#something about satoshi leaving is comforting in a way?

[kkst0904]

#i’m too sad to put my effort into something #i can’t smile and say thank you and goodbye yet #i just wanna bury myself deep in my aus and not think about the future yet #but i know as he goes on his own journey without me it’s time for me to go on my own too #next year is going to be a big change in my life and even though i’m so heartbroken about this #something about satoshi leaving is comforting in a way? #it just inspires me to do my best #sorry for getting sappy #i know i mostly just draw my ship but satoshi means the world to me #he got me through so so much the past few years #so give me some time and i’ll be able to make a proper goodbye drawing for him #i hope i can end the final mini series with a smile (as well as all my tears haha) #satoshi #my sunshine #fr just been crying playing mezase pkmn master on replay LOL help #but i’ll get there ❤️

[giuliettagaltieri]

A Bouquet of Honeysuckle

Pairing: Dad!Gojō x Lactating!Reader

Chapter Synopsis: Gojō Satoru is a baby in more ways than one.

Warning: breastfeeding, lactation kink, hint of dub/con, hungry Gojō, unprotected sex, rough sex, breeding kink

Word Count: 1219

8 of 9

It is painfully clear to you that your husband might have developed a certain fondness to your bosom.  Or your carry-on breastaurant, as he insisted on calling them.

Whenever you nurse Satoshi, Gojō finds a way to lounge next to you, making up excuses about needing to have a conversation with you about the most tedious or ludicrous of topics.

Your bashfulness after catching his sticky gaze directed on your milky nipples, wearing off with how often it happens.

But the way you caught him staring in the gardens has done something to you.  It flattered you that your husband finds your motherhood appealing.  But the adoration he offered then was not soft, it was not sweet.

It was pure and unadulterated lust and hunger.

When he starts steering you to your shared quarters after putting Satoshi in his crib, you know you are about to see the breaking point of Satoru’s self-restraint.

You are aware that he was never good with sharing in the first place.

When Satoshi was born, you had no problems with your husband.  Your son slotted himself right in the middle of it all with no hitches.

Yet it happened twice already this week.  How your husband’s back leaves whatever it was he was leaning on to stop your son from pulling at your kimono to get to your breasts.  Gojō often manages to resume his previous position and pretend the past five seconds did not happen at all.  But he cannot shake off your startled expression.

Your baby just wanted to be fed.

You must have forgotten that Satoshi is not the only baby that you are taking care of.

Your husband, the head of your clan, the strongest sorcerer, the honored one, is now lying on his stomach, between your thighs as his arms wrapped around your waist.

“Have you fallen asleep, Satoru?”  You ask, all the while attempting not to break into giggles.

You got comfortable leaning against the headboard, your back sinking on the softest of pillows that your husband insisted on buying for you while you were carrying his child.

His chin rested on your plush belly, his hooded eyes focused on the wet patch that seeped on your nursing bra.

He looks quite drunk with the subtle redness tinting at his cheekbones.

His shirt has long been discarded on the floors of your quarters.  Your kimono has been parted already.

But his vigor seemed to have evaporated from his body as he came face to face with your barely covered teats.

His mouth was not a stranger to the perky buds.  But all he has ever done was to suck on them.  Never suckle.

Gojō started with a kiss.  The simple gesture had your heartbeat doubling.

He stared at the buttons of your nursing bra and he looked at you briefly, as if trying to recall how you undid it.

Is he supposed to tug?  Will the buttons pop open right then?  He wouldn’t want to ruin them, it took a very long time for you to find a nursing bra that you were comfortable in.

Now gone tired of watching him do nothing but stare, you guide his larger hands on your bra to get his fingers to pull and with a sharp pop, your breasts come spilling out.

Gojō is in a trance.  Your already pebbled teats from months of nursing your son were quick to leak with milk, his throat has gone dry with the sight.

Your cunt clenches as his tongue lols out, drool lining his path as he haunches over you, head dipping to drag his wet appendage on your sensitive bud to catch the leaking milk.  The sight of him was incredibly primal.

“Ahh!”

Gojō pulls back, eyes wide in surprise as he watches you throw your head against the pillow.

He does not recall your teats being this sensitive.  Even when you were pregnant.

With searing curiosity pumping through his veins, he licks at the other nipple, his eyes never leaving your pleasure twisted face.

The low chuckle he makes has your spine freezing.  You were panting as you looked at him.

“Tastes good.”  He grins at you before his lips presses a smack on your lips.  The smile on his handsome face only widening as he showered your leaking buds with kitten licks.

And his supple lips form an o and captures your nipple like the ripest of cherries as he smothers your breast with his face, the plump of your breasts cushioning against his cheeks.  Your thighs immediately tighten around his torso.  As you mewl out his name, hands messing up his hair, scratching up his back and deltoids.

He was not being gentle, his lips forming a tight suction as he gulped down your milk, his hand had your breast on a tight squeeze, coaxing your lactation so he could drink more and more.

Gojō Satoru is a greedy man.

And you were the sole focus of his greed at the moment.

You were tapping his shoulder to let up, to give you a brief respite but he only slaps your hand away, an annoyed frown on his brows.  He was groaning out in pleasure from having your teat on his mouth.  Tongue darting out to lick his lips as he switches to the other breast.

You can only take it all.

And when he unbuckles his pants and his fingers hook on your panties to the side so he can slip in his cock, you erupt just from the feeling of being full.

A rumble from his chest would have startled you if only you were not sprawled on the fluffiest of cloud nines.

Gojō was relentless, but your body responds to him like it was his…and indeed it is.

One strong arm was hooked under the small of your back so he can fuck into you harder, your plush thighs creating a lewd noise as it slaps with his.  The wet noise of your cunt joins your wonton cries and Gojō’s guttural groans.

You have never seen him act in such a way, jostling you so roughly, as if moving on pure instinct.  Your cunt gushes as you watch him, breath hitching at every drag of his intensely hard cock on your soft pulsating walls.

By the time he slowed down, your lips were bloated from you chewing on it, your lashes had clumped up, and your teats were sore. You worry how you will nurse your son come morning. 

Gojō pulls out from you and watches his seed trickle between your thighs then his eyes travel to the swell of your breasts.  His cock twitches and he groans, reaching for a bottle of water and gulps it down as one hand rests possessively on your thigh.

You mewl out a protest when he turns you so you are lying on your stomach and slips a pillow under your belly to raise your hips to him.  And he slides inside you once more, his pace ever as rough, creating a bump in your belly with every thrust.  You sniffle as your sensitive buds brush on your soft pillows, your milk seeping through the fabric, creating an uncomfortable dampness.

Gojō wishes that you would never stop lactating.

Perhaps he’ll leave another bun to bake in your belly.

Where the Blue Roses Grow

#gojo satoru x y/n #gojo satoru x reader #gojō satoru #jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru smut #arranged marriage #dad gojo #lactating kink #breeding k1nk #where the blue roses grow

[running-with-the-feels]

One order of Satoshi lives au, please! I’m like the angst of this au. It gets my fic writing juices flowing.

Order Up!

So I actually have two ideas for a Satoshi lives au, the first being my Lin Kuei Satoshi au and the second being based on the mortal kombat legends movies.

Lin Kuei Satoshi AU:

Satoshi is as stubborn as his father, even as a child so when the Lin Kuei took him he kept talking back and trying to run away. He was always caught and punished but it never stopped him.

Kuai Liang would always sneak into wherever Satoshi was being held to pass along food and medicine for any wounds he received, even giving him tips on how to escape better next time, which Satoshi was always suspicious of but the tips kept working, with him getting caught based on other mistakes.

Kuai Liang does this bc he and Bi-Han had tried to escape as children and it hadn't worked, so if he can save someone else, then he will, he doesn't think this is any place for a child.

Satoshi does stop trying to escape eventually, when one of the Lin Kuei who was part of the attack shows him one of his mother's hair pins and gloats about killing her and everyone else. He attacks the Lin Kuei over it and is sent back to the cells, but the Lin Kuei ends up scarred for life by it.

When he's in the cell, Kuai Liang comes to see him and confirms that all the Shirai Ryu are dead (though he had not know the Lin Kuei were responsible until now) and tries to comfort him over it. Realizing that he has nowhere to go, Satoshi throws himself into training with the goal to bring the Lin Kuei down from the inside out.

He gets his wish as the Cyber initiative starts up, planting bombs in the cyber bodies they plan to use that detonate when the cybers are activated, causing a lot of chaos and allowing him to disappear into the night.

Kuai Liang thinks he's dead based on the security footage he sees showing Satoshi in the room as the bombs go off, but really Satoshi is alive and has ended up wandering Europe aimlessly, helping who he can as he can.

Satoshi eventually hears that the Shirai Ryu have been refounded, and decides to investigate, angry that an imposter would dare. Upon discovering that it is his father, alive and well and raising another child, he's even angrier.

He makes a plan to attack and keeps going after the Kombat Kids, who are understandably confused by this random masked warrior who fights like a demon and doesn't talk and keeps trying to kill them. Eventually Frost brings it to Kuai Liang's attention, and he tells Hanzo about it, the two trying to figure out who this person is and why they want the kombat kids dead.

Satoshi eventually attacks while Kuai Liang is present and falters. He had been apprenticed to the cryomancer for most of the time he was within the Lin Kuei, and Kuai Liang had gone as far out of his way to protect the boy and treat him with kindness as he could while keeping them both alive. Unable to face him, Satoshi runs.

Kuai Liang tells Hanzo who the attacker is and that Satoshi had been Lin Kuei, something he had not told him for fear of causing him more pain (How do you tell someone their kid lived only to be put through hell and then die anyways?) which leads to them fighting.

Satoshi attacks the Shirai Ryu directly and tries to kill his father, convinced that he must be a sorcerer or shape changer wearing his face. Hanzo doesn't defend himself, making it so that Kuai Liang has to intervene, eventually getting the two to talk (mostly the trouble is getting the two to listen)

The MKL AU tho:

After getting separated from his father during the attack, Satoshi runs as far and as fast as he can, headed towards the hiding place he was always instructed to go to in the event of an attack.

Hanzo sees an illusion that Quan Chi conjures, thinking his son dead.

After hiding for a few days, Satoshi leaves, trying to find his father in the wreckage of his home. Finding nothing but corpses, he stays to bury everyone, not knowing how to leave or where to go.

The food runs out a bit after he has buried the last body, so he packs up and heads for the nearest village and through a series of shenanigans, ends up on Raiden's boat heading for Shang Tsung's island.

He may be a child but he is still Shirai Ryu, so he is able to stay hidden pretty easily.

most of his time on Shang Tsung's island is spent hiding and getting food where he can as he tries to find a way back to his home. But then, he runs into Kuai Liang, and is terrified.

Kuai Liang is confused at why a child is so afraid of him, so he pulls out every trick he knows to calm Satoshi down and prove that he isn't a threat. After a while he gets the full story out of Satoshi about the attack and suddenly understands why Scorpion killed his brother (though he knows that Bi-Han is innocent bc he was with his brother on the day of the attack, so he knows something's up)

Knowing that there is a child involved (and remembering the death of his own father) Kuai Liang realizes that he cannot take vengeance for his brother's death, at least until Satoshi is old enough to fend for himself (though he knows deep down he never will, he has a soft spot for kids and families seperated by the Lin Kuei, after all, he was too)

Thus embarks a journey to reunite Satoshi and Hanzo, leading to a Very different meeting at the temple of the elements

I'm really tempted to flesh the second AU out more, so lemme know if that's interesting to anyone

#kuai liang #hanzo hasashi #satoshi hasashi #mortal kombat #mortal kombat x #mortal kombat 11

[fallendragon]

✵ ･ ｡ ՙ @𝐒𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐊𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐈 ​ ֥   ｡ ･ ʃ  〈 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦  ⋆  〉  ͓

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ 🔥 || He is a beautiful piece of broken pottery, put back together by many hands; most prominent ones being Lord Raiden and Huan Hei. A critical world may judge Satoshi Hasashi’s kintsugi lines of golden joinery, while missing the beauty of how he made himself whole again. Satoshi’s nightmarish visions plaguing his nights manifest themselves as a curse of vestigial truth, revealing his own entombment within Sub-Zero’s chilling deathly menace. His mother remained brutally impaled by the unforgiving chill of eternal winter’s stillness, while his barely beating heartbeats remained a white noise murmur as his inevitable death drew near. Cold pangs embedded upon his heart and lungs, despite a fevered quandary with kicks and bursts defiantly resisted as the defiant and resilient Hasashi trait exuded upon young Satoshi’s innocent, yet resolute eyes. 

Ever since he was lost in the throes of viciousness of the world, Satoshi had never been afraid of being lost. For his subconscious was meant to wander off from time to time, for the long-instilled fear of never quite finding himself often kept him all night, even amidst his strenuous trainings to continue Hanzo Hasashi’s abruptly severed legacy. HeiHei had been a healer amidst countless destroyers around him; dealing with any and everything life had thrown the young Hasashi. He had been the warm touch that comforts, despite often reminding him of the very gelid touch that rendered him immobile, exacerbating the pain deep within him. There still may be vulnerability lingering at the tip of his lips, and within the unfathomable chestnut eyes that exude melancholia. 

Satoshi feels an unsettling bout of despair and jarringly out of sync this evening, all while the resplendent sun shines and clouds pour rain outside his window simultaneously. Perhaps that was why your father had to meet his brutal, humiliating death. A whispered voice, taunting and nearly persuasive in its timbre, sneers in his heart and soul, as forced feelings build up inside him, threatening to spill through his lips. “I am done counting exit wounds; icicle holes that still serve as reminders of the Shirai Ryu massacre and extinction, and everyone leaves eventually. It is what I learned lesson after lesson (evolve or repeat), but as you know, I still haven’t quite made my peace with anguish.” 

The thing is, after trauma, the kind where Satoshi goes through is more than  flight and fight; there is freeze, because the first would have meant suicide, and the second might very well have left copious blood and his slaughtered corpse. He subconsciously chose the third, where those moments of his life would become a stretched eternity, as sanity tucks itself deep inside of him. Words about forever and staying and keeping parts of another and remember me’s, not forgetting will never hit him the same way again; he never wants to be remembered anymore. “The world would have been better if it gave me closure, saved me years of my trials and tribulations.”  ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ 🔥 ||

Though  seemingly  UNFAZED,  those  features  delicately  desperately  attempt  to  conceal  all  the  worry  that  had  piled  up  within  his  being  for  all  the  years  he'd  had  to  stay  away  from  that  one  mortal  whose  existence  was  held  in  a  special  place  in  his  ROTTEN  HEART.  Impossible  to  point  whether  it  was  to  pass  the  vain  impression  of  SELF-RELIANCE  so  that  the  youngest  could  rely  on  as  had  been  done  long  ago,  or  simply  to  nourish  this  Dragon's  own  PRIDE  as  the  monster  that  this  hell  of  Earth  had  long  convinced  itself  to  be  for  the  sake  of  their  own  SURVIVAL  ━━━━━━━━━━━  perhaps  a  sick  combination  of  both.  Fortunately,  the  weight  of  such  a  provenance  shouldn't  need  to  fall  on  the  shoulders  of  that  young  soul  with  so  much  potential  to  become  something  GREATER,  to  reach  further  ━━━━━━━━━━━  a  brighter  place  this  creature  bound  to  DARKNESS  could  never  reach.

What  became  more  and  more  difficult  to  hide,  however,  was  the  COMPLICATED  expression  contained  in  that  gaze  with  no  reflection  now  being  forced  to  peek  at  the  other  from  a  LOWER  angle  while  still  trying  to  focus  on  the  task  at  hand,  giving  to  that  pale  face  even  more  captivating  traces,  even  if  accidentally.  Oh,  how  wickedly  CRUEL  time  could  be. . .  Slipping  through  the  fingers  burning  like  the  desert  sand,  but  with  the  swiftness  and  sharpness  of  the  coldest  winter  winds:  Running,  moving,  changing,  TAKING  AWAY. . .  How  many  more  of  springs  would  this  trickster  time  carry  away  without  him  being  able  to  enjoy  the  other's  company  now?  Thus,  every  word  uttered  seems  to  pierce  the  Black  Dragon  with  the  force  of  dozens  of  sharp  daggers,  knowing  he  that  so  MUCH  MORE  could  have  been  to  bring  some  comfort  to  the  youngest’  torments,  watching  silently  in  inaction  as  his  insides  trembled  and  turned  in  ANGER  and  SORROW.

