#Kaa shows up. says some words. then shows up the end with a knowing grin like she did anything meaningful

[frog-whisperer]

Can’t sleep thinking about how irrationally angry Andy Serkis’s Jungle Book made me

#‘It was something different! it was darker and more faithful to the books!’ No it wasn’t!! #it was an edgy grim dark take on the Disney movie by someone that hadn’t read the books since they were 12!!! #literally half of the plot points are things directly lifed from the Disney canon and had no basis in the books at all #you knew that Baloo in the books was a stern old grumpy teacher. great cool. but you didn’t realise that for the Disney movies him #and Bagheera switch personalities. So you kept Bagheera with his stern and grumpy personality from the Disney movie resulting in #two of the exact same character #Shere Khan is entirely unintimidating and gets ragdolled around by every other character just to show how cool they are #he tries to slink off into the jungle after getting brutalised by 10 elephants but Mowgli catches him and stabs him in the literal back… #Kaa shows up. says some words. then shows up the end with a knowing grin like she did anything meaningful #Mowgli attaches an elephant’s tusk like it’s a god dam jigsaw puzzle #his new albino wolf brother who is there to show ‘it’s okay to be different’ gets his horrible cgi head mounted on a wall #it’s just… #I WANTED a faithful adaption of the books Andy! and as much as you say you did you did not give me that!!!!

[lillian-lang]

Zutarians, I need some help...

Happy Zutara week, y’all! I’m Lil.

I’ve been working on my fic for...awhile now, and I’m at the point where everything’s kind of turned into word salad. I’d like to finish this thing, soon, but I need editors - badly. So, if you’re one of those folks who can write. (And particularly if you can write Katara or Zuko’s voice really well.) Please, please take a look. Friendly feedback is welcome!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25653406/chapters/62276836

And here’s an excerpt from a Zutara moment below the cut:

Katara looks out from high up in the north wing of the palace—reserved especially for the royal family and their guests. She can see across acres of bleak concrete pavement leading up to the palace gates and, behind them, the jagged volcano walls of the capital city rising in the distance. It isn’t a particularly comforting sight.

Fifty-six bacui berry, fifty-seven bacui berry, …she counts to herself. Until, finally, she reaches one hundred bacui berry, and turns away from the gray window, back towards Azula’s wide canopy bed. The princess’s mouth hangs open and a trickle of drool spills out, but otherwise, she looks better than she had an hour ago. Katara removes the last acupuncture needle from her wrist and places it onto a gauze pad, which she rolls up and hands to Zuko.

“These need to be sterilized in a white-hot flame for twenty minutes before they can be used again,” she instructs.

Zuko puts a hand up to the bundle. A flame appears at the center of his palm. “Do you want me to just—?”

“Sorry Zuko, but you’re not hot enough,” she says, without thinking.

The corners of his mouth flicker upward into the kind of smirk she hasn’t seen since his ponytail days.  Spirits, he’s infuriating, she thinks—grateful that her skin is dark enough to hide a blush. She removes the rest of her supplies from Azula’s bedside and takes a seat by the window, trying to ignore the burning sensation of Zuko’s eyes lingering on the back of her neck. She forces herself to concentrate on the little vials and instruments in her hand, but it’s no good. Everything is in the wrong place. She’ll have to take it all out again and repack it later.

“Katara,” he says, coming up beside her at the window. “Did you ever read Love Amongst the Dragons?”

Katara shoots him a wry smile. “No,” she says. “Funnily enough, we didn’t have a lot of fire nation epics in our village library.”

“Azula made fun of me, but I always liked it.” He smiles a little to himself, then points, drawing Katara’s attention to a spot on the grim horizon. “Do you see that mountain, there? The one that curves?”

Katara shivers, drawing a little closer to Zuko. “The one that looks like a claw?” she asks.

He nods. “I know, it’s scary, isn’t it? If you believe the old story, it’s the claw of the great dragon, himself. It’s where the name of the district comes from — Kaa Garr. Great Dragon. And, right there where the mountain turns in on itself…” he moves his finger up the pane a little so Katara can see a black spot in the distance, “is the prison where I’m keeping my father.”

Katara lets out a little involuntary gasp and presses her fingers to her mouth. Zuko looks down at her, a wry glint in his eye. “If you thought my sister’s arrangements were bad,” he says, “you should see his.”

“I’m sorry,” is all she can think to say.

“Don’t be,” he shrugs. “You know my father isn’t exactly a nice guy. I didn’t get this scar on my face from a training accident, you know?”

“I know,” Katara says, reaching up to touch the edges of his burned skin with the practiced hands of a healer.

In truth, they had never really talked about how he’d gotten his scar, but Katara had heard rumors going all the way back to her time in the Fire Nation with Toph, Sokka, and Aang. Zuko allows her fingers to wander over his scar for a moment, tracing the lines and folds on the puckered skin. He gets lost for a minute in the phantom sensation—wondering if he’s only imagining the gentle pressure. It’s so tender and intimate that his breath catches in his chest for fear that a sharp exhale might disturb the delicate balance between them. But then Azula flops over in bed, bringing Zuko back to himself. He clears his throat, and Katara’s hand drops to her side.

“It just makes me wonder if I should be trying to help my father…you know…the way you’re helping Azula.”

Katara tries not to let her emotions show on her face. She does not believe for one second that Ozai is entitled to the same treatment as his daughter, but she also believes that, ultimately, the decision is Zuko’s to make.

“Do you think your father deserves a second chance?” She asks, trying to keep her voice even.

“No!” he shouts, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration. “That’s the problem, I don’t think he deserves it! But I can’t figure out why. I mean, he not that different from my sister, is he? But, every day, I felt guilty about Azula, and every day I’m grateful that my father is still locked up!”

Katara watches as Zuko paces back and forth across the antique carpet, winding himself up. “Then you came, and I feel better about Azula—I really do, Katara—but now I’m suddenly guilty about my father. I’m the fire lord, shouldn’t I at least be fair?”

“Zuko,” Katara says, holding out an arm to stop his pacing, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but when was the last time you had a bath? Or slept in a real bed?”

He blinks down at her, “Uh, it might have been a few days. Why?”

“I think,” she says, using her most soothing voice, “that all these big questions can wait for a day or two while you rest.”

He looks skeptical, but Katara insists: “Look at you, Zuko, you’re exhausted. I’m not saying that it won’t be difficult, but I promise it will all seem better in the m-morning.” As she says it, she stifles a yawn, and Katara suddenly realizes that she, too, is exhausted.

Noticing this, Zuko takes the medicine bag from her hand and, after checking all of Azula’s locks, leads her down the hall to her room. It’s hard to tell with Zuko, but he seems excited about something. The corners of his mouth keep twitching up, like he’s trying to hide a smile. The whole of the third-floor hallway smells like fresh paint, even though the hallways look the same as they’ve always been. It makes Katara’s head swim. When they arrive at what she assumes will be her bedroom here in the Fire Nation, Zuko throws open the door for her, and Katara gasps.

The room is in the style of the Fire Nation—a wooden chest for clothes, a low-slung writing table, and an imposing four poster bed, but the details are all Water Tribe. The walls are covered with bright blue paper depicting life in the poles. The furniture handles are all solid, gleaming mother of pearl. The bed is strewn with gigantic, fluffy pelts that could only have come from the south pole.

“What do you think?” Zuko asks, studying her face. “Is it too much? I had rooms made up for the Earth Kingdom and the Air Nation, too. I don’t want you to think I’m abusing your culture, but I do want my guests to feel welcome here. I know the Fire Nation royal palace isn’t anybody’s favorite place.” He winces, thinking about the terrible stain of his father’s legacy.

Katara considers Zuko kindly. He’s hovering just outside the room—neither in nor out. She realizes that she’s never felt more warmly towards the young fire lord.

“You’re a lot like your uncle, you know that?” she says, after a minute.

Katara watches as his guarded features break into a genuine smile. “Thanks,” he says, running his fingers along the edge of the doorframe. “You know I was hoping you or your brother would be the first ones to use this room.”

“You’re lucky it’s me! Sokka would be jumping on the bed, already.”

Zuko laughs, and Katara grins with pride. It’s not easy making Zuko laugh.

“I didn’t even ask!” He says, eagerly. “How is Sokka? And Aang?”

Now it’s Katara’s turn to look guarded. “Sokka’s fine,” she says, trying to keep her voice neutral. “He’s angry because he can’t go to Ba Sing Se without Appa…” Then, anticipating Zuko’s next question, Katara explains everything in a rush: “Aang left for Omashu. He got a letter from Bumi saying that the city was unstable, and he left me and Sokka behind.”

Zuko’s reaction is not what Katara expects. His eyebrow furrows, and he lets out a troubled groan, so sharp and low that Katara can almost feel the reverberations in his chest. “Katara…Bumi is dead. He died about a week ago. Didn’t Aang tell you?”

“Oh,” is all Katara can manage. She plops herself down at the end of the bed and looks up at Zuko, dazed. “No, Aang hasn’t written to me since he left for Omashu.” The admission earns her a sharp sideways glance, but she doesn’t notice. She’s too wrapped up in thoughts of the Earth King.

“What happened?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” he admits, lowering himself down beside her on the bed. “The Fire Nation has…informants…in Omashu, but I haven’t heard from them in a few days.” The way he hesitates before the word ‘informants’ makes Katara wonder if he is uncomfortable having spies in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko had always preferred fair-play and transparency, even at his own expense.

“But you have suspicions,” she presses him.

He nods. “To tell you the truth, I’m glad Sokka’s not in Ba Sing Se right now.”

“Why not?” Katara gasps, “It’s not unstable, too, is it?”

“No,” he says, resting his head against the bedpost and letting his eyelids droop. “At least none of my advisors seem to think it is. I’m the one who has an issue. And it’s only a feeling, Katara…”

“Because of Kai Kozu?” she asks.

Zuko’s snaps to attention so quickly that he sprains his neck. “Where did you hear that name?” he growls.

“Bumi wrote about him in his letter to Aang,” Katara explains.

“Ah, that makes sense,” Zuko says, rubbing the sprain. “Kai Kozu used to keep a pretty low profile. Barely anyone outside the Earth Kingdom had ever heard of him… But lately he’s been moving more and more into the public eye. I don’t like it. He’s already got power in Kyoshi and Chin. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had plans for Omashu and Ba Sing Se, too.”

“Oh no! Zuko!” Katara’s hand flies to the reassuring carvings on her mother’s necklace, and she traces them apprehensively. “What about Toph and Suki? What about your uncle? Isn’t he still in the city?”

“I did write to them,” Zuko shrugs. “I asked them to stay here in the palace, but Toph and Suki are out in the country somewhere. I can’t reach them.”

“And your uncle?”

“Uncle doesn’t want to leave his tea shop. And besides…” Zuko blushes brick red, “I think he might have a lady friend in the city. He’s acting like a love-sick teenager.”

Katara watches as Zuko drags his fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends. “You’re really worried about this, aren’t you?” she asks.

“I am,” he admits.

Katara leans back into the mountain of fluffy pillows and soft white furs, and closes her eyes—too tired to care that Zuko is still watching her. She says a silent prayer for Toph, Suki, and Iroh in Ba Sing Se, and thanks every spirit she can name for her father’s stubbornness. At least she knows Sokka is safe in the Southern Water Tribe—far, far away from the Earth Kingdom capital…

As she drifts off into sleep, she reaches out to feel Zuko’s warm body beside her—his chest rising and falling evenly. She draws a little closer, and he opens his arms wide to make room for her. She pillows her head in the crook of his arm and breathes in a scent like something out of a dream. In fact, she thinks it must have been a dream, because when she wakes up in the night he is gone, and the spot where she imagined he had lain is awash with moonlight.

#zutara #zutara week #wip #y'all please help

[readerinsertfanfiction]

The Bae’st of All

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Character: Kyubae the bae’st bae of all aka Kyubei

Prompt: Seeing how Kyubei is named after an alias that the real Mitsuhide Akechi used (Juubei) the chances of fans getting a Kyubei route from Cybird are slim. However, it is simply impossible not to fall for this man. He is too good. So here have my attempt at writing a route.

(Let me know what your points are looking like so far! Drop me a DM or an ask, or anything. Commenting down below, reblogging or the tags is also fine!)

A/N: Holy moly, I meant to release this so much earlier! 

The key of the previous chapter was (Romantic/Dramatic):

+4/+4

+4/+2

+2/+4

Chapters:

1.1| 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.2

Avatar Challenge 1| 3.1 Gacha POV | 1st Letter

Kyubei’s voice is soothing as he caresses Kage, sneaking in a little snack to the crow who graciously accepts the offer, its beak nipping away at his fingers.

“Kage likes to sit here when he thinks himself alone.”

The tone in which Kyubei speaks is mocking as the bird pecks at his master, seemingly understanding his words despite the lack of his own.

I find myself thinking that the two of them are adorable together as I come closer, hoping to play with Kage as well.

“Kaa!”

Kage squeals at me before flapping his wings again, defensive as he is as I retreat in a start.

“Kage, be nice. [Name] here is a precious guest.”

For some reason hearing Kyubei describe me as such makes me feel desolate, but I quickly forget about it as Kage eyes me again, a wary eye heading into my direction before finally lowering his head.

Reaching out I finally touch his feathers, surprised at how soft and smooth they are as I trail my fingers over the bird.

“Why a crow?”

“How did you meet?”

“He is cute.”

“I found Kage wounded in the Akechi garden. I suppose the children of the castle town threw rocks at it. After some treatment he never left, sticking close by always.”

Kyubei’s tale is exactly what I expect from him. He could never leave someone, or something, alone when in need of help.

“He knows he is well taken care of if he stays.”

I find myself joking at Kyubei whose expression changes into one of surprise and then a soft smile, a short puff of air escaping from his nose.

“Perhaps, I always thought we were alike.”

The words are solemn. As Kyubei reaches out for the crow one last time before lifting his arm up, allowing for Kage to ascend and perch on top of the roof again.

(That is a grim comparison to make, I wonder what he means with those words.)

“I met Lord Masamune outside. He seemed impressed.”

Before I could ask what he had meant Kyubei had changed the topic again as I thought back on the short training session I had.

“He would have swung at me with the sharp end of the sword even if I had been empty-handed, and so would I. Practice or not.”

Thinking back on what Masamune had said to me I felt my body stiffen, eyes trained upon Kyubei in front of me. The Kyubei who had been nothing but warm and kind to me.  

I know this is an era of constant wars and that one shouldn’t hesitate when fighting, but would Kyubei really slay someone without a weapon? Even an ally in practice?

Sensing my reluctance Kyubei tilts his head at me, his long dark hair falling to one side as some strands of his bangs cover half of his face.

“Lord Masamune said something, didn’t he? He said I have been soft on you and more.”

Guessing right I know I can’t deny it anymore as Kyubei looks at me encouragingly, his calm expression the picture of serenity.

“He did. He said you wouldn’t hesitate to strike him, even without a weapon.”

To this Kyubei only chuckles, though I sense a twinge of coldness in his expression, lamenting and bitter as his eyes are distant. However, it is gone soon enough as he turns back to me, smiling again as he pats my head.

“Lord Masamune isn’t wrong.”

And that is all Kyubei says as his fingers comb through my hair. Soft strokes with the brush of hard calluses swiping past my forehead.

(His fingers are so gentle but he has the hands of a warrior.)

“Come, let me treat you for taking a win out of Lord Masamune.”

Once more Kyubei casually changes the topic with ease as he leads me out of the garden, leaving Kage perched on top of the roof.

“Choose whatever you like, but I especially recommend their caramelised chestnuts, this place is famous for them.”

Kyubei’s recommendation sounds delightful as I seat myself, eyes going over the items they have as I nod eagerly.

“I will try the chestnuts then!”

Trusting Kyubei’s word I beamed a smile at him as Kyubei turned around to the server, pushing a few coins into the hands of the other.

“One set of tea and the caramelized chestnuts, please.”

Confused, I turn to Kyubei, raising a brow at him as I wait for him to meet my eyes, an apologetic smile turning to me.

“My apologies, I won’t be joining you.”

His apology stills my excitement, my smile faltering for a bit as I realise just how busy Kyubei might be.

(He never shows it but Kyubei is always at work. Whether it is for Mitsuhide, or training me.)

Feeling bad I suck in a breath, quickly catching my expression as I recover with a smile, though I know it to be muted and that he is able to read the pretension behind the emotion.

“I will savour the treats and go straight back afterwards.”

Watching his expression falter for a moment Kyubei reaches out to pat my head, his eyes crinkling into crescent shapes of a smile.

“Next time I will join you, promise.”

With that he leaves me behind in the teashop, his feet hurrying himself into the crowd where he undoubtedly has more work waiting for him.

(In these restless times no one can be at ease, not even the smaller lords. I wonder, with Kyubei being Mitsuhide’s vassal, if Kyubei ever gets time for himself.)

Blinking at myself I stare down at the liquid in my cup, a black tea that was recommended to go with the caramelized chestnuts.

(Kage, shadow. I wonder if Kyubei chose the name for his crow deliberately.)

Feeling an empty feeling rise up I quickly pick up a chestnut, popping it into my mouth as I savour it.

“Oh, it really is good!”

As I exclaim this to myself a jovial voice startles me from the side, a flash of bold warm colours coming into sight as a man steps in view.

“Their chestnuts are the best, but even better with some music!”

With flaming red hair and a toothy grin yet another man stepped onto stage. A man I had only briefly met before in Azuchi castle. A man that should have disappeared from the play of history a long time ago; Keiji Maeda.

“I see you have finally come out to explore. Care to learn what Azuchi really is like?”

#kyubei x reader #ikesen kyubei #ikemen sengoku kyubei #kyubei route #kyubei #ikesen #ikemen sengoku #ikesen x reader #ikemen sengoku x reader

[excitedlysuffering]

Moments Past- Sasuke X Reader

Disclaimer: The scene with Shisui is straight from the show (NOT MINE), but the other two are mine.

Sorry I didn’t explain the whole how they time travel, that’s too tedious lmao

@itsao-mine, enjoy!!

You were slightly disoriented as you stepped out of the portal and into what seemed to be the Uchiha compound. Sasuke and your daughter, (D/n), both seemed to be in the same state, which was unsurprising considering you were now in the past.

Once your dizziness passed, you gauged your surroundings. You had to hold in a squeal as a tiny Sasuke ran past you and straight to his older brother, Itachi.

You glanced at your family to assess their reactions. Sasuke had a small, fond smile on his face, which was both relieving and adorable. (D/n) seemed to be stunned as she followed the younger version of her father.

“Nii-san!” The young Uchiha halted right in front of his older brother, his smile wide and full of childish joy. “Hello, Sasuke…”

The three of you were entranced as you watched the siblings conversate. “Tou-san?” Sasuke knelt down to look your daughter in the eyes. “Yes, (D/n)?” She blinked, her eyes filled with innocent curiosity. “Why does your hair look like a duck butt? It’s funny!” You stifled his laughter as his eye twitched a bit.

“Ah, that… it was cool at the time.” Laughter bubbled from your lips. “No, dear, it wasn’t. We often teased him for it.” (D/n)’s laughter joined in with yours and Sasuke just sighed, rolling his eyes, but you caught his miniscule smile.

Suddenly, a tall, imposing man walked into the room and your daughter’s smile dropped. Even in the memory, the room was tense. No other than Fugaku could have such an air about him.

“W-who’s that?” Sasuke looked down to see his now nervous daughter clutching his hand. “That’s my father, Fugaku.”

“Sasuke, I assume you’ve finished training for the day?” Sasuke nodded, his smile no longer visible. “Hai, Tou-san. I got a perfect score on the academy assessment!” Fugaku just nodded, his stoic expression not changing in the slightest. “As expected. Itachi how was your mission?”

You couldn’t bear to watch the way Sasuke’s face fell. Even in the present, your husband looked slightly disheartened. (D/n) tugged at his sleeve. “I don’t like this… he’s scary.” Sasuke gently picked her up, hiding her face from his father.

“Neither do I. Come, I’ll show you a better one.” You ruffled your daughter’s hair, flashing Sasuke a sad smile. He concentrated for a moment and the scene shifted.

“Nii-san! Nii-san!” Sasuke ran towards a serious, almost downcast, Itachi, and who I vaguely recognized as Shisui Uchiha. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“That’s Shisui, my brother’s best friend. They were talking about the Uchiha coupe when I interrupted,” Sasuke explained quietly. His tone was flat, but you knew him too well. Although he had come to accept his past, this was still hard on him.

“Forgive me, Sasuke. Maybe next time.” Itachi replied, poking his forehead. Sasuke grimaced, rubbing the sore area. “Nii-san, you always say that…” Shisui grinned, making himself known.

“Hey! That’s what you do to me!” Your husband’s eyes softened as they landed on (D/n). “It is. That’s where I got it from.” You watched silently beside the two as the scene continued on.

“Really? You’re the best, Shisui-san!” Itachi blinked, processing the words, but Shisui and Sasuke continued as if he wasn’t even there. “You see, we were just talking about which is stronger, me or your brother.” The child seemed stricken as if he couldn’t comprehend someone being stronger than his Nii-san.

“Tou-san, you’re so cute! Kaa-san, isn’t he so cute?!” You giggled at the annoyed expression on her father’s face at the name. “He really is. All the girls in the academy thought so too.” You replied smirking.

The ravenette grimaced at the memory of his fangirls. “They did?! How’d you meet if all the girls were hogging him?!” Sasuke smirked. “Would you like to see how we met after this, (D/n)?” Her grin lit up her entire face. “Yes!” She bounced up and down as she the three Uchihas of the past.

“No, you’re not!” Sasuke exclaimed. The elder Uchiha feigned surprise at the outburst. “Oh?” “It’s true you’re strong but… but Nii-san is still way stronger than you!” Shisui’s smile widened at the revelation. ��Oh, really? But I am older than he is, so I only think it’s natural to assume that I’m…” He was swiftly interrupted. “Age has nothing to do with being a shinobi!” Still, the older man continued to bait him. “But you know, don’t forget I have the Sharingan.” The glare he received for that statement stopped him short.

“Nii-san has the Sharingan too! So he won’t lose to you, Shisui-san! Isn’t that right, Nii-san?” Itachi looked away, not wanting to lie but also not wanting his younger brother to lose faith in him. However, the more he dodged the question the more persistent Sasuke became.

It was touching to see Sasuke so determined to defend Itachi’s honor and the man in question was even smiling slightly at the memory.

“Are you ready to see your Kaa-san now?” You smirked, giving him a meaningful look. “Oh, I sure am.” He winced at the implications as your surroundings changed once again.

While all the other girls were too busy fawning over Sasuke, you actually took your training quite seriously. The first time you had officially met, you had thoroughly defeated him in a spar in front of your class.

“Woah! This is the academy! And… the training grounds?” You ruffled (D/n)’s hair. You figured she had probably imagined a more… romantic meeting, but truthfully you wouldn’t change this moment for anything.

“The day you’re Kaa-san b-beat me.” You outright laughed as he stuttered through the words as if it actually hurt. “Wait, you beat Tou-san?!”

You frowned, crossing your arms. “Well, don’t sound too shocked, (D/n/n).” She giggled, but it was cut short as her attention was drawn to the scene. You covered your mouth as your younger self landed a particularly brutal punch to Sasuke’s gut.

“Face it, Uchiha, you’ve met your match and you don’t measure up!” You kicked him to the edge of the training circle, a triumphant look on your face.

“I remember how proud I was of that quip…” You mumbled, lost in your memory. Sasuke chuckled softly beside you. “I’m sure you were.” (D/n) shushed the two of you, her gaze fixed on the fight.

You scoffed, swiftly deflecting a shuriken with a kunai. You charged, weaving in and around the way of his weapons, and engaged him in another taijutsu match. You matched him for every hit, even landing a few. Although scarce, they were pressure points and Sasuke could tell he was beginning to slow a bit.

In a last-ditch attempt to win, he throws a handkerchief at you, blinding you for mere seconds. But it was more than enough time for him to land a harsh punch to your jaw that sent you reeling.

“Tsk, so underhanded, dear,” You chided, smiling softly. The man smirked, eyes following the movements of the past. “I was desperate, you really were my match…” Your smile widened at the double meaning.

A rage-fueled kick made contact with your opponent’s side, and he rolled to the side. Not giving him any time to recover, you pressed a kunai to his throat, forcing him to submit.

“(Y/N) wins!” Iruka’s surprised voice, and the enraged screams of the fangirls, signals the end of the match and you put the knife away, replacing it with your hand.

He swats your hand away with a scoff, not wanting anything more to do with you at the moment. You grinned, not caring about his attitude in the slightest, you had defeated him after all.

“Tou-san, that was so rude!” Sasuke rubbed his neck as (D/n) scolded him. “Aw, cut him some slack, (D/n/n), he did get embarrassed just now.” Your husband just muttered darkly under his breath.

(D/n), already back to her cheery self, was gazing at you as your past self retrieved the scattered weapons. “Kaa-san, you’re so pretty!” You flushed at the compliment, noticing Sasuke wore a small smile as he stared after you as well.

“I was thinking the same thing…” He whispered it to himself, and your smile widened at the almost inaudible confession. With that, the three of you continued your walk down memory lane.

#sasuke x reader #reader insert #naruto scenarios #naruto shippuden #someone bring me a sasuke #AU

[synoxshots]

That’s the easy part

Fill number 6 for fictober!

Prompt number: 2

Fandom: Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR)

Rating: T

Warnings/Tags: Canon-typical violence, guns, alcohol reference. 

Summary: Onyxus has been accepted into the Grand Hunt, even if it wasn’t actually his idea to enter. There’s only one thing left to do before the Hunt begins: steal a ship from Dromund Kaas spaceport.

(Note: Onyxus isn’t my canon hunter, instead an extra member of Paxton Rall’s band of pirates)

Dromund Kaas was far from Onyxus's favourite planet. It wasn't just the weather, though the constant storms were hardly a selling point, but rather the constant imperial stuffiness they all had to put up with anywhere they went. As a bulky Rattataki, he was used to attracting a few wary stares, but walking around with four other aliens on a world that treated them like dirt meant the disdainful looks and filthy glances were never-ending.

Of course, the group tended to attract attention wherever they went. As a gang of pirates – or 'professionals', as they were supposed to say – they were hardly the quietest of citizens. Just adding some flair and panache to our surroundings, Paxton would say, even as a job required a touch of subtlety. Make enough noise and people will do anything to tune you out, Bloodhound would offer instead, which seemed far more likely.

But Onyxus wouldn't change them for anything. Paxton was his love, the crew his family, and even for all their excesses, he'd found a place where he belonged.

Even if they were responsible for his current predicament.

It had all seemed like such a good idea at the time, as many things tended to after several glasses of kri'gee in an evening. And that night marked his birthday as well as the end of another job, meaning more glasses than usual were going round. Double the reason to celebrate, as if they ever needed an excuse. He'd woken up in the morning with a pounding in his head and a flashing holocom telling him he'd been accepted into the Great Hunt. Nobody could quite remember who'd actually submitted his name, and pulled in their last favour with the Hutts to get him sponsored. Either that, or nobody wanted to own up to it.

But there was no backing out of it now he'd come this far. There was just one thing left to do before the Hunt began in earnest, a grand tradition to be fulfilled. Steal a ship, and from one of the most heavily monitored ports in all imperial space.

“But we already have a ship!” Rin exclaimed, his voice standing out even in the constant din of the Nexus Room cantina.

“I don't know why you're complaining when you're the one who got me into this mess,” Onyxus retorted.

“Me?! I'm pretty sure Bloodhound was the one who-”

His words were cut off as the Togruta began spinning her blaster in her hand, “Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?”

“Easy folks, easy,” chuckled Paxton. “Have you forgotten we are the finest in the galaxy at our craft? Led by the most brilliant, cleverest, charismatic, and – well – devilishly handsome captain around? Stealing a ship is a piece of theatre, and when have we ever turned down the chance to put on a show of it?”

* * * * * * * *

Any thoughts of a subtle approach were lost the minute the five aliens strutted into the spaceport with a dramatic air of confidence that only made it obvious that it wasn't, in fact, a ship that belonged to them. Yet. Paxton had been right, they were certainly going to put on a show.

Paxton and Bloodhound were stood back to back, spinning together in a perfect circle as they fired volleys of blaster bolts at their foes, their lekku flying behind them. Rin had taken the physical approach, almost making the ground shake as he tackled his opponents to the floor, kicking their weapons from their hands before they could think to use them. Onyxus also made full use of his size, looming over spaceport officials and incapacitating them with only the slightest effort. And if anyone managed to avoid those four there was still the Mauler, the smallest of the bunch, able to weave about and pop up in unexpected places, leaving a trail of explosions in his wake.

The fight was over within minutes. The crew may have been outnumbered, but it was a well-rehearsed routine mixing distraction, diversion, and all-out blazes of gunfire and brute force. They each knew their roles to perfection, practised on many occasions across the galaxy. Such events were an occupational hazard, after all, and they'd all received enough kolto in their lives to learn the cost of any mistakes.

“I still prefer our ship,” Rin complained, stomping his boots as he caught up with the rest of the crew.

“Well lucky for you, someone has to fly that off this rock too, and it sounds like you've just volunteered yourself. Unless there's any objections, of course,” laughed Paxton, preparing for the inevitable squabble that would trigger amongst the crew.

“Hang on, does the Hunter have to fly the ship as well? Because if Onyx is flying then I'm definitely going in ours,” gibed Bloodhound, already revelling in the offended look on the Rattataki's face.

“I don't think that's how it wor-” Onyxus began, but was cut off by Paxton's elbow nudging him repeatedly. He cleared his throat and started again, “I mean, that's definitely how it works, yes.”

“Don't you dare go crashing my ship!” yelled Paxton as the gang began running out of the hangar bay, apparently all in a battle to reach the captain's chair first. Sighing, he turned back to where Onyxus was stood, smiling as he reached up for a quick kiss. “Well, that's the easy part done I guess, now on to the rest of the competition. You ready for it, Hunter?”

Onyxus grinned. “With you at my side? Always.”

#fictober20 #bounty hunter #swtor #swtor fanfic #oc: onyxus vai #onyxus x paxton #my fic

[therainroguefanfiction]

🎃 Frightful October Act VI, #18 ~ Stranded (Izuku Midoriya)

📑 Table of Contents

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Romance

Word Count: 4,458

Pairing: Reader x Izuku

World: Boku no Hero Academia

Author’s Note: So um, not sure what the hell happened here lmfao I’ve been writing these out on paper and then typing them on the computer to post. I start writing and just keep going until I feel I’ve found a good stopping point. This single fic was 10 pages long, front AND back. I had to cut so much stuff out and shorten it drastically, and it still ended up being okay 4k words. I don’t know what to say, man lol I hope ya’ll enjoy this!

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

“We’re having a school trip tomorrow,” Aizawa announced boredly as he passed out two sheets of stapled paper to each student. On one sheet was a series of four islands and information about each one, while the second sheet was a permission slip. “The Quad-Peak islands have been steeped in mystery for two decades. This all began when four women planned a four day trip to the islands and never returned home.”

A murmur broke out through the class.

Aizawa ignored it, returning to the front of the room. “Recently, four foreign diplomats were out fishing near the islands when the vanishes without a trace. You will be working in pairs to discover what happened to them.”

You hummed thoughtfully as your eyes scanned the paper. ‘Four islands. Four women. Four days. Four diplomats. Four is considered bad luck because it can be pronounced like the word for death. It’s completely baseless, but many people fear the number, so much so that a lot of buildings don’t even have a fourth floor. Is this mere coincidence? Maybe a setup? A test? I need to get some information from Seven about this.’

“Sensei?” Momo raised her hand. “How will our partners be chosen?”

Aizawa didn’t open his eyes as he sat behind his desk. “All Might already chose the pairings. They will be announced before we leave tomorrow.”

Izuku glanced over his shoulder at you, praying to whatever gods he could think of that you were made his partner. He had been crushing hard on you since the day you saved him from a group of thugs trying to rob him. When he came to U.A. and found out that he was in the same class as you, he felt so incredibly lucky and vowed to get closer to you, but you were a loner and he was awkward and shy.

The bell rang and you gathered your things, heading over to class 1-B. Students gave you strange looks as they left the room, but you ignored them, approaching your best friend. Seven glanced up at you, eyebrow raised.

“I got a job for you if you’re interested.”

His lips curled up as he stood, shoving his phone into his pocket. “Can I cover over to your place?”

“‘Course. I’m running low on funds this month so I’m glad you don’t want me to buy dinner this time,” you stepped out of the room, Seven falling in step beside you.

He scoffed. “You spent it all on soda and video games, didn’t you?”

You coughed, turning your head away from him.

With a chuckle, he bumped his shoulder against yours. Seven stood at five-feet-six-inches with blonde hair and rust-colored eyes. The thick square glasses he wore were patterned with a white tiger print.

The two of you didn’t hang out much at school, so as the two of you walked down the hallway, bantering back and forth, the rumor mill at U.A. began to churn. All it took was one person to propose the question, ‘Are they dating?’ before it started to make its rounds around the school. Just like a game of telephone, by the time it reached Izuku, it had been molded into something completely different.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

As soon as Seven stepped into your apartment, he dropped his bag and tackled the black cat sitting on the couch watching the TV. You sweatdropped as he crushed the cat to his chest, scratching behind his ears and cooing at him.

“Let go of me, you cretin!” The cat in question was your older brother, Shun, whose quirk, ‘Panther’, turned him into a black cat when it manifested. Shun snapped his golden eyes to you. “Control your friend!”

You cleared your throat. “Seven, we have work to do.”

He frowned, not releasing his grip. “What is it?”

“I need you to look up a story,” you explained about the trip and everything Aizawa had told you. You pulled out the permission slip, setting it down on the coffee table. “Can you sign this, Shun?”

Shun wiggled free from the boy’s grasp, his eyes never leaving him as he refused to put his back to the boy. He slapped his paw down onto the slip, angrily. “Why should I? You always let this cretin come here and abuse me!”

“It’s not that bad, Shun,” you commented, quickly looking away when he snapped his glare toward you. “Anyway, Seven provides really valuable information but he won’t help without a little… motivation. Isn’t it your job as my big brother to help me any way you can?”

“Don’t you play the big brother card on me, Y/N!” Shun snapped. “I am not a pet for this cretin’s vain amusement!”

While you and Shun argued back and forth, Seven took out his phone, holding it firmly in his hand. His eyes widened as lines of blue code scrolled by, giving his eyes the appearance of an LED screen. His quirk was ‘Digitizing’. As long as he touched any device connected to the internet, he could quickly search and access any information across the globe. Firewalls and traps were completely useless against him.

“Come on, it’s not like I bring him here every day.”

“Show some respect for your elders!”

“I’ll make you some pan-seared tuna for dinner.”

“Oh my god my mouth is watering just thinking about it – O-Oi, don’t try to bribe me!”

Seven closed his eyes, clearing his throat. “The articles are all real. Furthermore, there have been numerous incidents that have been kept out of the public eye. They were sealed behind some pretty heavy security. The number four was present in every single report.”

Your brow furrowed. “What is the significance of these islands and number four?”

He shrugged. “That’s for you to find out, I guess.”

You glanced at your brother and he sighed, “Hand me a pen.” Groping around your bag, you handed him one. He held it between his two paws and signed his name. “You better be careful. I won’t forgive you if you don’t come home!”

You smiled softly, kneeling down in front of him as you leaned forward on the table. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring you home some fresh-caught fish, okay?”

He huffed, looking away, but the twitch of his ears told you that he was excited about the idea.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

“Look, there they are!”

The four islands were just in sight across the horizon. They were arranged in a diamond shape, each island representing the four points of the diamond. The ocean spilled into an underwater cavern that was positioned in the center. Each island was huge, expanding in all directions for several miles.

A rickety wooden dock had been built in the sand of the first island. The sand expanded back until it hit the tree line where it changed to dirt. Tall trees lined the edge of the sand, towering high into the sky. The first island gently sloped up out of the water, steadily rising until the fourth island hovered high above the water.

Aizawa waited for everyone to settle. “This is not a vacation, this is a mission. Your job is to locate the diplomats and bring them back safely. This isn’t a competition.” He sent a pointed look to Bakugo who scoffed. Aizawa gave each student an earpiece before assigning them to one of the four islands.

You glanced over at your partner, Izuku. “Ready to go?”

He gave you a hesitant smile, his cheeks warming. “Let’s do it.”

You trudged through the thick sand, feeling it being kicked up as you walked – you had to pause at the tree line to dump it from your boots before continuing. The fourth island was directly across from the first so the two of you headed in a straight line, dodging low hanging branches and thick roots that jutted out from the ground.

After a twenty-minute trek through the trees, you heard feet pounding the ground. Bakugo rushed past you, sending you a grin over his shoulder. He and Hagakure had also been assigned to island four and, of course, he had to be competitive.

Your eyes widened and you yelled for him to stop, but he only moved faster. Cursing, you pushed yourself forward. “Bakugo!”

“Huh?! The fuck are you yell – ” his words were cut short when the ground beneath his feet gave way. He went tumbling over the edge toward the whirlpool in the center of the islands.

You cried his name, diving to the earth. Your hand caught his wrist, but the ground beneath you was giving away and he was too heavy for you to lift. The feeling of falling rushed over you and you used your momentum to kick him. It was just enough for him to grab the ledge, being helped up by Izuku.

Because of the height of the fall, you sank far down into the water, getting trapped in the rushing current. You tried to break free, but it was too strong and it dragged you deep underneath the islands.

Izuku’s eyes scanned the water, waiting for you to resurface. He pressed on the earpiece, but it refused to connect. “Kaa-chan, is your earpiece working?”

The blonde snapped out of his shock and pressed on the earpiece, but his wouldn’t connect either. He shook his head, cursing as he ran a hand through his hair angrily.

Izuku bit his lip, weighing his options. “Kaa-chan, go find Aizawa-sensei. I’m going after Y/N!”

“O-Oi!” But it was too late. Izuku had jumped into the swirling water below.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

A groan passed your lips, eyes fluttering open. Darkness surrounded you, your wet clothes sticking to your body like glue. Your head throbbed and your body felt like you were encased in ice. It took some effort to sit up and take in your surroundings. ‘Is this a… cave?’ your eyes fell on your partner, half of his body on the rock while the other half was dangling in the water. “Midoriya!”

His face scrunched up as you pulled his body onto land. Green eyes met yours and he sighed in relief. “You’re okay, thank goodness.”

“I am, but what about you?”

“I think so. Nothing is hurting other than my head.”

You tilted your head, curiously. “Why did you jump after me, Midoriya?”

“W-Why?” his cheeks grew warm, a welcome feeling against the coldness he felt.

You smiled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Thank you. When we get out of here, I’ll kiss the other cheek,” you promised, holding your hand out to him. “Let’s see if we can find a way out of this place.”

The circular cave was large, the ceiling towering above you. Half the cave was flooded with water which opened up to a bigger water source. You could try to get out that way, but it was impossible to tell how long the water went on for. If there were no air pockets, you risked drowning. There was also a strong current to consider.

“Y/N-san, over here.”

You approached the greenette, finding a thin beam of light coming from a crack in the wall. Your fingernails dug at the crack and the rock shifted. Izuku put his fingers beside your own and, together, you tugged the black rock away from the wall until it broke free, falling to the ground with a thud. You could hear the sound of water dripping in the background as the smell of moss invaded your nostrils. The path was long and dark, and you had to lean over to avoid hitting your head.

At the end of the path was another crack of light, brighter this time. The two of you pushed the rock as hard as you could and it fell backward with a thud, filling the path with firelight.

The hole opened up to a circular room with three other holes on different sides. In the center of the room was a pile of paper and magazines lit on fire, the flame dancing across the walls. Empty candy wrappers and chip bags littered the floor.

More importantly, three men were pressed against the wall, ready to strike.

You held up your hands in surrender and the man in the middle wiped sweat from his brow with a dirty handkerchief. “You’re the foreign diplomats that went missing a few days ago, right? We were sent here to find you.”

The men exchanged a look, the middle man speaking up. “My name is Beralt Smith,” his gray hair was messy, standing on end as if he had run his hands through it several times, eyes the color of aquamarine.

“I’m Y/N, and this is my partner, Izuku Midoriya. We’re students at U.A.”

“U.A.?” The man on the left repeated with wide eyes. He was short and plump, his brown hair circling a bald scalp. His eyes were black and beady. Bowing at the waist, he said, “Zachary Qi, it’s a pleasure.”

The man to the right was thin as a pole, round glasses covering mousy brown eyes. His hair was the same color, matted to his forehead with sweat. “Franklin Henry,” he spoke softly, his eyes trained on the ground.

“Wait, where is the fourth diplomat?” you questioned.

The men exchanged a sad look before Beralt spoke up, his voice reflecting the sadness in his eyes. “Benedict Kirkland was bitten by a snake shortly after our boat capsized and we arrived on the island. We did everything we could to aid him, but he succumbed to the poison. He was gone by the time the sun had risen.”

“We’re very sorry for your loss,” Midoriya bowed in respect, you doing the same.

“Thank you.”

“How did you come to find yourselves in this cave?” you asked. “Maybe we can use that route to try and escape.”

Zachary pointed toward the hole on the left, facing North. “Through there is the entrance to this cave. We hid there when a sudden storm rolled across the island, but it’s been completely sealed off by debris.”

You frowned. ‘I think I’m starting to see why these islands are considered cursed land…’

“I’m sure you’ve already checked the other two paths, as well,” Midoriya murmured, thoughtfully. He was determined to come up with a plan to get everyone to safety. He refused to let these men die.

“We did, but it would be best if you checked for yourself in case we missed something.”

You and Midoriya exchanged a look before you examined each pathway, searching for any small chance to escape. To the north, the entrance was blocked by large rubble that wouldn’t move an inch.  To the east was a dead end. And to the south was a small room, barely big enough to fit a single person. Your eyes narrowed at the high ceiling, squinting in the darkness. It was faint, but you could see a light near the ceiling.

Midoriya saw it too as he stuck his head into the room. “Do you think we can reach it?”

“I don’t know, but we have to at least try.”

He nodded as the two of you switched positions. He kneeled down, motioning for you to stand on his shoulders. You did as he indicated, using the wall to steady you. He slowly stood up, gripping your ankles. Standing on your tiptoes, you reached for the light, but it was just out of reach. With a grunt, you lifted your foot, digging it into the wall as best as you could.

“Be careful.”

