 💞

He was so excited to spend today with you!

You didn’t feel like doing much, just wanting to maybe go to a cafe with the man

He had tons of things planned, zoos, cafes, shopping, musicals, etc

If there was something fun, he had it planned for you two to do soon

After spending half a day planning the dates you’d have when you both had off, today the both of you would go to a pet shop

Tamaki always expressed how much he loved animals, ever since he was able to go to one, and it’s something he still enjoys indulging in

The both of you were outside the shop, he had some money almost spilling out of his wallet, prepared to buy some animals

Leaving you to make sure he doesn’t, or at least doesn’t go overboard...

Once inside the worker set up a room for you two to play with the puppy

Unfortunately, today was a busy day and many people were also coming, so you were paired up with another group of guys

They had a harsher look, not being so friendly, and smelled kind of gross

You weren’t one to judge, sometimes, but something about them gave off a weird feeling

“Gosh, aren’t these puppies adorable!” Tamaki beamed, picking up the little dog into his arms, then bringing it up to his face

“Tamaki, you have to share with the rest of us,” You reminded him, taking the puppy from him and placing it on the ground

The man sat on your other side, quickly went to grab the dog, his hand touching yours a bit

“But Y/n, I didn’t get enough time with him,” He whined, shaking your shoulders a bit while the other men stifled chuckles

“Y/n, that’s a nice name,” The man on your side commented, sending a smile

“Um, thanks,” You just messed with your fingers, not looking at him

“So,” The one man tried to start up a conversation with Tamaki, giving his friend the chance to talk to you

Tamaki knew they were trying to do something, so he made sure to keep a eye on you, making sure you felt okay

“You know, we don’t have plans after this, what if you came and hung out with us?” The man asked you, moving closer

“Sweetie! Don’t forget that you promised to go get ice cream with me after. It’s the perfect end to our date,” Tamaki smiled widely, grabbing your arm and standing up “Ah, I think i’ve seen enough puppies for today,” He put a hand on your cheek and kissed your lips. “Bye now!”

Kyoya 🤍

His father was hosting a dinner party tonight

The Ootori group just opened a new high tech hospital, with the helps of your families business

It was great to see both families interacting well, and felt good to have his father like you, even if you didn’t really like him

Kyoya was thankful that his father was okay with you, worried it would affect his opportunity in being the heir eventually

You were all dressed up for the night, told to keep a smile and kind words the whole time

But you were mostly planning on spending it by Kyoya’s side..

Eventually he was moved away because his father wanted to introduce all his children to a potential business partner

Your family did the same, to a different man, one who kind of seemed to take a particular interest in you

“I love your hair,” The older, 40 year old man complimented you, your father just smiling lightly and soon walking away

“I should go find, uh, Kyoya!” You smiled oddly at the older man, about to walk away

“Wait up handsome/beautiful,” The man wrapped his chubby fingers around your wrist, tugging on it, and pulling you to stand right in front of him

You frantically looked around, your father talking to someone else, and the mans smile was fretting away from friendly

Kyoya had just finished talking to some painting company CEO, someone he could care less about

He wanted to use this time to do things with you, talk more, hear about your day maybe, just see your smile and hear your laughter

Luckily he turned around at the right moment, seeing the man yank you back and his facial feature turning to a wicked expression

He quickly, but respectfully, whisked over, titling his glasses down a bit and reaching a hand across your lower back to wrap around your waist, pulling you into his side

“Darling, who is this?” Kyoya asked, seeing your expression change to a grateful one

“Um, I never caught his name....?”

“It’s Toling, from America,” He smiled at you, his ‘smile’ changing when looking at Kyoya. “You have a boyfriend?”

“And your from America?” Kyoya questioned back, not letting you answer his. “What exactly is your position, my father, Ootori, he also told me no one from out of country would be here. Why are you here? I don’t think you were invited, this seems like a appropriate moment to call security, do you agree, dear?” He looked at you

“Yeah, I think so,” You grinned at him, pecking his cheek while the older man ran off towards the front door.

Hikaru 💓

The two of you heard about this new performance group in the area

They weren’t anything professional but still interested you both, maybe being so bad you could make a couple jokes about it

It started off... well interesting to say the least...

You both couldn’t figure out where it was going, what the overall theme of it was, I mean someone spilt their ‘prop’ on the stage floor

It was a disaster in the beginning, the both of you already having jokes in mind, but being respectful to wait till the end to say them

During the performance a hand intertwined with yours, that being Hikaru’s of course

When it was finished, the both of you had no words, just tears?

You didn’t know when they got there, or how the performance all of a sudden changed sad, but it was there

You got up to walk by a concession area, hoping to purchase a pack of tissues

Someone was behind you in line, and you could just feel their gaze on your behind

“Do you have a pack of tissues on hand?” You asked, pulling out some money and the women handing it to you

“Tissues, I could have given you those for free,” The man behind you smiled. “Now, what’s a attractive kid like you doing here?”

“Watching a show, like everyone else,” You motioned with your hand, taking a tissue and wiping your eyes

“You’re a funny one, sparky. How about I treat you to a meal?”

“No, thanks,” You scratched the back of your head, trying to step away, but him just blocking you

“Come on now,” He chuckled, reaching for your arm before you pulled back.

“Y/n, hey, you got them,” Hikaru pushed past him, planting a longer kiss on your lips and swinging his arm to rest over your shoulders. “Do you mind? We’re on a date,” He told the older man, guiding you away from him. “You okay, that man sure was a idiot trying to take you away from me,”

Kaoru 💝

He was honestly super pumped about getting to spend time with just you

He saw how much his stubborn twin could fall in love with Haruhi and become a better person, to mature, he wanted that with someone and that was you

To say he was nervous, was a understatement, this was your guys’s first date and he wanted it to be great

Sure you had been dating for a while, but still

You both decided on just going to a carnival thing in town

Sounded fun and would let you both get loose a bit, chat about life, truly have a break from everything and everyone

(not everyone, the club was secretly there making sure it went great)

After a long day, and many rides, Kaoru went to go order some food for the both of you while you waited on the bench

“Is this seat taken?” A man around your age questioned, you nodded you head no, and moved over on the bench to give him some space

“Go ahead,”

“Thanks, wow, uh your eyes are really pretty,” He complimented, taking a sip of his drink

“Oh, thanks?” You shyly smiled, tapping you finger on the bench to a beat, waiting for Kaoru to come back

The man kept asking random questions about yourself though, like ‘how old are you’ ‘what do you think of the weather today’ ‘did you like that ride over there?’ it was awkward for you to answer

Kaoru had just bought the food, starting to walk over, but quickly noticing you chatting with the man

He felt, jealous?

This perfect day he was having, and you’re talking to another guy?!

But wait, he remembered his brother talking about really looking at someone’s actions to truly understand, things they say, really paying attention

He soon realized that you weren’t really liking the conversation, your eyes widening after he spoke, slowly returning the comment to him

He whisked over there, honestly just plopping himself in between the two of you, in the (little) empty space

“I, uh, got the food,” He waved it in the air a bit, not spilling it. “You still hungry, babe?”

“Thank you Kaoru, you’re so kind,” You grinned, kissing him on the lips, his cheeks beating up.

“Mhm, let’s go eat somewhere else, just the two of us!”

Mori 💜

Mori and you weren’t big on doing a bunch of stuff for dates

You both mostly ended up at one another’s house, lounging there, maybe a cafe, who knew

But today he kind of wanted you to watch his practice, he was a bit awkward which you noticed quickly

“Takashi, you okay?” You asked him, tapping his shoulder. “What do you want to do today?”

He wanted to straight out say ‘come watch me practice’ but also didn’t want to be inconsiderate of what you wanted to do

He shrugged his shoulders, cracking his knuckles a bit, hoping you got the sign...?

“You know, I haven’t seen you practiced yet, that could be fun!”

He was beaming inside

So it was set, the two of you planning to meet up at the place he practiced at

It was something nice to do, he worked on his moves for a while, you starting some homework but still watching

One of his partners he worked on some of the skills with sat near you

“Hey, what are you working on?” You two chatted a little, trying to be kind, but you knew he was just trying to speed up the small talk into something more fun, for him

“Anyways, I need to focus,” You told him, standing up and getting prepared to move to a different space

“I think you should take a break, what do you say?”

“I can’t, I have a test tomorrow, need to get this done,”

“Don’t be like that, i’ll help you study after our break,” He was slowly/quickly closing the distance between you two

Mori just finished throwing a man, going to have a drink of water and see how you’re doing, but seeing that ‘opponent’ of his flirting with you?

“Y/n,” He walked up, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “I’m done here, let’s go,”

You nodded, the man across from you shaken up a bit at the stare Mori sent afterwards

Honey 💛

Honey was babbling about a new cafe that popped up, very VERY excited about it

Apparently it was cute, had a nice seating area, and the BEST cake in town

So, of course, he had to decide that himself

(I think he secretly has a blog online dedicated to trying and critiquing cakes)

He thought this would be a perfect time to catch up and share the lovely moment with

You agreed, wanting to spend time with the boy you liked so much, always enjoying sharing treats with him

After school you both headed right there

The place was nice, and a little packed, since it did just open

You both found a little booth in the back, away from the crowd a bit

Honey ordered, almost, one of every cake they sold

“I’ll just try one of his,” You told the waitress, who looked like her eyes were going to pop out of her head due to Honey’s order

“If you want Y/n-chan!” He smiled at you, soon going into a ramble about one place he bought a bad cake at

Usa-chan also wasn’t pleased with the taste of it

Once a few of the pieces came, he gave you Usa-chan to hold, to make sure he didn’t get dirty

You spent the time, watching him eat cake, feeding him cake, eating some yourself, and chatting about the Host Club

He eventually had to go to the bathroom, telling you he would be right back and to watch Usa-chan

While he left another man came up, figuring you were by yourself

“Aren’t these a lot of treats for you?” He asked, secretly judging you

“I’m sure it’s not your place to decide what’s enough for me,” You scoffed, looking the other way

“And you have a stuffed bear? So cute. Let me buy you something else, for a little kid like you,” He placed some money on the table, trying to reach for Usa-chan

major pedo vibes ....

You moved away from him, not letting his dirty hands touch your boyfriends precious bunny

“Aw come on now,”

“Y/n-chan, let’s go now!” Honey walked over, you climbing out the empty way of the booth, standing near Honey

“Aw you’re here with your brother,” The man cooed, standing up himself.

You grabbed Honey’s hand, not wanting to interact any longer with the man, and leaving the cafe

“Sorry Honey, I- I just really don’t-”

There the man was, he followed the both of you out

He was moving to touch/grab you from behind, Honey quickly noticing and pushing you out of the way a bit

Pulling a classic move, the older man was on the ground

The surrounding crowds were in awe, you were still a bit surprised from his strength sometimes

“That’s not nice, please don’t touch Y/n-chan or I’ll have to call the cops!” He smiled at him, soon grabbing your hand and the two of you walking away like nothing happened

#ouran headcanons #ouran kaoru #ouran koukou host club #ouran haruhi #ouran kyoya #ouran hshc #ouran host club #ouran honey #ouran x reader #ohshc fic #ohshc x reader #ohshc headcanons #ohshc fanfiction #ohshc imagines #ohshc haruhi #ouran tamaki #ouran mori

630 notes · View notes

host-club-hq · 3 years

Text

Not So Bitter Days (Honey x Fem!Reader)

pairing: honey x fem!reader

word count: 1.7k

genre: fluff! as much fluff as I could think of

notes: honey is flustered! That’s never happened before!

gif isn’t mine!

what to expect: “Wow, I’ve never seen Senpai so flustered before.” “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised.” *cue host club groaning at Kyoya*

Requested! Thanks for the request this was in my drafts :)

As you trudge from your classroom to the Host Club's abandoned music room, the bell signaling the end of school ringing in your ears, you notice something odd; your favorite host, moping about the club room with a cloth tied from his chin to his head, holding his adorably swollen cheek in a painful way. His pale blonde bangs hung over his adorable brown eyes, dimming the light they once brought to the club.

Of course, you're nothing but an admirer from afar. Honey is always surrounded by his multitude of guests and they're always too loud for you. From afar, you can experience his presence without having to experience the presence of his guests.

But today... his request rate seems oddly low. You've been hovering around for a few moments now, and Honey hasn't spoken to... anyone? Usa-Chan dangles loosely from his grip and his ears drag slightly on the floor as he walks, looking dejected about something. What did you miss? You don't attend the Host Club for one day and suddenly the most cheerful third-year you know no longer has his light about him.

You walk timidly up to Kyoya and he takes slight note of your presence.

"Ah, Miss (L/N), who might you be here to see today? I noticed you were absent yesterday." Kyoya acknowledges your absence as if you were required to attend each day... but you can't help but take note that he seems much more cheerful than usual.

Has he... switched bodies with Honey? That's ridiculous, you've watched enough movies to know that it only happens in movies.

Then, Kyoya smiles brightly down at you, and you're not so sure that it only happens in movies...You cock your eyebrow slightly at him, but nonetheless continue on as if nothing is out of place or unusual. The abnormal cheerful disposition that he's radiating somehow makes him even more intimidating... you shiver at the thought of him being like this forever. You much prefer your monotoned Kyoya. But, you have other concerns at the moment.

"I was wondering if Honey was free...?" Your voice trails off as your eyes follow Honey, slowly dragging himself to a sofa and then throwing himself onto it with an exaggerated sigh. Kyoya, however, catches your words as he's used to the timid voice you use and the shy demeanor you've always had.

"Why, of course he's free at the moment. May I add, you would do well to not offer him any sweets or treats. You see, he's given himself a cavity and he's forbidden to consume any treats with sugar of any kind." Kyoya explains to you with exceptional detail. You hum in acknowledgement as Kyoya leads you to an empty table, sitting with a vase of freshly picked pink roses, and you can smell them from your seat if you focus hard enough. Honey appears moments later, seemingly elated to finally have a guest that seems to not know what's going on.

"Hi, there! I don't think I've met you before, what's your name, pretty lady?" Honey giggles as he seats himself across from you, a bright smile despite his swollen cheeks. You're finally coming face to face with the host that you remember, and you're grateful for that.

Nonetheless, finally talking to him is nerve wracking... watching from afar, you never have to think about something that you could do to embarrass yourself. A pink tint dusts the apples of your cheeks as you tuck a strand of hair behind you ear and avoid direct eye contact. Although your movements are subtle, Honey seems to notice intently as his smiles slightly falters, but that's not something that you notice.

"I'm (Y/N) (L/N)." Your voice is small, but Honey smiles. He giggles and stands on his knees atop the chair to reach your height.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, (Y/N)-chan!" He smiles brightly at you. You feel your lips tug up in a smile and you stare down at his hand. You slowly reach out and shake his small, outstretched hand.

"Wow, (Y/N)-chan! Your hands are really soft!" Honey pulls your hand across the table and causes you to lurch forward with a surprised yelp, gripping onto the table with a newfound strength, your knuckles turning white. You watch as Honey traces your fingers with his own and places his palm against yours, sparks flying when-

His face flushes a bright red and lets you go immediately and you fall back into your seat as you weren't expecting him to let go of you that way. "Sorry, (Y/N)-chan..." He turns and seems to take sudden interest in the wall next to him. You don't think you've ever seen him flustered before. Something must be terribly wrong for his behavior to be displayed as such.

"Um... it's alright, I don't mind." you take a moment to glance at your hand, wiggling your fingers slightly; are your hands really that soft?

There's a long beat of silence and you hear a hushed whisper, "Senpai." You turn to where you heard the whisper, finding Tamaki and the twins crouched behind a sofa nearly on the opposite side the room, observing you. They gasp and duck out of sight, but it's already too late, you've seen them. You turn back to Honey, who hasn't seemed to notice their observing, so you definitively decide to say nothing about it.

"If you want to, you can have some cake, (Y/N)-chan... I can't have any, but that shouldn't mean that you can't." Honey drags his fingers in different designs across the clean, polished table top with a prominent frown. Your eyebrows raise as you watch him glance between you and his finger, a typical sign for wanting to get a reaction from someone.

"It's okay, Honey-Senpai... I won't eat cake if you can't." Your voice is soft and comforting as you reach across the table and place your hand over his, effectively resulting in his hand stilling and his eyes boring down into your connected hands.

Rather than his usual remarks, Honey says nothing. He only glances from where your hands are connected and then back up to your eyes. You can't help but become captivated by his wide, innocent eyes, glistening in the filtered light from the large window next to your table as if he's unable to move his eyes from yours. There's something there that you've never felt before, some sort of connection you feel by just being in his presence.

"Wow, I've never seen Senpai so flustered... isn't that the girl that usually watches him?" Hikaru whispers to Tamaki quietly from their eavesdropping positions on the sofa. Tamaki grumbles,"It doesn't make any sense."

"It's not that bizarre." Haruhi speaks from beside them, standing in full sight of you and Honey as she peers down at Tamaki and the twins' ridiculous antics.

"Maybe... he really likes her." Haruhi watches Honey interact with you, and it's safe to say that in all the time she's know him, she, too, has never seen him act like this in front of anyone, not even their prettiest guests- and you are, most definitely, one of those.

"Could just be the cavity." Kaoru shrugs next to Hikaru, who nods. Tamaki sighs and his mischievous expression is replaced with a solemn one. "No, I know that look." The Host Club turn one by one at his assertion, most in confusion, some in agreement.

"Honey-Senpai doesn't look like he's in pain... he looks like he's in love." a small grin tugs at Tamaki's lips at the familiarity of the feeling of being love-sick. Everyone turns to observe Honey, and indeed, he stares at you with the upmost admiration that anyone's seen from him. The two of you aren't talking, but you don't have to be. The comfortable silence is there- and comfortable silence is rare with Honey.

"I can practically see the hearts floating above his head." Haruhi chuckles from where she stands. Mori hums a monotoned, "Yeah" from where he stands, but this resonance has a bit more of a solemn tone to his voice than usual.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised." Kyoya sighs. The Host Club groans, expecting nothing less from him.

