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(💀) Cimmerian (Tutor & Saifah) ~ Bloodstained Clothes
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Table of Contents
Genre: Friendship, fluff, slice of life
Word Count: 2,702
Pairing: Tutor, Female Reader, Saifah
World: Why R U?
Prompt: O-2 ~ Bloodstained Clothes
Note: Another period fic.
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“Don’t forget about the test next week! It’s going to be a hard one so you better study this weekend. Dismissed!” The teacher waved his hand at the class before turning around and leaving the room.
The room erupted with noise as the students gathered their things, discussing their weekend plans with their friends. You heaved a sigh, thankful that class was finally over. Your weekend was completely free and you fully intended to spend it lounging around your dorm playing games. Unfortunately for you, life had other plans.
As soon as you stood up, you felt a gush between your legs and you squeaked, sitting back down so quickly that the chair scraped across the ground, gaining the attention of nearby students. Your face burned and you lowered your head to hide it.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me… why now?! I’m not due for another week!’ You swallowed hard, feeling the sticky blood clinging to your panties. You knew as soon as you stood up, it would only get worse and you would most definitely bleed through your clothes. Everyone would make fun of you or be grossed out and you’d earn some stupid nickname that would follow you for the rest of your life!
A warm hand rested on your shoulder and you slowly lifted your head, looking at Tutor through eyes blurred by tears.
“What’s wrong?” He questioned softly, alarmed to see you so upset. You weren’t the type to cry easily, especially not in front of others, so seeing you nearly sobbing at the back of class had him really concerned.
You sniffled, rubbing at your eyes but the tears wouldn’t stop. Tutor was a good friend of yours and he had always been there for you no matter what you needed, but this? Most boyfriends didn’t even want to deal with it and he was just your friend. If you told him, you were sure he would be disgusted, but… what choice did you have? “T-Tutor, I…” you groaned, putting your face in your hands. ‘How the hell am I even supposed to say it?’
He gently squeezed your shoulder. “It’s okay. whatever is bothering you, you can tell me. I’ll do what I can to help.”
You glanced around the classroom. Most of the students had left already but a few were still lingering about. You leaned closer to him, lowering your voice. “I… had an accident.”
“An accident?” He tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
You motioned toward your lap, biting your lip.
He followed the movement, brow furrowed as he tried to understand what you were trying to tell him and then it dawned on him. “Ah!”
The sudden exclamation caught the attention of the other students and he sent them an apologetic smile, putting his hands together in front of him.
When he looked back at you, there was no disgust in his eyes, just warmth. “Tell me what you need me to do.”
The kindness brought a fresh wave of tears to your eyes and you sniffled, rubbing them away furiously. “I need a change of clothes and… a pad,” you mumbled the last bit, looking down at your lap.
Tutor nodded, setting his books down on the desk in front of you before he shrugged out of his blue engineer shirt, placing it across your lap. “Where is your dorm?”
You pulled the room key from your pocket, handing it over to him along with the information he requested and the location of the items you needed. “Tutor…”
“Yes, Y/N?”
“Thank you.”
He smiled warmly at you, patting your head. “That’s what friends are for. I’ll be back soon, okay?”
“Sure…” You bit your lip nervously as he ran from the room, leaving you alone in the classroom with your thoughts. What if a teacher came and forced you out? Would they understand your problem and have sympathy? You doubted it. With a groan, you let your head fall to the desk, feeling a cramp begin to grip tightly at your abdomen. ‘Crap, I should have told him to grab the pain meds, too…’
“Y/N?”
You quickly sat up, expecting to see Tutor but to your horror, it was Saifah, one of the popular boys in your grade. Your body tensed up on instinct, making you wince from the pain it caused in your stomach.
Saifah stepped farther into the room, giving you a curious look. “What are you still doing here? Class ended a while ago, didn’t it?”
“Oh. um… yeah, it did…” you quickly grabbed Tutor’s book and opened it to a random page. “I’m just, uh… studying! For next week’s test…”
“Mm, that sounds pretty suspicious.” He leaned on the desk, tilting his head at you. You tried to ignore his stare but it felt like he was looking into your soul, making you squirm uncomfortably. “You’re up to something.”
“I’m not…” you muttered, not convincing him even a little bit.
His lips parted but he was interrupted when the door creaked open, Tutor rushing inside with a bag slung over his shoulder. He was breathing heavily, sweat making his bangs stick to his forehead.
“Ah, Tutor,” Saifah straightened up, regarding the male curiously. “What are you doing here?”
Tutor’s eyes flickered to you before he smiled kindly. “I’m here to study with Y/N.”
The taller male frowned, looking between the two of you with suspicion in his eyes. “Okay… I’ll join you, then.” He pulled out the chair beside you and you sent a panicked look to Tutor.
“Actually, I think it’s better if it’s just the two of us,” Tutor told him softly.
“Why?”
“Y/N gets too distracted and we need to focus.”
Saifah looked between the two of you again and scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. “You guys are definitely hiding something. I’m not leaving until you tell me.”
You groaned, feeling more blood gush from inside you. At this rate, you wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without leaving a trail of blood behind. The thought brought tears to your eyes, shoulders trembling.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry… I’m sorry.”
Tutor sighed, closing the distance and motioning for the taller male to lean down. so he could whisper into his ear. Realization flickered across his face and he quickly sat down beside you, placing his arm around your shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Y/N. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s natural.”
You sent a half-hearted glare to Tutor who returned it with an apologetic smile.
Saifah gave your shoulder a squeeze. “Come on, let’s get you taken care of. We’ll make sure no one knows, okay?”
You looked into his warm eyes and nodded. How did you get so lucky? Two gorgeous boys were willing to help you out with your period and they didn’t show any signs of discomfort or disgust. Their presence was reassuring. Taking a deep breath, you screwed your eyes shut and stood up, wincing when you felt the gush between your legs. It was warm and sticky and you could feel it soaking through your clothes. You looked at the chair, thankful that there was nothing there.
Saifah glanced at your behind, seeing the blood slowly start to soak through the cloth. He tugged his jacket off and handed it to you. “Wrap this around your waist.”
You frowned at the tan cloth. “But… it’ll stain.”
“It’s fine, just do it.”
You slowly nodded, wrapping it around your waist before you slowly headed for the door, scared to breathe in case it unleashed the waterfall of blood. Tutor led the way toward the bathroom while Saifah stayed behind you, the two acting like guards. You honestly felt so thankful toward them, but you couldn’t bring yourself to voice those thoughts. It was all you could do to keep your head down and not worry about whether or not you were leaking blood everywhere. Tutor handed you the bag when you reached the bathroom, giving you a smile. You bowed to the two before rushing into the bathroom, choosing the stall farthest from the door.
Tutor had really gone all out. Not only did he grab a change of clothes and pads, but he also grabbed some wet wipes, a bottle of water, and some pain meds. ‘He’s too good of a human being… is he even real?’
You felt a bit better after getting cleaned up, but you couldn’t wait to get home and shower, spending the weekend curled up in bed and cursing the universe. You washed your hands, shaking the water from them as you exited the bathroom. You figured the two boys would have gone about their business, but they were both waiting for you outside and you didn’t understand why.
Tutor noticed you first, pushing away from the wall with a smile. “Have you eaten today, Y/N?”
“No… I felt sick at lunch so I skipped. Now I know why…“
“How’s ramen sound?”
Your stomach answered for you, growling loudly which earned a laugh from the taller male. “Don’t worry, I have snacks at my dorm.”
The two exchanged a look.
You bowed, putting your hands together in front of you. “Thank you both so much, I don’t know what I would have done without you. I’ll wash your jacket and return it later.”
“I’ll walk you home,” Tutor offered with a smile, taking your hand before you could refuse. You glanced over your shoulder at Saifah who offered you a wave and a smirk.
It was quiet between the two of you at first, walking side by side and enjoying the crisp night air. The stars were twinkling above like tiny diamonds, the sky clear. Crickets were chirping somewhere in the distance, not the least bit disturbed by the sounds of the city.
“Does it often catch you by surprise?”
“Eh?” Your gaze snapped to Tutor who was watching you curiously.
“Your period, I mean.”
“Ah… no. I usually know when it’s going to start, but sometimes it can come early or late.” You rubbed the back of your head, yawning. “It’s usually because of stress, either way.”
“I see.”
“This is my dorm. Thank you again,” you gave him another bow, turning to enter the building but he followed you, a smirk on his lips. “Tutor?”
“Saifah is on his way with ramen. Let’s relax, okay?”
You huffed at him, pressing the button for the elevator. “I told you it was fine.”
“I know.”
“You ignored me.”
“We did.”
You clicked your tongue, muttering under your breath as you stepped off the elevator, inserting the key into your room. It wasn’t too messy, mostly just clothes strewn about and manga lying everywhere. At least your underwear wasn’t lying in the middle of the floor.
Without hesitation, you sunk to the floor with a sigh, leaning your back against the bed. Tutor settled down in front of you, placing his books on the floor. For a moment, you just watched him as he studied, taking note of the way his lips would part as he silently mouthed the words or the way he’d put the tip of his pen against his lip when he was thinking. It was no wonder he was so popular, he was beautiful inside and out. The perfect man.
You snorted at the thought and he lifted his gaze to yours curiously. “Ah… sorry.”
“You’re fine,” he smiled, returning to his book when his phone dinged. “Saifah is here with the food. I’ll be right back.”
“Sure…” You watched him leave the room, a sigh passing your lips as you curled in on yourself. Today had been very stressful for you and you felt exhausted, both mentally and physically. You were tempted to just crawl into bed and go to sleep, but you didn’t want to do that knowing that Saifah had gone through the trouble of bringing you food.
You smelt it as soon as they opened the door and your stomach grumbled angrily, mouth watering at the heavenly aroma that permeated your room. Saifah grinned when he stepped around the corner, carefully setting the bag on the floor so he could pull out one of the steaming bowls, wrapped with clear plastic so it didn’t spill. He had chosen your favorite flavor and you honestly could have fallen in love then and there. How did he know? You looked at him gratefully.
“What are you staring at me for, hm?” He teased. “Hurry up and eat before it gets soggy.”
“Thank you,” you put your hands together in front of you before peeling the plastic off and bringing the bowl closer. The first bite was heavenly and you ate quicker than you should have as if you had been starved for weeks.
Tutor shook his head as he settled down near you, an amused smile on his face. “Thank you for the food.”
Saifah hummed in acknowledgment, silence settling over the group as you all enjoyed the food. You finished long before them, staring down at the tiny bit of broth left at the bottom of the bowl. With your belly full, you were thinking more clearly and you wanted to properly thank the boys. It may seem insignificant to them, but it meant the world to you. You knew there were very few guys out there who were willing to go so far for just a friend and yet you had two of them sitting right in front of you.
“Thank you,” you told them softly, not lifting your gaze from the bowl because you knew it would be harder to speak your mind if you looked at them.
“You said that already,” Saifah pointed out. “But you’re welcome. It wasn’t too expensive.”
You shook your head. “Not that. I want to thank you for… everything, I guess. Maybe it seems stupid or insignificant to you guys but to me, it… it means a lot to me. So thank you very much!” You lowered your body, ignoring the pain in your back. “No one has ever gone through so much trouble for me before and… I know you probably felt uncomfortable or disgusted… I’m sorry.”
The two exchanged a look, surprised by your sincerity.
Saifah smiled, resting his large hand on top of your head. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
You slowly lifted your head, meeting his gaze. You honestly didn’t know the answer to that because you never thought he saw you that way. You just assumed he viewed you as Tutor’s friend and nothing more. It’s not like the two of you had hung out, but he was always nice to you when you did cross paths. Were you friends?
He clicked his tongue when you didn’t answer, ruffling your hair. “Yes. The answer is yes.”
A smile tugged at your lips and you nodded, gaze brightening up.
“You don’t have to apologize, either,” Tutor set his bowl down and scooted closer, resting his hand over your own. “It’s a natural part of life and you can’t control it. There’s no need to be ashamed.” He smiled softly when you gripped his hand. “I’m happy I was able to help.”
Saifah nodded. “If you ever need help again, don’t hesitate to ask. Friends are there to support each other, you know.”
Tears stung your eyes but you held them back, smiling brightly at the two boys. “I love you guys.”
A smirk tugged at the taller boy’s lips. “You move too fast, Y/N. You only just now realized we’re friends and now you’re confessing to me?”
You scoffed at him. “Please. If I was going to confess to anyone it would be Tutor.”
“You’re choosing Tutor over me?” He pouted, tugging at your free hand.
Tutor laughed, shifting closer so he could pull you into a hug. “Of course, we’ve been friends for years.”
You returned the hug, comforted by the warmth of his body and the soft beating of his heart against your cheek. A soft smile tugged at your lips as Saifah complained about your choice. You had never felt as if luck was on your side but now?
Now you felt like the luckiest girl alive.
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❉ 139 Dreams (Ichinose Rui) Exterminate
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Genre: Friendship, drama, angst
Word Count: 5,322
Pairing: Reader, Ichinose
World: Cool Boys Only High
Note: Am I the only one who sees the resemblance between Ichinose and Kise?? He’s the real life Kise, man.
☾ ⋆・゚:⋆・゚: ⋆.:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: . ☁
Maybe you should have seen it coming, but you never would have believed she would take things so damn far. This was something that tended to happen in dramas, not in real life and yet, here you were, bound to a chair in some dusty old warehouse, the ropes digging into your skin as you tried to wiggle your wrists free. How had this happened? You knew it was your fault and guilt threatened to consume you, but if you were going to get out of this, you needed to stay focused. Not only for yourself, but for him, too.
You glanced to the left where Ichinose Rui sat, also tied to a chair but unconscious and unaware of the current situation, unaware that you were partially responsible for him being kidnapped. You frowned at the cut on his brow from where he had been knocked out. It was definitely going to bruise and might even leave a scar, something that would surely affect his modeling career. You never could have imagined that one simple comment could lead to so much destruction and pain…
One Week Earlier
You stretched your arms above your head as you headed to the cafeteria, trying to decide what you wanted to have for lunch. Maybe you could snap a few pictures for your friends so they’d stop texting you until three in the morning. They were so boy crazy, you didn’t understand it at all. Sure, they were nice to look at, but they were more than just their looks. You didn’t approve of girls staring them down like pieces of meat, yet you enabled your friends simply so they would stop bothering you about it. You hadn’t even wanted to attend Minami Gakuen, but they had pressured you into it so you could take pictures for them. Why they couldn’t do that themselves, you’d never understand.
While waiting in line, you held your phone up as if you were watching a video, ensuring that the flash was off while you took pictures of the most attractive boys you could find, ones that you knew matched your friends’ type. You always felt so strange taking pictures of them without their knowledge, even though you knew most of the school already did so. Most of the boys welcomed it, even posing when they realized their picture was being taken, but it just felt so wrong to you.
“Sneaking pictures again, Y/N-chan~?”
You jumped in surprise, your phone slipping from your hand only to be caught by the very person who had startled you. “Yanagi-kun, I told you not to do that.”
His lips quirked up and he flipped your phone around, taking a selfie with a peace sign before handing it back to you. “I don’t know why you act so sneaky. Ask anyone and they will happily pose for you to get a better picture. The sneaky ones are always blurry, no?”
“You sound like my friends,” you sighed, attaching the pictures to a new message and sending it to the group chat you had with them. They responded instantly as if they had been waiting, but you didn’t bother reading them.
He hummed, skipping in front of you in line. “If you dislike it that much, you should tell them to get the pictures on their own. They want them, after all, and they’re not even paying you.”
“They go to school on the other side of the city.”
“You’re always defending them,” he sent you a look. “You have to wonder, though… are they really your friends? Or are they just using you because you go to Minami?”
You frowned as he walked away, his words replaying in your head. You had wondered that a few times yourself, honestly, but you had been friends with them since elementary school. Surely they would have dropped you sooner, especially since you never had any plans to go to Minami. A sigh passed your lips as you took your food, heading over to an empty table in the corner, far away from the screaming girls. You expected to eat alone, but Ikeda and Wakabayashi soon joined you, giving you warm smiles as they greeted you.
“You’re always eating alone,” Wakabayashi scolded before holding out his hand.
You blinked at it before slapping your hand against his. “What?”
“Your phone. I’m going to take my picture for your friends!”
“Does everyone know about this?” you groaned, resisting the urge to let your face fall onto the table.
“I know about everything that goes on at this school,” he winked, waving his fingers. “Phone, please.”
You slid your phone over to him, watching him take a dozen or so selfies in various poses and with different expressions each time. He looked so natural, you just didn’t understand it. You hated having your photo taken which, at a school like Minami, was hard to avoid unless you actively avoided every single male in the school. You had tried that when you first joined, but for whatever reason, you seemed to attract the males around you like a magnet, becoming their friends with very little effort, if any at all.
“Ta-da! You now have twelve days’ worth of awesome photos to send your friends!” he chirped happily, returning your phone to you. “Let me know if you need more, okay?”
You had no intention of doing so because it felt weird, but you knew he wouldn’t let it go if you refused, so you just nodded your head, promising to do just that. You could feel the subtle buzz of your phone with every new message from your friends, but you had learned to ignore it after a while, knowing that they would either be dying over the hot boys or complaining that you hadn’t taken enough pictures of good quality. There really was no in between with them.
You didn’t understand this world and… on second thought, you really didn’t want to.
☾ ⋆・゚:⋆・゚: ⋆.:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: . ☁
You sat at the desk in your bedroom, trying to focus on your homework, but you just couldn’t. Maybe it was the pain in your stomach or the incessant buzzing of your phone, but you eventually called it quits and decided to just speed run it in the morning. Seemed like a decent strategy. Probably not the most recommended, but it had gotten you through middle school, so you could speak for its effectiveness.
You grabbed your phone and fell onto your bed, pulling up the chat room that your friends belonged to. They weren’t talking about the photos, to your surprise, but had branched off onto the topic of an anime called Kuroko no Basket. More specifically, Megumi was gushing about how gorgeous one of the characters was – Kise Ryouta. You hadn’t seen the show and had no idea what he looked like, so you responded asking for a picture, knowing she probably had about fifty ready to send at any given moment.
When it finally came through, your eyes widened in shock. From the information dump she had just replied with, you realized something interesting. This Kise looked almost identical to one of the boys in your class. Not only that, but they were both first years in high school, they both modeled, they were both kinda air-headed, and they both played basketball. You pointed this out and she demanded a photo. As luck would have it, you had exactly one photo of said male which you had taken just before leaving school. He had been by the gate, looking up at the sky with a soft smile on his lips. Even you had to admit how pretty he was so you ended up snapping a photo of him without much thought. Honestly, these girls were completely corrupting you.
While Ryuusei and Nao freaked out over how similar they looked, Megumi went quiet, even when you sent a message directly to her. Had you offended her in some way? Maybe she didn’t think he looked the same at all and got annoyed by the comparison. She had always been a bit of a sensitive person, always taking things the wrong way and turning light-hearted situations into full-blown war. You just sighed, telling your friends goodnight before tossing your phone onto the bedside table and flicking the light off.
Like always, you would let her stew for a while before apologizing and sending her a dozen more photos to appease her. It was a foolproof plan that worked every time and you had no concerns that it would work again.
If only you knew that this time would be very, very different.
☾ ⋆・゚:⋆・゚: ⋆.:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: . ☁
You rushed onto the bus, barely managing to catch it before it left you behind. You had overslept so you had to skip breakfast, plus you still had your homework left to do. With a huff, you fell into the first empty seat and pulled out your notebook to get to work on your report.
“That’s just like you, Y/N, waiting until the last moment to do your work. How did you ever get accepted into Minami Gakuen?”
Your head snapped up, eyes wide as you looked across the aisle to the other seat. “Me… Megumi?”
“Hi~” she smirked, giving you a small wave.
You frowned, brow furrowed in confusion. Why was she on your school bus? More importantly, why was she wearing the school’s uniform? “I… you… huh?”
“You’re so slow,” she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Is it not obvious that I transferred schools?”
“But…” You really didn’t understand. If she could transfer that damn easy, why did she need you to get the pictures? Why did she encourage you to apply to Minami instead of doing so herself? This girl never made any sense to you.
“Starting today, I will be your classmate. Let’s get along well, Y/N~”
“Ah… sure…” A bad feeling settled in your gut, like a swirling mass of anxiety just waiting to explode, but you didn’t know why and worrying about it would only make it worse so you decided to do what you do best – you were going to ignore it and hope it goes away while focusing on more pressing matters, like your homework. You folded your legs beneath your body and got to work on the report.
“Ne… Ichinose-kun is in your class, right?”
“Yup.”
“Do you think he’ll like me?”
“I’m sure he will. I don’t think there’s a single person he doesn’t like,” you replied without much thought, missing the way her eyes darkened.
“Oh, is that so?” Her eyes narrowed at the window as she started to twirl her hair around her finger. “Well, we’ll just have to fix that, won’t we?”
“Hm? What’d you say?” you questioned, glancing up from your work.
She gave you a fake smile. “I was just talking out loud, don’t mind me.”
“Hm, okay.”
When you finally made it to class, Megumi was pulled aside by the teacher until the rest of the class could settle down. This gave you a little extra time to finish your work, which you were grateful for.
Yanagi quirked his brow at you. “Again?”
“Don’t you scold me, Yanagi-kun,” you told him, pointing your pen in his direction. “I am a mess of a human being but at least I’m trying.”
He hummed, not even trying to hide the smirk on his lips or the amusement dancing in his eyes. “As long as you understand.”
