#btw my room looks exactly like this whenever there's an exam coming up

[sweetbrier2908]

I just notice that Satan's bedroom is the only place in HoL that has no light, he only has candles near his reading spots. Maybe because Satan is the only demon at birth in the family and he never get used to being in the light (he also said that the sun in human's world was to bright and he couldn't get used to it) while the others had lived in Celestial Realm and under the sun for a long time. Just something that make Satan different from his brothers.

Btw, man leaves candles on his books. Those candles must be magic or something because they were not, the room would burnt down a long time ago.

[eternally-writing]

tour troubles | jjk

genre: fluff, angst

rating: G (no swearing or sexual content)

pairing: Jungkook x reader

theme: idol!au, boyfriend!au, one-shot

word count: 1.8k

warnings: none

Synopsis: When surprising your boyfriend Jungkook on tour doesn’t quite go as you planned, it’s up to you now to help cheer him up.

banner by me!

--♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡--

After a grueling 6 months apart,  you were more than happy to be in MetLife Stadium watching your boyfriend live out his dreams on stage. The Map of the Soul Tour was no joke; Jungkook was practicing all day and performing all night, and combined with your final exam season passing by it left little time for you to talk to each other.

Finally wrapping up the school year, you got in touch with Jimin to see if he could help you plan a surprise visit for Jungkook on one of their final tour stops.

All of the members had become like family to you, but it's no secret that aside from Jungkook you are closest with Jimin. He was like the older brother you never had, and you always ran to him whenever you needed relationship advice or a good hug.

As you watched Jungkook on stage you noticed his smile falter sometimes as he would be slightly out of position or dance off beat. You could only pick this out because you had spent hours in the practice room dancing with Jungkook. 

You and Jungkook had come together because of your shared love for dance. He had first asked you out inside a very sweaty-scented Big Hit practice room, almost half of your dates ended with some form of dancing, and whenever one of you was frustrated you could always find the other teary-eyed, lying on the marley floor of a dance studio. You had always been there to whisper words of encouragement in his ear when he was feeling down, and you wished nothing more than for her voice to reach the stage at the moment.

Soon enough, the concert came to an end and you were flashing her pass to the backstage security guard to get to see the boys. Despite your  uneasy feeling watching the concert, you couldn't ease the butterflies in your stomach at seeing your boyfriend for the first time in months.

Ever since you had planned this, you spent your nights imagining exactly how Jungkook would react: whether he would hug and kiss you first, stay frozen on the spot in shock, or start crying right away. 

As you stepped into the Big Hit dressing room, you were instantly greeted with several smiling faces. 

I didn't take you long to do a head count and realize that there were only 6  boys standing in front of you, and that your boyfriend was nowhere to be found. 

Making eye contact with Jimin, you saw the softness in his eyes as he motioned for you to come closer so he could explain. 

“He’s not feeling well Y/N, and none of us can get him to talk about it. We’re so worried. I swear I’ve only gotten like 2 words out of him tonight, and I even tried to make a nutella sandwich for him to cheer him up. I’m sorry this isn’t what you had planned, but can you talk to him please? For us?” 

You took a deep breath before pulling back the curtain divider in the dressing room. Your nerves catching up to you, you considered just turning around and telling the boys you would surprise him at their next concert instead. 

You had dealt with Jungkook being troubled and frustrated more times than you could count, but you were worried you had lost her touch after being apart from him for months. 

Your mind also flew the other way. How many times has he felt like this after a concert and never told you? When he said "It was fun I'm just really tired now" after every concert was he truly feeling like this? 

With that, you pushed forward because you knew that you had to be there to support Jungkook today, even if you couldn't be there for all the other times. 

The sight that greeted you behind the curtain was not a pretty one. 

Jungkook was staring blankly at the monitor in front of him, dark fringes of his hair matted against his sweaty forehead, tour hoodie zipped up completely with the hood on, and worst of all, his eyes were clearly puffy and swollen, with tinges of red coming through from underneath his makeup. 

Jungkook barely even glanced your way as you sat down an ample distance away from Jungkook on the couch. It was clear from his lack of surprise at your appearance that one of the boys (probably Jimin) had probably told him about your surprise visit earlier in an effort to cheer him up after the concert, but even that could not get him out of this slump.

 Of all the scenarios you came up with for how Jungkook would react to your surprise, somehow this one never crossed your mind. 

You turned your focus to where Jungkook was staring - a TV monitor replaying video footage from tonight's concert. You watched as his eyebrows stayed furrowed as he glared disapprovingly at himself for making even the smallest of mistakes in the video, almost wincing as the TV monitor continued to play the footage.

"Do you want me to help point out things in the video?"

Jungkook didn’t even move a muscle.

You took the silence as a yes, and pulled a pen and the closest thing you could find to paper, a napkin, out of your purse to write on. 

Working as a dance teacher had taught you more than a couple tricks about how to give constructive feedback, and you were a firm believer in the "give 2 compliments and then 1 thing to work on" approach. However, you knew the issue with Jungkook wasn't that he was truly bad at dancing, but rather that he was way too hard on himself for the smallest details that the audience wouldn't even notice - so she threw in a few more compliments than usual. Unsure of how Jungkook would react to seeing the list, you still threw some of those very nit-picky details on there, knowing that if he was still frustrated he would throw the list out all together if he thought you were just coddling him. 

And so you both sat together in front of that grainy TV monitor, in complete silence aside from the sound of your pen scratching against the napkin.

June 10, 2020 MOTS:7 Tour Feedback Report for Jeon Jungkook ( by Y/N)

- match angle of arm placement in Black Swan Opening Choreo

- footwork on DNA ending choreo could be cleaned up 

- the ARMY at the corner of the screen during Euphoria had the biggest smile when you looked at her. I think she’s gonna remember that moment for the rest of her life. 

-  I like the way you wink at the camera during So What! Gave me butterflies babe. 

- could add more energy into the last Fake love chorus ( hot bod btw!!)

And the list kept going on and on as you diligently focused on the screen and writing notes, taking occasional glances at your silent boyfriend.

Upon glancing over your shoulder and seeing your list, Jungkook smiled at your thoughtful and sweet comments. 

All of sudden, a wave of consciousness and realization washed over him. 

He finally has the girl he loves in front of him again after months apart, and instead of cherishing his limited time with you he was spending it watching himself dance, which is what he had already spent the last 9 years of his life doing. Most of all, you never let your smile falter once in front of him, even though he knew you may be upset with his response to your surprise, and you went along with whatever he wanted to do - even if that meant watching a very very low-quality video of his performances on a loop. 

Grabbing the napkin gently out of her hands and placing it on the table, Jungkook cupped your face and looked gently into your eyes. 

"Thank you",  he said softly, as if not wanting to startle you with his sudden character change.