"Every day that she's not here, Honey is asking where she is. He might've not known her name, but he knows she's always here." Kyoya scribbles in his notebook as he speaks and the club glances at him briefly.

"Why are we not surprised that you know that?" Tamaki glares in Kyoya's direction.

"I am a little bit surprised that Honey-Senpai could get so flustered around someone." Hikaru mumbles as he diverts his attention back to you and Honey, both love struck.

As Honey stares at you, he feels a grin tug at his lips despite the pain it might cause his swollen cheeks. "(Y/N)-chan? Will you come back tomorrow? I want to see you again!" Honey's cheerful disposition has returned and couldn't be more so. You smile for that.

"Of course, I will. Hopefully next time, we can share some cake." Your disposition, as a result of being in Honey's presence, has improved significantly and you can feel yourself becoming more confident with each passing minute.

"Thank you for seeing me, (Y/N)-chan!" Honey waves enthusiastically as you make your exit, turning over your shoulder to give a small wave before you disappear through the doorway.

Mori materializes at Honey's side, though Honey isn't phased in the least. Mori hums to gain Honey's attention, but it does little to distract him from staring off to where you disappeared.

"Like her?" Mori inquires simply. Honey hums. "Mm. Just a lil, bit. Promise." He puts his chin to rest on his hands, and it wouldn't take an expert to observe him and conclude the puppy-love expression gracing his features.

In fact, he couldn't promise that it was just a 'lil bit.’ Mori smiles for that.

thank you for the request! i had this written in my drafts for a while now and i’m glad to have it out here. check my masterlist for more like this and feel free to request anything you want!

378 notes · View notes

retrogradedreaming · 3 years

Note

UHHHH maybe,, you could write a little thing for reki making the sk8 fam tea? and kaoru thinking hes gonna have to pretend he likes it but then "oh wait reki can actually make tea what-"

just bc this has been living in my head for awhile sdkljfs

(capt-snoozles)

It turns out I am completely incapable of writing ANYTHING short, so have a full one shot type thing, I guess. I hope it's okay that I kinda borrowed headcanons from you and @that-was-anticlimactic for Reki with TS at a couple of small moments in the fic?

----

It used to be Kaoru alone who visited Kojiro’s restaurant when it was closed on Mondays. But since the start of winter break, Sia la Luce had become much livelier now that Reki, Langa, and Miya weren’t in school all day, and Shadow came when his days off lined up right. If Kaoru were being honest, it took some time to get used to the space no longer being only his and Kojiro’s, but he’d grown to like how their group came together like this.

The afternoons were the quietest part of these days. Kojiro took these opportunities to try out new recipes on them, leaving everyone contentedly full and pleasantly sleepy. Today, Langa had actually fallen asleep in the booth, and Reki sat beside Kaoru at the counter, playing with a tiny skateboard and making soft sounds like a small motor. Shadow and Miya sat at a table across the room, arguing over whether clown or cat makeup looked cooler while Kojiro finished cleaning. Kaoru let himself sink into the lull, Reki’s noises and that of the skateboard wheels on the counter an almost comforting presence beside him. And yet, one thing was missing, keeping him from truly relaxing.

“Seems like a good afternoon for tea,” Kojiro said, as if reading his mind as he appeared out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. “You want me to make some?”

“Absolutely not,” Kaoru scoffed. “People who microwave their tea should be arrested.”

“There’s no way you can tell the difference,” Kojiro said, defensive. “Hot water is hot water.”

“Only an uncultured pig would believe that,” Kaoru snapped. He was about to stand, to tell Kojiro he’d make the tea himself like he always inevitably had to, when Reki all but leaped from his seat, skateboard abandoned for the moment.

“I’ll make it!” he offered, and the way his face lit up meant that Kaoru took too long to say not to bother. By the time he’d found his words, Reki had already bounded around the counter and into the kitchen, and Kojiro didn’t even try to stop him. Before Kaoru could tell Kojiro to stop him, Reki called out to Kojiro, asking about the industrial stove, and soon, Kojiro was not only allowing Reki to make the tea, but encouraging him.

Kaoru supposed this was a step up from Kojiro’s microwave technique, but if Kaoru were likely to trust anyone other than himself to make a decent cup of tea, it wouldn’t be Reki. The idea that he’d wanted his tea made well and was unlikely to receive it as such set him on edge. As he listened to the water boil and the conversation continued around him, he found himself wrapping a strand of his hair around his finger and tugging, letting it go, and repeating the process until his scalp hurt. He didn’t even notice that Langa had woken up until he appeared beside Kaoru and spoke.

“What’s Reki doing?” he asked.

“Making tea,” Kaoru said, doing his best not to appear so anxious about something so small.

Langa peered over the edge of the counter to where Kojiro and Reki were talking in the kitchen, and then turned back to Kaoru. “I like how he makes it. I never liked it before I met him.”

Kaoru hummed a halfhearted response. He doubted that Langa’s standards were very high, given that he’d grown up in Canada. He’d likely had tea often enough, given that his mother was Japanese, but Kaoru knew from experience that plenty of people even here in Okinawa had no idea how to brew a proper cup. It was about timing, knowing how hot to make the water, how long to steep the leaves, and so many people rushed the process—or worse, forgot about it and steeped too long—that Kaoru preferred to make his own.

He couldn’t help but envision Reki handing him a bitter cup, or one that tasted like little more than hot leaf juice. He grimaced at the idea of having to drink it and pretend he liked it, suffering all the while. He would have to wait until he was home later to make something better for himself.

He was still trying to think of a polite way to decline the tea he’d obviously wanted when Reki came out bearing a tray of steaming cups and began making the rounds through the restaurant. Reki handed the first one to Langa, who accepted it, smiling softly up at Reki. Langa sipped the tea immediately, only to flinch and draw it away after the first sip.

Not promising, Kaoru thought. If he’d boiled the water, it was ruined, even if it was something as simple as green tea. And yet, Langa only took another sip while Reki looked on approvingly.

“It’s good,” Langa finally proclaimed, and Reki glowed as if he’d received praise from the emperor himself. Reki moved on, handing Kaoru his cup.

“Thank you,” Kaoru said, accepting it with both hands. Fortunately, Reki moved on to Shadow and Miya without waiting for Kaoru to try it, which meant that he didn’t know Kaoru only held onto it without making a move to taste it. If nothing else, he could enjoy the warmth that crawled from his fingertips all the way to his elbows.

Neither Miya nor Shadow hesitated in drinking theirs, though Kaoru couldn’t imagine they cared much how it tasted, as long as it was hot. And yet, as he watched, the two of them looked just as pleased as Langa when they tried it.

“Oh wow, the slime makes good tea,” Miya pronounced, hugging the cup close to him like a space heater.

“Damn, this is pretty good,” Shadow said, drinking deeply and draining half the cup. “How’d you even learn to make it like this?”

Reki shrugged, taking up his own cup, the last on the tray. He set the tray down on the counter and took the empty seat beside Langa. “I dunno, I guess I just picked it up over the years. It’s kinda like making skateboards, y’know? You have to figure out how all the parts fit together, and if you do it wrong, the tea doesn’t taste right.”

Kaoru looked up at him from the murky depths of his tea, brows raised. When it came to making tea, the analogy was rather profound, and Kaoru couldn’t argue it. Reki was right—tea was about the sum of its parts, the pieces fitting together perfectly. And as with building skateboards, the person making it had to know exactly how to combine each piece to create the whole.

“That doesn’t make any sense, but whatever,” Shadow said, taking another sip. “All I care about is that it doesn’t suck.”

“How come you’ve never made us tea before?” Miya asked, eyes trained on the Switch he’d pulled from his pocket now that he’d abandoned his conversation with Shadow.

“I don’t really have the patience for it,” Reki said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s kinda like, if I don’t wanna put in the time to do it right, why bother?”

While everyone was wrapped up in conversation, Kaoru finally chanced a discreet sip. If it was as bad as he’d expected, he could school his expression appropriately while they were all distracted. Perhaps he could even get away without having to lie about how good it was. And yet, when the tea touched his tongue, he paused.

It wasn’t too hot.

It wasn’t too weak or too strong.

It wasn’t too bitter and the leaves didn’t taste as though they’d been burnt.

It was, as far as Kaoru was concerned, some of the best tea he’d had outside his own home. For a moment, he couldn’t find the words to say so. He sipped it again, just to make sure he hadn’t deluded himself based on everyone else’s praise. Sure enough, it was almost more delicious the second time.

“You surprised?” Kojiro murmured at his ear, his own cup dangling from his fingertips. Kaoru jumped, nearly spilling his tea. When he turned to face him, Kojiro’s lips quirked in a smug grin, and he raised one brow meaningfully. Kaoru shot him a hard glower in return, a silent command to keep his mouth shut before Kaoru turned back to Reki.

“It’s delicious,” Kaoru said, and it wasn’t forced in the least. “I’m impressed.”

Reki, who had already immersed himself in talking to Langa, gaped at Kaoru, one of his hoodie strings falling from between his teeth. Then, he flashed a wide grin. “Glad you like it!”

“Have you ever practiced tea ceremony?” Kaoru asked, reluctantly setting his tea down on the counter.

“Nah, my parents let me try it once when I was younger, but I kept messing up the steps,” Reki said. “It’s not really fun when people get mad at you for doing it wrong.”

“I studied it for some time,” Kaoru said, remembering how the order felt comforting, how the amount of concentration it required gave his anxious mind something to focus on, how the simple yet refined aesthetic felt like clearing his head. In recent years, he didn’t have time for it with his calligraphy business, but a part of him missed it. “It’s quite a bit different from drinking tea like this, but if you wanted to, perhaps we could do a...modified version of it. Something less formal with everyone here.”

Reki’s eyes brightened, and he looked to Langa, who only seemed to share his enthusiasm. “It sounds fun, yeah! A lot better than getting yelled at by a bunch of old people because ‘tradition.’”

“I’d say so,” Kaoru said, and they devolved into talking about their favorite teas and the best ways to brew them. Kaoru couldn’t remember the last time he’d talked to someone who actually understood that tea was an art even more than it was a drink. But Reki did, and when the rest of the group finally left, leaving Kaoru and Kojiro alone in the restaurant to clean up, Kojiro nudged him with an elbow.

“You didn’t think Reki could make tea like that, did you?” he said, the words teasing but too close to Kaoru’s own thoughts for comfort.

“Shut up or I’ll leave you here to wash dishes alone,” Kaoru quipped, even as he accepted the next cup to dry. “I will admit, I was pleasantly surprised.”

“I knew you would be,” Kojiro said as he dried his hands and stretched.

“Anything is better than microwaved tea,” Kaoru said. And although it was true, he couldn’t help but look forward to the next Monday, and the last before the kids started school again.

#anyway hope you like it!#i had a lot of fun with this one #i also think kojiro's flaw as a chef is microwaving tea #even though that's not exactly a chef thing really #i tried putting some renga in here #so hopefully everyone is in character because apparently i only know matchablossom #also sorry miya and shadow have like two lines #i tried including everyone but it was SUPPOSED to be short #reki kyan #kaoru sakurayashiki #langa hasegawa #kojiro nanjo #hiromi higa #miya chinen #sk8 the infinity #sk8 fanfic #writing prompts #capt-snoozles

66 notes · View notes

fandoms-galore-yall · 3 years

Text

MatchaBlossom as Gods AU Fic

This is a short fic inspired by (& with permission from ^.^) @shaky-mayhemm ‘s beautiful art piece - Sk8 the Infinity MatchaBlossom God AU (← click here to see it - it’s amazing!)

_____

Kaoru had always known, once he had discarded the two of them, that things would end with him and Kojiro against Ainosuke. Even when they were children, just beginning to learn their places in the world, they had made an... odd trio, to say the least.

Kojiro, the God of Earth, Kaoru, the God of Life, and Ainosuke, the God of Destruction.

No one had been surprised when, as just babes, Kojiro and Kaoru had latched onto one another, forming an unbreakable friendship.

No one however, had expected for them to welcome Ainosuke into their friendship as well, especially not while they were still in their formative years, as they were still learning to curb their godly instincts… not that Ainosuke ever really did learn how to.

Kojiro called it a mistake. Kauro wasn’t sure what to call it himself.

He only knew that his petty nature made it so he refused to let what Ainosuke had done to him and Kojiro go and that his loneliness made him want to forgive Ainosuke and welcome him home, if only he would change his ways.

That of course, would not happen, Kauro knew that. He did.

Ainosuke would probably laugh if he ever learned what he was doing to Kaoru. Tearing him apart from the inside out. Not that Kaoru would ever let him know that, but still, life must go on... Kaoru, of all beings, would know.

___

Every year there was a major festival held in the honor of the Gods. During said festival, humans would present themselves in hopes of being chosen to be one of the God’s disciples. They would spend a year in service to them and receive one wish at the end - or for the lucky few, get to stay in their chosen God’s service and remain in the Heavens.

Kojiro always chose beautiful women and men that he would flirt with but never touch while they were in his service. He also never kept any longer than a year.

Kaoru on the other hand rarely chose any one, instead leaving most of his protection and service to Carla, a being he had brought to life out of the wind.

While he would never admit to it, he had created her due to Kojiro’s many absences as the God would often leave the Heavens to learn how to cook new foods under human masters of the craft.

Kaoru would always be his first stop every time he returned home, becoming his taste taster of whatever he had just learned to make and while he loved Kojiro’s cooking, the taste of his creations never fully alleviated the sting of being alone while he was away.

Ainosuke, on the other hand, would take disciples and he would break them. Only one of them had survived past a year and had chosen to stay with him, a man named Tadashi.

Tadashi may have chosen to stay with Ainosuke, but Ainosuke had still broken the man. Kaoru could feel it when he looked at the man, who still breathed, but was no longer full of life.

Seeing it… distressed him.

Which is why he was on the way to visit Kojiro.

Cara had overheard and informed him of Ainosuke’s next choice in disciple.

A young boy named Miya who would be turning thirteen right before the festival began, the minimum age required to offer oneself as a disciple.

Kauro refused to allow Ainosuke to break a child.

Kaoru threw open Kojiro’s door without knocking.

“Hey!”

“We have a problem.”

___

The day of the festival came quickly, too quickly as far as Kaoru was concerned.

He was dressed up in finery that had been gifted to him by humans who worshiped him, other Gods, and of course a special piece provided to him by Kojiro, that he wore every festival day.

He, with Carla by his side, traveled to the large podium where he and the other Gods would stay during the beginning of the festival, as humans sang praises and provided gifts to the Gods.

He felt Kojiro’s presence before he saw him.

Carla stepped back, not currently needed as Kojiro approached.

Kojiro leaned over the balcony.

The other God began to observe the crowd of humans below. Some were trying to impress the Gods in rather… interesting ways.

“Humans used to be a lot smarter. Now, they’re all dumb. What happened?”

Kaoru turned slightly so Kojiro couldn’t see his lips twitch as he answered, “Well, I can say assuredly that their intelligence level went down significantly when they began worshiping the God of Earth more.”

Kojiro hummed in agreement, “Yea…” Then what Kaoru had said caught up with him, “Hey!”

Kaoru snickered and Kojiro hip-bumped him, laughing as the God of Life almost fell from the force of it, turning to face him fully for the first time that night.

“You… look…”

“Save it.” Kaoru tried to cut him off but Kojiro instead slipped behind him, wrapped his arms around his waist and whispered in his ear. “As I was saying, you look absolutely stunning tonight.”

Kaoru scoffed as Kojiro took his hand and brought it to his lips.

“And I see you’re wearing the ring I got you.” He said as he dipped to also kiss the ring on Kaoru’s hand. As if Kaoru hadn’t worn it every year since Kojiro had given it to him.

Kaoru yanked his hand away. “We don’t have time for your nonsense”, He hissed.

Kojiro smiled, understanding of Kaoru’s anxiety.

“It’ll be fine, we have a plan, we’ll protect the kid, I promise.”

“You can’t promise me that. Ainosuke is clever and cruel and he doesn’t like not getting his way.”

“Kaoru, no one stands a chance when we work together. Trust me, trust the plan, we will succeed.”

Kaoru sighed and leaned into Kojiro’s embrace.

“I hope you’re right.”

Kojiro squeezed him tighter and with convection said, “I know I am.”

And, at least for that moment, Kaoru believed him.

(I have more in my head so I’ll probably add to it later - I hope you enjoyed!)

Here’s pt 2!

#sk8 the infinity #matchablossom #Kaoru Sakurayashiki #Kojiro Nanjo #Ainosuke Shindo #Miya Chinen #Reki Kyan #Langa Hasegawa #Hiromi Higa #Tadashi Kikuchi

75 notes · View notes

tavern-aa · 4 years

Note

Heya! I was wondering if you could do Mori, The twins(separate obviously), And Tamaki with a S/O preferably male! That uses the words “buba” “baby” “babes” “honey” “hun” a lot because he acts like the mom friend?? Maybe they get a little jealous because he calls almost everyone babes/baby/hun

AN: Leviathan and Teddy. We had fun writing this one, the request was so darn cute. For this one we did two short fics at the end <3<3! We hope you enjoy.

Characters: Tamaki Suoh, Hikaru Hitachiin, Kaoru Hitachiin, and Takashi Morinozuka

Warning: none

x Male

Tamaki

He’s the kind of boyfriend who is very possessive but is not to the level of being an abusive boyfriend, ya know?

Like he loves you and wants other people to know you’re his but also he is totally fine with you having other male friends or friends that you’re close with

He got into the relationship knowing that you are an overly friendly person and that you love to call people pet names

but he a bitch and jelly

he baby

he want your attention only

he don’t want you call others names cause he baby and you his boyfriend

he literally hear you say “baby” or “buba” to others and he start anime crying and mushroom in corner

but he okay

he just love you

he just overdramatic

***

Tamaki’s slummed form in the corner of the club room was the first thing Y/N noticed when he entered said room. His eyebrow raised in confusion before he approached his sulking boyfriend, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Tamaki? Are you okay, honey?” He questioned pulling his hand back and shaking off the mushrooms that had started to spread to his own skin.