❛❛ You  DON'T  need  to. . . ❜❜      Despite  the  undeniable  ache,  his  heart  seems  to  find  the  strength  to  squeeze  out,  between  a  brief  sigh,  a  few  words  in  the  mildest  possible  tone.      ❛❛ You  don't  have  to  keep  counting  your  wounds,  make  peace  with  the  past. . .  ANY  OF  THAT. ❜❜      Deep  obsidians  finally  rise  as  the  light  hands  seem  to  resign  for  a  moment  of  UNCOMFORTABLE  SILENCE,  this  light  pause  giving  him  some  time  to  think  about  the  words  to  be  spoken  with  a  rather  ATTENTIVE  intent.  An  audacious  impulse  propelled  a  free  hand  to  reach  for  the  other's  chin,  as  if  gently  forcing  him  to  face  him  directly.      ❛❛ Take  this  grief  and  use  it  to  FUEL  your  heart,  focus  on  what's  ahead  ━━━━━━━━━━━  bare  your  teeth  and  keep  on  FIGHTING,  no  matter  what. ❜❜      A  vehement  nod  reassures  his  words,  those  jewels  seeming  to  glister  under  the  dim  light  from  that  inconvenient  angle.  The  mere  image,  the  mere  thought  of  that  young  man  falling  victim  to  his  own  sadness  and  becoming  yet  another  EMPTY  SHELL  would  be  too  much  for  this  demon  to  bear.  Something  he  would  never  dare  to  allow  ( nor  admit  out  loud ),  even  if  it  cost  whatever  bit  of  HUMANITY  was  still  left  in  his  cursed  body.

Let  your  flame  BURN  within.

❛❛ You  have  made  THIS  FAR. . .  'Should  serve  as  enough  proof  of  your  ever  growing  STRENGTH. ❜❜      Eyes  drop  again,  perhaps  a  little  conscious  of  the  tender  FAMILIARITY  that  still  seem  to  remain  in  those  bright  mahogany  pupils  even  after  all  those  years.      ❛❛ Whether  things  change  or  not,  I  will  be  WATCHING  OVER  you. ❜❜      Interesting  choice  of  words  for  a  creature  who  knows  that  his  mere  presence  will  bring  more  inconvenience  to  the  other  than  could  possibly  be  EXPOSED.  Yet,  there  still  lingers  in  him  is  this  strange  instinct  of  PROTECTION  towards  what  was  once  a  FRAGILE  little  being  on  the  verge  of  death  in  his  arms,  now  bloomed  into  a  grown  man.

#✵ ･ ｡ ՙ ꜱɪ ᴠɪꜱ ᴩᴀᴄᴇᴍ ᴩᴀʀᴀ ʙᴇʟʟᴜᴍ ֥ ｡ ･ ʃ ⟨ main verse ⟩ ͓ #✵ ｡ ･ ʃ ⟨ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ： ENG ⟩ ͓ #✵ ｡ ･ ʃ ⟨ sasorikigai⠀⋮⠀Satoshi Hasashi ⟩ ͓ #✵ ｡ ･ ʃ ⟨ sasorikigai ⟩ ͓ #( addendum: heihei's technically not a demon per se but has been convinced he is. ) #( he has a VERY BAD reputation in mortal realm. so he gave up trying to ''be good''. )

[zara-anthology]

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

“Surrounded by the scent of old books, I felt a strange sense of peace.” - Takako

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a novel written by Japanese author Satoshi Yagisawa, translated into English by Eric Ozawa. It tells the tale of a young woman named Takako who, after a personal setback, finds solace and a new perspective on life by moving into her uncle's quaint bookshop in Tokyo's Jinbōchō district. The story explores themes of healing, self-discovery, and the transformative power of books and community.

Takako experiences deep despair when her boyfriend abruptly leaves her, causing her to feel lost and aimless. This personal crisis is the catalyst for her retreat from her everyday life and her decision to move into the Morisaki Bookshop: “My heart had been shattered, and the pieces were scattered in a million directions.” The Morisaki Bookshop becomes a refuge for Takako, providing a quiet, comforting space where she can begin to heal. The quaint and serene environment of the bookshop offers a stark contrast to her turbulent emotions. Immersing herself in the world of books and the community of Jinbōchō, Takako gradually rediscovers a sense of purpose and joy. The literary environment and the interactions with her uncle and customers help her to see beyond her immediate pain: “With each story I read, I felt a little more like myself, like I was piecing together the fragments of my broken heart.” This demonstrates how books become a therapeutic tool for her healing process. Over time, Takako’s despair transforms into hope. She begins to appreciate the small joys of daily life and sees the potential for a new beginning. The relationships she builds and the personal growth she experiences contribute to her renewed sense of hope. Takako’s journey is also about embracing change and finding the courage to move forward despite past disappointments. The supportive environment of the bookshop and the warmth of the people around her empower her to take steps towards a brighter future: “The bookshop had given me more than just a place to stay; it had given me a new beginning.” This encapsulates the theme of hope, highlighting her growth and the positive changes in her life.

What I found most relatable about Takako was how the stories she read served as a source of comfort and escapism for her. Her immersion in the world of literature as a way to heal and rediscover herself is something that resonates deeply with me. I also liked her growing relationships with her uncle and the bookshop’s community, as it reminds me of the importance of social connections in overcoming personal difficulties. I can relate to the idea that supportive relationships can be crucial in times of need. Overall I find Takako to be quite a relatable and enjoyable protagonist.

#days at the morisaki bookshop #hope & despair

[cyclonesyndicate]

JUSTICE | Niflheim| 6.6 | Re: Ragnarok

It takes Xander a while to compose himself enough to speak, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. As he sits he listens, listens as Ragnarok speaks to them all, listens to Satoshi, to Sade, to Haruka. And as the words of his friends echo out, he finds it in himself to finally speak again. As Ragnarok pushes for his own demise even further, he finds it in himself to stand from his seat, too riled up to even sit.

He raises his gaze to The Lord of Roses. To a man he isn't sure was ever his friend, but hopes was, even if only for a short time. Something is burning deep down inside of him, hearing such self-loathing words. Such grandstanding, each word picked to perfectly cast him in shadow. Beowulf had said the mastermind must have been an actor.. It's easy to play the role of a monster, when it's a comfortable one, he knows that well and can't help but wonder if it's not the same for Beo. If this is not but yet another act.

"No." He says without thinking, not responding to anything in particular, but in response to it all. To this whole twisted charade. There's so much wrong with it, wtong with Ragnarok's way of thinking that it feels sickening.

He's emboldened by the words and attitudes of his friends, as he continues to speak. "No, you won't die here. You think any of us are going to let you march off to your own death? That's ridiculous. You're going to live, Vanagandr, you're going to live if we have to knock you unconscious and drag you onto the boat out of here ourselves." He balls his hands into fists. "Even if you did die, whose to say Cherry won't just resurrect your stupid ass Rabbit Jesus style and then you gotta live anyways! Then you have to live and deal with it!"

He's getting a little worked up as he stares down Beowulf. It's rare to see him this angry in general, especially at someone he cares about. But he's so sick and tired of this game, of Vanagandr's words. Of all this. "You're not stupid, you don't think everyone will seriously forgive you, right? For everything you've done? You've lied to and tricked us all and gotten so many people killed for some stupid doomsday plot! Even if we were friends, you think it'll all just... Go away if you leave here? That's not gonna happen. You're gonna live, damn it and you're gonna see that even if you repent till thy very last day, that someone out there will never forgive what you've done. Even if you somehow forgive yourself, you will never be absolved like that!"

He breathes out, shaking his head.

"So give up already. The game's over, and you're going to live and regret and repent for the rest of your life. It's not about fairness, or forgiveness or whatever. You're being a tool, standing up there preaching for your own death and how you don't deserve to be forgiven. You won't be!"

#ch 6 #demon of niflheim #submission

[sasorikigai]

❛❛ We  grow  STRONGER,  the  world  grows  more  DANGEROUS  ━━━━━━━━━━  Life  has  a  funny  way  of  keeping  things  BALANCED. ❜❜      Though  pointed,  his  tone  still  undeniably  carries  the  sweet  taste  of  SOLICITUDE  at  each  word  leisurely  pronounced.  Slender  fingers  mindlessly  travel  over  the  other's  neck,  with  the  sole  purpose  of  fixing  the  collar  of  his  garment,  although  those  obsidian  eyes  may  have  wasted  a  bit  of  time  examining  the  details  along  the  way.  This  Dragon  knows  that  having  his  Xiao  Shi  staying  ALIVE  and  healthy  up  to  that  point  was  a  feat  in  itself,  something  he  was  both  GRATEFUL  and  thoroughly  PROUD  of.  Yet  there  lay  in  him  this  strange  protective  instinct  that  could  be  both  a  blessing  and  a  CURSE  at  this  point.  Nothing  that  came  to  the  surface  of  those  beautiful  features,  however,  PALE  and  DELICATE  like  the  thin  frost  sheets  covering  the  forests  that  surrounded  that  place.

✵ ｡ ･ ʃ 〈 @ Satoshi 〉 ͓

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ 🔥 || He is a beautiful piece of broken pottery, put back together by many hands; most prominent ones being Lord Raiden and Huan Hei. A critical world may judge Satoshi Hasashi’s kintsugi lines of golden joinery, while missing the beauty of how he made himself whole again. Satoshi’s nightmarish visions plaguing his nights manifest themselves as a curse of vestigial truth, revealing his own entombment within Sub-Zero’s chilling deathly menace. His mother remained brutally impaled by the unforgiving chill of eternal winter’s stillness, while his barely beating heartbeats remained a white noise murmur as his inevitable death drew near. Cold pangs embedded upon his heart and lungs, despite a fevered quandary with kicks and bursts defiantly resisted as the defiant and resilient Hasashi trait exuded upon young Satoshi’s innocent, yet resolute eyes. 

Ever since he was lost in the throes of viciousness of the world, Satoshi had never been afraid of being lost. For his subconscious was meant to wander off from time to time, for the long-instilled fear of never quite finding himself often kept him all night, even amidst his strenuous trainings to continue Hanzo Hasashi’s abruptly severed legacy. HeiHei had been a healer amidst countless destroyers around him; dealing with any and everything life had thrown the young Hasashi. He had been the warm touch that comforts, despite often reminding him of the very gelid touch that rendered him immobile, exacerbating the pain deep within him. There still may be vulnerability lingering at the tip of his lips, and within the unfathomable chestnut eyes that exude melancholia. 

Satoshi feels an unsettling bout of despair and jarringly out of sync this evening, all while the resplendent sun shines and clouds pour rain outside his window simultaneously. Perhaps that was why your father had to meet his brutal, humiliating death. A whispered voice, taunting and nearly persuasive in its timbre, sneers in his heart and soul, as forced feelings build up inside him, threatening to spill through his lips. “I am done counting exit wounds; icicle holes that still serve as reminders of the Shirai Ryu massacre and extinction, and everyone leaves eventually. It is what I learned lesson after lesson (evolve or repeat), but as you know, I still haven’t quite made my peace with anguish.” 

The thing is, after trauma, the kind where Satoshi goes through is more than  flight and fight; there is freeze, because the first would have meant suicide, and the second might very well have left copious blood and his slaughtered corpse. He subconsciously chose the third, where those moments of his life would become a stretched eternity, as sanity tucks itself deep inside of him. Words about forever and staying and keeping parts of another and remember me’s, not forgetting will never hit him the same way again; he never wants to be remembered anymore. “The world would have been better if it gave me closure, saved me years of my trials and tribulations.”  ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ 🔥 ||

#(satoshi) #(have a sad boi) #fallendragon

[archived-zombbean]

Sona grabbed a fish, watching as the slippery creature escaped her grasp and slipped back into the watery depths below. With a frustrated sigh she stood up, putting their hands on their hips. Before she could move to find another, she heard a sound.... a baby? Crying?

Making her way a little more down, they spot a basket floating down the river, of which was far too strong for them to swim in. Calling out to Kuai for assistance, the Lin Kuei assassin paused in his fishing, and dove into the cool water below. He easily grasped the basket and swam to the bank, meeting a concerned Kabal, and Sona.

Touching the small babe’s flesh Sona frowned, “They’re so cold... we need to get them to Hanzo, he’ll make a warm blanket!”

The three rushed over to the remaining companion, causing him to pause and wipe his forehead of perspiration, “Is something wrong?”

“We found a baby in the river! He’s cold! Here, hold him, quickly!” Kuai stated, rushing the basket over to him.

“Who’s sick enough to toss a kid into the river?” Kabal snorted, shaking his head as they all gathered around Hanzo.

As Hanzo held the infant he froze. A small mark on the child right arm had him fixated in a unbreakable stare.

“What’s wrong?” Sona asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“This... can not be...” Hanzo swallowed, tracing a finger over the tiny mark on the child’s arm.

“What is it Hanzo? The mark? Is it something to be worried about?” Kuai added.

Hanzo was silent.

“Ain’t that a Shirai whatever mark?” Kabal leaned over the others, looking closer at the child.

Hanzo swallowed again, a small chuckle leaving his throat, visible tears brimming in his eyes. This alarmed the other three who grew closer to comfort the man.

“Satoshi.... had the same mark, in the same spot,” Hanzo rasped out, holding the child even closer.

As if waiting for a sign, a small sparrow flew from the skies, landing lightly on Hanzo’s shoulder and giving a few chirps, head turning from side to side.

Hanzo’s eyes widened. Could... could this possibly be...

The sparrow flew off before he could ask.

“Thank you Harumi, I do not know how you gave me a second chance, but I will not waste it,”

#hanzo hasashi #kabal #kuai liang #sub-zero #scorpion #sona #mk #mortal kombat #drabble #IDC if it sounds kinda cringy or bad #is it so bad for me to want hanzo to be happy? #he deserves to be happy

[lightsonparkave]

HAPPY TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO LIGHTS ON PARK AVE! 🎂🎉 In celebration of LoPA’s birthday (August 22, to be exact), all of the prompts from the previous year are up for grabs.

Round 24 will end on August 31, 11:59 PM ET (what time is that for me?).

As always, you’re free to jump in whenever you’d like during the round, a wide variety of work types is accepted, and there are no minimum work requirements. Unfinished works and works for other fandom events are allowed. You can find more information about Lights on Park Ave and the participation guidelines here.