The bell rang just as you wrote the last word of the report, the teacher stepping inside and giving the students a moment to find their seats. “Class, let’s welcome Nanaki Megumi-san to the class. She just transferred from Hosaido Gakuen. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
Megumi took a step forward, her eyes glued to Ichinose who just smiled back without a care in the world. “My name is Nanaki Megumi, I’m sixteen, and I love fashion and anime. My measurements are 5-“
“Alright,” the teacher cleared her throat, sending the girl a look. “You can go sit at the empty desk behind Y/N-san.”
Megumi did not look happy about being interrupted, but she kept her bright smile as she slowly walked toward the back of the room, running her manicured fingers across Ichinose’s desk as she went. When she sat behind you, she leaned forward, tugging on your shirt to get your attention.
You leaned back, keeping your eyes on the teacher.
“He’s even more gorgeous in person,” she sighed blissfully. “He really is Kise Ryouta, I can’t believe my luck. To think that my favorite character actually exists!”
You frowned, turning a bit so you could see her. “Ne, Megumi, you know that he’s not -“
“Ahem!” the teacher cleared her throat, dark eyes glaring into your soul. “While I appreciate you trying to make the new student feel welcome, Y/N-san, please wait until class comes to an end. And since you’re so zealous, why not show Nanaki-san around the school? Do make sure she gets to all of her classes.”
“Yes, ma’am,” you sighed, sliding down in your chair. This is not how you wanted to spend your day, but it could have been worse, you supposed.
☾ ⋆・゚:⋆・゚: ⋆.:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: . ☁
As soon as the bell rang, Megumi shot up from her chair and made a beeline for Ichinose, stopping so close to him that he fell back onto his chair, blinking up at her in confusion. This caught the attention of the other students, the boys looking on with a mix of envy and confusion, while the girls glared at her.
“Ichinose-kun,” she called sweetly, folding her arms under her breasts to push them up. “Would you show me around the school?”
“Sure, but…” his eyes flickered to yours and he smiled warmly at you. “Y/N-chan is supposed to take you.”
“Well, you see, Y/N is busy since they didn’t finish their homework last night. I’d hate to take them away from that and they recommended you for the job.” Her eyes met yours and though she was smiling, there was something dark in her eyes that sent a shiver down your spine. “Isn’t that right, Y/N?”
Several pairs of eyes fell on you and you thought that the other students were far too invested in this situation. The girls were sending you pleading looks and looks of fury, wondering how you could dare turn over their Ichinose to this new student.
“Is that true, Y/N?” Ichinose frowned, pulling himself up with an apologetic look to Megumi. “I can help you if you want! It’ll go much faster that way, don’t you think?”
But Megumi wrapped her arms around his before he could make it over to you. “Y/N doesn’t like getting help with their homework.”
One of the girls scoffed. “You seem to know a lot about Y/N-san. Why not let them speak for themself?”
“Of course, I know them,” Megumi smirked at her. “We grew up together.”
The girl looked at you for confirmation and you slowly nodded, not liking the situation you had been placed in. This caused her to huff in annoyance, her arms folded over her chest.
“See? Let’s go, Ichinose-kun!” Megumi giggled, tugging on his arm. He sent you one last look before being dragged from the room.
A tense silence settled over the room before the girls huffed and started to complain.
“Who does she think she is?”
“Right? She just came in here and took control of Ichinose-kun like she owned him.”
“She even called him -kun. They’ve never met before, right?”
“I don’t think so, He didn’t seem familiar with her, at least.”
“Ugh, he’s too nice for his own good. She’s totally going to take advantage of him!”
You tried to quickly but quietly pack up your things and slip from the room before they turned their wrath on you but in doing so, you kicked the chair, wincing at the loud sound it made. Their heated gazes snapped to you and you smiled sheepishly, feeling like prey being cornered by a predator.
“She’s your friend.”
“If she hurts Ichinose-kun, it’s on you!”
“Seriously, why didn’t you stop her?”
“You’re the one that’s supposed to be showing her around, the teacher said so.”
You frowned, rubbing the back of your neck as they continued to whine and moan to you. Why should you be held responsible for her actions? You weren’t her parent and she sure as hell wouldn’t listen to you if you tried to give her advice. But now you would be on the chopping block if she did something they didn’t like? What kind of bullshit was that.
They just kept going on and on, showing no sign of stopping so you sent a desperate look to Yanagi, who quirked a brow in response.
‘Help me,’ you mouthed, seeing his lips twitch up. He continued to sit there, bringing out his phone instead of getting up to help and you assumed that was his answer. “Look, I -” Your phone suddenly buzzed back to back, an indication that you were receiving multiple messages. Confused, you tugged the phone from your pocket, surprised to see a dozen messages from Yanagi.
‘You wanted my help, ne?’
‘Act like this is an emergency.’
‘Perhaps your cat, Miko, is sick?’
‘Miko being pregnant could work, as well.’
‘Though, if they find out it’s a male cat, they might get mad.’
‘You could also fake your own illness.’
‘You often get headaches, ne?’
‘You should be thankful I’m helping you.’
‘Make sure you pay me back, okay?’
‘What are you waiting for?’
‘You asked for my help and I’m giving you the perfect opportunity.’
‘You’re welcome, Y/N-san.’
You glanced over at him as he smirked at you, his eyes flickering to your phone. With a small nod, you looked at the girls. “I’m really sorry, but I have a family emergency and I need to call home. Please excuse me!” Before they could even reply, you turned on your heel and darted from the room, running faster than you ever had before.
Despite somehow managing to befriend some of the most popular boys in school, you had mostly managed to remain lowkey. You didn’t participate in drama or gossip and you went out of your way to avoid making enemies or getting in people’s way and you had done a good job of doing so. Yet… Megumi shows up for less than an hour and your life is already beginning to shift in the wrong direction. You wondered if that was a sign from some deity or maybe from fate itself, but you shook your head. ‘What a ridiculous thought. She’s not some kind of jinx or something! She’s just new so of course, she’s going to stir the waters. I’m sure it’ll be fine after a few days.’
Oh, if only you knew…
☾ ⋆・゚:⋆・゚: ⋆.:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: . ☁
Things did not get better. If anything, they just got worse!
Megumi was completely obsessed with Ichinose, sticking by his side at every possible moment. She even somehow managed to get her schedule changed so she shared every class with him which, honestly, you’re pretty sure involved some type of bribery or blackmail. She had become very possessive, trying to run off any girl that even looked in his direction, which turned most of the school into her enemy. In turn, you became the school’s number two enemy just because you were friends. It’s not like she treated you any different. She didn’t want you anywhere near him, either, which was a bit difficult since he kept trying to speak to you.
You were feeling like you were wedged between a rock and a hard place. How were you supposed to get out of this situation? All you wanted to do was go about your business without drama but at the same time… you felt bad for Ichinose. At the end of the day, Megumi is your friend and it kind of is your fault that she found him in the first place. What could you do, though?
You frowned as Megumi clung to Ichinose’s arm, tugging him down the hall, tugging at him almost violently every time he tried to greet his classmates. You were already regretting this, but you had to do something. “Megumi.”
She paused, eyes narrowed at you as you approached them. “Y/N, we’re going to be late for class.”
You swallowed hard, your heart picking up speed as your nerves got worse. “Can we talk? It’s important.”
“We are talking. What do you want?”
You glanced at Ichinose who offered you a warm smile. “It’s private.”
Her eyes darkened at the thought of being separated from him, giving the other girls plenty of opportunity to get close to him.
“Please, Meg?”
A huff left her lips as she turned to Ichinose. “Rui-kun, please wait for me in the classroom. I’ll be back soon!”
“Sure…” His smile was unsure as he looked between the two of you, giving you a bow before he started off down the hall.
Once he was out of earshot, she turned to you with eyes narrowed and arms folded. “This better be good, Y/N.”
“I want to talk to you about Ichinose-kun.”
Her body tensed up at the mention of his name and she took a threatening step toward you. “What about him?”
“Don’t you think you’re taking things a bit too far? You’re completely controlling him. I mean, he’s not even allowed to look at another girl and you’re constantly at his side, he doesn’t even have time to himself. I understand that you have feelings for him, but don’t you think you should consider his feelings?”
Her eyes darkened, sending a chill down your spine. “How dare you speak about things you know nothing about. Kise-kun loves me. Me and no one else.”
“Meg, you… you do know he’s not Kise, right?”
“What? Of course, I do! I’m not stupid like you.”
“But you just -” you took a deep breath, shaking your head. “Look, I… I-I’m just saying that maybe you should think a bit more about what he might want… since you love him so much and all.”
She tilted her head to the side, lips twitching up. “Oh, I see. You’re in love with him, too, aren’t you? You’re jealous that I got to him first!”
“W-What?” you replied with disbelief. “That’s not -“
“You listen here, Y/N,” she growled angrily, stepping closer to you. You stepped back until you were against the wall but she continued, getting right up in your face. “He is mine and I won’t let you take him from me. You’ve just started a war you won’t win.”
“Now wait a minute, I didn’t start any -” you tried to grab her arm, a pleading look on your face, but she ripped it from your grip, shoving you back against the wall. Her glare was so vicious that it pinned you in place and you could only stand there as she walked away, filled with anxiety and confusion. What the hell just happened? And why did you suddenly have such a terrifying feeling creeping up in the back of your mind?
☾ ⋆・゚:⋆・゚: ⋆.:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: . ☁
You strained against the ropes, ignoring the sting you felt as it dug into your skin. “Come on, come on!” You struggled as hard as you could, wiggling back and forth to try and gain some momentum as if that would somehow help you with your current problem.
Ichinose’s nose scrunched up in pain as he started to come to, his eyes fluttering open. When he tried to move and realized he couldn’t, his eyes widened and he looked around frantically before his gaze fell on you. “Y-Y/N? What’s going on?”
You paused, meeting his terrified eyes with a forced smile. “Don’t worry, Ichinose-kun, I’m working on getting us out of here. Just…” you started to struggle again, mustering up all of your strength to tug at the ropes. “…give me a few minutes, yeah?”
He frowned, noticing your split lip and the blood smeared across your cheek, dried after having been there for so long. He tried to pull his hands free of his binds, but they were tight around his wrists, refusing to give an inch. “I don’t understand what’s happening. Were we kidnapped?”
“Something like that,” you grunted. Before you could elaborate, the door creaked open behind you, flooding the room with light for a few seconds before it closed again. You tensed up, hearing footsteps slowly moving closer, clicking against the concrete floor.
“You’re finally awake, hm?” Megumi stopped in front of you, her eyes cold but a smirk on her lips. “I was beginning to wonder if you were dead.”
You glared at her. “I’m not so easy to kill, sorry.”
“Hmph. I wonder if you’ll still have that cocky attitude when I’m done with you.”
“What’s the point of this, Megumi? Huh? What do you hope to gain from this? You think Ichinose-kun will love you if you kidnap him? Love can’t be forced. All you’re going to do is push him away!”
She backhanded you and you winced, the cut on your lip opening up again, filling your mouth with the taste of blood. Ichinose winced as if he had been the one that was struck. Megumi leaned toward you, gripping your chin to make you look at her. “He will love me once all of my competition is out of the way.”
“Do you even hear yourself? Ichinose is one of the most popular boys in the district, let alone at Minami. Are you going to kill half of Japan?”
“If I have to,” she growled, squeezing your chin tightly. “I will exterminate you all.”
“M-Megumi-chan,” Ichinose called softly, his voice trembling. “P-Please stop this. Let Y//N go…”
Her eyes snapped to him and he winced, lowering his head. “What are you saying, Rui-kun? Are you admitting that you’re in love with her?”
He quickly shook his head, unable to answer her question.
“Aw, is my baby scared?” she purred, running the back of her hand across his cheek. He tried to pull away but could only lean so far. “Don’t worry, my love. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’ll protect you.”
“Who’s going to protect him from you?”
“Shut up, Y/N!” she snapped, raising her hand again but Ichinose cried out.
“Please, don’t!”
Her hand froze mid-air, trembling with anger. Why was he so concerned about what she did to you? It made no sense to her and she honestly hated it. It angered her to no end. What made you so special?
“You really think you’re going to get away with this?” you questioned, twisting your wrist back and forth slowly, not wanting to let her know what you were doing. You could feel the ropes starting to come free, you just needed a little more time.
“What? You think anyone will notice you missing?” Megumi laughed, putting her hand on her hip.
“Not me, him.” You nodded your head toward Ichinose. “The second he doesn’t show up for school tomorrow, everyone will be in a frenzy trying to find him. And fangirls? Detectives can’t hold a candle to their sleuthing skills. You’re not the only one that thinks she’s head over for him, plus he comes from an influential family. You’re right that no one will miss me, but everyone will miss him. What then?” You felt the rope give way and tried to hold back your wince as it passed over your sensitive flesh.
“I already told you that I’ll exterminate anyone that tries to take Kise-kun from me!”
You carefully grabbed at the rope around your other wrist, tugging it back and forth to loosen it. “You called him Kise again. Wake up, Megumi! He is not Kise Ryouta, he’s Ichinose Rui. They’re not the same person. One is fictional and the other is a living, breathing human whose life you’re putting on the line. Does that mean nothing to you?” The rope fell from your skin and you just barely managed to grab it before it could fall to the ground and alert her. You had your arms free, but you had to bide your time and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Megumi turned her attention to Ichinose, her gaze softening the tiniest bit. Her fingers brushed his blonde bangs away from his forehead before ghosting down his cheek and neck, making him flinch away in fear.
You took a deep breath to calm your racing heart but it did little to help. ‘It’s now or never… go!’ You darted forward with everything you had, grabbing onto her. With your ankles tied to the chair, you fell to the ground but you made sure to take her with you, punching and hitting her with all of your strength. “You psycho bitch! Everyone always used to call you weird, call you crazy. No one wanted anything to do with you but I took a chance on you. I was nice to you, I convinced the other kids to give you a chance, and this is how you repay me? Bitch!” You hit and hit and hit until your knuckles were bloody. With a cry, you pushed away from her, breathing heavily.
Ichinose swallowed hard. “Is she… d-dead?”
You glanced at her, noting the soft rise and fall of her chest. “Nah, just unconscious.” You sat up with some difficulty so you could untie your ankles from the chair, kicking it away angrily. You then stood up, keeping an eye on Megumi as you approached Ichinose, tugging the ropes from his wrists. “Are you okay? Any serious injuries?” You held his arm gently, inspecting his wrist. They were red from the ropes, but there wasn’t any serious damage.
“No, I… I’m okay,” he breathed, his eyes flickering to your own wrists. “You’re bleeding.”
“I’ll be fine,” you reassured him, taking the rope over to Megumi and tying her arms behind her back, pulling it tighter than necessary just because you were still angry.
“What do we do now?”
You rubbed the back of your neck. “Uh… I guess we just leave? And hope for the best. We should definitely call the cops when we can.”
He nodded, glancing at Megumi with fear in his eyes. You held your hand out to him and he smiled gratefully, slipping his hand into yours before stepping over the unconscious girl. He tugged the silken scarf from around his neck, wrapping it gently around your wrist and you scowled at the sting.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. If anything, I… I should apologize to you.”
“What for? You saved me.”
You scoffed. “I had to since… I’m the reason you ended up in this mess.”
He tilted his head to the side, a confused look on his face. “What do you mean?”
“I’m the reason Megumi came to Minami.” You came to a stop in front of him, giving him an apologetic look. “I knew she was obsessed with Kise Ryouta but I sent her your picture anyway. The next day, she showed up at Minami. I should have known it was bad but I didn’t want to think the worst of her like so many others always had. Even when I saw her obsession growing, I… I did nothing. I tried talking to her and thought that was good enough. I’m so sorry, Ichinose-kun!” You bowed, screwing your eyes shut.
“It’s okay, Y/N,” he replied softly, pushing at your shoulders to get you to stand up straight. “You saved my life. Nothing else matters.”
You gave him a relieved smile. “Let’s go home.”
He nodded, slipping his hand into yours again.
☾ ⋆・゚:⋆・゚: ⋆.:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: . ☁
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🗓 Save Me (Ken “Draken” Ryuguji) #07 – Hanagaki’s Mission
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Table of Contents | Previous
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“Hope is a bloody battlefield of disillusion. It’s gonna take sacrifice. All the blood that we’re bleeding, could fill up a broken heart. The secrets we’re keeping could be used to light the dark.” RUNAGROUND – Anti-Gravity
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I glanced over to the other side of the garage. Mikey and Draken were sitting together, their heads close as they discussed something, most likely about Toman. I’ve been thinking a lot about Hanagaki, not just about if he’s okay but also about what he was going to say. It seemed important and it keeps nagging at me. The biggest hurdle is working up the nerve to ask them if I could leave without making them suspicious. It’s not like I can just, ‘I’m just going to go find my time travel buddy because he has information about the future. No big.’ And what if they insist on coming with me? And even if I do manage to get free from them, what if I –
No, focus on one step at a time or you’ll fall on your face. You got this.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up and approached the two. When they noticed me, they stopped talking, so they clearly didn’t want me to know what they were discussing.
“What’s up, Jaybird?” Mikey grinned, leaning back in his chair.
“Ah, well…” Okay, so maybe I should have put some more thought into a plan before I decided to come over here… I’ll just have to wing it. If Onizuka Eikichi can do it, how hard can it be? “I was wondering… I mean, can I… I need to…” Fuck, this is harder than I thought. If they would just stop staring at me like that, jeez.
“What is it?” Draken asked softly, his eyes locked onto my own. Was his gaze always this mesmerizing?
“I… would like… go out for a bit…”
“Oo, sounds fun!” Mikey jumped up. “Let’s go!”
Shit. “N-No, I mean… uh…” Why does he gotta look at me like that? He looks like a puppy. Why do I feel like he’s gonna look like a kicked puppy if I reject him? But it has to be done. I have to find Hanagaki! “I need some… alone time.”
“Huh?” Mikey tilted his head to the side, a frown on his lips. “How come?”
Should I just play the period card? Ah, but that would be embarrassing to say in front of Draken. Still, it’s a pretty powerful card to have in one’s deck…
Draken stood up, brushing past us without a word. We watched him curiously as he pulled something off one of the shelves at the back of the room, returning with something in his hand, which he held out to me. “Take this.”
I blinked at the flip phone he was holding, slowly reaching out for it. Man, I haven’t held a flip phone in ages. This is filling me with a sense of nostalgia and sadness because damn if that truly wasn’t ages ago. How far we’ve come in ten years.
“All three of us are programmed in already. If anything happens, we’re all on speed dial.”
“Am I number one?” Mikey questioned, reaching for the snacks on the table.
“No.”
“Who’s number one?”
“I am.”
“Eh~ No fair, Kenchin.”
A smile tugged at my lips as I looked at their numbers in the contact list. “Thank you.”
Draken shrugged, looking away. “I figured you’d want to get out on your own at some point, but it’s too risky if we can’t contact you.” His eyes met mine and he folded his arms over his chest. “Don’t go too far. And you better reply when I text you.”
“If you don’t, Draken might destroy the neighborhood trying to find you,” Mitsuya snickered, earning a glare from the taller boy.
“I would not.”
“You definitely would.”
“No one asked for your opinion.”
“Thank you.” I bowed my head, slipping the phone into my pocket. “I’ll be back soon.” I waved at them, heading for the door.
“Before dark!” Draken called after me, a scowl on his face.
“Yes, mother.”
Mitsuya snorted as I shut the door.
I released a breath, mentally patting myself on the back. That’s hurdle number one cleared. Now… I just have to find Hanagaki… with no general location and no way to know if he’s even still in the past. Sounds easy enough. I supposed the best place to start would be the park. That’s where I met him the first time, maybe I’ll get lucky.
But when I got there, the blonde was nowhere in sight.
Where should I check now? Surely he wouldn’t be at the place he got beaten up so badly… right? Honestly, I’m nervous to go there. I’m already having trouble forgetting his fucked up face. To my surprise, he was there, sitting on the steps and staring out at the water, his elbows resting on his knees. I glanced around and he was thankfully alone.
“Oi, meet any time travelers lately?” I joked, meeting his eyes when he turned around. His face was completely healed and I released a breath of relief.
“It’s about time you got here. I was waiting for you.”
“Yeah, well, we didn’t exactly make plans, did we?” I sat on the steps beside him with a sigh, leaning back. For a moment, we just sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company.
“How the hell did you get involved with Toman?”
“Hell if I know. Ken saved me after I first arrived here. And then he saved me again. And then again…” Jeez, talk about a fucking damsel in distress. What a joke. I clicked my tongue. “I guess he took me in as his pet project after the first saving.”
“You’re on a first-name basis,” he looked at me with disbelief. “With the second in command of Toman… Just who the hell are you?”
“Just a no-life hermit trying to make it through the day.” I frowned at him. “I’m no fighter. I’m too weak, too much of a coward. This world that Ken and the others live in… it ain’t for me, but I’ve been forced into it and I don’t know how to get out.”
He gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry…”
“What’s done is done. I just want to figure out why you can leave and I can’t.”
“I have no clue.” Hanagaki shook his head, angling his body toward me. “But, I do have a lot to tell you.”
“Oh?” I sat up, looking at him curiously. “I’m listening.”
“Do you remember the night we met? At the park?”
“Yeah.”
“When I told Naoto about his death, it changed the future.”
“Well, no shit. Humans aren’t supposed to know about their deaths, ya know.”
“He’s alive,” Hanagaki stressed, his eyes meeting mine.
“Alive? Seriously?”
“Yes. And now he’s helping me change the past.”
“But why?” I furrowed my brow in confusion. “He’s alive, right? What else needs to change?”