You climbed the rest of the way, slipping a few times on the mossy stone. Your fingers gripped the ledge and you heaved yourself up and over, fingers digging into the stone. A burst of cold, fresh air hit your face. It was a small cave entrance!

“Y/N-san?” Midoriya’s voice reached you.

You leaned your upper body over the ledge. “It’s open up here! But… how do I get you guys out?”

“Try looking around for something that can act as a rope. But don’t go too far, and be careful!”

You nodded, crouching against the low ceiling as you headed for the low light coming from the entrance. Your breath came out in puffs of air, the temperature lowering as the sun faded across the horizon.

Eyes scanning the area around you, you took notice of a tall tree, its bare branches curling out as if it were reaching for something. Near the top, a thick vine had fallen from the tree beside it, wrapping around one of the branches. You could only hope it would be long and sturdy enough to help.

Activating your quirk, ‘Infernarrow’, a flaming bow appeared in your left hand. You grasped the bowstring and pulled back, a flaming area materializing as you did so. The arrow soared through the air, easily splintering the wood as it pierced the center of the branch. It came tumbling down, loudly cracking the other branches in its way before falling to the ground with a loud thump, the vine falling around it like a snake.

You untangled it and headed back to the cave where you tied one end to a large stone behind you. Laying on your stomach, you peered over the edge again. Midoriya was still there, body shaking as he wrapped his arms tight around his body. His worried expression changed to relief when his eyes met yours.

“I found a vine. It should be thick enough to hold up.”

“I’ll go get the others!” he ducked back into the tunnel, reappearing moments later. Franklin was going first so Midoriya wrapped the vine around his waist. “Put your feet on the wall and hold tightly to the vine. Y/N-san will help by pulling you up,” he glanced up at you and you nodded. “I’ll be here to catch you if you slip,” his bright smile seemed to ease the older man’s fears, but he was still shaking like a leaf.

You sat up, heels digging into the ground as you gripped the vine tightly in your hands. You weren’t nearly as strong as All Might or Midoriya, but you were far from weak and determined not to let the men fall.

The vine pulled taut as he started to climb. He honestly wasn’t that heavy, so you were able to steadily pull him up until his shaky hand gripped the ledge. With one hand still gripping the vine, you extended the other to grab his wrist, helping him up and over.

“I might need your help with the other two,” you said softly, glancing at him as he took a breath.

He nodded, undoing the vine from his waist and throwing it over the ledge. “I-I’m not very strong, but I’ll do my best!” he kneeled beside you, gripping the vine above your hands.

Beralt was up next. As Midoriya wrapped the vine around him, he clapped his hands and took a deep breath. “Now it’s time to see if those rock climbing lessons were worth the money!”

Your body shifted forward at the sudden weight but you pushed yourself back, pulling slower than you had with the previous man. Franklin’s arms were shaking, veins looking like they wanted to burst through his pale skin.

Beralt’s fingers gripped the ledge and Franklin grabbed his arm. Through gritted teeth, the man said, “No disrespect… sir Smith, but… maybe you should… consider better… eating habits!” he gave one final tug and the man heaved himself onto the ledge, breathing heavily.

He huffed, looking embarrassed. “Zachary is the one that snuck all that junk food onto the boat,” he threw the vine over the ledge before settling on your other side, hands wrapping around the vine. “He’s also heavier than I am, so prepare yourselves!”

The third man’s weight did concern you and you briefly wondered if the three of you would be strong enough to pull him up. If you did drop him, would Midoriya be able to safely catch him? Or would the older man’s weight crush the boy without remorse? That thought worried you and you flexed your fingers before resuming your grip on the vine, eyes shining with determination.

Zachary started to climb, making the three of you lurch forward at the sudden weight. The heel of your boot slid before getting stuck in a crack in the rock. You used this to your advantage, putting most of your weight on that side.

“I… can’t -” Franklin’s arms gave out and he fell forward at the sudden lurch of the vine. Both you and Beralt lost your grip but you gripped it again, the vine sliding through your hands at an alarming speed, burning the skin. You winced in pain, your stomach turning. Zachary cried out in fear and you could picture Midoriya being crushed.

“Damn it, STOP!!” you screamed, clenching your hands as tightly as you could, pushing yourself back with your legs. The vine came to a stop and the two men quickly grabbed it, taking some of the pressure off of you. With every move, your hands screamed at you, but you ignored the tears stinging your eyes.

Finally, Zachary reached the ledge, being grabbed by the back of his shirt by Beralt. His face was red, tears staining his cheeks.

Your hands were stinging and burning simultaneously, but you held the vine tight, biting down hard on your lip to try and distract your mind. Midoriya was heavier than Franklin, but much lighter than the other two, so Beralt did most of the lifting. You were thankful because you could feel how your grip had weakened considerably. You felt so thankful when Midoriya pulled himself up onto the ledge.

Midoriya took a breath as he kneeled in the cave, suppressing a shiver. “For now, let’s try and build a fire to keep warm. We can try to find our way when the sun rises.”

“I’ll go look for some wood,” you announced, leaving the cave. Darkness covered the island, the wind nipping at your damp clothes like hungry vultures. It felt good on your hands, though, that felt like they were on fire. You didn’t want to be near Midoriya right now because you knew how much of a worrywart he was – he’d freak out about your hands and the two of you had more important things to worry about.

You weaved through the trees, returning to the branch you had broken with your quirk. The spot was hidden behind a thick trunk of wood, but you only had to lean back to see the faint outline of the cave. You kneeled on the cold grass, holding out your shaking hands. The skin was dark red and was beginning to blister. There were small beads of blood, growing bigger when you stretched the skin.

‘I should wrap them up, but then he’ll definitely notice…’ you sighed. ‘I can’t even use my quirk with my hands like this,’ you cursed, throwing your head back to prevent the tears from falling.

The crunching of leaves alerted you to Midoriya approaching and you quickly flipped your hands over, nearly wincing as the skin rubbed against your clothes. He rubbed the back of his neck, face burning. “You… did a really good job back there, Y/N-san.”

You smiled up at him. “It was a group effort. I doubt I could have done it without their help…” you subconsciously flexed your hand and hissed in pain.

Midoriya noticed. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry!” A breeze whipped around you and you shivered. “I am cold though, so let’s hurry up and get that fire going!” with a grin, you tried to pick up the branch but a wave of pain went through your hands. You tried to hide it, but Midoriya was watching you closely.

He knelt beside you, gently grabbed your wrists. His eyes widened when he saw them. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”

“I didn’t want to worry you. And it’s not even that bad…” you mumbled, not meeting his gaze. He ripped the fabric of his hero costume, exposing his knees. “W-Wait a minute, Mido -”

His warm smile made you pause as he ripped it into strips. “We need to cover them so they don’t get infected,” he gently wrapped it around your hand.

“Sorry for the trouble,” you sighed, looking up at the dark sky. “When sensei first mentioned this place, I found it weird that the number four kept coming up. Online, a lot of people speculated that this place is cursed and I think I’m starting to believe it.”

He hummed, beginning to wrap your other hand. “I don’t know much about curses, but I do believe we make our own luck. Even if the world is against us, I believe we can still come out on top as long as we work hard and never lose hope.”

You watched him as several emotions flickered across his face.

His eyes met yours with a fierceness you had never seen from him before. “That’s why I want to… tell you how I feel. I really like you, Y/N-san, a lot. Will you please go out with me?”

“Midoriya… no, Izuku,” you rested the back of your hand against his cheek and smiled. “I would be happy to,” he smiled so brightly it lit up the darkness. “For our first date, what do you think about an island getaway?”

He laughed as he stood up, bringing the branch with him. “I vote for a warmer first date.”

As another breeze passed through the trees, you suppressed a shiver. “Agreed…”

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

You knew that, in the fall, the sun rose in the East, so when the sun started to rise, you had your bearings. The five of you walked for hours until the sun started to set once more. With a stroke of luck, you faintly made out the light of a flashlight sweeping the trees and the sound of a familiar voice calling your name.

All Might found all of you, radioing back to Aizawa and the others that were out searching for all of you. He led the way toward the ship, the three diplomats following him closely as they geeked out about getting to meet the number one hero.

“Do you remember what I said, Izuku?” you asked, softly.

His brow furrowed in thought and you chuckled.

“We found our way out of the cave,” you kissed his left cheek. “We found the diplomats,” you kissed his right cheek. “And we’re on our way home,” your claimed his lips with your own.

Despite his burning cheeks, he pulled you closer to his body.

Maybe he was right after all. Maybe you did make your own luck.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

#frightful october #halloween #izuku midoriya #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mha #midoriya izuku #bnha #anime #anime imagines #writing #creative writing #writeblr #scenario #scenarios #anime scenarios #anime scenario #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfics #anime fanfic #anime fanfics #reader insert #reader-insert #reader #one shot #fluff #angst #frightful october 19

[jflashandclash]

Tales from Mount Othrys

Say “NO” to Cruise Ships

 Note: I know the brothers’ names are confusing for this section. Don’t worry. Nicknames are a’coming. Someone needs to point out that it’s stupid first (one of my favorite someones in this book <3)

 I

           Axel’s heartbeat thundered so loud, he feared it would deafen him to any movement down the narrow hallway and ruin his focus on the sting of ocean air. Tainted ocean air, he thought. There was an uncomfortable scent to this ship. He could almost taste the presence of an ill omen, and he had only snuck aboard fifteen minutes ago.

         The Glock 17 felt heavy in his hands. He kept the handgun pointed low, but ready. When he found his little brother’s note about running away, Axel didn’t have time to raid their father’s armory. He didn’t have access yet. Any requests would have inspired questions about why Axel wanted to be armed. He stole this one from a Miami-Dade county cop, near the port.

         Now, despite Axel’s dislike for guns, he wished he had taken the family “picnics” to the gun range more seriously. If he fired and missed in this confined corridor, a stray bullet would rip through these thin walls. According to the cruise ship’s map, these rooms housed potentially innocent passengers.

         They were empty.

         Axel had never been on a cruise ship before—just dinky riverboats from his hometown—but all the advertisements on the ship showed mass amounts of people smiling and looking happy, like join us, and we’ll give you a free discount on stapling your lips into a grin!

         There weren’t families talking about subpar buffet food or children fighting over who got the top bunk. The only sounds were the hysterical cries of a twelve-year-old boy and the laughter of his tormentors around a corner. From their shadows cast on the wall, he could tell Ajax, his little brother, was in trouble.

         Axel had been expecting his little brother to be on the top deck, making friends, not dangling from one of his feet, held by someone much larger than him. Then again, Axel hadn’t been expecting to steal a speedboat or sneak aboard the Princess Andromeda. He had hoped, by “running away,” his little brother really meant, “sneak down the street to hide at the local arcade.”

         “You ssssmell good enough to eat!” said a voice that should have belonged to cheesy cartoon snake. Axel had hoped he’d turn the corner to find a Disney actor dressed up like Kaa from The Jungle Book. When he beat them up, he’d just have to apologize to any observers that loved reptiles.

         Another laughed alongside the first. “Chocolaty. Perfect for dessert.” There was a long sniff. “What kind of half-blood are you? How do we know you’re not a Greek spy?”

         “M-M-My m-m-mom—she s-said that I should come here—it’d be safe—” his little brother babbled.

         Axel clenched his jaw. As far as he was concerned, nothing good came from that woman except the little half-brother in that hall. And even then, Axel was going to personally whip Ajax when they got home and then ground him from eating Reese’s Sticks for a week.

         “Safe!”

         The two voices hissed out laughter, though the first one had a more difficult time with the word. Axel wondered if the person had some kind of speech impediment with s’s and if he was allowed to mock them by saying, “here to the ressscue” or if that would be rude.

         “You—d-don’t want to eat m-me! I’m stringy! And I just had a full bowl of jalapeño peppers! I’ll be too spicy!”

         In the shadow, Axel could see the person holding Ajax move his little brother’s body away in alarm.

         This was his chance.

         Axel stepped around the outer edges of the corner, coming into their line of sight. He aimed the gun directly at the person hefting Ajax.

         “Drop—” Axel choked on “him.”

         He expected the man to be tall from the shadow. Not eight feet tall with a furry chest so barreled, you could lay three of Axel’s siblings across and maybe have room for a fourth. Axel had only seen one other person with a snout, animalistic canines, claws, and paws; he knew now wasn’t the time to ask this man where he got the accessories.

         “Axel!” Ajax cried in teary-eyed joy.

         “Oh! A sssecond ssstowaway!” the other speaker hissed. It was a woman—well, half a woman. Her lower half sprouted a reptilian tail.

         Both of them had deep bronze tans, close to Axel’s, though they looked more like they were from the southern Mediterranean or Northern Africa.

         Axel had seen some weird stuff in his fourteen years. In the forests outside of their run-down, cramped shack, he’d seen monsters roaming the dense undergrowth and slurping about the rivers and cenotes. But nothing like these two: humanoid and capable of speech.

         In punishment for letting Ajax get away, Axel wondered if his father had slipped him hallucinatory drugs and hired actors to show up in monstrous costumes to send him into a panic. Axel gritted his teeth. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

         Neither seemed concerned by Axel’s weapon.

Actors would have been.

         “Remember what Luke said, Agriussss.” The woman frowned. “We’re not supposed to eat them if they want to join. Remember Jack’sss morning meditation.”

         Both closed their eyes, inhaled, and exhaled. “Our demigods are our friends,” they said in unison, “Not food. Unless they become Ol’Sissies. Then food.”

         Hearing the snake-woman try the world ol’sissies was worthy of an Oscar. She was still “sssss”ing long after Agrius had reopened his eyes.

         “I mean it,” Axel said, not liking how little attention the two paid him, like he wasn’t a threat. “Drop him, or I will shoot.”

         “Did you just eat a bunch of jalapeño peppers?” the bear man asked.

         Axel swallowed. That felt a little offensive, even if Ajax had said it first. The idea of eating jalapeno peppers grossed Axel out, but, with the straightest face he could manage, he said, “Yes. Now drop him.” Axel did not like the way this woman examined him or how Agrius licked his lips. It was more than creepy.

         A nagging horror lurked along the edges of Axel’s conscious thought, whispering, It’s about to happen again. You’ll lose someone else you love. And you’ll be as useful as a jammed gun while you scream at them to stop.

         The slit V that marked the sight on Axel’s gun trembled.

         Axel wouldn’t be worthless this time.

         His trigger finger shook too much.

         The first bullet was an accident. Once Axel heard the sound, he discharged another three rounds into the bear man’s chest. That was too many wasted bullets on one opponent when there might be a whole cruise ship of aggressors.

         Agrius had been holding Ajax off to one side, far enough that Axel could fire with confidence.

         At the barrage of bullets, Ajax curled up, folding his body to he could reach Agrius’ arm and jam his fingers into the man’s tendons.

         Agrius howled and dropped Axel’s little brother.

         To Axel’s alarm, the scream had nothing to do with the bullets, just the tendons. Normally, someone might take a step back when shot, or react in some way. There were no bullet holes. No blood. Agrius didn’t even look at Axel; he glared at where Ajax had flipped to his feet.

         From the line of bullet holes in the wall behind Agrius, the ballistics appeared to have gone through him.

         Axel wondered if his father had drugged him after all.

         Agrius grabbed at his sore arm. He scowled, rubbing the skin. “That hurt!” he roared.

         The snake woman laughed uncontrollably.

         Ajax sprinted towards Axel.

Agrius made a grab for Ajax’s raven hair. Seeming to sense the capture, Ajax ducked. He dodged under Axel’s elbow skidded to a halt behind Axel’s back.

         Before the younger boy could press his face between Axel’s shoulder blades—as he often hid when bullies at their primary school realized the nuns weren’t paying attention and chose it as a prime time to attack—Axel shoved his little brother to run down the way Axel had come.

         Axel could beat up school bullies for his little brother. Anthropomorphic bulletproof humanoids whose only apparent weakness was jalapeños and pressure points? Axel could take a rain check on that one.

         Agrius released a second, enraged roar, sounding more like the snarl of a rabid animal. One thing was for sure: this guy needed some breath mints.

         Axel pivoted to sprint down the other corridor, hoping Agrius wasn’t as fast as he was big. The mental map Axel had constructed of this ship said they’d have to make it down the full—

         When Ajax stopped short, Axel almost impaled his diaphragm on the back of his brother’s head. Axel wanted to scream at him for stopping and, really, for running off in the first place, but the words choked on his lips.

         There was a man standing in the hallway—not a man. Axel knew, from his sense of mounting dread, this was no mortal. As Axel tried to focus on the person’s features, they seemed to dematerialize, the ends of his long, black cloak vaporizing into smoke. The ground he stood upon appeared to shift, or was he vanishing and shifting locations?

         The man’s eyes, the one thing that bore into Axel’s mind, were a piercing blue. Although Axel couldn’t describe the sharpness of his jaw or the color of his skin, he could tell the smile along those lips was endearing.

         Like Ajax and I are his new playthings.

         Agrius froze in his pursuit upon seeing this creature. His breath raged so heavily, Axel might ask if Agrius wanted an inhaler if Axel was in a position to tease.

         “What’s this then?” the man asked.

         Axel grabbed Ajax’s arm and dragged the younger boy behind him. Rapidly, he moved as far as he could from either party—into the corner.

         Axel felt Ajax pressed his face between Axel’s shoulder blades. “I—I’m sorry. M-m-mom said it would be safe here—” His little brother sobbed, clutching at Axel’s shirt.

         When Axel raised his fists into a defensive stance, they shook so violently, it was laughable. It was happening again. Not only did he feel small and helpless. He was. The bear man towered over him. The other one—that—that was a god.

         His heartbeat thundered so loud again that he couldn’t hear his thoughts to calculate a plan out of this.

         The unknown man took a slow step closer to them. When his foot contacted the floor, the rug seemed to ripple. Axel felt his heart rate decrease. He stumbled and his fists drooped down. Everything felt heavy. He shook his head to stay focused, terrified that he was losing what little control he had.

         Ajax slumped into his back.

         “Come now, we’re missing the main performance. Did you get the goods?” the god in the black jacket asked.

         The snake-woman pulled a backpack off to reveal a variety of soda cans inside. Axel wondered if this was a drug running operation. He’d seen his father’s associates tuck contraband into the most unassuming of places.

         “Ah, orange cream soda,” the man mused. He held a hand out, and one of the bottles flew straight to it.

         The woman frowned. “Now, if you could jussssst do that, why did we have to get it for you?”

         “So we could have enough to share. I mean, everyone on the whole ship might have passed out if I released that kind of power,” he said. His voice was warm and comforting, as was his wink. However, one of Axel’s father’s associates winked and smiled like that at Axel and his brothers. That associate liked to lock boys in his basement, according to rumors.

         “They’re almost out of fodder to throw at the stage,” the god said. He shrugged. “Incompetent performers, but it looks like we might have two new ones, ready to prove themselves.”

         Ajax jerked alert at those words, bumping his nose hard into Axel’s shoulder blade. He sniffled. “You want us to perform? We’re—we’re really good performers!”

         The desperation in his voice made Axel want to slap him. Though, really, Axel wanted to ask prove ourselves to what or whom?

         The man motioned for Axel and Ajax to follow him. Without checking to see if they did, he turned to walk down the corridor. “I’ll escort you to the techies.”

         Axel wasn’t sure what was more daunting: following a god to an unknown stage or fighting off Bear Face.

         Without questioning, Ajax darted after the god and scurried at his heels.

         Axel glanced at the seething Agrius.  “We’ll settle this later,” he told the bear man and raced after his brother.

         Agrius snarled something under his breath.

         “Thank you for getting us away from Winny the Pooh’s angry relative,” Ajax said. His sniffles decreased in correlation to the increased skip in his step. When Axel caught up, Ajax reached for Axel’s hand.

Axel swatted him away. “No soy Hiro,” he growled.[1]

         With their littlest brother, Ajax could pretend he was holding Hiro’s hand because Hiro was scared. He couldn’t fake that with Axel. Axel needed both his hands in case they had a chance to escape the way he’d come. And, although Ajax looked way younger than twelve, barely reaching four feet and five inches when he stood at perfect posture, Axel knew his little brother was too old for that coddling.

         “Oh, don’t thank me. I saved you from one losing battle and will be pitting you into a far worse one,” the god told them. His expression softened into pity. “Though, if you survive, you’re sure to find the safe home that your mother promised you.”

         Ajax’s mouth dropped open. His hazel and brown eyes widened.

         Axel could tell his little brother wanted to ask if this god knew his mother. Instead, he said, “B—but, you said it was just a performance.”

         From the way the man gently set a hand on Ajax’s shoulder—roughly the size of Ajax’s shoulder—and the melancholy to those eyes, Axel understood this wasn’t the kind of performance they were originally thinking. And they weren’t going to make it off this boat by running.

***

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed :D Ah, tiny Axel that thinks he needs to prove himself to Agrius. I’m sure the thought of fighting Axel was unbearable to him. <3 Stay tuned next week to see the Pax brothers’ performance!

Oh! real question guys: Do you want me to label when we shift from book to book? I have context clues burred into the stories, but would you prefer something less subtle? I can invest in neon signposts. With glitter. And those fluttery, streamer dudes.anyway, let me know!

Footnote:

[1] “I’m not Hiro.”

#Tales from Mount Othrys #PJO #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #HOO #Heroes of Olympus #fanfiction #I actually got to sleep enough AND I got another chapter out today! #Don't worry--the energy will fade with the caffeine <3 Legit though-thank you chumolooks for getting my ass off the metaphorical couch

[crqstalite]

❝ if you wanna talk, i’m here. ❞ or ❝ you’re my favorite person in the world. ❞

so! this was actually supposed to be written for someone else (who i have no idea) but i remember thinking that it was supposed to be for someone else not participating in shadow of the sith. it wasn’t supposed to be any of the outlanders, but it ended up being my mom!quizzy mierrio. because of the ending part, it’s considered part of shadow of the sith, but i don’t know where yet :/

either way! enjoy. a for angst.

written : 12.14.19. words: 3,004.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

mierrio likes to be alone. she enjoys it much more than having to spend time with someone, talking about obscure topics or worse, in pure, uncomfortable silence. something that often can be avoided by seeming as threatening as possible, or shocking someone into oblivion.

both of which, are her strong suits.

but sometimes, simply ignoring the problem or throwing lightning at it doesn't always work. sometimes her body is so exhausted she doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning, or the power that always flows through her bloodstream has suddenly cut off, and she's a shell of the sith she used to be. that scares her more than she even knew.

she's worn out. hair plastered to her face as she wakes up and tries to push herself out of bed, sadly finding the other side empty. it's cold.

nikky hasn't been here for a while.

mierrio can remember the first time they met. when she was still a budding acolyte doing at-the-time obscure tasks for her absolute insane master. a grin crosses her face, when she kept her hair boyishly short and actually wore sith robes. her still uncorrupted features, save for her golden eyes that had quickly replaced her green ones.

how the first time she'd seen him, she hadn't been intimidated. mierrio had barely been more than a child at the time, a measly twenty years old when her eyes first landed on the man. khem had been more than skeptical to leave her with him, even if he didn't directly show it. maybe it was because of her jaded personality or lack of baby face, andronikos didn't ever once comment on her age. in fact, even possessed an attraction to her that she'd quickly returned.

they didn't ever talk about her age. not until they'd been lazing around in the cockpit after her ascension to the dark council. admitting she didn't meet most legal drinking age policies until three days earlier (that being her birthday).

"wait," he sat up straighter, jostling her from her position stretched across his lap, "you're only twenty one?"

"yes?" she raises an eyebrow, as if it were common knowledge, "andronikos, how old did you think i was?"

"at least in your late twenties..." he admits quietly. maybe she hadn't been so evident in just how old she was. it wasn't like she went around telling that many people the year she had been born into the galaxy (or a hellhole depending on how she looked at it), "you never did tell me your birthday until the day of, sith."

"mmhmm. is there a problem?" she asks, dangling her legs over the edge of the captain's chair. he's uneasy. if andronikos is one thing, he's an open book through the force. he hides his true emotions behind a mask, but something always seeps through up top, and right now he's...

nervous. frightened. confused. usually he was a lot more happy to be with her, but nothing says he's excited to have his sith over his lap right at that moment, "how old are you?" she asks jokingly.

he's quiet for a moment, maybe formulating his next response. his hold on her isn't as tight anymore, so she has to actually lean against him instead of being able to look up at him without the arm rest stabbing her in the back. his heart is faster than usual, something she'd picked up on when she invited him to stay a night in her quarters instead of the crew cabin.

she liked just listening to him breathe in the ungodly hours of the night. it was nearly comforting when nightmares kept her up, and when andronikos did realize, he tried to stay up with her but she often fibbed and told him they'd gone away and to get some rest. they never really did.

"nikky?" she asks. it's been an uncomfortable amount of time without him answering such a simple question, "did my pirate forget his own age?"

"doesn't matter." he says eventually, his arm snaking around her waist to pull her closer again. peace has momentarily been restored, but she is curious, if not also suspicious. what does this mean, avoiding the topic entirely?

if mierrio vhella kallig was one thing, it was always some form of suspicious. and observant, if she were being generous. she had to be, being a slave and then an acolyte with an overseer who intended to kill her indirectly. and now that the topic has been brought up, she's not sure she just wants it to die. the few things she does know about andronikos are far and few in between, other than that he's been around the galaxy a few times.

he goes in to kiss her, but at the last second, she decides she wants answers, "how old are you, nikky?"

"still on that, sith?" he asks. she nods, a childish pout on her face. he sighs, already giving up to her. "i'm thirty-seven." he says defeatedly.

she pauses, frozen in between saying something else and registering his answer. on one hand, he has admitted to his age, which is finally something else she knows. but the disappointed look on his face also says exactly what she's thinking on the inside as well.

he's sixteen years older than she is.

does he think this changes things? that she'll leave just because a measly decade and a half seperates them in age?

"i get it. you tied yourself down to someone much older than you. heh, little disappointed huh?" he asks dejectedly, as she shifts herself to look at him directly, "there are plenty more fish in the sea."

she kisses him hard, both palms on either side of her face. he looks a little more satisfied, his lips painted with the red of her lipstick, "yes, but i happen to like the fish i caught. maybe he's a little older, but maybe fish age like fine wine."

he chuckles at her good-natured attempt to make him feel better, "you're my favorite person in the entire galaxy, andronikos revel. don't you ever forget that."

"whatever you say, miss mierrio kallig."

later she realizes just how stupid that sounded. wine aged for years. fish had a lifespan of two decades, if that.

she would love him forever.

mierrio also isn't a child anymore, as the pain in her back reminds her. she's not twenty one, she's twenty five. she figures she's a little undeserving of the pain though, she's technically still in the prime of her life.

well, putting it through hell and back didn't really help either, she thinks as she frowns.

though it seems so little changed, the scars that marr her pale skin are nearly a map to everything she's been through. almost having her body taken by a wayward master, nearly losing her body to force ghosts, her final fight with thanaton. among other things, fighting animals in the jungles of dromound kaas, the occasional duel with her acolytes.

the way her body filled out after her first pregnancy.

she'd always been skinny, to the point she thought she'd look like a grade schooler until the day she died. but maybe her body had finally kicked into high gear after it realized it was creating life instead of taking it. her breasts were the first, then it slowly spread over her body until she was self-conscious of putting on so much weight.

it's hard to get used to. the way most clothes and more importantly, armor don't fit the same way anymore is frustrating. her favorite armor has since gone unused because she's too wide in some places now. and even worse, she had been confined to their apartment for the last five months of being pregnant.

the rumors had only been blown out of proportion when she got back. the gossip was just childish at that point, but one that always struck hard was always the talk of ronin. someone had seen her out with him and andronikos, they must have, and jumped to conclusions. before the baby could even form his own words, people already had an opinion of him he had no control over.

she stayed in the apartment for months afterwards just because she was so embarassed. he was her baby, wasn't he? no matter how he came to her care, he was ronin revel, just as she was mierrio revel. the three of them weren't related by blood, but she felt closer to them than anyone she'd ever met before. looking at the baby twi'lek taking his first steps across the fury made her proud. that was her son, their son. screw what the others said.

she fell pregnant just after he turned three.

it wasn't as if she and andronikos had actively been trying for a baby, after so many years of being married and even before she hadn't been able to carry. to say the least, it was a joyous moment for those who'd previously inhabited the titan. corsha had been a turning point for everyone, she and andronikos had gained a family. he had his sky princess.

but something was just...off. nothing felt right anymore. maybe she was able to keep up with those on the council, but that didn't mean she still didn't feel so absolutely out of place. those on the council were decades upon decades older than her, and most didn't have successors or children. she was twenty-five, with two young children with targets on their back before they were even ten.

andronikos could lie, but not for forever. he was a pirate before, and though he'd given himself to her, that was always him. he didn't leave without her and their kids now, but there was always that wistful look in his eyes as he was in the captain's chair of the titan. she'd made him a father at thirty nine, and he was forty one now. if he hadn't had any when he was younger, why would he stick around now?

standing in front of the mirror, she can remember when getting up late meant finding one of andronikos' oversized shirts and trying to surprise him wherever he'd gotten off to, back when they lived on the titan it meant round two in the cockpit. but these days it meant trying to pull her hair back (she should really cut it again) and hoping to find one of her own shirts and checking on her kids. there wasn't time to laze around and get nothing done for days at a time anymore.

she looks tired. there are bags under eyes and some dark strands hang in front of her face. she's sore in a lot of places, and mierrio wishes it were for a different reason than exhaustion. eventually deciding on a loose shirt and leggings, she leaves the master bedroom to wander into the living room. it's still dark, so either it's been raining all morning or it's simply early. passing by a chrono, she finds it's a mixture of both. it's earlier than she usually wakes up (makes sense why she's still unexplainably exhausted), but it's also dark. the rain is pattering at the window, and it's soothing to be back on dromound kaas. she would've raised ronin here, had she had the funds for a home at that point in time.

"nikky?" she whispers, afraid he's hiding from her and planning to scare her. it wouldn't be the first time. without an answer, she steps closer to the couch.

a warm smile etches itself across her face. ronin is lying against his father, drool rolling down his face. corsha is all bundled up in a pink blanket in andronikos' arms, cheeks a rosy color she'd never been able to attain herself. a smattering of fluffy brown hair covers her skull, and she sleeps on peacefully.

she's perfectly a mix of her and andronikos. darker skin than hers, but tan enough to be a few shades lighter than her father. she doesn't have the same color hair than either of them, which was a surprise, but she's beautiful. her deep brown-green eyes are truly mesmirizing.

but his brown eyes have found her, and without even saying a word he's able to slip ronin off his shoulder and laying against the armrest of the sofa. in less than a second, corsha is recradled in his arms and he's up, leading her towards the kitchen, "good morning." he says.

"good morning to you too." she whispers, careful not to wake her daughter. though, the last year had proven the girl could sleep through a storm and not even stir, "why are you up so early?"

"princess was fussing earlier, so i took her out of our room before you woke up. ronin must've heard, so he got up too. we all fell asleep." he admits, putting his free arm around her, "heard you when he came by. figured the kid would feel better if he weren't lying upright when he woke up."

"oh." is all she can say, snuggling into her husband as he leans against the counter. he's so considerate, even if the rugged pirate look is what comes off first. his being a father has changed him, but maybe it's for the better. he's gotten extremely protective when he's out in the field with her now too.

"somethin' on your mind, sith?" he asks, and she's surprised he's caught on so fast. maybe he can hear her heartbeat as much as she can hear his, "you've been a little off lately."

"it's nothing. really." she says, just a tad too quiet for him not to suspect. if andronikos revel was good at one thing, it was gauging her reaction to just about anything, and she'd made it too obvious that everything was bothering her.

"sure."

a pause.

"just know you can always talk to me, mier." he says, "nothin's changed about that."

"i know." she whispers, "i've always known."

the silence isn't comfortable anymore. in fact, it's suffocating. the few people that even know about some of her true struggles don't even spend all that much time with her. ezridivia was halfway across the galaxy now, and tri'ama (mellena, apparently) didn't bother ever spending time with her these days (she didn't before, but after the debacle of the revanites on rakata prime, she thought the woman would at least visit). she offered good advice, but didn't relate with her as much. she wasn't married anymore, and spent most of her time gallavanting across the galaxy with the barsen'thor the jedi order (what had happened to that woman?).

why is it so hard to tell him about what's hurting her? because so much of her insecurities surround his hypothetical thoughts about their situation? how he really feels about everything?

how she's afraid one day he's going to fly off and leave her with corsha and ronin?

she grew up without a family. to make her own children do the same?

it would destroy her.

"i'm afraid one day i'm going to wake up without you. i'm afraid you're going to run again and i'm going to be alone again." she thinks, unable to even look at him before he picks up her chin, tilting it upwards to face him. he has a look of concern painted across his features.

"you're what?" he says incredulously, as if it's the biggest announcement of the millenia.

had she said that out loud? "it's not a big deal, andronikos. i'm just being childish."

"i'm not leavin' you. or the kids." he says firmly, "i'm not going anywhere, mier. i'd rather die first."

she's quiet for a moment. he's serious, something he typically was whenever it came to her or their small family. it isn't enough to get her to speak up, to say anything about how she feels. but maybe he understands that, because he doesn't press for information. he kisses her instead, "i wouldn't leave the one person that's the most important to me, sith."

-

"darth nox?" someone asks, as she adjusts where her saber hangs on her hip. ronin is prim and proper today, looking rather handsome in his youth corps uniform. even at twelve he's tall and lanky, at 5"6. she quickly puts the native flower in corsha's hair, her nine year old taking after her father and being rather fussy about being all dressed up for an outing, "the commander is landing. empress acina requests your presence at once."

"thank you." she thanks the nameless soldier as both children are herded off. she's promised them she'd take them out after meeting with the commander, so she's gone and hired someone to look after them for the time being. hopefully corsha doesn't become frustrated and begin practicing on the soldier. primping herself as she hurries along the black and red corridors, she tucks a stray hair behind her ear. it's lighter than usual, after she'd hacked off twelve inches or so. she'd gone for a less special hairstyle, planning a speeder ride in the jungle afterwards. one long braid down her back and a high collared robe, she could play responsible and imposing darth for a few hours and then get back to being what she did best - being a mom.

"empress." she nods, taking her place next to the woman. she acknowledges her as well, and she tries not to look around the throne room too much. it's been a long while since she was in the citadel, so much has changed.

she still wonders if this is where andronikos came first after zakuul took over.

"commander." acina's voice snaps her out of her thoughts, and her eyes widen once she realizes just who the commander is. other than the occasional news report, she's never taken the alliance very seriously. but flanked by two others she doesn't know, tri'ama amarillis-quinn has arrived, "welcome back to dromound kaas."

"acina," she nods in greeting, before turning to mierrio in well masked shock, "nox. it's been a while."

[anchanted-one]

Eternal War 29. Growing Pains

Four months later.

Senya was a master of the sword of the Zakuulan school. She had beaten countless opponents over the years, and some had called her the greatest blademaster of the age. But now she sparred with the Jedi Battlemaster Arro Silver. His skill was unparalleled. Even her own teacher Shoyisa, the Unrelenting Master of the Blade, would be no match for him. Her respect for him grew with each exchange, and she began to allow that this man really had beaten Valkorion in fair combat. Thrice, if you counted the times he beat the Sith Emperor who was an avatar of Valkorion. Lana hadn't been lying. Or exaggerating. His rispostes were perfect, his reflexes lightning-fast, his attacks nigh-unstoppable.

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And what was more important, people respected him for his abilities. His accomplishments. Jedi and Sith, Imperial and Republic, there was no difference. Senya had seen a lot of these men and women before, and she could tell just how much their morale had lifted just by seeing their old hero again. And that had been before this duel. They had realized that the stories simply could not match the man himself. Even the exiles and rebels from Zakuul were now firm believers.

Lana had been right, so right. It wasn't just his skill that was important, it was his effect as a symbol. He brought hope to a fight most had given up on winning.

Arro pivoted, abruptly changing the angle of his attack at the last possible second, then scored five more hits on her arms and chest before he finally knocked her training saber out of her hand.

"I yield," she said, panting. Laughing. How long since she had been pushed so hard like this? Senya thought that he could defeat Darth Prowle at her best, even as he was now. How good would he be at *his* best?

As their audience burst into applause, she regarded the Jedi, who seemed to be fighting off the pain again. "I dearly hope we never have to fight for keeps, someday, Commander," she addressed him. "I've never been at such a disadvantage before."

"I'll say!" Vortena chimed in. "You looked like you were trying to paddle a ship in the rapids with only your hand!" She fought the impulse to glare at him. She had to admit, he was probably right.

"Beautiful Display, Battlemaster!" the Sith Lord Darth Sapphirus rumbled. "Truly magnificent!"

"Thank you, Lord Sapphirus," Arro acknowledged.

 Senya took a few sips from the bottle Lem had offered her, watching for a while as the throng of admirers congratulated him on his skill. She was starting to have a great feeling about their chances.

*

It took a while before the crowd melted away, going back to their own business. Lana, TeeSeven, Theron Shan and Hylo Wisz were some of the few other than Koth who remained. In her typical fashion, Lana managed to look only professionally pleased rather than exultant as someone might expect of someone who had just seen how awesome her husband was. 

"That went even better than I had hoped!" She beamed. "I never expected Darth Sapphirus of all people to cheer that hard!" TeeSeven trilled an excited agreement, saying how wonderful it had been to watch him spar again.

"That makes me wonder how you failed to beat Arcann on Asylum," Koth said. "Senya did say that he's far stronger than her but less skilled. But you should have been able to take him."

"It's the carbon poisoning," Lana said. "It still affects him. The pain spiked just as he was about to finish off Arcann." 

"What...? Oh Hell! Dammit!" Now that she mentioned it, the reason was obvious! "But that's a huge liability, what if it happens again? You inspired a lot of people today, but if your body fails you again, Arcann will kill you. And the same people will end up *losing* all that hope!" 

"It worries me as well," Lana said. "I don't like having to just pray that nothing happens when you face Arcann the next time."

She tried and failed to hide the note of anguish she felt at the thought. Not for the first time, he felt envious of the Outlander, to have managed to so firmly earn the love of this ice-cold woman. While he was certain she could have just as easily fallen in love with someone else, Koth doubted she'd ever turn the galaxy upside down trying to save them the way she had Arro. For the first few months he had thought that she was lying about Arro, that she simply wanted to save her love. Over time, he had come to accept that Lana was too pragmatic to go that far out of the way even for someone she loved. 

But he had still wondered on occasion, as recently as their escape from Zakuul. Arro had shown his nobility, but Lana still had had to lend a shoulder for him to lean on from time to time just to walk; he'd been that weak. He had certainly never put on the display he had today. 

He had come to share Lana's faith in Arro's skills and presence. He had even come to ardently admire the heroism that had led Arro to risk his own life to save so many Zakuulans within hours of his escape. He hadn't realized until much later just how much of a risk it had been. Koth felt certain that even he himself couldn't have made the call that Arro had. 

"It's certainly a problem," Arro said. "But I won't be facing Arcann again for some time now. I will work with Oggurobb and Sana-Re, maybe even visit the Shrine of Healing on Voss. But we needn't worry ourselves sick right now. We move a step at a time."

Their collective relief was so clear that a dead man could have felt it.

*

Later that day, Arro stood in the War Room along with Lana, Theron, Koth, Senya, Hylo and Admiral Aygo. The day’s reports from their allies and teams across the Galaxy.

“Choza Raabat from Alderaan,” the Ithorian on the other end of the transmission reported. “I am pleased to report that we have finished stockpiling supplies. We will be ready to storm the bunker at your signal.”

“Veeroa Denz here,” said the Nautolan woman. “The teams on Nar Shadda are standing by.”

“Hemdil Tre from Hoth. We on Hoth are ready.”

“This is Leyta reporting from Tatooine. We are ready to begin.”

“Rokuss speaks. We Gormak are are ready to strike alongside our Voss brethren.”

“K’korohl here, from Belsavis. A day or a year, we will be ready when you give the word.”

“Excellent.” Arro approved. “I promise, it won’t be a year—a month at most. Once we begin, things will get intense, so remember to eat your vitamins, everybody!”

They all chuckled politely as they disconnected.

The reports were good beyond all expectations: teams on Coruscant, Corellia, Dromund Kaas, Begeren, Dromund Fels, and hundreds of worlds—Republic and Sith—had gathered all the necessary supplies and would continue training. When they received the word, all teams would mobilize at once. In a series of coordinated strikes unprecedented in their scale, these teams would attack the Shield Bunkers protecting every last one of the Star Fortresses, heralding the start of the Alliance’s major offensive against the tyranny of Zakuul.

Up until now, they had been playing a game of cat-and-mouse, small-scale sabotage and infiltrations, testing Zakuul’s defenses and their own new technology developed by Oggurobb. There had been a few defeats, but the shadow campaign Lana and Theron had helped Arro concoct had been overwhelmingly successful.

“Well,” Theron shook his head in wonder. “It’s all coming together! And so quickly too!”

“It was thanks to the intel Lana secured for us,” Aygo grinned. “We never would have gotten this far without it!”

“But it’s not just the intel,” Lana said. “Imagine us having gained the resources to tackle all those Fortresses in a single Operation! This is beyond what I had hoped for!”

“All that’s left is for Jorgan and Havoc to identify where on Zakuul our first strike should land,” Arro said. “When we finally strike, we need to hit as hard as possible.”

“And that’s yet another thing I can’t believe,” Senya said. “That your actions at the reactor could cause such a stir. For an Outlander, you have gathered a decent following on Zakuul as well!”

“That was only because Vaylin was the one who caused that incident,” Theron said. “In one move she showed that she was a danger, and the Outlander a friend.”

“Yep!” Koth said proudly. “It’s like I always said; it’s destiny, plain and simple! It was meant to be! We’re gonna win this.”

*

Above the skies of Zakuul, hundreds of rows of Eternal Warships were on display in impressive fashion. They seemed to be a cloud around the outer Atmosphere of Zakuul—around the Spire of the Golden Heavens, daunting in their size and a loud statement of invincibility. 

Vaylin stepped out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, Akahte on her heel. They strode together down the corridor, a dozen Knights standing guard on each side.

Arcann wasn’t happy. He never was anymore. His forces forever seemed on the back foot nowadays, the Outlander’s Alliance running circles around his people. “You return empty-handed, again!”

“I missed you,” Vaylin smiled. Her voice was playful, but her fury was bubbling just beneath the surface.

“The Outlander, the Gravestone, where are they?”