Here are all 149 prompts. Go crazy and have fun! 🎈

ROUND 13: TIME

A quote about being infinite in the present moment from The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“Vellichor,” the the strange wistfulness of used bookstores

“How long is forever?” dialogue from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

“Time” - Hans Zimmer (Inception OST)

A quote and gifset from Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival (2016) about the nonlinear structure of time

Agnès Varda’s portraits when she was 20, 36, and 80 years old

A John Irving quote about what time does to the people who matter to us

Ten traveling back to see Rose on New Year’s Day in 2005 before he dies and reincarnates in Doctor Who

Future inventions in 2015 as seen in Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future Part II (1989)

A quote about what time does for wounds

ROUND 14: LIMINALITY

A photoset of various liminal spaces

Illustration of a black cat in front of a red-lit house with the caption, “They say no one is living here—but the lights come on, once every year”

A photoset of Victorian-era spirit photography, an art form that attempted to capture the ghost of a deceased loved one

Information on the famous Mojave phone booth, a lone telephone booth in the middle of the desert that received calls from all over the world

Rosemary Ellen Guiley’s The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits Third Edition’s definition of “witching hour”

Illustration of a ghost train on an abandoned trestle bridge in the Pacific Northwest

A quote by Isabel Allende about spirits coming out at night in the library

Gifset of the spirit world in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (2001)

Illustration of a neon roadside sign of a motel that only appears at night by a long-forgotten highway

“Pacific Coast Highway” - Kavinsky

A gifset quote from The Twilight Zone (1959)

Scenery from Twin Peaks season 1 (1990)

A quote about something shifting into a strange, new place inside of a person from Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

ROUND 15: LOSS

A quote about being lost and found by someone special by Sue Zhao

A photo of the Mildred, wrecked off Gurnard’s Head, Cornwall in 1912

A quote about ephemerality and the beauty of it from Troy (2004)

Two paintings of people visiting ruins by Caspar David Friedrich

A quote about desire and loss by Lara Mimosa Montes

A photo of an overgrown, abandoned conservatory

A passage about what disappears and what remains in ruins from Suicide by Édouard Levé

Dialogue about gratitude for people who aren’t meant to stay in your life but shape who you are from BoJack Horseman

A scene from Fleabag where the Priest chooses God over Fleabag and gently tells Fleabag that her love for him will pass before they part ways

A prayer to St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things, people, and souls

Oscar Wilde’s tomb in Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, covered in lipstick kisses from admirers

Photos of a cemetery statue in Austria, wrapped in branches and dead leaves, holding a single flower

ROUND 16: DEVOTION/SERVICE

A gifset of Kevin on the phone, telling Chiron he’ll cook food for him from Barry Jenkin’s Moonlight (2016)

Buttercup’s monologue to Westley about how she would do anything for him from The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Gifs of Merlin saying that he was born to serve Arthur from BBC’s Merlin

An excerpt about giving all of oneself to someone despite what it costs from House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

A gifset of various times Jaime and Brienne demonstrate their loyalty to and love for each other in Game of Thrones

A gifset of all the different ways Cliff is there for Rick in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

A gifset of Nadia deciding to be by Alan’s side no matter what in Russian Doll

“Devotion” - Ocean Vuong

A gifset of Bond comforting a traumatized Vesper in the shower in Casino Royale (2006)

A gifset of Sookhee refusing to leave Hideko, saying her job is to look after her in Park Chanwook’s The Handmaiden (2016)

ROUND 17: DREAMS

A dreamscape gifset and quote about repressed thoughts in dreams and the Internet from Satoshi Kon’s Paprika (2006)

A gifset of Mitsuha and Taki finally meeting in their own bodies in a dream from Shinkai Makoto’s Kimi no Na wa (Your Name) (2016)

A quote by Tinker Bell telling Peter Pan where he can find her and where she’ll always love him in Steven Spielberg’s Hook (1991)

The scene where Keating tells his students that poetry, beauty, romance, and love give life meaning in Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society (1989)

An animated illustration of a storefront called “Hauntings” with a flickering “99¢ dreams” neon sign

Various dreamscape scenes and a quote about ideas being the most resilient parasite from Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010)

A quote about how all living beings must dream to survive reality from The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

A comic about people we love taking turns to visit us in dreams every night

Lovers and Sleeping Couple, two drawings by Egon Schiele

A quote about belief in a better world by Robert Frobisher to his lover, Rufus Sixsmith, in Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

A quote about the feeling of falling in love lingering when you wake up from a dream in Alexis Dos Santos’s Unmade Beds (2009)

A photo of subway graffiti by an unknown author insisting that they’ll never give up making the world a better place to live in

ROUND 18: PHYSICAL TOUCH

A scene about how to return a stolen kiss from Daniel Ribeiro’s The Way He Looks (2014)

A line about kissing someone the way a flower opens from “I Know Someone” by Mary Oliver

A gifset focusing on showing affection and care through hands from Park Chanwook’s The Handmaiden (2016)

A passage about two people leaving invisible marks on each other through the accumulation of touches over the years from A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

Two conversations about never being touched before and only being touched by one person from Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight (2016)

Going from yearning to touch someone but stopping oneself to being allowed to touch them from Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy

Moving art of two bodies made of stars and the cosmos embracing

A quote about maintaining sanity by touching someone but being separated despite proximity from The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

A line about proving that one still exists and is real through touch from On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Different touches between Villanelle and Eve expressing violence, threat, sexual tension, comfort, and companionship in Killing Eve

A juxtaposition of two scenes from Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000) of Su Li-zhen rejecting and accepting Chow Mo-wan’s hand

A compilation of marble sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Syd (Chris Evans) trailing kisses down London’s back in London (2005)

ROUND 19: IMMORTALITY

James Baldwin talking about how art helps you discover that people before you have experienced the same thing as you and you are not alone

Dr. Brand saying that love transcends time and space in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014)

Nadia and Alan meeting for the first time as they’re about to die and relive the same day again in Russian Doll

The loneliness of losing everyone by having a long life as expressed by Ten in Doctor Who

The doomed eternal time loop romance of Simon and Alisha from Misfits

A quote by Edvard Munch about becoming eternal through the flowers that grow from his body after death

Nagai Kei recalling the traffic accident that killed him and triggered his immortality, making him one of the rare persecuted humans to possess the power, in Ajin

A collection of moments from Jay Russell’s Tuck Everlasting (2002)

A quote by Mary Wollstonecraft hoping for something that lasts inside the heart

Various scenes with Jack Harkness from Doctor Who

Aya telling Asou-kun to live on and live forever as she nears the end of her life in 1 Litre of Tears

An excerpt about the immortalization of the self through love from “Love of the Wolf” in Hélène Cixous’s Stigmata

A collection of scenes from the Black Mirror episode “San Junipero”

Naoko telling Toru to always remember her and remember that she existed in Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Dom explaining to Ariadne that he uses the PASIV to dream as it’s the only way that he can be with his wife and children in Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010)

ROUND 20: POETRY

“I’m Going Back to Minnesota Where Sadness Makes Sense” - Danez Smith

A line about wanting to forget how much you loved someone and then actually forgetting from Bluets by Maggie Nelson

“Perhaps the World Ends Here” - Joy Harjo

“In Time” - W. S. Merwin

“By Small and Small: Midnight to Four A.M.” - Jack Gilbert

“Magdalene: The Addict” - Marie Howe

“Wild Geese” - Mary Oliver

“Morphology 2″ - CJ Scruton

“20″ from Moscow in the Plague Year by Marina Tsvetaeva

“To Hold” - Li-Young Lee

ROUND 21: LONGING

“I Loved You Before I Was Born” - Li-Young Lee

A poem about longing for someone through worlds by Izumi Shikibu

A gifset of Marianne and Héloïse falling in love from Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

“Make Me Feel” - Janelle Monáe

A quote about living in longing being better than realizing that longing from 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

“I Want You” - Mitski

Orpheus and Eurydice in Hades - Friedrich Heinrich Füger

Long definition of the word “saudade”

Definition of the word “hiraeth”

“Something About Us” - Daft Punk

Two lines about burning quietly from the poem “The Pillowcase” by Annelyse Gelman

A conversation about wanting each other after decades of separation from Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory (2019)

A Hanahaki disease mood board

“Shrike” - Hozier

Two lines about wanting someone to return from Herakles by Euripides

“Love of My Life” - Queen

“Eyes, Nose, Lips” - Taeyang

A screenshot of Kathy and Tommy holding onto each other desperately from Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go (2010) and a quote from Kazuo Ishiguro’s eponymous novel

ROUND 22: YOUTH

“Perfect Places” - Lorde

A piece about realizing you’ll never be this young again, but it’s the first time you’re this old by Kalyn Roseanne Livernois

A conversation between Neil and Mr. Keating about Neil feeling trapped and unable to live the life he wants because of his father from Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society (1989)

An excerpt about being too young to know how to love properly from Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” - Arctic Monkeys

Elio’s father telling Elio not to try to rid himself of his sorrow and pain—and with that joy—which he feels so strongly because he’s so young from Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

A quote about how everything feels final to young people because they’re experiencing it for the first time from Middlemarch by George Eliot

Lara Jean telling Peter that she had to make it seem like she liked him to deal with her love letter fiasco in Susan Johnson’s To All the Boys I Loved Before (2018)

Rue and Jules dancing together and partying it up in Euphoria

“Le Plongeoir” by Laurent Roch

A quote about being pushed into adulthood and not being ready from Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

A photo of a roller rink illuminated by pink and purple lights

Pastel photo series of Coney Island by Mijoo Kim and Minjin Kang

“Hips Don’t Lie” - Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean

“Young Dumb & Broke” - Khalid

Different moments accompanied by the letter to Mr. Vernon at the end of detention from John Hughes’s The Breakfast Club (1985)

Various scenes and a quote about growing up and realizing life isn’t like a fairy tale from Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Stills of the young lesbian couple in love from the music video of “You Know” - Jaurim

Lines by Effy about her emotional and mental struggles from Skins

Nathan chiding the group for not taking advantage of their superpowers as young offenders from Misfits

ROUND 23: HEDONISM

A passage about giving into passion and losing control from The Secret History by Donna Tartt

“Thot Shit” - Megan Thee Stallion

An aesthetic photoset of the Greek god Dionysus

A quote about living for ecstasy rather than balance from From a Journal of Love by Anaïs Nin

A photo of an anonymous person in nothing but a silk robe and lingerie

A photo of Donatella Versace lounging in a chair, surrounded by shirtless, muscular men sunbathing around her in Capri, Italy in 1994

An aesthetic photoset based on The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The music video for “Heartless” by The Weeknd

A plea for summer to never end from Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

“Plastic Love” - Mariya Takeuchi

A gifset from the music video of “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, a continuation of the “Heartless” music video

“XS” - Rina Sawayama

A gifset from the music video of “Body” by Mino

Photos of people dancing at the legendary Studio 54

Photos and a description of the party scene at Studio 54

Chris Evans and Evan Rachel Wood hooking up in a car in the “Gucci Guilty Black” commercial

#stevetony #steve/tony #superhusbands #stony #stevetony prompts #stony prompts #lightsonparkave #round 24

[kenmasgameboy]

ruin me.

chapter 8: who?

previous…next

masterlist

kuroo tetsurou came into y/n’s life when she needed him to fuck it up the most.

Kuroo tapped the notebook you where you were rewriting your notes for better organization. You looked over, eyes wide with the sudden eye contact he made. Fuck, he’s so hot. You thought this to yourself and had to look away.

“When do you have to close up?” Kuroo asked, his voice smooth in your ear as you become painfully aware of his gaze.

“Half an hour.” You mumbled, checking your watch. Thanks to the silence around you he still heard you.

“Perfect, uh.” Kuroo nervously fiddled with his pencil, trying to prepare himself to be rejected, “Could I walk you home when you’re done?”

“What?” You practically choke it out, your skin feeling hot and sweaty under your current predicament.

“It’s just getting late, I think Inuoka had to have gone home by now if you were planning on going with him. But I’d love to walk you. I really don’t mind.” Kuroo insisted. You gripped the page of your book, crinkling the corner of it between your thumb and index finger.

“Kuroo-san?” You finally gain the courage to say something above a mumble.

“You don’t have to be so formal—” Kuroo started but you needed to let it out before you swallowed it back down forever.

“Why are you messing with me? I know I tweeted that thing but I didn’t think you’d ever see that. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” You said it in practically one long breath, trying to get it all out of your chest like blowing it into a balloon.

“What tweet? Oh the one where you said I was some good fucking food, something about being a delicious specimen, right?” He flashed a handsome teasing grin your way. Your whole body felt like cringing, curling in on itself until you turned into seafoam but restricted it to just your hands curling and your face wincing. Why did you ever forget the internet is forever?

“I’m just teasing you. Of course, I’m flattered. But I was interested in knowing who you were before I even saw that.” He insisted, his genuine smoothness spilling across the table.

“Oh.” You said, quickly turning your face into your opposite shoulder as to hide the panic and flustered expression you surely are wearing. Kuroo wanted to see that face so bad. A light breath was exhaled from his nose as he held back his laugh, you were amusing though he would give you that.

“Why don’t I walk you home?” He repeated himself. You remembered Inuoka’s long gone and the dark of the night had already settled in. You couldn’t walk home alone, but walking home with a guy you didn’t know very well also didn’t sound like a fun risk.

“Y/N-chan?” Your class representative suddenly had approached the desk, Nakamura Satoshi. You hadn’t spoken to him much, only when he needed you to do a certain task. He was #1 in your year, and was extremely popular with the staff and faculty. He wasn’t exactly Kuroo’s status with popularity, but he was up there. There was no doubt people knew who they were. And they knew who each other were.

You were so thankful that nobody else was in this library. As this would be quite the sight for anyone to see. Two of some of the most popular boys at this school hanging around the loner librarian assistant. What was next? Was an idol going to come try to talk to you as well? You set a reminder in your head to punch Inuoka for leaving you alone tonight.

“Ah, Satoshi-kun, I’m sorry I forgot you were here. Can I help you find something? I was about to close up.” You smiled lightly at him. Your interaction with this guy made Kuroo want to put his fist directly into Nakamura’s face. Did he not see he was working on something over here? He just had to come ruin it, huh? Why were you so familiar with each other? Kenma said you didn’t talk to anyone. Kuroo’s patience was coming to a stifling end.

“Ah not exactly, I’m sorry to keep you past your shift. Is the librarian coming to relieve you?” Satoshi asked you,

“No, I’m locking up tonight. She texted me a little while ago to let me know she couldn’t come back to do it.” You said. Kuroo was getting antsy, starting to pack up his things as he tried to urge this kid to stop talking. He was getting the need to be petty, jealous of how comfortable you were with him.

“Oh, I see.” He said, returning his voice to a normal level since nobody else was here, “I was wondering if you could help me understand this assignment from English? You got second highest in that subject last term, right?”

“Well, yeah. Second to you?” You turned your head to the side in confusion, but Kuroo didn’t miss a beat in understanding this guys game plan.

“I could help you.” Kuroo smiled nonchalant, playing coy as if he didn’t know a thing.

“Oh, Kuroo-san! My apologies, I didn’t see you there.” Satoshi bowed and smiled politely. Immediately it was like a surge of lightening went through both of their eyes, their competitive natures being at opposing sides with each other.

“No worries, I scored #1 in english the last 3 years, I don’t mind helping you.” Kuroo said, trying to draw his attention away from you.

“That’d be great, but I’d feel like I was cheating if i got help from someone as advanced as you. Besides, Y/N-chan always takes the best notes from what we covered in class today. I swear! They’re always better than mine.” Satoshi was being light-hearted but not even you could deny the air had gotten thicker.

“It’s okay, um. Is it this one? I’ll admit it was kind of difficult. Learning when to use past, present, and future tense verbs can get rather difficult especially if it changes mid-sentence.” You said this while looking down at the identical sheets, trying to ignore that half of the answer bubbles looked like they used to have writing in them but had been erased. But Kuroo certainly couldn’t ignore that.

“I know, I’ve been kinda struggling with it. Kuroo-san, this could take a little while. You shouldn’t have to wait for Y/N-chan. I can walk her home.” Satoshi tried to wave him off. Kuroo stood up, using his height to his advantage over Satoshi who was probably only 4 inches shorter than Kuroo, but still enough to make his point.

“I don’t mind waiting, I already got my studies done for the day. No need to rush.” Kuroo insisted, “Besides, L/N already told me she wanted me to walk her home.”

“I don’t remember her saying that.” Satoshi pointed out, causing Kuroo’s eyes to widen. So, he had been listening to them. “Y/N-chan, do you mind staying with me, I’d love your input about a few other things for our class? I’ll walk you home and buy you something from the vending machine.”

You wanted to explode. Right then and there felt like the perfect time to just implode actually, so why couldn’t you spontaneously combust.

“Uh..” You nervously fiddled with the end of your uniform sweater, you looked up to Kuroo for some kind of answer. You don’t know why you had done that, you just felt like he would help you in this. Inuoka normally would be that person for you, but now out of the two in front of you, you go to Kuroo. But he just stared down Satoshi instead, when you made eye contact with him you backed down again. You panicked under his gaze. He registered that look you were giving him a second too late, “Kuroo-san, I would feel bad making you wait for me. It’s okay to go on without me.”

Kuroo wished he could back track, he wished he had the right authority to just pick you up and take you with him. He wished he could’ve gone back to when you looked at him with those panicked eyes looking for an answer and answered for you again so that you would feel like you had an ally. Satoshi didn’t skip a single beat, he took the seat Kuroo had been sitting in for the last few hours to make sure he could be even closer to you than he had been to immediately start asking you questions to ignore Kuroo.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, L/N.” Kuroo couldn’t help but hang his head with his defeat. As soon as Kuroo left through the front doors, the rubber band you felt between the two of you that had been getting pulled tighter and tighter was cut by the doors of the library. It snapped back and hit the air out of your chest. You felt weaker without him, like you couldn’t focus on what Satoshi was asking you even though you were more familiar with him he never gave you the same feeling of blissful silence in the way Kuroo gave you today.

You didn’t know that Kuroo was going to give you up that easy. You didn’t know that he wasn’t. That he was waiting down the hall waiting for you to leave with that guy with you so he could prove his own suspicions. He was never going to give up that easily.

***

TAGLIST:

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a/n wOW WHAT A MASSIVE CHAPTER! let me know what you guys think <3 a bit more drama-filled than normal hehe

#kuroo #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo x reader #kuroo smau #haikyuu kuroo #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #hq #hq x reader #kuroo smut #kuroo tetsurou x reader #kuroo tetsuro #kenma #inuoka #haikyuu smau

[voids-colourful-creations]

Ships Passing in the Night and Sailing Together Until Morning - Interlude I

In the Grass

Summary: Satoshi takes a break. Goh asks a question. Pikachu enjoys a well deserved nap.

[Read on Ao3!]

[<Prev. Chapter] [Next Chapter>]

Goh sat cross legged on the grass, the edge of his left sneaker pressing against his leg. He had been sitting for long enough that the pattern of the sole had been imprinted onto his skin. The cuffs of his pants had been rolled up as the sun beating down through the intricate glass dome grew stronger, and all black clothing began to feel less and less practical.