The blonde’s head turned slowly towards his boyfriend with a sad face before he slumped back into the corner.

“I wouldn’t bother with that lump...” one twin started.

“He’s been like that since lunch,” the other finished.

Since lunch? What happened at lunch? Y/N was too busy talking to his friends to take notice of anything going on with Tamaki at lunch that day so what happened?

Tamaki once again turned his head to look at his boyfriend showing the face of a wounded puppy.

“Tamaki, what happened, buba?”

“That! That happened!” the blonde cried, standing up unexpectedly and shoving his finger at the shorter male.

“What?”

“Y-you! You keep calling all these other people pet names that you call me!’

“Oh? Well...would you rather me make up ones specifically for you, Tamaki?” Y/N asked, his head tilted to the side cutely. Tamaki felt his heart jump in his chest, the mushrooms on his back and shoulders falling off in response to his quick mood change.

“OOOO, Y/N-CHAN! SO CUTE!” he squealed, scooping his boyfriend up into the air and twirling him around, “I would love that!”

“Of course you would you big dork,” Haruhi commented as she walked by the two.

Hikaru and Kaoru

Hikaru

We all know Hikaru is a jealous boy

A sensitive baby

A bit possessive too

So if he sees his man talking to others so familiarly he’s going to get territorial

Drapes himself all over him and riling up whoever they are talking to

Often times he sets out to make them uncomfortable

But once that person is gone he’s going to confront them about

He just needs some reassurance that you are going to stay with him

***

Hikaru’s arm slung over Y/N’s shoulder in the middle of his conversation, interrupting his thought mid sentence. Said boy looked over to his boyfriend’s face which was pressed against his.

“Hi buba? What’s up?”

“Nothing much, just missed my beautiful boyfriend,” the taller male sneered at the person his shorter boyfriend was talking to, putting emphasis on the word boyfriend. The other guy immediately started to look uncomfortable in Hikaru’s presence as he said a quick “farewell” to Y/N before scampering off.

“Sooooo, what was that about, Hikaru?”

“What was what about?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, you’re being a jealous butt head again...Hikaru I promise you, you are the only person I like. The only person. I wish you trusted me more...” Y/N’s head lowered in sadness, turning away from his boyfriend slowly.

“Wait, Y/N. I-I do trust you...it’s just, I don’t trust other people not to get the wrong idea when you call them cute names. It does make me jealous, but I just wish other people would realize that just because you’re nice doesn’t mean you like them...”

“You’re a big dork...” Y/N muttered, turning to face Hikaru once more, “but as long as you promise to stop being mean to people I talk to...I’ll keep the very special pet names for just you...Okay?”

“Okay.”

Kaoru

Kaoru is actually less sensitive than his brother

But besides that he can still be insecure at times

So if he is alone and see’s his special boy giving others nicknames he won’t say anything until their alone

He’ll be less aggressive than Hikaru but will still talk to his boyfriend to make sure they are on the same page

Lots of cuddles

Lots of kisses

Lots of reassurance

He just has issues with letting people in and those people betraying him

***

Both boys sat quietly in the limo on the way back to the Hitachiin house, limbs and fingers intertwined together. Kaoru’s heart was beating fast with anxiety as he continuously glanced over at his boyfriend, his mind flitting back to seeing his lover talking and joking casually with another group of guys. It made him extremely uncomfortable, not that he didn’t trust his boyfriend, he was just scared he might find someone to replace him.

“You’re sure that-”

“Kaoru, I’m sure that the only person I like is you,” Y/N cut the other boy off, softly placing his lips on Kaoru’s nose and nuzzling closer to his body, “besides, there’s no one else in the world who I would ever dream of being this close to.”

Kaoru felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he secured his arms around his boyfriend tightly, making sure he was as close to his body as possible.

“Y/N...I’m pretty sure I love you....and I just want you to know that I guess.”

“I love you too you big dork,” Y/N giggled, unlinking their hands to run his finger’s through the taller boy’s hair.

Mori

Mori is the type to be jealous but not show it.

He respects and trusts you so he wouldn’t say anything after he realizes that it’s just how you talk

At first he might be a little thrown off and even a bit sensitive

Despite being such a tough guy he can be pretty sensitive when it comes to feelings and the people he really cares about, it comes with his protective nature

So in private he will probably get pretty needy to reaffirm that you care for only him in a romantic sense

***

Mori often walked Y/N home after he finished club at least once a week. Honey would often shoot Mori a sly grin and get in their limo alone to give the couple some time.

As the two of them walked home Mori gripped Y/N’s hand gently but strong. Said boy looked up into Mori’s face and saw a slight bit of nerves on his face.

“What’s wrong Mori?”

Said man kept his stoic expression but blushed so lightly, so lightly that if someone who didn’t know Mori well enough would think it was a trick of the light. But Y/N was not just anybody and knew his boyfriend pretty well.

Thus, Y/N moved his hand from Mori’s and wrapped both arms around his waist into a sort of walking hug. Mori stiffened for a moment before relaxing into the touch and wrapping his long arm around Y/N.

“Don’t worry baby, I don’t mind you being a bit clingy with me. I think its cute.”

Mori’s blush grew a little darker at the sentiment. Y/N chuckled lightly, “You’re so adorable buba! You know you’re the only one for me!”

#ohshc #ouran high school host club #takashi morinozuka #tamaki souh #hikaru #kaoru #x male reader #x gn reader #x gn!reader #hikaru hitachiin #kaoru hitachiin #ohshc x male reader #ohshc x gn! reader #x reader #x you #ohshc x reader

364 notes · View notes

ladyseara · 3 years

Text

Infinity is just the beginning (1/?)

Fandom: Sk8 the Infinity

Rating: Mature

Tags: Nano Kojiro / Kaoru Sakurayashiki, Kaoru Sakurayashiki / Shindo Ainosuke (one-sided), Langa Hasegawa / Reki Kyan, Alpha / Beta / Omega Dynamics, Fantasy AU no one asked for, Miya Chinen is Joe’s son and I mean it, Miya Chinen is an illegitimate child, Forced marriage, Political marriage, Elf!Cherry, Demon!Joe, Elf!Adam, Carla is half-human / half-Elf.

Words: 2141

Kaoru Sakurayashiki knew his value and his place as an Omega Prince. He might have been born as a High Prince, descendant of the great Sakurayashiki House, which rules the Sun Elvish Kingdom, but at the end of the day, beside his lineage, he was still an Omega, a child who cannot ascend the throne. Of course, for his whole life he was treated with the respect and care he deserved, being prepared to become a suitable First Prince, until his brother, Langa, was born. The small Alpha has quickly taken his place in the line, but Kaoru was not angry with that. He loved his brother deeply, maybe even more than he loved his parents.

The High Prince, after his baby brother was born, got the freedom he never knew before. He was growing up, throwing himself into his studies. He was spoken to be the wisest of the family, more intelligent even than his grandfather, who was believed to be the greatest king in the history of the Elvish Kingdom. Many thought that if only he wouldn’t have been born as an Omega, he could have achieved even more. Kaoru was not only brilliant, he was brave and he was a visionary. He was not afraid of combining magic with technology, creating weapons and useful tools.

If he would had been born as at least Beta, he could have lead the army. But Kaoru was not concerned about that too.

The reason behind that was the Moon Elvish Kingdom’s Prince, Shindo Ainosuke. They met when they were both six years old. Firstly too shy to talk to each other, soon they realized they share a lot. Their parents were friends, so Kaoru and Shindo spend a lot of time together growing up. At some point, Kaoru was charmed by a young Alpha. They even shared a messy, a bit tipsy kiss in the garden, during some party. At that time Kaoru knew that one day he will marry this man. The Union between Sun Elves and Moon Elves, an alliance against the Demon Empire. Shindo, the Alpha, would lead their army to the victory on the battlefield, and he, Kaoru, would lead the rest of the country as his Consort. The mere thought of them, living such a bright future, was enough to send shivers down his spine.

One can only imagine Kaoru’s confidence, when at the day of his 19thbirthday, he was summoned by his father to his study. Omega Prince already knew the news: he will get married soon, in less than a month, in order to seal the alliance. He was more than ready to leave his title as a Sun Prince behind and become the Consort of the Moon King. Kaoru could only imagine new opportunities, lying in front of him. He was dreaming big.

“My King”, he said, greeting his father with a little bow. “You have requested my presence.”

“Yes, Kaoru. Sit down please.”

Kaoru sat in front of his father desk. He enjoyed the atmosphere of the King’s study. The room could be a little dusty, but it smelled of pine trees and lemon. One of the servants put a cup of tea in front of him and left quietly. “I think you are aware of the topic we need to rise today, Kaoru.”, his father looked a bit tired. His hair has turned white few years ago, but they used to be the same color as Langa’s.

“Yes, father.”, Kaoru said respectfully. “I know my duty as a Prince. I will marry the King.”, he said with a little smile on his lips. Of course he would marry The Moon King. Shindo was his friend, and now he will become his husband and lover…

“I am pleased to hear that, my son. I must admit that I was worried at the beginning. You were not raised like other Omegas and I was expecting you to rebel against my decision.”

“My King, I could never. The Union of two Elvish kingdoms will bring peace-”

“Kaoru, wait,” his father interrupted him. “I think you got the wrong idea, my child. You are not going to marry King Ainosuke.”

His world fell apart. Kaoru opened his mouth a bit, like a fish out of water, unable to breathe. He must be dreaming some nightmare. It could not have been real. Marrying Shindo Ainosuke was his destiny. There were friends, they would make such a good couple… It could not get worse.

“The Moon King was not interested in your hand,” his father explained. “Moreover, I think our Langa should marry Ainosuke’s younger brother. You, my child, you will marry The Demon King.”

Oh. So it could be worse.

“What-.. Father, please. Think about it again,” Kaoru said, pale and shocked.

“You have told me you know your duty, Kaoru. Your marriage will ensure the peace between us and The Demon Empire.”

Kaoru was thinking fast. He had to do something in order to stop this madness. There had to be a way for him to avoid being wedded to the barbarian Demon King. He needed to contact Shindo quickly. If The Moon King will hear about this, he would definitely change his mind and marry Kaoru, the Omega was sure about that. Ainosuke would never let Kaoru be taken away to The Demon Empire, moreover, to be married off to the brutal Alpha. He had a month, a whole month to cancel this insane plan and came up with a better one…

“Our guests will be here tomorrow, Kaoru,” his father said, as if he knew what was going through his son’s head. “Both The Demon King and The Moon King. We are going to sing a pact and then you will marry Nanjo Kojiro, The Demon King, and our Langa will be engaged to Prince Reki.”

“What?”, Kaoru could felt his lips moving on their own. “Aino.. The Moon King knew about that?”

“Of course he knew, Kaoru. It was his plan after all.”

“Master, are you alright?”

Carla’s quiet, emotionless voice brought him back to reality. Kaoru did not sleep that night. He was betrayed by the whole world. All his plans, dreams, ideas… All was destroyed in one moment. Both his family and his friend sold him to The Demon King. He was a tool, a bribe to The Demon Empire. Of course, he understood the reasons behind that. Langa, an Alpha, had to marry and Omega, so Prince Reki was a perfect candidate. And there was not a need to unite two countries with two marriages, so the spot for Kaoru’s husband was left open. Selling him off to the Demons were the best idea. Even if he dies, not matter how and when, Demons will be shackled with the pact. Moreover, if he dies after he gives birth to the Demon King’s heir, the child will link two counties even harder.

“Master? You look…”

“Terrible, I know”, Kaoru replied, looking at himself in the mirror. He was dressed in furisode, white with cherry blossoms embroidered at the bottom of the sleeves. His pink hair was carefully combed and Carla put a cherry blossom hair pin into it. She also put a little make up on his face, to cover dark circles under his eyes.

“Worried. You are worried, my Lord,” the girl said. She learned about the future of her master and decided to go to the Demon Empire with him. Kaoru saved her few years back and it was her duty to protect him. “And I am no surprised.”

Kaoru looked at her in the mirror. Carla’s skin was darker than his, she had black hair and purple eyes. She was half-human, half-elvish. Many would despise her, but Kaoru found her pretty, smart and loyal. He could not imagine his life without her anymore.

“Thank you, Carla. I think we should get going. Our… guests… will be here soon.”

“I overheard the guards, Master. The Moon King and his people are already in the Capital. The Demons were spotted near the border, they will be here in less than an hour.”

Less than an hour and he will meet his future husband. Less than a twelve hours and he will be married to The Demon King. Less than a day and he will be mated to the barbarian King. In less than two days, he will leave the Sun Elvish Kingdom ans travel up north, to The Demon Empire. He would be lucky if he dies in the meantime.

Kaoru was scared. When he was thinking about being wedded to the Shindo, he was a bit nervous, but sure that their intercourse would be gentle, sweet even. He was dreaming about The Moon King caressing his body, worshiping it before they connect with each other. Kaoru was dreaming about children, with blue or pink hair, running around and making their lives even more meaningful. Now he was scared that The Demon King will force him every night to sleep with him, force his body into his until Kaoru will give him an heir. He will simply fuck him, like a whore.

“Master, you are…”

“It’s fine, Carla. I’m ready.”, the Omega Prince said, wiping a tear from his cheek. He was an Omega Prince, who knows his duty. His life and his body do not matter, if he could buy a peaceful life for his people with it.

Kaoru stood at the top of the stairs, when Demons arrived. He was holding his head high, forcing a little smile on his lips. He will never show his fears and anxiety to those, who were around him. For them he was a definition of the perfection, and Kaoru was more than ready to uphold his reputation. He could be falling apart on the inside, but on the outside he will never show.

Of course, the first person he spotted, was The Demon King himself. Riding the biggest horse Kaoru has ever seen in his life, the Alpha was dressed all in black. He had green hair, which makes him look like a giant tree. When The Demon King came closer, Kaoru saw small horns at the top of his head, partly hidden inside of his hair. The Alpha was smiling lightly, with such confidence, that it made Kaoru annoyed.

The Omega Prince was not small, but when the Alpha dismounted the horse, Kaoru straightened up. It did not help much; he still was smaller than the Alpha and the top of his head reached slightly above the place the heart should be, if The Demon King had one.

“I shall welcome you, my guests,” Kaoru’s father took a step towards the Demons. Elves and Demons have not met since the last war. Kaoru knew his father and The Demon King must have exchanged letters, but this… This was a milestone in their history.

“King Sakurayashiki,” The Demon King smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.”

When the Demon moved his hand, Kaoru was sure he is going to stab the Elvish King. But instead they simply shook their hands as a greeting. Then the Demon welcomed The Moon King the same way. He exchanged few words with the nobles, at the end finally standing before him. “I hope,” the Demon King smiled to Kaoru’s father, “That his is your precious son.”

“You got it right, Lord Nanjo. This is my older son, Kaoru. The one who is betrothed to you.”

Kaoru felt a lump in his throat. He was glad he hadn’t listened to Carla and haven’t eaten anything, because at that moment he felt nausea. What a great beginning it would be, if he throw up on his fiancee feet.

The Alpha was big. Bigger than any man Kaoru knew. His shoulder were large and Omega was sure that The Demon King could kill anybody with his bare hands. For what reason he had a sword, attached to his belt, if he clearly does not need it? Moreover, he smelled like a danger. A mixed scent of sweat and sandalwood.

“You wasn’t making this up,” the Demon King said, “When you wrote me he is beautiful.”

Kaoru felt anger, boiling inside him. Does the Demon Lord think that he is deaf? He was talking with his father about him, without actually speaking directly to the Omega! Disrespectful ogre, Kaoru thought, but bit his tongue.

“Good afternoon, my dear Prince”, the Demon King finally spoke to him. “Forgive me my surprise, but you are breathtaking.”

Kaoru used his fan to cover half of his face, forcing a small smile. You were fine breathing and talking nonce just a second ago, you brainless gorilla, he thought.

“Welcome to the Sun Elvish Kingdom, my Lord.”

I hope you will die during this trip, Kaoru added in his mind.

#matcha blossom #kaoru sakurayashiki #nanjo kojiro #sk8 #sk8 the infinity #sorry for my English

34 notes · View notes

tact-and-impulse · 3 years

Text

With These Hands Chapter 11

Look, I say we’re ending 2020 with affection and fluff! Also, now that I know what it’s like working in a hospital, I can write this AU better, and this episode has heavy influence from my first night call shifts. For my fellow healthcare workers, because this was...a year. Here’s to staying safe in 2021!

The rest of this chapter is under the cut or on FF.net and AO3

Chapter 11: Endurance

Admittedly, Kenshin’s stomach dropped when he saw her. She was limp in her chair, arms dangling at her sides and her face turned away.

“Kaoru-dono?!” He rushed to her desk, panic overriding sensibility. But before he could touch her, her eyes snapped open and her right fist lashed out in a glancing blow that brought him to his knees. Acting on instinct, he latched onto the edge of her desk, elbow colliding with the hard surface. “Oro!”

At the contact, she blinked away her drowsiness. “Ken…shin? Oh, no! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” She sat up, her fingertips brushing his aching cheekbone. The pain was already fading, and he resisted leaning in.

“This one is fine. It was this one’s fault, surprising you.” He managed to answer. Despite how his skin was buzzing, he was not going to behave like a hormonal teenager.

“I still shouldn’t have punched you.” She withdrew, her voice full of concern. “I hope it won’t bruise.”

“There have been worse hits that this one has taken, so don’t worry.” And on that same side as well, he ruefully thought. “Are you still working?” It was already past seven.

“I’m on night call.” Her explanation contained no small amount of misery. “And I had a meeting in the afternoon, so I only got an hour of sleep before I came here. It’s going to be a long Thursday night; at least, I have the weekend off. What about you?”

“This one is also in the same situation, filling in for a colleague who was supposed to work tonight. There was a family emergency, so this one is here instead.”

“Oh, good. Not that you have to work on short notice,” She hastily added. “But we can keep each other company.”