“Patrols in five sectors report no sign of either!” Vaylin sang. “Perhaps they’re just figments of our imagination!”

Arcann paced and seethed before his throne. “Someone knows the truth!” After thinking for a few minutes, he stopped pacing, and sat down very determinedly on the Throne.

“I know that look,” Vaylin teased. “You’re about to order something wonderful!”

“Choose one heavily populated planet in each of the five sectors. Take the fleet to each of them and commence orbital bombardment.”

“For how long?”

“Til’ they’re dust. Someone knows, someone will talk. But only if they are given reason to.”

Akahte could see the cruel delight on Vaylin’s face as they left to carry out Arcann’s order. She wanted this. But just as they prepared to board the shuttle, Vaylin stopped with sudden hesitation, and indicated that Akahte halt as well.

“Yes, Vaylin?”

“You don’t have to come with me,” Vaylin said softly. “This isn’t the path you hoped I would take.”

“Maybe not, but if you’re decided, then I set my opinions aside. I live only for you now. I will do whatever you ask of me.”

“Then I ask that you remain here,” Vaylin said. She sounded… sad. Conflicted. “I can no longer be the girl you deserve, and it would pain me for you to witness just how different I am from her.”

Akahte felt cold. “As you wish, Vaylin. But remember that I will always love you, always be proud of you. And if you end up thinking that this is the wrong path after all, you can change it—now, or in the future—and I will be waiting for you. I will always continue to hope”

Vaylin gave a soft gasp and pulled Akahte in a passionate kiss that Akahte eagerly returned. They broke apart, both trembling slightly, both with tears unexpectedly rolling down their cheeks.

Face flushed, Vaylin whispered. “This is the only path I have left to take. All others have been closed to me. I am a monster.” Glutton. Chimaera. “No matter how much I change, I will always revert at the end of the day.”

“You give yourself too little credit,” Akahte reassured her. “One day, you will see yourself the way I do—that every breath you take is in defiance to the man who tried to make you into that monster. That you are a wondrous, incredible young woman, strong—and in more than just in the Force. I will wait for you here on Zakuul. I will be here when you are ready to try again… and Vaylin? I love you so much!”

#swtor #star wars #fanfic #Anchanted-one #Eternal War #OC: Arro #OC: Akahte #lana beniko #Theron Shan #Koth Vortena #senya tirall #Arcann #Vaylin #Swtorhub

[rayraywrites]

Chapter 4

Pairing: Kuramochi Youichi x Sawamura Eijun

(minor: Furuya Satoru x Kominato Haruichi; Miyuki Kazuya x Kawakami Norifumi)

more ships to be added

Characters: Sawamura Eijun, Kuramochi Youichi, Furuya Satoru, Kominato Haruichi, Miyuki Kazuya, Kawakami Norifumi, Takigawa Chris Yuu (more characters to be added)

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Total Word Count: 4341

AO3

Summary:

In this universe, you don’t meet your perfect match by happenstance. You’ve grown up with them, maybe not physically, but they’ve always been there. In your mind. Speaking to you.

In this universe, humans are not the most powerful, and there’s pockets of our world that lead to the other. To the fae. And there’s so much more to them, than can ever be understood.

Eijun and Youichi. They stand upon the divide.

“It was as if I had emerged from a dream. The newly familiar trees suddenly gave away to the foliage I remembered from my youth. According to the villagers, I had disappeared for a few years, though they had long since given up on ever finding me. Even to this day, I’m not sure how I got to this other world, and that is the only word for it - a world, much unlike our own. Where strangely powerful beings with magic poured out of them like the way water flows down a river. But even more than the wondrous new experiences – I got to meet the one who completed me, the one who had remained suspiciously silent my whole life. His hair, a blushing pink, and sharp smile have begun to haunt my dreams.”

This diary entry was discovered amongst Isashiki Jun’s belongings following his return back to the human world (as he put it). He had vanished for a few years following a walk through his local forest. I have an instinct that he was able to cross realms because the forest was running along a ley line.

Based on this entry, I, and my esteemed colleagues, have postulated that his soulmate could have in fact been one of the elusive fae – but I cannot confirm this notion as he soon disappeared again. I have long assumed it is back to his matched.

Somewhere within me, I find pity welling up, as a match of that kind is doomed to fail from the beginning, by its very nature. The immortal fae and his very mortal human.

An excerpt from the “Book of Fae and Humans” written by Masuko T. (225 AD)

––––––

With a lively giggle, he clapped his hands together. Smiles were all that showed up on his face, for even when there was something that could make him unhappy, a small hum would appear in his head, or maybe sometimes an actual song could be heard bouncing around his head. It was always the same soothing voice, that wished him a “restful sleep” each night, or a “blessed day” each morning.

Not that he understood any of the words, nor their importance, as to him it was simply babble. But even when so young, he could sense the affection in the voice, and he responded in the only way he could.

Giggling and enjoying life to the fullest.

To his left, he could see his mother sitting on the big blue chair that she was always on when he went outside to play. He saw a dress in her hands, and smiled a wide, toothy grin at the pretty. sparkly material. He used to grab for it, even when she had refused, but the voice in his head would distract him when he threw tantrums.

So instead he laughed and clapped along to the music in his head, giggling at the lilting tones that rose and fell as they sang of a brave Fae warrior fighting her way through a horde of vicious hobgoblins. The song described the warrior’s near failure as a tremendous number of enemies encircled her, with bloody and disgusting weapons pointed down threateningly at her kneeling form. The little boy flinched, and cowered into himself. But then the voice soared, high in register, as it described the sudden surge of power that built up in the fae’s body, the support of her people filling her with the strength she needed to leap up. The voice sweetened slowly, describing the victory so earnestly, it almost brought tears to the listening boy’s eyes.

The boy was unable to understand the smooth flowing voice that sang in an otherworldly tone, and nor was he old enough to understand the meaning of the song. But yet, he felt the emotions welling up inside him, till he could no longer hold them back and instead large fat tears rolled down his cheeks. To his mother’s surprise however, there was no accompanying scream of pain or annoyance as was the usual occurrence, but instead only sniffles and fists struggling to wipe the tears and snot away from his face.

As the song reached its climactic finish, the warrior having defeated the hordes and returning to her people, where she was greeted by his loving and caring matched, who hurriedly began to heal all of the warrior’s wounds. The song ended with a joyous tone, pleasant and calming while also vivacious and lively, which managed to stem the flow of tears pouring down his cheeks. The ordeal left the little boy exhausted, for the changing emotions weren’t something his young body was accustomed to.

Slumping down slightly, he tilted his head back, to look up at the sky. A bright blue expanse greeted him, dotted with big, fluffy, white clouds. With a loud call for his kaa-chan, he began reaching up for the clouds, the tiredness from before quickly leaving him. Unconsciously, he shared images of the blue skies and clouds with his matched, unable to control his thoughts.

But these new images were soothing for the anxious fae, who had also received all the emotions and tiredness caused by the song. The clouds and sky indicated that things were fine, or at least, would be fine.

As the boy got distracted by the things around him once more, he clapped his hands again, trying to start another song, but unsure how he would go about it. Babbling came out of his mouth, his eyes crossing as he struggled to say the word that would get his wish across. Both in his mind and with his mouth, he tried to convey his desires, slowly but surely managing to shape his mouth around the word that he’d heard his mother say before.

唄 “Uta.” Song.

Giggling at the shocked gasp that reverberated in his head, mimicking the one that forced its way out of his kaa-chan’s lips, he called out again for a song.

For the boy’s matched, it was the first time the fae had heard the boy speak. And that the first purposeful word he ever said being for him, made the fae tear up just a bit. So he sang again, this time a soothing song of his own composition. It described the rolling hills of the Spring fields, melding with the Dark forest along their border till a fae could never tell where the Spring Court’s realms began, and the Autumnal Court’s lands ended.

And so the days passed, the little boy’s head filled with songs and stories, the fae spending his time crafting songs and absorbing everything he could from his young match.

––––––

He scrambled to sit down in front of his kaa-chan’s chair, the tone of her voice leaving no option but simple acquiescence. She had a soft smile on her face, and he never wanted to turn it upside down. He had heard from kids in the village that they never listened to their mothers, instead choosing to keep playing and ignore the demands of their kaa-chan. But he had seen their smiles turn upside down, frown his mother had said when he brought up the topic. So he promised himself to never let her frown, and instead did everything he could to make her happy.

So when she called, he came.

Settling himself comfortably at the foot of her chair, he tangled his fingers into the fabric of her dress, already impatient to go play games again. She seemed to sense his restlessness, as she quickly ran her fingers through his short hair, tugging lightly at the strands to bring his head up to face her.

“Youichi, you’re a big boy now, even if Kaa-chan wants you to stay her little boy forever.” He grinned toothily up at her, giggling when she tugged on an errant tuft of hair at his cheeky smile. He had seen his sixth winter just recently, something he brought up quite often, especially amongst the other boys in his village, all of whom were older than him and often teased him about his age.

She continued speaking in the soft, dulcet tones he’d come to realize meant that his kaa-chan was nervous. She didn’t want to discuss this topic, but had no choice. So he tried to control his wandering mind even more, and gave her his full attention. With a careful breath, both to stabilize her voice and for a final moment of stalling, she began telling him about the matched and soulmates. Immediately, he realized who she was talking about.

His Ei-chan!

They spoke in his head, and whenever Youichi was able to talk to Ei, he always felt really calm and happy. He didn’t tell his kaa-chan, but sometimes Ei even helped him with his reading, sounding out the words he was struggling with, and explaining the sentences till he understood them perfectly. His eyes sparkled as he reached out to his Ei-chan, excited to share the news in case his soulmate hadn’t known!

“Ei-chan! Ei-chan! Guess what? Kaa-chan told me that we’re matched! That means we’ll be together forever right?”

At first the only reply he received was a choked gasp, but then he heard the familiar soothing voice spill into his head. However, unlike the normal tinge of excitement that usually decorated Ei’s voice, some confusion and a bit of hesitance coated his words.

“I’m glad you know now Mochi! Forever is a long time kid, but if you’ll have me,” Ei’s voice broke a little, as if he was struggling even to think those thoughts, “I’ll be there for you, forever Mochi.”

Over the rest of his conversation with his kaa-chan, she told him everything she knew about the matched, about the inability to introduce yourself truly to your matched, about how all matched always meet up, even if it’s for a very short period. Youichi kept repeating all the information he understood to his Ei-chan, wanting to tell all the good news to his best friend.

But something made him confused, if everyone always met their matched, what about his kaa-chan’s matched? She rarely spoke about tou-san; only brought him up once a year in the middle of Winter. She would pull out a small frame from the back of the shrine, and move it to a place of honour at the head of her bed. Youichi had sneaked into her room once, to see that it was a painting of a man that looked a lot like him. Was that his tou-san?

Hesitantly, he placed a hand on his mother’s knee, pausing her in her speech, and asked his query with all the tactfulness he had gained in his six-years of living. “Kaa-chan, where is your matched? Where is tou-chan?” Unlike all other times he’d asked about his father, she didn’t seem as surprised by the question, though her face took on an expression of melancholy. She gently stood from her chair and moved to sit down on the porch alongside him. With a soft pull at his arms, he tumbled into her lap and cuddled into her chest.

“Your father, your tou-san, was one of the most loving and caring men I’d ever known Youichi.” Her voice shook slightly, as if trying to suppress the tears that were welling up inside her. “You’re right, he was my matched, and I’d known he was my soulmate from when I was very little.” Youichi saw the soft smile on her lips, a smile that only came out when she was exceptionally proud of Youichi.

He started slightly when he felt her hand raise to his shoulder, but settled again when she simply began running it down his back. “He was only a few years older than me, but he would defend me against all the boys in the village when they would go pick on me. You’re a lot like him Youichi,” she poked his nose lightly with the tip of her finger, pulling a small giggle out of his mouth. “We grew up together, one of the lucky pairs to be born near each other. Guess that should have been a sign?”

He was shocked to see tears building up in the corners of her eyes, and immediately reached up with his right hand to try and wipe them away. In his haste, he nearly smacked her in the face, but his concerned panic was enough to pull a watery chuckle from her, “it’s okay Youichi, Kaa-chan will be fine.” She took a steadying breath before continuing to speak, “anyway, a few years before we had you,, your father began began struggling with walking, and was often very weak. We were all concerned about him, but unfortunat–” she could no longer hold back her tears, so he watched in growing horror as they rolled down her cheeks. Clearing her throat, she managed to finish her sentence, “unfortunately, whatever problem he was facing it spread to his eyes as a ghostly film where he couldn’t see.” She smiled sadly, brushing away the errant tears with her fingers as she whispered the last bit, “he eventually succumbed to the pain just about a year after you were born.”

He felt a pressure building in his chest, something that had never happened before, which made him panic. The pressure continued to grow till it erupted out of him as a loud wail, and tears streaming down his cheeks. His kaa-chan looked so sad, and he wanted to remember his tou-chan. His chest was heaving as he struggled to get all these sudden emotions under control.

His mother chuckled weakly, recognizing the penchant for explosive crying as something her son had definitely inherited from her husband. Shushing her son gently, she slowly began to bracket the truth with a much happier ending. “But he loved you very much Youichi, in fact the first time he held you in his arms, he turned towards me and said that even if he loved me with his very being,” she paused to bend down and place a soft kiss on his brow, “he would fight for you with everything he had.

With that, she let the, now much calmer, boy go off to play with his friends, trusting that he had taken what was important from their conversation. As he glanced back towards his mother one more time, he saw that she had stood up on their porch, her hands clutching onto her sunhat tightly, but her eyes were focussed upwards on the skies. He turned back towards his friends, laughing loudly as they chased each other. He sent off short messages of affection to his matched, descriptions of the flowers and bugs they would find while playing.

For a child’s mind, those heavy emotions and feelings were short-lived, as they were slowly written over with events occurring in front of him. He didn’t remain concerned about his mother for very long.

But while he played, he would never know that she was praying for her husband to watch over their precious son, praying that the boy would never find out the true pain his father had to suffer in the last ten years of life. How there had been days where he hadn’t been able to sit up from the pain, but hadn't been able to simply rest his aching body. Or times when he couldn’t eat because swallowing hurt too much. She hoped Youichi never realized that she had felt all the pain her husband had, as with that level of inner torture, he hadn’t been able to block their connection enough – she had gone through it all.

But what she prayed for the most? Was that her son would never experience that pain.

––––––

Taking a deep breath, he let his shoulders relax slightly, keeping them pulled back. As he took another breath, he could feel the quiver of the feathers on his arrow brushing lightly against his cheek. For a moment it felt as if his entire sight was limited to simply the target sitting a good distance from him. He forced himself to ignore the distractions around him, how the branches of the trees swayed from the power of the wind, how many arrows that had missed his targets only to land harmlessly onto the grass. His vision narrowed swiftly, till all that was left was the red marking at the center of the cloth. He forced his senses to a point of awareness limited only to the weapon in his hand, and the target crying out for him. The hand holding his bow was steady, like a rock in its firmness, while he could feel the itch of the fingers pulling back the arrow, ready to let another loose.

Finally his fingers eased off on their pull, and he could feel as the tips of the feathers brushed their final touch against his cheek before soaring far from him. He felt the bend and sway of the arrow as it glanced against the bow, eventually leading to its direct trajectory. His eyes remained locked on the target, but he knew this one, this one would make it directly into the center. It gracefully made its way to the target, sinking forcefully up till the fledgling feathers were all that peeked out from the target.

He had closed his eyes just before the arrow made its mark, so the thumping noise of arrow piercing its way through the target was all he heard, and it was all the sign he needed.

Success!

Opening his eyes, he smiled brightly, staring at the target with a feeling of contentedness running through him. He had only managed to make his mark every fifth or so shot, so getting this one had felt so good, he almost shouted out in joy. In fact, he saw no reason to not shout!

“Kyahaha!! I did it!” He threw his hands up in excitement. Laughter bubbled up inside him, the relief at finally making such a good mark, but also amazement of the fact left him in an unstable position, where laughter was the only response he could produce. Still riding the high of his success, he excitedly reached out to his matched, knowing that Ei had been instrumental in his ability to make it.

Ei was never one to do any hunting himself, which was something Youichi didn’t fully understand as Ei had said that he lived in a village much like his own. But even so, he always gave Youichi all the support and advice he could. So he was extremely excited to be able to share this moment with his match.

“Hey Ei! Guess what?I” In the meantime, he began gathering up the arrows that had missed their targets, internally wincing at how many had simply soared beside them. He also made sure to pick up the game he had caught in the traps he’d set earlier in the day. For all his inexperience with hunting animals, Ei was inordinately good at figuring out the best way to trap small animals.

“What is it Mochi? Did you finally figure out how to walk without tripping?” He scowled and sputtered at the teasing Ei sent at him, even if his sudden growth spurt had in fact made it difficult for him sometimes. But he just wasn’t used to it! Not something Ei should have been teasing him over!

“Shut up baka! I meant I made my mark! The arrow sunk directly into the middle of the target!” He waited for the joy and elation that he knew Ei would be feeling, and he was absolutely correct when he heard the response.

“Really? That’s fantastic Mochi, I’m very proud of you – you’ve grown so much in such a short time.” He couldn’t help but blush at the praise Ei was heaping onto him, but simply laughed and continued to excitedly babble to Ei, receiving all the pleasing hums and “ahhs” he wanted.

That was something he had always appreciated. The fact that even when Ei didn’t seem to grasp all the nuances, he was always willing to listen. At first he had thought the maturity Ei showed was because he was older than him, but there was a voice inside him that said there was something else here at play. He could have excused the maturity, and the more formal manner of speech, but the almost ethereal singing and the complete lack of awareness of normal everyday things made any excuses futile.

There was only so many times he could explain the concept of a school to Ei before he felt something was off. Regardless of age, he would still know what a school was right? Or why they hunted for food. Or what a birthday was – Youichi had turned thirteen just the previous month, and like always Ei had been completely lost. But Ei was also exceptionally intelligent in certain areas, holding a mastery in artistic ventures as well as explaining strategy to him. Youichi rarely lost schoolyard battles after Ei started coaching his thinking.

One day, he hoped he would get to meet his matched, and be able to get the answers to the questions he’d been asking since he was a little boy. And maybe then, instead of Ei singing him to sleep, as he did each night, Youichi would be able to whisper his good night! and sing for Ei in his warbly voice.

“A really good job Mochi, I know how much you were struggling with your bow and arrow, but you did it. Just keep practicing each day. You got this!” Youichi blushed brightly again, laughing louder than before to mask his giddiness.

Kyahaha!

––––––

He remained light on his feet, running with a speed he had quickly become famous for in his village, but with the grace and agility he had trained into his body. Soundless he remained as he leapt over logs, avoiding brambles and branches with an ease that spoke of limitless comfort in these woods. His eyes barely glanced around his surroundings, instead locked onto the small tail of the deer he was following.

He had patiently waited for this deer to isolate itself from the herd, watching as it searched for better food, for access to clean water. He had seen that it was a strong deer and knew it would be a worthwhile catch for his village. Even though he tended to follow only those that were old or frail, listening to Ei would rub off on anyone, this time he couldn’t avoid the prize that walked willingly into his arms.

However, he still had to chase after the deer, so he followed along, trying to cut off the deer where he could but easily getting left behind by the much faster animal. For a second he debated giving up, returning to his hiding post to seek out one of the weaker deer, but then it paused almost briefly and glanced back at him. As if to mock his inability to keep up. So he glared, and forced himself to pick up the pace, managing to catch up to the deer enough that he was only an arm’s distance away.

As they ran, he began to notice that he was struggling to recognize some of the plants that he passed. And even when he recognized a shrub, there was a life to it that he’d never seen before. The sunlight that had been streaming high in the sky, it being midday and all, slowly disappeared which prompted him to take a peek up at the sky. Rather than a high noon sun, it seemed to be approaching the early morning rising sun.

His confusion inadvertently caused him to slow down till he was barely jogging. The deer had long ran away by that time, though he was already quite distracted from the chase. Running his fingers along a few of the low-hanging branches of a large willow tree, he noted that it felt much softer but more importantly, it almost felt more alive. He had also never seen a willow tree this deep into the woods, only ever near the village where they’d been purposefully planted many years before he’d been born. But even though he was distracted by the odd foliage, his ears remained attuned to his surroundings.

So when he heard a branch snap, he immediately became alert, hands grasping his weapons tighter, and feet spreading slightly so that he could run again, should the need arise. He could see that there was someone standing behind one of the trees to his left. Everything inside him was screaming for him to get away, not trusting anyone who simply stood and watched others, but he found he couldn’t convince his legs to cooperate. He remained rooted to the same spot, wincing as the person slowly stepped out from behind the tree. His eyes widened marginally as he gazed upon the resplendent beauty of the figure approaching him.

He felt his shoulders shudder from the nervous energy coursing through his body. The hand resting on his quiver twitched, ready to notch an arrow and let it fly if necessary. There was something about the ethereal being in front of him that made him want to come closer, but everything he had learnt growing up told him that a decision like that would only lead to doom. He trembled slightly as they stepped closer towards him, away from the tree’s shadow. Immediately his hand clenched his bow tighter, ready to spring into action. In his mind he kept repeating the same wish for the person to leave him; something made him hesitant to yell this desire out loud – he trusted those instincts.

But suddenly, the approaching person froze, and a shocked expression passed across his face, before it turned into hesitance. Then he heard it.

“Mochi?” The figure’s voice was soft and smooth, but what shook him to his core, was the accompanying familiar voice echoing in his head.

Mochi?

#daiya no ace #kurasawa #kuramochi youichi #sawamura eijun #ace of diamond #a faerie tale #ray ray writes #chapter 4

[narutostuff101]

Temari and Shikadai Fanfic

Well, it looks like number 3 got the most votes not that I’m surprised or anything since I know ya’ll love Mama Temari and Shikadai. Number 2 (Temari and Mirai) got pretty close; it was only one vote short. So, I’m might write it sometime this week. But for now, please enjoy a Mama Temari and Shikadai moment (with some Shikatema of course because why not 😏)

Going away

Temari double checked the contents in her bag to make sure that she had everything she needed for the trip. There wasn’t much to pack since she was only going for a few days and she didn’t want to overpack either. 

Putting a hand to her chin, she began to mentally tick off everything from her things-to-bring list. After some thought, she felt that she was forgetting something...

“Are you ready?” 

Temari looked over her shoulder to see her husband standing at the doorway. He had his hands in his pockets in a relaxed manner. 

“I guess so... though I think I’m forgetting something...” Temari muttered, still trying to remember what else she needed to pack.

“Have you packed your swimsuit, Tem?” Shikamaru suggested cheekily.

Temari shot him an annoyed look. “Why would I need a swimsuit if I’m going to Suna?” She snapped at him. 

Shikamaru laughed softly, “I’m just kidding.” He scratched the back of his neck and asked her thoughtfully, “Hm...photo album?”

Temari gasped and snapped her fingers. “Yes! That’s what I’m forgetting.” She exclaimed. Temari headed over to the cupboard and rummaged through the drawer and took out a photo album, holding it up high in triumph. 

“Thank god you reminded me.” She sighed in relief. Besides than to see her brothers, Temari’s trip to Suna was to show them Shikadai’s baby pictures. She had compiled their family photos that were taken over the past two years into a photo album for her brothers to keep. Temari wanted to give it to them personally and took it as a great opportunity for her to visit her hometown. This would be her first visit in nearly 3 years. 

She put the photo album into her bag straight away in case she would leave it behind and zipped the bag. She’s done packing. 

“Yosh!” She carried the bag on her shoulders and walked towards Shikamaru who was still standing at the door. 

“I’m off.” She told him. 

“Hm.” 

“What? No ‘I’m going to miss you’?” She asked teasingly. 

“Nope.” Shikamaru grinned and bent down to kiss her cheeks and lips. When he pulled back, he chuckled. “Because I think there’s someone else who’s going to be missing you.”

Temari let out a small groan. For the past one week, Temari had slow-talked her son everyday about her going away for a few days to visit Uncle Gaara and Uncle Kankuro at kaa-chan’s old house’. She thought that by doing so it would have  mentally prepared him for the day of her departure but she was disheartened to learn from Shikamaru that Shikadai had came crying to him last night when he saw her bag on the bed. 

It would be an understatement to say that Shikadai was close to Temari, because, he had been attached to her ever since the day he was born. Shikadai always wanted his mom for himself and would become unhappy if she did not pay attention to him. So yes, they were more that just ‘close’. 

Now that she thought about it, Temari had never stayed apart from Shikadai before. Although she had been so worried of his reaction, she was starting to query her own feelings on leaving him behind.

Temari sighed deeply. “I wish I could bring him.” Even though she said that, she knew they were just words to make her feel less guilty for leaving her baby behind. Suna’s harsh and extreme weather wasn’t really an ideal vacation spot for a two and ahalf year old child. Besides, during this time of the year, the temperature there could soar up to 45 degrees Celsius. It’s scorching hot. 

Shikamaru did not answer her and gently stroked her hair instead and gave her shoulder a little squeeze. He offered her a sympathetic look.

With a heavy heart, Temari made her way to the living room where Shikadai was happily playing with his toys. He looked up when his mother entered and his eyes immediately spotted the bag that she was carrying on her shoulders. 

“Kaa-chan?” Shikadai called out, his innocent face showed confusion. He clumsily got up and toddled towards his mother. Temari knelt down and reached out her arms to pull him into a hug. 

After struggling to release himself from her clutch, Shikadai looked at her with an almost-too-serious expression for a two and a half-year old. 

“Kaa-chan where’re you going?” His little innocent voice spoke. Shikadai’s eyes were wide and it was so difficult for her to not break eye contact. He looked like was about to cry. 

“Kaa-chan is going to visit Uncle Gaara and Uncle Kankuro remember?” She told him slowly and clearly so that he would understand. “Kaa-chan will be back before you know it.” She added with a soft smile.

Behind her, Shikamaru stood silently watching the mother-son exchange.

“C-can I come?” Shikadai asked hopefully. Temari struggled to keep a calm face. It wouldn’t do if she lost her composure; that will only make it harder to say goodbye. 

She wanted to choose her words carefully, but found that it was too difficult to say no. Thankfully, Shikamaru answered Shikadai for her. 

“I think it’s better for you to stay here with me, Shikadai. The place Kaa-chan is going is no fun.” He told him mildly. 

Temari had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes at that snide remark. Little Shikadai stared at her as if to ask for a confirmation to whether that statement was true or not. Or maybe, he just didn’t understand... which... was more likely to be the case, Temari mused. 

Shikadai tugged on the collar of her kimono (tomoeri)* wearing a sad face. Temari took a deep breath. This was hard. 

“Shikadai... Kaa-chan will be back soon... You stay here with Tou-chan okay?”

Even though her son looked like he was in the verge of crying, he had nodded at her words. 

“Promise you’ll be a good boy?” 

He was now rubbing his wet eyes with the back of his tiny hands, all the while nodding to whatever she was saying. Temari smiled. Her boy was strong. 

“Okay...good boy...” Temari pulled him into another embrace and kissed the top of his head affectionately. When she let go, Shikadai tip-toed to place a wet kiss on her cheek before tottering over to Shikamaru and burying his face into his father’s pants. Shikamaru reached down and carried him into his arms. Shikadai pressed his face against his father’s chest as tears streamed down his rosy checks and Shikamaru caressed his back soothingly. Temari sighed heavily. 

It was time to go. 

Temari straighten up then readjusted the bag on her shoulder. They accompanied her to the Genken where she proceeded to wear her sandals. 

“Well, goodbye then.” She said once she was all set to go. Shikamaru waved goodbye and so did Shikadai while sniffing back tears. 

Temari gave a long look at her son’s red crying face and felt that she didn’t have it in her to leave. Was it okay for her to go? Will he start wailing if she walked through the door? Maybe she should stay, and go another time once Shikadai is older? 

Doubt filled her heart and it became more difficult to turn her back on her son. That was, until she heard him utter in a small voice:

“I-itte rashai, kaa-chan.”**

Upon hearing that, the doubt in Temari’s heart disappeared and she eased up.

Her boy will be alright, she thought to herself. He had Shikamaru to look after him and even so, she would be back in no time. She silently thanked Shikadai for saying those words for it was like he was telling her to not worry about him, and have a good time. Her heart grew warm and amiably, she replied to her son, 

“Hai, itte kimasu!’***

Taking one last look at her husband and child, and knowing that everything will be fine, Temari exited her house with much lighter heart— ready to see her brothers. 

The End

*tomoeri - the collar part of a kimono 

**Itte rashai - it’s a common Japanese phrase that people say to those who are leaving the house

***Itte kimasu - the counterpart for itte rashai, said by the person who is leaving the house 

A/N: Y’know I really love Temari and Shikadai’s relationship. Temari is such a great mom and Shikadai loves Temari so much. That’s why he’s such a mama’s boy. Anyways, stay tuned for my Temari and Mirai fanfic. As always, thank you for reading. 

#temari #shikadai #naruto fanfic #Temari and shikadai fanfic #shikatema ish #not really #lol #time to sleep

[ramblinganthropologist]

Dragon Age 100 - 1 (beginning)

Summary: Everyone’s gotta leave home sometime. For Kaaras Adaar, it’s that day. He might be nervous, but luckily his family is there to see him off as he seeks to prove himself ready.  (Set 4 years before DA:I)

---

“Well... today's the day da'len. You ready?”

Kaaras had never been less ready in his entire life as he stepped out from the aravel he shared with his parents. It wasn't quite dawn yet, but his clan mates were already starting their day. None of them particularly paid him any mind, but a few nodded as he passed.

In front of him, his uncle Bori – Borelas, but nobody ever called him that – was leading him towards the edge of the camp. His mismatched step foretold a bad leg produced by an even worse explosion. Sometimes he showed the gnarled, scarred flesh that ended in a wooden foot as a reminder of why you always needed to check before you blew things up. It was a lesson young Kaaras kept in his mind whenever he got to work.

“Can't believe you're 20 already. The last few years just flew by. Seems like just yesterday I was teaching you the different ways to set a bomb up.” Bori was surprisingly talkative for the morning. “Don't forget any of them, you hear? Otherwise we might get you back in pieces.”

Kaaras managed a stiff “I won't, Uncle Bori.”

Stiff was the perfect way to describe him. He was walking as though he was made of wood as he followed behind his uncle to the clearing. For weeks he would know this day was coming – they had planned it down to the detail. He had thought he would be calmer... but as it turned out, he was as bad as ever.

At least he was starting in familiar territory before he plunged into the unfamiliar lands beyond where his family could find him.

Really, this was a tad unusual for Clan Lavellan. Normally apprentices didn't just go off before their training had finished and their vallaslin given. Kaaras had neither to his name at that point of time, even at his age. Instead, he was taking part in what his uncle jokingly called the sapper's legacy – taking his skills beyond the clan to hone them in the hopes he would find his way back one day with the same number of pieces he had left with. Last time someone had gone out like that, they'd come back with his mother.

So... it had a great track record for qunari retention.

“Relax, da'len. You're going to be just fine. After all, I trained you.” Bori gave him a bright grin as he thumped his nephew on the shoulder. “You remember where you have to go, right?”

Kaaras nodded as he recited the old directions. “Eagle-Eyed Strikers, near the Ferelden border, look for the elven man with grey hair and an eye patch that looks like he needs to take a shit.”

His uncle barked out a laugh as he slapped the young man on his back. “That a boy. You'll be just fine. Old' shit face has been dying for some new blood. He won't say no to you.”

Boy, he hoped so – otherwise he'd be coming back to the clan empty handed. That was worse than anything else Kaaras could imagine as he gripped his pack tighter between his shaking hands. He knew how the rest of the clan thought of him. In the end, he was the boy who had failed at nearly every type of training. There was really nothing left for him should he flunk out of this one. He had never seen an adult member of the People without their vallaslin, and the sinking suspicion that he could be the first had kept him up at night for weeks. Now it was time to prove himself in a do or die last ditch effort to show he was worth something.

No pressure, right?

“Oh, they beat us here. Must've been up all night.”

Bori's words made Kaaras pick up his head. At first all he saw was blobs, but as they grew closer features came into view. A small group of people were waiting for them, four elves and two qunari. The youngest two should have been fast asleep, but they were the most electric of all as he approached behind his uncle.

Damn, the whole family was up.

“Hope you didn't think you could just leave and not say goodbye, you asshole.” Jackel, his cousin, was perched on his brother Akri's shoulder. She leaned forward to thump him lightly on the arm. “No way we were missing your send off.”

Below her, his brother nodded so hard she nearly fell off. “You can't shake us that easily, Kaas.”

Kaaras found himself smiling as he rubbed his arm. “I just didn't expect you to be up so early is all. Especially you, Akri. Don't you have training today?”

Unlike him, his brother had a place in the clan. Soon he would take on the roles of first's apprentice in the hopes of becoming the clan's leader one day. It was a big responsibility, but his broadening shoulders were more than capable. By the time Kaaras returned, he would probably be well on his way and marked for one of their gods. Which one, he wasn't sure – hopefully not Elgar'nan. Ouch.

“I'll keep him up, don't change the subject.” Jackel was herself, even in the morning. Smaller than any of them, what she lacked in stature she made up with in skill. One day soon she'd probably be ready to take on her clan role as well. It was hard to picture it as the light reflected on her sleepy face, but it would happen. He would just have to hope he got there first. If he got there at all.

Together, the two gave him a brief squeeze that could only come from two exhausted adolescents trying to stay away. Their warmth brought tears to Kaaras' eyes as he squeezed the back twice as hard, carving the feeling into his memory. On long nights, he could come back to this and the thought someone was waiting for him back home. It would keep him going.

Behind the three, someone cleared their throat. Revas, his aunt and the clan's leader, stepped forward with her first and second. Samahl was his uncle, his wife's double, and he nodded. Emerion, on the other hand, looked torn between pride and parental fear. In the end, it was his first son leaving home. How could he not be emotional?

“We should get started. Kaaras has a long way to go to reach the border.”

“He's got long legs, lethallin.” His mother's voice boomed from the side. She too was proud, and the sight of it bolstered his spirits. If one of the clan's best crafters had faith in him, than maybe he would be ok. Then again... Herah was his mother. That did include bias.

Her off the cuff remark caused Emerion to chuckle. “Not as long as yours, but a good point regardless.”

Revas nodded, but then it was back to business. She turned to face Kaaras once again, and from her pocket produced a length of cord. On it was hung a clan amulet, much like the one everyone in the clan wore to mark they were part of the family. This she slipped over his head, careful to avoid his curving ram-like horns. Clearly, she must have practiced this move the night before.

“We are here to witness one of our own taking off as so many others have. He seeks to hone his skills and knowledge to benefit the clan. With luck and by the will of the Creators, he will return.” Her eyes glistened. “And we will welcome him when he does.”

Kaaras' heart thudded under his new amulet. “I'll make you proud, hahren.”

“You better. We have a track record to hold up.” Revas' looked back to his parents. “You two should get your goodbyes in before he goes. It's going to be a hot one today if he doesn't get started.”

Emerion's composure broke with his posture – he barely managed to wrap his thin arms around his son's larger frame as he attempted to hug the life out of him. Kaaras' shoulder was wet, and it wasn't from the morning dew. The feeling made his own eyes well up as he hugged back, careful not to break his father in half. That would be... bad to say the least.

Herah, never really a hugger, squeezed him on the shoulder. “Watch so you don't hit your head, imekari.”

She rarely dipped into her native Qunlat some days, but that word was always special to him. A new lump formed in Kaaras' throat as he nodded. Soon his composure broke, and he was hugging his mother as hard as he could. She didn't tense this time, and instead returned the gesture. Her hugs were rare too, but he always treasured it.

Time was growing short though as the sun rose higher and the fog burned away. When he backed away from his parents, Kaaras could just see its glow. He swallowed back whatever was blocking his throat as he grippe his pack tighter, straightening. For once he would be strong.

“I promise I'll come back and surprise you all.”

Bori chuckled from behind him. “Well, you heard him. Have a little faith, I trained him.”

“That's exactly why we worry, Bori.” Revas' voice held a teasing note that made the young man chuckle. The anxiety slowly melted away, replaced by a rare anticipation for the journey ahead. Maybe he would be ok. “Well... I think we've said what we need to. It's on you now, Kaaras.”

Time to go. Kaaras nodded and stepped away from his family. In front of him stretched the barely there path that would take him away from clan Lavellan and everything he had known. Soon he would be in human lands, with all the mess that entailed.

But for once, he felt ok. They thought he could do it.

With one final deep breath, he pushed off and started to walk. Behind him, Jackel and Akri called out their wishes of luck and reminding him to stab a few Templars for them. He thought he heard a choked back sob from his father as he held Herah close, but he didn't look back to check. Soon, the sounds died out and he was on his own.

His final training had at last begun. Where it would take him, even he didn't know. But he was ready. And with luck and some good sense for explosives, he would return one day with the stories and techniques he had learned.

But first... Ferelden. He had to find an elf who looked like he needed to go to the bathroom.

#ramblinganthropologist's Dragon Age 100 #ramblinganthropologist's writing #Kaaras Adaar #an his family

[lisatelramor]

LitA Extra: The AU where Kaito Stays with the Kudos

Ordinarily I read stuff over and edit and typo check but I just. Want to get this out there. So I stop poking at it. So Here. Have almost 40,000 words of AU of AU. This diverges directly after Kaito sleeps with Ran and Shinichi where he has the choice of staying for breakfast or (fleeing for his life) leaving. In this, he stays and staying changes everything...

“I should go,” Kaito said out loud. Some of the sleepy relaxation left them, Kudo’s hand pausing at Kaito’s hip.

“You could stay for breakfast,” Ran offered.

Kaito pictured it, sitting down at the Kudos’ table as they went about their daily routine. Either things would start to feel awkward the longer he sat there, out of place in their lives, or he’d be folded into their life seamlessly like he had always been there. He wasn’t sure which would be worse—awkward moments could be worked past. Fitting into their life though... that was too much. Too tempting. Something he didn’t deserve.

“I...” Kaito started to refuse and made the mistake of catching Ran’s eyes. The words died in his throat.

Ran touched his cheek, so careful of the prosthetic there that his makeup must be pretty much useless in hiding it right now. “Please. We’d like you there.” Kudo’s hand joined hers, wrist warm against the back of Kaito’s neck. How could he refuse when Ran was looking at him like he mattered? When they still held him too gently?

His throat felt tight. “Okay.”

Ran smiled and gave him a quick, chaste kiss.

“I can’t stay long,” Kaito forced out around the clog in his throat. There was always too much he had to do, even on the weekend.

“Then we’d better get up.” She slid away, leaving his front cold. Kaito shivered and Kudo’s thumb rubbed against the back of his neck.

Kaito sat up. Ran put on a robe. He was a bit disappointed to see her covered again; he’d felt the muscle on her, but seeing it clearly was different. She could kill someone with her legs. Kaito blinked as Kudo’s warmth left his side, turning in time to get an eyeful of him too. At least he could say he had a taste for attractive people.

The patter of footsteps outside the door heralded their daughter’s arrival. “Kaa-chan, Tou-chan, wake up! Wake up!”

Kudo scrambled for boxers as the door rattled, the handle too high for her to quite reach, though who knew what a determined toddler could manage. Kaito looked around for his clothes, latching onto where they hung half on a chair by the window. His underwear didn’t seem to be in sight. Kaito grabbed them and stuffed his legs in without them. Either he could find them later or he could give them up as a loss. It wasn’t like the DNA evidence was worth worrying about when there was a used condom leaking on the bed. It had to have fallen off when he pulled away from Ran earlier.

He wrinkled his nose and tossed it.

There was a loud bang on the door and Kudo swore under his breath. “Just a minute, Hanae! Kaa-chan and Tou-chan are getting up!”

Despite himself, Kaito smiled. “They don’t give you any time for yourself at that age, do they?”

Kudo shot him a bemused look, tossing a robe of his own over his shoulders. It turned into concern as he looked closer.

Kaito looked away like it would hide the tear tracks on his face or how hard it was to pull his masks back on. He knotted his fingers together, balanced on the precipice of leaving after all.

Ran brushed his shoulder. “There’s a bathroom right off our room. If you need a moment...”

Kaito could have kissed her, almost did kiss her, but he wasn’t sure what the boundaries were now that they were out of bed. Instead he shot her a strained smile and ducked into the bathroom. As he shut the door, he heard Ran finally open the bedroom door and Hanae’s happy squeal as she barreled into the room.

Kaito tuned the bedroom out and checked his face in the mirror. He was a mess, makeup streaked and prosthetics holding on by some minor miracle. He looked like he’d cried his eyes out. It wasn’t inaccurate. How the hell did he have tears now when he couldn’t summon any for Jii? Contrarily, his eyes prickled again. He took a deep breath and shoved that feeling down. Shoved everything down until all that was left was small enough that he could pull his masks back up. Kaito tried a smile. It looked real enough, could be real enough if Kudo or Ran smiled at him.

It took a handful of minutes to fix his makeup and reattach the prosthetics and put himself into some sort of order. Kaito smiled at himself in the mirror again. Tried to feel it. It didn’t work when the post-coital warmth had faded into anxiety and guilt. What was he doing here? If he went down and joined them at breakfast, he was going to cross a line. Another line. If he joined in domesticity, he’d want to keep it and Kaito had never been good about ignoring things he wanted.

He let himself out of the bathroom. Ran and her daughter were gone, but Kudo was still in the bedroom, taking the time to make the bed.

“I think these are yours,” he said, tossing Kaito his underwear.

Kaito couldn’t help flushing, tucking them away into one of his hidden pockets. “Thanks.”

“Ran wanted to know if there was anything you like to eat for breakfast.”

“I eat pretty much anything. Except fish,” he added, shuddering internally.

Kudo’s brows went up at that. “How do you avoid eating fish in Japan?”

“Very carefully.” It was a personal detail freely given. He knew dozens about Kudo and Ran. They barely knew him at all in comparison. Kaito had no idea what he was doing. The space between him and Kudo felt like a canyon instead of a few meters. He didn’t let any of his uncertainty show on his face, giving Kudo a faint smile. “Breakfast?”

“Yeah.” Kudo’s gaze lingered on him for a moment before he led the way. “...Ran usually makes something traditional on weekends. I’ll let her know about the fish.”

“Thanks...” The urge to reach out and touch, to seek some sort of...of tactile affirmation reared its head. Kaito stomped it down. That would just be needy and pathetic and he’d already let himself be too vulnerable.