The breeze that day carried throughout Sakuragi Park, a concept that confused Goh, considering it was a fairly closed environment, what with the glass dome and all. However, the gentle wind was soothing enough that he was willing to let it go, for the time being.

The leaves on the trees shook enthusiastically as the wind blew through, as if encouraging it to continue. The slightly shaking shadows fell just short of where Goh lay, within reach but not quite where he sat.

This was how he liked it.

The grass was lush and vibrant green, either due to the nearby river or the high numbers of grass pokemon inside. Perhaps both.

It was soft, Goh thought, when laid upon like this. The individual strands were wiry and sharp, depending on what angle they were held at, but together they formed a soft bed. The sun had yet to warm them, leaving it pleasantly cool to lie upon.

The sun rose further into the sky, and the heat seemed to increase tenfold. Although, perhaps the sun wasn’t entirely to blame, and some fault should be placed on the smoke spreading across the landscape.

Electricity crackled, scorch marks being left upon grass not too far from where Goh was sitting.

It was a bit strange, Goh noticed, that despite the vibrant yellow sparks colliding against the air, the grass, and the seemingly fiery blue orbs that were their initial target, his attention was caught by only one thing.

Captivating was a word Goh found himself using to describe Satoshi with growing frequency. He knew he wasn’t the first, he knew he wouldn’t be the last, but there was something about him that drew people in. He had heard people talking about it before, his flare in battle being a common thing mentioned, but for Goh it was more the opposite.

Before Satoshi, Goh had been... less than interested in battling. More than anything, he couldn’t understand the point, resulting in him finding himself bored every time he tried to follow a match.

Sure, competition was fun, and exploring what pokemon could do was always interesting. But the spectacle, the awards, the prestige of what was, on a surface level, just shouting some instructions, couldn’t make sense in Goh’s mind.

Satoshi had changed that. Satoshi had changed a lot of things. How Goh felt about battling, how Goh wanted to achieve his dream, how fast his heart beat in his chest. Lots of things. And for the most part, Goh was thankful for that.

However even with Satoshi in the middle of it, his smile making the whole affair so much more beautiful in Goh’s eyes, there were so many parts that just didn’t make sense.

But Satoshi loved to battle, and so despite the initial confusion, Goh didn’t really mind watching him train.

Something in the back of his mind told him he would’ve minded, had it not been Satoshi, which he dismissed.

Blue and yellow lights clashed, never quite mixing into the appropriate green. The grass was sent rustling from the resulting gusts.

Riolu moved too quickly for Goh’s eyes to track, becoming not more than a blur of blue and black, occasionally letting out a yell or grunt of effort. The same could be said for Pikachu, darting back and forth in what Goh guessed to be an effort to confuse Riolu on his exact location. It was working to moderate success, a few of Riolu’s attacks landing, but more not.

Riolu readied another attack, aiming directly towards Pikachu. The glow of it shined in Pikachu’s eyes, changing their colour from brown to unnatural blue for a moment.

“Dodge it, Pikachu!”

Satoshi's voice called out, strong and rough and passionate. The words wedged themselves firmly in Goh’s mind.

Maybe it was the way that Satoshi yelled them that got them caught, the emotion and heat of the moment. It could also be the boy himself who yelled them. Goh shook his head at these ideas.

To dodge, as a command, was confusing on its own, no need to make it deeper than it was, right?

Besides, he could figure that out right now, the battle having winded to a close.

Taking a deep breath, Goh stretched his arms above his head, bringing them down in a fluid motion to grab one leg. Reaching out forward, Goh unfolded his legs to sit out in front of him. With his left foot planted back, Goh pushed himself to standing, and ran down the gentle slope to meet Satoshi.

“Good job, buddy!” Satoshi praised, “You did great out there.”

He bent down and stroked the fur between Pikachu’s ears with the practice of someone who had done this so many times it was as natural as breathing. Pikachu softly squeaked out something in response, contented.

“You too, Riolu!”

Satoshi called across the field, to which Riolu howled happily in return.

Satisfied, he returned his attention to running his fingers against Pikachu’s fur.

“You’ve been working hard! Good job, Satoshi,” Goh called, waving a bit as he walked over.

Satoshi’s eyes sparkled a bit as turned to face Goh, scooping Pikachu up in his arms as he straightened so he could continue to pet him as he spoke.

“Nah nah, Pikachu and Riolu are the ones doing all the work.” Satoshi deflected with a smile, Pikachu cooing at the compliment. ”I’m just giving them directions and all.”

Goh frowned ever so slightly.

“Well, that’s clearly not true. If you were cjust giving them directions, there wouldn’t be any need for trainers in battles at all, you could just send out the pokemon to fight on their own. Besides, weren’t you the one who told me that pokemon and trainers work as a team? There’s no need to downplay your achievements, you should be proud of yourself.”

He bit his lip as he finished speaking, having rambled on much more than he had meant to. It just didn’t seem fair, Satoshi not recognizing his accomplishments.

Satoshi’s face was blank as he stared for a moment, though it quickly shifted to a smile again.

“You’re right! Both that I said that, and that we’re a team. Thanks.”

Goh shook his head.

“It’s nothing, I’m just repeating what you already knew.”

Satoshi’s smile shifted to a smirk.

“Okay now who’s downplaying?”

Goh rolled his eyes, but he was happy to see Satoshi smiling.

“Come take a break for a bit, Satoshi.” Goh said, phrased like a statement but voiced like a request.

Satoshi looked hesitant, looking back and forth between Pikachu in his arms and Riolu across the field.

“Please?” Goh added, which seemed to be enough for Satoshi.

“Alright! Riolu! We’re taking a break, okay?” Satoshi called again, receiving a nod from Riolu in reply as it ran off, presumably to chat with the other park pokemon. Or maybe fight them.

Satoshi turned back towards Goh, nodding at him as he began to head up the hill, grass skimming his ankles as he went.

Goh followed closely behind, feeling a bit awkward not quite making pace but not wanting to speed up that last little bit for fear of looking clingy.

Satoshi sighed contently just before he flopped backwards onto the grass in the shade of the tree.

“Ack! It’s cold!” Satoshi cried out, spreading his arms out onto the lawn, and beginning to laugh.

Goh smiled, leaning back to sit across from Satoshi. Satoshi’s eyes fluttered closed, Goh’s remained open.

Tiny pieces of sunlight filtered down through the gaps in the leaves, shuddering slightly as the leaves shifted in the wind, illuminating Satoshi’s face in fragments.

“It’s nice actually! The cold grass, I mean. I didn’t think it’d be that cold!”

Goh laughed, a soft laugh that slipped through his fingers as he covered his mouth with his hands.

“It’s been in the shade, of course it’s going to be cooler than the grass you nearly set on fire.”

Eyes still closed, a grin stretched across Satoshi’s face.

“You’re right, you’re right.”

Pikachu tucked his feet beneath himself, curling up on Satoshi’s chest with a contented squeak. Lightly, as not to disturb the pokemon, Satoshi let his hands glide across the tips of the grass.

Goh watched with odd fascination as the blades bent under Satoshi’s finger tips, rustling softly.

“When you’re lying on it, it feels all soft, but the tips are kinda pointy” Satoshi remarked idly. “You should try it, Goh!”

Goh blinked for a moment, then shrugged.

He placed a hand down, dragging it back and forth.

And Satoshi was right, the grass was cold in a comforting, relieving way. But something about looking at Satoshi made Goh feel warm, warm, warm, and while he couldn’t quite understand it, it was growing in familiarity.

“Pointy, huh?” Goh remarked, poking a grass blade. It did have a tip to it, though he wasn’t sure if he would call it ‘pointy’.

Satoshi nodded.

“Yeah. Not sharp, it’s not thick enough for that, but ya know…! Pointy!”

Satoshi kept one hand on the ground, the other raising to wave in a nondescript motion in some attempt to convey what he meant.

Goh raised an eyebrow.

“There’s sharp grass?”

Satoshi nodded.

“Yeah! Or, hold on I might be mixing up the word. Actually, I’ll just show you!”

His eyes snapped open, Pikachu hopping off his trainer to curl up into the grass.

Satoshi practically leapt to standing, taking long, quick strides towards the base of the tree. Next to the trunk, the grass grew longer, in thicker strands that appeared to tangle in with one another. A couple other plants weaved themselves into the mix, and Goh couldn't name a single one.

“Here’s the type of grass! It has some special name, I think, but I can’t remember it. Here!”

Satoshi leaned over, pulling a handful of grass together and tearing it out, pushing the blades out with his thumb to fan them out. He bowed teasingly as he presented them to Goh, as if offering a gift to a king.

“Behold!”

Goh laughed again, picking up one of the blades between his forefinger and his thumb.

“Feel it, really feel it!" Satoshi said, "What’s it like?”

Goh ran his finger against the stalk.

“Hmm… This side is smooth… but this one isn’t! It’s… sticky? No, not sticky, it’s catching on my fingers because it's coarse- this is what you meant by sharp! That makes a lot of sense.”

Satoshi glowed.

“Exactly!”

Satisfied, he plopped himself down on the grass again, careful not to accidentally squish Pikachu. Goh followed suit, sitting closer to Satoshi this time. Their crossed legs mirrored one another, the freshly picked pile of grass being placed between them, knees not quite touching.

“Now,” Satoshi said, a mischievous look sparking in his eye, “Check this out!”

He placed one of the pieces of grass between the pointer fingers on both hands, pulling it taut with his thumbs, and wrapping his fingers together.

“Satoshi?”

Satoshi screwed his eyes shut, brought his cupped hands up to his lips— “Satoshi, what are you-" —and blew.

The resulting sound was that of a loud, squeaking honk, resonating throughout the park, startling more than a few pokemon. Pikachu jumped up, cheeks sparking slightly. Goh practically leapt a foot in the air, heart soaring even further.

(@atlix2)

“W-ww-what was that!?”

Satoshi grinned sheepishly.

“Grass blowing trick! I guess it works better outside… I think most of the park heard me…”

“I think Kalos heard you! Give a guy a warning next time…”

Satoshi laughed a bit, “Sorry, sorry!” But Goh could tell he meant it.

Pikachu crawled over to place his head in Satoshi’s lap, letting out a disgruntled "Pikapi pi-Ka-chu.”

Satoshi laughed, stroking Pikachu behind the ears.

“Did I startle you, buddy? Aw, I’m sorry.”

Pikachu nodded, but he didn’t seem all too upset. He rubbed his head against his trainer’s leg, and Satoshi smiled a bit softer.

“Tired, huh?”

“Pikaaa.”

“You did great out there. Strong attacks, excellent dodging.”

The sound of Satoshi’s battle commands filled Goh’s ears for a moment.

“Uh… speaking of dodging.”

Satoshi tilted his head to the side.

“What about it?”

Goh reached for one of the blades of grass, pressing his thumbnail into the side of it to tear it in two.

“I was just sort of wondering… why?”

Satoshi blinked.

“What?”

Goh went on, “Like, why is it a command, and why do you use it so much?”

The strand tore to two pieces, then three, then four.

“Sometimes it makes sense, but other times I don’t get it. Why do you tell your pokemon to dodge even if they’re obviously already seeing the attack and are gonna dodge anyway? Pikachu’s good at dodging like you said, he’s gonna get out of the way on his own. So... why call it out?”

As Goh spoke he feared stronger and stronger that his words were coming out wrong, the question sounding much more like an accusation than he had intended.

To Goh’s surprise, Satoshi merely smiled.

“Oh, I can explain that! It would be kind of confusing if you didn’t battle, I think.”

The knot in Goh’s chest seemed to loosen. Satoshi’s expression softened, focused in on Pikachu, not meeting Goh’s eye.

“Trainers have debated stuff like this before, but I think, at least for me, that it’s about trust. I want my partners to trust me, and to know that I’m guiding them through the whole battle, no matter what.”

Goh let the words seep into his mind, processing them slowly.

“So you’d call out for them, even if they didn’t need it?” He asked tentatively.

“Even if they don’t need it,” Satoshi replied, “It’s nice to know someone’s looking out for you, you know? That they care enough to try their hardest to make sure you won’t be hurt.”

Goh short circuited momentarily. Did he know? He wasn’t sure. No, no he wasn’t going to think about this. He was chatting with his friend about battle strategies. This was not the time to worry about something silly like this.

Though a tiny seed of doubt was planted in the depths of Goh’s mind. A fear that Satoshi was wrong. That no one was looking out for him, nor would anyone anytime soon.

It didn’t matter, he told himself. These were the foolish thoughts of a silly child. He could stand on his own just fine. What did it matter if there was anyone else? He didn’t need anyone else.

Tongue feeling out of place in his mouth, Goh spoke again.

“Won’t that just hurt them in the long run? Wouldn’t they get used to having someone calling out attacks? Then they wouldn’t be able to fight on their own.”

Satoshi’s expression shifted for a moment, and Goh’s breath caught in his throat. This was feeling eerily similar to an argument they had already had. One he wasn’t keen on repeating. One he still thought about, still cursed himself for jumping to conclusions, for being so paranoid that he had almost sabotaged everything before it had even begun.

Maybe because Goh’s fear showed on his face, or maybe because Satoshi remembered the same as Goh, or maybe just because Satoshi was a kind person, he smiled instead. A different sort of a smile, a knowing smile, with a touch of sadness to it.

“Silly Goh. The whole point is that they don’t have to fight on their own. We’re a team.”

And Goh’s heart ached badly, painfully. Of course. Of course Satoshi wouldn’t see it that way, the thought wouldn’t have even crossed his mind.

“I mean, a few of my pokemon have gone off to fight on their own, but they were the type to be pretty independent anyway. And even if they weren’t, I still think it’s important they know we’re a team. I’ll fight alongside them, as long as they'll have me.”

Goh nodded, voice not wanting to work for the time beginning.

Satoshi scratched Pikachu under the chin, a contented smile in his eyes.

“Me and my team against the world, right buddy!?”

Pikachu chirped happily in response.

And desperately, so desperately, Goh wanted to respond, “Us against the world, right?” To cry out “We’re a team too,” to whisper “I’ve got your back, I’ll watch out for you,” and other foolish things until Satoshi responded with equally foolish words in return.

However self doubt had long since taken root in Goh’s mind, and his traitorous lips refused to utter the words, for such strong fear of being misunderstood.

Cowardice, such cowardice.

Instead he replied, “Do your best. I’ll cheer for you.”

Somehow, despite himself, he hoped that Satoshi understood what he meant regardless.

“Haha, thanks,” Satoshi said, reaching up as he stretched, taking care not to disturb Pikachu. He yawned, which then turned into a laugh.

“You’re in no rush to get back to training, are you buddy?”

Pikachu, having closed his eyes and made himself comfortable, replied with a sleepy ‘Pikaaaa. Pi-kachu, Pichu.”

Satoshi smiled, eyes shutting slowly as though they were becoming too heavy to keep open.

“That’s what I thought. We can just rest for a little while longer then.”

Stretching out his arms with great effort, Satoshi flopped over to one side, Pikachu crawling out of the way to prevent himself from being tossed out of Satoshi’s lap.

Satoshi stretched out his legs, leaving one just slightly bent as Pikachu made himself comfortable. He turned around in small circles a few times, trying to pat down the grass into the right shape, then curled up against Satoshi’s side. One of Satoshi’s arms, though slightly bent at the elbow, stretched out across the grass, palm facing towards the sky. He let the other lay over Pikachu in a loose but protective hold.

“Just gonna… take a break… in this nice… soft grass…” Satoshi murmured.

Things were still for a moment, or as still as they could be. Goh stared at the piece of grass he had shredded in his hands.

“Hey, Satoshi. Do you think-“ But the words died in Goh’s mouth as he looked up to see what he had suspected. Satoshi had fallen asleep in the shade.

Before he could help it, a soft smile drifted onto Goh’s face, the sight of Satoshi sleeping there so contently somehow relaxing him.

Nothing for it, he supposed, but to follow suit.

Stretching himself out, though not so gracefully as Satoshi had, he presumed, Goh laid against the earth, Satoshi by his side.

His ankles were crossed, one hand under his head, the other by his side. He stared up the tree, wind blowing and shifting the leaves into new untraceable shapes. Something about the disarray was comforting.

His free hand stretched out to reach at the leaves above his head, trying to grasp to no avail. Goh let his hand drop gently, finding it landed in Satoshi’s palm.

He left it there.

The smell of grass, earthy but distinctly sweet in an odd way, drifted along the breeze.