In your head there was absolutely no need for Jungkook to be thanking her for anything she was doing.  She knew dating an idol would have its challenges, and she made a promise to Jungkook that she would be by his side through it all, even if that included rewatching Euphoria on loop. 

It was now your turn to sigh. 

“There’s nothing to thank me for babe, it’s just me. I wanna be here for you when you’re like this - I didn’t just date you so I could be there to celebrate your Billboard #1s and daesang sweeps, I’m here for these moments too.”

Jungkook further eliminated the space between you both by wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into his chest. In that moment he realized that maybe all he needed was you. That all these hurdles he had been facing alone would have been much easier if he had just let you in on his problems.

“I just feel bad Y/N, I haven’t even seen you for months and the first time I see you I’m like this? I’m sorry.”

The gears started turning in your head. Batting your eyes overdramatically at your boyfriend, you smiled. 

“Okay how about we make a deal then babe?”

Jungkook looked at you curiously and let you carry on. 

“From now on, every time you feel like this you come to me okay? We can figure this out together, but I can’t help you if you don’t let me in,” you expressed, grabbing his hands in yours.

“Also, if you felt like making it up to me you could buy me some ice cream? It’s not the same when I eat it without you,” you joked.

Jungkook’s melodic laugh vibrated through the room. 

“Just ice cream? You’re selling yourself short babe. I’d buy the whole world for you, my love.”

--♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡-- 

As you emerged from behind the curtained section of the dressing room, hand in hand with a smiley Jungkook ( a stark comparison from how he was a mere hour early), you were greeted with Jimin jumping up and cheering loudly upon seeing the maknae.

Unable to contain his excitement, Jimin ran towards the two of you, chiming “you did it Y/N!! You brought back our maknae!”  

“Good to see you smiling, Jungkookie,”  beamed Jimin as he stepped forward to ruffle Jungkook’s hair. 

Jungkook chuckled and looked up at his hyungs. 

“I think I owe you all some ice cream. Ready to go? It’ll be treat.”

If his hyungs weren’t already excited to see Jungkook feeling like himself, now they were ecstatic. And you definitely felt the same way as well. ♡

--♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡-- 

If you liked this, please interact/follow! Thank you for reading ♡

- Emily

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[ready-to-obeyme]

[OM!] Angel!AU Demon Brother as Your Guardian Angel

Scenario: Residing as angels in the Celestial Realm, the brothers have been assigned to watch over you to guide and protect you. How they do so is up to their discretion. (And if they fall in love with you, well...)

Note: gender neutral headcanons; if i had to choose a timeline, satan exists but belphie doesnt hate humans yet and lilith is alive 🤪, the boys retained their personalities that we all know and love -- it really just be them with guardian angel duties--- bonus angel is Lilith ;)

inspiration from [link] and their other angel!au videos (they’re all adults in this post btw) and [link] (yes just this post; apparently my guardian angel Lucifer is in awe of me... for being dumb as FUCK--)

--

Lucifer

a little affronted he has to take time to look after a human as a seraph but doesn't vocalize it as much since it's direct orders from his father

isn't one to directly intervene in your life much because he doesn't see the need to nor does he want to; a little haughty ngl about being an angel and you being a human

there is no guideline to being a guardian angel and making sure you don’t die before your time is his Main Priority 

he's not going to stop you from eating a whole family sized Dorito bag by yourself or from staying awake till 4am-- those bad decisions are on YOU

finds a little pleasure from seeing the consequences of your actions for a while, but eventually just judges you for everything you do

"why aren't you studying? isn't the midterm tomorrow?"

"when was the last time this human ate?"

"why are you dating that person?"

grumbles over you and your life choices, but is now just actually concerned and hoping you'll be able to make better choices for your own health and happiness; he is now officially Invested as Guardian Angel, don’t you dare laugh at him Michael

if he does utilize his powers to influence you, it comes in subtle hints-- the wind blowing in your hair so you look a certain direction, a sudden bright light to wake you up so you sleep properly in a bed and not a desk... maybe appearing in your room for just a moment to place a blanket over your shoulders

realizes he has… feelings when you perform a good deed or grow as a person and he feels immensely proud and happy for you; has to really keep himself in check to not intervene in your life in more menial, though still helpful, ways

humbled by your growth and change as you become a better person

finally reveals himself to you (by accident) when he has to physically come and save you from danger and then proceeds to yell at you in anger (read: worry) about safety and doesn’t leave your side

Mammon

similarly to Lucifer, grumbles about having to take time to babysit a human but quickly becomes invested in your life at record speed (typical Mammon)

unnecessarily and excessively worried at times even for things that isn't actually putting you in danger

"WHAT THE HELL HUMAN, LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE YOU CROSS THE STREET--"

"NO NO NO, BRING YOUR PEPPER SPRAY WITH YOU! I don't care if you’re just walking to the adjacent apartment, BRING IT!"

eventually just ends up storming down to the human realm and """attempts""" to be subtle

if you placed the spray on the table, you turn and it's in your bag again. weird.

pretty sure you could have done a pretty good paranormal activity video with the weird stuff happening in your life when mammon is not-so-secretly intervening in your life

attempts do not last long because mammon's patience grows thin and he suddenly pops into your life and demand you be more careful

probably meets you by slapping your hand away from buying another random but expensive plushie even though you can barely afford it and you just stare at him like he's crazy as he explains that he's your guardian angel

'My Guardian Angel as My Roommate' becomes the title of your life or alternatively 'My Guardian Angel and I are Both Idiots'

the genre of your life is now officially a rom com

his main excuse for being constantly at your side (and it's NOT because he likes you a lot) is "how else am I gonna be prepared to protect you from anything that wants to hurt you?? you would have died 1000x over without me" which is a lie but it's okay he pays rent

hold his hand and tell him it’s so you don’t get lost and he’ll blush but never let go of your hand

Leviathan

life is a simulation

or rather, your life is

once he gets assigned to you, he observes you for a while-- and it looked like he was going to leave you be for the most part, when one Bad Choice has him popping up right in front of you

he slaps away the tub of ice cream you were gonna binge eat

"human, stop eating that crap! your stats are gonna suffer!!!"

super insistent in telling you to do something that good for you and is pretty stubborn when it comes to decisions that benefit your health and career

"noob, hurry up and level up your intelligence or you're gonna fail your exams"

"is life a game to you"

"yes, and you are losing. but have no fear, I am your walkthrough."

joking aside, Levi is pretty supportive of you, in the way Belphie is to his human-- he just words things in gaming terms like stats, energy, leveling up, exp

did not expect to get gratitude from this gig, but when you express your true appreciation for his care, he doesn't know what to do (starts crying maybe?)

his advice starts veering away from just lifestyle and health but to more human aspects; he offers a listening ear and supportive compliments whenever needed

because it turns out he cares for you a whole lot more than if this was really all just a game to him and ends up caring about your general happiness and is more considerate about your feelings

Finds himself being super casual with you and talking about your favorite show and has to catch himself from speaking so quickly-- can’t have the human thinking he… adores you

Satan

has no qualms with coming to the human realm to watch over you, but is fine with not immediately being a part of your life or intervening as much as Mammon or Belphie

ironically, as a man who was originally never born as an angel, he does his duties in a manner most befitting manner of one

subtly inserts himself into small parts of your life, persisting off small interactions

he's the guy at the counter when you needed to find a book, he's the one who picks up your hydroflask and returns it to the lost and found, he's the one telling you your backpack is open before anything spills out

he doesn't know but you jokingly dub him your guardian angel, even if you don't know who he actually is but never have the courage to speak up-- also mainly because he flits in and out of your life so fast you don’t even have the chance to say “oh, by the way, what’s your name?”