“That’s true. It will be easier to stay awake.” He would have been content to stay at her desk; he had nothing urgent at the moment. But she did, as signaled by her blaring pager. She mouthed an apology, before taking the call. Leaving her to her responsibilities, he drifted back to his spot across the room, to print his list of patients.

***

He was reading the interim notes on his patients when she commented.

“By the way, I forgot to mention earlier. I like your scrubs.”

“Oro?” The faded magenta met his downward gaze. “These are very old.”

“But you look so cheerful! The other male doctors stick to blue or black.”

“So did this one, in the past. However, brighter colors can be comforting or distracting for the children, so that’s something this one can do for them.”

“You also can pull it off, because you’re an attending.” She pointed out, and he laughed.

“There’s nothing wrong with navy either.”

“It’s not navy, it’s indigo.” Grinning, she tugged the front of her scrub top. “But it’s my favorite color.”

“It suits you very well.” Belatedly, he wondered if that was harassment, but she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she blushed. At the sight, his own face warmed.

“Thanks.” For a heartbeat, the only sound was the humming of their computers. Abruptly stretching her arms over her head, she declared. “I need coffee. The cafeteria’s closed, but do you want anything from the vending machine?”

“This one can join you.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to bother you if you’re busy, and you can just text me.” They had already exchanged numbers, thanks to the group chat Misao had started for the workroom.

“No, it will be a long night and this one prefers not to stay in one spot.” He pocketed his pager and stood from his chair.

Her smile widened. “Yeah, I won’t argue with that. And I’m glad! It’s more fun with you.” Her blush had not faded, and his cheek tingled.

He replied honestly. “This one feels the same way.”

Unfortunately, the closest machine had its interior lights off and the glass front bore a paper sign. ‘Out of Order’ was written in large block letters, punctuated by a frowning face. If he had to guess, it appeared to be the handiwork of either Sano or Misao, perhaps even a joint effort.

“That’s a shame.” He said. “Should we search for another?”

“Sounds like a plan! Let’s hope the others are still functioning.”

Their workroom was at the injunction between the main building and the children’s hospital, so they had options. He allowed her to decide, and she headed for the pediatric side. She swiped her badge to access a corridor that was glass on both sides, from ceiling to floor.

“This part is one of the best, in my opinion. Well, at least during the day.” Outside, it was dark, except for the street lamps. Occasionally, a car zipped past on the road below, illuminating the surrounding greenery. But he understood her. When it was sunny, they were provided with a scenic view of the city beyond.

“Yes, it’s the closest we have to stepping out. It’s important to have something to look at, other than the interior of the building.”

“Right? I always feel more rejuvenated when I go through this way. Although, I do love the murals in the children’s hospital.”

“Which do you like best?”

“Hmm. I think the bamboo forest, on the sixth floor. The animals are cute, the pandas and the tanuki.”

“Also, because that is where shinai come from?” He innocently referred to her love for kenjutsu.

“Okay, a little bit.” But she laughed. “Well, which is your favorite?”

He already had an answer. “The fourth floor, with the countryside motif. It reminds this one of his childhood.”

“You were a country boy?”

“In the Kansai region, yes. However, it has been almost twenty years since this one lived there. This one doesn’t even remember the closest town. We did grow rice and vegetables, and there were some chickens.” He pieced together the fragmented memories. “But it was a very long time ago.”

“It must have, I couldn’t tell at all.” She was thoughtful, and he realized he might have shared too much. But she didn’t pry, instead asking. “Did you have any baby chicks?”

“Not that this one can remember.”

“That’s too bad.” Disappointment showed on her face.

He smiled. The image of Kaoru, cradling fluffy chicks in her arms, was sweet.

In a corner near an empty waiting area, they finally found a working vending machine. Kaoru cheered at its presence, peering within to decide on her snacks. She was terribly adorable, depositing her change and punching the buttons. Holding her coffee and a package of chocolate-covered biscuits, she beamed. “Alright, your turn!”

As she walked past, he caught the scent of jasmine flowers. Too subtle to be perfume, it must have been her shampoo. He thought it was pleasant.

“Kenshin? Aren’t you going to buy something?”

He jolted, realizing he hadn’t moved. “A-ah, yes.” Breathing deeply to settle his nerves, he chose a bottle of green tea, and the same cookies she picked. She had already opened her drink and sipped it as they walked back.

“Whew, I feel a lot better.”

“That’s good. You need your strength for the hours ahead.”

“Yeah. I still wish I had more sleep, but I just remind myself that at least, I’m not in one of the hospital beds. That was much harder.”

“And now, you’re here. Your patients are extremely fortunate to have you, because you understand what it must be like.”

Her blush had returned in full force. She nodded, before her brows drew together. “Wait-”

Overhead, the loudspeaker crackled, calling for a medical response team. They both stopped, listening attentively. The alert meant that a patient’s condition was deteriorating. He checked his list as the room number was announced. It did not belong to any of his charges, and judging from how Kaoru exhaled, it wasn’t any of hers either. But elsewhere, someone was struggling and their colleagues were doing everything they could to save them.

As they approached familiar walls, it was his pager’s turn to vibrate, and reluctantly, he excused himself.

***

After midnight, he had one emergency surgery, for a patient that had gone into hemorrhagic shock. Two hours later, he emerged from the operating room, the worst outcome kept at bay. He ordered for two units of blood, to be transfused if the patient was anemic, and headed back to the workroom.

Kaoru had her earbuds in, obviously engrossed. Upon his entrance, she removed them and greeted him. “Hey, Kenshin. How’d it go?”

“Well enough. The patient is stable for now, but this one will keep a close eye. Did you have any new admissions?”

“Just one in the emergency room, who’s waiting to be placed in a room, but it seems like a straightforward case. History of glycogen storage disorder, so I’ve been reading up.”

“This one didn’t realize articles were accessible on CD.” He had noticed the small player next to her keyboard, that had appeared in his absence.

“Oh, no, this is an audiobook. It’s an old one, I already know all the twists. I only replay it because of the narrator.” Her expression became very fond.

“Ah.” Inwardly, he was caught off guard, but he maintained a neutral face. “Is he a good actor?”

“I think she was. This book is one of my mother’s recordings, after all. Would you like to hear her?”

Somewhat embarrassed, he agreed, and she transferred the CD to her computer. Momentarily, a woman’s gentle voice filled the air. Her cadence and intonation were similar to Kaoru’s, and she switched between characters with impressive ease. It seemed to be an anthology of short stories.

“You were not wrong; her performance is wonderful.”

“I’m glad you think so! She’d be happy to hear that, if she were alive.” Kaoru clarified. “She had lupus, and she passed away from kidney failure when I was young. She couldn’t get a transplant in time. The Mirror Wing in the main hospital is named for her.” The dialysis unit was located there.

“You must miss her.”

“I do, but at least, I have Okaa-san in this way. Not many people can say the same.”

He definitely couldn’t. Then, the staccato beeps of her pager interrupted them again. He was beginning to dislike that particular ring.

By three in the morning, Kaoru was starting to falter. She was continuing to type on her computer, but her head nodded and she occasionally jolted, unconsciously trying to stay awake.

“Kaoru-dono.”

“Hmm?” Her gaze lifted, though not quite focusing.

“Please, get some rest. The work can wait.” He gently said. “This one can turn the lights off, if that would help.”

“Would you? That’d be really nice.” She murmured.

He flipped the switches, leaving the glow of his monitor. “If there was a bed, that would be better.”

“It’s okay. Hospital beds aren’t very comfy.” She certainly spoke from experience. She opened one of her desk drawers, taking out a spare surgical mask. “Please don’t tell anyone else in your department.” Before he could inquire further, she proceeded to wear it over her face, and it was large enough to cover her eyes.

He had to stifle his laughter. “This one promises.”

It was uneventful afterwards, without beeping pagers or loudspeaker announcements. He lasted another hour and a half, before he felt the familiar pull of exhaustion. He logged off and sat back in his chair. He could never fully sleep while on the job. That was especially true now, with Kamiya Kaoru in the same room, softly breathing.

It was Director Kamiya who had offered him a place at Kamiya Kasshin, while he was still working for Katsura. He had been disillusioned and burnt out, entertaining ideas of quitting medicine. He was too ashamed to talk to Hiko, but he caved to the “fates” as his guardian liked to refer to them. Akane, Kasumi, and Sakura had sat him down, persuading him to take the new job before deciding anything further. Akane was particularly fervent, she had never liked Katsura.

So, he had accepted the position and adjusting to the new work environment occupied him. Then, the accident happened. It was on a night not too different from this one, and he had also been on call. He heard there was a group of people, on the phone with the director at the crash site, trying to obtain details. He had run to that desk, preparing to encourage the man who had helped him so far. It was at the other end of the hospital and he was relatively late, everyone else mobilizing for the victims’ arrival. When he picked up the phone, he was out of breath. “Kamiya-dono?”

Instead of Director Kamiya’s voice, there was a young, feminine one. Choked with tears, but still strong. “Hello? Please, can you hear me?”

One fateful conversation, and she reminded him of what he loved about his profession. But she didn’t seem to remember. That was alright, the memory was wrapped up in tragedy, and he didn’t want to hurt her. Getting to know her was enough. Even after six years, she was very much the same woman he had spoken to. Compassionate, brave, honest.

Hiko, being his usual infuriating self, had accused him of having a crush, although Kenshin was disgruntled. Not that Kaoru wasn’t attractive, but it was not the point. It wasn’t a crush, he was immensely grateful to Kaoru as well as her late father, for his current life. Originally, he was trying to repay their kindness, in what little he could manage on his part. So far, he enjoyed spending time with her, even when on call. Around her, and for that matter, their other workroom colleagues, he felt at ease in a way that he hadn’t experienced in decades.

But if she asked about him…? He hadn’t decided what he would do yet.

***

Kenshin slowly emerged from his trance. The blinds had been opened, the sky pink with dawn. He clicked his mouse and the monitor lit with the time. Just past six. Night call was almost over.

Kaoru’s chair was empty, and he drowsily recalled her rummaging about, before the door closed. She must have gone to pre-round on her patients, to check on them before meeting with the rest of her team. He hoped they would let her go before noon.

He relayed the night’s events to the day shift’s surgeon, who insisted that everything would be taken care of and please get some rest, Dr. Himura. But he went to check on his shock patient, who was thankfully stable. Then, the parents arrived in the waiting area, and he took the opportunity to speak to them. By the time he returned to retrieve his things, it was already ten. Kaoru was also there, greeting him as if she hadn’t spent the night at the hospital.

“Morning, Kenshin!”

“Good morning. How were your rounds?” He inquired, clearing his desk.

“Quick, thank goodness.”

“And how are you?”

“I feel fine. Well, I know it’s fake, I’ll probably crash once I get home. I’m just going to submit my notes, and then, I’ll go.” She didn’t sit down, her eyes glued to her screen as she logged in. A few clicks, and then, she grabbed her bag. “Done! Geez, I’m ready to leave.”

“Good work, Kaoru-dono.”

“You too.” Despite how little she must have slept, her smile was as radiant as ever. “But you’re still here? I thought you would have been out by now.”

“This one had a few tasks, but this one was just about to leave as well. After you.” He urged her ahead of him. They shared an elevator down, luckily without any stops.

“Have you already eaten breakfast?” She asked.

“This one had a leftover rice ball. The cafeteria is…” His weary mind searched for a word that would be appropriate.

“I know, I really want Tae to expand her hours, but she can’t while she has her regular job. I think I have cup ramen in my pantry.”

“Next time, this one will bring enough onigiri to share.”

“Next time?” She repeated, emphasizing the implication of another call shift in the near future, but she was laughing. “Would they have caffeine in them?”

He smiled at her. “For you, this one will make an exception.”

Her cheeks grew pink. “Thank you, I’ll look forward to it.” After a pause, she added. “What would even be inside such onigiri? Instant coffee?”

Matcha powder actually, but he needed to perfect that recipe. “It would be a surprise.”

“Geez!”

They passed the lobby, and bright sunshine filled his vision. After spending so long in the hospital, it was a relief to be out in the open again. The cloudless sky was an immaculate blue, the fresh air crisp. Beside him, Kaoru sighed, her lips curving. The wind tossed her ponytail, and she shoved her hands in her pockets, continuing on. Suddenly aware that he was staring again, he picked up his feet. Then, they were already at the garage and had to part ways. Work had truly ended.

“Drive safe and sleep well! I’ll see you on Monday!” She waved and he did the same.

“Take care.”

There was no traffic, and his empty apartment was cool. It was quiet as he meticulously cleaned his belongings. As he walked to his bedroom, he barely made a sound. The shower seemed too loud, and so did the hair dryer. Slipping between his clean sheets, he noticed the lack of scent. After leaving his glasses on his nightstand, he checked his phone again. Nothing new, which was supposed to be good. He hovered over Kaoru’s name in the group chat. Well…it wouldn’t hurt. His thumb pressed down, and he began to type.

This one hopes you returned home without issue and that you have a relaxing weekend.

With the message sent, he locked the screen. She could reply on her own time.

And at last, he closed his eyes.

#rurouni kenshin #kenkao

20 notes · View notes

amoura-eternia · 4 years

Text

Kaoru turns Chizuru into a fury in the anime. What if scenario. Canon Divergence. One sided Okichi. Hijichi.

Chizuru coughed as the liquid her brother had forced her to drink went down her throat, when he moved away she fell to her knees and spluttered and spat, trying desperately to get rid of it. Though no matter how hard she tried, she knew it was already too late. After all, she had already swallowed it.

"Ahhh." Two voices called out to her, one belonged to Kondou, the other was one she hadn't expected to hear.

"Okita-san?" She questioned quietly, trying to catch a glimpse of him. She didn't have to for long as both he and Kondou moved beside her.

"Damn it! That Kaoru…" His words trailed off and she took the time to locate her twin, he was nowhere to be found.

"He's gone. He's not here anymore." Kondou told her, his words were likely meant to be comforting and she appreciated the gesture but…

Silence fell over the three as Kondou looked down guiltily and Okita glared in the direction Kaoru had left. Chizuru didn't know what to say, she didn’t know what to do. She was a Fury now, which meant… Well, a lot of things.

"Come on, we can't stay here." Okita stated as he pushed himself up. Slowly, Chizuru and Kondou followed suit.

********

By the time the group of three decided to stop, it was already the next day. Kondou had wanted to stop earlier for Souji's and Chizuru's sakes but they couldn't exactly afford to, not in enemy territory.

By now Chizuru was looking extremely pale, she seemed to be in quite a lot of pain. Souji just moments prior had fallen to his knees in a coughing fit, it was then that Kondou had decided they'd gone far enough. Even if it was only for a short while, they needed rest.

Chizuru had been easy enough to convince, especially when Souji stepped in, or perhaps she had just been too tired to put up much of an argument. Either way she was now resting against Souji's shoulder, fast asleep.

"Souji, you should get some sleep. I'll take watch." Souji? Not so much. As Kondou expected, Souji had protested once more. Kondou supposed he would have to take a different approach. He didn't want to but Souji wasn't well, and all this strain was only going to make him worse. "Souji, that wasn't a request."

Souji's eyes widened in surprise. Kondou rarely, if ever, talked to him like that. "... Alright, if that's what you really want." Albeit begrudgingly, he agreed.

"Excellent! Now lie down, you two are going to be uncomfortable when you awake if you sleep like that." Kondou moved over to them and lightly pushed them down.

Instinctively, Chizuru curled up to him, adjusting to the new position. Souji's eyes drifted to her and, ever so slightly, his lips curled into a smile. Kondou didn't miss it but he opted not to mention anything.

*********

By the time the two had awoken, Hijikata had managed to find them. They weren't sure how exactly but Hijikata always had a sixth sense for these things.

Souji had had a few words to say to the vice commander of the Shinsengumi the second he awoke. "Why did you leave?! Kondou-san could have been killed while you were gone, looking for reinforcements you didn't even bring back! And if it weren't for you Chizuru-chan wouldn't-"

Having been startled awake by Souji's outburst, Chizuru screamed out. "Okita-san, please don't say anymore!" She didn't want Hijikata to know, she didn't want to add more stress and… She also didn't want him to worry about her, he had far more important things to be doing than worrying about this.

Of course she knew she likely wouldn't be able to keep it a secret forever. It wasn't like her Demon abilities, with being a Fury she had to hide the pain that came with being under the sun and later… bloodlust. Hijikata was an observant man, he would find out eventually.

Time. She just wanted a little more time to figure out what to do.

"Yukimura, what happened?" His sharp gaze connected with hers and she looked away.

"I don't want to talk about it." She told him, her gaze fixed pointedly to the ground.

There was silence for a moment. Chizuru bit her lip. Hijikata sighed. "Alright."

********

It was when they finally arrived at Okita’s hiding place in Sendagaya that Chizuru finally decided to tell Hijikata about what had happened. Okita had told her if she was going to tell him it would probably be best to do so here, since they were the only ones here. He had also mentioned that Hijikata was likely already catching on since she had so much trouble moving during the day. Kondou had added that it was better now than later. They both had brought up good points and so she had agreed to do it.

Kondou had offered to tell Hijikata for her but she had refused. “No, it’s my responsibility. This is about me. So I must be the one to say this.”

And now the three were standing in front of Hijikata, she hadn’t wanted to tell him alone, preparing to give him the news. Chizuru took a deep breath. “I’m a Fury now.” Perhaps that was a little too to the point.

There was silence for a long moment. His eyes narrowed and before she got a chance to explain further he had grabbed hold of her, perhaps more roughly than he had entirely intended. “Why would you drink that?! How did you even get your hands on that shit?!”

“Let go of her, Hijikata-san!” Okita had stepped in grabbing hold of his wrist and pushing him back. His eyes were cold, an expression Chizuru had never expected him to make for her. “She didn’t drink it willingly.”

“Well that’s even worse!” Hijikata exclaimed before he took a deep breath to calm himself down some. “Who forced her and why?”

“It was Kaoru. My twin brother, Kaoru. He said… he said he wants to... make me suffer.” Chizuru spoke quietly as she remembered the look in her twin brother’s eyes. They were definitely crazed but they were also filled with so much anguish. Kondou placed a comforting hand on her back and she looked up at him, she was only able to manage a small smile in return but she was grateful for the gesture.