When Satoshi woke up, the grass surely would have left marks on his skin, but he in kind would leave his mark on the grass, a soft shadow of where he had laid.

Goh wondered if he too would leave a mark. On the grass, on the earth, on the boy across from him.

Goh allowed himself to shut his eyes, willing himself to think of the grass, the wind, anything at all so long as for once it could be simple.

Lying there, Goh did not sleep, but he did dream.

[End]

(the art in this chapter was done by a friend, not me! it's wonderful, and you can support them right here: (@atlix2))

#satogou #anipoke #pokeani #pokemon #pkmn #trainer goh #trainer ash #ash ketchum #trainer satoshi #pkmn goh #pkmn gou #trainer gou #firstfriendshipping #journeyshipping #pokemon satoshi #satoshi #ash x gou #pokemon journeys #pocket monsters #pocket monsters 2019 #pkmn fanfic #pokemon fanfiction #pokemon fic #fanfic #fanfiction #spinstem

[younghopeproductions]

Trigger warning of abuse and I made the same thing in my ace attorney amino. I made a post that’s my amino account links and my ace attorney account is linked with it when you check the profile.

This shows some potential questions autism related questions my Apollo may get eventually.

And even if no one asks any of these, the answers will be there so people can understand Apollo more.

And I drew a picture of Apollo, sorry that it sucks.

This takes place somewhere before Turnabout Serenade, but after Turnabout Trump and somewhere between Turnabout Corner

1:What do you love about Autism?

I don’t really like that I have autism

2:How did you learn you were autistic?

When I came back to the states on my 5th birthday, CPS took me to a psychiatrist when I didn’t talk and was later diagnosed with Asperger’s

3:How did people react to the diagnosis?The adults that knew always told people that I was about to interact with eventually, like my teachers, foster families, and classmates and I basically learned to tell strangers I’m autistic from that.

4:Any special interests?

I have a lot, but my main special interests are reading(usually whatever I get my hands on), manga, art, anime, music, some board games(mainly checkers and chess)astrology, animals, and some video games, mainly Nintendo(mainly Pokémon, Splatoon, Mario, Super Smash Bros., and I’m starting to consider trying Animal Crossing, Legend of Zelda, and Cooking Mama)

5:Are there any support systems to help help you?

If you mean untrained people that support me, my two best friends, Klavier Gavin and Clay Terran and I live with Klavier’s brother and my boss, Kristoph. If not, I dunno what you mean.

6:I haven’t really researched that stuff except Autism Speaks…which made me more insecure..which is why I stopped researching on autism and autism charities

7:What are your stims?

Rubbing my wrists, fiddling with my bracelet, pressing my finger on my forehead, cracking my fingers, chewing the inside of my cheeks, hair pulling, bouncing my leg when I’m sitting, hand flapping(though it’s my rare stims), I might be forgetting some.

8:Do you have any support in your family?I don’t have any that appears to be accepting except my half sister Trucy(who most likely doesn’t know)

9:Do you have a schedule? If so, what’s your current schedule?

((Though if explaining this to a person in this time line, he doesnt mention the beatings))(Majority of time)I don’t have much of a sleep schedule, before breakfast, I always clean the house, wash dishes, feed and brush Vongole, help Mr Gavin get ready for the day, getting my beating from Mr Gavin, prepare Mr Gavin’s breakfast, 2nd beating, wash dishes, clean the clothes, water Mr Gavin’s flower bed, 2 minute cold shower(Mr Gavin’s orders, shower minute limit is 4), daily texts to Clay and Klavier, 3rd beating, go to law firm for work, 4th beating, do paperwork, occasionally give law advice, follow Kristoph’s orders, 5th beating, make/pick up Mr Gavin’s lunch, 6th beating, clean law firm, close law firm for the day, run any other errands after closing(mainly other jobs like babysitting, yard work, pet walking, being a waiter, and occasional housekeeper), leave from those jobs when done, do Mr Gavin’s errands like getting groceries, come home, 7th beating, put away groceries, feed Vongole, make Mr Gavin’s dinner,(sometimes) have only meal(usually half a slice of bread), 8th beating, wash dishes, clean house, water flower bed, 9th beating, 2 minute cold shower, 10th and final scheduled beating.(There might be no meals, additional beatings and/or other wounds as punishment if necessary)

10:How do you communicate?

I’m able to talk, but I’m not good with talking to strangers. If I’m nonverbal, I text, write, and sign, butI’m not good with talking to others, except people I know very well, I’m worse with phone calls, have a lot of anxiety in general, and I sometimes go nonverbal, usually during/after a meltdown or sensory overload, and when nonverbal, I can communicate via sign language, text, or writing.

11:What’s your job/occupation and do you get help?

I’m a lawyer, but I also take part time jobs like babysitting or being a waiter and not really.

12:What is your wish and do you think it’ll happen?

Someday I hope I’ll be good enough for a decent life and realistically, no.

13:What’s something you don’t like people say about autistic people?

I hate it when people say all autistic people are stupid. I know I am stupid, but most others aren’t.

14:What’s a myth about autism you know and how do you know if it isn’t true?

Vaccines don’t cause autism. I was unable to get vaccinated until I got back to the States due to Khura’in not having many vaccines at the time I was there and lack of health insurance and was diagnosed with autism before getting vaccinated.

15:What can’t you live without?

If you mean figuratively, I don’t want to lose Clay, Klavier, and/or Trucy

16:What autistic symbol do you prefer?

I prefer the infinity symbol over the puzzle piece, dunno why, looks cleaner?

17:What’s your favorite book involving autism?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

18:What languages do you know?

I lost count, but the languages I use most is English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, German, Greek, Borginian, and Khurainese.

19:How do you deal with meltdowns?

I…don’t have a way to deal with meltdowns, but whenever Klavier and Clay is around, they comfort me

20:What autistic person/people are you fond of?

Albert Einstein and Satoshi Tajiri (The creator of Pokémon!)

21:Is there something about autism or it’s portrayal in any you don’t understand?

I don’t know why one month is dedicated to autism. Autism doesn’t happen or gets diagnosed only in April. Actually, I don’t understand why other topics have their own months if it also happens on more than one month, like LGBTQ+ only being super well known in June. I’d like to know why.

22:What does acceptance mean to you, whether it’s about autism or anything else?

Acceptance to me means willing to learn about autism or anything else and to not insult them without getting to know them first.

#autistic apollo justice #ace attorney #autism #abused apollo justice

[satorisa]

in which something breaks inside Satoshi

(Heavy spoilers for Stage 4 Volume 44, so please don’t read if you haven’t read it yet!)

He felt it first when he asked for Risa’s help with “femininity.” That familiar rush of adrenaline and nausea that accompanied a transformation overcame him in an instant. The ground blurred just as quickly as it sharpened, and he came to at the sight of Risa handing him his glasses back.

He didn’t think much of it in the moment, but he didn’t think something so menial would lead to his end.

…

“I think we both fell into a sad love with him…”

He didn’t understand the forlorn expression on her face at the time, and he most certainly didn’t understand why she worded her statement in such a way.

Love?

What a preposterous word to use.

Her expression popped into his mind.

And, somehow, it still tugged at his heart. Just like it did the first time he saw it.

…

His cheek felt warm, comforting, like a mother’s embrace. Until it began to burn, searing his skin.

He forced himself to open his eyes, groggily, to see Risa’s startled expression. Satoshi struggled to dig himself through the muggy haze of his mind, reaching out to her: the sun to his Icarus.

The boat rocked.

…

Satoshi saw her unconscious on the sand.

Half his body was screaming at him to leave. And the other half was drawn, unconsciously, to her.

He had no control as he knelt down next to her, brushing her hair. (Soft, like silk, which, when braided into a rope, would kill softly. Beautifully.)

Satoshi didn’t expect her to wake up.

Then Takeshi stumbled upon them.

(He would never admit it, but he was grateful for that loudmouth’s timing.)

…

She fell, light as feather, into his arms.

He felt a splitting pain in his back as his wings emerged, tearing through his shirt and jacket.

Satoshi flew through the sky, jaggedly, fighting back unconsciousness until he nearly crashed into a bench. After gently laying her down, he covered her with his jacket before he rushed off, pain piercing through his bones, to find Daisuke.

Hopefully the naïve boy wouldn’t notice.

…

She was falling.

He heard Dark screaming. The scene unfolded before him in slow motion. Dark was too far; he wouldn’t make it in time.

But could Satoshi risk transforming right now? Save Risa only for Krad to kill her? Stick her between a rock and a—

She kept falling, wordlessly, like a ragdoll.

He couldn’t take it anymore.

…

He knew those eyes.

They belonged to a girl who gave her heart to Dark, enamored with the spectacle of the Phantom Thief’s hair and feathered wings.

He looked like Krad, but all she saw was another version of Dark. A Dark lite or a light Dark?

He should be glad that she wasn’t associating this moment with that demon. But he hated that she wasn’t seeing him. That this unusual warmth welling inside him made him want to scream and tear these damn wings off.

How pathetic.

…

He was relieved to still see Risa as her usual self inside Insomnia.

She rambled on about how strange everything was. She was focused on the task at hand. And, most importantly, she wasn’t happy to see him; she was just happy to see someone familiar.

He loved that comfortable distance. It was safe. And warm.

…

Harada.

Please don’t cry.

…

He wished he could be as happy as Daisuke about changing back.

He really did.

But the realization that his trigger for transformation had changed, to Risa no less, was cause for concern.

Even though he had no time for ruminating, he knew why. As Daisuke talked, he began to piece it together in his head, why she caused him so much grief.

Because there was warmth.

And he knew that warmth would kill him.

…

She likes strawberry milk.

He likes being cryptic.

(And yet, he knew he could get away with it because Risa would understand.

Somehow, that was the most unsettling part of all of this.)

…

He tries, so hard, to block the image of Risa in his mind as Elm Root speaks of love, reciprocation (or lack thereof), family, life, death. The flood of information coming from his adopted dad, who is actually his dad, who is actually an ancient Hikari artwork, who is currently shielding him from the terror of Krad, is driving him crazy already. He doesn’t need this stress on top of this train wreck.

But he can’t stop following his father’s words to their destination. Everything starts to fall into place, even as Satoshi’s sanity falls to pieces, trying to keep up with each new revelation.

And after his father finishes, he screams.

It’s his only release.

#satorisa #satoshi hiwatari #risa harada #d.n.angel #DNAngel #dn angel #my fanfiction #my writing #happy new year's ya'll! #hope you enjoy!

[gdmonster]

MUN AND MUSE QUESTIONS ♡

list 5 of your muse’s favourite sensations.

ONE // witnessing a plot twist that is stimulating in its brilliance but not too brilliant to catch you entirely off guard TWO // getting to sit somewhere, thoughtless, and watch drops of rain run down a window THREE // that strange sensation of standing in a house and hearing the wind howl through a crevice you can’t see FOUR // walking in places, halls, hallways, filled with silence, that make your steps resonate loudly FIVE // being in full control of a situation while not having to burden the responsibility of its outcome

do they have any pet peeves?

Most notably having dirty hands, having foul smelling hands, or having sticky substances stuck to them, people lying directly to his face when it’s clear as day that he knows the truth already, people lying to themselves, when people just don’t think ahead

their comfort read? (could be a book, magazine, comics, etc)

It’s unclear how the likes of him spend any possible ‘time off’ they have, if they have anything along those lines to begin with, but I can imagine that when he gets to reading, in contrast to his character, or perhaps because of his character, it’s a copy of Grimms’ Fairy Tales, a collection of fairy tales by the Grimm brothers, as the title suggests. He likes to read these fairy tales and then, often, the modern, infantilised, revised versions too. He doesn’t vocally express why or for what purposes, but there seems to be something purposeful attached to the way he explicitly reaches for the modern versions of these tales, too, without making comments on the differences, without disliking the censor of the original darkness, the contrast seems to fascinate him, beyond this, he genuinely enjoys the originals

if the book they are reading turns out to be shit, do they push through just for the sake of finishing it, or do they move on and find something else?

That tome’s out the window before he cares to memorise the author’s name to avoid further readings of anything theirs- usually, quite literally. If something doesn’t interest him, he’ll leave it where it was, toss it over his shoulder, depends on how loose-fingered of a mood he’s in, if something is genuinely bad, well, here a scenario, if he’s reading during a car ride and whatever he’s reading really, really irks him, he’s certainly not above rolling the car window down and throwing it out

their comfort tv show / film?

While he does possess some borderline knowledge on big pop culture names, you won’t really find him actively watching anything of any kind, so the closest thing to a comfort tv show / film I can think of for him, is Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue, it’s not quite a comfort anything, but it seems to stand out as a film he’ll gladly seek out, without ever commenting on the why.

a song that is currently stuck in their head? (or multiple)

Maurice Ravel’s orchestral piece Boléro

the next three questions are for you. do you have anything special in common with your character?

I’ll be super frank and say I sure hope not- Actually, I too really don’t enjoy things on my hands, I’ve been trying to tone it down lately because the skin of my right palm started breaking and looking really bad for a moment there (no idea why my left one was better off), but I’d wash my hands far too frequently because of this, I really don’t like feeling anything on my hands, be it sticky or grease or wet (don’t like when they’re oily/shiny either) and I hate it when they smell of anything that isn’t synonym of clean, so actually, I think he may handle this a little better than I do now that I think about it-

what brings you the most joy about writing this character, right now?

I LOVE THE INTRICACIES OF HIS PSYCHE!!! I have a lot of thoughts about his character, you can tell by all the nonsense I added on his about, it’s just that he seems so beautifully and fascinatingly complex, and he’s so silent about it, he’s very quiet throughout the film, and it just hit me that he speaks almost exclusively to Jayeon in the entire film, there is the scene where he kills the man in the train and then when he tells the others that Jayeon tricked them, and that’s basically it, he seems to speak mostly when provoked into it, or when up against Jayeon, whom he behaves as if he shares a reality with he doesn’t with others, he’s very quiet, but also very pensive, you can see him thinking, musing, putting things together at all times and we as the audience aren’t really granted insight into his thought process, not truly, and not from him directly, so getting to explore this phenomenal character of such an incredible movie, it thrills me, because these are precisely the things that get my brain going

who would win in a fight, you or them?

I wouldn’t even engage, I wouldn’t even approach, actually if he insinuated wanting to fight me I’d just deck myself in the face, would hurt less-

any advice from your muse?

“What advice can I possibly give you? Don’t ask for advice, that seems like a good one. Don’t ask for anything, in fact. Don’t depend on others. No matter what ‘depending on others’ entails. As for the rest... go off, fuck it.”

tagged by: @jeoseungsaja​ TYSM ♥♥♥♥♥ tagging: anyone who sees this and would like to take it ♥♥

#;ooc #a noblemonster how cute;about #god I LOVED- I LOVE- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #Thank you Alex ♥ #;queue

[theworldneedsmoresatoshiki]

Dreams Can Come True

Read it on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32530372

Summary: Yoshiki learns something new about Satoshi when he stays over for the first time

A/n: Awful title I know, this one has been sat in my drafts like 3/4 finished for like half a year I just couldn't find the energy to finish the last little bit

The night was still, quiet with a chill in the air that made Yoshiki's skin prickle uncomfortably. November was bringing increasingly worse weather but he couldn't yet justify turning the heating on in his apartment.

Besides, it wasn't often he would wake up during the night, relishing any minute of sleep he could possibly get and so the interruption only served to fill him with confusion as he stared up at the ceiling.

A quick glance to the side at his alarm clock told him it was almost three and he almost let a loud groan escape him before thinking better of it remembering he wasn't alone.

He and Satoshi had been friends for a while now however, Yoshiki had been hesitant to invite him around in their months of friendship, after all, living alone off nothing but a measly part-time job didn't leave much money for luxuries. Even simple things like food and heating were used sparingly and he hadn't been willing to let Satoshi see that. He hadn't wanted to reveal the weak, pathetic side of him that couldn't provide even the basics for himself.

Satoshi was persistent however, he didn't give up and was always there, assuring Yoshiki that he was there, that he could be trusted and despite Yoshiki's best efforts, he felt his walls beginning to crumble ever so slightly, purely for Satoshi.

And so, with copious amounts of mumbled apologies, he had invited Satoshi round after school one Friday. They had walked together, shoulders bumping into each other as they did so, taking no notice of the cold breeze blowing past them until they reached the somewhat run-down building that Yoshiki lived in.

And after a night filled with mindless conversation and countless card games, they had both lost track of time, only realising just how late it had gotten when a long yawn escaped Satoshi despite his best efforts to stifle it.