Hanagaki’s face fell and he lowered his head, hands clenching into fists. “Naoto survived, but… his sister is still dead.”
“Ah… your girlfriend…” I frowned, resting my hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “I’ll do whatever it takes to save her, but…”
“But?”
“How much do you know about Tokyo Manji?”
“Nothin’, aside from knowing three of its members.”
Hanagaki stood up, beginning to pace in front of me. “In the present, Tokyo Manji is a criminal organization that has the police chasing their tails. They’ve taken the lives of so many people, including Tachibana.”
“Wait a minute, that can’t be…” I pulled myself off the stairs, feeling my heart beat quicken. “Those guys… there’s no way they would do something like that! Sure, they’re fucking terrifying but they… they’re good guys. Honorable guys! You saw them, they broke up the gambling ring that you were part of.”
“I don’t know what happened or when things changed, but in the future, Toman is completely different from what it is now.”
I couldn’t believe it. The thought of Mikey and Draken becoming hardened criminals… delinquents are one thing, but murderers?
Hanagaki reached forward, taking me by the shoulders. “We have to figure out what changed. I know this is a lot to ask, especially since you’re here because of me, but… please, help me save Tachibana.”
I looked into his eyes, glistening with unshed tears. I could see the love he carried for her in his heart and I wanted to help, but what can I do, really? I’m completely useless. Can I really turn him down when he’s asking me for help? I’ve been so wrapped up in my own misery that I forgot he’s alone here, too. He may have Naoto in the present, but here in the past, he only has himself and me. I took a shaky breath and nodded. “We only have each other to rely on, so… I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you… thank you so much!” He pulled me into a tight hug and I could feel his tears on my neck. “Thank you.”
Tears stung at my own eyes and I looked up at the sky, trying to keep them at bay. Damn me for being a sympathetic crier! I patted his back, letting him cry as long as he needed to.
When he finally pulled away, he looked apologetic again, wiping at his eyes. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“There’s… one more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“Naoto… wants me to kill Sano.”
“What?!” My eyes widened, heart clenching painfully. “Y-You’re not thinking of… of…”
“Of course not. I’m not a killer…” He ran his hand through his hair. “That’s why we have to find out why they went bad. And I’ll talk to Naoto, see if he can figure out why you can’t return like I can.”
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On the way back to the garage, I was totally out of it. I thought that by talking to Hanagaki and getting some answers, I’d feel more at ease, but it had the opposite effect. I feel restless, uncertain of what’s to come. Trying to wrap my head around Toman going bad, around Naoto wanting Mikey dead… and asking Hanagaki to kill him! I know he said he wouldn’t, but… love is pretty powerful, isn’t it? People have killed for less in the name of love. I want to trust him, but I’m terrified he’s going to do something stupid out of desperation.
One simple action changed the future… it kept someone alive. I always figured something small could alter the path of the future, like trains switching tracks, but to hear that it happened, to know how it happened… it’s surreal. I rested my hand on the garage door, frowning at the feeling of the metal beneath my fingers.
Every action has consequences. That’s just a rule of life, but it feels even heavier when you know it can change the future. How much have I changed already with my choices? Have I saved someone’s life? Ruined it? Maybe I shouldn’t care so much. Self-preservation should be top priority… right? I sighed, resting my forehead against the door. Why is life so complicated? This is all giving me a headache.
The door suddenly swung open and I yelped as I was thrown back, landing on the gravel with a wince. Mikey stood in the doorway, blinking down at me owlishly before grinning. “I was just gonna go looking for you, Jaybird!”
“Well, you found me,” I muttered, rubbing my hip.
Draken came up behind him and clicked his tongue. “I told you it’s dangerous to just burst through the door like that.” He stepped around the shorter boy, reaching his hand out for me. “You okay?”
I looked up into his eyes, feeling emotion swell inside me. How am I supposed to believe that this man becomes a fucking criminal? He’s been nothing but kind to me except for when I didn’t listen, and that’s only because he was trying to spare me. And the way he cares about Mikey! You can’t tell me someone that caring turns into a criminal. My eyes slid over to Mikey. This guy is supposed to be the boss of a criminal organization? Sure, he often acts before thinking and he can be a bit slow when it comes to some things, but he’s not a bad guy. An image flashed through my head – Mikey on the ground, covered in blood, his eyes lifeless. No, don’t do this to me, brain. Stop…
Mikey frowned, tilting his head to the side. “Why are you crying?”
“What? I’m not -” I reached my hand up, feeling the wetness of my cheeks. Damn it all. I furiously wiped at my eyes, but they wouldn’t stop. “I’m s-sorry…”
“Hey, it’s okay.” Draken kneeled beside me, his arms bringing me to his warm chest. “We’re right here, it’s okay.”
Mikey kneeled at my other side, his hand on my head. “Who made you cry, Jaybird? We’ll take care of them for you.”
“No!” I cried, pulling away so I could grab the front of Mikey’s shirt. He looked at me with wide eyes, surprised by the outburst. “Please… I…” What could I say? ‘Don’t become a criminal and murder thousands’? I doubt that’s the career track he wants to go down. Something changed, something so drastic that it altered the way he viewed the world around him. Telling him now would be useless. To change the future, we have to change the past. No matter the consequences, I’ll do it. I couldn’t hold myself as I reached forward, taking Mikey’s face between my hands. “No matter what happens, I’ll protect you. I won’t let you fall.”
His head tilted to the side, confusion clear on his face. “What are you talking about?”
I realized what I was doing and quickly pulled away, looking at the ground. “Sorry…”
“Girls are so strange,” he chuckled, ruffling my hair. “We’re going to be protecting you, not the other way around~ Now come on, the food’s gonna get cold!”
I watched him head back into the garage and I smiled, wiping at my tears again. Please never change Mikey. Stay true to your heart.
“What happened?” Draken whispered.
Shit, I forgot he was there. My face heated up and I looked over at him, meeting his gaze. His brow was furrowed, his eyes searching mine for the answer to his question but even if he found it, he wouldn’t understand it. “Sorry.”
“Stop apologizing,” he scowled. “You’ve been hiding something since the day we met and it’s clearly bothering you. I thought if I gave you time, you’d open up to me. Do you not trust me?” He tried to hide it, but I could see hurt lingering in his eyes and it made my heart ache.
“Of course I do. More than anyone.”
“Then why?”
“Because! It’s… really complicated.” I ran my hand through my hair in frustration, leaning back against the wall, my eyes on the sky. “I don’t even understand it myself. It’s confusing and terrifying and I… I don’t know what to do.”
He frowned, reaching forward to rest his hand on my cheek, his thumb wiping the tears from my eyes. “Maybe we can understand it better together.”
I reached up, hesitating a moment before resting my hand over his own. “I… really want to tell you.”
“What’s stopping you?”
“It’s dangerous.”
He chuckled, quirking a brow. “You saw what we deal with. Dangerous is kind of our thing.”
“A different kind of dangerous.” I sighed deeply, closing my eyes and enjoying the warmth of his hand. It’s strange to me because I honestly hate the heat. I hate feeling warm, but… I find myself craving his warmth, wanting more of it. I wouldn’t mind if he suffocated me with it, honestly. Jeez, what am I saying? “I promise I’ll tell you, just… not right now. I can’t, I’m sorry.”
Draken released a frustrated sigh, looking away as he thought over my words before looking back to me, his expression soft. “I’m holding you to that promise. Don’t forget you’re not alone. Whatever it is you’re dealing with, we’re here to share the burden. You’re one of us, Jae. Don’t ever forget that.”
A smile tugged at my lips as our eyes met, tears stinging at my eyes again but I held them back. “Thank you, Ken.”
He returned to smile, swiping his thumb softly across my cheek before pulling away and standing up. “We should get inside before Mikey eats all the food.”
“Right,” I laughed, taking his hand.
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Messin’ With You (Jamil Viper) Evanescent
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Table of Contents
Genre: Fluff, romance, slice of life
Word Count: 3,340
Pairing: Reader x Jamil
World: Twisted Wonderland
Prompt: 162 – “If they mess with you, they’re messing with me.”
Note: There is one line that mentions the word “girlfriend” but other than that, it’s gender-neutral.
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You yawned, arms stretched above your head as you walked down the empty hallway. The moon was shining brightly outside, casting rays of moonlight through the windows. As usual, you had stayed up later than you should have playing games with Idia until Ortho made him go to sleep. You should have gone, as well, but you hadn’t gotten a chance to eat before your gaming session began and there was no way you could sleep on an empty stomach.
Students weren’t technically allowed to raid the kitchen, but the staff was rarely around so late at night. Well, technically it was early morning. Either way, you were fully intent on finding something to eat with minimal effort involved. You may be a whiz at cooking in video games, but that skill most definitely did not transfer over to real life. Not only did you hate cooking, but you were also quite terrible at it.
The cafeteria was dark and it always felt strange to not see it packed with students. It almost felt eerie in a way. At the very back of the room was the door leading to the kitchen but it wasn’t closed as it should be. It was open just a crack, allowing a strip of light to spill out into the dark room. You moved quietly, slowly pushing the door open to peer inside. It was Jamil, the second-year vice housewarden of Scarabia.
A smile formed on your lips when you saw him and you chose to just observe for a bit as you leaned against the doorframe, arms folded over your chest. As usual, he was preparing Kalim’s lunch for that day, his hands working quickly and carefully as he chopped ingredients. For your dislike of cooking, there was just something so magical about watching him work. Then again, you were pretty biased when it came to him.
You pushed away from the doorframe. “You’re up pretty late, Jamil.”
His shoulders tensed up and his head snapped toward you, eyes narrowed. “So are you.”
“I’m starving,” you complained, leaning your hip against the counter and reaching for one of the rice balls that he had made but he smacked your hand away.
“These are for Kalim. Don’t touch them.”
“You’re so cold,” you clicked your tongue, watching as he placed the veggies into a skillet. Your stomach chose that moment to growl, making you rub the back of your neck. “Ne, let’s make a deal.”
He glanced at you suspiciously but said nothing.
“I’ll help you out if you let me have a little bit of your amazing cooking.”
“Absolutely not,” he didn’t even entertain the idea. “No one touches Kalim’s food but me.”
“Then I won’t touch the food,” you replied simply, earning a confused look as he watched you approach the sink. It was half full of dishes already and you wasted no time getting to work on them.
Jamil paused what he was doing, watching you with suspicion in his gray eyes. From the day the two of you met, you’ve always been overly friendly to him, offering him help, asking how he’s doing, and generally just giving him a lot of attention that he didn’t ask for. He didn’t trust you one bit and no matter how many times he went over it in his mind, he could only come up with one ready why – you were trying to use him in order to get close to Kalim. You were an unknown, after all, appearing out of nowhere and worming your way into Night Raven College despite having no magical ability whatsoever. It was all very suspicious to him and he was determined not to let you get anywhere near Kalim.
Your stomach continued to growl but you ignored it as you worked, growing more tired and bored with each passing second. You hated washing dishes, or cleaning in general really, but you didn’t complain because it was worth it if you were able to offer some help to Jamil.
Jamil finished making the dishes he wanted to, carefully packing them away into plastic containers. He was about to put away the rice balls but he hesitated, glancing over at you. He hated to admit it but you had saved him quite a bit of time by washing the dishes for him and, though he technically hadn’t agreed to the deal, he felt as if you had earned at least that much.
You yawned as you put away the final dish, stretching your arms above your head and giving the male a tired smile. “Good night, Jamil.”
He frowned, watching you head for the door. “You’re going to bed without eating?”
“Too tired to care,” you shrugged one shoulder, tugging the door open.
Jamil bit his lip, looking between your retreating form and the rice balls still sitting on the counter. “Wait a minute.”
“Hm?”
He quickly wrapped one of them with clear plastic before approaching you, gaze to the side. “Here. Take it.”
“You sure?”
“A deal is a deal.”
“But you didn’t even agree to it.”
He gave you an exasperated look. “Just take it before I change my mind.”
The corner of your lips twitched up as you reached out your hand, but you didn’t take the food. Your fingers curled around his slim wrist and you tugged him forward so you could press your lips to his cheek. “Thank you, babe.”
His body tensed up, eyes widening and cheeks burning. Before he could fully process what had just happened, you pulled away, taking the rice ball with you. He could only stare at the door in disbelief as you disappeared.
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Jamil held his books to his chest as he walked down the hall toward his next class. He glanced down for just a moment when he felt something hit his shoulder hard, knocking the books to the ground. His eyes narrowed at the two Pomefiore students standing in front of him, smirks on their faces.
“Watch where you’re going, dog,” the blonde snickered.
Jamil’s lips pursed in annoyance but he said nothing as he bent down to pick up his books. It wasn’t the first time he had been bullied like this and he knew it wouldn’t be the last either. Not only would he gain nothing from fighting back, but it was also a waste of his time. He stood up and tried to brush past them but they weren’t done with him yet.
“Oi, you ran into us, you should apologize,” the pink-haired boy huffed, folding his arms over his chest.
“Seriously, what is Kalim teaching his dog? No manners, at all!”
Jamil clenched his jaw, eyes narrowed at them. “You ran into me.”
“Are you really talking back to us, dog?”
“You’re just a lowly servant, what right do you have to talk back to us, huh?”
Jamil felt arms wrap around his waist from behind and he tensed up. You rested your chin on his shoulder, glaring at the two males. “There a problem here?”
The two exchanged a look before smirking.
“What’s this? You have to get your little girlfriend to stick up for you?”
“The magicless and the dog. A match made in heaven!”
You pulled away from him, your lips quirking up as you stepped toward them.
The blonde closed the distance, giving you a challenging look. “What are you gonna do, huh? Cry?”
“Nah, I have a better idea.” In the blink of an eye, you cocked your fist back and smashed it against his face, sending him to the ground in a heap.
The pink-haired boy stepped back, looking between you and him. “Are you crazy?!”
“Yeah, I am,” you tilted your head, taking a threatening step toward him. “You wanna be next?”
He scowled at you before helping his friend up and running away before you could get violent again.
Your expression softened when you turned toward Jamil. “You okay?”
His own expression didn’t soften, eyes narrowed at you. “I don’t need your help.”
You frowned when he brushed past you, making you follow after him. “You shouldn’t let them talk to you like that. Why didn’t you say anything?”
He scoffed, not sparing you a glance. “Someone like you wouldn’t understand.”
“Which is why I’m asking.”
“Look,” Jamil suddenly turned around, eyes narrowed at you. “I don’t know what your plan is and I don’t care. I’m not going to fall into your trap so you can stop trying and I’m certainly not going to let you anywhere near Kalim.”
“Is that what you think?” you questioned softly. “You think I’m trying to get to Kalim?”
“There’s no other reason for you to get close to me.”
“No other -” you released a huff of frustration before grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him closer so you could claim his lips. His body tensed up, his mind going into overdrive as he tried to process what was happening.
He shoved you away, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. “W-What are you doing?!”
“Sorry to break it to you, but I don’t give a damn about Kalim. You’re the only one I have my eye on, Jamil.” You took a step toward him, prompting him to take a step back. “You are the most amazing guy at this mess of a school and you don’t even realize it. You’re smart and strong, you never complain even when you’re overworked, you do so much for Kalim while also keeping on top of your own shit. Jamil, I -“
“What are you pups doing?”
You cursed when Crewel stepped around the corner, his hand on his hip.
“You’re late for class. Get going!”
Jamil didn’t spare you a glance as he turned on his heel and hurried down the hall toward his class. You tried to follow him but Crewel barred your way, clicking his tongue.
“Your class is on the other side of the building, pup. Move along now, quick!”
With a scowl, you allowed the older man to push you toward your class.
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You yawned, rubbing the back of your neck as you stepped into the empty cafeteria. Once again, the kitchen door was cracked open and you knew who was inside before you even opened the door. There was Jamil, working hard as he prepared Kalim’s lunch for the next day. A smile tugged at your lips and you moved quietly until you were behind him, your arms wrapping around his waist and your chin on his shoulder. Like always, he tensed beneath you and you chuckled, pressing your lips to the space beneath his ear.
“You’re up late again,” you hummed softly. “Always working so hard, you really are admirable. If I had a small fraction of your productivity, my life would be so much easier.”
Though his body remained tense, he didn’t push you away and focused on the chopping he was doing. He hated to admit it, but he was beginning to get used to you appearing out of nowhere and holding him, peppering him with kisses and compliments. He hated it, felt like he didn’t deserve the attention you gave him, but part of him longed for it.
You pressed a soft kiss to his neck before pulling away and approaching the sink, getting to work on the pile of dishes he had created. Jamil paused his cutting, glancing over at you. He knew you were beginning to wear him down, worming your way into his heart without his consent. It was driving him mad but he didn’t know how to stop it and at this point, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to.
You yawned as you set the dish on the drying rack. “I can’t believe you do this every night but still wake up early. I think I’d die in the first two days.”
“Once it becomes routine, it becomes easy.”
You hummed. “You say that, but I’m pretty sure the average person couldn’t do what you do. Give yourself some credit.”
He paused, looking down at the vegetables with a frown. “I heard you got detention for punching that Pomefiore student.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” you scowled, scrubbing the plate a bit harder than you should have. “Two weeks of helping Crewel grade papers and take care of his dogs. What a joke.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Is that not obvious by now?”
He huffed, sliding the vegetables to the side so he could peel the potatoes. “If it was obvious, I wouldn’t have to ask.”
You turned the water off, shaking your hands before leaning against the counter. “If they mess with you, they’re messing with me. Even if I have to spend my life dealing with Crewel, I’ll happily beat the ass of anyone who messes with you. Just say the word and I’ll take care of ’em.”
“I didn’t ask you to do that. I don’t need nor want your protection.”
“Too bad, babe, because you got it.”
“You’re so frustrating,” he muttered, slamming the potato on the counter and turning to you. “Why can’t you just leave me alone? You’re making my life difficult.”
“Why?” you hummed, closing the distance until he was pinned between you and the counter. Your hand rested against his cheek, feeling the warmth against your palm. “At this point, I don’t think I could leave you alone even if I wanted to. You’re a beautiful man, you know? Inside and out. You work harder than anyone I know and your loyalty to Kalim is admirable. You’re also smart, always at the top of your class, and you even help Kalim with his own work. You never stop going but you never complain about it, either, and you refuse to take a break which is honestly frustrating. For you, I’d destroy the world because you are precious, Jamil.”
With every compliment, he felt his heart beating quicker. He had never been a man to take a compliment, mostly because he rarely received them, and he honestly didn’t know how to react or how to feel. He just wanted you to stop speaking so he did the only illogical thing he could – he grabbed the front of your shirt and kissed you, preventing you from speaking another word. You were surprised but you recovered quickly, grabbing at his hips as you tilted your head to the side to deepen the kiss. His fingers curled around your shirt, his mind alive with so many thoughts that he couldn’t settle on just one.
You tugged at his bottom lip, pulling away for air. Your eyes flickered to the counter behind him and you quickly swiped the cutting board to the side, not caring about the potato as it rolled away. He tried to protest but you quickly shut him up when you lifted him up and onto the counter, claiming his lips with more fervor than before. You wanted him to feel everything that you held in your heart for him, all of the love and admiration you felt toward him. You wanted him to know that he was loved and appreciated, that he was so much more than just Kalim’s servant.
Jamil put his hands on your shoulders, keeping you in place when you tried to follow him as he pulled away. His breathing was heavy, heart beating so loudly within his chest that he was sure you could hear it.
You rubbed circles into his side, gaze meeting his own. “I want your heart, Jamil. Will you give it to me?”
“No,” he breathed out, seeming to come to his senses as he pushed you back, sliding from the counter. “I’m not that easy.”
You chuckled. “I know. That’s why I love you so much.”
His face heated up at the words and he huffed, turning his back to you to resume his work. You smiled, returning to the dishes.
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The day finally ended and Jamil held back his sigh of relief, ready to get back to his dorm despite knowing that his work still wasn’t done. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with any more students for the rest of the day, apart from those that resided within Scarabia. An arm was thrown over his shoulder but it felt different from when you touched him and he knew immediately that it wasn’t you. He shoved the person away, taking a step back.
It was the two Pomefiore students from before, smirks on their lips.
“You seem to be in a hurry, dog. Rushing back to your master?”
“I don’t have time for you,” Jamil told them flatly, trying to brush past him but the pink-haired boy grabbed his arm tightly, keeping him in place.
“We’re having trouble with our homework. Won’t you give us a hand, vice housewarden?”
The blonde snickered, shoving his books against the male’s chest. “You should be used to it since you always do Kalim’s.”
“Do it yourself.”
“What’s this? The dog is talking back?” the blonde’s eyes narrowed and he lifted his hand only for you to come up behind him, grabbing his wrist in a vice grip. “What the – you again?!”
“I guess you didn’t learn the last time, so let me teach you again. You fuck with Kalim, you fuck with me and I’m not a very nice person.” Your gaze darkened as you yanked his arm back, making him cry out in pain. “If you touch him again, I will kill you. Clear?”
“You’re crazy,” he scoffed in disbelief, trying to yank his arm free but you just held him tighter.
“Yeah, I am. And I’ll break every damn bone in your body if I see you near him again. Do you understand?”
“You can keep your damn dog, just let me go!”
You released him and he glared at you before grabbing his friend and walking away, making you click your tongue in annoyance. Your gaze fell to Jamil and you smiled, cupping his cheek. “Are you okay, Jamil?”
He didn’t fail to notice the stares of the other students as they passed by. It made him feel self-conscious and he found himself stepping back away from you, not wanting them to get the wrong idea. He didn’t want them to talk about you or make fun of you for being interested in someone of a lower class like him.