Ran had already started the rice, Hanae balanced on her hip as she started in on making miso soup. Kudo crossed to her and took their daughter from her arms with a whispered word. Ran nodded and sent a smile Kaito’s way before going back to breakfast prep.

“Anything I can help with?” Kaito asked.

“No, just take a seat,” Ran said.

“We’d only be in the way,” Kudo said. In his arms, Hanae turned to stare at Kaito.

“Tou-chan... Who?” she mumbled, half-chewing on one of her fingers.

“This is a friend,” Kudo said, rearranging his hold so she could get a better look at Kaito without falling over. “He’s having breakfast with us this morning.”

Hanae gave Kaito the unwavering stare that only very young children could seem to pull off and that, at least, was something he was familiar with. Children he could handle.

“Hey, Hanae-chan! You can call me Kid, ok?” He let a pack of cards fall into his hand, serving dual purpose of child entertainment and keeping his hands busy as he shuffled it. “Want to see something cool?”

She smiled around the finger in her mouth and Kaito smiled back. A real smile because how could he not smile at a cute child when they were smiling at him? Kaito made the cards arc between his hands dramatically in increasingly complex motions until at the end of one big arc, he vanished them entirely. Hanae gasped.

“Hmm, now where did they go?” He made a show of looking up his sleeves as his audience giggled. He pulled out a handkerchief and shook it. A bouncy ball and a feather seemingly fell out of it. He caught the ball, juggling it one handed. “Not there.” Another handkerchief and two more balls. “Or there.” He looked at Hanae and Kudo smiling at him, caught up in his impromptu performance. “Where do you think they went?” Three balls juggled in his left hand as he paid them no attention.

“...Your shirt,” Hanae said.

“My shirt. In my sleeves?” He swapped juggling back and forth to show his empty sleeves.

“The front!” Hanae said, pointing.

“Front pocket...” Kaito stuck a hand in the chest pocket. “Nope, only ten yen.” The coin joined the balls. “Hmm... I think...” He crossed over to them, Hanae grinning behind her hands. “I think you might have it.”

“No!”

“Really? Then what’s this?” He made it look like he pulled a deck of cards from behind her ear. Hanae gasped. “Looks like you had it after all!” Kaito tucked the cards in his front pocket and caught the balls one by one before twisting his wrist and replacing the balls with a tiny paper flower. “I think this is for you. A lovely flower for the flower girl.”

Hanae clapped enthusiastically. Children were always the best audiences. For once, Kudo didn’t look like he was trying to pick apart Kaito’s performance either. He just looked glad to see his daughter happy. The warm smile on his face tripped Kaito up a bit, especially when it turned on him. Kaito always wanted what he couldn’t have. Kaito let Hanae take the flower in a crushing grip that would ruin it sooner rather than later, but her happy smile was all that really mattered. When Hanae reached arms in his direction to be held, Kaito looked to Kudo for permission before taking her from his arms.

The toddler immediately started patting for Kaito’s various hidden pockets. Like father, like daughter; they had to know what was behind the mystery.

“You’re good at that,” Kudo said.

“Naturally. What kind of a showman would I be if I couldn’t pull off a bit of sleight of hand?”

“Showman, huh? Well you do like getting everyone’s attention.” The fondness hadn’t left Kudo’s face.

Kaito didn’t know what to do without the usual danger underneath their words. He swallowed and kept a cheerful face on. “What can I say? I like being in the spotlight.” Hanae had finished her investigation and pulled the cards back out of his chest pocket, dropping them on the floor one by one. He’d pick them up in a minute. “Children aren’t usually critics either.”

“Breakfast!” Ran said as the rice cooker clicked, finishing its cycle.

Somehow during his show she’d managed to not only finish the soup, but fry several eggs. She slid the eggs over a bowl of rice for each of them and ladled the soup into bowls as Kudo set his daughter in a highchair. There were even two little bowls for Hanae, a tiny smiley-face on the egg in ketchup. It was so domestic. Kaito sat on the edge of his chair, too on edge to relax as Ran gave him his serving.

“You’re good with children,” Ran said, coming to sit at Kaito’s side, her and Kudo bracketing their daughter between them in anticipation of having messes to deal with.

“Children are easy to get along with,” Kaito said, going for honesty again. “They’re straightforward in what they feel and need.” Hanae picked up a squat children’s spoon, jabbing it into her eggs and rice with enthusiasm. Takumi at that age had gone from shoving things in his face with his hands to a weird aversion to anything getting him sticky and as a result would try to use his utensils with a very serious expression that had looked strange on a child’s face.

Kudo had poured coffee, offering Kaito a cup.

Kaito took it even though he preferred his coffee with cream and sugar. Their hands brushed passing it off and he felt it all the way up his arm. “Itadakimasu,” Kaito said softly, using the meal to escape conversation. Beside him, Kudo and Ran exchanged a few words about plans for the day in between helping Hanae with her breakfast. It could have felt like he was being shut out except that they kept their bodies angled toward him, open and accepting. The small glances sent Kaito’s way. Ran’s body comfortably in his personal space when she leaned to get the soy sauce from the middle of the table. He couldn’t share about his day. He didn’t even know where to start to keep the lines between personal and impersonal blurred. There were reasons that he’d kept Kid on a business only relationship with the people around him, but he’d crossed that line last night, no, crossed it a while back when he started watching them in their home.

The Kudos moved around him with Kaito in their space like he belonged, like all those times of watching he could have slipped in easy as you please. The coffee scalded his tongue, bitter and sour without sweetener. He couldn’t say if the meal was good or not. Hanae spilled miso broth around her bowl. Kaito had a napkin in hand before either of her parents could finish reaching for one.

“Yeah, soup’s hard,” he said to her unhappy expression at her food not getting to her mouth. He leaned past Ran to clean off her chubby baby fingers and help reposition them on the spoon. “Take it real slow, kiddo. You’ve got to keep practicing to get it right all the time. You’re doing pretty good though. Look at how you made it through half the bowl already.”

“‘s good,” Hanae said, meaning the soup so far as Kaito could tell, smile back already. Smiley kid. A happy kid.

Kudo was watching again and Ran hadn’t said anything at all about him barging into her personal space to touch her baby, and Kaito hadn’t even thought that he shouldn’t; it was ingrained like correcting Takumi’s grip on his pencil was ingrained or readjusting tiny fingers for learning a basic magic trick. It gave too much away and not enough at the same time and Kaito could leave them wondering or he could keep pushing them away at arm’s length.

They’d kept his flowers, two red roses on their bedroom windowsill, pulled him into their bed and hadn’t asked anything of him so far.

“I have a kid,” Kaito offered as he settled back in his own seat. Calculation on Kudo’s face, that need to dig, and polite curiosity on Ran’s—they wanted to push but he knew they wouldn’t. They were worried they’d scare him away, Kaito realized. And that meant they must actually want him here beyond being polite or just extending the intimacy of the night before. ...What was he supposed to do with that? He ate a few bites of food, realized that just saying he had a child could lead to all sorts of speculation about his marital status and whether or not he was cheating. “And am divorced.” There, cleared that up and pulling back another layer of Kid to show a real man beneath, one who had a life that was documented in official papers and had personal relationships that could and did fail.

“No wonder you’re good with Hanae,” Ran said, diffusing any growing awkwardness. “We didn’t have any experience at all with babies when we had her. Every day is a learning process.”

“I’m sure you were much better prepared than I was.” Not teenagers, not trying to go to school, married for a few years already, everything done the way society said it was supposed to go. “I am honestly not sure how we lived through having a newborn.”

“Coffee,” Kudo said raising his cup. “Coffee goes a long way.”

Kaito nodded with overblown solemnity. “It truly does. Thank goodness for caffeine for all the sleep deprived new parents out there.” He took a sip of said coffee, no longer burning his mouth. “And all of the exhausted ones with small children. I’m sorry to say it’s not much more restful when they reach the point of full sentences. Then they can easily open doors.” And climb on counters and knock over chairs and get their hands on things that they really shouldn’t have been able to find let alone try to play with.

“I think she’s halfway there already,” Kudo muttered.

Ran laughed and Kudo smiled and...Kaito smiled too. A real smile. He was in too deep too fast. He’d missed having people to sit with in the morning and to talk to. He wanted to keep talking, spill out stories about Takumi and other potentially incriminating things that were too private for Kid to share but just private enough for Kaito to feel like he was letting them in and that was too big of a risk right now. He looked away and finished his meal quickly.

“Thank you for the meal,” he said, setting his chopsticks across his bowl. “Ran-san, breakfast was delicious. I...really should be going.”

Their smiles dipped. “Of course,” Kudo said. He stood after a quick, unreadable look with Ran. He crossed round the table. “I’ll walk you out.”

Kaito almost laughed at the thought of using their front door. “I think I could find my own way out.”

Kudo rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to sneak around when you’re invited.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“Have a good day, Kid-san,” Ran said. She caught his hand, squeezed it before letting go.

“You too, Ran-san.”

Kudo warm at his back as they left the kitchen, standing in the hallway because Kaito wasn’t going to leave out the front door even if he was invited, no matter how Kudo seemed to be trying to herd him toward it with how close he was. Kaito stilled at Kudo’s hand on his elbow, the press of a forehead against the back of his neck.

“This wasn’t just a one-time offer,” Kudo said to Kaito’s back. “We’re not the sort of people to do something like this casually.”

“Kudo...” Kaito exhaled, shaky. He covered Kudo’s hand with his own. They were going to break him wide open and then there’d be nothing holding him up, just a mess of hollow spaces bared for the world to see, honeycombed and jagged.

“You don’t have to say anything now. Just think about it.”

Kaito nodded once, stiff. He’d think. Oh, he’d be thinking about this a lot in the next few days. He wasn’t going to make any promises though. He was going to leave and if he didn’t manage to compartmentalize by the next heist things would be hell... Would Kudo give him more time if he asked? “Kudo...” How to ask it? Could he even? Was that too much to push when they were barely in a truce outside of heists? “If I asked for time to get my head around this...”

Kudo froze for one unnerving moment before he let go. The gap felt so much larger than a few hand spans between them. “Are you asking me to stay away?”

“Not forever,” Kaito said. “Just this next heist. I...don’t think I’d be able to meet you at my best right now.” It...hurt to admit out loud that he wasn’t alright at the moment. Kudo had seen him fall apart barely an hour ago so he knew it was true. Still, it was one thing to have seen it, it was another to talk about it and Kaito just couldn’t be that open right now. Not with Kudo or anyone. “After that, I’ll meet you halfway I just...”

He wouldn’t cry again. He wouldn’t show his weaknesses twice in one day.

“Okay...”

Kaito looked back, too surprised at the agreement to hide the emotion. Kudo looked conflicted. It had to be killing him to agree to stay away from a heist. “Seriously?”

“I’d be a distraction and it wouldn’t be a fair challenge.” Kudo pulled on a smirk that had been better suited for his face when he was still Conan. “If I catch you, I’d want you to be at your best.”

“As if you could catch me at my best,” Kaito scoffed automatically. “Critics can heckle all they want; my performances are art.”

“We’ll just have to see some point in the future. You and me, battle of wits.”

And that had always been the best part of heists, the challenge and pitting his intellect against some of the most brilliant minds on the police force. Kaito loved and hated being Kid, but it was moments like outsmarting Kudo that made it fun, not just a curse he’d drug around for too many years past its expected expiration date. “I’ll match that.”

“Good.” Kudo pulled Kaito into a quick, rough kiss, letting him go again just as quickly. “I’ll see you in two heists then.”

If not sooner, Kaito’s traitorous brain whispered, wanting to kiss Kudo again since apparently that was on the table even outside the bedroom. “See you, Kudo. Thanks.”

Kaito dropped a smoke bomb because he couldn’t just leave like a normal person, they were expecting some sort of dramatics from him. While Kudo waved away smoke, Kaito slid into a random room and bolted out the window.

He was smiling and it was a fragile thing. It felt a little like hope and a lot like longing and Kaito knew he’d be back before long. It was too tempting to stay away for long.

***

If Kaito found it hard to keep away from Kudo’s place before, it was doubly difficult now even with the jumble of mixed emotions surrounding their last encounter. He wanted to crawl back through their window and into their arms again. To have them curl around him and get nothing more from it than innocent sleep. He wanted to never talk to Kudo again because he’d shown too much and been too honest and that was terrifying. If things continued, Kaito’s masks could be peeled away until he was laid bare and who even knew what was at the bottom of everything anymore? He wanted to read picture books to Kudo’s daughter and help clean the dishes after a meal. He wanted to go apologize and reiterate that he couldn’t do this because it was a stupid, impulsive decision and he was in no position to have any sort of close relationship with anyone. Especially not as Kid.

The warring thoughts lingered as he was at work or at home or even through helping Takumi with homework. It wasn’t like him to be so indecisive about something. Kaito made choices and committed. Even the stupid ones. And if they were too stupid, he made new choices to get back out. That was how it worked. He’d made a stupid choice to take the route to seduce Kudo and his wife...somehow...and he could either accept that they were interested in having some kind of relationship with Kid or he could turn them down and go on like nothing ever happened.

They’d never tell anyone about his breakdown, never tell about any of it so they really could go on like it never happened if Kaito wanted it.

The problem was that he didn’t want to pretend. He didn’t really want the night in their bed to have been a fling done because of a desperate state of mind. He wanted casual intimacy and gentle touches and waking up next to people who knew he spent his spare time as a thief but still wanted him there. The problem was that he shouldn’t want that and couldn’t possibly make it work. Not with his job and Takumi and Aoko and Kid filling his time. And certainly not with Kudo chasing Kid. It was a fast track to heartbreak all over again and he knew it.

Kaito always did have a problem about falling for things that would hurt him.

This wasn’t an exception.

A week after waking to Kudo and Ran’s hands on his body, he sat in a park watching Takumi and Shiemi run around playground equipment. It was a good moment, the kind of moment that he cherished, and the whole day had been good from Takumi and Shiemi’s joy at being together to how they seemed to have built up a complex mashup of Takumi’s favorite sentai show and Shiemi’s current favorite magical girl series, beating some imaginary villain that had a lair at the top of the playset. It was a happy moment that already felt bittersweet as it was happening because he knew it would be contrasted with the rest of reality as soon as the moment ended.

Kudo and Ran would perhaps be a bright moment, but could it really last? Did he have any right to even try when all they knew was Kid’s mask?

Then again, even if it was only a brief moment, wasn’t this moment with Takumi at the park worth having?

At the heart of it all, Kaito realized there was a good deal of fear centered around letting someone in, especially in regards to Kid. Jii had died and Kaito’s mother and Aoko were barely in his life as the only three people who’d ever been close to him and known Kid. Well, technically there had been Koizumi and Hakuba way back in school but they barely counted since they’d been more enemies than friends. Either way, they weren’t in his life either and that was the end of an already extremely tiny list. If he got closer to Kudo and his wife as Kid, he would inevitably be getting close to them as Kaito too. He wouldn’t be able to hold a persona nor would he want to if things went further.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to try to build up something that would just break as everything else inevitably had.

And yet... And yet he wanted to try anyway. It would hurt all the more when it ended, but he’d have had something nice while it lasted.

On the playground, Shiemi tackled Takumi to the ground. Was he playing a villain now? Takumi shoved her off and they started bickering, so Kaito stood up, heading the issue off now before one of them got a bit too angry at the other.

“Takumi, Shiemi-chan, want to get ice cream before we head home?”

Two faces whipped in Kaito’s direction before they ran over with all the eagerness and clumsiness of puppies.

“Can I get two scoops? And chocolate?” Takumi asked, barreling into Kaito’s legs.

“We’ll see when we get there,” Kaito said. He let the kids drag him toward the park exit.

***

Despite how he’d suggested Kudo stay away from the heist, and despite the intent to keep away until his mind had been made up, Kaito found himself outside the Kudo manor the night before his next heist, too tense to go in Kudo’s bedroom window but too tempted to go home and sleep like he should be doing.

Kudo and Ran were inside, curled up just like he’d seen them last time, though the roses on the windowsill were gone now, blossoms spent.

If he crossed the threshold, Kaito had no doubt that he’d be welcomed back into their bed just like last time. He could curl up with warm, welcoming bodies for nothing more than a good night’s sleep. He could even leave before they woke if he wanted to and they probably wouldn’t hold it against him. And if he really wanted to he was sure they’d be up for more than sleeping sometime as well. But if Kaito crossed that threshold he wouldn’t be able to take it back.

Kaito always dove headfirst into the biggest decisions of his life. All or nothing.

He pressed a gloved hand to a windowpane. In bed, Kudo shifted restlessly, likely sensing the eyes on him even in his sleep. Another press, and Kaito felt the window shift; it was unlocked. In or out, Kuroba, he thought to himself. Are you in or out? The window slid up smoothly, quiet as a whisper. For a long moment Kaito crouched on the sill, half in, half out of the room.

Kudo shifted again, eyes fluttering open and landing on Kaito. He didn’t move or reach out or say anything, but Kaito could feel the question between them. Kudo wasn’t going to ask or pressure. Kaito wasn’t going to apologize or explain. Kaito set a foot in the room. Kudo slid closer to Ran, making space for Kaito in the bed closest to an easy exit.

When Kaito slid beneath the covers, Kudo pressed a kiss to the back of Kaito’s neck. Kudo’s warm feet brushed against Kaito’s cold ones. Kaito closed his eyes and let the tension drain out of him.

He’d made his choice.

***

Kaito woke, panic and adrenaline flooding his system as hazy remnants of a nightmare flitted behind his eyes. He’d woken silent and still, like he was hiding in a shadow from prying eyes and it took a long moment to recognize his surroundings as the Kudos’ bedroom. The room was gray with twilight, the sun on the edge of rising. Kudo and Ran were fast asleep beside him, curled up tight and warm under the covers. At some point in the night, Kudo had slid one leg between Kaito’s legs and Ran had a lone arm thrown across both their hips. Slowly, their steady breathing calmed his body down.

Just a dream, an awful, horrible, entirely false dream. He couldn’t even say for sure what had happened in it only that it had triggered all of the danger signs he usually got from snipers on buildings or being cornered by armed detectives. He ran a hand down his face. Those were the worst. He understood reliving trauma or mashing horrible moment or fears together, but the unsettling dreams where there wasn’t any clear danger just made him feel paranoid and upset.

The clock on the bedside table put the time at six minutes to five o’clock. It was time to make his escape.

Kaito eased his way out of bed, careful not to wake its sleeping occupants. Kudo frowned in his sleep, but he just curled up a little tighter to stay warm. It was cute if Kaito let himself dwell on it. He kind of wanted to stay and just watch them sleep, but he had work eventually and he really should go...

Or he could pay them back for breakfast last time and go start the coffee so that it was ready when they woke up in a half hour. Waking up to caffeine was always a brighter way to start a day. (And it made him feel a little less guilty about sneaking in and out of their bed.)

He slipped out the bedroom door, which had been left open a convenient crack. He only got halfway down the hallway when he hears a familiar high-pitched whining sound, followed by the stuttering start of sobs—a child waking up unhappy. Kaito’s feet took him toward Hanae’s room before he could make the conscious decision to do so, instinct to soothe rearing its head.

Hanae sat upright in her bed, face screwed up with the start of unhappy wails. Kaito moved toward her immediately, soothing sounds coming from his throat on automatic, pitching his voice more toward Kudo’s timbre since it was more likely to be comforting to her.

“Hey, hey, shhh, did you have a bad dream?”

Hanae sobbed and lifted her arms to be held, not caring who he was at the moment in a blind desire for comfort.

Kaito scooped her up and rocked back and forth on his feet. “Shhh. Yeah, dreams are scary. They feel real and bad, but it’s okay now. It’s over. It can’t hurt you.”

Hanae wailed. Tiny hiccup-y sobs shook her shoulder and Kaito held her through it, whispering whatever came to mind. Her parents would be awake soon if they weren’t already.

“Kaa-chan!” Hanae said through her tears.

“Yeah, we’ll get you to your Kaa-chan. Shh, I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay.” Kaito stepped back into the hall, looking up to meet Kudo’s eyes at the doorway to his bedroom. There was a moment of tension as Kudo’s brain realized who Kaito was, and then the edge of a threat that built in the split second melted away as he moved to take Hanae from Kaito’s arms. Ran followed behind him, slower, taking a beat longer to recognize Kaito with his particular prosthetic choices this time. Hanae reached for her the moment she realized her mother was there, half squirming out of Kudo’s arms before Ran could catch her up in a hug, soothing away the lingering fears.

Kaito hung back, watching. He should go. They clearly had it handled. But he hated to leave while Hanae was still crying. “I think it was a nightmare,” he said to Kudo, just loud enough to be heard over continued sobs.

Kudo nodded. He looked exhausted, tension around his eyes as he watched his wife and daughter. “There was an incident with Ran and Hanae and a mugger the other day.”

Kaito flinched. A once over of Ran showed no sign of bruises or bandages, nothing on Hanae, so... “She saw everything?”

“Yeah. It’s not the first time something like this had happened, and it’s probably not going to be the last.” Kudo’s hands clenched at his sides, unclenched, like he wished he could tear the world into a better order. “This time she was old enough to realize Ran was in danger, not just be scared and confused. She’s had nightmares the last few days.”

That explained the door being open.

“Were you coming or going?” Kudo asked, tearing his eyes away from his daughter.

Kaito smiled, wry. “Going. I...hope you don’t mind me sharing your bed for a few hours last night.”

“It was an open invitation,” Kudo said. “Though it’d be nice if you let us know you were here.”

“And wake you up?” Kaito raised an eyebrow. “I know what parenting a toddler is like. You need the sleep.” He put on a grin. “I was going to leave you coffee and note, but...” He shrugged.

“You could stay...?” Kudo offered.

“Can’t,” Kaito said, just a bit regretful. He wasn’t sure if he was up for the stress of navigating another breakfast so soon. At any rate he had work to get ready for and clothes that needed changing. “Have another day to face,” he said with a practiced smile.

Kudo side eyed Kaito’s grin. “Full of only legal things, I’m sure.”

“Meitantei,” Kaito said, hand over his heart. “I’m hurt, wounded that you would think that of me! I have a perfectly ordinary nine-to-five waiting for me. Have to pay bills somehow.” He could see Kudo turning that over, wondering what the hell sort of job Kaitou Kid might have in his time not spent thieving. “I even pay my taxes.”

“Somehow that ruins the mysterious image.”

“Exactly. I work hard to keep that image. Of course thievery doesn’t pay well when you never keep what you steal.” From the tilt of Kudo’s head, he never thought about the cost that went into Kaito’s tricks and endless supply of smoke bombs and knock out gas. If anything, being a thief cost Kaito a hefty chunk of his paycheck and his family’s inherited money as well. Kaito patted Kudo on the shoulder. “You have fun being a straight-laced detective.”

Kaito dodged away from any possibility of Kudo reaching out and hurried over to Ran. In her arms, Hanae’s tears had slowed to sniffles. “Your Kaa-chan is just fine,” Kaito said to Hanae, giving her a warm smile. She sniffed and stared at him, and okay, she probably didn’t recognize him with the prosthetics if he’s even left a large enough impression for her to remember him in the first place. That was fair. “I’ll be leaving through the bedroom window,” he said to Ran, “if that’s not a problem.”

“That’s fine.” Ran stroked Hanae’s back, shifting back and forth from foot to foot in a gentle rocking motion. “Next time wake one of us up!”

“I would hate to interrupt your beauty sleep,” Kaito said, masks on strong this morning.

Ran rolled her eyes. “Come closer.”

With all the wariness of a man who knew how dangerous a woman could be when she was annoyed, Kaito shifted a step or two nearer. Ran caught his shoulder and pulled him down a few centimeters to kiss his cheek.

“There, now you can go,” she said.

Kaito touched where she’d kissed. Huh.

“Our window’s open whenever,” Ran said. “It would be polite to knock first though.”

“That would ruin the surprise,” he said automatically.

“I think we can live without a surprise in this case.”

Kaito gave her a dramatic bow. “If the lady insists. Now I really do have to leave. Bye-bye, Hanae-chan! Bye-bye adults!”

He heard Ran laugh behind him as he hurried off into the Kudos’ bedroom and out their window. All things considered, it hadn’t been a complete disaster for only the second time waking up with them.

***

There was no Kudo waiting for him at the heist the next day, no surprise detectives, just Nakamori-keibu and his task force. And Kaito was best at handling them among all his opponents over the years. Outside the air was charged for a storm, too windy for a glider and thus not where Nakamori would anticipate him escaping too.

Kaito had dummy balloons there and while a glider wasn’t possible in the wind, a balloon could carry him a decent distance. Kaito’s breath burned in his lungs as he burst onto the roof—in a good way, the burn of pushing his body instead of with the edge of icy terror. The balloons were where he’d left them, a dark lump hidden under a tarp. They were gray to blend in with the night, and he quick-changed into matching clothing in a flash. Time to go, he thought. He grabbed the harness as he untied the ropes keeping his balloons there, wiggling into it as the last tie came undone... and up, harness catching across his torso until he managed to shift a little more to account for hips.

Wind dragged him immediately up and away. There was no way to control it, no way of knowing where he’d end up really, but the harness location was situated to prevent problems if it brushed against buildings or other debris and he had a valve to reduce the gas trapped inside and lower him back down. Away in a dizzying spiral of eddies, like the best and worst thrill ride, as the world was a blur of light and dark beneath him. There was the museum fading behind him, there were residential buildings, trees, cars on a major street—the balloons trembled suddenly and he went from drifting wildly to descending fast. A popping sound registered belatedly. He hadn’t accounted for falling out of the sky.

It was fast, too fast to do much more than direct the balloons as best he could with the balance shot and the wind still blowing every which way. He had enough control not to fly into a building though and when it finally crashed, it was in someone’s tiny back yard, probably wrecking the top of the fence where he’d barreled into it. The balloons did their job to cushion enough that it wasn’t a fatal crash, but Kaito’s shoulder ached from where he’d rammed the fence, balloons there mostly deflated even before they hit. Ow.

He pulled free of the mess, squinting down at it. The balloons were all deflating now, too torn up. There was wood tangled in fabric and on one panel a round hole—gunshot. And dark spots of...blood? Kaito looked at his arm. There was a gash through the suit fabric on his shoulder, pain radiating from it. There was dampness on Kaito’s fingertips too. Ah. More ow than he first thought. Of course, that was when the sky gave an ominous rumble and it began to pour. Kaito grabbed his balloon remnants and staggered out of the yard and down the street as fast as he could manage. At least the rain meant no one was outside or if anyone was, their heads were down trying to stay dry and reach their destination as fast as possible.

Kaito ditched the balloon remains as soon as he could find a suitable place to do so before dodging back toward areas he knew and the stores of clothes he had squirrelled away. Two changes later, he made his way toward home only to pause. They shot at him again. They had shot Jii, so there was a very good chance that they had his home under watch just because Kaito was known to interact with Jii—Toichi’s past aside. He shouldn’t go back there. That left Kaito’s mostly empty new apartment or heading to Kudo’s and, well, while he was ninety-nine percent sure he had lost any possible tail he had, it was better to be safe and not lead someone to people he cared about or further paint a target on them. Kaito headed to the apartment, aching, cold to the bone, and dripping wet.

He had cheap, rough towels bought cheap because he hadn’t wanted anything from his childhood home here; it was like a fresh start. There was a bare minimum of things. Some blankets, a chair, box to use as a table, some bandages and ointment, shelf-stable food, a change of clothes. Kaito dripped water all over the genkan and into the bathroom before he stripped off the soaked clothing and what remained of his Kid gear that hadn’t been stuffed in his random hidey-holes on the way back.

His shoulder had stopped bleeding, the skin around the edges of the wound an angry pink, the blood tacky and diluted with rain failing to quite clot properly. There was a bruise already starting to color around it and along his arm and side. This would be another scar to add to the dozens he already had. Kaito grimaced at the mess and cleaned it up. It didn’t need stitches. Butterfly bandages and gauze would do their work well enough.

After, he cleaned the rest of himself and sat in the bath, staring at the ceiling for a long time until the ache and chill went away. Another day, another brush with death. If they’d shot a bit lower or hit a few more balloons... If they’d shot him while he was untying the balloons. Nakamori bursting onto the rooftop. If Kudo had been there... Kaito shut his eyes. None of those what-if scenarios had happened. There was only what was, and what was real was that Kaito crashed and lived and walked away from it.

The night’s prize was a glimmer on wet tiles. He wasn’t going to return it to Kudo. He’d put too much attention on Kudo lately and tonight was a reminder not to do that. He couldn’t show favorites in the field or they’d use that against him. They’d try to use it to break him. Like why they’d killed Jii. Kudo had to still attend sometimes because not attending at all would be as equally strange behavior as Kaito singling Kudo out. Maybe he could convince Kudo about the need for caution...? Explain about the snipers?

Would that help things or make them worse? Protect Kudo or endanger him further?

Kaito wasn’t going to be able to hide a shoulder wound like this from Kudo or Ran if things continued in the light that they had been. He sighed. It would be easy to fall asleep in the bath. But easy to drown too, and that would defeat the whole point of fighting to stay alive now wouldn’t it?

He got out of the bath. More water everywhere, though at least this was warm. The cheap towels were scratchy against his skin, but they did their job. Kaito left the mess of clothing, bandages, and wet towels to be cleaned at a future time and collapsed into a blanket nest.

One day at a time, Kuroba, one day at a time. Tonight he’d lived, tomorrow he could figure out the next day of his life.

***

There were definitely eyes watching him again. Kaito had felt them at times over the years, always when the shadows he baited turned their suspicions his way again. They’d been there since Jii’s death probably, but he hadn’t been in the right mindset to notice them at the time. Now as he recovered from his latest heist, he noticed that they were watching closer than he could remember them ever doing. They were following Aoko and Kaito had noticed them paying attention to the Kudo household as well, but much less so than Aoko. They were at the museum, following Kaito and his coworkers and someone lingering near Jii’s bar. So far Kaito’s new apartment wasn’t under watch but his family home was.

He wasn’t sure what to do about it. It wasn’t like he could just take out his watchers; that would only confirm their suspicions.

It said a lot about his life at this point when he opened his apartment door one morning and found Koizumi Akako on his doorstep. He hadn’t seen Koizumi Akako since he graduated over half a decade ago.

“Kuroba,” Koizumi said, the same inscrutable smile as always on her face. He wasn’t sure what he would have thought Koizumi at twenty-five would look like, but however the years had treated her, she looked good. Her dark red hair was still long, but it was cut more stylishly. She was dressed in something that looked like a designer exclusive dress and had on jewelry that had to cost almost half a year of Kaito’s rent apiece. Added to her flawless makeup and dark red lipstick, Akako looked every bit the sensuous, elite woman she’d emulated in high school. Kaito was surprised he hadn’t seen her face on a billboard or something. She’d certainly cultivated the image for it.

“Koizumi,” Kaito returned. She looked him up and down the way he had done to her, each taking their measure of the other.

“Rumor has it that you could use a bit of help,” Koizumi said. Her perfect bow lips quirked up at the corners, smug as ever. “As I could use something from you, I thought we might reach an understanding.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re in a sticky situation, Kuroba,” Koizumi said, brushing past him to enter the apartment. “Do keep up.”

Kaito rolled his eyes. Rude much? “Nice to see you too, Akako-hime. I see life is treating you well.”

“And I see life has gone to hell for you,” Koizumi said looking around the sparse furnishings of his tiny apartment. Her eyes lingered on a drawing Takumi did a few days ago; Kaito with scrawled doves seeming to burst from his shirt on all sides like an explosion in the form of birds. It had been too cute to resist taping it up on a wall. Now it felt like it should be saved from Koizumi’s eyes, like they’d taint the happy memory behind it.  “Tell me, is Nakamori-chan still swinging mops at your head these days or has the divorce upgraded that to something a bit more lethal?”

“Ouch,” Kaito said. He didn’t bother asking how she knew about the divorce. “If you’re here to talk about my poor life choices, you can just turn around and leave right now.”

“Nonsense.” Koizumi titled her head in a way that made her hair fall across her face in what was no doubt an enchanting effect to most people. “I was merely pointing out that you’ve reached the point where you not only need me, you might actively consider taking me up on my offer.”

“And what exactly are you offering?” Kaito asked, watching as she made herself comfortable on his couch. So much for going to get groceries.

“An exchange,” Koizumi said. “You know I have...ways of getting information that others can’t.”

“Yeah.” He’d seen it time and again in high school, Koizumi knowing far more than she should have. He’d also see her demon butler and had spells placed on him and people around him. He wasn’t a skeptic when it came to her ‘ways.’ “What about them?”

“I can use them to watch your back,” Koizumi said, to the point, “since you don’t have anyone doing that for you anymore.”

That stung, Jii’s death still a raw wound. What little of his emotions he allowed on his face went blank, locked up tight. “Of course you can,” Kaito said. He crossed his arms, leaning back against the stretch of blank wall near the entryway. Distant, because distance was better with Koizumi. Too close and she could pull you in or use spells to manipulate you. They never worked quite right on him, but there was no such thing as being too safe. “And what would you get out of it?”

“That depends on what you’re willing to give.”

She sat there, comfortable as could be on the worn couch he’d bought second-hand as if it were her own. Entirely confident that Kaito had something to bargain with. Entirely certain that he would bargain at all. The same dislike and wariness he’d felt throughout most of high school rose in him. Where did she have the right to swan into his home and start making demands?

“Look at it this way,” she said, legs crossing at the knee and leaning her head against one hand. “You had a close call last heist. That sniper would have killed you if he shot a few seconds sooner.” Her eyes trapped him in place like a cobra’s stare. “You were followed twice this week and a month and a half ago you lost your assistant. Your leads have all fallen through lately in catching these men. The last person you managed to turn over to the police was dead within an hour. Your infamous luck is slowly running out. But I could spot your watchers, see when each worse threat arises, and even give your luck a boost to keep it going a bit longer.”

Kaito hesitated. There had to be a catch, there was always a catch, like making a deal with a devil. But Koizumi knew things that she shouldn’t. Things she could only know through magic. There was one thing she hadn’t offered in that little sales pitch, one thing that he would give her pretty much anything for. Especially lately when his blood ran cold thinking about those unfeeling eyes on Takumi.

“You know magic,” Kaito said. A statement of fact, acknowledged out loud for the first time. He wet his lips. “What would it take to erase the connection between Kaitou Kid and all things Kuroba?”

Koizumi’s eyes narrowed. She tapped a manicured nail against one burgundy lip. “All things Kuroba? I can’t go that far. My magic has never worked quite right on you personally. As for your family... That could be doable. I could obscure you and erase their connection entirely. Nakamori-chan’s connection with Kid would remain, but her connection to Kuroba Kaito would be obscured from anyone looking for you with ill intent. Same with your mother and your son.”

“And other people?” People like Nakamori-keibu and the Kudos...

“To a lesser degree, yes. The way I’m thinking would work best on blood relations.”

“And what would something like that cost me.”

Koizumi smiled, cold. “A child.”

Kaito’s emotions locked down, face even blanker. “What.”

The witch on his sofa had the gall to look annoyed. “No, you idiot. I don’t mean sacrificing your or some other random child. I mean that my price for you is a child of your bloodline. With me.” Koizumi looked him over once; Kaito had rarely felt so much like something about to be eaten. “My family has always gained power through seeking out others just as strong. What better way to strengthen my bloodline than with yours since you’re resistant to my magic?”

A child. Koizumi wanted to have his child. What the fuck. All those years in high school of her trying to force him to bend to her magic and will and fall over himself at her feet and here she was asking for a baby. He tried not to react outwardly. “Why now?”

“You’re at the point where you’re considering it,” Koizumi said, like it explained everything, and maybe it did. If Kaito hadn’t lost Jii, if he was still married, if the world wasn’t closing in on all sides, if he didn’t desperately want the refuge offered by the Kudos... Well, he would never have listened this long. “Besides, I’m at the point in my life where my window of prime child bearing years are passing quickly. It’s the right time for a child.” She didn’t say it, but Kaito could see an edge of vulnerability for a moment, an unspoken and I want a child that Akako was too proud to ever say.

Kaito wet his lips again. He felt a little sick. He was actively considering this. Him. Who had always wanted nothing to do with Koizumi or her intentions toward him. Would it be worth it though? At least, he thought, she wasn’t unattractive, just not attractive to him in her personality.

Koizumi rolled her eyes. “Kuroba, I need your sperm, not your dick.”

He flinched. “Wow, you’ve gotten blunt,” he muttered.

Koizumi lifted a perfectly tweezed eyebrow. “I’m at the height of my power with half the world ready to throw itself at my feet; I don’t have to be proper or polite anymore.” She smirked suddenly. “Of course if you’d rather seal the deal the old fashioned way...”

“No!” Kaito said. “No thank you!”

Koizumi laughed and finally that haughty, elite persona melted away a bit. “You’re lucky I find your horror funny instead of insulting.”

“Ugh.” No, he really did not want to sleep with Koizumi Akako, deal or no deal.

“How about this,” she said. “You let me have your child and I will erase your family from your shadows’ notice, obscure your identity as much as I’m able, and give your luck a boost. I’ll throw in future warnings as I get them and any tidbits I can get on your threats’ identities for free.”

Kaito didn’t point out that some of those ‘free’ additions had been implied by her sales pitch. Instead he gave a counter demand. “I get to know about the child. What they’re like and their life.” The idea of having a child and not ever knowing about their life or their name or face... Not having anything to do with them even in an impersonal way... He couldn’t do that. Having Takumi had shown him just how much having a child meant to him.

Koizumi didn’t even look surprised by this demand. “Fine. I promise to give regular updates. I’ll even let you meet them at some point.”

Kaito took a breath. He could feel the shifting of the world, tipping to a new balance at that moment. “Okay. Okay, I’ll accept.”

Koizumi smiled. “Wonderful.” She got to her feet and took Kaito’s hand in hers to shake it, Western-style sealing of the deal. “I’ll be in touch about the details.”

“Okay.” Kaito had the sinking feeling that he’d jumped into something he couldn’t handle. He’d have to handle it anyway.

Koizumi smiled, meeting his eyes for a long moment. And then she was leaving just as confidently as she’d come. Kaito hadn’t really had a choice in this deal, had he?

***

Every time Kaito decided he was going to put a bit of distance—or at least wait a bit for safety’s sake—between him and the Kudos, he found his resolve crumbling. The bed at the apartment felt too empty. He needed to hear Ran singing a lullaby. He needed to see Kudo alive and breathing after a nightmare of him getting shot at a heist. Visiting the Kudo house meant triple disguises and doubling around and doing everything he could think of to keep the watchers from realizing he was there, just like he did every time he went back to his new apartment, and it was tiring and ate up time he could be using to sleep or plan, but he found himself doing it anyway, crawling in the bedroom window or watching Kudo in his study for a while until he worked up the nerve to join him.

So far Kaito hadn’t been turned away. They’d scoot over and give him room in the bed or Kudo would set his paperwork aside to give Kaito attention or Ran would ask questions about his day in careful generalities that let him get away without giving specifics. He’d joined them for dinner once, and had breakfast half a dozen times even though it made it hard to make it to work on time.

There hadn’t been a repeat of that first night yet, nothing inherently sexual at all, but there had been plenty of intimacy and it filled some void in him he’d long stopped noticing was there. It was nice to sleep tangled up with someone. It was nice to exchange a kiss before bed or in the morning or just because they felt like it. It was nice to be asked how his day went and hear how someone else was doing and even nice to coax a picky toddler into eating again.

***

There was a note left in the apartment mailbox. Kaito took one glance at the handwriting and knew it was Koizumi. There was no stamp, which made him deeply uncomfortable. Either Akako or her inhuman servant had left this and neither thought was a pleasant one. It asked for a sample of Takumi’s hair and...the other necessary sample for their bargain to be left in his mailbox at a certain date for Koizumi to uphold the bargain in full.

Kaito half expected the note to catch fire or do something unnerving or magical, like try to influence him, but it remained nothing more than paper. He...still wasn’t very comfortable about this. Even less comfortable in giving Koizumi something of his son’s but. But. So far she’d helped him. And Koizumi wasn’t the type to break a deal once she made it. And Kaito wouldn’t be the one to break it on his end.

Someday he’d have to look his son in the face and explain that he had a sister somewhere. How the heck was he going to explain that? And if Aoko ever found out... He shuddered. He’d be in trouble. It didn’t matter that they were divorced for almost three years now, Aoko would still give him hell for having a kid with Koizumi. Especially with Koizumi.  So she could never know.

Kaito vanished the note up his sleeve and made plans. Koizumi would get her samples and that would be that.

More than Kaito’s comfort, Takumi’s safety came first.

***

It wasn’t an abrupt change. There were people watching him and Aoko and everyone in his life and then... there were less. They dropped off, like something else had distracted them until Kaito was sure it was the same level of observation as it used to be; someone keeping an eye on the task force, and an ear to the ground for any hint of a gem that might be Pandora. No one hanging around Kaito’s home. No one around Jii’s place either, and that was what truly cemented Koizumi’s influence because they knew Jii was connected to Kid. And yet the surveillance was gone. A scan for wire taps came up empty and there wasn’t even a hint of Kaito’s sixth sense nagging him when he visited the bar to check up on it.

It left a tumult of emotions in him, regret and relief and worry and small joys for freedom he still had all a tangled snarl that Kaito tried to keep firmly in the back of his mind or else it might drive him crazy.

The first day he realized that the watchers weren’t on him at all anymore, he went to Kudo’s home, needing something but not quite sure what. Reassurance? A friendly face?

Kudo found him in the study, staring blankly at book titles from Kudo’s personal collection.

“Kid,” Kudo said, coming to stand next to him. He looked at the books with Kaito for a moment, seeing them more clearly than Kaito was. “Were you looking for a specific title? You can borrow them if you want.”

The books were all detective novels and true crime stories, nothing that Kaito was interested in. Kaito pulled back from his daze, focusing on Kudo instead.

Kudo frowned and reached out, hesitating before touching Kaito like he thought Kaito would flinch away. Like Kaito still had ahold of a flight instinct with him. “Okay, you don’t have a fever,” he said. “What’s wrong?”

Kaito almost asked him if the impossible ever happened to him, but that would have been a really stupid question to ask someone who had their age reversed at one point in their life. Instead, Kaito reached out to touch Kudo’s face. How had Kudo handled it back then, finding himself in Conan’s form? Living a lie more complete than Kaito’s lie had been. They’d both lived a lie to the one they loved most, but Kudo had told Ran the truth and she’d accepted it and Aoko had not.