Satan is content with how he is more of a passing moment in your life, so this way you can still live your life the way you want it without much interference from an outside source because he respects your choices and the concept of free will that all humans have

truly believes that the best course of action and his duty as your guardian angel is to see you live your life the way you want to-- and if can help out a little or give you a little nudge in the right way, then that’s fine by him

Prefers to be on the sidelines and watch you become your own person and-- well, it’s a bit hard not getting attached to you when he sees you trip over yourself over someone you like or help someone out with their books when they dropped them

eventually does have to step in in a more meaningful way when you accidentally endanger yourself and he wards it off or catches you before you hurt yourself

at that point it was hard to pretend not being a part of your life when he's helped you so often-- and the fact that you're infatuated with him and asked him out

(he probably doesn't even realize how suave and prince charming he looks lmao)

Asmodeus

chooses to watch over you from above more but doesn't mind just popping down to the human realm just to have some fun at the same event you're in

lives through all your moments with you; laughs when you laugh and cries when you cry and  genuinely enjoys seeing you go through life, living and learning

generally leaves you to your own devices unless there's something really pressing

utterly cannot stop himself from intervening if you have doubts about yourself or if you struggle with self-love

loves appearing in dreams to dish out advice and tell you to love yourself, forgive yourself more, and to seek happiness because you deserve it

you don't remember the dreams exactly, but you do remember the sentiment within it and sometimes the fuzzy image of a beautiful angel you aren't sure you've seen irl but you chalk it up to seeing the face of strangers you’ve seen (which is... technically true)

dreams are his main way of communicating with you, and he also just thinks the mystery and anonymity is kinda exciting-- but sometimes he just spends a lot of your dreams just talking to you and getting to know you more intimately and seeing things from your perspective

sometimes enjoys being in your lucid dreams when you’re pretty aware and you go on some really whacky dream-induced adventure

loves you like no other and truly wishes the best for you

accidentally reveals himself to you during a party where you meet face to face

"I've feel like I've seen you before…"

"Haha, well that's because I've been in your dreams! They were pretty pleasant weren't they?"

you think he’s kidding for a long time-- and honestly he’s not even trying to hide the fact that he’s your Guardian Angel, considering he tells you all the time “Honey, I’m you’re Guardian Angel” or “Of course I’m here for you! I’m your Guardian Angel!” 

but the way he says it makes it feel like that’s just a nickname, not an official TITLE

floored when you actually see his WINGS and turns out you’ve been in love with an actually angel this entire time

Beelzebub

similar to Asmo and Satan, he doesn't really feel the need to insert himself into your life

instead, he's wherever you are… but in the background, eating at a table in a far corner or walking casually across the street from where you are

very inconspicuous and surprisingly good at keeping a distance, whether he intends to or not

he just looks very natural doing whatever he is doing at any time, but often accidentally ends up in the background of a photo or selfie without people noticing

as your Guardian Angel, he watches over you by stopping anyone with ill intent from approaching you... like the obvious ones like mugging and stuff; he wishes he could protect you from bad people too but he respectfully keeps his distance and allows you to make mistakes and grow from it

it infuriates him when people take advantage of your kindness

(though if the person that hurt you emotionally meets Beel in an alley...)

is very taken aback when YOU are the one approaching HIM asking for the time or if you could grab something on the high shelf for you

actually pretty flustered when you do interact with him because he was distracted doing other stuff he never expected you to notice him

Beel is the definition of a Guardian Angel-- a sentinel, standing on guard to protect you from danger and physical harm-- and he does exactly that when the time comes

most likely to save you from something dramatic like a car incoming or a fight

doesn't really understand why you trust him so easily or so wholeheartedly even after he saved you because he thought he would look intimidating

(he did, until you asked him for the time and he spoke with his mouth full of burgers or stammered out a 'you're welcome' when you smiled at him at the library)

Beel doesn't know until much later that he's dubbed as your gentle giant

Belphegor

like some of the others, doesn't like to influence your choices as much-- not because of free will or anything like that, but because he likes humans because of who they are and what they do

(and also he’s too lazy to be hovering around you trying to control your every move anyhow)

and man are humans, especially you, interesting

why is that human drinking from that person's navel? no clue but it looks fun

why is that human consuming whipped cheese with waffles? no idea, but he wouldn't get this much free entertainment without it

has no problems integrating himself into your life as your friend or roommate just to watch everything unfold in person and to tease you for your mildly questionable decisions in life

“Belphie, why didn’t you stop me from eating that last bowl of cereal?”

“Eh, I thought it would be kind of funny.”

isn't one to go out of his way to do something to influence you, but he does encourage you to do the things you want to do, whether they be good or mildly questionable ones-- but especially the fun ones like joining a new club or going to town to have fun (which you do drag him along to every time)

does steer you away from making Bad Decisions like murder or whatever, but he thinks most choices are pretty neutral and does help you process the consequences, both good and bad, of what happened

so he's integrated himself as your friend, offers advice and supports your decisions no matter what, and subtly looks out for you… and he's surprised when one day you confess to him that you like him???

this was NOT part of the plan but he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't end up falling for you too after seeing all sides of you and watching you grow as a person

Lilith

watches more from afar, because as much as she loves humans like Belphie, she is a little shy about meeting you

curiosity does triumph over shyness eventually, and she does surveillance distantly like Beel before winding up being directly in your life like Belphie (siblings am i right)

her brothers would keep trying to give her input on how she should interact with you or guide you but she brushes them away with a huff because she thinks she's doing a fine job thank you very much!

or so she's pretty sure, considering you're hanging out with her, seriously listening to her advice, buying her gifts... cuddling in bed with her if you’re attracted to her

if you do like her and want to date her, she has to be ready to somehow defend you from the only danger in your life, which turns out to be her brothers

if not, you two live happy lives as the best of friends, though the brothers can never be too careful with their darling sister

likes updating about your life to her brothers and they're lowkey jealous

doesn’t actually have to reveal herself as an angel unless you somehow find out... or because Mammon and Lucifer come down and threatens bodily harm if you hurt Lilith (wait, who’s watching over who now??)

hold up this is setting up for exactly what happens in the canon storyline

[kbstories]

impression//expression

“It’s not like Kirishima had come all this way to U.A. to immediately break the promise he made to himself upon arrival.