The sky outside was now inky black, neither had noticed however with the lamp illuminating the room from the corner.

"You can stay over if you want," Yoshiki was shocked by his own words, having not even thought them through "I...uh...don't have a spare futon but I can take the sofa,"

"No!" Satoshi blurted out, fumbling with the cards in his hands, face flushing in embarrassment at the volume of his words. Yoshiki carefully schooled his expression into a neutral one, ignoring the slight sting of rejection as Satoshi began stumbling over his words again "That's not what I meant...Damn," He took in a breath, seeming to regain his composure "You don't have to take the sofa, I mean,"

"Oh," Yoshiki wasn't sure how to respond to that and the silence settled between them, the tension growing tenfold. It was eventually interrupted by Yoshiki letting out a quiet chuckle, poking Satoshi in the side with his elbow. "You're an idiot,"

"Hey!" Satoshi's face flushed once more to accompany the indignant squawk.

"You're a guest. What kind of host would I be if I let you sleep out here?"

"But you live here-" Satoshi protested weakly, shoulders sagging as he realised he had already lost this argument

"Why would that change anything?"

"But-"

"Satoshi," Yoshiki let out an amused huff, "It's not a problem, honestly. Realistically there are two choices, either I stay out here or we both try to fit in the bed,"

"Ah..." With a barely audible voice, Satoshi averted his previously determined gaze "I mean...I wouldn't exactly mind..."

Yoshiki choked on his own breath, coughing as his face matched the colour of Satoshi's.

"W-what?"

"I just...Damn, forget I said anything," Satoshi waved his hands frantically in front of him, trying to cover his face from Yoshiki's view.

"I-If you're okay with that then...I suppose. It won't do any harm," Yoshiki stumbled over a reply, feeling as if he was in a daze

It was Satoshi's turn to stare at him, wide-eyed and in shock. They locked eyes for a moment, neither fully knowing how to continue now until Yoshiki let a sly grin slip onto his face.

"How scandalous of you to suggest such a thing," Satoshi moved to protest but didn't have time to as Yoshiki continued "And here I was thinking you were a model student,"

"That's not what I meant!" Satoshi defended weakly, pushing at Yoshiki's arm

"Oh? I'm not one to judge you know Satoshi?"

"I know-Just I didn't mean it that way," Satoshi was a stuttering mess, mirroring the way he acted when Shinozaki would tell ghost stories "Not because of you or anything," His hands were flailing in front of him now, trying to get his point across and Yoshiki was practically doubled over laughing.

"Satoshi, calm down," His voice was strained from holding back laughter "I know, I know, it was just a joke,"

Releasing the breath he was holding, Satoshi let out a quiet laugh.

"Yeah,"

"Yeah," Yoshiki echoed before silence fell between them.

It was broken a moment later as Yoshiki stood up, slapping a hand onto Satoshi's back and pushing him in the direction of the bedroom.

"I'll grab you some spare clothes,"

They had both changed and settled down quickly after that and Yoshiki found it to be impossible to shut his brain off once they were led there.

In all honestly, he hadn't expected Satoshi to agree to this and had been counting on the other giving in and letting him sleep on the sofa however, here they were.

How bad could it really be?

It turned out it could be very bad indeed.

Waking up at three in the morning to a cold draughty apartment, he could deal with. Often times he would simply grab another blanket from the cupboard however before he could even think about moving, he found himself encased in a set of limbs.

In the darkness, Yoshiki could just about make out the top of Satoshi's head, fluffy hair spread out around him as his arms snaked their way around the blond.

And what exactly was he supposed to do in this situation?

At first, he tried staying as still as possible with the hope that Satoshi would let go and roll over so he could forget that this whole thing happened however when a couple of moments passed with no signs of Satoshi budging, Yoshiki considered a different strategy. He reached down to try and peel Satoshi's arms away from him, only for Satoshi to further tighten his grip as if to spite him.

He flopped his head back down on the pillow, ready to admit defeat. Surely a blanket wouldn't make all that much difference either way? Not that he would get much of a say in it from the looks of things.

As he settled down again, letting his eyes slip closed once more, he found himself strangely comfortable and...warm?

When that thought crossed his mind, he couldn't stop himself from physically flinching. Satoshi was his best friend, was this not crossing some sort of boundary?

He tried once more to untangle himself from Satoshi however, it seemed luck wasn't on his side tonight as Satoshi began mumbling in his sleep, showing no signs of releasing him or waking up.

Despite his mind racing, he resigned himself to his fate. There wasn't a lot else he could try save for flicking Satoshi in the head to try and wake him which he decided was a bit too harsh.

At least, he supposed, he was no longer cold.

Yoshiki was the first to awake, finding himself still being held hostage in Satoshi's iron grip and signing, knowing that Satoshi tended to sleep in rather late, meaning he would be stuck here for the foreseeable future.

The sun was beginning to illuminate the room through the curtains as he definitely couldn't afford expensive blackout curtains however it didn't bother him being an early riser. Satoshi on the other hand seemed to be trying to hide himself underneath the duvet, snuggling further into Yoshiki without realising it.

It must have been almost an hour later that Satoshi let out a quiet grumble, eyes blinking open lazily and coming face to face with his sleep induced actions.

Yoshiki had never seen Satoshi move so fast, shuffling back away from him with his face flushed red all the way up to his ears, excuses and explanations on the tip of his tongue.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," Yoshiki joked, doing nothing to reduce the embarrassment slowly taking over Satoshi.

"Morning," Satoshi mumbled out

"You know I wouldn't have guessed you were the cuddling type,"

Satoshi groaned. He was never going to live this down.

"Neither did I! I swear I did not mean to!"

Yoshiki simply stared at him in confusion.

And Satoshi stared back wide-eyed and nervous.

"Why are you so freaked out? You were asleep, it's not like you could help it," Yoshiki couldn't wrap his head around Satoshi's strange behaviour

"Wait, wait, wait," Satoshi mumbled, mind still foggy from sleep "So you're not mad?"

"No?" nothing Satoshi was saying was helping Yoshiki's confusion "Why would I be?"

"I don't know..." Satoshi averted his gaze "Imeanbecausewe'rebothguys," The last part was mumbled so quietly that Yoshiki almost didn't catch it.

"Satoshi you're my best friend, that isn't going to change," Yoshiki wasn't used to talking about feelings however clearly something was going on with Satoshi that he didn't understand.

"Ah, yeah, okay," Satoshi spoke too quickly, not only that but he sounded...disappointed?

Yoshiki didn't even think before opening his mouth.

"I mean...unless you want it to change?"

And now came the backtracking.

"Ah wait, no that's not what I meant," Yoshiki spoke quickly "I mean I did but if that's not what you meant then..."

Whilst Yoshiki had been stumbling over his words, Satoshi had shuffled closer once more, his arms coming to wrap tentatively around Yoshiki once more.

"You're saying what I think you're saying right?" Satoshi asked, forcing his voice to stay calm.

Yoshiki nodded, holding his breath.

"Then it's settled then," Satoshi spoke, voice muffled by Yoshiki's t-shirt.

"So are we like...together?" Yoshiki asked, feeling more unsure of himself than he ever had before.

Satoshi let out a grumble in response, his arms tightening around Yoshiki once more.

"Mhm," A yawn cut him off "Just let me sleep a bit longer, I don't understand how you can be awake so early,"

"It's almost 11,"

"Shhh," The stray hand that Satoshi was trying to cover his mouth with came uncomfortably close to poking Yoshiki's eye.

"I am so telling everyone that you cuddle in your sleep,"

#satoshi mochida #satoshi+x+yoshiki #satoshimochida #satoshi #satoshiki #yoshiki kishinuma #yoshikikishinuma #corpse party #Corpse Party Blood Covered #corpse party book of shadows #corpse party blood drive #corpse party tortured souls #Horror RPG #fanfiction #fanfiction.net #fanfic #Wattpad #ao3 #AO3 fanfic #ao3fic #fluff #cuddles

[tachimybananase]

Hiki & Howl

Original work by yours truly I’m working on this fic for 4 or 5 years now. This is the 3rd reboot, which some might find annoying or stupid, but since I’ve developed a lot as a “writer”, I want to make my existing works better (well, hopefully ^^) If you’ve read this before, please consider reading it again, because it’s very different from the last version! I hope you’ll enjoy this story and like the characters, they mean the world to me. :) You can also find me on Wattpad and AO3.  Summary: Hiki grew up in a strict Yakuza family with a harsh father and an abusive mother. After a traumatizing event, he lost all hope to ever find true happiness. Until, one day, a stranger came into his life and turned everything upside down.