"...I see." Hijikata didn't ask for any more information, this surprised her as she was sure he would have wanted to know more about the twin brother she had never mentioned before. "Yukimura, I'd like to continue this conversation in private.

Chizuru nodded, though admittedly she was somewhat hesitant to agree, still anxious about the whole situation. "I see, in that case Souji and I will leave you to talk."

"But-" It was rare for Okita to argue with Kondou over anything so it came as somewhat of a shock when he did not immediately agree.

"Okita-san, really, it's fine." Chizuru reassured him, giving him a shaky smile. "Thank you, both of you, for coming with me for this." She bowed in gratitude, only standing up straight when she heard Okita humph.

"...Fine." With that single word, Okita turned and left the room.

Kondou offered her a smile and a comforting pat on the shoulder before he followed suit. “Toshi, be nice to her, she’s been through a lot.” With that he closed the door and they were left alone.

Silence fell over the two for a moment before Hijikata sighed and sat himself on the floor, gesturing for her to do the same. She did, locking her eyes with his, as ready as she could be for whatever was going to say next.

“You understand, now that you’re a Fury, I won’t be able to let you leave the Shinsengumi, yes?” Chizuru blinked but nodded, that wasn’t what she had expected him to say. Why couldn’t he have said that in front of Kondou and Okita? “...I’m sorry.”

“N-no! It wasn’t your fault!” Chizuru exclaimed as soon as she got over the shock that had come with Hijikata apologising to her.

“Still, I’m sorry. We’re in the middle of a war and now there’s no escape for you. On top of that the Shinsengumi promised your protection and we let this happen to you.”

“I-I don’t want to leave! I... haven’t wanted to in a very long time.” Chizuru shook her head wildly, it didn’t matter if she was a Fury if it meant she could stay by Hijikata and the Shinsengumi until the very end. “And I don’t want to stay because I want your-the Shinsengumi’s protection. I want to stay because I love the Shinsengumi!”

“...” Hijikata didn’t say anything for a long while then his lips curled up into a smile, Chizuru released the breath she had been holding. “How are you feeling?”

“Huh? Well I’m out of the sun and it’s been a few days so... not too bad.”

“That’s not what I meant. I mean how are you feeling about being a Fury now?” Chizuru’s eyes widened and she looked away.

“I… I… There’s nothing that can be done… So… I have to deal with it… right…?” Chizuru spoke softly, her head bowed so her eyes, quickly filling with tears, would be hidden from Hijikata’s view. “I’m fine.” She wasn’t fine and she knew Hijikata could probably tell she wasn’t fine but even so she wanted to at least try to reassure him so he wouldn’t worry about her.

“Chizuru, I don’t want to make you a promise I may not be able to keep, so I won’t say I’ll make everything alright.” Hijikata wasn’t one to mince words and he didn’t do so here, strangely she found this comforting. “But I will say I’ll try.”

“Eh? Hijikata-san you don’t have to! You’re already so busy!” Chizuru exclaimed looking up at him. “I don’t… want to be a burden. I’m not worth it.”

“I’ve told you before you’re not a burden besides If I didn’t think you were worth it, I wouldn’t have bothered to say anything.”

The tears gathered in her eyes finally began to fall “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise when you have nothing to apologise for.”

“I’m so- thank you.”

As Chizuru cried Hijikata stayed in the room, offering a silent comfort through his presence.

#hakuouki #hakuouki anime #hakuouki fanfiction #chizuru yukimura #kaoru nagumo #souji okita #isami kondou #toshizo hijikata #hijichi #one-sided okichi #concept #fury chizuru #rasetsu chizuru #canon divergence

13 notes · View notes

whumpmeamadeus-blog · 4 years

Text

Untouchable (Persona 5 Whump)

Non shippy fic of Iwai helpiing with Ren, who has gotten himself in a spot of trouble. From my fic ‘Vignettes of Comfort” on Ao3! (Trans-Akira, Guns, Threats, hurt, comfort, stabbing mention)

“Just stay under the radar, kid,” Iwai muttered, leaning against the cluttered desk in the back of his shop.

Ren looked him over; man, if he was 20 years older. Even 10. Damn. He banished those thoughts from his mind and tossed his hair from his eyes. “I pretty much live under the radar.”

That chuckle, more like a chainsaw revving than a laugh. “Good way to go through life, if you can. Now go on, get outta here. Ain’t got time to waste on a kid like you.”

“See you soon, then.” With a saucy salute, Ren bid Iwai farewell and left Untouchable. He was feeling pretty confident about his evening, knowing it had went well and that he was getting even more of a discount. Morgana, safely in his bag, chatted his ear off the entire way through Shibuya.

All in all, this had been a pretty good night.

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

Honestly, at first Iwai had been annoyed by that skinny little nobody coming through and taking up his time with weird requests for things kids should never have been interested in. But he never heard of the kid doing anything illegal with what he bought. At least, nothing he got caught doing.

Iwai also knew, now, that the things Amamiya Ren bought from him were being used to a standard even he couldn’t complain about.

Kaoru would be jazzed to know about that.

Iwai finished up his work and went home. It was a simple night at home with Kaoru, something he didn’t get to enjoy as much as he should. But he was going to make more of an effort. He thought about seeing if maybe he couldn’t get Ren to hang out with Kaoru a little, take him to the batting cages or SOMETHING. They were only a couple years apart and Ren was a good kid; more importantly, he was a kid with a spine and a sense of justice. Kaoru was doing just fine, but maybe spending some time with a kid a few years older, who really seemed to have a handle on himself, would be good. He’d make a point to bring it up the next time Ren came by.

When a week later, he hadn’t seen the kid, he didn’t think about it. Sometimes he wouldn’t show up for weeks on end. What was Iwai gonna do about it? A kid was a kid.

A week and a half, and nothing. Iwai didn’t even pass by him on Central Street, which he had done before. Normally, he wouldn’t worry; it wasn’t any business of his what Ren got up to.

But something was gnawing at him. He tried to ignore it, and was doing a pretty steady job.

Half a week later - two in total since the last time he had seen Ren, if one was counting, which he certainly wasn’t - Iwai was doing some light dusting just to keep his mind off of things. Their shit country. That Shido guy everyone seemed to be all up in arms about (which he didn’t understand, the guy looked like a tool who collected toy skulls and made stupid sexist videos on the Internet). Kaoru was suffering in English, which Iwai was no good in either. Maybe, a little bit, he was worried about Ren.

He turned his back on the door and knelt to get something out of sight. Of course, the moment he did that, he heard the door open; always happened that way, didn’t it? “Just a minute.”

“Dad!?”

Kaoru’s concerned voice jolted him, and Iwai stood straight up. His son was still in his uniform, with his school bag, like everything was normal.

But he was also supporting Ren, who looked tired, almost gaunt, with faded, yellowing bruises under vibrantly coloured new ones running up and down his bare arms, and on his neck. Then Ren looked up and met his gaze; the blackened, swollen state of his eye was magnified through those gigantic glasses.

“How in the hell is THIS flyin’ under the radar?” Iwai grumbled, internally panicked that his old family had come after them after all.

“Well,” Ren said dryly, “I didn’t start the fight, if that helps.”

“Shut up.”

Iwai and Kaoru helped Ren get to the back room, where he all but collapsed onto the closest surface. Immediately, Iwai dragged Kaoru back out into the store. “Tell me what happened.”

Kaoru watched him go over and lock the door before clearing his throat. “I just went to the diner and he was there with like four empty coffee mugs in front of him, covered in bruises just like now. Except I only saw his face, his sleeves were rolled down.”

That was why Ren had looked especially odd to him - usually the kid was wearing a jacket, whether is was his uniform or something else. Iwai shook his head and lit a cigarette despite the look Kaoru gave him, the look that said You told me you were gonna quit months ago. “He say anything to you?”

“About what happened to him? No, I just asked if he needed help, he said no. I told him too bad and that if he didn’t come with me I was just going to call you anyways.”

“Good kid,” Iwai said. He was proud of his son for doing the right thing. “Listen, I got it from here - why don’t you get back to the diner and get started on your homework?”

Kaoru didn’t seem to like it, but listened - especially when he was given Iwai’s wallet. Iwai let him out of the store, then pulled down the grate before locking the door again. He didn’t necessarily want to send Kaoru out there again, if this kid had been hurt because of some ancient BS, but thought it might be easier to get Ren to talk if Kaoru was out of the way. He’d make it to the diner just fine; Iwai hadn’t raised an idiot, after all.

His more pressing concern was finding out what, exactly, had happened to Ren.

He got a bottle of water from under the desk, and a first aid kit, then moved into the back room. Ren was sitting exactly where they had left him, but with his eyes closed and head now leaned back against the wall. He was holding onto his phone, but it was dark. Iwai announced his presence with a sigh. Ren cracked open the eye with the least amount of damage. “Where’s Kaoru?”

“What happened to you?”

“That’s how you answer a question?” Ren asked, with that edge that Iwai liked, that reminded him of himself. “I just...got in something I shouldn’t have.”

Iwai took a drag from his cigarette and looked Ren up and down. He looked much smaller without that jacket. Maybe Iwai had been mistaken in thinking he was old for his age; this kid was hardly more than an ankle-biter. “No shit. But what?”

“It wasn’t anything like what you got into, if that’s what you’re worried about. I just got my ass handed to me last week, then again this week.”

They had what felt to Iwai like a battle of wills. With the kid so beat up, Iwai knew he was destined to throw the match and did so spectacularly, with a hefty sigh and a rolling of the eyes so hard that he thought he saw the top of his own skull. “Fine. Have your secrets.”

He leaned over to reach into a mini-fridge and pulled out a cold pack from the small tray that served as a freezer. “Put this on over your eye,” he said, pushing it into Ren’s hands. He didn’t take his eyes off of the kid until the gel pack was over the worst of the bruising. Then Iwai flipped open the first aid kit. After everything he had been through, he made sure to keep the thing pretty well stocked; not that there was much he could do for bruising. He found a cream for it, and tossed that to Ren as well.

“...I think I’m bleeding, too,” Akira said, and for the first time, Iwai thought he heard a hint of weakness in that voice.

He didn’t show that, however, and just nodded as he grabbed a package of gauze and medical tape, as well as bandaids, from the first aid kit. Iwai hoped this wasn’t bad enough that Ren would have to go to the hospital, because he would be a real hypocrite to his own ways if he dragged the kid there for this. He took a stack of napkins from some take-out meal or another and doused it in water from the bottle. “Lemme see.”

Ren hesitated, one hand playing with his dirty collar. Iwai just gave him a stern look. “Remember who I am, kid - I’ve patched up worse wounds than whatever you’ve gotten yourself into.”

With a sigh, Ren stood and turned around. Iwai swore under his breath; there was a gash in his shirt, and blood trickling through to stain the white, red. Ren slowly unbuttoned his shirt but instead of dropping it, just pulled it up to rest underneath his armpits. Iwai didn’t question it, just looked over the cut that stretched, thin but not too long, over the left side of his lower back; it was clearly a switchblade. He’d know the cut anywhere.

“Not too bad,” he said. “Surface wound, won’t need stitches.”

“I can clean it up,” Ren said, and Iwai was going to fight him on it before realizing that there were any number of reasons this kid wouldn’t want to be touched after a scrape like whatever he had gotten into. So he just gave the napkins to Ren and gave him verbal cues to wipe the cut clean. It took a little folding and maneuvering, but Ren eventually got the gauze positioned and relented, letting Iwai tape it down.

He let Ren do the bruises, too, and turned around to look through the first aid kit again, half to look for any ibuprofen and half to give Ren some semblance of privacy. There was a bottle in there, and the expiration date was still a year away. Perfect. Only when Ren said he was done did Iwai turn back to him, bottle in hand. Ren had his shirt pulled back down now, and was holding the cold pack to his neck. “...thanks.”

“Sure thing. I was an idiot kid getting into fights once, too.”

“It wasn’t a fight,” Ren said, and this time he sounded very serious. His eyes were hard, and Iwai held up a hand, palm upward, a man asking for more of an answer than that. “It wasn’t. I was jumped last week, and when I didn’t have enough cash on me, they beat me and said they’d be back.”

Anger bubbled up in Iwai’s gut; who the hell would do that to a kid? At least it didn’t sound like anything Iwai’s past had dragged them into. “And then?”

“Well I saw them all around. Think they knew where I lived. Saw them in my neighborhood. Outside of school even.” He shrugged. “Got cocky, figured they’d forget about me, or I could...persuade them otherwise.”

Iwai had wondered about that part; this kid was a Phantom Thief, after all. How’d this happen to someone like him?

“But things got away from me, and I couldn’t. They caught up to me, and...well. Here we are.. I didn’t have what they wanted, they got me, pulled a knife. Barely got out of there.”

Ren was trying to keep his cool, but Iwai could see the way his hands were shaking. Just a little. With a sigh, Iwai leaned against the table, arms folded over his chest. “You know who they were?”

“Just some low-level wannabe gang, I think. If I knew their names, I could…” Ren shook his head, then drained the rest of the water left in that bottle despite its tepid temperature. “But I don’t, so I need to figure out what to do next.”

“What you need to do is sit there and let me think,” Iwai said. He knew how to deal with up-shots who wanted more than they were worth. Because this wasn’t going to go down this way; these assholes weren’t going to harass this kid any longer. Iwai’s fingers just barely brushed the tattoo on his neck. “You wanna end this once and for all?”

Ren looked at him, then said ‘no,’ quietly. Then again. “No, you don’t have to get involved.”

“Kid,” Iwai said, leaning forward and looking him in the eye. “It’s too late for that

“I’m in.”

Ren let Iwai take him home that night, accepting a ride in the back of a surprisingly clean and sporty car with Kaoru. No one was in Leblanc, and he heard Boss in the back. Moving he quickly, he called out that he was back and darted upstairs. Morgana, asleep under the bed with just his tail poking out, didn’t stir. Good thing Futaba had him today and worn him out; she had really taken a shine to that cat.

When he sat on the bed he did so quietly, not wanting to wake Morgana. He unbuttoned his shirt and looked down over his bruised stomach. The worst of it, however, something Iwai was never going to see, was under his binder. Usually he slept with it on, but with this bruising...Ryuji would kick his ass worse than this if he knew Ren was pushing himself with that thing. Of all the people who knew - which was only about five people, in the whole world - who knew that he was trans, Ryuji took it the most seriously. He had done all of the reading, searched online, learned everything he could. For Ren.

So it was with Ryuji in mind that Ren struggled out of his binder and abandoned it on the bed. It should be washed, but he couldn’t even think about that until he was covered. His chest was covered in bruises, and once it was no longer compressed the pain blossomed outward from there. First, Ren took a shaky breath and palmed the cream Iwai had given him. Yes, he should put this on, but...well, unless he was putting the binder on, Ren didn’t let his hands near his chest. It was too much for him. Later, maybe. He pulled out his pajama shirt and yanked it on, then his grey hoodie over that. What could he say? He was feeling vulnerable. Ren climbed under the covers and pulled his phone close to him. The minute he touched it, the device buzzed. A text from Iwai.

‘Keep an eye out kid. Come by the shop if you see those dicks.’

Ren would have chuckled at the wording alone - exactly how Iwai spoke - but if he was honest with himself, he didn’t feel much like laughing.

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

Two nights later, Ren was feeling shaky after a shift at the Beef Bowl Shop. All night long, he had spotted the men who were after him for something as trivial as money. Ren had money, he didn’t have to worry about that. This was the principal of the thing. He thought that, if he could get them talking he find out at least one name, he could take them down where he was stronger - Mementos. Then they wouldn’t be bothering anyone else, either.

Honestly, he wouldn’t have been worried if it was just one of them that he had spotted. One guy, he thought he could handle.

But there had been three separate guys out there through the course of the night, including the one who had cut him. Now, Ren did not consider himself a coward in any sense of the word. But this?

Well. It made him uneasy enough to send a text to Iwai. It was simple, just ‘3 @ the Beef Bowl Shop,’ because he didn’t know how else to ask for assistance other than simply telling him the facts. This would be different, he told himself, if so many people were not relying on him.

His boss had dismissed him 10 minutes before he sent the text. Only 5 minutes after he sent it did he hear a knock to the employee part of the building. One of his co-workers stuck her head in. “Uhm, Amamiya? A guy who says he’s your uncle is here?”

Then he really could have laughed. The man even came up with an excuse. He thanked his co-worker and went out to the main dining room. Sure enough, Iwai was there, leaning against the window and looking bored while a few of the customers looked on, worried.

“Thank for coming to get me, Uncle Munehisa,” he teased, his voice light despite the reason Iwai had come.

“Shut your mouth, kid,” Iwai said, but Ren saw the chuckle playing at the corners of his mouth. “Let’s get out of here.”

The moment they were outside, Iwai looked both ways down the street. “When was the last time you saw one of them?”

Ren started to move across the street, towards the alley that led to Untouchable, keeping an eye out as well. None of them seemed to be in the immediate area; maybe he had been hasty. But he did feel a little more secure with Iwai at his side. “Last two passed by maybe ten minutes ago.”

“We’ll just get to Untouchable and work from there, alright?”

“Alright.”

It was simple, really. Just get into the store and leave from there. Ren followed Iwai across the street and down the alley. He glanced at the Velvet Room; Justine did not meet his gaze. At least if things ever got too crazy, he could jump in there. Not ideal, but doable. Iwai pulled out his keys and opened the door to Untouchable. He held it open. “Get in.”

Ren moved past him, and the impending sense of danger did not come quickly enough.

A sharp pain in his back, over where he had been cut before, and he was sent reeling forward into the store. His vision swam as his head bounced with the impact of his knees on the floor. But Iwai’s grunt of pain hurt way more than that. He hoped that Iwai would stay away as Ren pushed through the pain and turned around. There were two guys on Iwai, who looked calm and collected as he slammed his fist into a jaw. Ren would have chuckled if the guy who had pushed him did not drop to the floor and push him back, to the ground, with his arm on Akira’s neck.