It’s just that Bakugou is as feral as they come, and the moment Kirishima recognizes it’s fear he felt crawling up his spine that day, he makes it his personal mission to face it head-on until it’s gone.”

(Or: Being friends with Bakugou Katsuki is anything but a linear experience. Kirishima Eijirou would have it no other way.)

Tags: Kirishima POV, Developing Friendships, First Impressions, Slice of Life, Character Study

No additional content warnings apply. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7. Chapter 8. Chapter 9.

***

Kirishima Eijirou had stared at the grin on Bakugou’s face when he pulled the pin in his gauntlet and thought: Holy shit, this guy is insane.

Over multiple screens, a good chunk of Ground β went up in a blast so strong the floor trembled with its aftershocks even here, miles away. Concrete and steel and glass were incinerated in a gust of fire and debris until all that was left was Midoriya’s crumpled form amidst plumes of smoke and Bakugou standing tall in the ruins.

The cameras shorted out once, twice before the image stabilized; the transmission remained silent. There was no sound needed to see how Bakugou’s grin got an edge sharper in the wake of the explosion.

Insane and absolutely deadly.

It wasn’t Kirishima’s first impression of him, per se. Certainly he’d had some sort of reaction to the only name ranked above his own after the Entrance Exams and the total sum of zero rescue points listed beside it. He can even remember the twinge of something in his chest after seeing that infamous quirk in action on day one – be it awe or envy or plain curiosity, that innocent question of How does it work, though? that accompanies most encounters with a new power.

Still: In those first few days, when Kirishima thinks of Bakugou Katsuki, he thinks of the mad glint in his eyes as he went above and beyond in his attempt to murder their classmate (or seriously maim him, at the very least).

In hindsight, having him play the villain was perhaps less coincidence and more fate, given the optics of what could reasonably be described as a shitshow. And, okay, Kirishima knows it’s not exactly fair to judge someone based solely on fleeting observations. His parents taught him better than that. Crimson Riot showed him better than that. It’s not like Kirishima had come all this way to U.A. to immediately break the promise he made to himself upon arrival.

It’s just that Bakugou is as feral as they come, and the moment Kirishima recognizes it’s fear he felt crawling up his spine that day he makes it his personal mission to face it head-on until it’s gone.

Endure and overcome, just like any other obstacle looming over the difficult path ahead. Kirishima smiles around the pencil he’s chewing on as Aizawa drones on, eyes trained on the uniquely tense set of shoulders across the room.

Yeah. Bakugou won’t even stand a chance.

*

It takes many cold shoulders, rebuffed lunch invitations and countless glares – and a villainous intervention Kirishima could’ve honestly lived without – for a rough voice to say:

“You there. Shark Teeth.”

The sun is starting to peek into the room as it hangs low and lazy in the sky. Class 1-A has just been released into a well-deserved weekend: Kirishima is very much aware his mothers want him home as fast as possible after what happened at U.S.J., and he’s throwing his things into his bag at peak velocity. Only after a tap on his shoulder and a subtle nod from Sero does he register it’s him Bakugou is talking to.

Perhaps ‘growling at’ would be a better description, but… semantics. Kirishima throws the guy a look and a smile over his shoulder either way, “Hey! What’s up, man?”, and given Bakugou’s eyes only narrow a little, he’s about 70% sure he’s not done something to land on his shit list.

Yet.

All Bakugou does is direct a decidedly less neutral look towards Sero, who jolts and stumbles over a quick “Um. Gotta– Yup, okay, bye!” before he books it out the classroom. Kirishima watches him go with some bemusement and a muttered “Dude”, not that Bakugou reacts to it in any way.

“Spar with me”, Bakugou says instead – demands, really – and Kirishima feels his brows tick upwards before he can stop himself, hands pausing in his quest to cram his notepad next to his books without wrinkling its cover page too badly.

“Uh. Like, right now? ‘Cause I can’t. Well, I could but I’m about to miss my train as is and I’d have to tell my–”

A slow blink, and even that is threatening when it’s coming from Bakugou. “No, asshole. This weekend, or something. I don’t care.”

Oh. Kirishima blinks. Something about Bakugou approaching him out of his own free will must be causing a substantial lag between different areas of his brain because– Oh.

“Wait. You wanna hang out?”

Maybe he could’ve hidden the clear surprise in his voice a bit better, that emphasis on you that sort of slipped in there without him really wanting it to. Kirishima’s heart sinks at the twitch to Bakugou’s brow that pretty much guarantees whatever he actually meant to say is forever lost to the ire perpetually simmering in that red gaze.

Well, it was nice knowing what going to U.A. is like. At least none of his classmates are present to see Kirishima’s inevitable – if incredibly untimely – demise.

Then Bakugou… rolls his eyes, exhales a harsh tch for good measure. “Whatever.” He shoves his bag further up his shoulder and, without a glance back, walks out the room–

Oh no, you don’t.

Out of all foolish thoughts it’s that one that shoots through Kirishima’s head before he grabs his stuff and goes after him. Bakugou somehow manages to maintain that no-fucks-given air to his gait despite how fast he walks, and Kirishima falls into a light jog to close the gap.

“It’s a great idea, man. Can’t have us going soft over the weekend! Plus Ultra, just like All Might said, right?”

Bakugou gives him a withering glance of a side-eye for his trouble. Kirishima notes the distinct lack of explode-y manslaughter, though, and allows himself to settle right into Bakugou’s pace.

“Besides, it’s been like a week and we’re already having villains crashing our lessons. I mean, we showed ‘em what’s what and all, but still! Some extra training can’t hurt.”

It’s not like Kirishima minds being the one to carry a conversation yet the fact that he hasn’t been told to shut up is… something? Not enough for Kirishima to point out, it’s just a thing he notices, just something, so he keeps talking. Past U.A.’s gates, down the stairs and onto the busy sidewalk they go, and Bakugou’s hands never leave the pockets of his pants as he marches past clusters of people in an unflinching line.

Head held high, eyes dead ahead. Cutting through the crowd with his presence alone, and in his wake Kirishima follows.

The afternoon light is hitting that glow-y hue that paints even the most mundane of things in shades of gold when Kirishima realizes they’re headed to the train station. He draws up short, slows his step in the split-second it takes to ask himself if the other even takes the train home or–

Bakugou’s eyes are on him, “What?”, that one word barked so impatiently Kirishima throws the thought right out the metaphorical window and keeps walking.

“Nothing!” A flash of his home screen proves: Five minutes left. They’re making good time. Which, actually– “So what time were you thinking for our sparring sesh? I’m good whenever, unless it’s super late at night. Overprotective parents, you know how it is.”