You noticed how his gaze flickered to the other students before lowering his head and you knew what was going through his mind. The corner of your lips slid up as you closed the distance, grabbing the back of his neck and bringing him into a kiss right there for all to see. His eyes widened, hands pushing at your chest to push you away.
“You’re crazy,” he muttered, hearing the whispers of the other students.
“The crazy ones are always the best,” you smirked.
“Everyone’s going to talk about you. They’re going to say -“
“What? They’re going to say that I’m dating an amazing man? They’re going to say that they’re jealous that I got to you before they could.” You moved your hand to the side of his neck, bringing him closer until your forehead met his. “I love you, Jamil.”
“I -” He swallowed, his eyes searching yours for any sign of deceit but he found only warmth and love. “I don’t know if I love you. I’ve never… been in love before. I don’t know what it feels like.”
You hummed, running your thumb across his lower lip. “Well, let me tell you again that I love you and I’ll do anything to make sure you feel that. No matter what it takes, I won’t stop until you realize just how much you mean to me.”
He closed his eyes, resting his hand over your heart, the gentle thrum against his palm calming his nerves. “What did I do to deserve you?”
You smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips. “You exist.”
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🐇 Easter Plastic (Kenya Oshitari)
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Genre: Fluff, Comedy, Romance
Word Count: 1,239 
Pairing: Reader x Kenya 
World: Prince of Tennis
Table of Contents
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You looked at the literal mountain of egg-shaped plastic and sweatdropped. How in the hell were you supposed to fill every single one with candy by tomorrow? Speaking of, where in the world was the candy? You called out to the man who had brought you to Atobe manor, posing him that very question.
“Don’t worry, Y/N-san, the candy is being brought down from the third floor. It’ll be here shortly.”
You sweatdropped again when a line of men dressed in black suits filed into the room, carrying sacks of candy over their shoulders. There were now two mountains. You were feeling overwhelmed and you didn’t see any way that you could complete this many eggs in the time given to you.
Your phone buzzed in your pocket – it was a new message from your best friend, complaining about being bored. You quickly typed a reply and your thumb hovered over the send button. A light went off above your head and you cried out. Why hadn’t you thought of it before? You scrapped the message and quickly dialed his number.
“Naniwa’s speed star speaking~”
“Kenya! I need you!”
“W-What are you saying?!”
“You need to come to Atobe’s mansion now.”
“Why are you there?!”
“Don’t leave me waiting!”
“O-Oi, wait – ”
You ended the call with a bright smile, leaving the room to find Michael. Due to the distance, he sent a helicopter to pick up the speed star instead of a car. He even agreed to kidnap him if he refused, to which you thanked him with a deep bow. While waiting for them to return, you set out to work.
The eggs came in a variety of colors and they were a bit bigger than the size of a large egg. Most of the candy came in individually wrapped packages, making it easy to add them. When you first started, you tried to match the colors, but quickly realized how much longer that would take to do so you decided to just fit as much candy as you could into each egg before adding them to the completed basket.
About an hour later, you heard screaming coming from somewhere in the mansion. You looked up at the door curiously when it swung open. Kenya was thrown into the room, landing on his face a few inches from you. The doors were closed and you heard the distinct click of the lock.
‘T-That seems a bit unnecessary…’ you sweatdropped as you approached the boy.
Kenya’s body twitched from beside you and you poked his shoulder.
“Are you still alive?”
He lifted his head, glaring at you. “You had me kidnapped,”
“Well, yeah,” you shrugged, returning to your work. “You wouldn’t have come on your own.”
“Of course not!” He cried, springing up and pointing an accusing finger at you. “What the heck is this all about?!”
You scowled at him, smacking the back of his knee to make him fall to the ground again. “I told you, I need you. Now stop yelling.”
His cheeks flushed at your words. “N-Need me for what?”
You gestured toward the mountain. “I have to fill all of these with candy by tomorrow. I can’t do it alone.”
His eye twitched in annoyance. “There’s no way in hell I’m helping you!”
“No? I guess even Naniwa’s speed star isn’t fast enough to complete this job.”
“I’ll show you!” He let out a determined yell as he started to fill the eggs at a rapid pace. “No speed, no life!”
You sweatdropped at how easy he was to manipulate, but you would be lying if you said you weren’t impressed. He had easily doubled the amount in just a few minute’s time than you had managed in over an hour. He was crazy, but you felt so thankful for his insanity.
“You’re going too slow!” He exclaimed, not even sparing you a glance. “Speed up!”
“Sorry, I’m not a speed freak.” You muttered under your breath, trying to increase your speed.
“What?”
“Nothing!” You were in awe at the reduced size of the mountains – they were more like ant hills now.
Kenya was breathing heavily, his hands working at light speed to finish up the last bit of eggs. “Done!”
A smile tugged at your lips and you threw your arms around his neck. “Thank you, Kenya!”
Pink dusted his cheeks as he slowly responded, wrapping his arms around your waist. “I-It wasn’t a big deal,”
“To make up for having you kidnapped and manipulating you, how about you stay at my place tonight? We can order pizza!”
“Sure,” He nodded, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. The warmth radiating from his cheeks made him blush more. “Wait.. what do you mean you manipulated me?!”
You giggled as you reached for the doorknob. You shook it several times, but the knob refused to turn.
“It’s still locked, isn’t it?”
“…”
He facepalmed. “Why did they even lock the door?!”
“To keep you from escaping? I don’t know.” You scowled, still trying to twist the handle. “The door was left open when I was here alone.”
“You don’t think… they did it on purpose?”
“Why would they do that?”
Silence.
You frowned, wondering why the room had turned so quiet, but before you could turn around, arms wrapped tight around your waist. His breath fanned against your ear as his chest pressed against your back.
“K-Kenya… what are you doing?”
His hands rubbed your sides softly. “Taking advantage of the situation~”
“What – ”
His hand gripped your chin, forcing you to look at him. Your lips collided.
Your body was frozen – how long had he been waiting to do this? Judging from the intensity of the kiss, it’s probably been a while.
His tongue ran across your bottom lip, but you were still too shocked to respond. His eyes narrowed in frustration and he pinched your side with his nail. You gasped in pain and he took advantage, thrusting his tongue into your mouth. You snapped out of your daze, your hand fisting around the fabric of his shirt.
The both of you were so distracted in the heated kiss that you didn’t hear the doorknob jingling as it was unlocked. Atobe raised a perfect brow at the sight before him, coughing loudly to gain your attention.
You jumped in surprise, biting down on his lip by accident. You were both breathing heavily when you separated, cheeks blazing from the intensity of the situation.
Atobe smirked as he leaned against the doorframe. “Having fun?”
You realized that it had been planned by him and you scowled.
His eyes scanned the room and he nodded in approval. “Ore-sama didn’t expect you to finish so quickly. You’re free to go.”
Feeling embarrassed, you didn’t say anything as you brushed past him, Kenya hot on your heels. The two of you remained silent until Atobe’s house was no longer in view. You glanced at him. His lip was split on the left side, but it didn’t seem to be bleeding, though it was bright red.
“Kenya?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry about your lip…”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry about acting that way…” He rubbed the back of his neck with bright cheeks. “I’m not sure what came over me…”
“Me neither.” You responded, slipping your hand into his and giving it a gentle squeeze. “So, you still wanna get some pizza?”
He grinned, returning the squeeze. “Sounds good!”
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♞ The Dragonstone (Bofur) #14 – The Skin-Changer
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Table of Contents /  Previous Chapter
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As we approached Beorn, I felt a bundle of nerves settling in the pit of my stomach, but not for the reasons one might expect. It had been so long since I first left here to join Gandalf on his journey. It felt as if ages had passed by and it was the first time I had ever left his home. We have not had much time to rest, to sit and think and feel, but now I am starting to realize just how much I have missed my home, how much I have missed this man. It felt as if a group of butterflies had made their way into my belly and I briefly wondered if I had swallowed one of the bees in my sleep.
Gandalf pushed back his hair, taking a deep breath as we got closer. Bilbo was practically clinging to the wizard’s robe, much like a scared child meeting someone new for the first time. I, too, hung back a bit, using Gandalf’s taller frame to hide my own.
When Gandalf cleared his throat, Bilbo looked up at him and frowned. “You’re nervous.”
“Hm?” his gaze snapped back up when the axe came down on the wood. “Nervous? What nonsense,” but he could not hide the tension within his shoulders. At least not from me who was walking behind him. He cleared his throat again, sounding more cheery than he ever had in all my years of knowing him. “Good morning.”
But Beorn did not hear, or perhaps he simply did not care, and continued to chop wood.
“Good morning!” the wizard tried again, a bit louder this time.
Beorn finally paused, but did not turn, his deep voice making me smile. “What do you want?”
“Well, simply to thank you for your hospitality,” the wizard smiled but it faltered when Beorn turned around, the chain on his wrist clinking as he brought the end of the axe down into the dirt, the handle held within his hands. “You may have noticed that we took refuge in your lodgings here last night.”
Upon moving to the side, Bilbo became visible, causing the man to tense up. “Who is this little fellow?”
“Oh,” Gandalf motioned toward the hobbit with his hand. “This would be Mr. Baggins, from the Shire.”
Beorn readjusted his grip on the axe, brown eyes set on the hobbit. “He’s not a dwarf, is he?”
I chuckled, finally stepping around the wizard. “No, he is no dwarf. He is a hobbit.”
Beorn’s eyes snapped to me, widening as he took a step closer. “Ronan…”
“Much time has passed since I left for my journey. You appear to be doing well.”
He dropped the axe to the ground, rushing forward and nearly giving poor Bilbo heart failure as the hobbit jumped back behind the wizard. His large body barreled into my own, knocking the wind from my lungs as his thick arms wound around my body, lifting me off of the ground. I could hear a commotion inside the house, followed by Bofur’s voice trying to calm them. If Beorn heard them, he did not comment.
“I have missed you,” I wheezed. “But I cannot breathe.”
He released me instantly, gently setting me back onto my feet. “You’ve returned from your journey.”
“Not quite,” I patted his arm. “My journey has brought us back into the area, but I am afraid it is far from over.”
“And we’ve had a bad time of it,” interjected Gandalf. “From goblins in the mountains.”
“What did you go near goblins for? Stupid thing to do.”
I snorted.
“You are absolutely right,” Gandalf raised his hand a bit, using it to help make his point. “No, it was terrible.”
Footsteps behind us made the wizard’s face go pale as they first pair of dwarves exited the house, causing Beorn to go into defense mode, brandishing the axe in front of him.
For all of his talk, Dwalin looked quite meek as he stopped outside the door, his voice polite as he introduced himself and the old dwarf beside him. “Dwalin, and Balin.”
“And I – I must confess that, uh, several of our group are, in fact… dwarves,” Gandalf cleared his throat.
“Do you call two, ‘several’?” questioned Beorn, still holding his axe protectively.
Gandalf sent me a look but I simply shrugged, trying to hide the fact that this was beyond amusing to me. “Well, uh, now that you put it that way…” he stumbled over his words, trying to find the right ones. “Yes, there could be more than two…”
“Go, go.”
“Wait, that’s us!” Gloin and Oin came rushing out, bowing to the man.
“Oh, and here are some more of our, uhh… happy troop,” Gandalf smiled, holding his arm out toward them.
“And do you call six a ‘troop’?” Beorn demanded, causing the wizard to laugh nervously. “What are you, a traveling circus?”
Two more. “Dori and Ori at your service.”
“I don’t want your service.”
“Absolutely understandable,” Gandalf held his hand out as if to placate him and Fili and Kili stepped out of the house next, their gazes fixed on me with worry. “Oh! Fili and Kili, I’d quite forgotten. Yes…” the rest of the dwarves came rushing out, not in pairs, and most certainly not in a collected manner. “Oh, yes, and Nori, Bofur, Bifur… and Bombur.”
“Is that it?” Beorn questioned, his eyes not leaving the line of dwarves. “Are there any more?”
The small king was the last to step out of the house, leaning against the entryway. A flicker of recognition passed through his brown eyes before he turned them to me.
“These are your companions, Ronan?”
“They are,” I responded, ignoring the hostile look from Gandalf. “Though they are dwarves, they are good ones. I can vouch for them, if that means anything.”
He paused for a moment, sweeping his gaze across the line of dwarves. “I trust your judgement,” he set the axe down beside the wooden stump before approaching the house. The dwarves stumbled back to make room, aside from Thorin who stood his ground, his head held high.
Gandalf heaved an exasperated sigh as he looked at me. “You couldn’t have done that sooner?”
“I must admit, Gandalf, that it is quite amusing to see you so flustered. Never before have I witnessed such.”
“And never will you again, child,” the man huffed, swatting me in the back with the end of his staff before stalking over to the house. I chuckled and the rest of us followed him inside.
I glanced at the dwarves as they stood awkwardly in the entryway. “Come, take a seat.”
They hesitated, looking to their king for guidance. Bofur is the only one who did as I said, smiling brightly as he took a seat. The others shared weary looks before Fili, followed by Kili, took a seat, the rest slowly following. I grabbed mugs for each of them, setting them on the table as Beorn gathered up fruits and nuts into a large bowl for them.
“Tell me, Ronan. What is this journey of yours about?” Beorn questioned, glancing at me as he set the bowl down.
“It is not mine,” I responded, nodding toward the king. “This journey belongs to him, Thorin Oakenshield. I am simply along for protection.”
He paused before picking up the large pitcher, filling up the cups with milk. “So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me… why is Azog the defiler hunting you?”
Thorin’s eyes met mine and I shrugged. “You know of Azog? How?”
“My people were the first to live in the mountains… before the orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family. But some he enslaved. Not for work, you understand… but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him.”
I scowled, hands clenched into fists that slammed down onto the table, startling Kili. “Why did you not tell me of this? Why did you never mention his name to me?”
“Because,” his eyes met mine, softening the slightest bit. “I know you better than you know yourself. You would have gone after him and you would have died.”
“You are right about that, I would most definitely have gone after him,” I stated, sending him a challenging look. “But I would not have died.” To think that the orc that had caused Beorn so much pain and suffering had been in front of me this whole time.
Bilbo shifted in his seat. “There are others like you?”
“Once there were many,” he answered softly.
“And now?”
For the first time, I feel quite annoyed by his endless curiosity.
“Now, there is only one,” he paused. “You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn.”
“Before Durin’s day falls,” Gandalf clarified. “Yes.”
“You are running out of time.”
“Which is why we must go through Mirkwood.”
“A darkness lies upon that forest,” Beorn warned. “Fell things creep beneath those trees. I would not venture there, except in great need.”
“We will take the elven road,” Gandalf announced. “That path is still safe.”
At the mention of elves, Thorin pushed away from the pillar and began to pace.
“‘Safe’? The wood elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They’re less wise and more dangerous.”
“They also cannot handle the insults of a child,” I commented dryly, earning a snicker from Kili.
“But it matters not,” Beorn finished, causing the king to turn his attention back to him.
“What do you mean?”
“These lands are crawling with orcs. Their numbers are growing. And you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive.”
“That is why we need your help,” I implored him. “You are the only one we can depend upon.”
He was quiet for a moment before he stood, eyes sweeping the table. “I don’t like dwarves. They’re greedy… and blind.”
A mouse jumped onto Bofur’s arm and he pushed it off without much thought.
Beorn leaned down, gently picking the creature up into his hand. “Blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own,” he held the creature in his hand as he came to a stop in front of the king, gently running his thumb across the mouse’s head. “But orcs, I hate more. What do you need?”
“Horses,” I answered. “We need horses to travel.”
“Ponies,” Thorin corrected.
“Right, ponies for them and a horse for me and Gandalf.”
“And food,” Bombur whispered loudly, waving his hand toward me. “Don’t forget the food, lass!”
I rolled my eyes. “And food, if you can spare it.”
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Beorn stood off to the side, watching as the dwarves climbed atop their new horses. Gandalf stood to his right while I had settled on his left. “You will leave my ponies before you enter the forest.”
“You have my word,” Gandalf responded. A bird suddenly took off from the trees, cawing loudly. “We’re being watched.”
“Yes,” Beorn growled, eyes scanning the trees. “The orcs will not give up. They will hunt the dwarves until they see them destroyed.”
“Why now? What has made the Defiler crawl from his hole?”
“There is an alliance between the orcs of Moria and the sorcerer in Dol Guldur.”
“Are you sure of this?”
“Packs have been seen gathering there. Each day, more and more come.”
Distance howls filled the air.
“What do you know of this sorcerer? The one they call the necromancer.”
“I know he is not what he seems. Fell things are drawn to his power. Azog pays homage to him.”
“Gandalf,” called Thorin. “Time is wasting.”
The wizard started toward them but Beorn spoke up once more, giving him pause. “There is more. Not long past, word spread… the dead had been seen walking near the High Fells of Rhudaur.”
“The dead?”
“Is it true? Are there tombs in those mountains?”
My eyes widened and I remembered the haunting words that the she-elf, Galadriel, had spoken to us back in Rivendell.
‘When Angmar fell, the men of the north took his body and all that he possessed and sealed it within the High Fells of Rhudaur. Deep within the rock, they buried him, in a tomb so dark it would never come to light.’
“Yes,” Gandalf answered, a troubled look upon his face. “Yes, there are tombs up there.”
Beorn looked around him before settling his gaze back on the wizard. “I remember a time… when a great evil ruled these lands. One powerful enough to raise the dead.”
“You do not mean…?” I questioned, brow furrowed as I looked between them.
He nodded. “If that enemy has returned to Middle-Earth, I would have you tell me.”
“Saruman the White says it’s not possible.”
“He is a fool of an old man,” I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest. “He would rather wait for the world to be in ruin before admitting it.”
Gandalf sent me a stern look. “The enemy was destroyed and will never return.”
“And what does Gandalf the Grey say?”
He hesitated, shaking his head, but before he could answer the same bird from before circled above our heads, cawing loudly.
“Go now. While you have the light,” Beorn was interrupted by a howl in the distance. “Your hunters are not far behind.”
“Be careful,” I commented softly, my fingers grasping at his wrist.
He turned to me, taking my hands in his and bringing them to his chest. “I will never be a slave again. You’re walking into the throes of danger.”
“I know, but I must.”
“You care for them. Those dwarves.”
“I do… very much.”
“Then keep them safe,” he pressed his lips to my forehead. “But not at the cost of your own life.”
“I love you,” I whispered, feeling a heavy weight settling down upon my heart. Goodbyes really are the worst.
“I love you too. Now go.”
I nodded, quickly rushing toward the awaiting company and climbing atop my horse. I could not bring myself to look back at him, as badly as I wanted it, because I knew if I did so, I would not be able to bring myself to leave him again and I have a job to finish.
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🐇 Easter Peeps (Kazuya Tokugawa)
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Genre: Fluff, Comedy
Word Count: 829 
Pairing: Reader x Tokugawa 
World: Prince of Tennis
Table of Contents
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“The nerve of that brat,” you grumbled as you stomped down the sidewalk.
Why were you so upset? Well, your days are spent studying and working to help your father pay the bills. Because of this, you value the free time given to you on Sunday where you have no school and no work. It gave you the time to relax and regain the energy lost throughout the week, plus it allowed you to spend time with your beloved boyfriend.
So why, in god’s name, were you heading to the grocery store instead of relaxing on the couch playing video games with your boyfriend? It’s quite simple, really.
Atobe. Freaking. Keigo.
The self-proclaimed king of… well, everything.
You had only met the boy once and yet he found it okay to blackmail you into helping gather materials for his Easter festival. Honestly, you just wanted to smack him.
A warm hand slid into your own, tugging you out of the way before you could faceplant a pole. Whose brilliant idea was it to put that pole there? You didn’t know.
You smiled up at your boyfriend, feeling some of your annoyance disappear when your eyes met. “Thanks, Kazu.”
He nodded, giving your hand a gentle squeeze. Together, you entered the grocery store and headed straight toward the candy aisle. Your eyes scanned the aisle until you found the colorful marshmallow treats. Because Easter was right around the corner, one side of the aisles had been completely replaced by holiday-appropriate candy items. Various types of peeps lined the shelves; egg-shaped, bunnies, chicks, blue ones, pink ones.
The sheer amount and variation were overwhelming.
You frowned at them. “That kid didn’t specify which ones to buy. What do you think, Kazu?”
The blue-haired male said nothing as he turned away and left the aisle to return a moment later pushing a shopping cart. You watched with wide eyes as he started to clear the shelves, gently stacking the treats into the cart.
“K-Kazu… I think that’s a bit much…”
He frowned as he looked at the cart, boxes of peeps literally overflowing from their metal prison. “You’re right.” He disappeared once more and you sweatdropped when he returned with another cart. “There’s two of us, so it only makes sense that we both have a cart.”
‘That’s not what I meant!’ your eye twitched as he started to stack the rest of the treats into the second cart. “There’s no way all of this will be eaten! Plus, the price…” Even if Atobe was an annoying twat that deserved to be smacked, you didn’t want to break his bank account.
He paused, looking at you with his usual blank expression. “He’s rich. Besides, I owe someone a favor.”
“A favor?” You thought back to his time at the U-17 camp and your eye twitched again. “You don’t mean… Echizen?”
He nodded, setting the last armful of treats into the cart.
You sighed, placing the palm of your hand over your face, ‘That cheeky brat, I should’ve known,’
“Don’t you want revenge?” he questioned as he watched your reaction.
“Revenge?” you echoed, confused. “What for?”