“Kid?” Kudo asked, one hand reaching up to cover Kaito’s hand with his own. Holding it there.

“Sometimes,” Kaito said after what could have been moments or minutes, “I wonder if I’ve made the right choices. Or if there is a right choice. Or if every choice has a flipside and you just weigh the positives against the negatives and hope that the outcome is in the green.”

Something a lot like alarm flashed across Kudo’s face and then Kaito found Kudo’s hands bracketing his face and Kudo staring into his eyes from less than a hand-span away. “Did something happen? Or. Are you regretting... this... between us?”

Kaito blinked, realizing without context his words could be taken a number of directions. And that he probably wasn’t being fair to Kudo if Kudo honestly thought Kaito might still back away from the tangle of a relationship they were building between the three of them. “No. No, I don’t regret this.” He let his forehead bump against Kudo’s, feeling the other man’s muscles relax and the soft gust of breath against his cheek that went with it. “I meant something different. I just.” Kaito gave an aborted, helpless laugh. “A lot has happened lately. And I made more choices that I’m not sure about emotionally. But I’m not regretting choosing you or Ran-san.”

“Okay,” Kudo said. “Okay. Do you... is it something you can talk about?”

Could he explain Akako and her magic to scientifically-minded Kudo?

“It’s not something illegal is it?” Kudo asked belatedly, a frown edging across his face.

“It’s not illegal.” He was fairly certain there weren’t any laws on the books about making deals with witches.

“Okay. Good. I’m not sure I could be a listening ear if it was something illegal.”

“What’s one more thing to my miles of misdemeanors and felonies?” Kaito joked.

Kudo didn’t look amused. “I made peace with you being a thief but that doesn’t mean I could look the other way about other crimes.”

“Relax Kudo. I guarantee you will never have to worry about me murdering anyone.”

“You’d better not,” Kudo said. “...Do you need to talk?”

“I appreciate the offer, but there is so much to unpack I honestly wouldn’t know where to start.”

Kudo brushed a thumb along Kaito’s cheek. “With what tipped the scale of your panic?”

“I ran into a woman from high school,” Kaito blurted before he could stop himself. “And so much has changed since then. She was someone who scared the hell out of me then and still does now. Actually that’s misleading, she showed up uninvited and forced a deal and now I’m just. A bit shocked that it’s not biting me in the ass.”

And the concern was back. “You’re...sure that it’s not illegal?”

“I... I’m pretty sure there’s not laws for the sort of bargain we made, but it’s kind of morally questionable to me on a personal level?”

Kudo looked like he really wanted to ask what the bargain had been, but he visibly restrained his curiosity. He took a breath and let it out slowly. “Okay.” Kaito couldn’t look away from him, the world having shrunk down to the two of them and the air between them. “Was it likely to blow up on you? This deal?”

“I wasn’t sure if she could hold up her end. But she did.”

“Do you trust her?”

“Hell no, but I can trust her to probably not want me dead, or at least to uphold a bargain because she’s serious about that sort of thing. I followed through on my end so she had to follow through on her end. And her end heavily implied efforts to keep me alive.”

Kudo closed his eyes. “I have so many questions. And I’m not going to ask them. But I do have to ask if this is something that’s going to negatively affect my family.”

“No.” Kaito laughed a bit helplessly. If anything it was the opposite.

“Okay,” Kudo repeated. “Then tell me when you feel like you can share the details or... not at all if you can’t I guess.”

“Right.” Kaito leaned into Kudo’s embrace. Damn but he didn’t want to move. “How is any of this real?” he mumbled. How did he go from the worst point of his life to having someone holding him like this and trying to make him feel calm and safe?

“It must be your luck,” Kudo said lightly.

If letting Koizumi boost his luck was part of what brought this to him, well... Maybe the price he paid was worth it. Kaito let his eyes slide shut and stayed in Kudo’s arms for much much longer than he probably should have. He wasn’t supposed to be giving up this much of his heart so quickly.

***

It reached the point where Kaito realized that he was spending more time sleeping over at the Kudo home or his new apartment than at his mother’s home. Kaito wasn’t sure what to feel about that. He wasn’t sure how to feel about how he’d started thinking of his childhood home as his mother’s home again either. Life took unusual turns, and now he found himself at something of a crossroads. Because with how often he was spending time with the Kudos—including their daughter—this wasn’t just something casual. It never had been honestly, but there was just sleeping with people and then there was helping care for their daughter while Ran had to work late and Kudo was dealing with a bad migraine.

The way Kaito saw it, he could back off and try to slowly phase back to the sometimes-friend-sometimes-rival complicated mess that he and Kudo had before. Or he could commit. Fully. With all that entailed. It wasn’t reasonable to expect them to accept only the bits and pieces of masks he gave them and look no further, not if this was going to last. And Kaito did want it to last.

It was nice to wake up next to someone. It was nice to be held again and to let bits of vulnerability show to the world. It was nice to sit down to breakfast and even nice to calm down a frustrated child because it was all little normal day to day things that he missed. And Kaito could have all of that again, Ran and Kudo giving every indication that he was welcome into the mundanity of their lives along with all the other things life brought.

Kaito supposed it wasn’t really much of a choice once he started thinking about it. His life was all secrets and at the end of the day he’d like to have one less among the number laying heavy over him.

Akako was just the final turning point in the decision that had been building in him ever since he agreed to stay for breakfast that first morning. In the long run, ‘Kid’ wasn’t safe to be close to. With ‘Kid’ and ‘Kaito’ separate in the eyes of the universe though... There was nothing wrong with ‘Kaito’ becoming part of Kudo’s family.

He came to the bedroom window like usual, ghosting up the side of the home using handholds that had become as familiar as his own home’s front door. Kudo was in the study, but Ran was in the room, reading by the light of a bedside lamp. He knocked lightly on the window so he didn’t startle her before letting himself in.

Ran set aside her book, a smile already on her face in greeting.

“Good evening, Ran-hime,” Kaito said with an exaggerated and flirtatious bow. “Your husband decided not to sleep tonight?”

“He has paperwork to finish filling out for tomorrow,” Ran said. “He’ll be up in a minute.”

“Provided he’s not distracted.”

Ran laughed. Kaito had seen Kudo forget to take breaks and skip sleep entirely when he was caught up in a case. Ran probably had a list of the times he’d gotten distracted a mile long. “If he’s not up in fifteen minutes, I told him I’d drag him up here, so he better not get distracted. Sometimes I wonder how he got through being a teenager on his own.”

“Luck and a lovely kind soul checking on to make sure he wasn’t starving?” Kaito suggested, thinking of his own teenage experiences.

“Something like that.” Ran held out a hand and Kaito let her pull him down to sit on the edge of the bed. She leaned up for a kiss and he gave it willingly, one more thing that pulled him to commit to this. “Are you staying the night?” Ran asked. Sometimes she asked and sometimes she offered and she’d never made him feel like he had to answer one way or another.

“I’d like to,” Kaito said. He gripped her hand lightly, a little, no, a lot nervous though his poker face covered it well enough. “When Kudo gets here, there’s something I’d like to talk about though.”

“You know you can call him by his first name, right?” Ran said, slotting their fingers together. “You use my first name.”

“I can’t call you both Kudo, that would be confusing,” Kaito said. And somehow he’d always thought of her more by her first name—she vaguely resembled Aoko and Kaito had thought of Aoko by her first name so long that his subconscious had latched onto Ran’s first name. But Kudo was something of a rival, and using his first name felt too intimate. Although...maybe Kaito should start making an effort. Another tangle of nerves roiled in his gut.

“You should call him Shinichi,” Ran said with a grin. “I’m betting it’ll get a blush from him.”

“Well if it will have that effect,” Kaito said, fluttering his eyelashes at her.

Ran giggled and was still giggling when the door swung open and Kudo wandered in, his reading glasses still perched on top of his head like he’d pushed them back and forgotten about them. “Oh, Kid. Hi, you’re staying the night?”

“Yup.” Kaito held out his free hand and Kudo took it. He was unguarded and relaxed and it occurred to Kaito that Kudo really did trust him. It should have been obvious considering how he let Kaito sleep in the same bed and hold his child, but it was the act of taking Kaito’s hand automatically that cemented it. “And it’s Kaito, actually.”

“What?” Kudo blinked away some of the exhaustion, focusing on Kaito fully. Ran’s hand tightened around Kaito’s.

Kaito smiled and...let go. They trusted him and he could trust them back. “My name. Please, call me Kaito.”

“You’re giving us your name,” Kudo said slowly. “Why?”

“Because,” Kaito said slowly, “I want you to know that I’m serious. And I don’t want another relationship built off secrets.” He smiled wryly, a bitter twist in his stomach. “I’ve tried that. Doesn’t work well as you can imagine.”

“But.”

“Kudo. Shinichi.” Kaito enjoyed the full body twitch and blush using Kudo’s first name brought, but it was to add weight to his words at the moment. “I need to know if you’re willing to hear who I am.”

Ran and Kudo gave him identical wide-eyed looks. They hadn’t, Kaito realized, expected him to ever bring the topic up. They expected to just have him in moments and snippets, time carved out of Kid’s persona and doled out on Kaito’s terms. Maybe they never would have brought it up. It made Kaito’s heart hurt in a complicated way he didn’t have words for at the moment.

“I suppose,” Kaito said when they didn’t have a response, “that besides not building something off secrets, I don’t want to be a secret either. Call me selfish, but I don’t think I could be satisfied with stolen moments forever. I intend to commit. To both of you.” He looked from Kudo to Ran.

“You don’t have to—” Ran started.

“I really do,” Kaito cut her off firmly. “Now I know you’re both ignoring some legalities already. Is knowing who I am too much?”

“No,” Kudo said finally. He touched Kaito’s cheek with something between wonder and determination in his eyes. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re also committed. We aren’t going to turn you in.”

“Heists aside?” Kaito asked, letting his voice slide to lightheartedness again.

“I don’t think I would be able to even there,” Kudo admitted. “I’m not sure I really wanted to catch you in the first place.”

“Well I guess you caught me in a different way,” Kaito said. He pressed his face into the touch and heard Kudo’s breath hitch when he realized there wasn’t a prosthesis this time. Kudo’s fingers traced the rest of his face and didn’t find anything. “It’s just makeup,” Kaito said. “No prosthetics.” Just enough contouring to make his face shape look a bit different and all easily washed off.

Kaito squeezed his lovers’ hands and let go to reach into his pocket for a makeup wipe. In a matter of seconds, it was washed away and a quick finger comb of his hair had it free of its combed style. He sat there before them as Kuroba Kaito, masks down, face bare. When he smiled, he let his nerves show through.

“So. Call me Kaito.”

“I. You...” Kudo looked at Ran like she had an explanation for why Kaito would choose now to give them his name. “Can he do that?”

“Since I just did,” Kaito said, worry tangling with amusement, “yes, yes I can.”

“You look a lot like Shinichi,” Ran said, taking this much better than her husband. “Although that isn’t too surprising since you used to pull off his face without a mask.”

“Our face shapes are a bit different these days,” Kaito said, “but it was always our hair that was the biggest difference.”

“Your hair looks like you didn’t comb it,” Kudo said.

“My hair shares my free spirit.” This was getting off topic. “Hi. I’m Kuroba Kaito, currently Kaitou Kid the second. I daylight as a museum conservator. I have a son in first grade and my ex-wife is on the Kid task force. Nice to formally meet you.”

Kudo’s eyes went sharp, his terrifying brain drawing connections and probably filling in everything that Kaito ever gave away over the years to fit with this new information. “Kuroba Toichi was the first Kid, correct?”

“Yes. My father.”

“He taught my mother disguise skills.”

“I know. I have a vague memory of meeting her. She still talks to my mom sometimes.” Kaito gave them a wry smile. “Small world, no?”

Kudo muttered something to himself, lost in piecing things together. Ran patted Kaito’s hand, holding it again. It went a long ways toward reassuring him that he hadn’t messed everything up. “You have a son?” Ran asked.

“Yeah.” Kaito smiled. “Takumi. He’s six, almost seven. He’s into Pokémon and coral reefs at the moment and I’m probably going to get a phone call in the next week about the latest stunt his friend roped him into.” Shiemi was the chaos maker between the two of them. “His mother has custody.” It was an explanation in and of itself.

“Do you see him often?” Ran asked, serious, and Kaito remembered that her parents were separated. Never divorced for some reason, but she’d been raised mostly by her father if he remembered correctly. If anyone could understand the sort of stress having parents at odds could put on a child, it would be her.

“I have him on weekends,” Kaito said. “He’s a good kid.” There were a thousand things he could add to that, like how Takumi was learning magic tricks or how he loved to run or how Kaito felt like he was missing so much of his life and that seven years had passed so much faster than he’d expected. It all caught in his throat, and rather than let Kid’s mask back on he let himself struggle with Kaito’s emotions. “He’s great,” he choked out.

The way Ran looked at him with something on the edge of empathy, it made him want to hide, too exposed, raw and cracked open. He’d chosen this though. He chose it so he steadied his breathing and stayed.

“That explains how you interact with Hanae,” Kudo cut in, back in the present. “You’re good with children.”

“I like children,” Kaito said. In another life, he’d have wanted a second child. So Takumi wouldn’t be alone and because there was something amazing about seeing a tiny human being grow and reveal who they were to the world.

“Kaito,” Kudo said, testing the name. Kaito couldn’t look away. Kudo reached out again for his face, tracing its shape and Kaito let his eyes flutter shut, trusting. “Kaito,” Kudo said again. He pressed a kiss to Kaito’s forehead and then there was Ran warm against Kaito’s side as she hugged him. Kaito felt like he might cry because they both touched him like he was fragile and valuable and that would probably always get to him when they did that. “Thank you,” Kudo said, the bed dipping as he sat on Kaito’s other side and joined the hug. “For trusting us.”

Kaito relaxed into their hold. He’d trusted them with his vulnerability and in the end going that little bit further wasn’t as big of a leap as he’d expected. “I want you to meet my son,” Kaito said, muffled into Kudo’s shoulder. “I want...I want this to be more than just seeing you at night.”

“Good since we’d like the same,” Ran said. “We didn’t want to push though.”

“You run when you get uncomfortable,” Kudo added.

Kaito snorted. He did run; it was instinctual at this point because if you felt threatened you got the hell out of the situation. “I think I’m going to keep ‘Kid’ at a distance. You’re going to have to see what you think of ‘Kaito.’”

“Kaito can’t be that much different,” Kudo said. “Or were you not Kaito all those times you broke your persona around me?”

That got a laugh. “No, that was me. Especially when I was younger. It’s...a lot more blurred these days.” Wear a mask too long and you became it. Sometimes he didn’t know where Kid ended and Kaito began and the last few months with the Kudos had blurred that even more. He was Kaito right now though and Kaito was exhausted and relieved and happier than he’d felt in a while. “I’m not really at my best lately.”

“You’ll get better,” Kudo said with conviction.

“I’ve been thinking about taking a few months off from being Kid.” It was long overdue and he’d meant to before Jii died. Kaito was a mess and throwing himself into being Kid hadn’t actually helped anything. He needed to get his life together again. And maybe taking the time to connect to the Kudos as himself and spending more time with Takumi would be the key to doing that.

“You’re welcome here as Kid or Kaito,” Ran said. “Anytime.”

They held him until they started falling asleep sitting there and then they broke apart only long enough to get ready for bed before returning to huddle together under the covers. It was going to work out, Kaito thought. He’d put the effort in to make it work and to get back to where he was before Jii died and try to chase happiness with some of the strength he’d put into chasing Pandora all these years.

***

Kaito took a deep breath. There was almost a meter between him and Aoko where they stood off to the side of the playground. Takumi scrambled up the playground rock wall as easy as breathing as he chased after one of the other children. The gap between Kaito and Aoko could have been a kilometer for how closed off Aoko was. Today was a compromise. Today was moving forward.

“Aoko,” he said, forcing his voice from his throat like it didn’t feel like he had his heart in his throat.

She tilted her head in his direction, eyes intent on their son.

Kaito wet his lips, attention split between the two. “I need to tell you something. I’m seeing someone.”

Aoko looked away from the playground. “You’re what?”

“Seeing someone.” He swallowed. “Multiple someones actually. A married couple,” he said before she could finish frowning or make an accusation. “Openly. It’s. They invited me to be with them. It’s all open.”

“Is it.” Something between anger and hurt flashed across Aoko’s face, buried under the cold distance she’d kept up the whole day. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because it’s serious,” Kaito said. “And I want to introduce Takumi to them.”

Takumi went down the slide, a bit too fast, stumbling at the bottom. Now he was the one being chased, but it was smiles all around out there, a game everyone was enjoying. Aoko looked away from Kaito, controlled, not letting anything slip.

“You’d need my permission,” she said.

“Which is why I’m telling you. They’re nice. They have a daughter and are good parents and. They’d like Takumi. Takumi would probably like them too. I want to share my life, not keep it in boxes.”

“Do they know?” Aoko asked. “Everything, do they know?”

Her hand balled into a fist at her side. Kaito looked into the middle distance, watching her from the corner of his eye, trying to stay as outwardly removed as possible because one wrong word or action could shatter the whole moment. “Yes, they know.”

“And it’s not a problem?” Sharp, too sharp, her composure cracking.

“I was Kid to them first,” Kaito said, almost too quiet to be heard.

She turned to him again, staring like she could see into his soul. He could see too much in her, all the hurt and anger and loss and betrayal churning just under the surface, held together only by Aoko’s sheer stubborn will. “Who is it, Kaito?” He couldn’t meet her eyes. “Tell me.”

“...The Kudos.”

Was it silly for her to look heartbroken all over again, more than three years after their divorce? Was it silly for Kaito to feel like he’d been kicked in the chest or to have guilt swirl through him? Probably, but Kaito had always been an idiot for Aoko and she was the same toward him even if they weren’t together anymore.

“So they can forgive that?” Aoko said, bitterness filling her voice. “I guess it’s different when they knew your mask first.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh shut up, Kaito. You’re not sorry for the things you should be, and the things you are sorry for aren’t really my damn business anymore are they?” She huffed. “I guess we really should be moving on. It’s been years.”

There wasn’t anything to say to make it right. No magic words or pretty gesture to melt the ice between them. She was right. Kaito felt guilt about the wrong things, about hurting her by seeing someone when they weren’t even together anymore but not about the thing that hurt her most.

“You can trust them?” she asked when he was silent too long. “With everything.”

“I think so. It’s...it’s not like with you. They have a better idea what they’re getting into... It’s ‘Kaito’ that they’re learning to know.”

“Okay. I’m not happy about it, but okay. Tell Kudo he’s not allowed at heists until I say so though. I can’t trust he’s going to mess us up on purpose.”

“He wouldn’t.”

“Sorry but I don’t trust you on that.”

Fair enough.

The kids had given up their game of tag in favor of playing some sort of game in the upper part of the playground equipment. Probably something dramatic and medieval with the castle-like shape of the structure.

“I think I can be happy,” Kaito burst out. “With them. In general.”

“Good for you.”

“If you can, you should try to be happy too.”

Aoko glared at him, finally looking more like herself and part of him relaxed even though he probably should be preparing to duck. “I’ll do whatever the hell I want. I don’t need or want you meddling. And I don’t need your goddamn blessing to pursue something if and when I ever want to.”

“I wasn’t saying that you—”

“And you don’t need mine, Bakaito. So shut up.” The space between them was a bit less than a meter now. It felt like it might be the actual distance between them in that moment instead of being emotionally worlds apart. “You can take Takumi to meet them sometime, but only if you clear it with me first and you let him decide if he ever wants to go back.”

“I can do that.”

“Good.”

A few minutes later, Takumi ran up to them, full of smiles and babbling about the new friend he made and how there had been dragons storming the castle but the knights beat them back. That, Kaito thought, had gone about a hundred times better than he had ever expected it to.

 ***

“I have someone I want you to meet,” Kaito had said when he picked up Takumi from Aoko’s home for the weekend. Now, standing in Beika with the Kudo manor’s gates in front of him, there were a thousand worries in his head. What if Takumi hated them? What if the Kudos didn’t like Takumi—not that Kaito thought anyone could hate his son, just. Possibilities. What if Hanae didn’t get along with Takumi or vice versa? What if Takumi got close to the Kudos and everything fell through and then Kaito broke his son’s heart all over again with another break up.

They were going out today. On a picnic. Something fun and not at a home because it would be neutral ground and that felt important for a first impression.

Takumi looked up at Kaito and tugged on his hand. “Are you gonna go in or look at the gate all day?”

Kaito put on a smile. “Sorry, I was just thinking about some things. You know how I said these people were important to me?”

“Yeah?”

“They’re important like your Kaa-san used to be important to me. I like them very much.”

Takumi frowned. “They’re not going to be more parents are they?”

Kaito had no idea how any of this was going to go. Or how long it would last. So no, he wasn’t going to optimistically picture Kudo and Ran helping parent Takumi next to their daughter years down the road. He squeezed Takumi’s hand gently. “Think of them like an aunt and uncle.”

“Like Keiko-basan?”

“Yeah, like Keiko.”

Takumi didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t protest as Kaito opened the gate and led them up to the front door.

Shinichi was the one who answered Kaito’s knock, Hanae in his arms and a slightly harried expression on his face as she kept trying to squirm free.

“Kaito,” he said, smiling. “You’re almost ten minutes later than you said you’d be.”

“In day to day life, I’m not always on time,” Kaito said.

“We almost missed the train,” Takumi revealed. “And he kept stopping to check his bag.”

Kaito blushed, but thankfully Takumi didn’t mention standing in front of the gates for over a minute before coming up. “Kudo, this is Takumi. Takumi, this is Kudo Shinichi and his daughter, Hanae.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Takumi said, because somehow Kaito and Aoko had managed to raise him with actual manners. It was a mystery how.

“It’s good to meet you too, Takumi-kun.” Kudo almost dropped his daughter as she gave an extra excited wiggle. “Hanae, can you please hold still?”

“Down!” she said. Kudo set her down and she stared at Takumi. Takumi took a step back. She smiled. “Play?” she asked, holding out one tiny hand.

Takumi gave Kaito and Kudo a wide-eyed, nervous look. “Uhhh.”

“You can play for a few minutes,” Kaito said. “But then we’ll have to go.”

“Um,” Takumi said, but he was already being tugged down the hall after an excited toddler, kicking off his shoes in an attempt to be proper. He could have gotten away from Hanae pretty easily so Kaito wasn’t too worried. If he got overwhelmed he could just come find them.

“Everything okay?” Kudo asked, leaning in to give Kaito a kiss on the cheek now that he didn’t have a squirming toddler in his arms.

“Good,” Kaito said, then more honestly, “a little nervous how Takumi is going to react; he’s not used to sharing me with people.”

“Well, it looks like Hanae will give him a distraction as far as that goes. Come in, Ran’s finishing packing the bentou boxes.”

“Right.” Kaito lifted the bag he was carrying. “I took the liberty of bringing some dessert. I hope that doesn’t clash with Ran-san’s meal. They’re pumpkin sweet breads.”

“You didn’t need to go to the trouble,” Kudo said, polite and it was just the edge of awkward because they were still figuring this out, how to be with each other.

Kaito gave himself a mental smack over the head. “It’s still the tail end of summer, but I am ready for autumn, Kudo, bring on cooler temperatures and the end of summer rain.”

“And all the autumn sweets?” Kudo joked.

Kaito grinned. “Exactly. Not that summer isn’t great—fruit sweets abound, but there’s something comforting about the earthier taste of pumpkin and sweet potato and chestnuts.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I’m not much of a sweets person.”

“The horror. I don’t think we can be friends now.”

Kudo elbowed Kaito in the side, trying not to laugh too hard at him. “But Kaito, that just means you and Ran get most of my share of sweets.”

“Ah, then we can be friends after all.”

“Just friends?” Kudo asked, well within Kaito’s personal space. Hmm. He hadn’t even noticed that happening; he was getting unnervingly comfortable around Kudo.

Kaito gave Kudo a false-bashful look. “Well...”

“Are you two flirting in the front doorway?” Ran said behind them.

Kaito twitched, but Kudo didn’t seem surprised at all. He sent Ran a grin, setting a hand on Kaito’s hip like it belonged there. “Maybe,” he said.

Ran laughed, one hand coming up like she was trying to muffle it. “Come inside already. Where are the children?”

“Hanae-chan kidnapped Takumi,” Kaito said, easing away from Kudo to take his shoes off.

“She’s probably showing him the toy Agasa brought her yesterday,” Kudo said. “Some new invention.”

“...Isn’t he the one who made your death shoes and that stun watch?” Kaito asked.

“Yeah, he’s a family friend and neighbor.”

Kaito had been aware of both these things but. “Is the toy... safe?”

“Would I let my three year old play with it if it wasn’t?” Kudo said. “Occasional explosions next door aside, he is capable of making something child safe. He makes stuff that’s on market at stores.”

“I feel like I should say something about the explosions, but considering my own track record with experiments blowing up in my face, I think it’s better to just let it go.”

“We can go check on them,” Ran said, soothing the part of him that insisted that children out of sight meant dangerous stunts happening. Takumi wasn’t actually that much of a problem most of the time compared to how Kaito had been at his age. It was only when he was put with Shiemi that things went to hell and ‘quiet’ meant ‘trouble’.

“Thank you.” Kaito gave her a theatrical kiss on the cheek which made her laugh again before holding up his bag. “Pumpkin sweet bread with pumpkin and bean paste filling. A taste of fall before it’s quite upon us.”

“Oh, that’s perfect. I didn’t have a dessert planned.” Ran kissed him back, on the lips and Kaito’s stomach flipped pleasantly.

It was like being a teenager again only with less mops and death threats and yelling... Okay it was nothing like how it had been with Aoko and there was nothing wrong with that. “Great. I’ll go check on the kids.”

Kaito found them in the library. They were sitting on the floor with picture books strewn around them and Hanae had her current favorite book—one with a dog going to see its friends written in both English and Japanese—and was happily holding up pictures and pointing out the animals. Kaito could see Takumi mouthing the words on the page, the simple kana easily within his reading ability.

“Having fun, kiddos?” Kaito said, crouching beside them.

Hanae gave him a brilliant smile. “Dog book!” she said, holding it up. “Read it?”

“I don’t think there’s time to read it right now, but we can read a book later if you’d like. How does that sound?”

She frowned and Takumi looked up at Kaito. “Both of us?” he asked.

“If you want a story too, yeah.”

“Then I want to read this.” He held up a Kaiketsu Zorori book, the cartoon fox thief grinning mischievously on the cover.

Aoko, for obvious reasons, didn’t like the series. Kaito, for equally obvious reasons, found them a lot of fun. Plus they had puns, who didn’t like puns?

“Only if you don’t mention it to your mother,” Kaito said, because he’d get an earful if Aoko knew.

Takumi, almost seven and entirely fed up with the drama of adults, rolled his eyes. “I know. And I read them with Shiemi all the time so.”

“Well aren’t you the rebel,” Kaito teased. He set both picture books aside. “Well there will be here when we get back from lunch and we can read them then, okay?” He got two nods and that was great because if Hanae chose to be upset, Kaito still didn’t have enough of a rapport with her to guarantee it wouldn’t become a meltdown. “Alright, now who’s ready to go to the park? We’re going to have a picnic and play on the playground, doesn’t that sound fun?”

“I wanna swing!” Hanae said, jumping to her feet with a little wobble. Takumi steadied her before Kaito could. It was adorable.

“There’s going to be swings, yep. Who do you want to push you? Kaa-san?”

“No,” Hanae said, grinning.

“Hmmm, Tou-san?”

“No!”

“Me?”

“No! Everyone!”

“Ah, I see. Everyone to push you on the swings. I hope not everyone in the world or that would be a lot of people. You might never leave that swing.”

Both Takumi and Hanae giggled.

“C’mon, kids, it’s picnic time.” Kaito stood and immediately Hanae held up her arms to be picked up. Kaito did, holding her in one arm. “Oof, look at you, you’re growing fast. I think you might have grown a little since I last saw you,” he said to her. Takumi caught his free hand. His son was biting his lip and looking a little unsure again, so Kaito of course bent back down and picked him up too. “Ah, and you have definitely grown since I last held you like this,” Kaito said to him. “I think you might grow up to be a giant!”

“Tou-san!” Takumi complained, but he was laughing as he clung to Kaito’s shoulders. Kaito grinned so hard his cheeks hurt. His arms were going to hate him later, but this was totally worth it.

“And away we go!” Kaito said, making horse clopping sounds like they were riding him into battle.

***

It wasn’t that Kaito meant to notice, it was just that it was one of those things that he was low key aware of, had been aware of, especially with Aoko. So when he didn’t notice Ran ever being on her period even when he was practically there every other night anymore, Kaito had to wonder. It wasn’t like there weren’t other explanations—Kudo and Ran never mentioned if birth control was something they used as well as condoms, but considering how Aoko had gotten pregnant and the signs that had followed that, Kaito was a bit more in tune to this sort of thing than he otherwise would have been. Which was why when he found Ran sitting in her bedroom after work one day, Hanae two rooms over playing, and a box in her lap, he wasn’t surprised.

“Ran-hime?” Kaito said softly, tapping on the doorway to catch her attention.

She looked up, startled, but relaxed seeing him. “Kaito. Hi.”

“Are you okay?”

Ran smiled, but her heart wasn’t really in it. “I’m fine, just...”

“Nervous about using that,” Kaito said, nodding at the box.

The smile slid from her face. “A bit. I already know what it’s going to tell me if I’m honest, but. It’s not that the idea upsets me, it’s just unexpected and with Hanae we planned everything out and I’m thinking about how hard it was toward the end of my pregnancy and the first few months with a new baby...”

Kaito came in the room and knelt by her side, taking her hand in his. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. Do you want another child?”

“Yes!” Ran said immediately. “Yes, Shinichi and I have talked about it a few times and how maybe one day... We’ve talked a lot recently. I just wasn’t expecting it,” she repeated. “I love children. The idea of having more than one never was a problem. And I sometimes wished I had a sibling when I was little, but there’s abstract thought and...”

“And there’s having the reality of it in your face,” Kaito finished. “I understand completely. Did you know that I was eighteen when Takumi was born? Completely unplanned, of course because we were both hormonal idiots who didn’t think, but I don’t think either of us ever regretted him even if we regret other things. The first months were hell. I barely slept and Aoko started the police academy before Takumi was a year old so I was on my own a lot...” He smiled at the bittersweet memory. “Thankfully you’re not going to be alone.”

Ran caught his face in her hands. “I know, Kaito. I’ll tell you now, I am expecting your help if I really am pregnant.”

“Of course,” Kaito said. “I’ll be there every step of the way right with Shinichi.”

She smiled and kissed him on the forehead. Kaito’s heart felt calm. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he would be a third parent to any child Ran had.

“Are you going to use that or...?” Kaito nodded to the pregnancy test still in its box.

Ran squeezed his hand. “Yes. I just needed a moment to brace myself for proof. Because there’s knowing and there’s knowing.”

Kaito leaned up and gave her a kiss on the nose just to see her smile. “Want me to wait out here or?”

“Yes please.” She took the box to the adjoining bathroom.

Kaito sat on the bed. Down the hall, he could hear Hanae singing something to herself tunelessly. Either she’d inherited Shinichi’s tone-deafness or she was making up some song of her own. Kaito smiled as occasionally a word would be clear, something about cats and smiles. It felt like a long wait, but it was only a bit over five minutes before Ran came back out, holding the test stick out in front of her like an offering.

It was positive.

“No surprises there,” she said with another lopsided smile. “Missing my first period wasn’t all that surprising; I’m not terribly regular, but more than one...”

“Congratulations, Ran-hime, Hanae-chan is going to be a big sister.” Kaito offered her a flower, a white carnation since he was only carrying a few of those at the moment (he only had red roses lately when he planned to flirt with Kudo or Ran).

“Thank you, Kaito.” She took it, smiling, and that was all Kaito wanted, to see her smile. “We can tell Shinichi tonight.”

“Of course. Do you need some time on your own?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Play with Hanae while I start dinner?”

“If you need anything else, I’ll do my best to provide,” Kaito said with a shadow of his usual flirtatious wink. Ran laughed and shooed him out the door.

***

Kaito clicked through photos his mother sent from somewhere in the US, comfortably ensconced on Kudo’s living room couch with half a dozen pillows around him and a sleeping toddler on his chest. Kudo, who had spent the last fifteen minutes trying to organize his ever-growing collection of children’s books and movies glanced over his shoulder when Kaito stifled a laugh at one of the photos. The photo’s occupants were making unimpressed faces over a sign proclaiming the restaurant had the best Japanese food east of the Mississippi river. Kaito’s mother had her hand out in a thumbs down.

Kaito glanced over his shoulder to explain how looking for authentic Japanese food was something of a running joke for his mother, when Kudo made a choking sound. “Are you okay?” he asked instead.

Kudo was splotchy-pale, eyes fixed on the photo. “Who is that?”

“My mother?”

“No, the person with her.”

Kaito looked at the photo and back at Kudo. “Aunt Chris?”

“Aunt. She’s your aunt?”

“Not by blood, but she’s been friends with my mom for ages so she kind of feels like an aunt at this point. I’m pretty sure my dad trained her or her mom or something, Kaa-san’s kind of weird about it when I ask. Why?”

Kudo visibly forced himself calm and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like he’d aged a year in a few minutes. “Kaito, that’s Vermouth. One of the Black Organization’s inner members. She’s supposed to be behind bars.”

Kaito blinked. “You’re sure?”

“I’ve been held at gunpoint by her at close range more than once. So yes, I’m sure.”

“Well shit.” Kaito’s had tea with her dozens of times, had his face pinched and been teased about his resemblance to Toichi almost as often. She’s met his son. “I... honestly don’t know what to say.”

“Did they say anything about where they were or what they were doing?” Kudo asked.

“I think they’re in the American Midwest? Somewhere? Kaa-san travels. A lot. About as much as your parents do honestly.”

“Doing what?”

“Haven’t a clue. Sometimes it’s visiting magicians Tou-san knew, sometimes it’s just seeing sights for the hell of it.” Kaito clicked back a few photos to his mother perched on a balcony railing with a glass of wine in hand and the same wild smile Kaito had inherited on her face. It must have been Chris that took the photo. “I always just thought she was running from Tou-san’s memory. She stayed until I was in junior high and then she was gone all the time and I was spending half my time at the Nakamori household like some awkward plus one to their family.” He clicked back to the first photo, just a selfie with a field of flowers in the back. “Guess whatever she’s been doing all these years might not be legal. Though Aunt Chris wasn’t in many photos until recently if that helps any.” Someone save him from more family secrets though. He could live with fewer surprises.

Kudo just kept rubbing his face like he had a headache. “Your mother is Phantom Lady, right?”

“Yep.” It wasn’t worth the effort to hide what was so thinly hidden.

“Is she still an active thief?”

“I’ve never asked. But given that she has been traveling for years and can still afford the house in Japan, it’s pretty likely.” He never asked how the family finances worked, mostly because he didn’t want to think too hard about it. So long as there had been money in the bank, he hadn’t let it bother him. “I know it bothers you, but she has a different set of morals than I do.” Not all thieves returned what they stole.

“I need to process this.”

Kaito sat up a bit, supporting Hanae and his laptop as he did. Hanae made a tiny unhappy sound before squishing her face more comfortably into his chest. “Is this a deal breaker?” Kaito asked, dropping all masks to show his seriousness.

“What?” Kudo stopped rubbing his temples. “No. Of course not. I accepted that you steal things, I can accept the fact that your family steals, I just can’t let myself dwell on it too long. No, I just have to get my head around the fact that Vermouth is still out there running around free and that there’s a chance she might show up here someday. I... really don’t get along with her.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Kaito said drily, relaxing. For a second there... He pushed the brief moment of panic away to decompress later. “Someone takes a potshot at your life a time or two and all.”

Kudo snorted. “Does your mother send photos often?”

“When she remembers to. We talk once a month or so unless there’s something else going on.” Kaito debated with himself a moment then added, “She’s helped a few times with heists over the years.” He still hadn’t forgiven her for not being there when Jii died.

“Ah. Good to know.”

“Don’t try to profile her when you meet her.” Kaito tilted his head back, frowning as something occurred to him. “Actually you probably have already met before. I have a vague memory of meeting your mother before so it wouldn’t be too weird if she met you when you were a kid.”

Kudo grimaced. “I don’t know how to feel about that. How likely is it that I meet your mother?”

“If our relationship lasts, it’s a definite thing, but as to when... dunno when she’ll be in Japan next. Could be a matter of weeks or half a year. There’s no rhyme or reason to when she comes and goes that I’ve noticed.”

“I’ll brace myself for the eventuality then.”

“Maa, you make it sound like it’s a burden.”

“Have you seen my relationship with my in-laws? I seem to bring out the parental protective streak against me. I can’t imagine this going differently.”

“Fair enough. You are a detective to my thief.”

“...Let me know if Vermouth shows up in any more photos?”

“Sure thing, Kudo.”

“I’ve told you to call me Shinichi,” Kudo complained.

“I’ll break my habit eventually, you’ve just been Kudo for years.”

“You’re as bad as Heiji,” Kudo grumbled.

“Me? Never,” Kaito said, going back to his mother’s email. He smiled as Kudo huffed and went back to work on organizing. “Love you too, Shinichi~!” He grinned to himself as Kudo made another choking noise behind him. ‘Love’ was still a new enough word between them to leave Shinichi’s face a wonderful red every time.

***

Normally Kaito would pick up or drop off Takumi at Aoko’s place, but for once she was picking Takumi up from him, and of course it was one of the days he was at the Kudo home rather than his apartment or childhood home. They’d skirted around the whole thing for the last few months, but the happier Kaito grew with how things were going in his life, he could see how uncomfortable Aoko continued to be.

They were in another awkward phase, but at least it wasn’t the cold, brittle sort of awkward at the moment—provided a Kid heist hadn’t just occurred.

It was Ran who got the door. She’d been warned that Aoko was coming. It would have been Kaito answering the door, but Takumi was refusing to pack up his toys in his travel bag and generally dragging his feet about going home to Aoko because Hanae was going to get to go see a live sentai show with her grandparents tomorrow and it wasn’t fair that he didn’t get to go too. Kaito was sympathetic, really, but after the third snit-fit in the last two hours, his patience was running a bit thin.

“Tell you what,” Kaito said, putting Takumi’s action figures back in his bag as fast as Takumi was taking them back out again. “If you’re really really good for the next month, I can look into seeing if you can go to a Christmas show. But only if you’re good.”

“But it’s not the same!” Takumi said. “It won’t be Red-Blue morph against the Gold Beetle!”

“No, but it could be the whole Mountain Team on ice. Wouldn’t that be cooler? Fighting monsters on ice skates?”

Takumi gave him a disgusted look, like ice skating battles couldn’t possibly be as cool as what the stage production promised.

“I’m sorry kiddo, but that’s how it goes. You have school to go to anyway.”

“But I don’t even want to go to school. I hate it.”

“You don’t hate it,” Kaito said with patience he didn’t feel. “You wouldn’t get to see Shiemi and Yuu-kun as often if you didn’t have school.”

“Shiemi’s in another year,” Takumi grumbled.

He was normally such a well behaved kid, too. Kaito put his hands on his hips. “You like gym class and arts and crafts and reading new books. You’d be sad and bored if you didn’t go to school and you know it. Now up. Your Kaa-san is probably here already.”

“She is,” Aoko said from the doorway, less than amused.

Ran stood a few feet behind her. She shot Kaito an apologetic look and a shrug. Kaito’s shoulders slumped for a half second before he pasted a smile on his face.

“See, she’s here already!” Kaito said.

Takumi scowled, caught between greeting his mother and continuing his tantrum. Kaito almost thought it would tip in favor of Aoko but Takumi’s lip wobbled and his face screwed up and Kaito looked at the ceiling as he started crying.

Kaito pushed Takumi’s travel bag into Aoko’s hands. “Okay. This is going nowhere, so I think we’re going to have a bit of a time out and try again, hmm?” Takumi cried harder and Kaito hadn’t had to deal with this since Takumi was three and theoretically it should have been easier to rationalize with a seven year old than a three year old. “We’re going to give you some space so you can calm down, okay?”

Walking away from a crying child was not something that came naturally but Kaito was frankly running out of ideas. He shut the door behind him, Takumi’s muffled voice on the other side and sighed. “Hell,” Kaito said.

“It looks like you’ve had a fun weekend,” Aoko said, and her tone could either be joking or mocking. Given how they usually were toward each other, he was betting toward mocking.

“Sorry,” he said, “it’s not always sunshine and roses.”

“My fault,” Ran cut in, ever the peacemaker. “I should have waited to tell Hanae about the show until he left.”

“It’s not your fault,” Kaito said. “He probably would be upset if he heard about it after the fact too.”

Aoko didn’t say anything to that, but Kaito could see her scoff under her breath. Kaito frowned at her and the tense way she held herself a bit back from Ran, and ah, that was jealousy there, and dislike which wasn’t fair to Ran but not very surprising. He’d probably feel something similar if Aoko showed up with a man at her side tomorrow despite how illogical it would be. It didn’t make this any less uncomfortable though.

“I’ll give him five or ten minutes,” Kaito said to Ran, “then send him home. He’ll probably be calmer once he lets it all out.”

“Do you want tea in the meantime?” Ran offered, looking at Aoko.

And Aoko just looked at Kaito and said, “No thank you,” in a clipped voice that shut down any more offers and any possible attempts at conversation too.

Kaito gave Ran a strained smile. “Thanks, Ran, I think we’ll be fine.” It was a dismissal, but he softened it with a reassuring touch to her arm even though it made Aoko tense up further. “I’ll be up to read Hanae-chan a bedtime story later okay?”

Ran’s politeness warred with her instinct to be supportive. Giving Kaito his privacy won out. “If you need anything...”

“I’ll let you know, thanks.” His smiled dropped once she was out of sight. “Must you?” he said to Aoko.

Aoko flushed. “Shut up! I am trying! I am really trying, Kaito!”

Kaito crossed his arms. In the library, Takumi’s cries were becoming quieter, so he lowered his voice as well. “That was as awkward as that time in third year where you almost hit Koizumi because she flirted with me despite the fact that she was flirting with me from day one.”

“We’d just started dating then!” Aoko hissed, getting in his face. She faltered immediately. Once, arguments were practically foreplay, but now there was just one more layer of awkward and distance and hurt there to keep it from ever being that again. “It’s just seeing you like that, all domestic with them is like looking at what we were and my brain keeps throwing what-ifs at me like we haven’t been down that road a billion times! I thought I went through all of this bullshit when we divorced, but I guess not!”