That gets a huff out of Bakugou. That, and a gesture that’s sort of a grab, sort of a wave that has Kirishima a little stumped until Bakugou sighs gruffly. “Your phone, dumbass.”

“Oh, sure! Here.”

The device changes hands. Kirishima contemplates feeling embarrassed about the obvious crack that takes up half the screen; he’d designed his hero costume without his delicate tech in mind, and with the whirlwind of starting and then surviving week one of the new school year, he hasn’t been able to spare a minute to get neither the phone fixed nor the costume amended.

Bakugou doesn’t comment on it – in fact, he pulls his sleeve down to hold the thing as if to cushion it, and when he taps the screen it’s with his knuckles. Before Kirishima can ask, the pre-installed voice control AI chirps its distinct jingle and Bakugou tells it to make a new contact, rattling off a long string of numbers.

Even before the AI has confirmed the input, Kirishima is catching the phone chucked rather carelessly at his head. “There”, Bakugou says, starting to climb the stairs to the tracks two steps at a time.

Kirishima doesn’t have much time to process any of that before the telltale rattling of an incoming train sounds above them. “Oh shit”, he breathes, hurrying onto the platform and to the closest door just in time to see the last passenger get out. Once inside, he pumps his fist.

“Hell yeah! Dude, we–”

The person next to him, who is not Bakugou, looks rather startled. What the…? Kirishima turns a full 360 degrees before a knock just inches from his face startles him and he meets Bakugou’s smirk, firmly on the other side of the window.

Not a moment later, the train starts pulling away. Kirishima presses close to the thick, faintly scratched glass to watch Bakugou turn and walk right back where they came from. His hand is raised, the light catching white and glinting on something in his hand.

A phone. Oh, right!

Kirishima swipes across an image of Crimson Riot’s iconic pose to unlock and reads Bakugou Katsuki, having left the tab open in his haste. First things first: With a soft snort and a few swift taps, the name is changed before Kirishima hits the speech bubble icon next to it.

Baku💣💥

bro what the hell (sent 17:14)

but thanks (sent 17:14)

it’s kirishima btw (sent 17:15)

just text me the details whenever 💪🏻 (sent 17:15)

He watches the tick next to his messages turn blue almost immediately and waits. One station passes, then two. By the third Kirishima is sure he’s been left on read and laughs, shaking his head. Of course.

The rest of his way home is spent assuring Sero he has not, in fact, exited life in a flurry of explosions as well as letting his moms know he’ll be home in a few. The next time Kirishima checks his phone is between brushing his teeth and climbing into bed, two unread messages waiting for him.

Baku💣💥

[link] (received 19:35)

6AM tomorrow, don’t be fucking late (received 19:35)

The link leads to a location which his phone matches to a quirk-friendly gym pretty close to the U.A. grounds. Kirishima scrolls through a few images of the facilities with some interest before his brain registers–

6AM. On a Saturday.

Baku💣💥

/dude/ (sent 22:08)

srsly?? (sent 22:09)

😩😩 (sent 22:19)

f @ my sleep schedule but ok (sent 22:25)

Minutes later, Kirishima stares at the near-painful sight of an alarm set to 5AM before he sighs and flops face-down into his pillow. The things he does in the name of friendship.

>>Chapter 2

[chanswavyhair]

filter | hwang hyunjin

warning: some cursing, fem!reader, too much fluff akshka.

a/n: this is my first time writing a fic and not a timestamp so,,, i hope it’s not very bad. this was kinda inspired by bts jimin’s filter but jagsjh,, anyways hope you enjoy it!!

you were in trouble

like,,, you were usually in trouble but THIS ONE WAS BIG

so you basically agreed with your parents that you would attend some ball ???

and with your boyfriend as your plus one ?????

well to start off you didn’t have a boyfriend and you didn’t even know why did you just say that HSJAKAH

you could do many things, but backing off and hurting your pride WAS NOT ON YOUR LIST

so now you had to find a boyfriend in like a month and half

i mean... you could ask jisung or felix, but you knew how uncomfortable they felt with your richies

also they didn’t give off the rich, classy and charming boyfriend look

well,, your friends were really handsome but not the type of handsome high society liked

but anyways that’s a problem for the future Y/N because we ain’t getting distracted at chemistry !! your grades were NOT falling

yeah you were living the rich and perfect y/n life

anyways in fact you were pretty annoying HSJSJD

you got very !! stressed !! when things were out of your control

there were only a few <lovely3 people who truly knew you and stood you, and they were jilix and your sis ryujin

(who invited her bestie daehwi, but he was rich too so he had no prob)

like,,, you usually hung out with your sis’ friends, but you weren’t THAT close

and for jisung and felix’s friends,,,,, it was weird when they weren’t all together

and that’s how jisung had the dumbest idea ever, and he’s had A LOT

like that one time he convinced you to let him dye your hair (you ended up looking like a light bulb)

or when you shaved his legs (WORST EXPERIENCE EVER YOU ALMOST GO DEAF but it was kinda fun)

anyways he just let out “why don’t you tell hyunjin? you know he does this weird thing of getting paid for acting as a boyfriend”

“what the FUCK JISUNG i am NOT paying hyunjin to act as my BOYFRIEND”

and,,, guess who heard you freaking out

nope not hyunjin but your sis ryujin

and her friend yeji

who hapepened to be hyunjin’s cousin

so yeah she told him and he went  ($ ‿ $✧)

now he’s been “AnAlyZInG” you for some days

and you were too busy thinking about your problem to notice it

so he decided to make a move, as you didn’t

“hey Y/N... somebody told me about your problem”

huh?

HUH??

“uh, what do you mean?”

“i know you need someone to be your supposed boyfriend in some ball”

lol it actually sounded really lame

THAT’S WHY YOU ONLY TRUSTED T H R E E PEOPLE

“wait— what do you mean???”

“well, i could help you and act as your boyfriend. i’m feeling generous, so i will lower the usual tax. which version do you want? cute? prince char—”

the fuck no, you weren’t that PATHETIC

“i’m sorry, but i don’t want your help. thank you anyways”

,,,,,,in that moment it turned to something personal to hyunjin

who wouldn’t want to be his girlfriend???? at least if it’s just for a night????

and that’s how he started to be such a gentleman to you, to smile at you everytime you locked eyes, to initiate skinship

you knew he had ulterior moves, so you were irritated by him

but he was actually way more charming that you thought,,,,,,

like

HE WAITED FOR YOU AT YOUR LOCKER EVERY MORNING JUST TO GREET YOU

“’morning Y/N, looking fine today. how are you feeling? good?”

you were literally on a big ass sweater, but the bags in your eyes were even bigger

“hyunjin it’s too early and i’ve barely slept so please leave me alone—”

“oh, that’s no good,, should i call you tonight to make sure you fall asleep?. anyways, i’ll see you in english class. don’t forget we had homework!”

and,,, he always shared his food whenever you forgot yours,,,,,

he proved himself to be more than a cute face

he tried to help you whenever he noticed you were struggling to understand anything

and one out of five words he said were just him flirting

you eventually started not minding him being around you everyday

and then soome time after that,,, your heart ??? suddenly started to do weird things ??? when he was close to you ???

you MAYHAPS had a little crush on him

BUT IT WAS NOTHING SERIOUS HE WAS JUST TOO CUTE WHENEVER HIS DIMPLES SHOWED

or when HIS EYES WENT,,, (◠‿◠✿)

but you did NOT like him, right?