“We were supposed to play Mario Kart. I was going to beat you this time for sure.”
His frown tugged at your heart and you smiled softly, reaching up to plant a chaste kiss on his lips. “It seems you’ve emptied this store of its Peeps inventory. I guess we’ll just have to visit another store, ne?”
The corners of his lips tugged up as he wrapped his long arms around your waist. “Yes.”
The rest of your day was spent going to every store within the immediate area and buying every single Peep they had. By the time you decided to call it quits, Atobe’s limo was threatening to explode from the sheer amount of sugary treats.
You stifled your laughter as the limo driver struggled to close the door. In the end, Kazuya had to help him and it still took a couple of minutes of effort to do so. You cheerfully waved at the driver, who only sweat dropped in response. Your spirits had definitely lifted – after all, revenge is the best medicine.
A giggle passed your lips as you pictured Atobe covered by a mountain of Peeps. Oh, if only you could see it in person!
Kazuya smiled as he laced his fingers with your own, tugging you closer to his side.
Keeping your hands linked, you swung around to stand in front of him. “It’s still early, Kazu-chan. Do you fancy getting your butt whooped again in Mario Kart?”
He scowled, poking your forehead with a slim index finger. “You got lucky last time.”
“Those are fighting words, Tokugawa Kazuya!” You pointed at him with a grin. “This pro will smash you into dust!”
“The loser has to dress like a baby chick at Atobe’s festival,” he challenged.
“Deal!” You took off in the direction of his house, him hot on your heels.
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❉ 139 Dreams (Han Hoyeol) Ocean Air
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Table of Contents
Genre: Fluff, slice of life
Word Count: 1,405
Pairing: Reader x Hoyeol
World: D.P.
☾ ⋆・゚:⋆・゚: ⋆.:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: . ☁
You sipped on your drink as you scrolled through your phone, liking posts about animals and ignoring everything else. Your best friend sat across from you, mumbling softly as his eyes darted across the pages of the textbook in front of him. It was just past noon and the cafe was experiencing a lunch rush, all of the tables full of people chatting loudly with no regard for those around them. You glanced at Jaeho, amazed by how hyper-focused he was on his studying. How could he concentrate with so much noise around him? It was giving you a headache.
You glanced at the time and smiled. In just a couple of hours, you’d be with your boyfriend relaxing at the beach. Being a corporal in the military meant that he was often too busy to spend time with you and you often went days without even seeing him or hearing from him. And when you did, it never lasted long before he was being called away again. He always promised to make it up to you but rarely did, though not for a lack of trying.
The phone dinged softly, your boyfriend’s name popping up at the top of the screen along with the notification that you had received a new message. Your smile widened but quickly fell when you read the message he had sent you. A sigh of frustration passed your lips, grabbing Jaeho’s attention.
He glanced over at you, taking in your deep frown and furrowed brow as you stared at your phone. “He canceled again, didn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s so lucky,” he clicked his tongue in disapproval. “You know, I canceled on my girlfriend once and she broke up with me the next day but he’s canceled on you at least a dozen times but you haven’t even considered leaving him. What an ungrateful bastard.”
You quirked a brow at him. “It was her birthday dinner.”
“What’s your point?”
A chuckle of amusement passed your lips. “You’re such an idiot, Jaeho.”
“You’re a bigger idiot,” he stuck his tongue out at you. “Seriously, though. He totally takes you for granted.”
“He works hard and goes through a lot on the job,” you defended him, picking at a loose piece of thread on your jeans. “He doesn’t have a choice when he gets an order from the higher-ups.”
“Yeah, I get that but,” he leaned closer, a frown on his lips. “A relationship is two people, right? You’re always sacrificing for him but when has he ever sacrificed for you?”
“That feels pretty weird coming from a guy who canceled his girlfriend’s birthday dinner and can’t see why she was upset about it,” you accused with a scoff, making him shrug.
“We had only been together for two weeks. Besides, I got courtside tickets. How could I possibly pass that up? It was a once in a lifetime opportunity while she has a birthday every year.” He started to pack up his things, sending you a pointed look. “You’ve been with this guy for, what? Seven months?”
“Six.”
“And in those six months, how many times have you seen him?”
You racked your brain but could only come up with a handful of times that you had spent time together for more than five minutes.
“See? It’s really low, right? I bet you’re lonely.”
You sighed, running a hand through your hair in frustration. Of course, you felt lonely. Jaeho and Hoyeol were the only people in your life and both of them were busy men which meant you were more often than not left to your own devices. And that was just fine, you enjoyed the peace and quiet of being alone, but you’re still a human being and even if you enjoy it, you still get lonely.
He watched your expression carefully before standing up and throwing his bag over his shoulder. “Okay, you convinced me.”
“What?”
Jaeho slapped his hand on the table, leaning toward you with narrowed eyes. “I accept your challenge.”
“Are you on drugs?”
The two of you stared at each other for a minute before he grinned. “I’m going to keep up the tradition of beating you in Mario Kart.”
Realization dawned on you and you stood up with a scoff. “Tradition? You beat me once because I stopped racing to reply to Hoyeol.”
“All I hear are excuses. You scared to lose again?”
“As if. Try not to choke on my dust, loser,” you taunted as you headed for the door.
“Who’re you calling a lose, you loser?” he huffed, following close behind.
☾ ⋆・゚:⋆・゚: ⋆.:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: . ☁
Stretching your arms above your head, you let out a loud yawn. You hadn’t planned on staying at Jaeho’s apartment for so long but you were thankful for the distraction. Night had fallen and you felt exhausted after such an intense battle with your best friend but at least you had come out victorious, beating him ten to five. So much for his tradition.
You tugged your phone from your pocket both to check the time and to see if Hoyeol had messaged you but he hadn’t. You considered sending him a good night message but it was well after midnight and you didn’t want to risk waking him up. A sigh passed your lips as you climbed the steps to your apartment, tugging the key from your pocket. When you pushed the door open, you paused. The strong scent of the ocean hit you like a wave and you wondered if you had entered the wrong apartment, but how was that possible? Surely your key worked only on your own apartment, right? You backpedaled, checking the number plate by the door.
It was most definitely your apartment.
With a furrowed brow, you kicked off your shoes and stepped farther inside, reaching for the light switch before turning the corner. Your eyes widened as the living room was bathed in light, revealing quite the surprise. Hoyeol was asleep on the floor, his upper body sprawled across the coffee table, his arms acting as a pillow. A candle the color of the ocean sat beside him, the flame dull as it started to run out of wax to burn. The label held a picturesque beach scene with the words ‘ocean air scent’ printed above it. Two plates sat beside the candle, a big mac on each one with a few chicken nuggets and fries from Mcdonalds.
Your heart fluttered as you sat down beside him, gently brushing the hair from his forehead.
Hoyeol’s eyes slowly opened, a slightly darker shade than normal due to sleep. It took him a moment to realize you were beside him and he groaned, forcing himself to sit up. “Jagiya, where were you? You left me waiting for so long.”
“I’m sorry, baby,” you told him softly, resting your hand against his cheek. “I had no idea you were gonna be here. If I had… why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to surprise you,” he frowned, tugging you closer.
“You definitely accomplished that goal, babe.”
He hummed, shifting so he could wrap his arms around your waist and rest his head on your shoulder. “I’m sorry I couldn’t take you to the beach like I said I would. The woman I bought the candle from promised it would smell like the ocean once it was lit. Does it?”
“It does,” you gently ran your fingers through his soft hair. “I had to pause when I entered because I thought I might have entered the wrong apartment.”
He chuckled, lifting his head to capture your lips in a passionate embrace. They were soft when they brushed against yours, his voice soft. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“You already did.”
“Hm?” he blinked at you in confusion and you found yourself smiling at how cute he was.
You cupped his face, bringing his lips back to yours. “I really don’t care where we are, Hoyeol. As long as you’re here with me, I’m happy.”
He bit his lip to hold back his grin but it was a futile attempt so he buried his face in your shoulder instead. “I love you so damn much, jagiya.”
You held him tightly, a bright smile on your lips as you pressed a gentle kiss to his head. “I love you, too, Han Hoyeol. More than anything else in this world.”
☾ ⋆・゚:⋆・゚: ⋆.:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: . ☁
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🐇 Easter Candy (Ryoma Echizen)
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Genre: Fluff
Word Count: 947 
Pairing: Reader x Ryoma 
World: Prince of Tennis
Table of Contents
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You sat under a tree near the tennis courts, playing a game on your Vita. Honestly, you weren’t all that interested in tennis but, since your boyfriend was a tennis freak, you often found yourself near the tennis courts more often than you’d like. Ryoma was a good boyfriend, though, and knows that you’re not interested, so he uses his allowance to buy new games for your Vita to keep you occupied while you wait on him.
Today was different, though.
Ryoma approached you, placing his hat on top of your head to get your attention. “Let’s go, senpai.”
You looked up at him in confusion. “Practice is over already?”
“Buchou is sending me to run an errand.” He frowned, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “You’re coming with me.”
You rolled your eyes, placing your vita into its case and into your bag. “Thanks for giving me a choice.”
He smirked, grabbing your hand and pulling you toward the school gate. You shifted your hand to lace your fingers together. His smirk changed into a smile and he looked away since he couldn’t hide it beneath his cap.
“Where are we going, anyway?”
“To buy candy.”
“Candy?” You glanced at him curiously. “What for?”
“Atobe’s Easter festival.”
You frowned. “Atobe is hosting an Easter festival? We’re not going, are we?” You could feel anxiety bubbling in your stomach just from the thought of attending the festival. There would be so many people there… you shivered without even realizing it, but Ryoma caught it easily.
He knew about your anxiety disorder and how freaked you get when you’re around a lot of people. That was how the two of you met, actually – he found you during a panic attack and, although he had no idea what he was doing, he did his best to calm you down.
He squeezed your hand to show he understood. “No, it’ll be too much of a pain. Buchou said that he’d cover for us if I bought the candy, so I agreed.”
You bit your lip, feeling a bit guilty. “It’s okay if you want to go. You should hang out with your friends~”
He stopped walking, narrowing his cat-like eyes at you. “I see them every day. I’d rather spend time with you, senpai.”
Your cheeks warmed up a bit, your heart fluttering with happiness. You pressed your lips to his cheek. “Thank you, Ryoma.”
His cheeks burned and he quickly reached up to tug his cap down only to pout when he remembered that you had it. He glared at you when you started laughing so you decided to return the cap to its rightful owner.
“Let’s just get this over with.”
It didn’t take long to reach the grocery store. You headed straight for the candy aisle and to your favorite holiday treat – peeps. Before you could grab them, though, Ryoma stopped you.
“Someone else is in charge of getting peeps. We’re here to get everything else.”
You frowned, sending a longing look at the peeps before turning toward the rest of the candy. “So we just get… everything?”
He nodded as he started carelessly throwing bags upon bags of candy into the shopping cart. You chuckled at his attitude before giving him a hand. Once the cart was overflowing with candy, you decided to stop and head for the check-out counter. Ryoma had other plans, though, and disappeared before you arrived there.
The cashier looked at you with wide eyes as you started to dump the bags onto the belt. You could only smile sheepishly at him as he started to ring them up. Ryoma returned a few minutes later, his arms full of Ponta. He dumped the cans onto the belt and grinned at you.
“That’s not candy.” You grinned, patting his head.
He smacked your hand away. “He’ll get over it.”
It took a full twenty minutes for the guy to ring up all of the items, and you had to use the cart to bring them outside. Your brow furrowed.
“How are we supposed to get this stuff home?”
He pointed at a slick, black limo sitting off to the side. “Atobe sent a limo to collect all the items.”
You followed the younger male to the limo, where the driver bowed at you before loading the bags into the backseat.
“Can I bring you home?” The driver questioned with a soft smile.
Ryoma shook his head and you thanked the man before following after your boyfriend. He was carrying the bag full of Ponta, but you noticed a separate bag.
“Did you take that by accident?” you questioned, pointing to the second bag.
He pulled his cap down before handing it over to you.
You blinked at the bag. Inside was a single box of sky blue peeps in the shape of little chicks.
“They’re your favorite, right?” he questioned, still refusing to look at you.
“Ryoma…” You smiled brightly, throwing your arms around his neck, bringing his back flush against your chest. “I love you, chibi-chan~”
“Don’t call me that.” He scowled, feeling his cheeks burn with embarrassment. “It’s not that big of a deal.” In truth, he knew that it would be nearly impossible to find a store selling peeps after tomorrow, so he wanted to make sure that you got a box before they disappeared.
You kissed his cheek and smiled brightly. “Let’s hurry home, okay? We can share them~!”
Despite himself, he couldn’t stop the smile that grew on his face when he saw your happy expression. He would never admit it out loud, but he always felt pride when he was able to make you feel happy.
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⚙️ Finding My Place (a Sotus fanfic) vol.15: promise
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Table of Contents | Previous
"Yeah, I got a bird's eyes view of the whole battle. Sensei, this a cage that you won't rattle. I run free, rare breed that you won't saddle. You ain't dead boy, you scared of your own shadow. It's built in our bones." - Built in Our Bones - Hidden Citizens, Adam Christopher, KO the Legend
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* Volume 15 _ p r o m i s e
“Time out!” the coach called, causing the ref to blow his whistle. The group gathered up at the bench and I met eyes with Kong who was now sitting at the end of the bench.
He smiled at me, holding his hand up for a high-five. “You’re doing great out there. Sorry I wasn’t here in time.”
“You’re good,” I breathed out, smiling through my tiredness and nerves, poking him in the cheek. “Wouldn’t want to ruin that pretty face for the contest, eh?”
“It’s all right,” the coach encouraged as we all sat down, accepting bottles of water. “We’re behind by five. We can still win this. But every time we attack, we need to score. Do you get it? Play one-on-one with them. M, you stick with number seven. That guy is quick on his feet.”
“Sure.”
“Waad, mobilize from the rebound position. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
I frowned at Waad from where I was sitting between him and Kong. He sounds so tired, but he’s one of our best players, we can’t afford to sub him out especially if he doesn’t want to be subbed out.
“Aspen, number five is aggressive, I want you to stick with him and block him from making those powerful jumps.”
“Right.”
“I need a break,” Klam huffed out.
The coach rubbed his hand beneath his nose, clearly worried about the way the match was going. “Kong, you’ll replace him. If you can’t play inside their three-point line, pass it to Kongpob. He can do a three-point shot.”
“Okay.”
“Come on,” Tee patted the knee of M and Waad who sat on either side of him before pulling himself up. “Let’s do it!”
“Come on.”
“Let’s go!”
The coach held his hand out as we all stood up, placing our hands one on top of the other to form a stack. “Engineers… rock!” we chorused, throwing our hands up.
As soon as I was back on the court, I located number five and stayed close to him. If he was going to mess with another of my teammates, whether by accident or on purpose, I wouldn’t let it happen on my watch!
Kong got the ball and managed to fake out the two guys marking him before tossing the ball into the hoop, but the other team managed to snag the next basket. Time seemed to tick by quicker than normal as the scores increased. Five tried to get past to me to get to get to Kong, realizing that he was a serious threat to their team, but I refused to let him pass. He glared at me, trying to fake left and then right, but I managed to stay in front of him, his body colliding with my own as he tried to force his way past.
There was only one minute left on the clock and we’re down by one point.
Tee got the ball and tossed it to Waad. I looked away for a split second to see the scoreboard and number five rushed past me, nearly knocking me to my ass in the process. I grunted, taking chase but he was faster than me. Just as Waad jumped into the air, five jumped after him, knocking him to the ground.
I rushed over to check on him, but he got to his feet quickly, trying to grab onto number five. “O-Oi, Waad!” I helped Kong and M hold him back.
“What the hell?” five scoffed.
“Why did you do that?” Waad demanded.
“What do you want? Huh?”
Both teams scrambled to keep the two separated before they could come to blows, but they were determined to fight.
“You pushed me!”
“Hey, calm down.”
Sheesh, no wonder he always collides with Prem, they both have terrible tempers.
“Enough.”
After getting both groups settled down, number five was fouled for the second time, allowing Waad a free throw. I held my breath as he dribbled the ball, taking position to shoot. It flew through the air and – swish! Right into the net. My head snapped toward the scoreboard.
One second remaining, 61 – 60. We won!
The ref blew his whistle and I cheered, throwing my arms around Kong and M. “We did it!”
M grinned proudly. “I told you, I’ve got your back.”
“Yeah,” I smiled, but it slowly dropped as I turned to look at Waad. “But I didn’t have his.”
“Hey, you did your best,” Kong pulled me into a side hug. “What matters is that we won.”
“And had fun doing it,” M added.
With a nod, I untangled myself from them, heading over to the bench to get my water and rest my legs. Klam greeted us as we returned, standing up and smiling, “Great job!”
“Come here!” M waved over Waad, throwing his arm around his shoulder when he sat on M’s right. “That shot just now. You were fucking cool! That was superb! How’d you do it?”
“A lot of practice, right?” Kong joked.
“Yeah,” he replied with a pained voice.
I leaned forward to see around Kong and M, seeing Waad wince down at his ankle. “Are you okay?” I questioned softly, watching him slowly lift his foot up and onto the bench, his shoe off to relieve some of the pressure.
“What’s wrong with your foot?” M pressed in surprise.
“From when I fell down,” Waad explained, pain clear in his tone. “It’s throbbing.”
“I’m really sorry, Waad,” I frowned at his foot, my fingers curling around the fabric of my basketball shorts. “I let number five get past me and you got hurt because of it!”
Waad looked over at me with surprise mingling with the pain in his eyes. “It’s not your fault, don’t worry.”
I forced a sad smile, still feeling guilt in the back of my mind.
“You guys were great!” the coach grinned as he high fived Tee, who sat closest to him. He opened up the cooler, handing out these pink-colored drinks. “The seniors sent these. To rehydrate.”
“Thank you.”
“Pass them on.”
The drink was passed down the line until reaching Beam, who sat at the opposite end. This continued until every one of us had a drink. Now, I always refused to drink anything pink unless it’s lemonade, but this drink reminded me of the Sakura Tea from the Sims 4 and I couldn’t deny that I was curious to taste it.
“You all have one?”
“Yes.”
I unscrewed the cap, giving it a sniff. There were no discernable smells that I could make out and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I hesitantly sipped it – strawberry was the most overpowering taste, followed by… kiwi? I haven’t tasted kiwis too many times in my life, but that’s what came to mind so I’m sticking to it. I don’t like the taste of kiwis, but the strawberry was overpowering it so it didn’t bother me that much.
“Hey, why are you making that face?” M questioned and I glanced over, following his gaze to Kong who had a spaced out look on his face again. “Aren’t you happy we won?”
“It’s not about that,” Kong explained, still looking around at the crowd before turning to M. “I don’t see a single one of those juniors in here.”
M looked around. “I can’t see any either.”
“Personally,” I interjected, “I think that’s a good thing. The thought of the juniors watching us while we’re playing…” I shook my head, leaning back against the bench. “I would drop dread right then and there.”
M rolled his eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”
“No, I’m a realist.”
He shook his head, turning his attention back to Kong. “They didn’t come. So what?”
“Fear of losing face, I guess,” Waad scoffed, “after endless snubs. Look now. We did it and they’re nowhere to be seen. Wait for it. I’m going to hit them in the eye with the trophy!”
“Whoa!” M replied, impressed.
“Always with the put-down!” Tee laughed, nudging him in the shoulder.
“You’re working yourself up,” M stated. “We’re already exhausted today. And tomorrow is the final match. Shall we all head home? Why care if they’re not here? They’re going to find out that we won today. Let’s all head out, okay? And you,” M pointed his drink at Kong. “stop searching. None of them came, all right?”
“Yeah,” Kong nodded.
“Still searching?” he laughed.
“Fine.”
“Let’s head home!”
M and Tee helped Waad to the locker room and the rest of us followed. As I got changed, I remembered the fact that my phone was missing and I started to panic a bit. Where the hell was it? When did I use it last? I searched through my bag, wondering if it was hiding within a text book or something, but there was no sign of it. I got changed quickly, throwing my bag over my shoulder and stepping out of the room where the guys were waiting.
“Let’s go,” M said when he noticed me exiting the room but I shook my head, making me pause.
“I have to find my phone,” I frowned, readjusting my bag. “Go without me.”
“Are you sure?” he frowned. “We can help you look.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll text you as soon as I find it.” I waved at them before walking away, attempting to retrace my steps. I ended up on the basketball court outside, looking around the bench where my stuff had been placed. I searched underneath it, in the grass, under the tree, but it was nowhere to be found.
Next, I headed to the lost and found which was in the main office of the school, next to the principal’s office. A desk sat directly in front of the door with an older woman sitting behind it, knitting what I assumed was a blanket.
She smiled at me, setting aside the project. “How can I help you?”
I greeted her properly, offering her a smile. “Has anyone turned in a c-cellphone?”
“Hm, let me see,” she pulled out a binder, flipping it open. “When was it lost?”
“Um,” I thought it over for a minute. “Sometime in the l-last twenty-four hours.”
She nodded, flipping toward the last of the book and running her finger down the page. “I’m sorry, dear, but it doesn’t seem as if it’s here.”
“Oh,” I frowned, feeling my shoulders slump in defeat.
“Do you have a number you can leave? A friend’s, perhaps, in case it shows up?”