Chapter 1 - Fate

"Hello, I'm here to meet Ueda-san. I have an appointment." A blond man in a black Audi Q7 sat waiting in front of a big iron gate. It took a moment after he had answered the intercom before the gate began to slowly open. "Follow the road until you reach the main building," a deep voice told him. The man did as he was told, following a graveled path for about five minutes until he arrived at a plaza stationed in front of a grand mansion. The mansion's architecture displayed a distinguished amalgamation of traditional Japanese charm and modern flair. He parked his car, got out, and adjusted his suit and tie before pushing up his glasses and walking to the entrance door. Giving no thought to hesitation, he rang the doorbell to which a buff, bald, gorilla of a man in a black designer suit answered. "Follow me," the man ordered, so he entered the house. They walked through the entrance hall and followed a long hallway, passing several doors before they finally reached their destination. The gorilla opened the door and gestured for him to walk inside. "Wait here," he growled. Doing as he was told he sat down on a black leather sofa, where he soon found himself alone. The room was bright and big, but the interior was quite spartan. Next to the sofa was a chair and a coffee table. On the wall to the right was a cupboard with an expensive-looking vase and a framed picture on it. Through the large glass door right across from him, he had a good view of the big, well-kept garden, which looked more like a park sizewise. Driven by curiosity, Howl got up to take a closer look at the picture on the cupboard. “Oh, a family portrait,” he mumbled to himself. The parents were sitting on two wooden chairs in the middle surrounded by five kids. The mother looked completely indifferent, and the father had a threatening aura. He knew that man’s face from the newspapers. It was the person he had an appointment with, and he wondered if the rumors were true. Are they really yakuza? Well, they sure look like it , Howl thought as he looked at the family in their expensive-looking, traditional yukata. Out of their five children, only two were smiling. One of them a teenage boy. He stood behind two smaller boys that looked close in age, his hands placed on their shoulders. He guessed the smaller boys, who were holding hands, were around ten. The bigger of the two was smiling as well, while the other looked shy, almost intimidated, but very cute. There was also a teenage girl that looked like she was pouting, and another boy that looked slightly older than her, with the same earnest expression as his father. Such a big family, but aside from those three boys in the corner, there was no feeling of happiness or wholesomeness whatsoever. Suddenly the door opened. Someone entered the room and Howl turned around. "Oh, there's someone in here, I'm sorry for disturbing!" A young man with long, rose blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, bowed. "I-I wanted to take a shortcut to the garden." He pointed at the glass door. "I assume you're waiting for my father…" "Yes, I am. My name is Harada Howl, nice to meet you," Howl answered. "N-Nice to meet you, I'm Ueda Hikaru," the boy replied politely but shy. Woah, he's cute , Howl thought instantly and suddenly realized… "You look like one of the boys in this portrait. Is this you?" He pointed at the smallest boy who looked intimidated. "Oh, yeah. That's me. Um, your name… It's quite unusual..." He changed the subject, but then he suddenly bowed. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me. I didn’t mean to be so intrusive.” "It’s fine, don’t worry. My mother was a big fan of the book 'Howl's Moving Castle' by Diana Wynne Jones, and she was a little extravagant, so she named me and my sister after the main characters." Howl replied as he was used to this kind of conversation. People often asked him about his name, which usually made him feel annoyed at his mother for not giving him a more common one. But weirdly, he wasn’t annoyed by that boy. "That's awesome, I immediately thought of that book! That’s why I asked. I love it too, it's one of my favorite stories,” Hikaru exclaimed. "You like reading?" Howl asked and pointed at the book the boy was holding. Hikaru nodded eagerly. "Yes, I love books. It's like living another life… Good books take you away from reality and let you forget where you are, who you are, and even that you're reading at all..." he replied with glowing cheeks and a spark in his eyes. "Your excitement is very refreshing, Ueda-kun," Howl said and smirked. "Oh, umm…" Hikaru blushed and looked down, obviously flustered. "C-Can I offer you some tea while you’re waiting? My father's men aren't very hospitable." "But weren't you on your way to the garden? I don't want to trouble you," Howl replied. "Oh no, I just wanted to go for a walk… I can do that later." "Well, in that case, I would love to have a cup of tea, thank you. But only if you join me." "Sure! Do you like green tea?" Hikaru asked eagerly. "I love green tea," Howl smiled warmly, which made the boy freeze with a surprised expression. Then he blushed and rushed out. Howl slumped back down on the sofa. "What the heck… My heart is beating like crazy…" he mumbled to himself. Is it because of my appointment? No... I’m not the type who gets nervous before meeting a potential client. Then… Is it because of him? I mean… He is really cute, Howl thought. This is a first. Thinking of a guy as cute? Strange... Dammit, I should focus on my appointment, but... After a few minutes, Hikaru came back, carrying a black tray with a teapot, a cup, and a plate of cookies on it. He placed it on the coffee table and sat down next to Howl. "Here you go, Harada-san," he said as he poured him a cup of the healthy brew. "I made the cookies myself, I hope they’re to your liking," Hikaru added nervously. Howl took one of the cookies from the plate and tried it. "Ueda-kun, they're delicious! Hands-down the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had," he praised him. "Ha-Harada-san, are you making fun of me?" The boy asked skeptically. "Not at all! My father's family runs a chain of sweets shops, so you can trust my verdict," Howl winked. "Maybe you've heard of Harada Sweets before?" "Y-Yeah... Um, well, I'll take the compliment then, thank you. I'm very happy that you like them." He looked down shyly and blushed. Howl's heart was throbbing wildly as he was completely bedazzled by this boy's brisk cuteness. He noticed that Hikaru seemed very insecure, but Howl didn't know at the time that it wasn't like him to talk to others so uncoerced. That he usually didn’t speak much at all, but that there was something about Howl that made Hikaru feel comfortable enough to almost forget about his shyness. "Ueda-kun, may I ask how old you were in that picture?" Again, Howl pointed at the photograph on the cupboard. "You're the youngest one of the bunch, right?" "Oh… I was ten when it was taken. I'm the smallest one, but my brother Hajime, who's standing right next to me, is one year younger than me," he explained. He looked sad and Howl wondered why that was the case. “Sorry if my questions make you feel uncomfortable. I’m too nosy.” “No, you’re not, it’s fine, really! I just don’t like looking at that picture. It was taken a year before my brother Satoshi passed away. The one who’s standing behind me.” Howl looked at the broadly smiling boy in the picture. “I’m sorry, my deepest condolences. That was very insensitive of me...” “You couldn’t have known, it’s fine,” the boy replied. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it…” He brushed a strand of hair behind his ear insecurely. "So you're 17 now?" Howl changed the topic to hopefully ease up the boy’s tension again. "I turned 18 on the twenty-second of April." "Oh, that was only three weeks ago… Happy belated birthday!" "Th-Thank you." Hikaru blushed. "Are you attending University yet?" "I'm going to attend T-Uni starting September. Since my birthday is after the start of the spring semester, I decided to begin in September." "T-Uni? That's funny, because…" Howl started, but suddenly the door opened and the gorilla entered the room. "Ueda-dono wants to see you now. Follow me," he said. “Hikaru-sama, you shouldn’t be here,” he added growling after he noticed the boy. “I’m sorry, Kitamura-san. I’ll clean up and leave.” The gorilla nodded and left. Hikaru got up and bowed to Howl. “It was nice talking to you. Um… Sorry, if I bothered you, though.” Howl started panicking internally, he wanted to talk to that boy more! He got up and frantically rummaged around in his pocket, pulled out a flat silver box, opened it, and took out one of the business cards that were inside. "Ueda-kun, I would like to meet you again to continue our conversation. I really enjoyed talking to you. Please call me or send me an email, okay?" The stern expression on Howl’s face as he formally offered him the card with both hands startled Hikaru. He hesitated for a moment and looked at the card without saying anything. It read: 'Harada Howl - Founder and CEO of Castle Tech - IT and Smart Home Security'.   The people that usually came to their house weren't exactly of the upright kind, and it could have been a dummy company, but Hikaru didn't want to be rude to the man, since he had been kind to him. So he took the card and Howl’s earnest expression turned into a relieved smile. “Hey, what’re you waiting for, follow me,” Kitamura barked at him as he reentered the room. They quickly said their goodbyes and Howl left. Hikaru sighed and put the card into his jeans pocket. What a strange guy , he thought as he cleaned up. But he liked my cookies… He smiled, took the tray, and brought it back to the kitchen before he finally went on his walk.Hikaru liked the big garden behind the house, especially the part that was the furthest away from the main building. No one ever walked that far, so he had it all to himself and no one who would disturb him. Hikaru preferred sitting underneath his favorite tree over being inside the house. The atmosphere there was always kind of dark and cold and his father often had 'business partners' over, most of whom were unpleasant people. He didn't feel at home there… Or welcomed even. As he had reached his little hideout, Hikaru made himself comfortable on the ground between the roots of a big cherry tree and took a deep breath of the warm spring air. Then, he suddenly realized something. "Crap, I forgot my book in the room because of that guy…" He sighed, annoyed at himself. "That guy…" Hikaru leaned back against the tree and looked into the cloudy sky while thinking about that stranger. He looked like a foreigner with his blond hair and blue eyes. He was also abnormally tall, at least for Japanese standards. Hiki estimated his size to be around 1,90m. The man’s appearance was quite impressive, not only because of his size. He wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt and a dark blue vest that flattered his blue eyes and the cut underlined his broad shoulders. His expression was stern, which was emphasized by his black, square-shaped glasses. Yet, he was surprisingly friendly. His smile and his deep voice felt comforting. “He liked my cookies,” Hikaru grinned, but then shook his head. "What am I thinking about…?" He clicked his tongue. It had been the first time that one of his father's associates was nice to him in a non-creepy way. The clientele normally consisted of other Yakuza Clan leaders or members. Growing up as the son of the head of one of the biggest clans wasn't easy, especially because Hikaru despised violence and weapons. His siblings were better at accepting their lifestyle, but he just wanted to get out of that house as soon as possible. “Oh right, he gave me his card…” The boy reached into his jeans pocket and pulled it out. "Harada Howl, huh…" He stared at the card for a moment and wanted to put it back, but then he hesitated. "He was very kind and polite, I should at least thank him for that, right? Yup, definitely. Manners are important," he told himself, took out his phone, and started typing a message. [Thank you very much for praising my cookies earlier. Best regards, Ueda Hikaru.] He tapped the send button, but then jolted. "Wait! No, that sounds stupid, how do I delete this?!” He panicked, and as he tried to find out how to delete a message on the app he was using, his phone suddenly started buzzing. "Wah!" Startled by that, Hikaru dropped it on the ground and looked at the upwards directed display. “It’s his number! Why is he calling?!" Hikaru's heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it was about to burst through his chest. He reached for the device, but the moment he picked it up, it went silent. "I missed it…" He wasn't sure why, but he felt sad. He sighed in frustration when his phone started buzzing again. "Y-YES?!" He answered so eagerly that he cringed over his own behavior. What the hell is wrong with me , he asked himself. "Ueda-kun...? Are you there?" "Yes, it's me! I’m here!" "Can you talk or are you busy?" "It's fine…" "What are you doing right now?" "I'm still in the garden…" Hikaru leaned back against the tree, happy to hear the man's voice. "Isn’t it lonely out there?" "I don’t like people, they’re troublesome. Being alone outside in nature is much better." Did I just say that I don’t like people?! He’ll think I’m a freak , Hikaru thought, panicking. “Yeah, I don’t like people either, but I have to be social due to my job…” Hikaru’s heart throbbed with happiness. “Really...?” “To be honest, I’d rather spend my days writing code alone in my office than socialize. Talking to people is straining, but not talking to clients would be kind of bad for my business.” “Yeah, probably…” Hikaru smiled broadly as he felt understood in that regard for the first time. “Where are you right now?” “I'm in my car on my way home to Tokyo, that’s why I thought I'd call since I can't type and I didn’t want to wait for an hour before answering. Luckily the meeting with your father was over quickly. He knows exactly what he wants, which makes it easy to work with him.” "So it went well?" "Let’s say, your father is quite a character, but yes, it went well and we’re gonna work for him in the future... Honestly, I've never met someone like him before, and to be blunt, I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing." "It sure isn't. So… That means you're not one of them?" "T hem ? Oh, you mean Yakuza?” Howl asked bluntly. “Yeah…” So it is true , he thought. “No, I’m not and that's not my usual clientele, but having him as a client will actually be great for our growth, he has a lot of influence... As long as they don't want me to do anything shady, I don’t care what my clients do in private." Hikaru felt relieved. "What does your company do?" "It's just boring IT stuff, mostly. Among other things, we develop Smart Home Security Systems and such. We're going to set up new IT systems at your father's offices and install a new Home Security system..." Howl kept rambling about his line of work for a while and, though Hikaru didn't understand most of the technical terms, he wasn't bored for a single second. He enjoyed hearing Howl talk so passionately about his profession, and couldn't help but smile the whole time. "Jeez, I’m babbling, sorry,” Howl interrupted himself at one point. “To continue where we left off earlier, you said you’re going to attend T-Uni in September, right? What faculty?" "Education, I want to become a teacher," Hikaru replied. "Is that so?" "Yeah, my Brother-in-law is a professor and he always talked so passionately about his job, it inspired me." "I see. Well, good luck and work hard, Ueda-kun." "Th-Thank you, I'll do my best. My grades are quite good and I'm really looking forward to my University life." "Are you going to move to Tokyo? It would probably be more convenient than to travel by train every day, right?" "I want to, but I wasn't able to find a job there yet, and there are no free dorms currently.” "Can't your father pay for your rent?" Howl asked bluntly. "Well, he could and he even offered it, but I don't want to rely on his money. It’d make me indebted to him, that’s why I worked hard for my scholarship. I should explain why being independent of him is important… You know, in our world, you’re supposed to take the path your family chooses for you. Basically, you have to work in the family business… My father decides what exactly you’re going to do and his will is our law. But I didn’t want to waste my life doing something I hate, so I made a deal with him that allowed me to take my own path.” “A deal?” “I had to fulfill certain criteria like getting straight A’s in school, present him a life plan and such, which was fine and somewhat reasonable. But if I depended on his money and did anything he’d be displeased with, he could just go and cut me off financially. I'd be forced to come back here and work for him after all. With a job, I would be able to stay in Tokyo and live my own life no matter what.” “So you’re creating your own safety net, huh…” “Yup, that’s the plan. Even if it’s a shitty job and I’ll have a tiny, run-down apartment, anything is better than this house. I really have to find a job, I wanna move out as soon as possible. And the commute would be horrible. By train, it’s one and a half hours each way every day..." “I’m impressed, Ueda-kun. Your determination to stand on your own two feet at such a young age amazes me.” “R-Really?” Hikaru blushed and was glad Howl wasn’t able to see it. “Absolutely! You could live a comfortable life, but you’re choosing the hard way. That’s honorable in my opinion.” “Th...Thanks…” Hikaru replied flustered. “Wait, wasn’t there something you wanted to say when Kitamura-san interrupted us? I just remembered… You said it’s funny that I’m attending T-Uni, because… And then Kitamura-san came in.” “Right, I wanted to say that my sister is a T-Uni alumnus.” “Oh really? Right, you mentioned a sister when we talked about your name. You said you’re both named after the main characters in the book, so her name must be Sophie…?” "Correct. She's my twin and moved to Hokkaido after graduating. She works as a dojo instructor. She’s incredibly talented when it comes to martial arts." " That sounds impressive! But isn’t it tough to live so far apart when you’re twins?" “I do miss her, but she’s working for a prestigious dojo and a famous sensei who’s won many awards, she couldn’t say no to that. We talk on the phone often, though. We’re still very close.” “Do you have any more siblings?” “No, we’re the only family that’s left. Our parents passed away and we only have an aunt who partially raised us. But she lives in the UK… We don’t have a big family like you, unfortunately.” “Well, I might have a big family, but I’m not close with all of them. I’m closest with my brother Hacchan.” “I’m trying to recall the family portrait… He was…” “The one next to me who was holding my hand. He’s very protective over me, even though I’m the older one,” Hikaru smiled lovingly. “We also have a childhood friend, Kaito, who’s my age, and like a brother to me also.” “It’s important to have someone you’re close to.” “Yeah… Especially if you don’t like people,” Hikaru chuckled, and Howl did as well. “That’s true…” They continued to have a very long conversation and both didn't realize how much time had passed. Howl had gotten home, had had dinner, but they were still on the phone together. "Ah-choo!" Hiki suddenly sneezed, interrupting a heated conversation where they were discussing the latest episode of a drama both of them were watching. "Oh, bless you! Wait... Ueda-kun, are you still outside?!" "Yeah, I haven’t moved an inch…" "Jeez, go inside, it's dark already and the nights are still cold! I hope you won’t get sick..." Hikaru smiled, happy that Howl cared about his well being. "I will, sorry." He got up and walked back to the house. When he had reached his room, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind. Hikaru jolted and almost dropped his phone again. "Wah, what the…? Oh, it’s you… Jeez, you scared me!" His younger brother Hajime was standing behind him. He was the complete opposite of Hikaru. Hajime was tall, strong, and had a toned body due to the martial arts he did. Hiki on the other hand was very slender and looked rather frail. Not unhealthily skinny, but also not muscular at all. So naturally, everyone mistook Hajime for the older one. "Niichan, there you are! Kai came over to play video games, wanna join us?" "Umm no, not today, sorry." Hikaru tried to hide his phone. "What're you up to," Hajime asked curiously as he noticed his brother’s weird behavior. "Noth-... AH-CHOO!" "Eh, are you getting sick again? You should take a hot bath. Want me to-" "No, no, it's fine, really! I'll just go to bed, I'm sleepy, goodnight! And say hi to Kai for me." He turned around and hurried to his room, leaving a startled Hajime behind. Hikaru sighed loudly after he shut the door. "Are you still there Harada-san?" "I am, are you okay? What happened?" "Nothing, just my brother. Where were we?" Hikaru slumped down on his bed and they continued talking for a while longer until the boy started nodding off.On the next morning, Hikaru woke up with a throbbing head and moaned as he got up. He felt horrible. In addition to his throbbing head, his nose was stuffed, his body hurt and his throat felt sore. “Guess I caught a cold after all,” he said to himself with a husky voice. "Jeez, and I fell asleep with my clothes on… Wait! Did we even hang up last night? Oh no..." Hikaru realized that he must have fallen asleep while Howl was still on the phone. His feverish cheeks became even redder. "How embarrassing!" He coughed and took his phone. “A message!” He opened it and read: [Ueda-kun, I hope you're okay. I'm sorry, but I hung up the phone after you fell asleep. Well, I listened to your breathing for a while, which sounds creepy, but it felt so relaxing… Can I call you again tonight? I haven't had that much fun in a long time...] Hikaru's heart skipped a beat. It's fun for him to talk with me , he thought excitedly and typed in an answer. [I feel the same! Sorry for falling asleep (⌒_⌒;) Call me whenever you have time.] Unexpectedly, he received a reply right away. [Can't wait. I’ll call you in the evening after work, around 8.] Hikaru was so happy, he almost forgot how sick he felt. “Niichan?” His younger brother suddenly knocked on the door and opened it. “Are you ready for breakfa- Woah, you look awful!” “Thanks, Hacchan. Good morning to you, too,” Hikaru replied sarcastically. “I knew it! I knew you caught a cold! You were hanging out in the garden for way too long again. How often do I have to tell you to at least take a blanket with you? You know how easily you get sick,” Hajime scolded him. “Anyway, stay here, I’ll go and ask the chef to make some rice porridge and tea, no objections! Do you still have cooling pads? If not, I’ll ask Kai to bring some from the konbini, he’s coming over after work as usual...” “I have a whole box left in my drawer...” Hikaru mumbled. “Alright. Rest now, I’ll be back in a bit.” The boy slumped back down into his pillows as his brother rushed out. “Not gonna put up a fight, too tired…” he huffed to himself. But he appreciated Hajime’s mothering a lot since their actual mother wasn’t exactly the loving type. Hikaru made sure to thank him when he brought the steaming hot meal and freshly brewed tea. Despite his bad health, he was excitedly looking forward to his new friend’s call, but his condition only got worse over time and he slept most of the day. In the end, Hikaru missed the call.He was