He had just been too distracted with Iwai to move quickly enough. With all of his might, Ren pushed against the man holding him down; the silky shirt, leopard print, slid around under his grasp. That STUPID shirt - Akira knew it well.

This was the man with the knife. Ren knew that before he even brought it out. “You think your ex-yakuza sugar daddy can save you? Too late for that - we got you.”

Ren thought about all of the bruises on him. He thought about how a group like this would never involve the police, so he shouldn’t be at any risk if he retaliated. He thought about his friends, waiting for him to lead them. And he thought about how Iwai was over there, fighting for him.

It became absolutely effortless to take his fist and drive it into that stupid leopard-spotted stomach. Ren was able to get the man off of him, but his main goal was to get the knife out of reach. Never mind that he was in a store full of replica weapons, many with blades triple the size of the knife - THAT was the one that had dug into his back, and the owner seemed pretty fond of it.

He yanked himself up using the counter, while the guy was still on the ground, and Ren made a quick decision to drive his shoe into his head. Not enough to seriously hurt him, just keep him down. Ren was still feeling winded from being knocked to the ground, and wished more than anything that he had the same skills in the real world as he did in the Metaverse - there, he could get knocked down a hundred times and get back a hundred and one. Here, he was just tired, his gun a model in his pocket, and Arsene felt a world away. But Ren was still strong, and after his arrest had a better hold on his rash behaviour. He no longer acted so quickly under stress, thought his actions out more.

Today, that action was to lower himself back to the ground and grab the man’s wrist. Ren twisted his wrist around until he had no choice but to drop the knife, then snatched it away. His instinct was to toss it across the store, but that was stupid. So he folded the thing and stored it in his pocket before jumping over leopard print, who was still moaning on the ground, and joining Iwai.

Who was doing very well. One of the guys was on the ground just outside of the shop, looking dazed, and Iwai was wrestling the other one to the ground.

“It make you a big man, huh? Threatenin’ kids?” Iwai growled, and Ren didn’t think he knew he was being watched. “Trash like you makes me sick.”

Then he moved his hands in a quick, expert way that Ren did not think he could ever duplicate, and the other guy dropped, too. He was still alive, coughing once he hit the ground, but looked down for the count. Ren moved over to the door, glancing behind him; leopard print was still down, too.

“Thanks,” he said, watching Iwai heave. It must have been some effort for him, and there was a pang in Ren’s heart for his own father, who would have thrown him to the wolves rather than fight for him. But then Iwai was on him, holding his face in those rough hands.

He turned Ren’s head gently every which way, then looked over the rest of his body. “They get you?”

“Not really,” he said. “I got pushed down and he came at me, but I’m alright.”

Iwai sighed and looked at the men on the ground outside. “Let’s get the other one out here and leave ‘em. They’ll wake up dazed but they should be fine.”

Ren nodded, even though at this point he didn’t care if they were fine or not. He helped Iwai move one out of the doorway, closer the first guy Iwai had taken down. That one was sporting a huge bruise to his temple. “What did you do to that guy?”

“...taught him a lesson,” Iwai said. He rolled one shoulder as they straightened up. “Listen kid, I’m gonna make sure punks like these don’t bother you again, you hear -”

A silencer on a gun does not silence it. A normal silencer takes the sound of a gunshot down 14.3-43 decibels, meaning that any shot is plenty audible. Of course, once a gun is shot, even if it is heard, there is hardly any time for a potential victim to move. That is not, usually, the main purpose of a silencer. A silencer is stop a sound from spreading, not to stop a potential victim from hearing it.

So when the man in the leopard print shirt, now on his feet, aimed his silenced gun at Ren and shot, both Ren and Iwai heard the blast. Already in the act of turning, Ren knew that the bullet was meant for him. He knew that it had left the barrel. And he knew that he could not drop to the ground or avoid it.

All of these realizations came to him in a nanosecond. One second, there was a bang; the next second there was pain shooting through his arm and he was on the ground. His ears were ringing, his arm was hot and wet.

And then, there was nothing but Iwai.

When he heard that gunshot, a million things ran through Iwai’s head. He was not going to let Kaoru be left behind again. He was not going to let everything he worked for fall to pieces. He was not going to let this punk end things for him. He was not going to let them hurt Ren ever again.

Then the kid dropped to the ground and Iwai’s world spun out of control. He wasted absolutely no time. The man in that idiot shirt aimed at him, but Iwai was quicker. Dropping low, Iwai closed the distance between them in four long steps, coat flapping out behind him. One second he was outside, across the alley; the next second he was under the guy, in front of him, and Iwai’s already bloody fist, knuckles threatening to bust open, sent his head snapping back in a powerful uppercut. The young guy went down, and he dropped the gun. Pathetic; he really was just the worst kind of guy. Before anything else, Iwai picked up the gun.

The butt of the handle against a thick cranium made sure this asshole wouldn’t be standing again for quite some time.

He dropped the gun into one of his pockets and flexed out his fingers as he stood and turned. Had it really ended so quickly? It seemed ridiculous. But that didn’t truly matter at the moment. What mattered was getting to Ren.

Thankfully, when Iwai got to the kid he was sitting up, leaning against the wall, clutching at his bloody arm. He was pale, though, rocking back and forth a little. Iwai knelt at his side and tilted his face up, bloody hand leaving a mark on Ren’s chin. His eyes were wide and the pupils were dilated, but his face was calm. His nostrils flared as he struggled to breath, though.

Luckily, Iwai was always calm under pressure. “Come on, if you’re gonna have a panic attack you’re not gonna do it out here. But before I can move you, you gotta tell me - did he get your arm?”

Ren nodded; at least he still seemed to possess enough of his senses to nod. He pulled his hand away, palm bloody, and Iwai was able to get a good look at his arm. It was an instant relief to see through the torn shirt that the bullet had not gone through him, only grazed him. The wound wasn’t deep at all, just kissing his flesh enough to bleed heavily. But Iwai was well-trained - he could tell at a glance that the bullet was long gone and had not gotten close to any arteries. “Good,” he muttered. “That’s good.”

“It’s...good I got shot?” Ren asked, and Iwai couldn’t even begin to fathom what sort of thoughts and feelings were behind the laugh that leaked from his lips.

Not what Iwai had meant, though. He gave Ren a look as he tore the rest of the sleeve away and tied it around the wound. Just temporary. “Well, it DOES mean you scared this guy enough or took a big enough gouge out of his pride that he thought he had to use a gun to get you down.”

That, of all things, made Ren smile. Cocky kid.

Iwai hid their attackers behind the old worn-out bikes in front of his shop. Once the store was cleared out and Iwai made sure that no one was coming to check out that sound of that shot, he brought Ren inside and made him sit behind the register. The kid was still a little shaky and Iwai was pretty sure that once he had time to process what just happened, he would probably be a mess. For the second time in a week, he got out the first aid kit. “Before you came along I used this thing maybe once a year. Gonna charge you for a new one if you start using up all my supplies.”

“Sorry,” Ren said, fingers prodding near the wound. “Next time I’ll get shot somewhere else.”

“Good thinking. Alright, let me see it.”

He untied the sleeve and let it drop the to the ground. The bleeding had staunched a little, which was good. But still…” You want me to take you to a hospital?”

“No,” Ren, said, suddenly on edge. “No, no...too many questions at a hospital.”

The similarity to something Iwai himself had said to a friend, a long time ago - a lifetime ago - was almost enough to knock the wind from his lungs. He turned the sound into a laugh. “How many secrets can a kid your age have?”

“One for every year, it feels like.” Ren let him clean the wound and blood around it the best he could. “If we go to a hospital, they’ll know a bullet wound, they’ll call the cops, and if the cops find out I was near real weapons...let’s just say, probation turns to jail time real quick.”

Iwai’s eyebrows shot up so quickly that they nearly disappeared under his hat. “You? Holy shit, Ren. You’re a wild ride.”

Iwai worked steadily to do what he could for the wound. The responsible adult in him screamed ‘Take the kid to a hospital!' The wild part of him, from long ago, told him that this kid was going places. But it was the yakuza part of him that took over, the part that said you never rat out a brother, you help him on his terms, you don’t break his trust. He got Ren’s arm as clean as he could, then doused the wound in something green and anti-septic. Ren hissed at that and tensed, but otherwise took it well. The wound, once it was clean, was in even better shape than he thought before. No stitches, just a jagged cut that might mean a scar later. But Iwai saw thick scars on the Ren’s arms and wrists already, and had a feeling that adding one more wasn’t going to be the end of his world.

He took care to wrap the wound gently enough to avoid pain, but tightly enough that the last of the gauze-like bandages from his kit would be able to do their job. Iwai sealed the end with an X of white medical tape then looked into his eyes. “You’re gonna be fine, kid.”

“Yeah, Akira said. “Fine.”

But Iwai saw that look in his eyes. There was a storm brewing inside that kid, and Iwai was going to keep him there until it was over. Iwai left out the back way of the store and got them dinner, called Kaoru and sent dinner home to him as well. Maybe the time alone would jump-start the freak out this kid was bound to have. It didn’t matter how tough you were, or whatever other shit you had been through in your life.

No one reacts well the first time they get shot. Iwai himself had thrown up and slept for 24 hours.

He sat with Ren as they ate, pretty quiet, meals the same shade of blue-grey in the dim lights on the shop. At first, he thought Ren was eating with his right arm at his side because of the pain. But when Iwai moved around to grab some napkins, he could see that Ren was holding something clenched in his hand.

“What ya got there?”

Ren looked down, not even seeming to realize that he was holding something. “Oh.” He gingerly put it on the counter. A folding knife. “Leopard print had it. He cut me with it last time, too.”

Iwai shook his head, and was about to respond when Ren’s hand formed a fist on the counter. “He could have killed me.”

There was no answer for that.

“He could have killed me over something as stupid as money. He could have come after you, or Kaoru, or any of my friends, for money.” Ren dropped his gaze to look at his knees. “Holy shit, I was stupid to think it would go away on it’s own. I’m usually not that fu-”

“Don’t start that,” Iwai said. “If you’re gonna freak out, if you’re gonna throw up, if you’re gonna cry, fine. But don’t start holding all that responsibility for other people’s shitty choices on your shoulders. If you start doing that, you never stop.”

He thought of Tsuda and took a breath. “So what’s it gonna be?”

Ren looked at him, then leaned back in his chair and put his hand over his eyes. “This is so stupid. I use all sorts of weapons every day as a Phantom g-goddamn Thief, and one gunshot wound gets me like this?”

His voice was thick with tears, and Iwai was honestly relieved. Better to let out whatever bullshit was going on inside then hold onto it until it destroyed him. He sat by and let Ren cry, let him hide behind his hand. That was all that there was left for Iwai to do, anyways.

But when Ren leaned forward and put his head between his knees, Iwai knew that some dam had burst and everything his kid - Phantom Thief, under probation - was holding on to was ready to come out. He didn’t want to disturb him, didn’t want Ren to think that he had to contain himself, but Iwai couldn’t let this kid suffer alone.

“Hey,” he said, sliding out of his seat. When Ren looked up, Iwai took his protective earmuffs off and slid the hat off. He placed the hat on Ren’s head, brim pulled down low over his eyes. The earmuffs, he readjusted a little bit and clamped over Ren’s ears. They blocked out all sounds and would leave Ren with some semblance of privacy.

Iwai stepped back, but suddenly a hand was holding his jacket. Ren was looking down now, but he had the hem of Iwai’s jacket in a vice grip. He pushed himself forward and the wheeled chair propelled him just a couple inches. Iwai was wary, but let the kid throw his arms around him. Iwai didn’t think he had been this close to anyone in a long time, but he wasn’t about to push him away. Ren buried his face in Iwai’s stomach, arms tight around his middle. He was crying in a way Iwai hadn’t in years, but he remembered the feeling. Helpless. Hopeless. Vulnerable.

The shittiest feeling in the world. Iwai put his hand on the back of Ren’s head and let him cry it out. Tomorrow, when it was light out, when this all seemed grey and distant, when Ren was safe in school or at home...Iwai was going to make sure that he didn’t have to worry about those thugs ever again. He hated guys like that, who had huge egos and lost it when they popped, who took on only people they thought they could beat, who took advantage of people. They deserved to be knocked down a peg, and Iwai would make sure it happened.

He still had connections, after all.

#persona 5 #whump #munehisa iwai #ren amamiya #whump fic

19 notes · View notes

venus-says · 4 years

Text

Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star 24-37

Are we on a new moon cycle already? I'm feeling the wind a little different for some reason.

Starting its second half, Splash Star finally got more bold to step further away from the original series. It still has it's similarities, at this point I believe they'll never be completely different, but I do believe they're unique enough to shine on its own and be its own thing. I know I sound repetitive mentioning this thing all the time, but it's because I like seeing this journey of they slowly finding their own identity which I think it's very important seeing that this is the first series without Nagisa and Honoka.

But enough of comparisons, this is a review of Splash Star and not a post to compare both seasons.

I gotta say this third quarter felt a little disappointing, but to their defense, this is something I feel with all precure seasons so it's not much of the show's own fault but the structure of being a year-long show. But even with this disappointment, I feel like I enjoyed this portion a lot more than I enjoyed this same period of time in the most three recent seasons that aired. And I think part of that is because they were able to spread out important plot points, for example the mid-season upgrade came in episode 30 and not right after the new ark began. Another thing that helped a lot during this part was the characters, the cast we already knew was great and the new additions were full of life and personality so even when nothing interesting was happening it was still lots of fun to watch.

Probably the biggest thing that happened here was the introduction of two "new" Cures that brought something new to the table and opened new doors for different things, other dynamics, and just a good change of pace to not make us feel like we've stagnated a whole lot. If there was a point I disliked is that the gloominess for Michiru and Kaoru didn't last long, I know this is a show for kids and more often than not they want to be positive so this wouldn't last all that long anyway, but at least the reveal that Kaoru and Michiru are still alive and they're just being held captive should've happened maybe when they got the new forms or when they defeated one of the generals. But this isn't such a big problem, it just could've been better.

Saki and Mai continue to be very fun, I enjoy watching them and I love that they're still keeping the focus very well balanced between these two. Though I feel like they haven't changed all that much, I thought that after losing Kaoru and Michiru they would grow a little, maybe change a few aspects of their characters, and while we had a deeply emotional moment during episode 24 I feel like very little of that remained with them, and this is pretty much why I wish the reveal had happened a little later. Though I still enjoy them as characters, I wish Saki's crush on Mai's brother had been dropped already because it's pretty obvious this won't go anywhere, but since it's not something that is used a lot it doesn't bother me as much.

The Fairy team has gotten bigger with Moop and Fuup joining the crew and I really like them. I was afraid we would have another Pollun & Lullun situation, but no! They're very different, they're very funny, I love that they're basically children raised by TV and they keep reproducing things they watch on the screen, they were definitely a great addition to the cast. But I have a problem with aesthetics here, not of the characters themselves but the toys they've become. XD Like, what is Flappy and Choppy new item forms supposed to be? You know, I appreciate stepping away from making your fairies cellphones, but really, what are they??? Also who the hell thought a toy PC (not even a laptop!) was a good idea to put your fairies in and grant the Cures new weapons? This is probably one of the most unpractical things EVER!

Going to our "new" Cures, I like their designs just fine. My question is, was it really necessary to give them new Cure names? Because they don't look all that different, especially Windy, and they can change to which form they want to transform into so shouldn't these be called just for changes? I don't know, I think if they wanted to make them really assume new Cure identities they should've made their design way more different, and I reiterate, ESPECIALLY in Windy's case that not only look very similar to Egret but also has basically the same powers. With that being said, I absolutely love their new attack in this form, I love how their stream become two comets and the background is basically a galaxy, I don't know how I've missed this detail in all of the "All Precure Attacks" compilations I've seen on YouTube, honestly this is such a step up from both Twin Stream Splash and Spiral Heart Splash (that is the new attack they got for their original forms), it is just awesome.

I don't think I've mentioned them before, but in this portion, we got a very nice focus on their classmates and it was pretty fun, for some reason, I started to like Yuuko a lot and I can't pinpoint why but I root for her to be with Kenta by the end? Don't ask me for explanations because I don't have them. Maybe this was my subconscious finding a way to become bearable for me to watch Kenta because I absolutely hate him and the show gives him a lot of filler episodes. Whatever the reason may be, the side characters like their teacher, or Saki's senpai in the softball club, were pretty good.

Now, the real stars are the villains, that after a very inexpressive character, blessed us with two amazing new generals. To begin, I like that they really saved the best for last and are using their more powerful generals, and even with the cure's new powers they're still pretty hard to defeat on their own, I think it's very important to keep the power level balanced so the show doesn't become boring, we also got more elaborated fights because of this and I can't stress enough how much I appreciate this.

MS. SHITATAARE IS AWESOME! She's beautiful, she's funny, she's a master disguise, and she's powerful as hell, I absolutely love her and her presence here made everything way much more fun. She's a real queen, if I did drag I'd want my drag to look like that because her aesthetics are on point, she's flawless, she's fierce, she makes me go "yas qween, work mama". And her costumes to blend in with civilians? OMG, I loved that so much, especially because whenever Goohyan went to check on her he would also put on a costume and it was just a joy, I wish our time with her was longer. Speaking of Goohyan I feel like he became more of a comedic character, but he's still very threatening, and I liked that we could see him in action for the first time. Kintolesky is the newest villain, and he's pretty great as well. Like Shitataare he also blends in with the people from the Land of Greenery and I think this is what adds so much to his character, I also like that he's not just an evil general that only thinks on the evil, I feel like if it was on another situation he could easily be a regular customer on Pan Paka Pan and create some sort of bond with Saki's family for example. The dude is also OP as hell and I love that about it, people like to talk about doing the Saitama training routine, I wanna see someone trying the Kintolesky training routine. XD

And this is pretty much it for now, do you have any thoughts? Please let me know in the comments down below. I'm finally up to schedule with the precure reviews and I'm very happy, I hope I won't miss it next week for Splash Star finale's and mess up my planning all again. XD In any case, thank you so much for reading and I'll talk to you all later. Bye-bye~

#Futari wa Precure Splash Star #Splash Star #precure

12 notes · View notes

midnightrellik · 4 years

Note

scenario where fem reader is fighting with her parents or smthn, generally just havin a pretty sh*tty day and kaoru finds her crying near a fountain or smthn and she's all embarrassed but he comforts her. they aren't dating but they like.. develop crushes afterwards (:

“Do you have any idea just how much your tuition is costing us? We don’t have to send you to that school you know! You’re the one that begged us to get you in there and now you’re coming home with grades like this? What’s wrong with you?!” Your father’s words cut you like a knife and you could only shrink back in shame, casting your gaze down to the floor, only to be instructed to raise your head once more when your mother snapped at you. Swallowing, you opened your mouth to apologise, but your father beat you to it. “If you come home with any more grades like this, that’s it. You’re out of that school and into the nearest public school. You hear me? I’m not going to be wasting my money on someone who doesn’t give two shits about her future. At this rate, you’re barely good enough to be married off to another beneficial family.”