Hm, I’m sure M wouldn’t mind if I offered up his number. I doubt it’s going to turn up anyway. I told her the number, which she jotted down onto a sticky note with my name. I thanked her before leaving the room, wondering if I should meet up with my friends or just go get some rest. I knew they went out to get some food, but they didn’t mention where they were going and since I can’t call them…
Where the hell is my phone? Did I really just lose it? I’m almost positive that I left it at the basketball court on the bench last night in my haste to get away from Knot, but then… why isn’t it there? Did someone take it? But why would they? Well, it was a free phone, so I guess that made sense. The thing that scared me the most was that I hadn’t memorized BB’s number. Or anyone else’s for that matter – aside from M’s and my dad’s. Their numbers were fairly simple, easy for even me to remember.
I tried to remember if I had any personal information stored in the phone but I couldn’t remember. Ugh, why did I have to remove the pattern lock? I kept forgetting the pattern and then I’d get frustrated, plus it was super annoying to have to put in the pattern every time the screen turned off, especially since my phone didn’t offer the ability to turn off the timer on the screen. I never thought I’d lose my phone because I always held it like it was my child, keeping it close.
This is all Knot’s fault, ugh!
“Yo!” a hand landed on my shoulder and I cried out, jumping nearly out of my skin in surprise, whipping around to face Bright who held his hands up in surrender, an amused smirk on his face.
Why does everyone have to do that? Why am I so jumpy? Christ, this school is gonna be my death. “H-Hello…”
Bright put his hands into his pockets, nodding toward the shoes on my feet. “How are they working for ya?”
“A-Ah, really well, t-thank you.”
He nodded, rocking on the balls of his feet. “I heard you won your first two games.”
“We d-did,” I confirmed, clutching the strap of my bag. “And we’re g-going to win our f-final game, too!”
“Oh?” he grinned, closing the distance between us. “You’ve gotten pretty cocky.”
“I-It’s entirely Kong’s f-fault,” I muttered. And it was true, too! I was never quite so bold until I met him. He’s a bad influence.
“I can see that. Now, I have a question for you,” he held up his index finger, looking at me seriously. “It’s very important, so make sure you answer honestly, understand?”
That totally didn’t make me feel nervous at all. I hesitantly nodded. “O-Okay…”
He tilted his head to the side, leaning his face closer to my own. I had never seen Bright so serious before, it was almost as terrifying as Prem when he’s angry. “Tell me, 0018, Aspen… why the hell are you pacing around the campus like a chicken looking for its head?”
“Eh?” I blinked dumbly at him and he started laughing, clutching his stomach.
“The look on your face!” he cried, slapping his knee. Feeling embarrassed and a bit annoyed, I turned on my heel and started to walk away, but he called out to me, running after me and throwing his arm around my shoulder as if we had been friends for years. “Don’t be like that, I was just kidding~ You didn’t answer me, though. You have no classes today, so you shouldn’t even be inside the school building.”
I scratched my cheek, mumbling the answer under my breath as I tried not to focus on the fact that he was touching me and was very close. It wasn’t the same feeling of bliss that I felt when I was near Knot, though, this feeling was more… uncomfortable.
“What? Speak up.”
“I l-lost my phone!” I repeated with a scowl, feeling foolish when I said it out loud to him. The hazers probably already saw me as a joke and I’m sure this would be another thing for them to laugh at. Or maybe I’m not important enough for them to even make fun of.
“Where did you have it last?” he questioned, tilting his head to the side. “You remember?”
“Um… I t-think I had it… yesterday a-afternoon… on the basketball c-court.”
“Strange. It couldn’t have just disappeared,” he mused, putting his other hand on his chin. “You checked the lost and found?”
“Yes.”
“And the court?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe someone took it,” he removed his arm, swinging around to stand in front of me. “You know anyone who has a grudge against you?”
You mean besides Prem, my step-mom, and my step-siblings? “No – wait a minute,” I snapped my fingers, looking at him with wide eyes. “T-The foreigner! T-That has to be it!” I started to pace back and forth, my hand on my chin as I muttered to myself. “Why didn’t I think of that earlier? He could have taken it to try to get Mai and Ray’s numbers, he was adamant about meeting them. But when he saw that I didn’t have them, maybe he got upset and broke it. Ah, but what if I’m wrong and he’s just weird?”
“Like you?” Bright quipped, making my cheeks redden when I realized I had been talking to myself. “The only foreigner in the Faculty of Engineering is you.”
“A-Ah, no,” I stopped pacing, facing him. “H-He’s not in our f-faculty. He… he said the… the Arts F-Faculty.”
“What’s his name?”
“Oh…” I deflated at the question. “H-He never… told me…”
Bright hummed thoughtfully, rocking on the balls of his feet. “I’ll see what I can find out. Later.”
I blinked at him dumbly as he started to walk away before shaking my head and taking a step forward. “W-Wait…”
“Hm?” he paused, turning his body halfway so he could look at me. “What is it?”
I shifted my weight, chewing on my lip. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to ask him this or if I wanted to know his answer, but my curiosity was too strong. “Why… a-are you helping m-me?”
“Huh?” he pulled a face, looking at me as if I were the dumbest creature on earth. “I’m your senior, dummy, it’s my job. Besides…” he paused, acting as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue.
“Besides?” I pressed, curiously.
His eyes met mine and he grinned. “I told someone I’d check on you and be nice to you.”
My mouth hung open as he walked away without another word or without further explaining what he meant. Who could have possibly asked him, of all people, to be nice to me? And more importantly, why? What did he mean he was going to see what he could find out? Was he going to accuse him? Ask him? What if I’m completely off base and it causes problems?
I felt even more confused than I had earlier and I knew I was beginning to spiral down into the abyss of ‘what-if’s which is pretty common for me, really. Shaking my head, I decided to just head back to my dorm and try to relax.
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The team was gathered around outside the locker room, settled down on cushioned couches set against the wall. The tension was thick as we waited on our coach to appear and it only seemed to get thicker as the seconds ticked by. It was completely ridiculous, but I felt as if we were about to be walked to the gallows – that’s how nervous I felt. The gym was bound to be packed and… what if the juniors were there too? Oh, god.
I put my hand on my stomach, trying to swallow the lump that had formed on in my throat. I could feel the anxiety beginning to rise within me but I couldn’t let it win, not today. Even if I just held it off for a bit, I’d be happy to suffer it later as long as I could get through this game and do whatever was within my power to help them win.
I heard a sharp intake of breath and I glanced to my left, seeing Waad reaching down to his ankle. I frowned, wanting to ask him if he was okay, but I still felt too guilty to talk to him. He may have waved me off, but I knew it was my fault that he got hurt. It had been my job to keep number five away from them when they tried to score and I got distracted. Granted, it was only for half a second, but it was enough.
Kong kneeled down beside him and asked, “How is your foot?”
“Still a little sore,” he replied.
“Waad,” the coach called out as he approached, pointing at his foot, “you’ll stay on the bench for now. Let’s see what the other team has got.”
Kong sent me a worried look, which I returned with a smidge of fright. Which one of us was going to be put into the game in Waad’s place? We all stood up, following the coach toward the gym. It felt as if time slowed down as we followed the winding hallway, our footsteps seeming to echo louder with every step we took. I was the last in line, behind Kong, but I could hear the crowd cheering as clear as day and I swallowed hard, feeling my heart pounding against my ribs.
Both teams were allowed to warm up on the court, working in some last minute practice for our passes and throws. My body felt stiff, though, as if my actions were delayed by a second or so.
“Damn! I’m nervous,” M commented, looking from me to Kong.
I nodded frantically, shaking my hands as if I were trying to dry them. “Me too! I feel like I’m gonna have heart failure.”
“That team has a university-level player,” he added. “Are we going to make it?”
I wanted to scream as I fell against Kong, holding onto his jersey for dear life. “We’re gonna di~e!”
“Calm down,” Kong looked between us and I swear, he seemed nervous too which only made me even more nervous because he’s usually so level-headed and calm. “As long as we do our best and trust in each other, we will win.”
“All players, get ready!”
I started to tuck my jersey into my shorts, wrinkling my nose in discomfort. I’ve never liked tucking my shirts in, it felt too restricting. I preferred my clothes loose and comfortable. The boys did the same as they got prepared to start the match.
“What are you looking for?” M questioned Kong curiously. “It’s almost game time. Stay focused.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? You’re still looking around.”
I figured he was looking for the juniors again, but I was thankful not to see them here. I was already stressed out and I most certainly didn’t need to run the risk of looking like a fool in front of them.
“Ah,” M spoke up in disbelief and I glanced at him. He was looking at the audience in surprise. “The juniors? Why are they here?”
Kong looked ecstatic to see them, but I just wanted to roll into a ball and cry until I died. “Fuck…”
“Are you okay?” M’s brow furrowed and he leaned down a bit to look at my face. “You look pale.”
“She’s always been pale,” Waad commented.
“More pale than usual,” he corrected himself.
Kong put his hands on my shoulders and I looked up into his eyes, which were much more alive and bright than they had been a few minutes earlier. “Trust in yourself, Aspen. And if you can’t trust in yourself, then trust in us. We can and will do this.”
“Oi, Aspie!”
My brow furrowed and I looked over my shoulder to find Oak standing against the railing of the bleachers, waving his hand into the air with a grin on his face. I scowled at him, “The fuck you just call me?”
His grin widened and he cupped his mouth to be heard over the crowd. “If you win this game, I’ll buy you three manga of your choice!” And he held up three fingers – his middle, ring and pinky fingers.
“Any?” I questioned suspiciously. “No matter the price?”
“Bet,” he made the ok sign with his hand. “But you have to play for at least five minutes and win!”
I turned my gaze to the floor, holding my chin in my hand. Any three manga that I wanted regardless of the price and I only had to play for five minutes total… that’s not a bad deal at all. Ever since my allowance had been stopped completely, I hadn’t been able to buy any new manga and I only had one left that I haven’t read yet, which I was saving for a special occasion.
“All right,” I turned toward the coach, throwing my hand into the air. “Coach, please let me play first!”
“Ah, she fell for it…” M deadpanned.
“That was too easy,” Tee laughed.
The coach glanced at Kong before nodding. “All right, we’ll put you in the starting line up.”
“So many choices… what do I choose?” I muttered thoughtfully, running through the different choices within my mind.
Waad came up to me, resting his arm on my shoulder and poking my cheek. “We have to win first. Stay focused.”
“Right, let’s do this!”
“I think she’s lost her mind,” M muttered.
“She’ll be okay,” Kong chuckled. “It’s good to be pumped up.”
The referee had the two teams line up to face each other and shake hands for a good game in order to promote good sportsmanship, but the guy across from me didn’t seem too happy. He took my hand, gripping it so tight that I winced in pain.
He leaned forward and grinned smugly. “You shouldn’t be out here playing with the big boys, girl, you might get hurt.”
“Is that a threat?” Waad questioned from my right, glaring at the guy.
“A threat?” the guy, number ten, said in surprise, putting his hand over his heart. “Of course not!”
I was worried about Waad getting into another fight, so I started to push him away from the lineup, back toward the coach. We were far enough away where he didn’t hear the guy’s next words, but I heard them loud and clear, as if he had just whispered them into my ear.
“It’s a promise.“
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🐇 Easter Flowers (Liliadent Krauser)
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Genre: Fluff, Comedy
Word Count: 1,117 
Pairing: Reader x Liliadent 
World: Prince of Tennis
Table of Contents
━━━━━━༻🐇༺━━━━━━
You were freaking out, honestly.
Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but you were feeling pretty nervous. Why? Because Atobe Keigo decided to host an Easter festival and was handing out jobs left and right, even to students that didn’t even attend Hyotei Gakuen. Fate was totally on your side – not – because Atobe had decided that you would be the perfect person to purchase the flower arrangements for the festival. The problem? You knew absolutely nothing about flowers. How could he trust you with such a task? You felt as if the weight of the world was on your shoulders.
You bent down in front of the rows of flowers, holding your head in your hands. What in the world were you going to do? You had no idea.
“Are you okay?” The Japanese was timid and unsure with a strong accent lacing the words.
You threw your head back to look at the boy standing behind you. You blinked your eyes quickly to see if you were staring at a hallucination. This boy was clearly not of Japanese descent, but damn was he gorgeous! Silky blonde locks reached to his broad shoulders, bangs falling over crystal blue eyes. You felt your cheeks start to burn due to a mixture of his good looks and the fact that you were now staring at him.
“Excuse me?”
You snapped out of your daze, shooting up so quick that you bumped into the table. Fear overcame you as the vases began to wobble back and forth, but thankfully none of them fell. You sent the shopkeeper a sheepish smile to which she responded with a glare. You sighed, turning back to the boy and answering in English. “I’m fine, thank you for asking.”
His eyes widened in surprise, his confidence rising as he switched to his native tongue. “You speak English?”
You nodded, giving him a peace sign. “I’m half and half!”
He smiled at you, thankful to have someone to speak to in English. “Do you need help with something? You seem kind of distressed.”
“Ah…” You suddenly remembered your problem and started to sway where you stood, your skin turning pale as you muttered under your breath in Japanese. “Atobe is going to kill me if I mess this up.”
He tilted his head to the side, taking a moment to register the Japanese. One word stuck out more than the rest. “Atobe? You know him?”
You nodded once, feeling as if your soul was being drained from your body. “He sent me to get flowers for his festival but he didn’t tell me which ones to get and Yukimura-chan is away visiting family so he couldn’t help me and what the hell am I supposed to do?”
He covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.
You scowled at him, lightly smacking his arm. “It’s not funny! I’ll never hear the end of this if I mess it up!”
Placing a comforting hand on your shoulder, he smiled softly. “I can help you out… if you want, I mean.”
“You know about flowers?”
He nodded. “I enjoy flower arranging in my spare time.” His lithe fingers reached out and brushed the petals of the Orchids behind you. “Do you have anything specific in mind?”
You hummed, placing your index finger to your bottom lip as you looked up at the ceiling in thought. “Something that says ‘Spring’, I suppose. Do Easter flowers exist?”
“They do,” He placed his hand on the small of your back, directing you to the other end of the shop. The two of you spent the next three hours going through your choices. You knew that they not only had to match the season, but they also had to complement each other, as well. The flowers you finally decided on were Cosmos, Camellias, Daffodils, Tulips and, for the center of the arrangement, you chose Easter Lilies.
The shopkeeper created a single arrangement with the flowers you had chosen so you could see what the final result would look like.
Your eyes shined as you clasped your hands together under your chin. “It’s so beautiful!” You looked over at your companion with hopeful eyes. “What do you think?”
He nodded, smiling brightly at you. “It looks lovely. I’m sure Atobe will be pleased.”
Your eyes brightened at his words and you quickly threw your arms around his middle. “Thank you so much for your help!”
His pale cheeks dusted pink as he returned the hug. “You’re welcome.”
When you pulled back, you realized something. “I never asked for your name, how rude.”
“Liliadent Krauser of Nagoya Seitoku.”
“It’s nice to meet you!” You shook his hand with a grin. “Can I have your number, Liliadent-kun?”
“Please, Krauser is fine.” He rubbed his warm cheek before pulling out his cellphone.
You took it and quickly entered your number, writing your name in English for him. “Krauser-kun, then~ Call me sometime, okay? Maybe we can hang out at the festival!” You called your number from his phone so you’d have his number before handing it back to him.
“That sounds fun.”
You happened to glance at the clock hanging on the wall and cursed. “Ah! I have to go, my brother is going to kill me for being late!”
Before he could respond, you ran out of the shop, feeling much happier than when you entered. Not only had you picked out an amazing arrangement for the festival, but you also met a super cute boy to attend the festival with. You giggled to yourself as you thought about it, narrowly missing the pole that almost made contact with your face.
When you finally made it home, you received a stern lecture from your older brother for returning home so late without so much as a call or text. Despite being scolded, you couldn’t stop smiling, which only seemed to frustrate the male even more. He sighed in frustration before sending you to your room so he could prepare for dinner.
After eating dinner and preparing for bed, your phone buzzed on the side table. You had received a new message, written in perfect English.
>> I’m happy I met you. Are you free tomorrow?
You bit your lip and did your best to stop the smile from spreading, but your happiness was far too high and your lips curled up as you typed your reply:
<< I am~ What do you have in mind?
The reply came quickly.
>> I want to take you out for lunch. I’ll call you tomorrow : )
Your heart fluttered. After typing your agreement, you fell asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow with a smile glued to your face.
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Gambler’s Illusion (Giotto) ❃ Y.A.B.
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Table of Contents
Genre: Slice of life, fluff
Word Count: 1,360
Pairing: Reader x Giotto
World: Katekyo Hitman Reborn
Prompt: 10 Colorful Eyes #7 – Orange Eyes
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“Are you sure about this?” Naomi gave you a worried look as the two of you stepped inside the casino. It was packed with people who were yelling either out of joy or anguish, the sound mixing with the high-pitched chimes of the machines.
You didn’t spare your best friend a glance as you scanned the room, a grin on your lips. “You worry too much, Nao! What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Well, for starters -“
But you had already taken off, weaving your way through throngs of people. She groaned, hurrying to catch up to you. She couldn’t help but wonder how it had come to this but the answer was fairly simple: Daemon Spade. The mist guardian knew how gullible you were and never missed the opportunity to take advantage of that. And this time? You just happened to mention that you had never been gambling before while watching a movie in which the main character won an insane amount of money on a slot machine.
━━━━━━༻one day earlier༺━━━━━━
“Hm, that looks easy enough.”
Daemon had been passing by the living room when he heard those words and he paused, a smirk making his way to his lips as he approached you. “What looks easy?”
You motioned toward the TV. “Gambling. He pulled the handle and won a fortune, it looks easy!”
“Oh, it is quite easy, fufufufu. Would you like to learn how?”
Your eyes sparkled as you looked at him, hugging the small pillow to your chest. “Yes, please!”
“There’s one particular machine where you’re guaranteed to win every single time, but it’s located on the other side of town.”
“Really?” You jumped up, invading his personal space but he held his ground. “Which one?!”
His smirk widened. ‘Like taking a candy from a baby.’
When you had passed this information on to your best friend, asking her to accompany you to the casino, she was sure that Spade was just messing with you again, but you were stubborn as a bull and refused to listen to her warnings. You were determined to find that damned machine and become a millionaire!
And there it was, a machine of pure gold sitting in the center of the casino.
Your eyes lit up as you walked in circles around it, taking in every detail. It was shining brightly, almost as if it had its own spotlight.
Naomi frowned. Why was no one at this machine? Every other machine in the casino was taken with a line of people impatiently waiting for their turn and yet… there wasn’t a single person at this one. In fact, everyone seemed to be actively avoiding it, refusing to even look in its general direction. As if she didn’t already have a bad feeling, it was growing in the pit of her stomach.
“Alright!” You grinned, plopping down on one of the four stools that surrounded the machine. You had cashed in your savings, just over one thousand dollars, and now had a paper bucket filled with shiny coins that only worked on the machines inside the casino.
Naomi came up beside you, folding her arms over her chest. “Y/N, I really don’t think this is a good idea… just think about it for a moment! If you lose all of your savings, you’ll jus have to rely even more on Giotto, right?”
That made you pause, your smile slowly falling. You could deal with a lot of things, but being a burden to your boyfriend? It was honestly the worst feeling in the world. “But don’t you see, Nao? This is why I have to! At this rate, I can never hope to repay the kindness he’s shown me so I have to take the chance!”
The truth of the matter was that you had been poor, living in an old rundown house that barely passed as livable. You couldn’t hold down a job because you were a bit slow on the uptake, something no one wanted to deal with. You had actually met Giotto while working part-time at a cafe but you had been promptly fired after you accidentally spilled his coffee on his lap. You had apologized profusely before begging your boss to give you one more chance, but he had already given you more chances than you deserved.
To this day, you’re still not sure if Giotto took pity on you or if he genuinely saw something within you, but he followed you from the cafe that day, offering you a job as his assistant. Only, he didn’t treat you like one. He rarely asked you to do anything for him and never scolded you when you fucked up, he would just smile softly and tell you it was alright. Not only that, but he even put you up in his family’s manor and bought you whatever you needed. He treated you kindly and was always patient with you. That’s why you fell in love with him, but you oftentimes felt as if you were taking advantage of that kindness.
‘But… if I really do hit the jackpot, I can finally pay him back!’ Determination filled you as you pulled a coin from the bucket, swallowing your nerves. ‘Daemon said that after twenty pulls, the jackpot is guaranteed! Let’s get this money!’ You grinned, sliding the coin into the tiny slot on the machine.
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Giotto sat at his desk, relaxing in his chair as he read over the document G had given him that morning. It had been a hectic day for him and he was only just getting around to reading it. Just as he lowered the pen to the page, the office doors burst open followed by you running into the room with tears in your eyes. This put him on high alert, but he remained calm so he could assess the situation.
You fell to your knees in front of him, your arms around his waist as you sobbed into his shirt.
“Mi amore, whatever is the matter?” he inquired softly, running his hand through your hair.
You sniffled, slowly explaining what had transpired over the past couple of days. “I went to the casino with my savings and I was so sure that I would win but the tokens just kept disappearing and I kept thinking ‘this will definitely be the one!’ but it was never the one, Giotto, I’m so sorry!”
“Breath, my love,” Giotto frowned as he processed this information. “What would possess you to go gambling?”
You felt embarrassed telling him the truth, but you knew he deserved to know so you told him everything. “I-I’m sorry! I just wanted to pay you back so bad and I was so sure I could win…”
He cupped your cheeks gently, using his thumb to wipe away your tears. “Mi amore, you don’t have to pay me back. I’m more than happy to provide for you and I expect nothing in return.”
“That’s the problem!” you frowned, hand resting over his own. “You’re too nice to me and you’re totally letting me take advantage of that!”