devastated when he woke up the next morning and saw the missed call on his phone. “I bet he’s mad now…” Hikaru muttered, struggling while trying to sit up, weakened by his cold. He couldn't help but tear up as he gave in and just laid there. “I hate this… I hate myself…” he whispered frustrated and disappointed in himself. He hadn't even noticed that his brother and his childhood friend Kaito had entered his room to look after him. "Niichan, are you crying? What happened, are you feeling worse? Want me to tell Sasara to drive you to the hospital?" Hikaru shook his head. "I’m sad… I really like him, you know… I wanted to talk to him more and maybe even see him again, but now he's probably super mad at me because I didn't pick up the phone last night… Or he thinks I hate him , which I don’t," he sobbed. Hikaru didn’t want to tell them about Howl, but the words just slipped out while Hajime and Kaito looked at each other in confusion. “Finally someone I got along with who isn't my brother or my best friend and I screw it up just because I have to get sick again. Great timing, Hikaru! Well done, you weakling! Dammit…” Hikaru cursed, talking more to himself than to Hajime and Kaito. "What’re you babbling about?" "Maybe he’s hallucinating because of the fever. I mean, he’s done that before... Or he’s just going crazy," Kaito said in his typical nonchalant manner. "I’m so sad," Hikaru sniffled. "The day before yesterday, I met someone and he liked my cookies and accepted me, didn’t judge me… But he probably hates me now and I deserve it!" "Niichan, who the heck is he?" Hajime asked concernedly. Hikaru sat up, moaning. "Ugh, I’m dizzy…” He took a deep breath. “His name is Harada-san. He totally gets me, and he’s just so cool, and it’s sooo much fun talking to him," Hikaru swooned with a runny nose. "Ew, gross…" Kaito remarked at that sight and threw a tissue at his friend. Hiki blew his nose weakly and continued: "He had an appointment with father because something, something, computer stuff.” Hiki nodded knowingly. ”He likes computers more than people. Just how I like… Anything more than people. Okay, I like some people. Like him ... He was waiting for father and I offered him tea and cookies... He really liked my cookies, did I mention that…?" Hiki grinned dreamily. “Wait, he’s one of father’s business partners? Niichan, those people are dangerous, what the hell’s gotten into you?!” “He’s not like that, Hacchan. No, no. He’s a good guy. Very good. A good cookie...” Hiki giggled. "What’s with the damn cookies all the time? You're such a weirdo..." “See, even you think that I’m a weirdo. But he doesn’t!” Hajime stepped closer and placed his hand on his brother's forehead. "Jeez, you're burning up, Niichan! Come on, lay back down." Hiki diligently did so and Hajime tucked him in. "I'll go and get you breakfast, you need to eat something, you’re completely delusional. Kai, can you stay with him?" Kaito nodded and sat down at Hiki's desk which was covered in books and notepads. "Hacchan, please don't tell mother that I got sick again, she’d kill me..." Hiki mumbled drowsily. "As if I would do that," Hajime replied, clicked his tongue and left the room. “Hey Hiki, I didn’t want to say anything in front of your brother, but you sound like you have a crush on that guy,” Kaito said, but all he got in reply was snoring. “...Rude. Well, maybe it’s all just nonsense because of the fever… Last time you were down with a cold, you talked about a purple elephant with green wings and antennas that was taking you for a ride over Mount Fuji...” Kairo dismissed his assumption. But then his eyes fell on one of his childhood friend’s notebooks on the floor next to his bed, which had the name ‘Howl’ written all over it, with notes added such as: ‘likes chocolate chip cookies and chips’, ‘has a twin sister named Sophie’, ‘born on February 7th’, ‘likes the color blue’... “Jeez, Hiki... Let’s hope this is going to end well…” Kaito mumbled, frowning. "Crap, he didn't even eat or drink anything," Hajime cursed when he reentered the room a few minutes later and saw that his brother was sound asleep. "Just put it on his nightstand, he’ll eat it later.” “You know that he won’t, I’ll have to remind him. He’s so negligent when it comes to taking care of himself.” “True… Hey, that was some weird stuff he said, huh? Will you keep an eye on that?" "Definitely. If what he said wasn't a fever dream, then there's someone who obviously has some sort of interest in him. And a guy at that... Older than him too," Hajime clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "But it didn't sound like it was another Yakuza, so he should be safe, right?" "I don't know. It's weird that Niichan is so into someone he just met. It's not like him at all, you know how shy and reserved he normally is towards anyone, even other family members. This is concerning..." "Or maybe you're just overprotective? Maybe you're overthinking and they just get along well…? He doesn't have any friends besides us, so maybe he finally decided to open up a little more…" "Kai, you’ve known him since you were four… Do you really believe that he all of a sudden decided to become sociable? Niichan, who barely even opens up to us?!" "Okay, not really. But what are we going to do? He's not a kid, we can't tell him not to talk to strangers…" "Yeah, but…" Hiki's buzzing phone next to his pillow interrupted their discussion. Hajime leaned over and looked at the screen to see who was calling. "It says Cookie-san… So it wasn’t a fever dream..." "Are you gonna pick it up?" The second Kaito had finished his question, Hajime had grabbed the phone and answered the call. "Listen, whoever you are! I don't know what kind of game you're playing with my brother, but you better not have any shady intentions, or I'll find you and tear you a new one!" "Ah, you must be his little brother... Hacchan, right? My name is Harada Howl, nice to talk to you." "My name is Hajime! What do you want from him? I swear, if you’re from a rival group and hurt him in any way… You know what my family is capable of, right? You’re gonna regret the day you were born!" "Growing up in certain social circles probably makes you raise suspicion against others easily, but I'm a decent guy,” Howl replied calmly. “I’m not in that line of work. I run my own successful IT company. I'm not a crook, and I have no bad intentions regarding your brother. I respect that you want to protect him, that's what family does, and your brother speaks very highly of you. The two of you seem very close, but he’s eighteen, he can make his own decisions..." Hajime was surprised and even impressed by that man's straightforwardness and calm manner even after being threatened. "What exactly are your intentions?" "I don't have any. I just enjoy talking to him. It’s fun, interesting, and invigorating… He has a great personality and I would like to get to know him better." "Tch. You sound like you have a crush on him," Hajime said provocatively. "My brother isn't gay, so don't get your hopes up. You should just leave him alone." "Can't do that, sorry. Like I said, your brother is old enough to make his own decisions. If he tells me to leave him alone, then I will respect that. But brother or not, you don't have the right to tell me that in his place. Though you can rest assured that even if I had a crush on him, I would never force myself onto him. Anyhow, is this interrogation over? Because I would like to talk to him now." "He… He's sleeping off a cold,” Hajime replied honestly, startled by the stranger’s words. "I see, so that's why he didn't pick up my call last night. I will let him recover then. It was nice talking to you, Hacchan-kun. Maybe I'll have the pleasure again. Goodbye." "Hacchan-k…? I told you, my name is-... He hung up…!" Hajime looked at Kaito dumbfounded. "What happened? What did he say?" Hajime needed a moment to process their conversation. "...I hate to admit it, but I guess he's cool. Very blunt, but he seemed honest. I don't think he's a threat to Niichan... I'll still keep an eye on this whole situation though. Come on now, let's leave so he can get some rest." “He is resting… He didn’t even flinch. Once this guy’s asleep, it’s like he’s in a coma…” “I know, but do you wanna stay and watch my brother sleep, or do you wanna go to my room and make out?” “Hmm… Not sure what's more fun...” Kaito replied teasingly. "I'll show you what's more fun," Hajime growled, grabbed Kai's hand, and dragged him out of the room. For the next few days, Hiki was down with his cold. Due to his weak immune system, he was used to getting sick easily, but this time it hit him really hard. He had a very high fever and was out cold most of the time. Thankfully, Hajime and Kaito took good care of him. They wanted to call a doctor, but Hiki declined because he didn’t want their mother to get wind of it. They had a very strained relationship, and she hated when he became a bother to her. Hiki desperately wanted to avoid one of her tantrums, so he assured them that he’d be fine. After three days of mostly sleeping, he had finally recovered. Though, even his illness couldn’t keep him from constantly checking his phone to see if Howl had at least sent a message. But there was nothing. Hiki figured that this new friendship was over before it had even really started, and it made him incredibly sad. He thought about sending Howl a message to apologize but didn't dare to. "Jeez Niichan, stop sulking over some stranger…" Hajime rolled his eyes after he had entered his brother's room to check up on him. But all he saw was a blanket ball on the bed. “How are you feeling today?” "I'm not sulking. My fever is gone, I feel much better. Thank you for taking care of me, Hacchan, you're the best,” the blanket ball replied with a muffled voice. "I know, I know." Hajime smiled, happy about his big brother's praise. Hiki sat up and uncovered himself. "Where's Kaito? Don't you have karate practice today? He usually watches you…" "We had a fight…" Hajime sighed and slumped down on Hiki's bed. "Oh really? What happened?" "I wanted to make out earlier, but he didn't... And then I… kinda told him to stop bitching - OW!" Hiki had reached out and smacked his brother on the back of his head. "You're an idiot! Apologize, now!" He glared at Hajime. "I know, it was extremely shitty of me, and I feel really bad about it, but he won't pick up his phone…" "So what? Go to his house, it's just down the road! Hacchan, you need to understand that now that you guys are more than just friends, you have to be a little more careful with your words and actions. You’re so perfect for each other, please don't ruin it. I wish I had what you guys have…" "...Really?" "Of course! I mean, just because I never had a love interest doesn't mean I want to be alone for the rest of my life. I want someone who I can love and who loves me back…" "I really love him, that's why I can't help wanting to touch him all the time- OW! Niichaaaan, stop that!" "Hacchan, seriously, I know you’re only 16, but get your teenage hormones in check! If you love him that much, and I know you do, treat him with the respect he deserves. I can't believe that I really have to tell you that!" "Hey, I’m turning 17 next month! But you're right. I'll go over and apologize in person. Maybe I should pick some flowers on my way there..." "Now that's more like you, Hacchan!" Hiki patted his brother's head. "Niichan, my hair~" Hajime got up and walked over to the door. "What are you going to do today? Are you gonna stay in bed again?" "Hm… No, I think I'll sneak out and head over to Ramen Jiji." “I’ll go with you!” “No. You go and apologize. You don't have much time anyway, your practice will start soon, so hurry up.” “But you shouldn’t go to town all by yourself. Ask Sasara-san to drive you…” “I don’t want a guard, it’s awkward.” Hajime sighed. “So stubborn... But you barely ate anything in the past few days, so a big bowl of Jiji’s stamina ramen would do you good… Just be careful, okay?" "Yup." Hiki scooted over to the edge of his bed. "But first, I'll take a shower…" "And… You should call him," Hajime mumbled. "Huh?" Hiki's heart skipped a beat. "Call whom? What are you talking about?" Hajime rolled his eyes. "That guy you were swooning over when you were running a fever. If you like him, call him. Anyway, talk to you later.” He turned around and quickly left the room. Hiki blushed. He had absolutely no recollection of talking about Howl. ‘If you like him, call him’ , he thought. “As if that’s so easy…” Hiki sighed, got up, and went to the bathroom to get ready. Afterwards, he snuck out of the big, fenced property through his usual secret exit to go on the thirty-minute bike ride away to his favorite restaurant. Hikaru cursed the remoteness of their home every time he went there. Riding the bike for that long was exhausting to him, especially after lying in bed for days. Though the scenery of the countryside and the great air kind of made up for it. It was one of the rare moments when he felt free. At least a little bit. After Hiki arrived at his destination, huffing and sweaty, he sat down at the counter and placed his favorite book, that he had brought along, on it. The shop was quite busy, so he decided to start reading until the waitress had time to take his order. He loved going to that small and cozy shop. It was a little run down, but that just added to its charm, and the staff was always very kind to him. Plus, to Hiki, Jiji made the best Ramen in the world. "I'll be right there, Hiki-kun," the waitress shouted over when she noticed him. "No hurry, Kida-san," Hiki replied. "Ueda-kun?!" A deep voice behind him startled Hiki and he jolted around. His heart stopped when he saw the person standing there. "H-Harada-san? What are you doing here?" "I had an appointment at one of your father's offices nearby and got hungry… Since you're here, I assume you're feeling better?" "Huh?" "You were sick, weren't you? Are you okay yet? You look pale…" he frowned concernedly. "I-I'm okay… But how do you know?" "May I?" Howl asked before sitting down on a chair next to him after Hiki had nodded. "I called the other day, and your brother picked up your phone." "Hacchan? He didn't mention anything…" "He told me that you were sick, so I wanted to give you time to recover before contacting you again. But… I couldn't stand to wait anymore and wanted to call you yesterday. Unfortunately, something came up at work, and in the end, it had gotten very late. I was planning to call you this evening, but now that I met you here, would you like to have lunch with me?" Howl smiled and Hiki’s heart skipped a beat. "I-I would love to," he sparkled, happy and relieved. Howl's chest tightened. He's way too cute for his own good , he thought. Howl didn't plan on making any advances towards Hiki, but seeing him again in person, he was now 100% sure that he had fallen for that boy. "Alright, Hiki-kun. What can I bring you today," the waitress asked smiling as she approached him. "Um, I'd like a bowl of stamina ramen, please," he replied. "And for your friend?" "Can you recommend anything, Ueda-kun?" Howl asked. "Hmm… Everything tastes great here, to be honest. But maybe… Jiji’s special Tonkotsu Ramen? I mean, if Tonkotsu is something you like, you should try it, Jiji’s is the best!" "Sounds great, I'll have that," Howl told the waitress, who nodded and walked over to the kitchen. In the meantime, Hiki and Howl switched to one of the tables in the back for more privacy. "I'm really happy to have met you here, Ueda-kun. I wanted to talk to you more and I would like to have more of your delicious cookies… Jeez, I sound like a creep again…" "N-No, not at all! If I would've known that I'd meet you here, I would've brought you some. Next time, I promise," Hiki smiled broadly. "Next time? Love to hear that," Howl said and returned the smile, which made Hiki's heart throb, and he swallowed hard. What the heck was that, he thought, startled by his own reaction. "Oh, by the way… I stopped at one of my family's branches and got you this." Howl rummaged around in his dark brown leather briefcase and handed Hiki a black box with a golden peony emblem, and the writing 'Harada Sweets" on it. "Good thing I forgot to take it out after I bought it." "W-What is this?" Hiki asked dumbfounded. "Open it… I didn't know if you like them, but I decided to give it a shot." Hiki opened the shiny box and inside was a mix of colorful Japanese sweets that were shaped like flowers. "Uwah~ Namagashi! I love Namagashi, and these are especially pretty, thank you Harada-san!" Hiki sparkled. Howl cleared his throat, touched by the boy’s blitheness over such a simple gift. "I'm glad you like them. And thank you for having lunch with me, food always tastes better with company." "I agree! And… Well... I enjoy talking to you too,” he stuttered blushing. "Here you go..." The waitress suddenly showed up and placed their ramen on the table. They thanked her and Howl took a bite. “Oh wow, it’s really good! I haven’t had Tonkotsu this good in Tokyo!" “I know, right?” Hiki grinned and slurped in some noodles. “Oh, hold on… There's something on your cheek…" Howl reached out, wiped a little soup smudge off of Hiki's cheek, and licked it off his thumb. "W-What are you doing?" Hiki asked with a shocked expression. "It was a reflex," Howl replied, realizing that he might have gone too far, while Hiki's heart was beating like crazy and his face was glowing red. "Sorry for crossing a line,” he added and quickly changed the subject. "What was that book you were reading earlier, by the way?" "Book...? Oh, it's called Midair, Deep Sea by Usami Akihiko. He's my favorite author! It's one of his older works, they're a bit sad and gloomy. His more recent publications give off a lighter feeling, but I really like this one. He's a great author, he was the youngest person ever to win the Aomori Award," Hiki babbled. "I see," Howl smiled. "Ah, I'm sorry. I got carried away again..." "It's good to have something you're passionate about. Nothing to apologize for," Howl encouraged him. "Passionate… Like you and your computer things?" "Yeah… I've talked about that a lot, huh… I know it's boring, I get carried away too, I guess," Howl smiled apologetically. "It wasn't boring at all… It's good to have something you're passionate about. Nothing to apologize for," Hiki quoted him grinning. “Okay, you got me there,” Howl chuckled, glad that his action from before hadn’t ruined the mood. They continued talking about everything and anything and enjoyed their time together. There wasn't a single moment of awkward silence or anything alike, and they didn't even notice how time passed, just like during their call the other day. But then, all of a sudden, Hiki's phone started ringing. "Oh… Please excuse me, that's probably Hacchan checking up on me…" Hiki said, but then his soft expression hardened as he looked at the display. Howl was a bit startled by that since the boy almost looked like a different person. "Yes, Harumi? Oh... Okay. As you wish, I'll be there in half an hour… I’m sorry, I can’t be there sooner, I… Yes. Okay... Understood." He hung up and looked down on the table. Howl thought he seemed daunted, which made his heart throb heavily. "I'm sorry Harada-san, but I have to leave now.” Hiki got up. “Right now? Why so sudden? I hope nothing bad happened…” “That was my sister, she needs me to take care of her daughter. Something came up, and it's their Nanny's day off." Hiki sighed, he was devastated. He would've loved to spend more time with Howl but it couldn’t be helped. He knew that if he'd refused to follow his sister's orders, she would make his life a living hell. She was just like their mother. "I see... What a shame, I would've loved to spend more time with you. But I guess it can’t be helped," Howl said, and again, the boy’s heart skipped a beat. It was as if he read Hiki’s mind. "I’m so sorry, I have to hurry. They don't know that I'm here, I'm actually not allowed to leave the property without a guard. The bike ride back will take half an hour, so..." Hiki wanted to take out his wallet to pay for his meal, but Howl stopped him. "Please… That's on me." "B-But…" "Let me handle it as compensation for the tea and your delicious cookies the other day," Howl smiled. "Um… Okay. Thank you very much." Hiki blushed again and bowed. "I really, really enjoyed talking to you, Howl-san." "How about I drive you back home? Your bike would fit in the trunk…" "Huh? No, I don't want to trouble you," Hiki replied politely, but secretly hoped Howl would insist on it, just so they could spend 15 more minutes together. “No objections. I probably kept you here for longer than you would’ve originally stayed, so let me make up for it. Now let’s hurry so you won’t get into trouble." “Thank you,” Hiki smiled, happy that he would actually get those 15 extra minutes with Howl. They carefully placed Hiki’s bike in the Audi’s trunk and got into the car. Weirdly, they didn’t talk much on their way to the Ueda estate. Howl mentioned the beautiful scenery, but Hiki frantically thought about what he could use as a reason to meet with Howl again as soon as possible. “Ah, please stop here,” Hiki suddenly said. “If you drive me up to the main entrance…” “Yeah, they’d know you snuck out. But isn’t this too far from the house?” “There’s a hole in the fence over there. I’ll have to run, but this is the only way in.” “What about your bike?” Howl asked as they got out of the car, and he took it out of the trunk. “I always hide it over there in the bushes. Thank you so much, Harada-san. For everything…” Hiki said and turned around to leave, wanting to ask him when they could meet again, but his shyness was too overpowering. “Ah, Ueda-kun!" Howl stopped him and he jolted around. "Y-Yes!?" “I would like to meet you again soon… There's a festival in Machida this weekend, I saw a poster somewhere this morning. Would you like to go?” “I would love to,” Hiki gleamed. “Great! How about 7 pm? I could pick you up here...” “Let's meet at Machida station instead. There are guards patrolling the area around the property at night, they'd see the car... The train station is safer.” “Alright. Saturday, 7 pm at Machida station. Can't wait,” Howl smiled. Hiki smiled back broadly and nodded enthusiastically in agreement before he turned around and left in a hurry. While he was watching his niece, Hiki thought about Howl and their conversation. That man’s face always had this earnest expression, but when he smiled, he looked so kind and even cute. Though to him, he also looked cute while wearing that earnest expression. Is it even appropriate to think of someone as cute who’s seven years my senior , Hiki wondered. He also thought about how he smelled really nice, how big his hands were, and that his deep voice had such an interesting sound, which was even more intense and mesmerizing when he wasn't talking through a phone… Hiki suddenly shook his head to clear his thoughts as he built a lego tower with his niece. Why did he feel so drawn to this stranger? He had never experienced feelings like that before… “Hikaru-oji, stop daydreaming or I’ll tell mom that you did a bad job,” his seven-year-old niece complained, and for the rest of the time, he focused on the spoiled little girl. After he was done complying with his uncle-duties, Hiki went to his room and dropped on his bed. Normally, he was exhausted after watching that kid, but this time, he felt ecstatic. "Ugh, why am I so happy…?" he whispered as he touched his cheek where Howl had wiped off the soup. "Please let Saturday come quickly."

#hiki and howl #my fic #gay #yaoi #lgbt #romance #slice of life #yakuza #drama #fluff