Kaito didn’t budge. “I get that. But could you keep your anger on me? Ran hasn’t done anything to you.”

“I know that!” And there Aoko’s voice rose. Behind the door, Takumi went abruptly quiet. “I know that,” Aoko repeated. She closed her eyes a moment. “I’m trying, Kaito. It’s going to take a bit longer.”

“Okay.” He’d accept that this was her best right now. “I’m sorry about Takumi. I really did plan to have him ready to go.”

“What is he upset about anyway?”

“Hanae gets to see a stage performance with his favorite sentai series and he’s mad he doesn’t get to go. Which, okay, I get, but if it was one of his friends he wouldn’t be so upset.”

“Of course not,” Aoko said, “but Hanae-chan isn’t like a friend, is she? She’s like a sister.”

Kaito blinked, looked at the situation from the new angle. “Oh.” Huh. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

“And you’re sending him home with me and reading her a bedtime story tonight and she’s getting to go to see the show.” Aoko crossed her arms. “Obviously he’s upset. How much time have you been spending with him one on one lately?”

“Some. We still go places together and I’ve been showing him how to do simple magic tricks...” But he’d been at the Kudo house with Takumi a lot more this last month. And the Kudo house inevitably meant Hanae. And while Takumi and Hanae mostly got along, there had been some tension over who got Kaito’s attention when they spent a lot of time together. “So it’s because he’s jealous?”

“Probably. Honestly Kaito, it’s not that hard to figure out.”

“You weren’t the one dealing with the last hour of having to track down all his toys when he kept hiding them,” Kaito muttered. Or alternately being yelled at or given the cold shoulder. “I’ll have to do more one on one things...”

Aoko nodded. She didn’t look upset anymore, probably because she felt in control again in one-upping Kaito in understanding their son. “He will have to learn how to share though. If you stay with the Kudos.”

“I plan to,” Kaito said, just a bit too sharp.

Aoko didn’t rise to meet it this time. “He’ll have to learn,” she repeated. “So there might be more melt downs like this one.”

“Joy.”

She snorted. “I’m sure I’ll have my share to deal with too, Bakaito.”

Kaito would get the worst of it though. If there were struggles now, how would it be when Ran had a second child? How would Hanae handle being a sibling actually? That was stress waiting to happen. But a thought for another day. “I think he’s calmed down now,” Kaito said.

They opened the door and found Takumi curled in a ball with his chin resting on his knees, looking at the door like it had personally destroyed his dreams. He had devastating puppy-dog eyes when he thought to use them, but he wasn’t the manipulative type most of the time. As it was, having that look on him the second he opened the door had Kaito feeling guilty for leaving Takumi in the room in the first place even if it had been five minutes at most.

He knelt down next to him. “Feeling better?”

Takumi sniffed. “No.” He looked between Kaito and Aoko. “Are you fighting again?”

“Not this time,” Aoko said. “Are you ready to go home?”

“No,” Takumi said again.

“Are you sure? You don’t want to have your special banana bread toast for breakfast or read the new book Ojii-san gave you?”

Takumi pouted. “Ran-obasan makes bunny pancakes and there’s lots of books here.”

“Well I could make you bunny pancakes at home and you have your favorite pajamas there too.”

Kaito knew that Aoko had won when Takumi didn’t say anything.

Kaito held out an arm. “Can I get a hug before you go?”

He was scowling but Takumi did hug him. He held on tight like he wouldn’t let Kaito go. “It’s not fair,” he mumbled into Kaito’s shoulder.

“I know, but there will be other shows.”

“She’s too little to even remember it,” Takumi said. More softly he added, “And she gets to have everything.”

“Oh?”

“She gets to do cool things and has fun grandparents and has Shinichi-ojisan and Ran-obasan and you all the time.”

Ah. And Aoko was right. He held Takumi closer. “Can I tell you a secret?” Kaito whispered. He felt Takumi nod against his neck. “Hanae has all those things, but you know what? You have me and Shiemi and your Kaa-san and Ojii-san and Obaa-san who do fun things with you too. And do you know what else you have? You have Shinichi-ojisan and Ran-obasan too. If Hanae has me, you have them too, okay? You’re lucky and get all the cool parents too. Plus Aoko. Hanae doesn’t have Aoko.”

Takumi sniffed, probably getting snot all over Kaito’s shoulder, but that was fine. This was important. “You think?”

“I know,” Kaito said. “And remember what I said, if you’re good we can go to see a sentai show together.”

“Just us?”

“If you want. Or you can invite Shiemi along or something too.”

Takumi clung tight for a second then let go. “Okay.”

Kaito smiled and ruffled his son’s hair so it was even messier than it was naturally. “Be good for your mom, okay?”

Takumi nodded and moved to Aoko to hug her too.

Kaito felt the weight of the situation drain from him. Thank goodness that was over.

“Time to go,” Aoko said. “But can you apologize to your father for yelling at him first? You’re old enough to know better than that.”

Takumi looked down at the floor. “Sorry, Tou-san...”

“You’re forgiven.” He needed to read up on some things. Maybe figure out how to handle this whole situation better. And maybe look into more ways that Takumi could identify and express his emotions. It would probably be healthy for both of them because goodness knew how bad Kaito was with that sort of thing himself. “See you later, Takumi.”

Takumi waved and Aoko waved and Kaito walked with them to the front door where they repeated the process after putting shoes on. Once they were gone he sat down in the genkan for a moment just to let himself decompress a moment. It had been a long afternoon.

Ran found him there minutes, or maybe closer to half an hour later.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“I think so,” Kaito said. “I think this is Takumi working out more or less not being an only child anymore. Probably.”

“He’s doing fine. He’s already a good brother,” Ran said, accepting that Takumi already was a sibling when Kaito was still wrapping his mind around the idea. Kaito was helping raise two children now, wasn’t he? And soon there’d be a third. “And you’re doing fine as a parent. Trust me.”

Kaito trusted her. She knew what a divorced family could look like, and if anyone could see how hard they were all trying to make this work, Ran could. “Thanks, Ran.”

“Are you staying the night?”

Leave when all he wanted to do was find Shinichi in the study and drag him and Ran into one comfortable cuddle pile? Never. “Sorry, you’re stuck with me. I’ve lost my return label. You have to keep me forever.”

**

The baby was tiny, red and wrinkly and unhappy to be in the world if her expression was anything to go by. All the anxiety and tension of the day left Kaito as he saw Ran holding her. Shinichi was by her side first but Kaito was right behind him. Ran’s parents were still out in the waiting area, but Kaito was, by Shinichi’s insistence, here to experience this. This, more than anything over the last few months cemented that he was part of their lives. Part of...of them as a unit.

Ran looked exhausted and careworn, but happy. Very happy as she ran a finger gently across the baby’s cheek. “She’s healthy and whole,” Ran said.

“And finally facing the world,” Shinichi said, sounding relieved. She’d been late and then it had been a long labor, longer than Kaito remembered with Takumi. “She’s got your nose.” Shinichi leaned against Ran and for a moment Kaito just watched them, warm, complicated emotions tangling up inside of him before Shinichi held out the arm not wrapped around Ran and Kaito went to him to be pulled into this huddle of parental warmth.

“I know we threw around a few names,” Ran said looking down at the bundle in her arms. “But what do you think about Midori?”

“As in the color or as in greenery?” Shinichi said.

“Greenery,” Ran said. “Is it weird to want to keep plant names for girls as a start of a family thing?”

“Sounds like a good one. Better than Shinichi or me,” Kaito said, “since our first names boil down to puns.”

Ran laughed softly. “Midori then.”

Shinichi pulled Kaito and Ran in closer, leaning his head on Ran’s shoulder. Midori made a tiny sound, face scrunching up even more and Ran soothed the irritation away. Kaito couldn’t look away. A baby, a child, a tiny new human being. It remained some kind of miracle how a bunch of cells could become this, could become a child like Hanae or Takumi with personalities and dreams and preferences. It was moments like this that felt more magical than any actual magic, stage or supernatural, that Kaito had come across.

“We should probably get the grandparents,” Shinichi said. He didn’t move though. They all watched Midori sleep a little longer.

**

Kaito had Takumi’s photo album out—it didn’t get updated often, but he tried to keep a record of his life, and lately with the Kudos Kaito felt like he’d found more reasons to take photos than he had in recent years. The new photos had been tucked into their plastic sheets. Shinichi was taking a rare quiet moment to join him in sorting through some of his own photos, starting an album for Midori and updating the one they had for Hanae.

Kaito, full of nostalgia, flipped backward through Takumi’s album. Shiemi was in almost half the pictures with him, and the further back Kaito flipped, the more memories tugged at him, so many tiny moments that had meant so much. Takumi at four, three, two, just walking... He flipped bit further to when Takumi was a newborn. Apparently Takumi looked a lot like Kaito had as a baby but Kaito never took out his baby photos to compare. The same eye shape and facial structure and the same long fingers...

Kaito paused, something tugging at the back of his mind. Scattered on the coffee table were photos of Hanae and Midori. There was one that just... Kaito picked up a photo of Midori and held it next to Takumi’s baby photo. They were both in almost the same position making nearly identical wrinkle-nosed expressions. If you took away Midori’s nose shape which she got from Ran...

“Huh.”

Well, Kaito and Shinichi did look alike, but that was a little... surprising how well Midori’s photo lined up with Takumi.

“What?” Shinichi said, looking up from sorting through Hanae-in-dresses photos.

Kaito handed the two photos over.

“Huh,” Shinichi echoed. “You think...?”

“I don’t know. Do you have any photos of you as a baby to compare?”

“Not on had though my parents probably have some in the attic or library.” Shinichi tipped his head to the side. “The timing would fit.”

“Would it?” Kaito tried to count back.

“Your first time with us,” Shinichi clarified. “Part of me wondered but. It wasn’t important.”

“That seems pretty important to know.” Kaito would have wanted to know.

“It’s not like it changes anything. Midori’s our daughter,” he said, and yes it was that simple, but at the same time... “You look a lot like me so no one would notice the difference anyway.”

“What if I hadn’t ended up staying?”

Shinichi shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t say how I’d be in a hypothetical situation. But we don’t even know if she’s yours or mine anyway.”

“Do you want to know?” Kaito asked, feeling... not uncomfortable, but having a moment where he realized he probably would not have been so relaxed about this if it had happened the other way around. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Shinichi pursed his lips. “We should probably check for medical reasons. I don’t know anything about your family medical history. But it doesn’t change things. It shouldn’t anyway. She’s my daughter as much as she is yours no matter who her genetic father is.”

A month ago Koizumi sent Kaito a photo of two newborn girls announcing that she’d had twins and Kaito had gone through a similar range of emotions in a short span of time. Discomfort mixed with worry and longing and a peculiar sort of joy that he could only guess stemmed from knowing that he had another blood relative in the world. Midori was his daughter in the ways Shinichi meant; Kaito changed her diapers and took turns with Ran and Shinichi in feeding and calming and playing and all the little tasks that babies required. He was pretty much another parent to Hanae too by now. It was a little silly to have some deeper emotion about a blood tie. Part of him hoped that Midori was his even though he wouldn’t do anything differently if she was or wasn’t.

Kaito scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Yeah. It’s just weird. I didn’t even consider that was a possibility.”

Shinichi snorted. “I’m not sure why you wouldn’t.”

“Well, I was with you one time and then it was about a month and a half before we got sexual again, more than two before we—” Kaito blushed. “Anyway, it didn’t seem likely.”

“We’ll get a test done,” Shinichi said, handing Takumi’s photo back. “Just to know.”

“Just to know,” Kaito echoed, tucking the photo back in the album.  He wasn’t sure if he would be relieved if it turned out she was his or not. He resolved that he wouldn’t let it affect how he interacted with any of them in any way though. He would just. Know. And that would be enough.

Unspecified future:

Kaito made a soft, pleased sound on his throat, sandwiched as he was between Shinichi at his front and Ran at his back. All the perks of feeling every inch of them—Ran’s soft curves against his back and strong thighs bracketing his hips, Shinichi’s firm chest to Kaito’s chest and Shinichi’s perfect butt at just the right height for optimal grabbing. Kaito arched as Shinichi captured his lips, using that same ass as leverage to get closer. Ran stroked Kaito’s sides, Shinichi’s back, her lips warm on Kaito’s neck, and yes, this was his favorite place to be, caught up between them all warm and safe. Shinichi drew back a breath and moved lips across Kaito’s jaw, down toward his neck. Kaito tipped his head back against Ran’s shoulder to give him better access.

Shinichi kissed the hollow of Kaito’s throat before suddenly jerking back. “Wait.”

“What?” Kaito froze and Ran paused, one hand on Kaito’s abs, the other on Shinichi’s collarbone—it had been on his shoulder before he moved.

“Wait, sorry, just—” Shinichi scrambled up, diving for where he’d thrown his underwear. “I gotta—case!” he explained badly.

“Kudo Shinichi are you thinking about murders while you’re in bed with us?!” Kaito demanded.

“Sorry!” Shinichi said, legging it out the bedroom door in only his underwear, pants and shirt in his free hand.

“What the fuck?”

At his back, Ran started laughing, the full-body, almost silent sort of laughter where it wheezed out of you.

Kaito tipped his head to the side. “Are we that boring?”

“Oh my god,” Ran gasped, sides shaking hard enough that Kaito slid off her shoulder and gracelessly into her lap. “That’s just so—!”

“So Shinichi,” Kaito agreed with a sigh. He met Ran’s grin and started laughing too until they were both giggly messes. “I am going to hold this over him forever!” Kaito said, gasping for breath.

Ran swatted him ineffectually, still laughing too hard to even aim right. “I’d be annoyed—but—your face!”

“Our clothes came off like ten minutes ago! He shouldn’t have been able to think about cases!”

“It’s Shinichi.” Ran grinned down at him. Kaito was suddenly very aware that he was still tucked between her thighs.

He trailed a hand over one, from hip to knee, enjoying how her expression went from amused to interested in record time. “So. There’s no reason why we can’t just continue. Shinichi’s loss.”

Ran snorted, one hand coming up to cover her face. Once upon a time Kaito used to think there was nothing more exhilarating than being chased by Aoko when she was angry, but honestly? Ran laughing did things to him that even seeing Aoko flushed with flustered irritation didn’t do when he was seventeen and hormonal as hell.

“Well, he was the one rude enough to run out on us,” Ran said, eyes sparkling. “And we have a nice comfy bed that we’re already naked in...”

“Shame to waste that.”

Ran kissed him.  Kaito grinned, heart singing like he’d pulled off the best heist performance of his life. Really, Shinichi’s loss.

***

The heist was a close call. A gunshot while he was taking the gem, a few centimeters too wide but close enough that shattered glass had caught the exposed skin at his wrists and a few places on his face. Thankfully nothing deep, but it was more of his blood on scene that he’d had to take time to clean even as he fled. The gem, of course, had not been Pandora. But there hadn’t been collateral this time so Kaito counted that as a win.

He’d retreated to the Kudo manor because it was closer to the Beika museum than his apartment or his childhood home. Of course that meant he woke Shinichi and Ran up coming in through the bedroom window.

In retrospect, he probably should have used the front door; it would have been more inconspicuous. Habit, however, had him half through the window before he even thought about the fact that they were sleeping.

“Kaito?” Shinichi mumbled, still half asleep as he turned on the bedside lamp.

“Go back to sleep, I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Kid,” Shinichi corrected, seeing Kaito still in his gear. “The heist, how did—you’re hurt.”

“What?” Ran sat up and paled when she saw him.

“It’s not that bad,” Kaito said with a sigh. He slid the window shut.

“Kaito, you have blood all down the side of your face,” Ran said. She crossed around the bed and Shinichi followed a moment later.

Kaito ignored them and headed for the bathroom. “It was just a bit of glass. It looks worse than it is.”

“Snipers?” Shinichi asked, awake and needing to know everything.

“Yes, but clearly not a very good sniper.”

That joke fell flat. Kaito hauled out the fully stocked first aid kit and pulled out bandages, antiseptic ointment, alcohol and tweezers on the off chance there was any glass slivers still in the wound. By the time he had everything out and lined up on the countertop, Ran had a wet washcloth waiting.

“I can clean my own wounds,” Kaito said. He wasn’t used to having anyone help with this sort of thing. His mother was almost never around, and by the time he met up with Jii after heists in the past, he’d have already cleaned up and bandaged anything that needed bandaging.

“You can, but you don’t have to,” Ran said. She stared Kaito down until he relented, offering his face first. Shinichi took off this hat and monocle, setting them to the side as Ran cleaned blood off his cheek. The cloth felt rough against dozens of tiny cuts, stinging as they were tugged open again.

“They’re the same people from last time, correct?” Shinichi said, watching like the detective he was, like a predator waiting for the twitch of a mouse’s tail to pounce on.

“So far as I’m aware, it’s always the same people. Snipers that is.” He flinched as Ran disinfected the cuts. She turned his face this way and that, looking for any sign of lingering glass. “Usually it’s a kill shot attempt from a distance, but every now and then they send someone to threaten face to face—ow!”

“Hm, hold still, there’s a splinter stuck. You’re lucky that missed your eye.” Ran readied the tweezers.

“I’m always lucky,” Kaito argued. “Anyway, yes, same people.” He shivered. “They’re getting bolder.”

“They shot your partner.”

Kaito sent a glare Shinichi’s way because they might not have ever talked about it, but Shinichi knew what drove Kaito closer to them. He was a detective, he wouldn’t have missed the connection between the body found near a Kid heist and Kaito’s depressive spiral shortly after. That didn’t mean Kaito was any more ready to put that into words. He didn’t talk about most of his emotions. Most of his emotions were a mess and it would take too long to find a beginning or end to untangle them in the first place so Shinichi could leave that particular snarl of hell alone.

Shinichi nodded, like Kaito’d said everything out loud anyway. “What is your end goal here? I know you’re after a gem and I’ve pieced together it has some sort of myth attached. So why are they trying to kill you, Kaito?”

“Guess.”

Ran put a bandage on Kaito’s face none too gently. “Stop being angry at us, we’re helping,” Ran said. She grabbed Kaito’s hand next, honing in on the next sign of blood.

“...I’m trying to find a mythical gem that grants immortality before the people looking for it can get it. I don’t know why they want it, and frankly I don’t give a fuck why they want it. All I know is they killed my dad for it and would kill me, and that’s enough to make me want to keep it away from them.” Kaito let out a hiss of pain as Ran worked on his wrist, the worst of the damage. “Originally I wanted to get them all arrested, but the whole thing just gets deeper the more I look into it and all I have is a bunch of files on people and not enough concrete proof to do anything about it. And that’s only scratching the surface.”

“You have files?” Shinichi said.

“Of course I have files. I have to know who might be crooked on the police force. Granted that end of things is kind of patchy since I usually can only look into where evidence goes missing. But I haven’t spent almost a decade at this without learning to keep track of where things happen or who happened to be involved with things outside the police.” Some of Kaito’s irritation ebbed as he noticed Shinichi’s thoughtful expression. “Why?”

“Because, that’s evidence. And if there’s evidence you can build a case from it. Is it usually the same person trying to kill you? How big of a group are we talking about?”

“I’m... not sure. There used to be a man called Snake, and then there was Jackal and Rose, but they’re not active anymore, at least one of them is dead...” Indirectly due to Kaito for one of them, but he wasn’t going to think too hard about that. “There are at least two people I’ve noticed lately but there could be more. And that’s just the assassins. I don’t know much about the higher ups. Jackal liked to talk, but I only got him face to face a few times. The thing with snipers is that it’s hard to get close to them since they’re usually trying to kill you from a distance.”

“I understand that. But Kaito, when it comes to taking down crime organizations, do you know anyone with more experience than I do?”

Kaito went cold. He turned sharply, ignoring Ran’s protest as he jerked in her grip. “No. You aren’t getting involved. My life is in enough danger, I don’t want them trying to kill you too.”

Shinichi crossed his arms. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think I’m already involved. I’m involved with you, and if they’re targeting you, then it’s already my problem. Even if you can guarantee that this group of yours doesn’t have the slightest idea of your civilian identity, the fact that I attend heists could put me in danger. People are currently in danger at every heist you have. Tell me, why isn’t it in the best interest of everyone involved that I look into this?”

“Kudo. Shinichi. This isn’t just in Japan. They’re active around the world. I just haven’t had much opportunity to interact with them out of Japan. Last time you ran into a group like that you spent two years as a seven-year-old and almost died half a dozen times that I know of. I asked you to avoid heists because I didn’t want to put you more at risk.”

“Again, the points I just made. Besides, Kaito, there are always people who are going to want to take a shot at me or my loved ones. Always. I deal with murderers remember?”

How could Kaito forget? Just two days ago Kaito watched him solve a murder case over what was supposed to be a quick lunch out together while they were on work break. “Ran?” Kaito said, hoping she could knock some sense into him.

Ran wouldn’t meet his eyes. “You know as well as I do that you’re not going to be able to convince him not to seek justice when people are being murdered, Kaito,” she said, dabbing ointment on Kaito’s wrists.

“But—”

“Kaito,” she said gently. “I don’t like the idea of him getting caught up with something that big again, but it’s better if he’s ahead of them than them coming for him without warning.” She smiled sadly. “And that would happen. They already have an idea who you are, don’t they? Since they found your partner?”

“...They shouldn’t. Not right now.”

“Right now?” Shinichi said sharply. “What did you do?”

Kaito winced. “I didn’t kill anyone. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Kaito.”

“Shinichi.” Kaito said back.

Shinichi huffed. Then he caught Kaito’s chin in one hand so Kaito had to meet his eyes, a challenge and a promise burning in them. “Kaito, let me help. I can’t promise that I’d be able to get rid of them entirely, but getting them out of Japan? I already have the connections that would make that possible. I just need information and leads to follow.”

Kaito wanted to believe him. Desperately. He also had too clear a memory of Jii’s corpse. And fainter but equally traumatic, his father’s death.

“Trust me. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t think I would be able to do it and keep myself and my family safe.”

It wasn’t even a year yet since Jii.

Kaito closed his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see Shinichi’s sincerity.

“Fine,” Shinichi sighed. “I’m dropping this for now, but this isn’t over.”

Ran finished with his wrists and Kaito let her. Let her bandage them and let Shinichi stand close and trace the fine, tiny scars that were already on Kaito’s face from times glass shattered on him in the past. He knew Shinichi with a goal in mind was as relentless and targeted as a hunting dog with a scent. He wasn’t going to let this go. And as good as Kaito was at playing the fox, he wasn’t going to be able to avoid the topic forever. Not when he was half living with Shinichi and Ran. Eventually Shinichi would wear him down. And Kaito would give him what he wanted to know. The future was clear in Kaito’s head, how this would go, but beyond surrendering what he knew, he couldn’t predict where things would go from there. Because he knew Shinichi and Shinichi had always gotten the culprit in the end.

So Kaito had a tiny flame of hope.

But he didn’t nurture it because he couldn’t afford to. He’d still keep Shinichi away from his mess as long as he could. He fell for people because of their passion and drive, not in spite of it, even when he knew it had a likelihood of coming back to hurt him.

Kaito hoped that this wouldn’t hurt him.

He wanted to learn to get used to coming home to people who would sit him down and look at his wounds and worry over him.

***

Kaito raise a glass in toast. Aoko, on the other side of her kitchen table, mirrored him. “To Nakamori-keibu. May he have a peaceful, well-earned retirement.” He drank.

“Toast for him fighting on literal decades despite dealing with your bullshit,” Aoko said.

“Both Oyaji and my bullshit,” Kaito corrected. “Nakamori-keibu, the underrated terrier who never gave up nipping at our heels.”

“Don’t call my dad a dog,” Aoko said, but she drank too. They’d both drank tonight. A lot. Miraculously nothing was broken yet.

“It’s the end of an era,” Kaito said. “What is he going to do with all that time on his hands? Take up knitting? Do Tai Chi? Finally work on his anger management issues?”

Aoko swatted him. That was deserved. “He’s taking a vacation and planning to do volunteer work. If his back lets him. You know how bad it’s been.”

Nakamori hadn’t done much chasing for the last year. The retirement wasn’t exactly a surprise. “I’ll have to adjust to someone new running heists. How many habits will I have to break?”

“Shush you whiner. You’re not allowed to complain.” Aoko glared. Kaito relented. Two years ago they wouldn’t be sharing drinks let alone talking about her father’s retirement and Kid over Aoko’s kitchen table, so... Yeah, no room to complain. “I wonder if Tou-san will start talking to you again now that I talk to you?”

“Nah, I broke your heart. He hates me.”

“Doesn’t.”

“Does,” Kaito said, sticking his tongue out childishly as he stole Aoko’s bottle of whiskey to top up his glass. She had the sort of liquor taste Jii had approved of, Kaito mused, swirling the liquid so the light played off it. “He’s spent the last...” Kaito couldn’t count the years at the moment. “Long time... Ignoring me whenever we were in the same room. Or glaring. A lot of glaring.”

“He doesn’t. He’d have caught you if he did.”

“He doesn’t know who I am, Aoko.”

“He does. And he doesn’t?” She wobbled a hand in the air. “He knows but doesn’t want to know? Like me before? Everything’s there he just doesn’t want to see it like I didn’t. So sorta knowing.”

Kaito rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t count.”

Aoko stole the whiskey back. “Uh yeah it does because he could have authorized lethal force for how long you’ve been active but he never did.”

“He isn’t the type to use lethal violence on a non-lethal thief.”

“Hm,” Aoko hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. “I’m going to throw my name in for Tou-san’s position.”

Kaito choked on his drink, whiskey burning through his nasal passages as he coughed and sputtered. “What? Why?”

“Why not?” Aoko said.

“You know why not!”

“You and Kudo kicked your killers out of Japan. Locked them up. It’s safer than working homicides these days.” Aoko propped her head on one hand, clearly amused as hell at catching him off guard. “Plus think of the pay raise.”

“Out of Japan, not out of existence!” Kaito said, fighting his drunk brain for clear thought. “I don’t want you being more of a target!”

“You’re such a hypocrite Kaito,” Aoko said calmly. “Besides. I’m not going to get it first off. Not enough experience and I’m a woman. I’ll have to prove I can do better than whatever dumbass they hire before I’d get the job.”

“You don’t seem to think they’ll hire anyone good...” Kaito set his glass down. It might be time to drink some water.

“You see the kind of people I work with? Half of them are idiots, another quarter are thrill seekers, and the ones with brains tend to get in trouble because they thought out of the box and it led to doing something against a direct order. I have to figure out how to work in the constraints but think creative and do twice as good as the next guy to get the job.” She smirked, total confidence in her posture that normally never showed. It was probably because she was drunk, but Kaito’s drunk brain informed him that she looked really hot at the moment. Kaito’s drunk brain could shut up because they were both taken at the moment. Besides how completely idiotic it would be to restart anything with their history. “But I can do it.”

“I know you can, but why would you want to?”

“Someone’s gotta watch your idiot back,” Aoko said with a shrug. “And I’m good at making it look like I want to catch you even when I don’t.”

Years with a mop, Kaito thought. Much dodging. Mutual dodging? Who even knew at this point. “If they know that you know who I am then you’d be in so much trouble. You’d be fired. Maybe arrested.”

“Like I’m not already going to be?” Aoko said. She snorted. “Give up Kaito, I can do what I want.”

Kaito conceded. She always did what she wanted anyway regardless of how he felt. “You know, maybe we shouldn’t have broke out the whiskey and drank like half a dozen shots.”

“You’re not sad drunk today so it’s not a mistake.” Aoko, somehow doing better than Kaito despite drinking just as much and being a good bit lighter, finished off what was in her glass. “If you cry on me I’m kicking you out.”

“Ugh, I’m not gonna cry.” He might end up calling Shinichi or Ran to pick him up though because it wasn’t going to be a good idea to let him loose when drunk. He did stupid stupid things when drunk. Granted he’d probably just climb his lovers’ window and try to proposition them again. Kaito eyed the whiskey in his glass. At what point of drunkness did he lose all sense of embarrassment and impulse control?

“To getting shitfaced over the end of a crime-fighting era!” Aoko said, pouring herself a little bit more alcohol. The bottle was alarmingly low considering it was just the two of them drinking and it had been full before they started.

“Aw, hell,” Kaito said. “We only live once.” Get shitfaced with Aoko because they had reached the point where they could do this. Sure. Worth the hangover tomorrow. Thank god Takumi was with Shiemi and Keiko this weekend. “Don’t let me climb anything.”

“You’re not gonna climb things, you’re gonna do a magic show for me because it’s been freaking years and I like the thing with the...the...” She waved a hand and it could be anything from a card bridge to making something vanish and reappear.

“I’m not at my best drunk,” Kaito warned.

“The room is tilting and I’m easily impressed.”

Kaito snorfled into his drink. What the hell. “Cheers to magic,” he said, stealing Aoko’s glass and downing it. He’d regret it in the morning but tonight he was going to have fun with his one-time best friend.

 ***

“Hey Takumi?” Shiemi said. Tucked up under the blanket fort in the Kudo living room, she was cast in shadows. Takumi could barely make out her face, but something in her voice said that this was something important. The sort of thing that could only be brought up when she was sure they were alone. Couldn’t get more alone than a blanket fort sleepover at two in the morning. Hanae and Midori had been carried up to their rooms asleep hours ago.

“Yeah?” Takumi clicked on a flashlight. It was too bright, so he clicked it off immediately. In the split second of expression he’d seen on Shiemi’s face, she looked more nervous than Takumi had seen her be since that time she talked about who her dad was and why he wasn’t in her life. That was two years ago. He was twelve now and had no idea what she might bring up because they talked about pretty much everything. What could be so serious that she was nervous?

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately. Well. For a while now.”

“Yeah?” Takumi repeated when she paused. He reached out and took her hand. Shiemi squeezed back.

“You know how your dad likes both Ran-obasan and Shinichi-ojisan?”

Oh, now he could see where this was going. “He’s bi, yeah?”

“I think I like girls.” A deep breath. “I know I like girls. And not boys.”

“Okay.” It seemed like such a small thing, but clearly it wasn’t since Shiemi was so nervous. What, did she think he would be weirded out by it? “That’s cool. Anyone you like now?”

“That’s it?” Shiemi said, elbowing him.

“Ow. Why would it be a problem?”

“I don’t know. People at school are just... yeah, sometimes they say things...”

“And you listened to them? What happened to the girl who laughed in the face of the guy that tried to bully her?”

“I don’t care about them! They’re idiots! I just...”

Takumi turned so he could squirm closer, shoving pillows aside. “Shiemi, Tou-san has been with Shinichi-jisan how long now? It’s not a problem. I know boys can like boys and girls can like girls.”

“Ugh, I know it’s just different to say it out loud!” Shiemi huffed. She pulled him into a hug. “I never said it out loud to anyone before,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “I didn’t think it would be so scary to say it out loud.”

“To me?”

“No, just out loud really. Saying things out loud makes them more real. And you know what people are like about homosexuality.”

Takumi did know. It wasn’t broadcast that his dad was with the Kudos, but it wasn’t exactly a secret either and there had been times over the years... “Like you said, they’re idiots.”

“Idiots with power,” Shiemi said with a disgusted scoff. “I wish that would change.”

“You’re just going to have to do it yourself,” Takumi teased, thinking of how often she complained about something and did just that.

“Obviously.” Shiemi giggled. “Okay, can you picture me in politics?”

Takumi hummed. “Actually, yeah.”

“What really?”

“You’re bossy enough.”

“Takumi!” Shiemi shoved him away, laughing. He laughed with her. She was laughing a bit harder than the situation called for, but he figured it was relief. Silly, he wasn’t going to change how he was with her. When their giggled petered off, she sighed. “You know, maybe I should really go into politics. Maybe I could make a difference.”

“If you do, I’ll back you up.”

“As what, a fellow politician?”

“I dunno. I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Maybe I could join pro sports and be a spokesperson or something.” He’d started lacrosse this year and he was loving it. For a second he pictured standing in front of cameras after a win, telling some person about sexualities. It would probably be a scandal if he did, but it would be so worth it.

“You’re not that good at sports.”

“I dunno, I could be. I just have to try harder.”

Shiemi snorted. “You do that.” She caught Takumi’s hand again, lacing their fingers together like they did when they were younger. “I have a crush on Arisa in your class. She’s cute and she always says hi when I visit you at lunch and she can run really fast. She’s so cool.”

Takumi barely knew Arisa, but he could agree that she was pretty cool. “Are you going to tell her?”

“No. I’m not ready to tell the world yet. And if I asked her out there’d probably be rumors...” She looked at Takumi, dim light reflecting off her glasses. “You like anyone?”

“No,” Takumi said. “I keep thinking about it, but I don’t really get it. Maya-chan likes Jun, and everyone thinks Jun is attractive, but I just look at him and go, yeah, that’s a guy, and Kenta keeps being girl crazy but I can’t relate at all. They’re pretty I guess but...” Takumi shrugged. “It’s like everyone’s put on some pair of glasses that make you see people as attractive and I never got a pair. They’re people and they’re mostly nice people, but they’re just the same as they’ve always been, you know?”

“Kind of?” Shiemi said.

“I’ve looked into it some and maybe I just am one of those people who don’t like people that way. I don’t know. Maybe I never will or maybe I’ll wake up and find people pretty someday.”

“Does it bother you?”

“A little? But not much. I mean why get upset about who likes who, there’s so much to do, why waste time getting caught up in all of that.”

Shiemi snickered. “You would say that.” She nudged Takumi with her elbow and Takumi could see the hint of a smile in the dark. “Thanks. For listening and sharing.”

“Duh. You’re my best friend.”

“Don’t be a brat.”

Takumi stuck his tongue out at her. Shiemi shoved him. He tickled her, but that was always a battle he would lose. She had him wheezing laughter and crying in a matter of minutes, begging for mercy.

“I don’t know why you even start tickle fights when you know I’ll win,” Shiemi said.

“Worth it,” Takumi gasped. She was happy again and nothing had changed between them with sharing those secrets.

“So... If I ever do want to date someone, will you help be my wingman?”

“Pff, sure, Shiemi.”

**

Takumi was doing homework with Shiemi in the kitchen when the front door opened and shut. He didn’t think anything of it until there wasn’t his mother’s usual greeting. Instead, there was a patter of socked feet too small for an adult and Hanae rushing into the kitchen.

“Takumi-nii?” she said. She looked like she’d seen someone kick a puppy, torn between being upset and angry and it had Takumi wanting to track whatever caused it down because Hanae didn’t get upset easily.

She also wasn’t supposed to be here. “Hanae, what are you doing here?” Takumi asked, holding his arms out. Hanae rushed into the hug. “Are you by yourself?” he added, realizing that would mean she’d come all the way from Ekoda Elementary on her own and anything could have happened. And her parents might not even know. “How did you even get in?”

“You gave me a key remember?” she said into his shoulder.

“Yeah, but you gave it back.” She must have made a copy; she was all about spies and ciphers and sneaky tricks lately which Takumi’s father was gleefully ‘helping’. Hanae squirmed free of the hug. “Takumi-nii, I need help with something.”

Takumi shot Shiemi a look. Shiemi shrugged, setting her homework aside to watch this unfold. “What kind of help are we talking about?”

“So my friend Ryou-kun came into school with his nails painted today cuz his sister had a sleepover and he got to join in. And I told him they looked pretty, because they did. They were all dark sparkly blue—that’s really pretty and it looked good on him, but then one of the other boys in class noticed and started being mean and kept calling him pretty and girly and made him cry and he took the polish off even though he was so happy earlier.” Hanae scowled. She looked a lot like Ran-basan glaring at a criminal when she was angry. She could probably do a decent amount of damage too since Hanae had been doing karate since she was four. “I offered to hit them but he told me not to and said not to call him pretty anymore because boys couldn’t be pretty. Which is stupid.”

Takumi nodded, sharing another glance with Shiemi who was a lot more interested now. “It is stupid. Of course boys can be pretty. I can be pretty sometimes, right Shiemi?”

“Uh. Objectively speaking you’re not...not pretty?” Shiemi said, not expecting to be addressed.

Takumi rolled his eyes.

“Takumi, I told you like, two weeks ago! I am not the best person to ask about whether a man is pretty or not!”

“Anyway,” Takumi said, setting a hand on Hanae’s shoulder, “pretty or not, there’s nothing wrong with a guy liking pretty things. Or girly things. Girly isn’t bad.”

“I know!” Hanae said, standing straighter. “That’s what Kaa-san’s said, but the boys in class are stupid and mean.”

“Okay,” Takumi said slowly. “What did you need my help with anyway? Why didn’t you just tell a teacher they were being mean?”

Hanae huffed. “I can’t go to the teacher! They’ll just pretend to listen and be sneakier about being mean! I want you to talk to the boys because they won’t listen to me. You’re a middle schooler, so you’re almost cool now and they’re more likely to listen to another boy.”

Almost cool. Takumi struggled not to smile at that. “I kind of doubt they’ll listen to me.” But who the heck were these kids that just ruined a boy’s self-image just because he happened to wear sparkly nail polish? One, there were plenty of boys who wore nail polish—even some baseball catchers wore it for better signing. Two, like heck was being a pretty boy an insult! “...we’ll just have to prove them wrong,” Takumi said.

“Oh?” Shiemi said.

“Yes,” Takumi said, deciding he’d do this. Somehow. An idea sparked. He grinned slowly.

“Takumi, no, I’m the one with the crazy ideas, not you,” Shiemi said, seeing his expression.

“You don’t know the idea yet.”

“I know you.”

“Will it help Ryou feel better?” Hanae asked.

“Maybe,” Takumi said. “I can talk to him too if you want. In the meantime...” He dashed up to his room and back down in record time, a couple small, round objects in his hands. “Here.” He set them in Hanae’s hands.

“Are those...?” Shiemi started, craning her neck.

“Glitter bombs,” Takumi said, grin vicious. “Rainbow glitter bombs. Set them up in their shoe lockers or desk and it will cover them. And their clothes. And their things. And it will take weeks to get rid of and they’ll still be finding glitter in odd places for months.”

“I knew you were the right one to talk to,” Hanae said with satisfaction.

“Tou-san probably would have given you glitter bombs too,” Takumi said.

“Yeah, but he’d feel guilty and probably tell Kaa-san and Tou-san he gave me them or something.” Hanae clutched the glitter bombs close. “This way no one has to know it was me.”

“They’re going to know it was you,” Takumi said, “because who else would do it?”

“Yeah,” Hanae said, “but this way they don’t have proof it was me. I just gotta time it right.”

There was probably, Takumi reflected, some negative effects of growing up around a lot of crime scenes.

“So what else?” Hanae asked.

Takumi grinned, Shiemi shrugged and gave into the inevitable and joined in the planning, and Hanae wholeheartedly threw herself into getting revenge for her friend.

**

“So,” Shinichi said the second Kaito stepped into the kitchen after work, “there was a few phone calls for you today from the school.”

“Takumi’s school?”

“And Hanae’s.” Shinichi was reading the paper. He looked amused in a way that set off Kaito’s flight instincts. “You also had one from Aoko-san. She said that this is your problem and she’s not taking any part of it. By the way, you chose a bad day to forget your cell phone at home.” Shinichi held up Kaito’s missing phone.

“You don’t say?” Kaito took it. Two voicemails from the respective schools. One missed call from Aoko and a text. Six missed calls in total. “I’m assuming you listened to the voice mails.”

“Mm,” Shinichi hummed. “They also called me and Ran.”

“Give me a digest version?”

“Something about crossdressing in public, infiltrating an elementary school, skipping class, and terrifying several children during their lunch break?”

What did Takumi do? “And to think I thought my son didn’t inherit my streak of flaunting authority.”

Shinichi laughed at him.

“Shush, your children are going to be trouble magnets too.”

“Actually, considering how the boys who were involved with this incident are the same ones who were mysteriously pranked a few days ago with a glitter bomb, I think Hanae already is one, and we can deduce who prompted Takumi to act out.”

“...So you already have the whole thing figured out don’t you?”

“Pretty much. They’re a bunch of kids, there’s limits to their resources and planning.”

Shinichi wasn’t going to tell Kaito what he’d figured out either. Kaito huffed and sat at the table. “I hate you sometimes.”

“Love you too, Kaito.” Shinichi grinned and picked his paper back up. “Have fun being a parent with this one.”

Kaito gave him a middle finger which Shinichi conveniently didn’t see. He listened to the messages.

**

“Takumi, officially you’re grounded for the duration of your suspension,” Kaito said the moment Takumi stepped foot in the kitchen after school. He kept helping Ran with cooking, enjoying the panicked expression on his son’s face from the corner of his eye.

“Uh.” Takumi froze.

“Unofficially, how could you let yourself get caught?”

Ran whapped Kaito lightly on the head. “What he means is he’s disappointed. Don’t do that again.”

“Did you at least accomplish what you were trying to do?”

“Yes?” Takumi said, clearly expecting a lot worse after probably getting yelled at by the staff of two schools for hours and a talking to from Aoko on top of that. She was the one who had been called in to deal with it, being the primary contact.

“Well okay then. I hope someone got pictures to memorialize this though.”

“You’re not mad?”

Kaito smirked. “Not really. I mean I did worse things in school. Granted I was a bit older before I broke into places cross dressed but—”

“You what?!”

“Not important,” Kaito said waving that away. He didn’t know when a good time to explain Kid would come up and he and Aoko still went back and forth about if it was something that they’d ever tell Takumi about in the first place. “But Hanae already explained why you did it.”

Takumi looked at Hanae who was doing her homework at the kitchen table while Midori scribbled on scrap paper with crayons. “I wasn’t going to make you the fall guy,” she said.

“Oh. Okay.” Takumi sat down, a little dazed. “And Shiemi got photos. She says for blackmail but you can’t blackmail me if I’m not ashamed.”

“Always a good mindset,” Kaito agreed. Ran rolled her eyes at them.

Takumi shook his head. Hanae cleared her throat at Takumi and he blinked. “Oh yeah, so, Tou-san am I pretty?”

Kaito glanced at him with a grin from where he was chopping vegetables. “You’re gorgeous.”

“See?” Takumi said to Hanae.

Hanae scoffed. “Dads don’t count. They have to say you’re pretty.”

“Your classmates thought I was pretty.”

“Well yeah, but they’re stupid so...”

“I’ll find an unbiased opinion somewhere.”

“Eh, Ryou thinks you’re pretty, and his opinion is all that matter so.”