RIGHT???

he just treated you so well ಥ⌣ಥ

well lucky for you because this boy was also confused as fuck

since when have you been covering you beautiful smile when you laughed???

he honestly just wanted to put your hands down and tickle attack you

but that was just because he was getting into his role right??

RIGHT?????

anyways things got even worse for your weak heart when you saw him at you favorite cafe, studying, looking just TOO GOOD TO BE REAL

and then,,,, you two started to go studying there every evening

at some point he even started ordering your usual comand before you came

and,,, when you found yourself getting distracted by hyunjin’s cute mole under his eye by the 4th time you started to think that...

you maybe...... liked him ????

like... YOU liked HIM ??????

WHAT THE FUCK Y/N

“i have finished all my assignments. how about you?”

“i- i still have lots to do. you should go first or it will get late— ”

“and that’s why i’m staying. you shouldn’t go home alone it’s dark, i’ll walk you, if you don’t mind. and don’t worry, i don’t have anything to do now”

.......

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

you liked him A LOT

but you knew he was just being this nice so he could prove that you should hire him

which was not happening, as if wasn’t enough to fall for this boy :(

the thing is

he had forgotten about that weeks ago when his feelings grew bigger

he didn’t understand what he felt, but he knew he felt insanely good when you were around him

like whenever he told you he felt he was going to fail an exam you looked at him in some kind of way

he didn’t understand how or why, but he felt like whatever was worrying him didn’t matter anymore

and everything he wanted to talk, see, or think of was you

anyways he started to walk you home whenever he got the chance

this one day,,, you weren’t going to the cafe because you had things to do at home

but he insisted to walk you

so he was waiting for you in the hall

then he saw you at your locker talking with some random boy who was quite close to you

his heart went :(

but then he realized you were not exactly happy ??

“look, yeonsung, i already told you that i won’t tutor you. please leave me alone”

“no, Y/N you don’t understand, you HAVE to. we are meant to be, and if you won’t accept my dates at least help me with school stuff. it’s not that hard.” he grabbed your arm.

“yeonsung, no. let me go” you tried to pull, but he wouldn’t release you.

enough bullshit

“hey, i think you’ve heard her. she doesn’t want anything to do with you, so you’d better stop bothering Y/N. i’m not as polite as her”

“who the fuck are you? oh, little Y/N you’ve got some dickhead as your boyfriend? i’m much better than that. if only you fucking let me-”

ok so hyunjin’s blood has been burning for some time now but when he PUT HIS HANDS ON YOUR WAIST-

wait

did he

(・о・)(・о・)(・о・)(・о・)

DID HYUNJIN JUST CRASHED HIM INTO THE LOCKERS

“listen here, you asshole. if you dare to touch a single strand of her again i’ll fucking show you myself how to keep your hands down. understood?”

“un- understood”

“you’d better have” he pressed him a bit more before he let him fall on his feet

“let’s go away” hyunjin grabbed your hand

Y/N.exe has stopped working

hyunjin..... threatened this guy..... because he was harassing you

which was kinda hot btw ????

Y/N FOCUS

“hyunjin you didn’t have to-”

“don’t tell i didn’t have to because i made my best effort not to break his fucking nose.”

(๑ ● o ● ๑)

wow

he was really mad

“hyunjin-”

“Y/N, i know you are probably angry at me and that you want me to mind my own business, but i swear i-”

“HYUNJIN”

Y/N since WHEN did you have the GUTS to cup his face ?????

he went silent

“hey, calm down, ok? i’m not mad at you, this guy has been asking me weird things for some time now so i guess you just helped me to end it. i’m fine, yeah? calm down.”

you realized you were still holding his face so you were about to take them off but

HHHHhhhHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhHHHHHhhhh

HWANG HYUNJIN

WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU DUMMY

he put his hand ON your hands

why was he POUTING

“why didn’t you tell me? or anyone? he could have done anything worse if i hadn’t been there and Y/N, i honestly don- i don’t know what would i do if someone hurt you”

WHY WERE HIS EYES LOOKING AT YOU THAT WAY

(◕︵◕) INTENSIFIES

YOUR HEART WENT HHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhHHHhhhhhhhH

 AND YOUR FACE WAS GOING TO COMBUST AT ANY MOMENT

“it- it’s okay. let’s just forget it. come on, i have to go home”

“wait let me- please, let me hold you for a minute”

he DEADASS HUGGED YOU

AND

BURIED

HIS

FACE

IN

YOUR

HAIR ???????

HWANG HYUNJIN YOU ARE FUCKING RUINING THIS POOR GIRL’S HEART

“you smell really good. i wish i could stay like this for a bit longer... but it’s okay. anyways, let’s go”

you can imagine how HARD ryujin laughed at you when you told her you thought you had forgotten how to breathe

“Y/N YOU MORON, YOU DIDN’T JUST STAYED THERE STILL, PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN’T”

“i HATE U STOP LAUGHING AT ME—”

“OR ELSE WHAT YOU’LL TELL HYUNJIN TO BREAK MY NOSE?”

yeah she was crying out of laughter

but anyways you two stopped shouting when your mother entered the room

“kids, have you already invited someone to the ball? it’s just week and half apart”

O SHIT

THE BALL

so now you were disturbing felix and jisung again with it

“Y/N just ASK HYUNJIN”

“ i CAN’T BECAUSE I ALREADY TOLD HIM THAT I WOULDN’T PAY HIM”

“Y/N,,,,,,,, has it ever crossed your mind that you two act just like a couple?”

(?・・)

“felix what do you mean he doesn’t like me and-”

“hi guys! hi Y/N.” he smiled at you with his whole heart and patted your hair “can you go today to the cafe? i don’t have much to study today, but we can go if you want to. i mean,, if you don’t want to it’s fine, i’ll just walk you home from here, if that’s cool with you.”

felix gave you that look

like the one he gave you when he was right

which was a bit usual because socializing wasn’t your best trait

but hyunjin didn’t like you, did he????

he was... he was just acting

as much as it hurt you, that was the truth

and in order to protect yourself... you should stop it

u MASOCHIST <(｀^´)>

“i think i’ll just go alone. don’t wait for me, it’s fine.”

you lost your appetite with just saying that

and hyunjin was like ????

you could see your two other boys-

Y/N! hyunjin is not your boy so stop it

anyways, jisung and felix were really confused too

well it was actually jisung because felix was more like DONE with your bullshit

you just went back to your classes and then, you went home

has routine been always this boring?

you couldn’t help but smile when you saw that hyunjin sent you a message asking about what where you doing tomorrow

but then you remembered you couldn’t let this hurt you anymore

so you said you were really busy at home and turned your phone off

“Y/N are you, okay?” ryujin said

“yeah, i am. why wouldn’t i be?”