Your eyes glazed over with tears as you nodded your head in understanding. “Yes sir…” you responded weakly before you were dismissed. Picking up your satchel, you left the house and walked out to the car that would take you to school, where your driver opened the back door, allowing you to step into the vehicle before it was shut behind you. During the drive to school, you tried to push your father’s words out of your head, reminding yourself that as long as you worked harder, everything would be alright. He was only annoyed because you weren’t trying hard enough. That’s all it was. A simple solution to a simple problem. Or so it seemed.

Halfway to the school, the car echoed with an unholy sound that seemed to have come from nowhere. Shortly after, the car began to slow down and the driver was left to pull over to find out what was wrong. Letting out a heavy sigh, you brushed your hair behind you ear and opened your door, stepping out to address the driver. “What’s happened? Can you fix it?” You asked, beginning to feel the stress of the situation at hand crawl its way into your head, in the form of a mild headache. You didn’t need this right now. You just wanted to get to school already. The driver clicked his tongue in thought, popping the hood to see if he could find the issue. “I’m not too sure miss. Please stay in the car, this shouldn’t take too long,” he answered politely, giving an apologetic look. You bit your bottom lip lightly and pulled your phone out of your satchel to check the time.

“I suppose I have a bit of time…” you murmured to yourself before sitting back in the car, shutting the door. The longer you sat there, the more anxious you became. You seemed to be checking the time every thirty seconds, if not every minute and eventually, you deemed you were going to be late for school if you didn’t move it now. So, getting out once again, you shoved your phone into your satchel and shut the door. “Sorry but I’m going to be late for school. Please call someone regarding the car, I will walk,” you spoke, giving him a small smile and a wave as you hurried off. There was no way you could handle being late for school. Your father would be pissed the moment he found out about it. Sure, the car was a reasonable excuse, but it still wouldn’t be any fun…

So, you ran. You ran down that pathway, cut corners, ran across roads without waiting for the lights to change and eventually made it to the school. Panting, you hunched over, hands on your knees as you tried to catch your breath. “Damn, I need to run more…” you puffed, standing up straight. “At least I should have made it on time…” You looked up towards the huge clock tower and felt your heart stop for a split second. Five minutes late. After all that, you were late?! Gasping for air once more, you hurried inside, stopping in the bathroom to freshen yourself up a little. “You’re okay (Y/N). It’s okay. Bad things come in threes; everyone knows this. That was number three. The rest of the day will be perfectly fine,” you assured yourself, brushing some hair behind your ear before standing up straight and headed to class, ready to apologise for being late.

“Come on Hikaru. The Boss is going to complain if we’re late again,” Kaoru sighed, waiting on his twin brother to hurry up with his things so they could leave. They’ve always enjoyed being part of the Host Club, but when they were late, Tamaki would typically give them an earful about it and then they were stuck feeling annoyed while they were hosting. How could they keep the girls happy if they weren’t happy?

Hikaru gave a sigh as he slung his satchel over his shoulder, running a hand through his hair. “Alright, let’s go,” he agreed and the two quickly left the classroom, catching up with Haruhi who was already on her way to the club room. The usual banter between the duo and the girl ensued from there, all the way to the room where they parted ways once more to prepare their stations. Today, the ginger twins were stationed right by the windows, a few of which were open to let some air into the room. With the breeze, came the scent of flowers, both those outside and the roses inside. It was relaxing and seemed to bring a calm within the room before the storm that was to come.

Within mere minutes of setting up, the doors were opened, and girls flooded in, all separating to their preferred host/s to begin the session. Chatter quickly filled the room, along with soft giggles and squeals that occasionally gave some of them headaches by the end of the day. Throughout the session however, Kaoru couldn’t help but continuously look outside, perhaps the breeze shifting his attention. Stepping closer to the window as he and Hikaru conducted one of their fake arguments, before they were to ‘make up’, he saw a splash of yellow out in the garden below. Raising a brow, he gave a brief reply to Hikaru, who made his way over as well, wrapping his arms around his twin to initiate the ‘make up’.

“Who’s that down there?” Kaoru whispered to Hikaru, making him look down towards the yellow blob down the bottom. The longer they looked, the clearer it became that down below, that yellow blob was a crying girl. Hikaru shrugged his shoulders and let him go. He didn’t care all too much for who it was either and usually Kaoru wouldn’t think twice about it but… this didn’t sit well with him. “Sorry ladies, I just remembered I have something very important to do. I promise next time, I’ll give you all the attention I can muster,” he excused himself, nodding to his brother who could only raise a brow at him in confusion. Kaoru didn’t wait to explain however, barely listening to the sounds of disappointment coming from the girls as he left the room. The last thing he head before the doors closed was Tamaki calling out for him to tell him where he was going.

It felt like it had taken way too long for Kaoru to get downstairs. He tried to be quick but he worried that by the time he got there, the girl would be long gone, which in a way, would be beneficial, since he could go back and not get in too much trouble but he would also feel bad for not getting there on time. Much to his relief, when he finally stepped out into the garden, and looked towards the fountain where Haruhi’s bag ended up not so long ago, he found the girl, sitting on the edge of the water feature, crying her heart out.

He hesitated for a moment before slowly beginning to approach, clearing his throat a little to make his presence known. Your heart leapt up to your throat at the sound. You thought you would be free to cry out here until your driver came to pick you up. Usually, you would be with your own club by now, but you felt too destroyed to do very much at all right now. You tried to wipe your eyes clear of tears as you lifted your head to see who it was, but seeing Kaoru there made it that much harder to hold back the sob that pushed at the back of your throat. Just what you needed, one of the most popular guys in school, seeing you this way. “Hi Kaoru…” you croaked out, red eyes shifting back down to your feet.

You didn’t get a greeting in return. Instead, he came to stand in front of you, hands buried in his pockets. “Are you okay?” He asked, brushing his hair out of his eyes as he looked down at your smaller form. He recognised you- no. He knew you. You were in a couple of the same classes and this was far from the first time you had spoken. This was however, the first time he’s seen you in this state. You looked beaten. As if you had given up because the world had finally figured out exactly what it would take to break down that confidence you usually wore around the place. It was honestly heartbreaking to see and the more he analysed your state, the more he realised that his question was kind of stupid.

You sniffled and nodded your head. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine,” you answered but the shakiness of your voice said otherwise. “I just… I’ve just had a pretty bad day is all,” you added, wiping away the tears that continued to fall. Koaru bit his bottom lip lightly and looked up at the sky, then the window he had been looking out before hand, before his eyes landed back on you. “Bad day tend to have this affect. Want to talk about it?” he asked, sitting himself down beside you on the fountain’s edge. The look on your face spoke a thousand words. You wanted to talk about it but at the same time, it was the last thing you wanted to do. Your lips parted and shut a few times before you finally broke, telling him everything.

You told him about the fight with your parents, the issue with the car, being late to school and then there was items missing from your satchel, you ended up having to share someone’s lunch because you were unable to get your own and you had even lost your phone at some stage. The day had been an utter nightmare and you were beat. You couldn’t call your driver to come pick you up and didn’t want to face anyone in this state, so you were left to wait. You’d hopefully find your phone in the morning when you were in a better state of mind. “And now, here I am, crying to you pathetically when you should be up there, doing your club activities,” you sobbed, feeling ridiculous for acting this way in front of another person.

As you wiped your eyes with the back of your hand, majority of your mascara smeared on your skin, Kaoru thought to pull out his handkerchief, offering it to you. Thank god for Tamaki insisting that all hosts carry one around. “I’m sorry to hear all that, today really hadn’t been too good has it?” he mused as you accepted the handkerchief from him. You then felt his hand on your back, rubbing it gently in an effort to comfort you. It wasn’t much, but there wasn’t much else he could think to do. It was working though. Just a reminder that he was there for you, even though you weren’t all that close. “It’ll be alright. Tomorrow, I’ll help you find your phone and if you’d like, I could talk to Haruhi about helping you with your studies if you would like? I’m sure they’d be happy to help you out,” he offered gently, giving you a small smile that you could finally bring yourself to return, along with a small nod. “That would be nice, thank you…”

The next day, while things had gone a little better, you had yet to find your phone, bringing your mood down a little since you’d probably get in trouble for losing it. You hadn’t told your parents about it yet, hoping that they wouldn’t try call you during the time it was lost. Now you were heading for lunch, able to get something for yourself this time unlike yesterday. Yes, things were definitely beginning to look up since Kaoru had comforted you yesterday. Just the thought of it made butterflies go wild in your stomach. You would have to thank him properly when you got the chance. A chance which seemed to come a lot sooner than expected.

“Hey, (Y/N)!” You heard a familiar male voice call out to you. Lifting your head up to look for the male, you spotted the mischievous twins of the school, one grinning happily and waving with something in his hand. Was that-? No way. The duo walked up to you and lo and behold, Kaoru held your phone out for you to take. “This is your phone, right? Frog chain just like you described it,” he claimed with a big smile. Nodding your head with a matching expression, you placed it on your tray before standing up and giving him a hug. “Thank you so much Kaoru. I was so worried I wouldn’t be able to find it again,” you confessed, letting him go as you brushed some hair behind your head. “I really appreciate all you’ve done for me Kaoru. It means a lot to me.” The ginger blushed faintly at the hug, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly while he brother simply rolled his eyes. “Anytime. I’m happy to help.”

13 notes · View notes

fierce-little-miana · 5 years

Text

Birthday!

And this is for the best birthday boy of Saichifest 2019! Careful SSL AU incoming.

Hajime was filled by a feeling of dread. If he was perfectly honest it was rather a deeply rooted unease, but considering it has been with him since this morning he was starting to seriously worry.

Everything had started in front of the school gates. While Nagumo was supposed to be the one monitoring the coming students he was not allowed to do so today. Not after his last fall dow with Souji. It was as if Nagumo was looking for confrontations with him. Confrontations he couldn’t win if he continued leading them like that. But this wasn’t Hajime’s role to tell him that. Only experience would bring Nagumo to calmer and quieter shores, and only if he was ready to listen to it. He wasn’t. That meant that Hajime had volunteered to take on his duty to make sure that all the students came to class with appropriate clothes and behavior.

It was when he was calmly asking a first year to turn off his phone that he had noticed Yukimura. She had come to him to say hello with her sweet smile and big kind eyes, only to be snatched back by Souji. He might have been as surprised as Chizuru considering the startled expression on her face. But when she had noticed it was Souji her expression had changed for a slight worry. Souji had murmured something in her ear, she had looked quickly back at him and then at her shoes with a slight blush on her cheeks. Souji had smirked and then nearly dragged her behind him inside the school. Seeing them interact like that had made something tighten in Hajime’s chest. He had no right of course. Yukimura was a nice girl and it was only natural that she got along with plenty of other students, not just with him. However this whole interaction was strange. Souji had seemingly wanted to avoid him for no apparent good reason and made sure Yukimura did too.

Still he had to refocus on the task at hand. The first year was gone, and Hajime didn’t even have the time to tell Souji to tie his tie correctly before him and Yukimura had disappeared from his view. Between his failure and Souji’s odd behavior, the day was going to be more complicated than planned.

After the third hour of class he knew something was wrong. Souji kept on avoiding him, not that he particularly sought him out but being suddenly deprived of his friend’s presence was unusual. Souji usually always found a reason to come and have a chat with him. What could have just been one of Souji’s numerous and usual fads had been confirmed as something deeply out of the ordinary by Yukimura and Heisuke’s behavior. When noticing him in front of her in a corridor Yukimura had brutally changed her way. So brutally in fact that she had ended up bumping into an half opened door. When he had tried to reach for her to check if she was okay she had nearly ran away from him without saying a word. He had came across Heisuke in one of the supply-rooms. He had came to retrieve a map for his fourth hour geography class. He didn’t know what Heisuke was doing there considering that the only words he had said to him were “Oh! Saito! Sorry for being in the way!” before jolting for the exit of the room in way reminiscent of Yukimura’s escape without any unfortunate encounter with a door.

No, something was wrong and it could only be linked to the day. He didn’t really expect that anyone would make a fuss about it. His brother was enjoying his end of year vacations in Hokkaido, his last one before graduating from college. His mother had joined his father in Singapour to enjoy the new lunar year there and wouldn’t be back before the end of the month. Finally his sister was way to busy preparing her future life as a wife with her in-laws, she hadn’t set a foot in the family home for at least two months. Yes Hajime fully expected being alone for his birthday today. It wasn’t a new occurrence. He will probably go to the restaurant with his mother and siblings when they would be available but that would be all. Except apparently it wasn’t. Something was going to happen. And having Souji apparently leading the all thing was absolutely nerve-racking. Didn’t he try to light a bonfire in the stadium when they were in middle school? Would Hajime need to explain things to a furious Hijikata-sensei once again?

“ - Whatever this is, you’d better not have dragged Yukimura in anything reprehensible, he finally said to Souji while running into him.”

He was coming back from making his excuse to Hijikata and Kondo for not coming to the kendo practice today, he had a meeting with the disciplinary board. Souji simply smiled at that, a smile with more teeth than niceness in it. Did he thought he was subtle? He left him without saying a word. Hajime could only notice that he wasn’t heading for the kendo dojo either. This was going to be a disaster of epic proportion.

The final and strangest moment of the day came during the disciplinary board meeting. Nagumo was arguing for a re-enforcement of the rules for the field trip that, while not being totally incoherent, were way too obviously personally targeted against a certain someone to make anyone in the room comfortable. The two first years that had joined them looked like they wanted to disappear. Hajime was about to intervene when the door open:

“ - Oh no, it has already started... commented Yukimura who seemed really worried she was bothering them. I am really sorry Saito-kun but could I ask Kaoru to come with me just this time?”

Well this was a first. So much in fact that the entire room went completely silent for a few seconds. Not only did Yukimura never interrupt any meetings without giving and having an excellent reason to do so but her relationship with her long estranged brother was complicated and she always avoided seeking him out when he was busy for fear of putting him on edge.

Nagumo was actually about to answer something and every signs pointed to it not being very nice before Yukimura started again:

“ - Please Kaoru.”

That seemed to touch Nagumo somehow. Hajime wanted to sigh. Everything would be so much easier if he accepted that he wanted to be liked by people and that they weren’t out to get him. But of course it would take several years for him to get there. Nagumo turned toward him and Hajime nodded before adding:

“ - Go with her, we can finish this on our own.

- Thank you Saito-kun, answered Yukimura with a smile which lightened the room.”

The twins left but so did part of the tension that had been with Hajime for the entire day. Maybe things would turn out just fine.

At the end of the meeting Hajime was intercepted by Hijikata-sensei. He needed to speak to him and asked him to follow him to the teachers’ room. Hajime did follow him. What could have happened that necessitated a meeting right now and couldn’t be discussed in a corridor? Hijikata-sensei was especially tense too. This must be something of the scale of the attempted bonfire that had burned half of the football field grass.

They finally arrived in front of the teacher’s room and Hijikata-sensei gestured for him to enter. Hajime did and the minute he stepped into the room he was welcomed by a powerful:

“ - Happy Birthday!”

There was no fire in the room far from it. The tables had been rearranged to create an inviting space with sparkling drinks and sweets. Around it some paper decorations, usually used for schools events, had been hung. Finally a cake with a white frosting, strawberry decoration and eighteen candles was in front of him.

Souji, Yukimura, Heisuke, Nagumo and some other member of the kendo club were here. But Nagakura-sensei, Harada-sensei, Sannan-sensei, and Kondo-sensei were also present. And they were all smiling. So was Hijikata-sensei in his back.

Everything looked pretty sensible, as if the person planning the surprise had really taken him in consideration rather than using the occasion to cause the biggest mess possible. He was glad Souji had brought Yukimura into this because he could see her hand on everything. It had been a long time since anyone at taken care of his birthday like that and Hajime found out he was deeply grateful.

Hijikata-sensei finally pushed him toward the cake. He hadn’t even notice he had gone very still. On closer examination it was obvious the cake was homemade. There had apparently been an attempt to write something on it but it had been covered by frosting. It made him smile:

“ - Sorry I wanted to make a cake in the shape of a snow bunny but something happened to the frosting and I had to change my plan at the last minute, said Yukimura while coming closer to him.”

He felt a blush raising to his cheeks but the attention was thankfully taken away from him by Souji who declared:

“ - This was a weird idea anyway. I think this cake looks better.

- You don’t know that! answered Heisuke. If you hadn’t accidentally spilled half of the sugar bag in the frosting we might have had a chance to see what it could have look like.”

Heisuke was saved from a quick and deadly elbow stroke by a comment from Nagumo:

“ - Accidentally? Sure it was accidental.

- Oh you don’t want to go down this road Koaru-chan.”

Hajime could almost hear Hijikata-sensei rolling his eyes behind him. He looked at Souji and said:

“ - Souji, no.”

Several emotions passed on Souji’s face. Every single one a testament to his difficulty to let his prey go but eventually it fixed on a smile, with less teeth this time.