“...You just wanted me to ask Tou-san if I was pretty didn’t you?”

Hanae giggled.

“I got suspended for you!”

“Hanae is grounded for the weekend,” Ran said, “since she got you involved.”

“But we’re really glad you stuck up for your friend,” Kaito said.

“Stop undermining the effects of discipline, Kaito,” Ran said.

“But I thought that was my reason for existing?” Kaito said with a straight face.

“I hate you all,” Takumi said. “But I proved that boys can be pretty and that the elementary school need better security.”

“Someone’s taking care of that.”

“Good.”

Far off future:

“Kaa-san, Tou-san, Kai-Tou-san! We’re home! Takumi-nii is visiting!” Hanae’s voice echoed from the front door.

Kaito set down the onion he was cutting, counting the seconds before he’d end up tackled. A few steps away, Ran did the same, setting aside her stirring spoon. Sure enough, Midori barreled into the room two seconds later, hair a mess and her school bag flung around haphazardly as she ran. She tackled Kaito’s legs first before latching onto Ran.

“School was fun but I’m glad it’s done, where’s Tou-san?” she said all in one breath.

“He’s finishing up some paperwork in the study,” Ran said, and Midori was off again to go give Shinichi a hug. She had too much energy, even for Kaito some days. Ran quirked a smile at Kaito. Kaito gave an exaggerated shrug back. Yeah, it was probably his genetics at work there. Somehow they’d skipped Takumi despite all probability.

“We’re home,” Hanae said again, entering the kitchen with Takumi at a much calmer pace than her sister had. “Kaa-san, do I have to be in fourth grade or can I just skip? It’s only the first day and I’m bored out of my mind.”

“You can’t skip,” Ran said, with the same patient tone she’d used last year when Hanae had asked the same thing. Hanae was ahead in a few subjects, but not all of them. “Besides, you’d have to have a whole new group of classmates.”

“We get a new home room every year anyway,” Hanae sighed.

“You have to find ways to make it interesting,” Kaito said with a wink. “Make up a game to pass the boring classes.”

“Like how you used to prank your whole class?” Takumi asked. He stole a slice of carrot from Kaito’s cutting board.

“Hands off, this is for dinner,” Kaito said, batting Takumi’s grabby fingers away. “And sort of. I don’t think anything that showy is a good idea, but you’ve got a brain, there has to be something interesting to puzzle out in your classes.”

“Can you show me how to make glue bombs?” Hanae asked hopefully.

Ran cleared her throat pointedly.

“No, I don’t have a death wish.” Kaito skated close to the line already with teaching the kids simple sleight of hand. Ran had been pissed when she found out he taught Hanae and Midori lock picking—almost as angry as Aoko had been when he taught Takumi, but as Shinichi had pointed out, it was a useful skill to have considering how danger tended to crop up in their lives. That said, Kaito wasn’t going to push his luck. Providing ways to cause chaos at school would be a step or five over the line of what was and wasn’t acceptable.

“Stingy,” Hanae said. “Takumi-nii, teach me to make glue bombs?”

“What makes you think I know how to make glue bombs?” Takumi said. He took over setting the table as Ran and Kaito worked on finishing dinner.

Hanae, making more of a nuisance of herself than not as she was still slumped at the table, shrugged. “Because you know how to make smoke pellets. And you get a kick out of glitter bombs. Why not glue bombs?”

“I can’t say whether I can or can’t make one,” Takumi said.

“Good diplomatic answer,” Kaito said.

“That means yes, yes you can make one,” Hanae said. She had Shinichi’s deadpan sarcasm down pat.

“We can brainstorm ways to keep you entertained after dinner,” Takumi offered.

“Fi—ne,” Hanae groaned.

“How was your first day of high school, Takumi?” Ran asked as she took the cutting board full of vegetables from Kaito to start stir frying them.

“It was fine.” Takumi shrugged. “It was nice to be in the same building as Shiemi again, though she’s definitely going to try and booby-trap my shoe locker. I see a prank war coming. Turns out my homeroom teacher is new to the staff—Yumi-sensei, er Hatsumoto-sensei, left for maternity leave so they hired a foreigner to teach. Sort of foreigner?” Takumi tipped his head to the side. “He’s half-Japanese, no accent, and rumor has it he’s from Britain. Rumor also has it he’s an alumni from Ekoda High, but I don’t know if that’s true or not. He seems pretty uptight and serious though. Shiemi was sad because he’s probably going to be in charge of the Literature club with Hatsumoto-sensei gone.”

“A half-British alumni,” Kaito murmured. Could it be...? “What’s the teacher’s name?”

“Hakuba I think, spelled the same as Hakuba laboratories.” Takumi finished setting chopsticks around the table and turned to Kaito. “Why?”

“Huh.” Hakuba as a teacher. A high school teacher no less. What the hell had brought him back here so many years later? “I went to school with him.”

“Really?” Takumi asked, curious.

Kaito didn’t talk about his school days much, didn’t talk about anything before the divorce much, but he’d made enough comments when Ran and Shinichi talked about their own high school days over the years that Takumi had a picture of what it must have been like. Kaito scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Yeah. We didn’t get on much. I pranked the hell out of him and he would get all uptight and smug at me whenever he could hold something over me.” Which admittedly didn’t happen too often. “By the time he moved back to London we tolerated each other, but I can’t say we were ever friends exactly. He was a detective back then though, and he wanted to catch Kid.”

“And you were Kid’s biggest fanboy,” Takumi filled in, like that was explanation enough for why they hadn’t gotten along. “It’s weird that my homeroom teacher is someone you knew though. Think that will make him biased against me?”

“Mm, probably not. Hakuba wasn’t the type to make assumptions about people without evidence. If he’s still like who he was back then, he’d be wary, but wouldn’t treat you differently unless you tried to prank him. Keep from doing anything I’d have done and I’m sure he’ll treat you like everyone else in class.”

Hakuba had always been reasonably fair. A bit prone to showing off, but Kaito had been the same way back then so he couldn’t really point fingers. Fifteen years was a long time, more than long enough for Hakuba to have grown up.

“So long as I’m not being singled out to do all the reading or always called to do work on the board, I think I’ll be happy,” Takumi said. “The world is a surprisingly small place sometimes though.”

“Yes. Yes it is...” Kaito supposed he’d have to look into whatever was going on with Hakuba. Just in case. As someone that once chased Kid, he was someone to keep an eye on.

“If this guy was a detective, why is he teaching high school?” Hanae asked.

“That’s a good question, kiddo.” One that he’d have to find out.

Ran shot him a resigned look, guessing that he would be joining them late in bed tonight if at all. Kaito put on his best apologetic face and got an eye roll in return. “Hanae,” she said, “can you go get Midori and your father?”

“Can’t Takumi-nii get them?” Hanae asked even as she pushed herself out of her chair.

“I’m setting the table,” Takumi said, setting down water glasses pointedly.

“You’re always conveniently busy whenever there’s an errand,” she said walking away.

“It’s called being helpful!” Takumi called after her. “She’s only ten, how is she like this already?”

“Says the teenager,” Kaito teased.

“Well I’m never that grumpy.”

“Of course not.” Takumi just spent a lot more time in his room and listening to edgy music Shiemi was into when he was a preteen.

“Dinner,” Ran said, setting food onto the table before they could devolve into verbally poking at each other.

Midori and Hanae returned, dragging Shinichi along with them, his reading glasses still perched on his head. Kaito rescued them before Shinichi lost another pair to enthusiastic children. All thoughts about Hakuba were lost in the familiar back and forth of a family meal. As always, Kaito felt extremely lucky that this was his daily life.

***

Because Kaito was Kaito, he couldn’t hear that Hakuba was back in Japan and not look into it. What sort of phantom thief would he be if he didn’t look into the return of a one-time rival? So after Takumi left for Aoko’s curfew and the girls were tucked into bed, Kaito grabbed his dark gray scouting gear and planned to have a sleepless night.

“Do you even know where you’re going?” Shinichi asked as Kaito fit a knit hat over his ears to hide his hair and keep off the March chill.

“Of course I do. I’m heading to the school first for employee records and finding Hakuba from there,” Kaito said.

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that,” Shinichi muttered, looking exasperated. Ran looked torn between disapproving and amused. The former was winning, mostly because she had the loudest conscience between them.

“You asked,” Kaito pointed out. “I’m not going to break into wherever it is he’s living.” Not tonight at least. “I just need to get an idea of what I might be dealing with. I don’t know if he’s going to be chasing Kid again.”

“He might not be if he’s a teacher,” Ran said.

“Jodie-sensei turned out to be with the FBI, Ran. Being a teacher doesn’t guarantee anything.” Shinichi rubbed his arms, a thoughtful frown on his face. “That doesn’t mean he isn’t a teacher either, but we don’t have all the facts.”

That was something Kaito was going to remedy. While he really didn’t think Hakuba would cause any problems with Takumi’s school life, it was always better to check. Hakuba was someone that knew Kid’s identity even if he’d never been able to prove it, and that could complicate a lot of things if he chose to use that knowledge.

“Don’t wait up,” Kaito said, kissing Ran and Shinichi goodbye. “I might not be back until morning.”

“You’re going to hate yourself tomorrow,” Shinichi said.

“That’s what coffee is for,” Kaito said.

“Take a nap on your lunch break tomorrow,” Ran said. Of the two of them, she tended to prod Kaito about his poor sleep habits most. She did the same to Shinichi though so it was just one of the ways she showed she cared. Kaito could appreciate that.

“I promise to take at least one power nap in the next twenty-four hours,” Kaito said. Then he climbed out the window. He enjoyed Ran’s overwrought sigh when she had to cross the room to close it. Coming and going through the window was still his favorite way to get in their bedroom.

It took maybe fifteen minutes at Ekoda High to find Hakuba’s file in the administrative office. The school hadn’t changed that much since Kaito went to school there, though there was more left to digital files than in the past. Thankfully that had never been much of a wall for him.

Twenty minutes after that found Kaito standing in the shadows of a very familiar apartment building. The same apartment building he’d lived in after he moved out of his mother’s house before Shinichi and Ran convinced him to move in with them. The building didn’t look any nicer than Kaito remembered it being, still needing a fresh coat of paint and new roofing in spots with cracked concrete steps up to the second floor apartments. Hakuba’s was on the second floor, right next to the one Kaito used to rent; the same apartment the little old half-deaf lady, Hinako, had lived. Either she’d moved or died, but that was a sad thought for another time.

It was as easy as he remembered to climb to the second floor windows. His old apartment had a light on, clearly having a new occupant. Occupants plural from the look of it; a young couple with a very young child. He could see them back-lit in the window as they tried to settle their baby for the night. Hakuba’s window was right next to that, the room inside dark except for a light on in the entryway.

Hakuba didn’t look much like the Hakuba Kaito remembered. Oh, he had the same tea-colored hair and solid, tall build, but he didn’t stand with his shoulders squared and his back straight. He leaned against his tiny kitchen countertop, back to the window, looking exhausted and defeated. There was a cane leaning against a desk and chair, the only pieces of furniture in the room other than the futon made up on the floor. It was a one room apartment, tiny and completely bare except for a calendar tacked to the wall. The water in the sink was running, but Hakuba wasn’t interacting with it, just standing frozen in a hunched position. Kaito thought Hakuba was going to stand there all night but after almost a minute, his hand shot out and turned the faucet off.

Kaito stayed perched outside the window, listening to the baby whimper next door and Hakuba’s other neighbor’s J-pop playlist filter through the shitty apartment walls. From Hakuba’s apartment, there wasn’t any sound, any movement at all until Hakuba finally straightened and checked a cell phone that had been by him the whole time. Its glow sent unflattering shadows across his profile that made him look twice as old and exhausted. Hakuba made a frustrated face at his phone and locked it again. He looked around his apartment like he was trying to decide if there was anything there worth doing, or maybe just taking in how shabby it was—there were badly covered scorch marks on the wall for goodness sake. Whatever he was looking for, apparently he didn’t find it. Kaito had to duck as Hakuba flicked off the entryway light and moved for the futon under the window.

Straining his ears, Kaito could hear Hakuba settle on the futon, then nothing. A quick glance confirmed that he was in bed and staring blankly at the ceiling.

Kaito wasn’t sure what to make of this. Any of this. Something had happened to Hakuba, and it had left him broken in some way. In fact it was unsettlingly similar to Kaito’s own memories of his early days in the shitty apartment next door. Kaito’d ended up there trying to get away from the weight of home and all the little things that reminded him of Jii, of his father who died too young and his mother who was never there.

Just what was Hakuba running from?

Kaito climbed back to solid ground, leaving Hakuba to his privacy. There was more research to do. It seemed important to know just how Hakuba had spent the last fifteen years of his life that could possibly lead him to where he was now.

***

It was almost Golden Week and Kaito had two things on his mind: Shinichi’s birthday and the parent-teacher meeting with Hakuba. Shinichi’s birthday was simple enough; Shinichi never remembered his own birthday so it was always pretty easy to surprise him. Kaito, Ran, and the kids had a party planned with some of Shinichi’s close friends invited and a gift of tickets to a mystery convention next month. Hakuba... Well, Kaito wasn’t sure what to do about Hakuba.

He’d done some digging after seeing Hakuba in that apartment and nothing he’d pulled up showed anything good in Hakuba’s life in the last year. Shot right out of high school in the leg, ended up a teacher instead of on the force, and then last year he’d lost a husband of twelve years. Violently. It was no wonder he had looked depressed alone in that apartment.

According to Takumi, Hakuba was a good teacher but kind of intimidating in the classroom. No one acted out much after someone ended up getting slammed with extra homework and the threat of detention after disrupting one too many times. Apparently getting on the wrong side of Hakuba’s glare froze up students the same way it used to terrify criminals. According to Shiemi, Hakuba was pretty calm and hadn’t been thrown by her testing him when he was assigned to be the literature club supervisor. He hadn’t bothered Takumi at all, other than a light reprimand the only time Takumi pulled a prank on a classmate. Hakuba had to know who Takumi was. Takumi looked just like Kaito so he had to know that he was going to talk to Kaito at some point and Kaito honestly had no idea how this was going to go. Life had taken them in very very different directions than they’d been heading toward back in high school. They weren’t the same people anymore so Hakuba could react in any number of ways at seeing Kaito again.

“You’re overthinking,” Ran said as she found Kaito in the kitchen, scowling at a cup of tea. Cold tea. He’d gotten caught up in his thoughts.

“Hakuba’s coming within the hour,” Kaito said.

“Did you want Shinichi or me to be there?” Ran knew a bit about Kaito’s high school days, and enough about Kid to recognize Hakuba beyond the brief meetings she had through her father’s connections in the past. She didn’t have an opinion toward Hakuba one way or another so far as Kaito could tell.

Kaito shrugged. “I think I’ll be fine. Technically you could be there since you help parent Takumi too but...” But people reacted badly when they realized Kaito was a seemingly unnecessary addition to Ran and Shinichi’s marriage; a parasite was the least of what he’d been called over the years. They kept it private when they could and Kaito wasn’t about to shove it in Hakuba’s face if he could help it. Hakuba would draw enough conclusions from the address and Kudo’s name on the gate.

“I’ll be in the library with the girls,” Ran said gathering up a tray of senbei and juice boxes.

“Thanks, Ran.”

“Shinichi should be home soon. I’ll send him a text to leave you to your meeting, ok? But if you need us...”

“I’ll ask.” He smiled at her and she squeezed his shoulder in support on her way past. The smile slid off Kaito’s face once she was gone. Honestly, how was he supposed to approach this? He drummed his fingers over the side of his teacup. He could, Kaito supposed, approach this like he would approach any teacher; with hospitality and neutral charm. Let Hakuba direct how personal it got and go from there.

He refilled the kettle and searched for a good tea blend while it heated. No black teas this late, not everyone could sleep immediately after drinking caffeine like Shinichi. A light green or herbal tea... perhaps the ginger, mint and chamomile blend that Kaito brewed when the girls couldn’t sleep or he needed something relaxing. Caffeine probably wouldn’t be doing Hakuba any favors if the tired look of him in the moment Kaito glimpsed was anything to go by.

A doorbell interrupted his thought process. Kaito shoved the green blend back in the cupboard and half-teleported toward the front door. This was earlier than he’d expected Hakuba, but Hakuba was the only visitor they were expecting. Kaito schooled his expression into something polite and blandly welcoming.

“Hakuba,” Kaito said as he opened the door, catching a glimpse of Hakuba’s hair through the door window before he even started to open it. “You’re earlier than I thought you’d...be...” His neutral mask slipped. “You look like hell,” he said, mouth firing off before his brain finished thinking like he was back in high school again.

“How kind of you to point it out,” Hakuba said with all the prickly sarcasm Kaito remembered him having. Hell was kind of an understatement though. There were dark smudges under Hakuba’s eyes and a pinched look to his face that Kaito’d seen from Shinichi on the occasional times he got migraines. He had a white knuckled grip on his cane too, so his leg must be giving him hell. “Are we going to do this in the doorway or will you invite me in?”

Kaito recovered, masks in place again. Hakuba looked like he expected an attack. If anyone should expect one, it should be Kaito. Kaito stepped aside. “Please, come in.” He shut the door behind Hakuba, glad that he’d thought to set out guest slippers earlier. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

“Yes, well, the meeting with Aoko-san went faster than anticipated,” Hakuba said, taking his shoes off with the reluctance of someone who had taken their shoes on and off too often in one day. “You live here?” Hakuba said.

“I’ve lived here about...mm...going on six years now.” Kaito waited for a comment about Ran or Shinichi, or Kaito himself, but Hakuba hummed acknowledgement and didn’t say anything else. Huh. Well, Hakuba had married a man, so maybe he was more open to non-normative relationships than Kaito would have guessed. Kaito led them to the kitchen, acutely aware of how Hakuba looked at everything they passed with the focus of examining a crime scene.

The kettle was whistling when they reached the kitchen and Kaito flicked off the heat. “Sit wherever,” he said. “Tea? Or should I offer something stronger?” he half-joked.

“I don’t drink,” Hakuba said, with a hollowness that made the joke fall flat and get buried six feet under. He didn’t offer anything more than that.

Kaito glanced at the herbal tea he’d left on the counter. Soothing was probably the best way to go. He prepared tea with the absent-minded flare he always used, letting the familiar motions of juggling a teapot and cups soothe his nerves. “Never?” he said, showily setting down Hakuba’s cup. “Must be pretty hard to unwind.” Kaito was going to want a drink by the end of the night.

“There are healthier ways of doing that.”

Kaito, pouring them tea, tilted his head in consideration. Just about every adult he knew got horrendously drunk at some point or another either via social pressures or escapism, and he could hardly say he was innocent of escaping into drink a time or two. It could be a slippery slope, but it was a socially accepted one. Self-medicating in a way that didn’t hold a stigma the way actual medicine did. But Kaito could say that having been down that path, he’d prefer now where he only drank in moderation and socially to when he’d tried to escape his problems. “Fair enough.” It figured Hakuba would avoid the temptation altogether.

Hakuba cupped the teacup in his hands and there was a long, heavy silence.

Clearly Hakuba wasn’t going to take the lead. Kaito breathed in mint-scented steam. “So. It’s been a while.”

Hakuba snorted. “That’s an understatement. A lot has changed since high school, hasn’t it?” The heavy emphasis on ‘lot’ and the way his eyes flicked around the room made it come out a bit like a backhanded accusation, but Kaito wasn’t ruffled by it. Compared to teenage Hakuba, it was downright subtle.

“Eh, just a bit. Unplanned babies, rush weddings, messy divorces... All part of life.” Kaito gave Hakuba a bright and very fake smile. “You’re hardly an exception.”

Hakuba gave him an unimpressed frown back. “True enough. Things have changed. And yet it seems not everything has.”

And there, a reference to Kid. Took him long enough. “All part of life,” Kaito repeated. “Some things change and others stay the same because they can’t.”

Their eyes met and it was Hakuba who looked away first, bringing his tea to his face to breathe in its scent. “I was surprised to see Takumi-kun in my class,” Hakuba said. “I wasn’t expecting...”

“Me to have a son?”

“That you’d have a child his age,” Hakuba said. “That he’d look so much like you.”

Takumi was almost identical to how Kaito looked at that age. Kaito was willing to bet he’d have more of Aoko’s soft features into adulthood though. “You’re not going to see me when you look at him, are you?” He didn’t want the...animosity wasn’t quite the correct word...the tension between him and Hakuba to spread to his son.

“Of course not,” Hakuba said, looking offended. “He’s his own person and I’ll form opinions from my own observations, not any lingering memories of you. He’s nothing like you or Aoko were in class anyway. He actually takes notes and pays attention for one.”

“Aoko took notes.”

“She also chased you with a mop in the middle of class on the regular.” Hakuba’s tone was dry as a desert. He pinched the bridge of his nose, another sign of a headache, a tiny frustrated sound escaping his lips. “Look. Kuroba...san.” The honorific felt wrong coming from Hakuba’s lips and Kaito couldn’t help staring. “I’m here as Takumi-kun’s teacher, not your old classmate. Anything from our past isn’t going to make me treat Takumi-kun different from my other students. In fact, so far he’s been a pleasure to have in class. He knows the answers when called upon and has passable English pronunciation...even if it is with an American accent.”

“Shinichi’s parents live in America,” Kaito said. “He’s picked up English during visits.”

Hakuba’s face twitched, probably at the mention of Shinichi. “Right, well he’s doing well in my class and so far he’s doing well in his other classes too. He’ll need to start thinking about what he want to study past high school or if he wants to try getting into the more accelerated learning courses for a better chance of getting into a good university, but there is time for figuring that out. Socially, he seems well respected among his peers and gets along with most people. He’s remarkably well adjusted.”

“And what is that supposed to mean,” Kaito said, narrowing his eyes.

Hakuba frowned back. “It’s not an attack, merely an observation. Balancing a split household effects children differently; he must have a good support network because he comes across as confident and comfortable. It’s a good thing.”

“Well,” Kaito said after a moment of them both bristling defensively, “he has four parents to talk to so I guess it helps.” There, the tension around Hakuba’s eyes again. “That bothers you.”

“Not,” Hakuba snapped, “for the reason you likely assume.”

“Oh, there’s always some reason people are uncomfortable.” Kaito gave Hakuba another empty smile. “Is it because of Ran or Shinichi? Because I am with both of them, thank you very much and it’s all very mutual—”

“They know, correct?” Hakuba cut in. “About you?”

Kaito hissed breath between his teeth. He’d really forgotten how Hakuba could rub him the wrong way so easily, and here he was bringing up Kid again, and probably meant to hold it against him or something. Maybe Hakuba hadn’t changed that much. Maybe he was still prodding for Kaito’s weak points and waiting to air his secrets to the world. “No, of course not, because that wouldn’t lead to problems now would it?” Kaito said sharply, the sarcasm lashing out instinctively. “I’m with Kudo Shinichi, of course they know. I wouldn’t have lasted a week if he wanted to know who I was. I live here, Hakuba. And, still not admitting to anything so you can put any daydreams of a confession out of your damn head, but has it occurred to you that some people are capable of looking past first impressions and gray morality and caring regardless?”

“I’m not—” Hakuba stopped, face scrunched. “I’m not trying to accuse you. And I am in no place to judge you on your life choices, in terms of partners or otherwise. I’m not a detective anymore, Kuroba-san. And I have no intention of picking up where I left off in Japan in regards to chasing thieves.”

“Then what is the problem?” Kaito shot back, not quite believing that Hakuba just said he wasn’t interested in chasing Kid. Kaito would believe that when he got proof.

“Just. Kudo? Really?” The twist to Hakuba’s face was identifiable as distaste.

“He’s brilliant and attractive and good.”

“He shot a gun at Kid the first heist he attended.”

“Oh, he’s shot a lot of things at Kid over the years,” Kaito agreed. “Kid got over the gun. Shinichi got over an incident with a Taser. Among plenty of other things.” As Hakuba kept staring, Kaito took a pointed sip of tea and Hakuba reluctantly mirrored him. “If Kid can get over it, you can. And, to be blunt, I don’t need life advice from someone who looks like his life is falling apart.”

“I’m fine!” Hakuba said, instantly defensive. Kaito just took another sip of tea and let silence speak for him. Hakuba’s shoulders hunched toward his ears. “Why does everyone have to keep commenting on my health? You, Mum, my coworkers, Aoko—just back off. I’m doing as well as I can manage! I’m not going to fall apart so just stop looking at me like that!”

“I didn’t say anything about any of that.”

“You’re thinking it!” Hakuba looked like high school Hakuba now, only high school Hakuba after a forty-eight hour work bender.

He looked like he was going to start in on a rant if Kaito said the wrong thing. Kaito didn’t think his professionalism would have been so easily cracked, but Hakuba was clearly not in a good place at the moment. Kaito set down his tea. “Wait here a moment and drink some tea.”

Hakuba scowled but Kaito was out of the room before he could say anything biting. Kaito had some experience with insomniacs and stress, his own and otherwise. He made a trip to the back yard and came back to find Hakuba sipping at his tea like it went against his pride to drink it. He looked even more tired than when he walked in the door. Kaito snorted as Hakuba’s scowl came back the second he stepped into the room.

“Here,” Kaito said, setting a dove on Hakuba’s free hand. In his experience it was a hell of a lot harder to be upset with a soft, cooing animal in your hands.

Hakuba blinked and shifted his hand for it to better sit on with the experience of someone used to birds. “What?”

“His name is Yukito.” The dove wasn’t one of Kaito’s white ones, a pretty bluish-gray instead. “And this,” another dove appeared in Kaito’s hands and got set on Hakuba’s shoulder, “is Kero.” He was a warm brownish gold. “And Sakura.” A pinkish-gray dove appeared in his hands and he set her on his own shoulder. The soft burble of doves filled the air as they made themselves comfortable on their new perches.

Hakuba blinked again and pet Yukito reflexively. “...Cardcaptor Sakura?”

“The kids are fans. I let Hanae name Yukito and Midori and Takumi continued the theme.” Kaito gently scratched Sakura’s neck and she bundled herself up against his neck. “They’re pets, not performers. Don’t tell Ran I brought them in the kitchen.”

Hakuba stared at Kaito, thrown by the change in topic and the birds and maybe confused by Kaito in general. Younger Kaito would have just kept snipping back instead of choosing a peaceful alternative. “Why?”

“Ran doesn’t like having pets around food for sanitary reasons.” But that wasn’t what Saguru was really asking about. “I spend time with the doves when I have a bad day. You look like you’ve had a bad day. No more, no less. Just pet the bird and drink your tea, Hakuba.”

“They’re very calm.”

“I raised them by hand so I’d hope they were calm. I might not have them perform, but they’re still trained.”

Hakuba probably didn’t even realize how much he’d relaxed in the minute of just petting Yukito. Half the tension in him just bled away. Yukito was one of the more cuddly doves Kaito had. He’d just sit in your hand and get petted for hours in you let him.

“So. Takumi’s doing well in class.”

“Yes...” Hakuba pulled back a semblance of his earlier professionalism, still a bit dazed from being blindsided by birds.

“Has he talked about his goals for the future any or...?”

“Students haven’t gotten their career goal sheets yet.” Hakuba’s hand kept stroking Yukito. On his shoulder, Kero settled down against his neck, making himself comfortable like Sakura had on Kaito. “He’s average or above in all subjects though so he should be able to pursue any career he sets his eyes on... He seems to enjoy lacrosse a lot. And also genuinely enjoys the literature club? I initially thought he joined it because he was friends with Momoi-san, but he reads the books and has insightful comments to make on them.”

“I don’t think you can spend time under this roof and not like books,” Kaito said. Between a sort of adopted grandfather who was a novelist and Shinichi being a bookworm whenever he got the chance, Takumi had been exposed to a lot of book-positivity over the years.

“Next semester I intend to have career discussions with all the students in my homeroom, but I honestly haven’t had a chance to do more than glance over what their stated goals were on their high school applications, and a lot can change in a few months when they’re at this age.”

“A lot can change even in senior year,” Kaito said, thinking of his own rushed university entrance exams and the frantic reconfiguring of his goals when he tried to settle on a career that would let him support himself, Aoko, an incoming child, and his night life as Kid. Aoko had ended up the more practical of the two of them in the end.

“And after,” Hakuba agreed, clearly thinking of his own change in life goals that led to him here today as a teacher.

“Well, we figured it out eventually. They will too. It’s not a rush. I was just curious. I can still remember when he wanted to study whales. And then it was working with the space program. And then it was being a chef for a few months before he lost interest in that and somewhere along the way he stopped telling any of us what he wanted to be. Or maybe he just doesn’t know what it is anymore either.” That was fine too. Takumi was young and didn’t have a family he’d have to support happening practically overnight and would hopefully have his whole life to figure out something he enjoyed doing. “I never thought I’d be a museum conservator, but here we are.”

“You work at a museum?” Hakuba asked, blindsided again. His hands stilled on Yukito. “What happened to being a magician?”

“Life happened,” Kaito said. There was a tiny kernel of regret and there always would be. But he’d made the right choice. Kuroba Kaito had a low profile job and a normal family life—well, mostly normal. He was far from what people thought of when they thought of Kaitou Kid. “Being a magician wasn’t practical and I’m not too fond of actual stage-and-spotlight scenarios anymore.”

“But...” Hakuba frowned, confusion clear on his face. “With your role as Ki—”

“Don’t say it out loud,” Kaito said in a cheerful voice, “the walls can have ears.” And if one of the girls had managed to get away to eavesdrop it was better not to have anything stated outright.  

As if in response, there was the sound of creaky floor boards as someone walked down the hallway, and Shinichi poked his head around the corner, his nose buried in case notes, only to freeze when he saw Kaito and Hakuba. “Oh. Hello, I thought you’d be...somewhere else.” He took in the doves and then Hakuba, picking out details even Kaito had probably missed. The tension was probably as clear as if it was lit up with neon. “I can leave or...?”

“Actually, Kudo-san,” Hakuba said, reaching for his cane, “I believe we are more or less done here.”

Kaito indulged in a tiny, almost silent, sigh of frustration. He’d almost calmed Hakuba down and managed to just wind him up again and now Shinichi was enough to run him off entirely. “Not interested in talking more?”

“We were done talking about Takumi-kun,” Hakuba said. “I didn’t come to socialize anyway.” He seemed at a loss for what to do with the doves.

Kaito whistled softly and Yukito and Kero flew to him.

“Ran is going to make you clean the whole kitchen for bringing them in here,” Shinichi commented.

“Ran can have my promise that I’ll disinfect everything later.” Hakuba hadn’t even finished off a full cup of tea... “I can see you out,” Kaito said, rising to his feet.

“There’s no need,” Hakuba said, but it was the sort of polite refusal Kaito could choose to ignore, not an actual desire to be left alone. Kaito could tell the difference.

“Humor me,” Kaito said.

“It’s good to see you again, Hakuba-san,” Shinichi said as they passed. “Are you planning to come to any Kid heists in the future?”

Hakuba shot him a humorless smile. “Not at all. I’m retired. Besides, I’m net exactly up for chasing anyone these days.” He tapped the cane pointedly on the floor. “Have a good evening, Kudo-san. Kuroba-san.”

He was all manners and control again as he left like the outburst in the kitchen never happened. Maybe it was because Shinichi reminded him to be professional, Kaito thought, or maybe Hakuba had gone around the full circle of emotions and come out the other end in his exhausted state. Either way, they parted with cookie-cutter polite words that left Kaito feeling off-balance.

Shinichi was still in the kitchen after Kaito locked the front door, pouring himself a cup of tea. “Hakuba-san really is your son’s homeroom teacher.”

“Yup,” Kaito said. He flopped into his chair. Sakura fluttered and landed on his head.

“He knows about Kid.”

“Yup.”

“He looks like hell.”

“Yu~up,” Kaito drawled, leaning heavily on the table. “I’m pretty sure he’s in the middle of an emotional breakdown. In general, or maybe tonight especially. He’s usually so put together in my memories.”

“That was the exact opposite of put together tonight. Why was he holding the birds?”

“Birds are calming? Anyway, I figured he had to like them or he wouldn’t have had a hawk at one point.”

Shinichi looked at Kaito over the rim of his mug. Kaito looked back, pouting as one of Shinichi’s eyebrows rose slowly.

“I don’t care that much. It’s just. Weird. Hakuba shouldn’t look like that. Also... I maybe invaded some of his privacy and know why he’s having a mental breakdown and I would feel like a jerk if I actively baited him like I used to. ...Okay, maybe I care a little but I’d feel bad even if it wasn’t Hakuba, so.”

“I didn’t say a word.”

“You did the eyebrow thing,” Kaito said, waving a hand. “You’re judging.”

“You knew him back in school, right?”

“We were classmates for a while, yeah. And he figured out I was Kid. We weren’t friends or anything.”

“Uh huh.”

“We weren’t.” Kaito sighed. “You remember what it was like in high school. Friends... They weren’t something people like us had a lot of. Everyone was an acquaintance, everyone knew who you were, but actual friends?” He ran a finger down Kero’s soft feathers. “Besides, we were constantly trying to catch each other off guard and drag each other down. That’s closer to a rival or enemy than a friendship.”

“Is it going to be a problem?”

“With Kid or Takumi?” Kaito asked rhetorically. “No. Probably not provided he doesn’t go off the deep end or anything...”

Shinichi sipped at tea, watching Kaito’s expression shift through emotions with narrowed eyes. “You’re planning something.”

“Nothing bad.”

“Kaito.”

“Shinichi.” Kaito stuck his tongue out at his all-but-husband. “Look, Hakuba could use a friend to carefully nudge him away from the edge. Conveniently, he’s back and near several old classmates he can connect to.”

“Yourself included,” Shinichi said, unimpressed.

“Obviously. Now I have the excuse in keeping track of Takumi to reach out. And it lets me keep an eye on if Hakuba’s planning to change his mind on Kid or go off the deep end and, I don’t know, take it out on his students or something.”

“You have to have your nose in everything,” Shinichi said with a sigh. He crossed the room to give Kaito a one-armed hug. “Please don’t do anything too illegal.”

“Who, me?” Kaito said, fluttering his eyelashes. “Never.”

“Right.”

“He already knows about Kid, it’s not a big deal.” Kaito grinned. Actually that left a lot of opportunities. He wasn’t going to prank Hakuba. But blindsiding him with random acts of kindness would be fun and entirely explainable because Hakuba was in the know. “Bagels or that cheesy toast from the bakery in Edoka we like?”

“At least give him a few days to recover before ambushing him with breakfast.”

“After Golden Week, then.”

Shinichi shook his head, but he looked amused, so Kaito considered it a win. “Let’s go join Ran and the girls.” He smiled wider. “And you might want to put the birds away before Ran notices you have them out in rooms she doesn’t approve of.”

“Birds away, then family game night.” Kaito gave Shinichi a peck on the cheek before hurrying away. Hakuba, while an issue to be addressed in the future, was secondary to family time. Family always came first.

***

The apartment was just as sparse as the first time Kaito saw it, though over the last few weeks Hakuba had added a plant to his desk. It was a small plant, and looked like it was recently transplanted, but it added a little color and life to an otherwise bleak space. Barely. The sun was starting to rise, backlighting Kaito as he crouched awkwardly in Hakuba’s window frame. Caught in his teeth was a paper bag full of savory cheese pesto rolls fresh from the bakery down the street.

Naturally, Kaito let himself in and made himself at home.

Hakuba woke abruptly as Kaito was going through the motions of making tea. “Good morning,” Kaito said, adding quality loose-leaf tea to Hakuba’s teapot.

Hakuba stared at him like he was a hallucination. Then he looked at the clock. “It’s not even six in the morning yet.” Then, “I should be calling the police.”

“You’re free to do that, but if you do, I’m taking breakfast with me.” Kaito shook the paper bag. The bread was still a little warm and wonderful smelling and Kaito was kind of hungry even though he’d eaten a raisin Danish before coming here on the off chance that Hakuba took the offered meal and kicked him out immediately.

“How did you get in?”

“Window.”

“Of course.” Hakuba blinked at him, clearly not awake enough to function. His hair stuck up at an odd angle from his pillow and it was kind of hilarious considering how he was someone who always tried to appear put together. Or used to be anyway, but Kaito doubted that would have changed too much over the years. “Why are you here?” Hakuba finally said as Kaito set out two of Hakuba’s teacups and a couple of plates for food.

“For breakfast of course,” Kaito said, sitting on the floor next to Hakuba. Hakuba didn’t even have a table to eat at.

“Kuroba,” Hakuba said in a warning rumble.

“I can’t want to have a friendly breakfast with an old acquaintance?” Kaito said.

“If you wanted that, you could have called. And made plans.”

“Do I have your number?” Kaito mused. He did—snooping provided so much—but he wasn’t going to admit to it.

“I’m too old for this,” Hakuba announced. “And too tired.”

“You’re never too old to have breakfast in bed,” Kaito said. “And you’re not even forty yet, Hakuba. Tea? Cheese bun?” He held out a cup and a plate. The cheese had melted out of the bun a bit, all gooey and mixed with pesto.

Hakuba scowled, but he took it. “Really, Kuroba, why are you here?”

“Really, Hakuba,” Kaito parroted back, “I just wanted to have breakfast with you.” He helped himself to tea and cheesy-bread goodness. Mm.

Hakuba drank down half his tea in two long gulps like he was trying to absorb as much caffeine as possible in the shortest amount of time. “I already told you I’m not attending heists,” he muttered into his drink. “And I’m not going to target your son because of our past.”

“Bit of a changeup from your place in high school,” Kaito said, ignoring Hakuba’s attempts to get him to confess his intentions. “Kind of small. And empty. You might want to get a table. Or maybe a chair or two. Your guests have nowhere to sit.”

“I don’t have guests.”

“Maybe next time I could help you shop for something. And maybe something for the walls?”

“Next time?”

“That’s a nice plant though. And a good choice on calendar. Floral. Splash of color in this sea of beige and white. Doesn’t really make up for the fact that this apartment complex is pretty crappy, but hey, you get what you pay for, right?” Kaito smiled.

Hakuba glowered. “Kuroba.”

“Hakuba.” Kaito sipped at his tea and took a pointed bite of his roll. Hakuba, after an uncomfortably long stare down, also took a bite. Kaito caught the split second of pleasant surprise on Hakuba’s face before the glare was back and felt a sliver of smugness for choosing to his tastes. “It’s funny, five or so years earlier and we would have been neighbors.”

Hakuba choked on his tea. “What?”

“I used to live next door. The apartment the couple with the baby live in. Not much nicer than this one, but almost twice as big.”

“Why on earth would you have lived here?”

“It was cheap, not the house I grew up in, and close to both my work and Takumi’s school,” Kaito said with a shrug. “Why are you living here?”

“...It’s cheap, it’s close to work, and it’s not living with my parents,” Hakuba said slowly.

He was waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Kaito to prank him, or threaten, or do something else antagonistic that would reassert the old order of things. It wasn’t going to happen though. “Moving back in with your parents after living apart is the weirdest feeling,” Kaito said. “I don’t blame you for wanting your own space. Kaa-san was never home but it still was weird as hell living there again after being on my own for four years.”

“In between living with Aoko and the Kudos?” Hakuba clarified. He finished the cheese bun and actually took another when Kaito held out the bag.

“Yup. Life takes you strange places.”

“Like back to Japan,” Hakuba muttered. “I don’t understand what you want from me,” he said bluntly.

“This isn’t enough?” Kaito waved a hand around, just them and tea and food in the early morning light.

“But why?”

“We’re not sixteen anymore,” Kaito said. “And you can never have too many friends.”

“Friends,” Hakuba repeated like it was an alien concept.

“Yup.”

“You and me?”

“It’s worth a shot.”

“I say I’m retired and you offer friendship. What the hell, Kuroba?”

“Call it a peace gesture. Starting from scratch. Well,” he corrected, “mostly from scratch.”

“I’m still the person who tried to arrest you multiple times.”

“And I’m in a long term relationship with a man who tried to shoot me at least once and a woman who almost took my head off with a karate kick; clearly dodgy past doesn’t erase the possibility of getting along.” Kaito licked pesto grease from his fingers.

Hakuba stared and then stared some more. “You’re impossible as ever,” he said finally. He ran a hand through his hair, making it even more of a mess. “Do what you want I guess. I can’t stop you.”

“Wonderful. I’ll take that as an open invitation.”

“Please don’t,” Hakuba said with a grimace.

“Too late.”

Kaito left after they finished breakfast and tea. He wasn’t going to push yet, just get Hakuba used to the idea. And maybe, just maybe, if Kaito kept showing up with peace offerings of food, the reserved detective would open up a little and stop looking like a step away from dire need for an intervention. (Technically Kaito could say this was an intervention, but he wasn’t going to call it that, not even in his mind. This was putting aside their pasts and trying to make friends with an old acquaintance down on his luck.) He didn’t get a smile from Hakuba this time. Next time Kaito would do better.

***

Kaito stood outside Ekoda High texting Takumi to meet him at the front gate when Hakuba rounded the corner almost walking right into Kaito in the process. He tripped and Kaito had to catch him. There was an awkward moment when Hakuba stiffened in Kaito’s hold and then he stepped away, cane in hand and a disturbed expression on his face.

“Are you actually stalking me?” he asked. “Because letting yourself in my window is bad enough, Kuroba, but—”

“I’m here for Takumi,” Kaito said, raising a hand to cut Hakuba off before he could get started. “Shouldn’t you be home already?”

“I had club activities.”

“Oh.” Actually, Kaito should have realized that. “You’re advisor to the Literature club right?”

“Yes,” Hakuba said, eying him suspiciously.

“Shiemi and Takumi mentioned it,” Kaito said casually.

“You’re close to Momoi-san?”

“She’s like another daughter; she’s been Takumi’s best friend since before they could talk.”

“Ah.” Hakuba floundered for a moment, clearly not sure what to make of this. “She’s... an interesting person.”

“She’s a force of nature,” Kaito said grinning. “She’s great.”

“She seems to be head of the literature club. Takumi was there as well and they seemed familiar with each other, but I hadn’t realized how close.”

“Yep.” Kaito glanced at his phone. He’d sent the message a bit incomplete, but Takumi had sent back that he was on his way. “So you’re done for the day?”

“Yes. And back again in the morning to do it all over again,” Hakuba said with a wry twist of his lips.

It wasn’t quite a smile, but it was close. Kaito opened his mouth to joke about how adulthood was a string of life repeating itself when Takumi ran over.

“Tou-san! I thought I was going to meet you at the Kudos?” Takumi nodded to Hakuba, glancing between the two of them.