A smile slid onto his lips. “Y/N, you are the love of my life and I will always be here to take care of you. It’s my job as your future husband, after all.”
Your eyes widened, meeting those beautiful orange eyes you had grown to love. “You… want to marry me?”
“Of course, I do.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Promise me you won’t return to the casino.”
“I promise…”
“Good. Shall we dine out tonight? We can visit whatever restaurant you’d like.”
“Sure!” You grinned, pulling yourself to your feet. “I’ll go get ready!”
His eyes followed you from the room before he stood up. Giotto was a kind and patient man, but he did not enjoy Daemon using you as a plaything, something he had warned the male about on multiple occasions already. Yes, he was kind and patient, until someone fucked with his beloved Y/N.
He straightened his tie as he stepped out of his office, intent on finding his mist guardian and giving him a piece of his mind.
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🐇 Easter Bunnies (Masaharu Niou)
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Genre: Fluff, Romance, Comedy, Easter 
Word Count: 1,054 
Pairing: Reader x Niou 
World: Prince of Tennis
Table of Contents
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Your eyes sparkled as you stared at the bunny rabbits hopping around in their cages. It was a pet shot that specialized in small, furry animals – rabbits, hamsters, chinchillas, and other small critters. It was easily your biggest weakness. They’re just so cute and adorable, you want to bring them all into your arms and hug them.
Niou followed you quietly as you walked around the shop, looking for the ‘perfect’ rabbit – Atobe had made it quite clear that it needed to be the perfect one for the Easter festival, whatever that meant.
You glanced to the right and froze, meeting the eyes of a rather large rabbit with bright blue eyes. His fur was black and white, striped like a tiger’s fur. You had never seen such a beautiful creature in your life. You approached his cage, never losing eye contact. He seemed to… speak to you and you knew instantly that you had to have him.
Arms wrapped around your waist, Niou resting his chin on your shoulder as he looked at the rabbit curiously. “Never seen a rabbit like that before.”
“I know. Isn’t he gorgeous?!”
Niou smirked at your excitement. “You want this one, then?”
You nodded furiously, looking up at him with pleading eyes. Yukimura had entrusted both of you to find Atobe’s perfect rabbit for his festival, which meant that Niou had to agree, as well, before it could be bought.
“Hmm~ I dunno. I think we can find a better one.”
“Please, Niou!”
“Convince me.” His smirk grew, turning you around to face him.
You quickly caught on to the implication and smiled, grabbing his tie to pull him down to your level. Your lips crashed against one another, moving in perfect synch as if they had danced it a thousand times before. You pressed your body against his, tugging lightly on his bottom lip as you pulled away from the kiss.
“Pretty please, Niou-kun~?”
He pecked your lips, his smirk turning into a smile as he nodded. “Puri~”
“Yes!” You threw your fist into the air in victory as he approached the shopkeeper, informing the older man of your decision. Atobe had called ahead and authorized the payment to be billed to his card, so all you had to do was choose the items needed for the rabbit. “Hmm, a metal cage is probably best. If you eat the plastic, you’ll get sick.”
The rabbit, who you decided to name Tora due to its markings, cocked his head to the side at your words. You nearly squealed at how cute he looked.
Niou returned, grabbing your hand and threading his fingers with yours. “The shopkeeper said to let him know once we’ve picked everything out.”
“We should pick a cage first.” You dragged him to the other end of the shop where the cages were boxed and neatly stacked on shelves. “It needs to be metal.”
“What about this?” He pointed to the very first one his eyes found and you scowled.
“That’s way too small!”
He rubbed his chin in thought. “He’s gonna be staying with Atobe, right? So why not get him a castle?”
“I don’t think they make – ” your words died off when you followed his finger. Sure enough, a box nearly the same height as the room stood towering over the other boxes. A brilliant castle made of sterling silver decorated the box. According to the list of features, it even came with its own mote around the castle complete with a drawbridge. Your eye twitched as you stared at it. “That seems… a bit excessive…”
“Well, it is for Atobe and he is paying.”
“Yeah, but – ”
“Don’t you want little rabbit-chan to have the very best?” He grinned when you froze, knowing he had won. This was going to be great.
“You’re right! Our child needs the best we can provide!” You nodded with determination.
“Our child? When did that happen?” He raised a brow. “And we’re not technically the ones providing.”
You ignored him, already approaching the shopkeeper to let him know which cage you wanted. Niou sweatdropped as the man asked over and over if you were sure. It was hella expensive and he knew it wasn’t your money that was buying said expensive item. You scowled at him after he asked for the fifth time, slamming your hand on the counter.
“Atobe-san trusted us enough to come and pick out these items, did he not? Don’t question our decisions!”
The shopkeep quickly apologized and began adding up everything you wanted. Niou snickered at your attitude as you rushed back and forth, picking up rabbit food and toys and anything else that caught your eye. He leaned against you when you finished, waiting for the man to finish ringing up the items.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit too much?” He questioned, watching the pile of toys and treats steadily grow as they were rung up.
“Of course not! Like you said, the best for our baby.”
“It’s a rabbit…”
You scowled at him and he shrugged, pecking your cheek. You were so cute, he didn’t really mind you claiming the rabbit as your shared child. It’d be true one day, anyway.
Little did he know, Niou was the one forced to put the cage together. Never had he regretted his choices more than he did at that moment. He felt like walking away several times, Atobe could easily hire someone to do it, but every time he looked over at you, his will wavered. You had decided to help him, despite him telling you it wasn’t necessary, but you were just as floored and overwhelmed as he was.
You were frowning down at the instructions, your brow furrowed in concentration. You couldn’t make heads nor tails of the damn thing.
Niou chuckled, breaking your concentration. “You’re so cute when you’re frustrated,”
“Shut up.” You muttered, feeling your cheeks burn.
With new resolve, he pecked your cheek before returning to work. It took both of you nearly six hours to piece the cage together. All of the frustration was worth it in the end as you both viewed the masterpiece.
“I kinda wanna live there,” Niou commented.
“It’s bigger than my bedroom. And my living room… I’ve never been so jealous of a rabbit before…”
“Puri~”
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Brushing Hands (Fuji Shuusuke) 📓 The Dummies Guide to Relationships
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Table of Contents
Genre: Fluff, Friendship
Word Count: 319
Pairing: Reader x Fuji
World: Prince of Tennis
When she brushes your hand… grab hers.
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“Man, Shuu, how did you get so good at pool?” you scowled as you walked down the sidewalk, hands stuffed into your pockets. “You totally smoked me!”
Shuusuke chuckled, bringing his hand to his mouth. “I’ve been playing for a long time now. You were really good, though.”
“But not good enough, ne?” you nudged his shoulder with your own. “Well, next time I’m gonna beat you, just you wait.”
He smiled, cocking his head to the side. “I’ll be looking forward to that, Y/N-chan.”
You had a lot of fun spending the day with him, even if he did annihilate you at pool. These days, it was rare to be able to spend time with him because he was always busy with tennis or schoolwork, preparing for high school. You understood this, of course, so you took full advantage of these rare opportunities that you got with him.
You glanced over at him, watching the wind lightly ruffling his brown locks. A smile sat on his face for no reason at all, but it just made him more attractive, in your opinion. You bit your lip as your hand brushed against his own, so light that you wondered if he had even felt it. You wanted to hold his hand but you didn’t want to cross the line or make things awkward between you, so it was easy to resist the urge to just grab his hand. He did notice though, sending you a curious look. You turned your head away quickly, feeling your cheeks heating up.
To your surprise, he slid his hand into yours, lacing his fingers through your own before bringing your hand up so he could press a soft kiss to your skin. Despite the heat of your face, you couldn’t hold back the smile tugging at your lips which he returned, his cerulean eyes shining with warmth and love as they met yours.
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🐇 Easter Eggs (Ryou Shishido)
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Genre: Comedy, School, Fluff
Word Count: 1,646 
Pairing: Reader x Shishido 
World: The Prince of Tennis
Table of Contents
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When you woke up that morning, a bad feeling overcame you. Your instincts were rarely wrong and you knew that something annoying was bound to happen. True enough, Atobe himself was standing at the school entrance waiting for you. As soon as your eyes met, you darted in the opposite direction. He had tried to give chase but, thanks to his fangirls, he hadn’t been able to move. Who knew fangirls could actually be useful?
The rest of the day was spent avoiding Hyotei’s king at all costs. You knew that whatever he wanted, it wouldn’t end well for you. The looks of the regulars didn’t help ease your mind, either, since you shared almost every class with at least one of them. What annoyed you the most, though, was Oshitari’s smug smirk. You were determined not to get caught up in whatever disaster the tennis team was about to bring, but you forgot one important detail:
Atobe Keigo is the king, and the king always gets his way.
When the final bell rang, you already had your bag packed and tried to dart out of the room before Oshitari could stop you. Of course, the king had anticipated this and every single regular was already standing outside of your classroom. They were fast, but there was no way in hell they were that fast. Had they skipped class?
Oshitari chuckled from behind you, resting his hand on your shoulder. “I’m afraid Atobe would like to speak to you. There’s nowhere to run, YN.”
You sighed in defeat. “Well, it was worth a try, wasn’t it?”
His lips twitched up into a smirk as he turned his gaze to the brunette. “Shishido, grab their arm just to be safe.”
“Is that really necessary, Oshitari-kun?” you questioned, placing your hands on your hips. “I know there’s no getting out of it. I won’t try and run.”
“I would rather not take the risk.” He pushed up those fake glasses of his, mischief twinkling within his dark eyes. It was clear to you that he had an ulterior motive, but asking about it was useless.
Doing as he was told, Shishido lightly gripped your upper arm. The regulars formed a barrier around you and you felt the urge to facepalm. You were definitely going to give that monkey king a piece of your mind for this!
Shishido cleared his throat and leaned down a bit, his voice low as he addressed you. “Sorry about this…”
“It’s fine – ” your words died in your throat when you glanced over at him. He refused to look at you, keeping his chocolate brown eyes trained directly in front of him. His cheeks had turned a light hue of red. You blinked in confusion. “Shishido-san… are you blushing?”
“Of course not!” He snapped, quickly looking away from you. Gakuto started to crack up and Oshitari’s smirk grew. The others hadn’t heard the exchange and only looked between the four of you with confusion.
You expected to hear screaming fans when you got close to the tennis courts, but it was completely silent and there wasn’t a fan in sight. How had he managed to pull that off?
“Atobe’s butler is selling regulars merchandise near the entrance of the school,” Oshitari commented with a glance at you. “The fans flocked to it instantly.”
“They’re creepy!” Gakuto pouted, folding his arms over his chest. “That stupid plushy looks nothing like me!”
“You’re just mad that he made one of you and Yuushi hugging.” Shishido scoffed, enjoying the redhead’s cry of anger.
“Hmm, if I buy one, will you guys sign it?” You knew signed products sold for quite a pretty penny, especially at a school full of crazy rich kids.
“Of course.” “No way!” The pair chorused.
You tried to hide your laughter behind your hand but failed miserably. Although they could be annoying, the regulars could also be pretty amusing as they interacted with one another.
“Arn~ what’s so funny?” Atobe raised a brow when he saw your body shaking with laughter.
“Dirty pair,” you managed out before another round of giggles stopped you from talking. Yuushi and Atobe were the only ones that knew about the pairing name. The rest just looked at you, wondering what the hell you were going on about.
“Don’t worry, Y/N-hime.” Atobe ran his fingers through his purple locks. “If you comply with our demands, ore-sama will ensure that you get a plush for every regular and pairing.”
“Pairing?” Shishido wrinkled his nose. “The hell is that?”
“I don’t want anyone to have a plush of me!” Gakuto cried, grabbing onto his doubles partner. “Make him stop, Yuushi!”
Yuushi said nothing as he shook the redhead off before throwing his arm over your shoulder. “Come along, we don’t have all day.”
“What is it you want from me anyway?” You questioned, wiping away the last of your tears; you hadn’t laughed that hard in a while.
“Ore-sama is hosting an Easter festival,” Atobe announced, taking his usual seat underneath an umbrella. The rest of the regulars sat on the benches, minus Yuushi who kept his iron grip on your shoulders and Jirou who had been asleep in the stands the whole time. “There’s a lot of work to be done and not much time to do it, so ore-sama expects his friends to pull their weight as well.”
“But we’re not friends.” You told him. “And what weight are you pulling?”
His eye twitched, but he didn’t allow his smirk to leave his lips. “Don’t be so cold, hime. Of course, we are friends! And if you must know, ore-sama is organizing the entire festival!”
“In other words, you’re sitting there ordering people around.”
Twitch.
Muffled laughter.
“You can’t have an Easter festival without eggs. We will be having decorating contests, as well as easter egg hunts, so I’m sending you to collect the eggs.”
‘He ignored my comment’, you scowled. “Why me? Shouldn’t that be a job for one of your servants?”
“All of them are preoccupied with other matters.”
“Of course they are.”
“Ore-sama will be paying for them.” He produced his black and gold card from his wallet. “You’re simply the delivery person.”
“How flattering.” You sighed, grabbing the card from his hand. You just wanted to get this over with so you could go back to avoiding him. “How many?”
“Five thousand.”
You choked on air. Yuushi patted your back harder than necessary until you were breathing somewhat normal again. “F-Five thousand eggs?! Are you crazy?!”
He opened his mouth to respond but you quickly held your hand up to stop him.
“Don’t answer that, I know you’re crazy!”
“That’s rude, hime.”
“Do you even hear yourself? There’s no way I’m going to find a store willing to sell me five thousand eggs! The chances of finding one with that many on hand will be hard enough!”
Atobe felt his level of annoyance rise, but he refrained from cutting you off, letting you rant and rave until you were out of breath – which didn’t take long seeing as you had just regained the ability to breathe normally. When you started to huff, he finally spoke up. “Are you done?”
“…”
“Michael has called ahead and has the eggs being held for you. All you have to do is pay and pick them up. A car is waiting for you.”
Already feeling exhausted, you just turned around and headed for the exit.
“Shishido will be going with you.” Atobe’s voice made you pause.
“What?! Why me?!” Shishido protested, his cheeks dusting with pink. He met Yuushi’s eyes and knew that this had been the plan the whole time. It was no secret among the regulars that Shishido had a major crush on you. Of course, he never had any intention of acting upon it, so Atobe took it upon himself to force the two of you together.
“Is there a problem? Arn~” Atobe smirked at the brunette, daring him to question his authority.
With a scowl, Shishido stuffed his hands in his pockets and brushed past you. You sent Yuushi a look before following the brunette out the school gate.
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True to his word, a car was waiting to take you both to your destination. As it turned out, you had to visit eight different stores in order to get the whole amount he had requested – each store was located between Tokyo and Kanagawa prefecture. By the time you visited the last store, it was well past ten at night. The driver was willing to take you both home, but you declined, telling him to get the eggs back to Atobe, safe and sound.
“Thanks for giving me a hand.” You smiled up at him as you made your way home. Thankfully, you both lived in the same direction.
“It would’ve taken longer alone.” He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.
“True~ but I know you didn’t want to come along. I don’t blame you, though. Atobe is such a pain.” You sighed, brushing the hair away from your face. Who knew buying eggs could be so exhausting?
“I didn’t mind…” He muttered under his breath, feeling his cheeks start to burn.
You hummed, fighting back the smile that tried to take over your lips. Although Shishido was sure only a few of the regulars knew about his feelings, it had been pretty obvious to you from the start.
“Shishido-kun~” You slipped your hand into his with a smile. “I like you too.”
“W-What is this all of sudden?!” He scowled at you but didn’t try to remove his hand. Instead, his grip tightened as he looked away from you.
You chuckled, lightly swinging your hands back and forth between the two of you. He didn’t need to admit it out loud – his actions spoke a thousand times louder than his words could.
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♞ The Dragonstone (Bofur) #13 – Trust is Earned
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Table of Contents /  Previous Chapter
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And so we took off, running as fast as we could across the river and through the lands. The orcs were closing in but so, too, was Beorn, whose angry growls were shaking the very trees around us.
“This way! Quickly!” Gandalf ordered.
While the others began to run, Bombur seemed transfixed, unable to move. I was about to run back and grab him when Oin did just that, grabbing onto the dwarf’s long braided beard and tugging him forward.
“Bombur, come on!”
I held my speed until the two had passed me before increasing my speed once more. It was not much longer before the house came into view and I started to realize just how much I had missed the place I called home. It was not much and not very big, but it was warm and full of memories for me. A safe place where no harm had ever come to me.
“Run!!” Gandalf’s voice boomed from the front of the pack and, to my surprise, Bombur got a burst of speed like never before, his thick body easily surpassing the other dwarves. If not for the warmth breath of the bear at my back, I would think it quite comical.
I believed in my heart that Beorn, even if bear form, would not kill me. Harm me, perhaps, and that would leave him feeling a guilt that I did not wish to present to him. While he does not completely lose himself upon shifting to his animal form, he is overtaken by the instincts of said animal and he becomes fiercely protective over his lands. In that form, he is overly cautious and will attack first while worrying about the consequences and questions later. With the orc pack now roaming his lands, I know he must be on edge more than ever.
“Come on, get inside!”
The dwarves shot through the gate and they must have believed if they rammed the front door, it would open, but they believed wrong and Bombur bounced off of it, hitting the ground with a loud thump. They scrambled to open the door, fighting and arguing as they did so.
“Open the door!” Gandalf ordered.
With a curse, I put my hand atop the head of the closest dwarf, which happened to be Thorin, but he did not argue as I leaned over him, my fingers grasping at the rusted metal lock that kept the doors shut. They swung open and the dwarves flooded into the house, scrambling to close the door before the bear could reach us, but Beorn’s speed was unparalleled.
His nose reached through the gap and he roared loudly, trying to force himself further into the home.
“Push!”
I slammed my body against the wood, but he was far too strong for us to match with. Forgive me, Beorn. I reached up as quickly as I could but he snapped at my hand, nearly pulling my fingers between his teeth.
“What are you doing, lass?!” Bofur cried, struggling to keep Fili steady as the he attempted to push the door closed.
I ignored him, reaching forward again. I chose a different angle this time and he was unable to reach my fingers before they settled on his nose. It was his only weakness in such a form and, in my opinion, it was a dirty tactic, but it had to be done. I ran the tip of my index finger from the center of his nose down to the left before back again.
His strength lessoned as he wiggled his nose and flung his head, trying to get me to stop, but I did not relent and soon he pulled back, a mighty sneeze ripping from him. First one, then another, and one more. In that time, we managed to slam the door closed, securing the wooden bar and the metal lock so that he could not get inside.
“What is that?” Ori was breathing heavily, his eyes flickering between Gandalf and I.
“And how did you know to do that?” Dwalin’s eyes narrowed at me.
“That is our host,” Gandalf shot me a look, pausing a moment before continuing. “His name is Beorn… and he’s a skin-changer,” the wizard moved farther into the home and I headed for the fireplace. “Sometimes he’s a huge black bear. Sometimes he’s a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable but the man can be reasoned with. However… he is not over fond of dwarves.”
Now that his sneezing had subsided, the bear let out a growl which slowly began to lesson in volume. Ori, who still stood by the door, turned to us. “He’s leaving.”
“Come away from there,” scolded Dori, who grabbed the younger dwarf and tugged him away from the door. “It’s not natural. None of it. It’s obvious. He’s under some dark spell!”
I scoffed as the fire roared to life within the stone.
“Don’t be a fool,” Gandalf commented as he approached me. “He’s under no enchantment but his own. All right, now, get some sleep. All of you. You’ll be safe here tonight,” he paused beside me, lowering his voice as he did so. “I hope…”
I scoffed again, pulling open the cabinet to look for any left over tea he may have had, but I only found jar upon jar of honey. He had clearly been stocking up since I left. “This was a risky idea, Gandalf. You believe that he will simply accept these dwarves because I am here?”
“Beorn trusts you more than any other,” he commented softly. “If he knows that you have placed your faith in them, perhaps he will be more… welcoming.”
“Or more angry,” I mused, giving up my search for tea and settling on a jar of cream that sat upon the counter.
“We will see. You should get some rest, my dear.”
“No. I will keep watch.”
“If you insist,” Gandalf offered me a smile before heading to the opposite side of the house where the animals are kept, the floor covered in hay that would act as a nice, but itchy, bedding for the company.
I settled down across from the door, my back resting against one of the support beams. The longer I sat here, the more homesick I felt. Beorn had been the only constant in my life since the tragedy and, to my surprise, I find myself missing the predictability of a home life. I believe I am starting to understand Bilbo to some degree.
Night soon fell and it wasn’t long before the dwarves were passed out among the hay, their snores filling up the small house. The night outside was quiet, save for the chirping of crickets, no wargs or orcs filling the night with their horrid sounds. Even Beorn’s growls had also ceased.
“You’re not going to sleep?”
I glanced over, finding Bofur leaning up on one arm, a frown on his face. “I am not tired.”
He shifted and for a moment, I thought he was going to lay back down but he stood up, slowly making his way past his kin toward me.
“Ouch!”
“Oops, sorry, Gloin.”
Gloin clutched his hand to his chest, muttering under his breath as he turned his back to the dwarf. Bofur sent me a grin as he moved closer, settling down next to me. He glanced at his kin before lowering his voice.
“You know him, don’t you?”
I shifted, bringing my knee up to rest my arm over. “Yes. Beorn is the man that I mentioned before. He is the one who raised me after my village was raided.”
“Why didn’t you tell us? Or at least me.”
“I did not know Gandalf planned to come here. Not at first,” I glanced at him with a frown. “When it came down to it, it was our only option. I did not intent to tell that he is a skin-changer because it is not mine to tell. Nor Gandalf’s.”