“ - Go ahead Hajime-kun, blow your candles.”

And he did.

While the cake was being cut, Yukimura, who like him already had a piece, came to talk to him.

“ - Is there something you would have liked for your birthday?

- You already baked the cake, didn’t you?

- Yes I did, but Kaoru helped me, especially to remake the frosting with less than half ingredients left. Heisuke-kun and Okita-kun were a bit panicking, even if Okita-kun will not admit it.

- You cooked with Heisuke-kun and Souji in the same room as you? You are braver than every single one of us.”

She smiled at him, a smile so genuine that his heart might have missed a beat. He wasn’t completely sure of this. She was going back toward the table but he called her back. She turned toward him. This was going to ask more courage of him than dealing with any out of control bonfire would had ever asked.

“ - You asked me if I wanted something else?

- Yes, you thought about something?”

Hajime took a deep breath:

“ - Would you consider calling me by my first name?”

She looked at him with widened eyes and her entire face went completely pink. This had been a terrible idea. He wished he hadn’t said anything. While he was looking for an exit, there was none of course but he so wished there was one, she came close to him. She had her eyes fixed on the floor but her hand come grabbing the bottom of his sweater:

“ - Hajime-kun?”

This time his heart skipped a beat and he was sure of it. He also felt his cheeks burning up. But what entrapped him to the moment was the fact that she lift her eyes to meet his:

“ - Would you then call me Chizuru, Sait... Hajime-kun?

- Chizuru.”

It came out before he had realized it. She went pinker, if that was even possible. His hands come to rest on hers.

Suddenly he remembered where they were. They might have been a bit apart from the others but he now noticed that Souji was watching them with interest. At least it was only him, even if Yuki... Chizuru would probably disagree with this.

He was about to step back from her, maybe grab a drink to regain some sort of composure, when the fire alarm went off. The smoke of the candles of course. It didn’t take long for the ceiling water sprinklers to starts pouring water on the room. They were all positively wet in a matter of seconds. Hijikata-sensei swore loudly and Souji bursted out laughing.

But for once, by Chizuru’s side, invisible to the rest of the room in front of the literally pouring mess, he was glad things went off.

#saichifest 2019 #saichifest2019 #saito hajime #yukimura chizuru #saichi #yes I find a way to put kaoru in there #you can't stop me #also look at my boy #he is doing his best

27 notes · View notes

soaringlanddormitory · 5 years

Note

🔪 Emile/Kaoru (platonic obviously) and 🔥 Soumegu (if you don’t mind!)

Thank you so much for sending this in!! Also yes I love some platonic pairs and of course!!

🔪 - Yakuza AU

There were different jobs for each of his members inside his gang. Even if he was the leader, he could do all their jobs but he’d admit he’ll never be as good as them. “Canción.” Aroon called as he walked beside the male he just called. Canción was currently wearing a formal-casual attire, and he turned his head to look at his leader. “Good luck with today. Be sure they don’t find out your identity, okay?” His leader was concerned about him and Canción gave a tiny smile.

“Don’t worry about me, amigo! I’ll be doing my best to keep all secrets sealed!” He did the gesture of zipping his own mouth and his leader only laughed a bit. “Plus, all I have to do is send a random message to you if anything goes wrong… I think it will all work out!” This calmed down his leader greatly and he got a hug from him. “Amigo?”

“Eh. You know, loving you guys as if it’s our last days. We never know what’s going to happen.” The hug of Aroon tightened and this causedCanción to hug him back with the same force he gave him. “God. I love you so much. You know that, right? Just be careful with your words. They’re very good listeners, and you have to do is convince them to pay, got it?”

“Got it, Aroon!”Canción nodded his head and with that, Aroon released him and he turned around to look at the other way. “I’ll say it again, I’m ready for this and I chose my role! I’ll do my best in it, and the outcome will not disappoint you!” He began walking away from his leader, going to his destination.

Canción? What was his role? He was the negotiator and also the one who’s assigned in spying. From all of them in the gang, he would be the least expecting and he never acted as if he was part if a gang. He was very convincing as a mere human being. He also specialized in traps and he made a couple of them and gave some to each member of the team.

When it was his time to do his role, he was often brought only meters away from the destination so he wouldn’t get lost. He was usually accompanied by Gaia, who removed her contacts and the black hairspray on her hair. This was one of the times where their leader offered to bring him to the destination.

“I’ll just say this for once in a public place.” Aroon coughed for a bit and this madeCanción stop on his tracks.Canción turned around and looked at him for a moment, a confused look on his face. “Emile, good luck.” Aroon called him by his actual first name and he laughed for a bit.

It was always at random times were his leader would call him by his first name. It could be during meals, when they’re about to sleep or some moments like this. “Thank you, Kaoru!!” He replied to him, using his first name as well and he began heading to his destination once again.

At the end of the day, everyone inside the gang was relieved to hearCanción playing his guitar.

🔥 - Elemental AU

It was almost the competition between the Leaders, but this never really damaged the relationship of the two lovers who were currently sitting in a garden. They decided to hide away inside an area where the people who controlled her element stayed to practice their element. Luckily, the people of the Earth were one of the more peaceful ones.

“Soma-kun...” A girl with he hair tied into a braid looked at the male beside her, a bit nervously. It was not because of presence, but because of worry. “Are you sure it’s okay to being this? Wouldn’t the people of your element wonder where you are?” She fiddled with her fingers as she talked. Honestly, even if her fellow people did agree with peace with the others, the Fire Elemental might have not.

Soma shrugged his shoulders and leaned backwards. Being honest, he didn’t know how the rules of his own element went. He didn’t know a single rule they had besides the fact that you shouldn’t teach anyone else to control your element. “Tadokoro, I don’t think we should really worry about that.” He gave a grin at her, acting as calm as ever.

She sighed before placing her hands together. Was it really okay to be doing this? He may seem sure about his answer, but she couldn’t trust him about everything... She knew well about how he may be smiling, but he’d have no idea on what was going on. “What kind of rules do you have?”

Damn. He was caught. He shrugged before leaning back on a tree. “I barely remember anything, but I think that we only have a few.” With his response, Megumi only panicked even more and she began writing on her hand again. “But still! You have nothing to worry about. Isshiki-senpai will probably let me slide!”

“That’s not the point, Soma-kun!”

It really wasn’t. At some cases, rules were strict when it comes to other areas. Megumi was only informed that the area of the Ice had the strictest leader among the rest. She also knew that Isshiki Satoshi was kind, but she wouldn’t know what was the extent of his kindness.

“Don’t worry about me,” He had almost the same response as before, but the previous smile wasn’t there on his face anymore. “I’ll be able to handle it.” He raised his hand to give a pet on her head to try and calm her down.

Megumi didn’t know the reason, but no matter how stressed out she was, a little pet from him could cheer her up.

“Okay. I trust you in this one, but be more careful, alright?” She eased down from her worry and nervousness, but she still had to remind him to be careful.

“I promise.”

With that, Megumi gave a smile to her lover but her face went red the moment Soma planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “S-Soma-kun...” She looked down, her face getting redder by each second. Yes, she was able to calm down but now her heart beat was raising. Admittedly, Soma loved the sight of her flustering.

“Alright. I’m going back now before it gets too late!” He stands up and he offered his hand to her. “Need help?”

Megumi, despite her face turning red, held his hand. “Yes.”

#writing #kaoru atitarn #soma yukihira #megumi tadokoro #soumegu #other people's ocs #emile

20 notes · View notes

flipomatic · 5 years

Text

Reason to Stay: Chapter 18

Author Note: This is an important chapter. As some things end others yet begin.

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

Sayo’s whole body ached as she dragged herself out of her blankets, weary from the late-night ambush. Rinko was still asleep in the tent, so she took care not to wake her as she exited.

The sun had already risen, meaning Sayo slept past her usual waking time. She got some food from her saddle bags and joined the others where they sat in a semicircle, taking the furthest spot from Yukina and Lisa. They didn’t have a fire, likely to try and prevent a second attack.

After ten minutes, Rinko joined them. There was little conversation as they ate and then prepared for the day. Lisa’s wound needed to be rewrapped, but Rinko reported that it didn’t look infected. Sayo still felt annoyed with Yukina and Lisa, but not as much as she had the previous day.

They were soon ready to head out, with Yukina checking the map and Ako and Rinko packing up the tent. Sayo joined Lisa in readying the horses.

“We’re taking a new formation today.” Lisa said after the group mounted up. “Yukina will join me in the front. Rinko will ride second with Ako and Sayo in the rear. We should reach Pastel in a few hours.” Sayo didn’t have any problems with that and neither did the others, so as they rode out she took up position next to Ako.

They rode at the same pace as the previous days, despite Lisa’s injury. She was on the left side of the formation, probably so that she could still defend in case of an attack. Yukina and Lisa talked as they traveled, though Sayo couldn’t hear them from the back row. It didn’t bother her to not have to listen to them. She exchanged a few words with Ako during the ride, but mostly looked around for signs of trouble. Luckily, there were no problems on this leg of the journey.

After about three hours they finally reached their destination. Sayo didn’t notice it until they had almost arrived. Pastel had walls, like Circle, but they were shorter and wider. As the group approached the gate, an armed guard stopped them.

“Halt!” He said, stepping in their path. Lisa and Yukina stopped in front of him. “What business do you have here?” His eyes flitted between their weapons, stopping on the bloody bandage adorning Lisa’s arm.

Lisa took charge. “We are an envoy from Circle with a message for the Queen.” Her expression was neutral, devoid of the plethora of emotion she usually showed.

Her statement seemed to do the trick. “Very well, but I’m sending a few men as an escort.” The guard stepped out of the way.

“We accept your escort.” Lisa responded cordially. The guard then called over a few other guards and talked to them quietly. They would probably be the ones escorting them.

Once the guard finished talking to the men, he turned back to Lisa. “These guards will escort you to the castle. Please dismount and remain on foot inside the city.”

“Absolutely.” Lisa dismounted as requested, a surprisingly smooth motion considering her injury. Sayo followed suit, holding her horse’s reins to guide it.

Once they were all on foot, they followed the soldiers into town. Sayo looked around as they walked through, curious to see what was different about this town. The thatch on the roofs was a slightly darker color here, which was interesting. There were plenty of children playing in the streets and merchants conducting trade. The city was smaller in size than Circle, and they soon reached the castle.

One of their escorts started talking with a guard at the castle gate, who said he would fetch someone to assist them. A few minutes later a young woman who Sayo had seen once before appeared to greet them. It had been almost a month since the party, but Sayo hadn’t forgotten the long haired suitor who she watched make the princess blush.

“It is always wonderful to have visitors!” The tall woman posed with a flourish. “By all means, please come in. I will show you where to leave your horses.” With another large gesture she signaled for them to follow her inside.

They took a hard right between the castle wall and the main building before reaching the stables. For the moment, Sayo only tied her horse to a pole outside of the stables. They didn’t yet know whether or not they would be staying the night.

With the horses taken care of, the woman led the group to where they could deliver the letter. She talked as they went, saying something about kittens that Sayo couldn’t quite comprehend. Yukina was listening raptly, nodding along to the soliloquy.

The interior of the castle was decorated with blue banners and had lower ceilings than the one at Circle. They passed through a courtyard like space, where a young woman was practicing drills with a dagger.

Soon they stopped in front of a large set of double doors. Their guide pulled one open and announced their presence. When Sayo looked in, this appeared to be a throne room. It had a high ceiling ordained with blue banners and large windows along one wall. About three quarters of the way back a blonde woman sat on a throne with two fully armed knights by her side.

Lisa led the group inside, and when she bowed her head Sayo followed her lead. “I bring a missive from Circle, your majesty.” She held the envelope out in front of her. Their guide took it from were Lisa stood over to the queen.

“Thank you, Kaoru.” Queen Chisato, which was what Sayo heard her name was, was dressed in vibrant blues and reds. She opened the letter slowly and removed the paper inside. It contained two pages. The corner of her lip twitched up on the first page, but when she reached the second it dropped. “Thank you for delivering this letter.” The queen looked up at the envoy, her gaze concerningly icier than it had been before. Sayo wondered what the contents said. “The journey must have been difficult. I must apologize for any danger you faced on our roads.” Her eyes, like so many already had that day, flicked over Lisa’s bloody bandages. “I will have a response composed for you tomorrow.”

Lisa looked up as if to ask a question, but one raised hand by the queen stopped her.

“You will stay in the castle tonight. Kaoru will show you to the guest quarters.” Chisato folded up the letter and put it back inside the envelope.

“We humbly accept.” Even though it hadn’t been an offer, Lisa still treated it as one. She bowed again before following Kaoru out of the throne room. Sayo took care not to look back as they exited, not wanting to be rude to foreign royalty.

As soon as the double doors were shut behind them, Ako almost burst out of her skin. “Wow!” She exclaimed. “That was so cool! Right Rin-rin?”

“It was… interesting.” Rinko replied at a much more subdued volume as they followed Kaoru to another part of the castle. “We shouldn’t… talk about it… here.”

“Oh, sorry.” Ako apologized, but was not cowed. She changed the subject and carried the conversation until they arrived at their quarters for the night. During the walk Lisa also informed Kaoru about the bandit attack and the bodies still out in a field, and Kaoru said she would pass the information along. They soon arrived at a nondescript hallway.

“Here we are.” Kaoru gestured at two doors across the hall from each other. “This room holds two, while the other holds three. They are yours for the night.”

Sayo wanted to claim a spot in the two person room, because no matter how it turned out then she wouldn’t have to deal with both Yukina and Lisa at the same time.

Ideally Rinko would be her roommate, wonderfully quiet Rinko.

Alas, while Sayo paused to think Ako had already called dibs on the two person room and had taken Rinko with her. This left Sayo with the two people she least wanted to talk to, Yukina and Lisa.

Sayo followed Lisa and Yukina into the shared room with a sigh. There were three beds inside, along with a closet, a table, and two chairs. Lisa quickly claimed one of the chairs, sitting down with a weary exhale.

“I’ll go make sure the horses are taken care of and get our things.” Yukina said almost immediately. “Lisa, you stay here and rest.” She didn’t so much as look at Sayo as she walked out of the room. Perhaps it was retaliation for Sayo ignoring her for the last few days, or maybe even for being the cause of Lisa’s injury. After the door was shut, Sayo took a seat in the other chair.

She hoped Lisa would just let them sit in silence, but of course that didn’t happen.

“Hey, Sayo.” Lisa turned her seat towards Sayo, speaking softly. “I know you’re mad at us, and you have every right to be, but I still want to apologize.”

Sayo turned slowly Lisa’s way, establishing eye contact. “I’m listening.” She was tired of being upset.

Lisa smiled at that. “I’m sorry I didn’t do more to prevent the rumors. I couldn’t have stopped them, but I should’ve tried harder to diffuse them.” She spoke earnestly and sincerely. “And I should’ve talked to Yukina instead of sulking while she acted without me. I’m sorry it turned out the way it did, and I don’t want to lose your friendship over this.”

Ever since the night before, when they were attacked, Sayo had found her anger cooling. It felt all day like she had been reminding herself to be mad at them. This was the last part she needed. “I accept your apology.” Sayo replied, and a huge grin spread across Lisa’s face. “But there’s one thing I don’t understand.” The knight’s expression fell at that. “Why did you take that blow for me yesterday? Don’t deny it.” Lisa had raised one hand in protest, but swiftly put it back down at Sayo’s words. “I know you did.” It had haunted Sayo since it happened, the image of Lisa’s form standing tall above her own and the feeling of being shoved to the dirt.

“Here I thought you hadn’t noticed.” Lisa chuckled, looking down and fiddling with her bandage. “It isn’t anything complicated. You’re my student; I have to protect you.” She was frowning now. “And we’re friends. I would never let one of my friends get hurt if there’s something I can do about it!” Lisa lifted her head back up with a nod.

“At the risk of your own life? That’s stupid.” Sayo gave her honest opinion of the sentiment. “But I appreciate it all the same. Thank you for saving my life.”

Lisa started to tear up yet again. “Sayo…” She wiped at her eyes with one hand. When Lisa stood and approached with arms outstretched for a hug, Sayo rose to her feet and allowed it. She gently returned the embrace, wary not to bump Lisa’s injury.

At that moment, of course, Yukina returned to the room. She carried multiple bags with her as she entered, dropping them on the table. Lisa pulled back from the embrace as she entered, walking over to her.

“Yukina, you need to apologize to Sayo.” She insisted, pointing at Yukina with one finger.

Yukina shook her head. “I don’t want to.”

“Doesn’t matter, you still owe her an apology.” Lisa wouldn’t take no for an answer. They only went back and forth a couple times before Yukina gave in.

She took a few steps towards Sayo, head held high. “I’m sorry for involving you in court drama.”

“Thank you.” Sayo nodded, knowing that was the best she’d get. “I’m sorry that I ignored you for the last few days.”

Yukina smiled back at that, and, for now, all was forgiven.

It was if a weight had been lifted off of Sayo’s shoulders, one she hadn’t even realized she was carrying. These two people who she’d fought side by side with, these were her friends. Though they had fought, they made up. She didn’t have to move on from Circle; she could stay.

“We should be thanking you.” Lisa linked her good arm through Yukina’s. “Since, well, after you got mad at us the other night, we kind of, got together.”

That wasn’t as big of a surprise as it should’ve been, especially after watching Yukina dote over Lisa’s injury. “Really?” Sayo asked, looking between their faces.

“Yes.” Yukina nodded once, gold eyes set. Lisa looked like she might cry again.

Sayo congratulated them, and they recounted the story of what happened after Sayo walked away that night only a few days before. It was crazy for Sayo to think about, but all of the drama led to an improvement in their relationship. Somehow, they had learned something.

Sayo wasn’t one to judge; despite the trouble she gained something too.

Conversation flowed between the three better than it had since before the spar as they talked through the evening, a wonderful and welcome change.

Next Chapter

#flip writes #fanfiction #bang dream fanfiction #bandori fanfiction #fanfic #hikawa sayo #finally a chapter that ties some threads #while also dangling others

2 notes · View notes