Hakuba closed off immediately behind a professional expression, putting a bit more distance between him and Kaito, distance Kaito hadn’t noticed the absence of until Hakuba moved away.

Kaito pretended he hadn’t noticed, giving Takumi a smile. “I figured I’d pick you up. Since Hanae has a match today, we were going to get dinner first.” He glanced at Hakuba. “Any interest in seeing ten-year-olds try to play soccer?”

Hakuba, if anything, looked even more distant at that. “I am afraid I have a lot of grading to do.”

Kaito snorted. “You can just say no thanks, Hakuba. I’m not going to be offended.” Kaito threw an arm around his son’s shoulders, an arm which Takumi immediately tried to remove with an embarrassed squawk. “See ya later, Hakuba. Don’t work too hard.”

“Kuroba,” Hakuba said with a nod. He nodded to Takumi too, before walking away at a brisk pace.

“What the heck was that?” Takumi said once he was out of sight. “You’re inviting my teacher to see Hanae’s soccer game?”

“He strikes me as someone who needs to get out of his routine and do something social and distracting,” Kaito said, letting Takumi go.

“He’s still my teacher, Tou-san. It’s weird.”

“Is it?” Kaito hummed. “He’s also the same guy I knew from high school that showed up to Japan dressed as Sherlock Holmes so... If anything, seeing him be a teacher is the weird bit for me.” He sighed. “C’mon, we have dinner to get to.”

“You’re trying to be friends?” Takumi asked, trailing after him.

“Trying being key. Hakuba’s a stubborn guy. And about as trusting as I am.”

“You’re a trusting person,” Takumi said, confused.

Kaito smiled. “I’m a friendly person. There’s a difference.”

“Well Hakuba-sensei isn’t really either,” Takumi muttered. “Please don’t make this weird ok?”

“What was that? Tell him embarrassing stories of your childhood? Sure.”

“Tou-san!” Takumi groaned.

Kaito grinned and ruffled his hair. “Relax. I’m not going to make things weird.”

Takumi smooth his hair back into place, pouting. “You say that now but you always go overboard.”

Kaito just smiled and kept walking. He wasn’t going to admit that Takumi was right after all.

***

“Kuroba, if you regularly stalk all of your friends, I pity their sanity,” Hakuba said. He was sitting in the dark again with only the light from his laptop illuminating the room. There were three unwashed mugs in the sink and his cell phone on the edge of the desk lit up with an incoming message to reveal multiple missed calls.

Kaito had the feeling that he’d walked in on Hakuba in a depressive downswing. It was Saturday night; Hakuba could have been doing anything but he was sitting in front of a laptop with a blank document open and the cursor blinking away. “I came in the front door this time.”

“You picked the lock.”

“And I knocked.”

“After you’d already let yourself in.” Hakuba heaved a sigh. “Why are you here?”

Kaito had intended to check in and offer mochi, but apparently things were worse than he’d expected. That called for bigger actions. “To invite you on a walk.”

“I decline.”

“Ah ah,” Kaito said, pulling Hakuba to his feet. Hakuba wobbled, one leg clearly not working right. Kaito put his cane in his hand. “You look like someone who’s been sitting too long.”

“I need to be making lesson plans.”

“For when, two months in the future?” Hakuba was never anything less than prepared.

“Three weeks—I need to make changes based on progress and—”

“That’s great,” Kaito said, cutting him off and hustling Hakuba toward the door. Hakuba dragged his feet with a sputtering protest, but Kaito had his shoes on in a matter of seconds. “But you’re clearly not getting anywhere with that so change of pace! We’re going on a walk and getting fresh air and you’re going to eat some mocha I so generously have with me.”

“Who are you, my mother?” Hakuba complained.

“I don’t know, would she agree with me?” Kaito quipped. It was telling that Hakuba let himself get dragged out the door. “So,” Kaito said as he set them off toward a place that had a nice garden out front that was full of flowers and fresh plant smells and everything nice that the city so often swallowed up. “Today was a family bonding day! Once a month we all go do a random activity together—I do once a month just me and Takumi too, but this is everyone—and basically try things we’d never do otherwise. We ended up going to see a kabuki play and Hanae made us all go through the little museum exhibit attached to the theater where we all got a history lesson. I don’t think it was to any of our tastes but it was an interesting experience and the kids liked the history—there was a bit about ninjas and how stagehands would play them which they found cool.”

“That’s nice,” Hakuba said, clearly not listening closely. He looked out at the people they passed, students laughing together near a convenience store, people on their way home, lovers on a date...

“The company we saw was interested in experimenting with non-traditional plays and adaptations of foreign work. I think Shinichi was actually intrigued at the adaptation of one of Edogawa Ranpo’s works.” The idea, Kaito thought, was to get Hakuba out of the apartment. Engaging him in social behavior was secondary. “I dunno. I thought it was pretty amazing we made it through the day without any cases popping up. Kabuki would have been too perfect a setting for a murder with Shinichi’s luck.”

At the mention of murder, Hakuba looked at him. “Do people get murdered around him often then? I’d heard rumors but...” There was a glimmer of honest curiosity there. Kaito would take that.

“All the damn time,” Kaito said, both amused and rueful. “There was a joke about how Shinichi was a death magnet years ago, but it’s statistically proven that he’s 90% more likely to run into a murder than anyone else on the force. And about half the ones he does run into are after hours. All of us have been scarred for life, I swear.” Only half a joke there. All of them—Kaito, Shinichi, Ran, the girls, even Takumi—had nightmares from time to time about things they’d stumbled across. “Funny but we’re less likely to run into that sort of thing when we’re out as a group.” Kaito’s theory was that it was his luck counteracting Shinichi’s with a side of Koizumi’s protective magic coming in strong with Takumi there.

“That doesn’t trouble you?”

“Of course it does. I’m used to it though.” Kaito smiled. And it was worth the occasional horrible moment of running into yet another corpse to have the rest of the time with everyone. “The good balances everything out.”

“Hmm.” Hakuba didn’t sound very convinced, but at least he was engaged in something other than self-destructing. “You seem truly happy so it must balance out.”

“Have I ever seemed unhappy to you?” Kaito said, scoffing.

Hakuba glanced at him from the corner of his eye before speeding up just enough that he didn’t have to see Kaito in his peripherals before he answered. “I don’t think your smiles back in high school were fake, but they weren’t heartfelt either. You smile like someone who is comfortable with their life now.”

Perceptive as ever, Hakuba, Kaito thought. “Well I can’t say I’m unhappy much these days,” he conceded after a bit. They reached a shop with large planters full of flowers and leafy greens. It had a bench near it too. The shop was closed for the moment but all around it had just the right kind of peaceful atmosphere Kaito was going for. “This looks like a good spot. Sit.”

“Kuroba,” Hakuba complained, sitting.

“It’s nice here,” Kaito said. He pulled out his mochi and offered some to Hakuba. Hakuba gave it a distrustful look. “There’s plain green tea mochi or ichigo daifuku if you prefer that. I’m not going to poison you. What would I get from that?”

“What do you get from any of this?” Hakuba asked, but he took a piece of mochi, relaxing in increments as the flowers and calm night air did their work.

“You know you could tell me about your day,” Kaito said. “Since I shared mine.”

“I didn’t ask to hear about yours.” Hakuba closed his eyes, leaning back on the bench, his head almost in one of the bushier lavender plants hanging over the edge of a planter. “I did laundry and stared at a word document today. I disappointed Mum by not going out for something other than groceries and ignoring her phone calls. Nothing interesting at all, Kuroba.”

“You’re doing something other than shopping now, so I guess you can cross that off your weekend list.”

Hakuba’s lips tipped up in a ghost of a smile. “I suppose I can. Perhaps I’ll survive calling Mum back tomorrow after all.”

“Happy to be of service,” Kaito said with a mock bow.

Hakuba opened his eyes, pinned Kaito with a stare straight out of their high school days, assessing and dissecting him with a look. “I don’t understand you at all, Kuroba,” he said. “And it annoys the hell out of me.”

Kaito kept himself open and relaxed. Gave a lazy shrug. “What’s there to understand? I’m here because I want to be.”

“And that’s what makes so little sense.” The intense look faded, turned inward again. “It can’t be interesting trying to get a response from me this time around.”

“Well I’m not trying to harass you this time around.” He smirked. “All jokes of me stalking you aside.”

Hakuba shook his head. “I had all these theories on you once. I doubt any of them fit with who you are now.”

“Yeah, well, life changes you. Takes you places you don’t expect.”

“It does.” And oops, now Hakuba looked depressed again.

Kaito put another piece of mochi in Hakuba’s hand. “But hey, we never could be friends in high school, but this is a second chance! Do over if you will.”

“Perhaps this is all some odd dream and I’ve slipped into an alternate reality where you’re actively nice,” Hakuba said, deadpan.

“I’ve always been nice!” Kaito protested.

“Before or after brutally pranking them?”

“Okay, we can all agree that teenagers live by different rules than adults.”

“Do they? That’s funny because I’ve noticed so many adults who clearly have never moved on from their teenaged mindsets.”

Kaito rolled his eyes. “Clearly we’re not one of those people or we wouldn’t be sitting here now.”

“I suppose not.” Hakuba ate his mochi.

Kaito steered the conversation away from personal and onto the weird things kids did—Takumi, Shiemi and Hanae as primary examples. Hakuba, it turned out, had plenty of stories about the weird shit his students had pulled over the years. He even laughed a few times, so win!

The streets were pretty deserted by the time their conversation wound down and they ran out of mochi. Hakuba looked a bit surprised when Kaito glanced at his watch and declared that it was after midnight. “Guess I have to take you home,” Kaito said with a grin. “You’re not Cinderella, but you could probably use some sleep.”

Hakuba scoffed. He was more alive now than when Kaito had dragged him from his apartment. “I’m not fragile, Kuroba. I am perfectly capable of getting home myself.”

“Yeah, but I dragged you here, so it’s only polite.”

They walked back mostly in silence, but it was a companionable sort of silence, not a melancholy one. Kaito walked Hakuba all the way to his door.

“Well,” Kaito said, “night, Hakuba. Get some sleep and I bet that lesson plan will be easy tomorrow.”

“Kuroba,” Hakuba said before Kaito could close the door. “...Thank you.”

Kaito grinned. “Any time!” Operation get Hakuba less depressed seemed to be working a bit.

***

“So,” Shinichi said, leaning on Kaito’s desk as he scribbled plans for a heist. “How is making friends going?”

“Surprisingly well,” Kaito said, flipping over his notes. They might live together and Shinichi didn’t attend many heists, but that didn’t mean Kaito was just going to make it easy for him if he did randomly decide to show up for this next one. “I think I got a few actual smiles last time. I might be able to convince him to leave the apartment and socialize with other human beings.”

Shinichi snorted. “Yeah that sounds like progress. You seem to be having fun with it.”

“You know, I am.” Kaito hadn’t expected to. He’d half been bracing for Hakuba’s nastier side from high school to rise up, but Hakuba was actually decent company. And he wasn’t plotting to turn Kaito into the police. In fact, he’d made several points to say he was retired and not interested in chasing Kid the few times it came up. Besides having a few actually fun conversations, there was part of Kaito that just enjoyed giving people pleasant surprises. Hakuba was consistently pleasantly surprised. Even if he always complained about Kaito showing up, he’d never tried to kick him out or ignore him. All in all, it was kind of nice having another person to talk to who was in the know. “He’s still making a depressed hermit of himself, but I think he’s starting to open up again more. Would you mind if I invite him along sometime? You know as well as I do that being around people is sometimes what you need to pull you out of your head.” It worked with Kaito, and Kaito knew now that it had been what pulled Shinichi through his time as Conan.

“Go ahead. I’m curious if he’s still keeping up with legal changes in the news. I want his opinion on some of the new laws passed.”

“Ran and I and your coworkers don’t have enough insight?”

“Hakuba might be retired, but he still was a detective. It’s a different perspective.”

Kaito smiled. “If all else fails, bring up Sherlock Holmes. That will keep you going for hours.”

Shinichi’s face lit up at the thought. There weren’t many people who would willingly talk Holmsian theory with him for hours. Kaito snickered. Shinichi and Hakuba could go be nerdy Holmes fanboys together.

“You can never have enough friends,” Kaito said.

“Invite him. I definitely need to talk to someone that isn’t you or Heiji about the new Miss Sherlock adaptation.”

“Shinichi, is there an adaptation you haven’t seen?” Kaito teased.

“There are a lot I haven’t read, but—”

Kaito laughed at him.

“Oh, shut up. You collect phantom thief and trickster figures in your media taste. I collect Sherlock Holmes adaptations.”

“And pretty much any halfway decent mystery novel.”

“Only good ones. I have standards.”

Considering the number of times Kaito had seen Shinichi reading cheap English paperback novels with pun-filled titles, Kaito had to wonder at Shinichi’s supposed standards, but what did he know? Kaito had other genres calling his name.

“Invite him,” Shinichi repeated. “I want to know him since he’s someone you’ve decided to keep.”

It was a funny way of putting it, but not wrong. Shinichi knew how Kaito’s mind worked, how he looked at people as ‘his’ if they stayed in his orbit long enough, could handle him at his worst as well as his best. Kaito’d more or less decided he was up and adopting Hakuba into his friend group, so yeah, he was keeping him. Even if Hakuba was reluctant. “Thanks,” Kaito said.

Shinichi waved his thanks away. “It’s nothing. Oh, and Kaito?”

“Yeah?”

“Might want to pick a better pun for that heist note. You’re getting predictable.”

Kaito threw a balled up piece of paper at Shinichi. Shinichi, the jerk, just caught it and walked away. 

AAAAnd basically it’d pan out kind of like NLTSA, only without the romantic sublot, Kaito not nearly dying, yadda yadda. Hakuba’s now a family friend. And dates Hiroto for a bit. Before they stumble into Hiroto’s job’s actual business at which point things get dicey for a bit. But I’m not writing it. I have written enough. Goddamn have I written enough for this AU of an AU. So my brain can STOP GIVING ME SCENARIOS ok? Okay. >_> Enjoy this monster of a mess of random scenes.....At least half of why this even happened is because my brain went "Haha, 'Kai-Tou-san'! Puns! Haaaa" and it wanted something more happy. But also pun >_> I'm sorry this is rougher. But I hope it made someone smile. Happy holiday season, or happy end of the year for people who don't holiday.

#lay in the atmosphere #magic kaito #detective conan #fanfiction #kaishinran

[therron-shan]

70: “ This is why I fell in love with you. ” Author's choice!

So this (along with like 20 other prompts and asks) has been in my ask box for a good several months.  I’ve been feeling incredibly off about my writing lately.  Nothing I write seems to be good enough for me.  Long story short, I’m trying.  I’m trying to write more because I miss it.  And I’m trying not to judge myself too harshly.  Sooo on that note, here’s this. 1200 words of fluff, because Scourge and Aurelia deserve to be happy.  Hope you all enjoy it c:

slight nsfw at the beginning and end.  nothing explicit.

It was a cool morning on Yavin 4. Aurelia stretched as she woke up, and a soft gasp escaped her lips as her hamstring protested sharply. She’d strained it last night, miraculously, during sex. Perils of having a big stupid Sith boyfriend. She giggled to herself and reached out to touch Scourge. But all she felt were cool bedsheets. She looked over at his side of the bed and sighed a bit. Up early again. She’d have to insist on morning cuddles. Again. Aurelia carefully slipped out of bed, making a mental note to find a medpack later, and donned her robe. Through the archway in the room, leading to the balcony, she could see him. No doubt he was having one of his “moments”, as he referred to them. She reached out to him in the force, hoping he didn’t mind being disturbed.

He turned his head and gave her a soft smile. “Come here, my love.”

Aurelia smiled and walked out to him.  He stood, looking out at the expanse of jungle and wildlife, in the confines of the ancient temple they lived in, and out in the wilds. “What are you doing out here, silly? It’s too cold.” And she made a face as she rubbed her arms to warm herself.

“Mm, I’m sorry, darling. Does this help?” He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and she just about melted in his strength and warmth - thanking the stars once more for his ridiculously natural body heat. On Ilum nights she’d cuddled with him and definitely used the excuse of “skin to skin is better for warmth”. Remembering now, she giggled at the thought.

Scourge’s teeth descended on her skin, tugging at her earlobe and effectively silencing her giggles. “What are you laughing at, love?”

“Oh just on Ilum when I made you strip naked and hold me.” She shivered as his teeth grazed her neck. “Because I was ‘cold’.”

He laughed softly, right next to her ear, and warmth flooded through her. “Ah, yes. I remember. You were not subtle. I knew exactly what you wanted and I thought it would be good for you to explore your desires - I still do - ” and he nipped the spot behind her ear - “so I agreed. Stars, I remember the look on your face.”

“Cut me some slack, baby! Damn. I’d only ever seen you shirtless once or twice, sparring, and you just started taking off everything. You didn’t even hesitate. I suggested it and just about two seconds later you were completely naked.”

Scourge laughed again and it rumbled in his chest. She liked that sensation. “When I awoke in the morning you were completely on top of me. Head on my chest, arms around me. I realized how much you love cuddling.”

“Mm, that’s true. So what did you do, then? Just shove me off?” She grinned. “Because when *I* woke up I was next to you. Nowhere near on top of you.”

His arms tightened around her and his force signature changed. Darker. More somber. And his kisses, planted along her shoulder, became softer. “I pretended I could feel you. Because I wanted to so badly. I simply wrapped my arms around you. Ran my fingers through your hair. You practically burrowed against me as I did and I willed myself to feel you. But… I couldn’t. So I grew rather upset and yes, I may have pushed you a bit to the side. I just - I merely wanted more than what I thought I deserved.” He held her tighter still and she placed her hands over his. Her heart ached for him. “When I awoke this morning, we were in the same position. And this time, I could feel you. It was - overwhelming, to tell the truth. Occasionally, I wake up thinking that it was all a dream. Healing, having my humanity and senses fully restored. You. I’m not used to it. Even now, after almost a year, I sometimes expect to feel nothing when I touch you. I think, perhaps, it’s because I feel as if I do not deserve you.”

Aurelia’s heart tightened in her chest and she turned around in his arms to look at him. She leaned up on her tiptoes (and he bent over a bit) to rest her forehead against his. His bright, crimson eyes met hers. “Vâsil, you deserve me. You deserve everything you have right now, and so much more. Don’t listen to that part of your mind. It doesn’t know what the hell it’s talking about. You are a good man.” She kissed him, slowly, warmly. His lips moved against hers and he all but crushed her to him. Ran his fingers through her hair. His lips moved to plant sweet kisses along her cheek and jaw, and he lifted her up so they were eye level. And so he could bury his face in her neck.

“This is why I fell in love with you,” he whispered, his voice thick and partially muffled.

Aurelia smiled at the warm flutterings in her tummy. She would never, ever get tired of hearing him say that. “Mm, because I’m such a great motivational speaker?”

He laughed though she felt it more than heard it. “In part, yes. But mostly because no matter what, you have always cared for me, supported me. You used to tell me we’d find a cure. Years ago, before we even confronted Vitiate.”

“And you’d always brush me off.” She put on her best grumpy Imperial accent. 'Do not mock me, Jedi’.“

"That’s the best you can do?” And he kissed her skin softly. “Yes. I would. Because I knew - or I thought I knew - that it could never happen. That I didn’t deserve it.”

Aurelia sighed. “Look at me, Vâs.”

He lifted his head from her neck and met her gaze.

“You deserve the galaxy, Vâsil.” She kissed him, loving how he melted against her. “You spent over three hundred years with no humanity. I mean, you spent three hundred years with the Sith Emperor as your only friend. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”

Scourge grinned.

“You’ve done your time, baby. Allow yourself to be happy. I think you have more than made up for the things you’ve done. I don’t know a single other person who would have had the courage to do what you did. The selflessness, too. You gave up everything for me. For the galaxy. You knew what would happen to you the day we left Dromund Kaas. You left your entire life behind to save the galaxy. My love, I could never have done that.” She kissed him again, slowly.

“Technically,” he murmured against her mouth, “I did all that because I didn’t want my life force to be consumed by the Emperor but…”

Aurelia playfully shoved his shoulder and giggled softly. “Just accept the damn compliment, old man.”

“Oh I’m old now, am I?” His grip on her tightened and he squeezed her ass. “Why don’t we go inside and I can show you how 'old’ I am?”

She kissed him a bit harder, catching his lower lip between her teeth for a moment. “A young man would have me against the wall out here.”

Scourge laughed, and it lit up his eyes. Warmth and love surged through Aurelia’s body again and she kissed him once more. “I love you so much,” he whispered.

“I love you, Vâsil.”

#swtor #swtor fanfiction #lord scourge #jedi knight/lord scourge #oc: aurelia antall #otp: aurelia x scourge #ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #it sucks #i'm not a fan lmao #and i'm sorry it took me so damn long haha #writing prompts #shimmersing

[nusaran]

Fictober18 day8: I know you do. 

Fanfiction: Star Wars the Old Republic

prompt order upload is a bit out of whack now. Sorry. 

For such a harsh world, Dromund Kaas had breath-taking sunsets. Maybe it was the case just where Marr’s stronghold was. In the upper northern hemisphere where the jungles had long stopped growing, with the stronghold set up in a mountain near a large sprawling tundra. When they were in Kaas City, she never really saw the sun sets from the Citadel. Their work would last until the early hours of the morning if they were needed there. For now she could admire the glittering of the fallen snow in the setting sun. Almost enough to make her forget that they had just returned from Bergeren and that war was looming beyond the horizon. Tonight they could just rest and by the end of the week they’d be at the parade that was currently being planned. Vowrawn meddling with the tapestry that was supposed to be displayed again and she could already hear the newly appointed Darth Baras raging at them. Those two had been at each other’s throats the second Darth Baras was given the seat. A seat that Marr would not have given to Baras.

The skin on her shoulders prickled. Speak of the man and he shall appear. She looked over her shoulder to see Marr stepping into her chambers with his armour and mask still on. Must have left as soon as the transmission to the rest of the Dark Council.

“Were they being tedious?” she asked fully turning around.

He sighed while rolling his shoulders and growled, “Baras….”

She smiled sympathetically at him as he lifted his hands to remove the mask. Even with the hood still up, she could see the exhaustion lines around his forehead.

“What did he blather on this time?” she asked stepping towards him.

“Edenye,” he rubbed his forehead, “I’d rather not think about that right now.”

She frowned up at him, arms stopped mid-movement. Where was this coming from?

“Not now. Later,” he amended quickly leaning forward to lean his forehead against hers, “We finally have some space.”

“That we do,” she answered now gripping at his shoulders, “next week is the parade.”

He huffed, “Vowrawn has completely overtaken the preparations.”

She rolled her eyes now grinning, “Why am I not surprised?”

“Would not be Vowrawn if it wasn’t,” he teased, “But not what I want to talk about.”

“What do you have in mind?” she asked craning her neck.

He did not answer, stepping away gently prying her hands of his shoulders. Confused she stared at him, heart now burning painfully in her chest. What was he doing? Or more… should she be worried? Clasping her hands in front of her chest she watched as he took out a small headpiece from one of his chest pockets.

Oh.

“I don’t know if Atrea ever explained to you what her headpiece meant?” he asked cautiously looking her straight in the eyes as if searching for something.

She shook her head. Atrea had worn her headpiece everywhere. Mostly to formal functions. But never had she said why. Neither had she asked.

“It is an old tradition,” he explained holding the piece in the light, small stones sparkling in the incident light, “If a Sith was…,” he paused, “wanted to show their commitment to their partner, they’d gift them a piece jewelry or in the case of Purebloods face jewelry.”

She swallowed. That meant…

“And you are giving me one,” she stated lamely.

He shot her a small smile holding the piece to her, “It belonged to my mother.”

Her chest felt light when she reached out her hands to grasp his. There were other things he wanted to say, the words buzzing between them.

“And now it belongs to you,” he said pressing the piece into her hands, closing his hands around hers.

Her throat had closed up, words failing her. It had simple design, but it must have cost a fortune to have it made nonetheless.

“Thank you,” she breathed out looking him in the eyes.

He stepped closer, embracing her so her ear was against his throat.

“I…,” he started before being interrupted by a beeping on her desk.

Groaning he dropped his face into the top of her hair. Her stomach sank in disappointment when he let go, stepping away so they were appropriately apart and so he could put his mask back on for whoever was calling them. The loss of contact tore at the bond and she wanted to rub her arms with how heavy her shoulders felt.  

She pressed the button to receive the transmission and bowed out of her chambers when a pixelated Baras appeared.

Later, when everyone had passed out from exhaustion, she slipped into Marr’s chambers when she knew that the late night Council session had ended. Why another had been called so late she did not know. Except that Darth Baras had called it. The way fury sparked in the bond during the session, it could only mean that it was not good. As if any of those sessions had anything good coming out of them. He had not noticed her and stood with his back to her bent over datapads. Their bond was eerily quiet and anxiety gnawed at her nerves now.

“Marr,” she whispered softly into the room.

He twitched. Concerned she frowned as she walked to his side. Something was bothering him.

“Edenye,” he turned around already unclasping his mask.

“What happened?” she asked cupping his jaw.

He sighed at first, pinching the bridge of his nose while the other hand drew around her waist.

“Baras…, at first he plunges into a war we were not ready for yet and now,” he inhaled through his teeth before looking at her with his nerves raw and visible, “he claims to be the Emperor’s voice.”

She stilled, hand dropping from his jaw in her shock. The Voice? Oh no… oh no no. That meant… the Emperor was moving more openly again. After centuries of relative silence. When had been the last time a Voice had resided on the Dark Council?

“So…,” she croaked and could not finish her thought.

He was coming for her. The warning replayed in her mind and she felt her knees buckle under her weight.

“I got you,” Marr’s voice rumbled in her ear.

She must have lost her balance and he had caught her.

“Vowrawn claims he is not, but we cannot but acknowledge him until he can prove his claim,” Marr said urgently, “He cannot harm you.”

“Not yet,” she muttered into his neck.

Marr did not reply, knowing that she was right. It was only a matter of time before a demand like that would be made, should Baras be the real Voice.

“Let’s hope Vowrawn is right,” she whispered, “Or we kill Baras.”

Marr stiffened at her last sentence.

“And risk open dissent? Baras has convinced Thanaton, Mortis…,” he sounded lost.

“I heard of Baras,” she said softly, “He has spies everywhere. This man does not act openly and that is how you beat him. Beat him at his own game.”

“Of course,” he spat bitterly gripping her slightly tighter, “More intrigues to keep track of.”

“Your seat will depend on it,” she muttered against his skin, “If they find out…”

“I know,” he growled, “If they know about you and me, we both will be lucky to have enough time to escape.”

She stayed quiet, closing her eyes in her grief. So close… They had been so close to happiness that they could get in these times. Why couldn’t they be content? Was this too much to ask? If the Emperor ordered her death and by association Marr’s, some members of the Dark Council would happily comply. His seat would be safe if no one knew about them.

“You put it on,” Marr stated stunned, one of his hands touching the top of her head where she had braided it in.

“Of course,” she said pulling her head up to look at him properly, “and don’t think ….”

She could not even finish her sentence before he kissed her.

“I love you,” he muttered, “don’t ever think that I don’t.”

“I know you do,” she answered when he let her go.

“Then you understand why I will order you to be cautious from now on?” he raised an eyebrow in her direction.

Oh devious… she had to laugh now.

#fictober18 #fictober #swtor #Darth Marr #OC: Edenye

[darquedeath4444]

Of Tales Now and Long Ago

Chapter THREE

The roads of the village were mostly smooth but Itachi worried about the bits of rubbish, maybe something like broken glass, and continued to carry Sakura. However, as he had expected, the presence of a pink haired girl on his back attracted more attention than when he usually walked the streets by himself and he took to the roofs not soon after. Sakura did not complain as the views of the markets and the villagers changed to that of rooftops and the sky.

"It is so...big," she said, eyes wide. "My compound had always appeared big to me, and the caves felt almost endless. I did not expect so much more beyond the rocks."

"There is even more beyond these walls," he told her quietly.

"I can only imagine." Sakura's eyes landed on the Hokage Mountain. "What is that?" She asked. "The face at the end is the Hokage."

"Those are the past Hokage of Konoha," he explained. "The Hokage is the leader of the village, the head of a huge clan, if you will, and that role is passed down by one Hokage to the next. Namikaze Minato is the Fourth."

Sakura, who had been frowning at the beginning, nodded as he related the terms to roles within a clan. "I see."

He traveled on at a slower pace than usual to allow the girl to take in the village. "My village was Kirigakure. I know that much," she said after a while. "I have never been outside to see this village, though, so I have nothing to reference from." She glanced down at him. "My compound was located underground. The Moon empowers us. Children not of age are to be kept pure from the lures of the lunar light. Yet, all I can see from here are rooftops and buildings; is this the common case, or is Konoha different?"

"I believe underground compounds are unique to your clan," Itachi said thoughtfully.

Sakura hummed and turned back to the sights.

It did not take them long to arrive at the Uchiha compound. Itachi landed before the gates and nodded curtly at the guards stationed there before he swept past them. Sakura tightened her grip around his neck as the guards eyed her for a brief second but she did not duck her head to hide like she had before.

Itachi entered his house and gently lowered Sakura onto the wooden floors before he closed the doors. "Kaa-sama, I have returned."

There was a shuffle of clothes and Uchiha Mikoto appeared at the end of the corridor. "Welcome home, Itachi-kun." Her eyes then landed on Sakura, who had stiffened at the new arrival. "Hello, you must be Sakura-chan. Minato-kun has sent us word about you. You are welcome to stay for as long as you need."

The girl glanced over at Itachi before she nodded in response. "Yes. I am grateful for your hospitality." She bowed.

Itachi noted that isolated or not, Sakura had her fair share of clan upbringing within her.

"Itachi-kun, will you go pick up Sasuke-chan?" Mikoto asked. "He's at the playground with Naruto-chan."

Sakura perked at the new words and Itachi hid a smile as he nodded. "Of course."

The pinkette whipped around to look at him and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she slumped a little and glanced down at her hands.

"I will return in a bit," Itachi said gently.

Mikoto nodded. "Come, Sakura-chan, let me fix you something to eat. How does dorayaki sound?"

Sakura took a deep breath and when she looked up again, there was a polite smile plastered onto her face and her previous nervousness at being left alone was no longer visible. "Food does sound nice. What is dorayaki?"

Itachi remembered how Sakura had only ever eaten rice, another rare clan tradition, and he recalled thinking how that could not have been very good for a young child. Her question was innocent enough, but Itachi felt his mother's distraught frown even as he turned back towards the door as her motherly instincts acted up. "Dorayaki is a snack," she told her gently. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

Sakura nodded politely and, after waving shyly at him, allowed the Uchiha matriarch lead her deeper into the compound.

"Nii-san!"

Itachi found himself smiling at the familiar and welcoming call of his younger brother. Uchiha Sasuke stopped whatever he had been doing and darted over towards him. Namikaze Naruto was quick to follow and the two stopped in front of him. "You're back!"

"Hi, Itachi-teme." Naruto grinned up at him.

"How was your mission, nii-san?" Sasuke asked. "You're not hurt? Did you go to the hospital?"

"Hello, Otouto, Naruto-kun." Itachi crouched down in front of them and reached out to rub a smudge of dirt from his brother's cheek. "My mission was fine and no, I am not hurt, and therefore have no reason to go to the hospital." He smiled. Mother wants you home now," he said. "Naruto-kun, you should head home as well; it will get dark very soon."

Naruto pouted at this but nodded. He and Sasuke scowled at each other before quietly saying their goodbyes. Naruto darted off and the moment the blond was out of sight, Sasuke reached up towards him. Itachi turned around and allowed his brother to clamber onto his back, just as he had with Sakura earlier that day. He jumped onto the first roof he came across and Sasuke let out a soft cheer.

"Otouto," he called, then continued when he was sure he had Sasuke's attention. "We have a guest today at the compound," he said. "She is a girl, a victim of my most recent mission. I want you to be kind to her, okay? Can you promise me that?"

Sasuke's face scrunched up as he thought about it for a while before he nodded. "Okay, I promise."

Sasuke was quick to run to the door and throw it open the moment Itachi set him down outside their house. "I'm home!" He kicked off his shoes and grinned when Mikoto once again appeared at the doorway.

"Welcome home, Sasuke-chan, did you have fun?"

Sasuke nodded enthusiastically. "The Dobe and I had a sandcastle building competition. Of course, mine was better-"

Itachi smiled softly and straightened his brother's shoes before he took off his own and slowly followed. He heard Sasuke's voice abruptly cut off and entered the room just in time to see Sakura looking up from a book she had been holding upside down and Sasuke eyeing her curiously.

Mikoto patted Sasuke's head. "Sasuke-chan, this is Sakura-chan. She'll be with us for a while. Sakura-chan, this is Sasuke-chan."

Sakura blinked before her face melted into a smile. "Hello, I am Sakura, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Itachi saw Sasuke frown at the words suddenly thrown at him but his brother managed to nod stiffly. "I'm Sasuke."

Mikoto smiled gently and nudged her son towards the girl. "Why don't you wait here," she suggested. "I'll get you some snacks too. You too, Itachi-kun." The woman walked off towards the kitchen and Sakura stared at Sasuke for a second longer before she turned back to her book.

Itachi opened his mouth to tell her just that, realizing with a pang that this must be the first time the girl had ever touched a book. Was she kept from literature as well? Did that mean she could not read? 

However, his brother beat him to it. "You're holding that upside down," Sasuke said, frowning.

Sakura glanced up again and lifted her book a little more before she stiffly flipped it around. "I see." She scowled at the pages again. "What is this supposed to be?" She asked.

"You don't know how to read?" Sasuke asked, tone a little indignant.

"Sasuke," Itachi said in a warning tone.

Sasuke blinked as though he had remembered what he had promised to do earlier and glanced down guiltily. "Even the Dobe can read," he muttered. "We look the same age. How can she not read?"

Itachi furrowed his brows just a little as he noted how he could not fully fault his brother from reacting the way he had. Sakura's situation was very unusual, after all.

Sakura watched the two of them and for a while before she patted the spot beside her on the couch. "I take you know how to read, Sasuke-san?" She asked. "Could you teach me?"

Itachi turned to the girl in surprise even as Sasuke's expression brightened and he marched over to sit beside the girl. It wasn't every day he met little girls who could read the atmosphere and improve the mood of upset little boys.

Not that he'd know, really.

Sitting beside his brother and patiently listening as the boy rambled on, wanting to show off everything he knew, Itachi saw another side of the girl, a side unlike the frightened girl cowering behind the altar or the innocent politeness shows to the Hokage and his mother. Here was a girl who was playing Sasuke's boyish feelings and emotions to her advantage.

She was still young, probably the same age as his brother or even younger, but she was good. Not good enough that he did not notice, but too good for a normal girl her age.

It was a little adorable, though, as he watched Sasuke blush uncontrollably as Sakura chattered on to match his rambling as they went through the book, so he did not say anything.

The Haruno were an unknown clan, but if the Uchiha were their fire, genjutsu and Sharingan and the Hyuuga were their unique taijutsu and the Byakugan that allowed them this fighting style, the Haruno were their mind. Itachi recalled stories from the war presenting them as a clan of shinobi that fought not for their village, but for their own kind.

They were renown to be a clan of fighters with glowing white hair that seemed to absorb the blood their enemies spilled and eyes as blank as the abyss of death they pushed their opponents into, willing to continue fighting until their last breath, as though they could not feel pain. He had heard stories of how white-haired shinobi donning the Kirigakure symbol over their foreheads as nothing more than accessories continued to fight even if their limbs had been torn off, or if a chunk of their arm was missing, or a huge piece of broken bone was sticking right out of their chest.

A clan of monsters, some had said, voices hidden behind others also drowning their losses in alcohol, too gone for the night to even remember this admittance the next morning.

There were rumors, of course, of what may be the kekkei genkai of the Haruno clan. Perhaps they really could not feel pain, perhaps they could simply ignore it. All in all, they were, or had been, a clan of shinobi who did not die until they were dead, who lived in a system of their own.

It was a mystery, how apparently, a single teen had killed off an entire clan seemingly born to fight.

Itachi watched over them until Mikoto wandered over to call them for dinner.

Itachi sensed how Uchiha Fugaku returned home and immediately sat down at the dining table. It was not much longer until Itachi and Sasuke entered the room with Sakura trailing behind them.

Sakura froze as her eyes landed on Fugaku, before she stepped away from him and Sasuke. Her left hand was fisted and held up sideways against her chest. Her right arm then came up and she wrapped her hand around her closed fist. It was a gesture she had made before, and Itachi was coming to understand that this was some sort of Kirigakure, or perhaps clan, related greeting. 

"Uchiha Fugaku-san," she said. "I am Haruno Sakura. I am grateful for you accepting my stay over at your compound." Gone from her eyes are the bright glow that she had showered Sasuke with in order to improve his mood. Instead, there was an unreadable mask of blankness now in place.

Fugaku returned the girl's gaze and he nodded once, firmly. "Haruno-san."

"Please, call me Sakura."

Fugaku nodded once again but the request was not returned as he gestured towards the chairs. Still, Sakura did not seem to mind. Instead, she briefly dipped her head, not a full bow of respect but one of acknowledgment, and she sat at the table.

This was the housing of the head of the Haruno clan by the Uchiha, Itachi realized. The Hokage was attempting to tie down the girl, for regardless of isolation, the Haruo had been a huge fighting force for the Hidden Mist during the War. If her alive status spread, Kiri would no doubt attempt to take her back, even if she were the only one of her clan left. Still, Sakura was already outside their clutches and she was now the clan head. In a clan that appeared so tightly bound and secretive, the clan head probably had huge power over its members. If Sakura chose to make Konoha her new settling spot, nothing much could stop her, especially because her clan was no more and Kiri could not go to war for a single girl.

However, Itachi also knew that Sakura, even at her young age, seemed fully aware of the play of politics. A child like her did not much of a choice in this matter, and it might have been foolish to give a girl his brother's age so much credit, but Itachi had a funny feeling that she was letting it happen.

The next day, Sakura was escorted to the Hokage's office by a messenger sent to fetch her. Itachi accompanied her and once they had arrived, Sakura was asked to sit and wait in a room set up for this occasion.

Itachi went to the Hokage's office to report the girl's actions in his home to him. The Hokage took this all in and just as he was finishing off, there was a knock at the door. 

Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Inoichi entered the room. "Hokage-sama."

Minato smiled. "Thank you for coming."

"Morino-san, Yamanaka-san." Itachi greeted, hiding his confusion.

"Good morning Itachi-kun." Inoichi smiled at him while Ibiki nodded in his direction.

"The girl?" Ibiki asked.

"She is in the guest meeting room," Minato said, then turned to Itachi. "This is a precaution, Itachi-kun," he said reassuringly. "The Haruno were a mysterious clan and we need to see if Sakura-chan knows anything at all about what led to its massacre. She's a little girl, so maybe the T&I building would be a little too much."

Ibiki sighed and closed his eyes while Inoichi seemed to agree with Minato. Itachi internally did too; she might be a little strange, but Sakura did not seem like a bad person.

He was allowed to follow the adults into the meeting room. Inoichi and Ibiki sat down opposite Sakura, who had been patiently waiting. Minato sat a little further away and Itachi was gestured to join him. He took a seat and turned towards the interrogation. He watched as Inoichi casually flipped through papers.

The questions always started easy.

"What is your name?" Ibiki asked. Beside him, Inoichi had a pen in hand, ready to scribble down information onto the board in front of him.

Sakura leaned forward. "Currently, Haruno Sakura."

"Currently?" Ibiki asked.

Sakura nodded. "The clan heir receives a new name as a sign of rebirth as they cast aside their previous identity. However, due to the massacre, my clan head, who should have bestowed upon me a new identity, died before he could and thus, I am still Sakura."

Ibiki nodded in understanding. "I see. Age?"

"Thirty-six moons dormant and from what I've gathered, twenty-four moons awakened, and that makes a total of sixty moons of age."

Ibiki paused to look at her. "What?"

Sakura frowned. "I spent thirty-six moons living with the clan and then the next twenty-four with the man in the cave, that makes a total of-"

"That's not what I'm asking," Ibiki said. "Can you talk in years?"

"Years?" Sakura repeated.

"How long is a moon, Sakura-chan?" Inoichi asked. He shot Ibiki a subtle glare.

"A moon is a single lunar rotation," she explained. "That is how age is calculated in my clan."

"So twelve moons will be a year. She's five," Inoichi murmured, scribbling away.

"What about birthday?" Ibiki asked.

"Birthday?" Sakura asked. "Date of birth?"

Ibiki's eye twitched in annoyance."Yes."

"We are not given such labels in my clan. Everyone born in the same moon is one moon old when the next lunar rotation starts."

"I'll just put down March," Inoichi said, probably having done the math.

Then the questions begin to shift.

"Do you remember anything about the night of the massacre?"

Itachi winced at the blunt question but Sakura did not seem to mind. "No, I cannot say I do," she said slowly. "It was the night of a sacred ceremony within my clan. I was not aware of the attack until it was over."

"Ceremony?"

Sakura nodded. "My clan holds a Ceremony of Choosing in order to decide the next heir to the clan," she said. "This is a special ceremony where only children are accepted entry while the adults are to wait outside. When I stepped outside the site of the ceremony, everyone was already dead."

"And you saw the white-haired teen there?"

Sakura nodded again. "He reached out for me. He knew my name. He...he called me..." she trailed off, growing. "He reached out for me and said something," she finally said. "I cannot remember everything exactly.

"Do you know his name? Did this teen do anything to you in the cave?"

"I do not think I know his name," Sakura replied. "He held me in a cave with sacrifice altar. There was something that kept me from walking off the platform. He had puppets under his command and he left for hours every day, either outside or deeper into the caves. He never told me what he wanted, or what he was doing."

Ibiki glanced over at Inoichi, then at Minato. So far, they had learned virtually nothing. Minato nodded.

"Sakura-chan, I'm from a clan that specializes in mind reading," Inoichi said gently. "Is it okay for me to look into your mind for your memories of the teen?"

Sakura eyed the man and slowly nodded her head. "Okay."

"Welcome to our stronghold and our prison, to our heaven and our hell. Welcome to our mind, shinobi."

Chapter FOUR>

<Chapter TWO

#Of Tales Now and Long Ago #naruto fanfiction #sakura #itachi #sasuke #interrogation stuff #da voice man