“you don’t have to lie to me, sis. majorly because you can’t. talk to me, Y/N, tell me what’s wrong” she laughed softly

“i am... i am cutting off any relation with hyunjin.”

“what? why? you guys seemed to be getting along really well. i thought you liked him...”

“that’s why, ryu. i like him way too much. before he started talking to me, he told me to hire him to act as my boyfriend in the ball. he’s been trying to prove it, and i don’t want to fall deeper. i don’t know why did i let myself trust him, when i knew this from the first moment. i just don’t know why.

:(((( you started crying, and ryujin hugged you

“i don’t... i don’t think hyunjin is such a bad person to go this far with that thing of wanting you to hire him... but if you think that’s the best, then i’ll support your decision. we can sit in another table tomorrow. you know, just the girls, you and me. okay?”

you nodded into her embrace, trying to stop sobbing.

“okay”

so you started to avoid him as much as you could

and it was eventually making him crazy

well,,, he had been coping with whOle week without you

until he just exploded

“guys, i don’t understand. everything was going really good, and then she started to treat me as cold as fuck. and i don’t get what did i do to deserve this.” he complained to his boys

he was really disappointed

because he knew he felt different to what he had ever felt before with you

he thought he was learning to fall in love, to stop worrying just about him and his friends

“am i not enough? have i bored her? or have i pressured her? i’m going crazy because i don’t even know why do i feel like this”

(ಥ⌣ಥ)

“hyunjin you like her is pretty easy actually”

did minho just

DID LEE FUCKING MINHO JUST

“what????? i’d never had something like that for anyone. it’s true things are different with her but—”

“when was the last time you did that fake dating thing?” chan asked

“well... like a month? i was busy”

“busy with what you genius”

seungmin don’t cross the line

“i... i was spending time with Y/N”

was this boy the same hwang hyunjin from a month before???

“omfg guys i think i like her but like a lot”

“dumbass that’s exactly what we are saying”

poor jeongin got slightly hit buy the so called dumbass :(

“but this doesn’t have anything to do with why she’s been dodging me like bullets??”

they all looked to felix and jisung, expecting they would know anything

“to be honest... i‘m not sure. she hasn’t told us anything” jisung said.

“well, the last time we talked about you we told her to ask you to go with her to her parents’ ball, and then i told her that you two already looked like a couple” felix said

then felix went

（・□・；）

“oh... so she doesn’t like me...”

hyunjin felt like the whole world was going down

there was this thing burning on his chest, a thing that he thought he could only feel for his friends or family

but then, you showed him he was wrong, again

“wait- i think i’ve connected the two dots— ” jisung said, but lix interrumped him

“no, you didn’t connect shit. i get it now. hyunjin, she thinks that you’ve been acting all the time to prove you should go with her to the ball. that’s why she’s avoiding you, because she thinks you just tried to play her” felix said

hyunjin’s heart broke a bit more when he processed felix’s words

(╥_╥) (╥_╥) (╥_╥) (╥_╥)

he... he hurt you

and really bad

“oh god, i’m so fucking stupid. what do i do know? she hates me!”

“ugh, go get your girl you dumbass!” changbin said

hyunjin suddenly started working again, and rushed off while calling someone.

so yeah back with u lil creature

you were doing homework, but you couldn’t focus

so you went to the kitchen to grab some snacks

and then your phone ringed

“ryujin?” you answered

“yeah. i’m at daehwi’s and i forgot to take a jacket. i will be passing be there in his car in like... 15 minutes. could you give me the versace one?”

“the colorful one or the leather one? ” you asked with your mouth full of a chocolate cookie

ryujin felt relief

“the leather one”

“okay. but weren’t you studying in the library for a physics exam?”

o shit

“i just went to his house! to study together! anyways! see you later! sis!”

????? weird

anyways you finished your math homework, and when you realized, you just got a message from her saying she was outside

so you got her jacket and opened the door in order to look for daehwi’s car

oh hyunjin’s there

cool

WAIT WHAT

you slammed the door in his face

then you realized THAT WAS WAY WORSE

“OMG I’M SORRY”

“can you open please?” he said from outside

you really missed his deep and soothing voice

“i- well- yes”

you opened the door, not being able to look directly at him

“can we talk? just give me five minutes, and if you still hate me after that i’ll just stop bothering you”

“i don’t hate you, and you- you aren’t bothering me”

“well... this past days it didn’t look like that. more like, exactly the opposite”

you went silent because you had literally no excuse

“are you mad?” he said

“why would i?”

“i don’t know either, that’s why i’m asking. i mean, it’s not like you’ve been avoiding me for days, not answering a single message or call. that’s all”

touché

“are you mad?”

you knew he should be, you deeply hoped he wouldn’t

“Y/N, i know you thought i was playing with you”

“wait- you weren’t?”

“oh god. i really told you i didn’t know what would i do if anyone hurt you, so why would i?”

“i thought... you were trying to prove i should have payed you to go to the ball...” you quietly said

but you looked at him when you heard him sobbing softly

“Y/N, you are the first person i’ve ever fallen for. i’ve been with plenty of people, and no one had ever make me fall like this. i don’t know why am i even crying in front of you, all i know is that i really, really like you”

your eyes were wider than the pacific ocean

HWANG HYUNJIN

HWANG HYUNJIN LIKED YOU BACK??????

LIKE,,,,, FORREAL?????

“i know you probably still hate me but please... if you at least gave me a chance for still being friends...”

“hyunjin”

GO AHEAD GURL

“what?” he stopped sobbing

“hyunjin, i like you too”

you didn’t even know what was happening, but you knew your mouth kept talking

“wait, you do???”

“hyunjin, i- i was avoiding you because i didn’t want to fall harder”

you were still malfunctioning

then you saw him getting closer to you

“can i,, like,,, kiss you?”