He nodded in understanding, shifting closer so that his shoulder bumped my own. “What was it like? Growing up with a shifter?”
“It was no different from a normal home life, I suppose. He always stayed away when he changed and made sure I knew to keep the doors locked until he had become a man once more. Aside from the times he spent out at night, things were normal here. He is a good parent.”
“But he hates dwarves,” he frowned, leaning his head back against the wood.
“He is not fond of anyone, really. Being a skin-changer makes him a cautious man. Much like my people, others would use him for their own vain glories and battles or they would torture him to ensure that he could not be used against them. His people were tortured and slain. It is no wonder he is distrusting of the world. In that respect, I can understand.”
“Do you trust us?” he questioned softly, turning his soft brown eyes to meet mine.
“At first, no. My own experiences along with being raised by Beorn had taught me to trust no one, especially with my real identity. But… I find it hard to live with the same morals. While I have no great intent to get out and befriend the world, I also do not want to hide from it. I should not have to hide who I am because the world is a cruel place. No, I have decided to embrace my bloodline and not run from those who would threaten it.”
“Like Thorin.”
I nodded. “I may not always agree with your king and he may frustrate me to no end, but I respect him. Although Azog the Defiler wishes to put an end to his bloodline, he still continues to fight. He will not let his line end without a fight, at the very least. Nor will I.”
Bofur smiled, nudging me with his shoulder. “Good! I’m really glad you joined the company.”
“Yes… as am I,” I returned the smile. “To think that I have grown attached to a group of dwarves. I wonder what Beorn will say.”
“He can say whatever he pleases, as long as he lets us live,” he chuckled, holding his hand out to me.
I hummed, slipping mine into his. “I will not let him kill you.”
“I’m holding you to that, lass.”
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“Wake up.”
I felt something nudge my side and I grunted, slowly peeling my eyes open. It was Gandalf, nudging me with the end of his staff. I went to move, only to feel a weight upon my shoulder. Bofur’s head was resting there, his chest slowly rising and falling as he slept.
“What is it?” I questioned sleepily, looking up at the wizard. “Has something happened?”
“The sun is rising,” he announced. “Beorn will soon return.”
“Do you intend to leave before then?”
He hesitated. “I believe we should talk to him first.”
“That is wading through risky waters, my friend,” I mused before shaking Bofur’s shoulder.
He mumbled something under his breath, swatting at my hand before he shifted his weight, falling to the ground now that the pillar no longer supported his back. Despite the impact, he simply rolled over and fell back into a deep sleep.
Gandalf rolled his eyes. “Dwarves.”
I chuckled, pulling myself to my feet and stretching out my sore body. “They are interesting creatures, are they not?”
“Yes, quite,” he rolled his eyes again, tone filled with sarcasm before he started to wake up the rest of the company.
I stepped over to the window. “Gandalf?”
But the wizard did not reply, too busy trying to rouse the dwarves who could quite literally sleep through the end of the world without their sleep being disturbed.
“Gandalf,” I called again, louder this time.
He sighed with exasperation before nudging Bombur with his staff once more. The fat dwarf only giggled in his sleep, attempting to bite it. “What is it, Ronan?”
“Beorn is here already,” I told him, motioning toward the window. The wizard shuffled over, peering through the glass. The skin-changer was out in the yard, chopping firewood as the horses ran about, happy that their master had returned home. Even the ducks were sticking close to him.
“Help me wake them,” he ordered, rushing back over to the group. I did as he asked but in a different way than he. I took the bucket of water sitting in the kitchen, sticking my hand into it before flinging the water onto each dwarf��s face. They woke with a start, most of them muttering what I believed to be curses in their native tongue.
It wasn’t long before they noticed the large man outside and the loud thumping of the axe slicing through wood.
“I say we should leg it. Slip out the back way,” Nori suggested.
Dwalin clearly did not like this suggestion, grabbing ahold of the front of his shirt. “I’m not running from anyone. Beast or no.”
“He is no beast,” I scowled at him, feeling offended by his word choice. “And do you need to be reminded that you have not stopped running from the orcs?”
“Why you -”
“There is no point in arguing,” Gandalf snapped. “We cannot pass through the Wilderland without Beorn’s help. We’ll be hunted down before we ever get to the forest.”
It was then that Bilbo, the last to wake, stuck his head between Thorin and Kili, curious as to what was happening.
“Ah, Bilbo. There you are,” Gandalf’s voice had softened considerably. He moved closer to the door, sending me a look. “Now, this will require some delicate handling. We must tread very carefully. The last person to have startled him was torn to shreds. I will go first and, uh, Bilbo? You and Ronan come with me.”
Bilbo looked none to pleased with this, his gaze flickering between the dwarves as he reluctantly stepped forward. “I-Is this a good idea?”
“Yes,” he responded simply. “Now, the rest of you… you just wait here and don’t come out until I give the signal.”
Bofur, who was standing on a chair to get a better look out the window, nodded his head, sending me a worried look. “Right. Wait for the signal.”
“And no sudden moves or loud noises and don’t overcrowd him,” Gandalf continued. “Only come out in pairs,” he nodded, turning to step out the door only to pause and turn back around. “No, actually, Bombur… um, you count as two so you should come out alone.”
I snorted, quickly faking a cough to try and hide my amusement. I caught Fili’s eye who smirked at me, but I could see the worry lingering within his eyes. I offered him a reassuring smile, hoping to put his mind at ease, even if just a bit.
“Remember. Wait for the signal,” Gandalf swept his eyes over the dwarves before turning and stepping out into the morning sun, Bilbo and I close behind.
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🗓 Save Me (Ken “Draken” Ryuguji) #06 – Different
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“My bad habits lead to wide eyes, stare into space, and I know I lose control of the things that I say. I was lookin’ for a way out, now I can’t escape. Nothin’ happens after two, it’s true, it’s true. My bad habits lead to you.” Ed Sheeran feat. Bring Me The Horizon – Bad Habits
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I hid behind the giant concrete pillar, watching as the two stopped at the top of the steps. A large group of guys was gathered at the bottom of the stairs, all wearing white shirts and black pants. I knew it was a fuckin’ cult. Only cults wear the same shit!
They were gathered around two guys, one small and one huge and… jesus, what the fuck happened to his face? It’s swollen, changing his skin to a sickly purple, blood dripping from his mouth and various cuts across his face. His left eye was so swollen he couldn’t even open it and yet he was still standing, facing the bigger guy down. What the fuck…
“If you wanna win,” the smaller guy spoke, his voice strained with pain. Why did he sound so familiar? “You have no choice but to kill me.”
Oi, oi. Is this guy fuckin’ nuts?
The big guy slowly started to advance toward him, a metal bat in his hand. He’s really gonna do it… he’s gonna kill this guy and no one’s gonna do anything!
“Oi, Kiyomasa.” Draken’s voice rang out over the silent crowd, causing all heads to turn toward him. “You’re losing the audience.”
“Good afternoon, leader!” one of the men cried, quickly bowing with his hands on his knees.
“Good afternoon!” They chorused, all scrambling to make a path for the two as they started down the stairs, everyone bowing at the waist.
Just who the fuck are these two that they can command so much power? These guys look terrified, but the admiration and respect is clear as day.
As they reached the bottom of the steps, the big guy quickly hid the bat behind his back and bowed. Is he stupid? As if they’re not going to see it! Speaking of seeing… I used the fact that everyone’s attention is on so I could move closer.
Draken stopped in front of the big guy, staring him down before delivering a fast kick to his gut, causing the guy to bend nearly in half as he clutched his stomach. Holy shit, for such a big guy, he’s fast.
“That’s how low you should bow when greeting the leader,” Draken stated, his voice like ice. It sent a shiver down my spine. I’ve never heard him speak like that and it honestly scared the fuck out of me.
“Yes, sir,” coughed out the big guy.
Draken picked up the bat off the ground, resting it against the back of the guy’s neck and I swallowed hard, digging my nails into the wall. He… he’s not going to… to kill him, is he?
“There’s a place in the head that you can hit with a big strike, but I haven’t tested it with a weapon,” Draken explained, lifting the bat and bringing it back down to rest across his neck. “Want me to try it?” He brought the bat to his shoulder before swinging it just above his head, making the guy flinch and cry out. The sheer sound of the bat going through the air… it really would kill him!
“No, I’m so sorry!”
I looked away, feeling my stomach twisting into knots. Was I about to witness a murder? My eyes fell on the shorter guy and that feeling of familiarity returned. His face was fucked, but… I took a couple steps closer and my eyes widened. H-Hanagaki?! So he did come back… just to get killed?
Mikey’s gaze fell on Hanagaki and my blood ran cold. The second he started to approach the blonde, I darted forward before my mind could even process what I was doing. I shoved my way through the throng of men still bowing at the waist.
“Wait! Don’t hurt him!”
Draken intercepted me, putting his body between me and Mikey, his hand grabbing my shoulder firmly, the other one still holding onto the bat. I didn’t have to look into his eyes to know he was angry. “I told you to stay put! Why didn’t you listen to me?”
“Please, Mikey!” I cried, trying to get past Draken but his grip was firm. Mikey paused, probably because it was the first time I said his name. He glanced at me before continuing toward Hanagaki whose legs gave out from under him, sending him to the ground. I could honestly relate – my legs were shaking something fierce and I was already cursing myself for what I had done, but… I couldn’t just leave him be!
“What’s your name?” Mikey questioned.
“Hanagaki… Takemichi.”
“I see. Takemitchy, huh?” He squatted down in front of him and I tried to move forward, but Draken squeezed my shoulders.
He was angry, his eyes narrowed at me and his voice low. “You should have listened to me, Jae.”
I swallowed hard, my breath catching in my throat when he said my name. Was he going to kill me for disobeying him?
“Takemitchy,” Mikey repeated, a playful lilt to his voice. “From now on, you’re my pal, okay?”
“Huh?” Hanagaki and I chorused, looking at the leader with confusion.
Draken half turned toward them, keeping his hand firmly on my shoulder. “If Mikey says so, then that’s what it is. Right? Takemitchy.” He then stood up and turned around, his eyes scanning the crowd. “So, who’s the one running this gambling joint?”
Without hesitation, everyone pointed to the big guy still bent over. If I wasn’t so scared, I’d probably have laughed. Even Hanagaki was pointing at him repeatedly!
Mikey turned toward the big guy who panicked and pointed at the closest person. Did he really think that was going to work after everyone had indicated him?
“Oi!” The guy cried angrily, glaring at the guy he had pointed at, but the guy didn’t drop his hand nor did he make any move to save him. “Oi!”
Sticking his dorayaki in his mouth, Mikey did a cartwheel, kicking the guy twice in the face with such force that he fell to the ground, unconscious.
My body tensed up and I tried to take a step back. Draken moved his hand from my shoulder to my back, his arm stopping me from backing away, his fingers pressing into my skin through the t-shirt. These guys are seriously fucked… why didn’t I listen to my instincts, to begin with?!
“Fighting rings are stupid,” Mikey muttered.
“Don’t ruin Toman’s reputation!” Draken snapped at the crowd, his voice so loud that I flinched.
“We’re sorry!” The group chorused, bowing even lower.
All of a sudden, Mikey screamed like a little girl, startling the group and making me jump, trying to back away again. Damn it, if Draken doesn’t let go of me… I gotta get away from these guys!
“What’s the matter, leader?!” one of the guys cried and the group all rushed toward him, kneeling on the ground and looking up at him as if he were their king.
“Kenchin… I dropped my dorayaki.” Mikey pointed to the fallen cake on the ground, sounding like he was about to cry.
“You can still eat it!” one of the men cried. “The three-second rule!”
It’s totally been more than three seconds, idiot!
Draken leaned down to my ear, his voice low. “Don’t move.” And then he stepped forward to take Mikey’s jacket from one of the men, handing it over to Mikey. “Don’t call me that, okay?”
Without Draken restricting my movement, I turned on my heel and rushed over to Hanagaki, falling to my knees beside him, my hands hovering in the air. What the fuck do I even do? Surely this can only be helped through the hospital! “Jesus fuck…” I muttered, finally letting my hands fall to my lap, tears stinging at my eyes. I’ve never seen someone get beat up in real life! It’s… it’s fucking terrible. I feel so useless.
“Does it look bad?” he muttered, trying to smile but wincing when it hurt to do so.
“You look like a watermelon that was microwaved for five hours.”
“Huh, not as bad as I thought.”
“Are you stupid?!” I lifted my hand to hit him but held back, not wanting to further aggravate his injuries. I felt eyes on me and figured it was Draken and Mikey so I lowered my voice, leaning closer. “You left me, you asshole. You left me here and went back to the present.”
“Not on purpose,” he rubbed the back of his neck, looking at me apologetically. “When I grabbed Naoto’s hand, I don’t know… it triggered something and sent me back.”
“I tried that after you disappeared,” I frowned, hand clenching around my shorts. “Nothing happened.”
“What? Really?”
I nodded.
“Listen, back in the present, things have -“
“Jaybird, let’s go!” Mikey called, waiting a few feet away.
My shoulders tensed and I shared a concerned look with Hanagaki.
“How did you even -“
“I don’t know!”
“Jae.” Draken’s voice was annoyed as he started toward me.
“Just go. I’ll figure something out,” Hanagaki promised, pushing at my arm.
Reluctantly, I stood up, not fighting back when Draken’s fingers curled around my wrist, tugging me toward Mikey who had already begun climbing the stairs.
“Takemitchy, see you later!” Mikey waved at him with a grin.
I kept my head down, avoiding the curious gazes of the men as I followed Draken. He handed the bat over to one of them, which made me feel a bit more at ease but I was still nervous to be returning with them. I hesitated when they climbed onto their bikes, acting as if nothing had happened.
“Get on,” Draken ordered, his voice still annoyed. I don’t know why, but that scared me more than what he had threatened to do to that guy. I messed up big time, didn’t I?
Mikey hummed, leaning forward on the handlebars, his eyes glinting. “Or maybe you wanna ride with me this time, Jaybird?”
I looked over at Mikey and frowned. He’s the one that actually attacked that guy, knocked him out cold so easily, and yet… why do I feel less nervous at the prospect of riding with him than I do with Draken? I can’t stop picturing the look in his eye when I ran down. He was so pissed! Swallowing, I couldn’t bring myself to answer so I approached him instead, keeping my gaze on the ground, well aware of the eyes staring at my back.
Mikey grinned as I climbed onto the bike behind him, not giving me time to grab him before the bike was roaring to life and he took off. I squeaked in surprise, clinging to him for dear life as his laughter danced with the wind.
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I had done my best to avoid those two since that night, which was quite fucking hard considering we’re constantly together under the same roof. But the garage was large and had plenty of places to hide. I even managed to find my way up onto the roof, though it wasn’t exactly the most stable place to be so I tended to save that place for when I really didn’t want to be messed with. Draken keeps trying to talk to me, but I refuse to look at him, answering with gestures or as few words as possible.
Up until now, I knew the possibility was high that these guys, this world, was a dangerous one. One not made for people like me. I knew that deep down, but… seeing it for my own eyes is just… “Shocking,” I breathed out, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them as best as I could.
“What’s shocking?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin, scooting across the ground as I looked around with wide eyes. When I realized it was just Mitsuya, I relaxed a bit, putting my hand over my heart. Sure, he’s probably just as dangerous as those two, but it feels different because I hadn’t seen it for myself. As they say, seeing is believing.
Mitsuya’s expression was unreadable, but a frown tugged at his lips as he walked over to me. I had found an unused shed around the back of the garage that I liked to stay in because it was small and felt safe, despite the large holes in the metal walls. Everything was dusty as all hell, though.
He settled himself down beside me, his shoulder hitting mine as he crossed his legs beneath him. “So this is where you’re hiding today.”
“I-I’m not hiding, I’m just…”
He quirked a brow, waiting for me to finish my sentence, but I couldn’t think of the right word, prompting a chuckle from him. “Draken and Mikey are worried about you, ya know?”
I lowered my gaze at the mention of them, picking at a loose thread on my shorts. Were they really? I figured they’d be pissed and prefer me to stay away from them. I had disobeyed a direct order from Draken, after all. Surely that’s a punishable offense? He seems quite high in the pecking order… second in command, maybe?
“Was that your first time?” he asked softly, resting his cheek in his palm as he watched me. “Seeing a fight, I mean.”
“In real life, yeah…”
“It must have been shocking. They told me what happened and how badly he was beaten up. Takemitchy, was it?”
“Hanagaki Takemichi.”
He hummed. “Right. He’s a friend of yours? Draken said you seemed close and he didn’t seem too happy about that.” A laugh passed his lips at the last part and it made me feel a bit more at ease. It’s funny… Mitsuya used to be someone I didn’t want to be around because I didn’t want him to become more suspicious of me and now… now, he’s become somewhat of a rock for me. His presence was reassuring.
“Uhm… something like that.”
“Ooo, an ex-boyfriend?”
“What? No!”
He laughed again before silence fell over us.
I tugged the thread from my shorts, chewing on my lip. “Mitsuya?”
“Hm?”
“Is he… I mean… do you think he…” Ah, I can’t ask because I’m too afraid of the answer. Jesus, I’m so weak. I groaned, holding my head between my hands.
Mitsuya hummed again, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s see if we’re compatible.”
“Huh?”
He took one of my hands between mine, staring into my eyes. “You’re trying to ask if Draken is mad at you, ne?”
My eyes widened a tad in surprise but I nodded all the same.
“My mind-reading abilities say no. He’s worried that you’re scared of him, which is true.”
I leaned my head back against the wall, staring up at the dark ceiling. “Yeah… but that doesn’t mean much.”
“Why is that?”
“Everything scares me these days. Everything is so damn confusing and scary and I… I just don’t -” My words died as I noticed something.
“Oi, what’s wrong? You’ve gotten even more pale!”
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from it, scared that if I did, I would lose it. There, sitting in the crack between the wall and the roof, was the largest fucking spider I’ve ever seen in my life and I swear to Deadpool that bitch is looking right at us! I tried to push my body closer to the wall which shook the flimsy structure. This caused the spider to dart across the roof toward us and I screamed loudly, scrambling over a confused Mitsuya in my haste to get out of the structure.
“O-Oi, wait!”
I didn’t wait. I bolted from the structure as if Jason himself were on my ass which caused me to stumble over a piece of scrap on the ground but I managed to stay upright. Draken came running around the garage, his face filled with worry.
“Jae, what -“
I didn’t let him finish, throwing myself into his arms as if my very life depended on it. My fear of him had vanished, but my irrational fear of that spider overpowered everything else. I expected him to push me away or to just pat my back awkwardly, but he wrapped me in his strong arms, bringing me closer to his body. I could hear his heart beating quickly within his chest and it made me feel safe. I don’t understand… hearing other people’s heartbeats always made me feel anxious and hyperaware of my own. So then, why…?
Mitsuya came out of the shed, looking exhausted.
“Mitsuya,” Draken nearly growled. “What did you do?”
The shorter male held his hands up in surrender. “Wasn’t me.”
He scoffed before addressing me, his voice soft. “What happened?”
My face burned at the thought of telling him that I just used a horror movie scream because of a fucking insect. Wait, are they insects? No… yes? I don’t know but I don’t fucking care! The point is that they are satan incarnate!
I could hear Mitsuya’s grin in his voice. “Spi-der.”
I glared at him over my shoulder. “Spawns of satan!”
He snorted, holding his stomach as his shoulders shook with laughter.
Draken sighed heavily, his body relaxing beneath my grip. “I thought something was seriously wrong…”
“I-It was…” I muttered apologetically, burying my face in his chest out of sheer embarrassment.
“Yeah, didn’t you hear, Draken?” Mitsuya snickered. “It was a spawn of satan.”
I groaned, earning a chuckle from Draken, his hand resting on top of my head. I… had missed this. I missed being close to him, feeling his warmth. I had missed the smell of rosemary and mint that eased my nerves whenever he was nearby. I missed Draken, but… can I really overlook everything that happened? It seems like every time I close my eyes, I see Hanagaki’s ruined face. I know Draken didn’t do it, but it’s the world he lives in and I’m sure he’s done it to someone else at some point.
My fingers curled around his shirt, prompting his hand to gently rub up and down my back. “D-Draken…?”
He clicked his tongue, but his voice wasn’t annoyed. “I told you to call me Ken.”
“R-Right… Ken?”
“Yes?”
“I… I’m sorry…”
“For what?”
“Disobeying you.”
He made a sound somewhere between an exhale and a laugh. “You’re not in Toman, you don’t have to obey my orders.”
“But… Mikey said I was…”
Draken shifted his weight. “You are, but… you’re different.”
My brow furrowed in confusion but he continued before I could question him.
“I should be apologizing. I never wanted you to see anything like that.” His grip tightened the tiniest bit and I felt his heart rate pick up again. “I wasn’t mad at you, I was mad at myself for letting you get put in that situation.” His hands slid to my shoulders, forcing me back so he could look into my eyes, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry, Jae. I hope you know that I would never hurt you, so please don’t be afraid of me.”
The sincerity and worry in his eyes stole my breath away and my face heated up. I have never been in a situation like this. Draken is… confusing to me. I feel so many different things all at once when I’m near him, it’s like I’m being pulled in a million different directions. But there was one thing I was sure of.
He was telling the truth. Somewhere deep down, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me and I knew that… I wanted to be near him. No matter how terrifying his world may be. I don’t know if I’ll still feel that way a week from now, in a day, or even in an hour. But right now? I can swear by that shit.
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