WHAT THE FUCK Y/N YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT

but his lips looked so soft HHHHHHhHhhhhhhHHhHHHHHhhhHH

he didn’t answer you

well at least not verbally

boi just WENT FOR IT

you thought you wouldn’t mind if you died there

his lips were even softer than they looked

was that like paradise felt?

but then,,,

“WELL GUYS I GUESS YOU TWO MADE UP HAHA COOL”

you two separated immediatly

“RYUJIN WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU”

you, alias, tomato 1 said

“well i guess you two have to look for some clothes for the ball because there are only three days left, so go make out in another place but not in the porch. i don’t want to see hyunjin eating your face when i get home”

hyunjin, alias, tomato 2 intensified

“just,,, leave okay?”

you two lovebirds went for a walk, without a specific direction

you couldn’t be any more embarrassed

“can i call you my girlfriend?” he said

“i- yes”

THEN HE HELD YOUR HAND (ㄒoㄒ)

can you two get any cuter omg

“let’s go to the mall to look for some fancy clothes for my cute girlfriend and me and then make out when we get back”

“ ?????? HYUNJIN HHHHHHHHH STOP”

“n e v e r”

[machonachos]

Tf happened between y'all???

Around September of last year, a few months after I had started talking to Sara, Jin began getting weirdly possessive of her. There’s more to it on Sara’s end, but I’m just gonna talk about what I personally saw and felt during this whole ordeal. 

Before she had even moved here, she started hounding Sara about feeling “left out” and how she felt bad because Sara was spending more time with me. And that’s not a problem in and of itself. Sometimes when someone gets a new friend that you don’t know, you get a little insecure. I understand that. I reached out to her during that time, trying to be friends, trying to find any common ground so that we could talk too. Did it make a difference? Nope. Instead she started getting more and more demanding of Sara’s time. If Sara didn’t message her every day, multiple times a day, then Sara or I would receive a guilt-trippy message about how lonely she felt and how she had no one to talk to (which btw, was very untrue since she suddenly has all these friends coming out of the woodwork). It was incredibly stressful for us over here bc it seemed like no matter how much we tried to balance school/work/errands and talking to Jin, it was never enough for her. Even when we explained exactly what we were doing on the daily (ex: cleaning the garage, going the vet, exams and deadlines), she would still try and make us feel bad about not being able to message her. With Jin it’s always, “I understand, but–” And you wanna know what it always boiled down to? Her feelings being more important than ours.

We figured maybe it’d be better when she moved here because then it’d be easier to talk and we could actually go out and do things together. That was not the case. Up until now, she had been making vague posts about feeling sad and whatnot that we felt were related to the situation with us but we were ignoring them in favor of starting fresh. You wanna know what she did like the day after she got here? Another vague post. So obviously we knew she was writing about us. But it was early in the move, so an adjustment period is to be expected. She’d told Sara that she didn’t have a place to put her computer, so we wanted to do something nice for her and went halfies on a dresser/desk that we then hand-sanded and painted ourselves. Lotta money and weeks of effort went into making that gift for her. Did it make a difference? Nope. She was still complaining about us excluding her to other people.

We soon found out that it didn’t matter how hard we tried to make her feel welcome and included. I would try very hard to keep conversations going with the three of us but it was like pulling teeth. Jin always seemed disengaged and would give me very little to go off. Still, we tried. And yet, it was little more than a week after she had moved here when things got real bad. I remember the three of us were on the couch (she had this really bad habit of physically jamming herself between me and Sara whenever we were in the living room, would always end up partially sitting on my leg and forcing me to move away), just sitting and watching a vine compilation. No one was talking, Sara was working on a drawing and I was doing homework. And yet she still stormed off into her room because we weren’t talking to her like what??? We were busy! Like she could literally see with her own two eyes that we were busy but didn’t seem to matter, all that mattered was that we weren’t paying attention to her. She ended up sending me a message saying that she wanted to talk, so I went into the room and let her vent. I tried to comfort her, tried suggesting maybe we all do something with our characters together like an AU and that seemed to cheer her up. When we came out of the room to tell Sara, she was gone. After that, I didn’t see Sara for two entire days. She locked herself in her room for two whole days, because the whole atmosphere in the house with Jin was that bad. It’s not my place to talk about what Sara did in the time she was locked in her room, but understand this: when I say this situation caused people pain, I mean it. Y’all wanna know just how bad it was? Sara has mentioned to me that this whole thing with Jin was eerily similar to her relationship with her abusive mother. And you wanna know the real kicker? When confronted with this information, Jin literally admitted that she knew she was doing a lot of the same toxic things that Sara’s mom does!

This sort of emotional manipulation from Jin went on for months. Sara and I would try and talk to each other, only to have Jin sit there looking sad in an effort to make us feel bad. It got to the point that whenever she would come out of her room, Sara and I would just stop talking to each other altogether. And before anyone asks, “well why didn’t you tell her how you felt”, here’s the thing– WE DID. We had a series of house meeting where we would try to bring up all our concerns and issues but whenever we would tell Jin that something she was doing was hurting us, she would just blame it on depression (which Sara and I both struggle with and/or take medication for!) and then proceed to not change a single thing.

But because the wrongdoings here extend beyond just our personal relationship with her and are way too much for just one ask, I’m gonna summarize some of the many other things she did while she was here:

- Didn’t pay a single month of rent in the four months she lived here- Spent all her money on video games and con stuff in the first two weeks of living here so we ended up having to buy everything for her including groceries, meals when we went out, cat food, cat litter, etc.- Would use things like Sara’s makeup and my mugs without asking, take communal things into her room so we could never find them or use them- Continued to make “vague” posts that clearly alluded to living here with us and badmouth us to other people even while we tried to make her happy- Would pull Sara’s boyfriend aside just to complain about us while we were LITERALLY in the other room- Would constantly touch Sara and I even though we’d clearly stated that we didn’t like being touched- Only started looking for a job months after she had moved here and had been living for free and not contributing- Bailed on us during the con when she had promised that she was gonna help us run the booth- Since she only cared about characters, we tried to create a new story line that could include her but instead she just pulled Chris aside on Christmas to complain about us- Was never thankful for all the things we did for her, including: paying for housing and food, paying for her cat’s things, paying for her therapy, paying for bus rides and giving her rides to and from places, any gifts we got her, taking her to Disney Springs for something only she wanted to do. God, she didn’t even really look happy when Sara made those Sinner and Lucy body pillows. There was just no pleasing her. Nothing we did was ever good enough.

[ecoamerica]

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[19umbrellas]

The Great Escape || Ben Hargreeves x Reader || Chapter 5

Description: After the death of your childhood sweetheart you began to have very gory and horrific nightmares that lead to your drug and alcohol problem. After your family found out, your sister admitted you to a rehabilitation facility you begin to see glimpses of your old lover walking about the hallway. Have the nightmares finally drove you insane or is your beloved Ben Hargreeves really back from the dead?

Read and find out uwu

Word Count: 1487

Index: uwu

CHAPTER 5

Gasping for air you quickly jolted up from your bed as shaky breathes escaped your lips. Your hands were shaking as you propped your elbow on your leg and you rested your head on your palm. Your eyes began to tear up again as the familiar feeling of fear and anxiety scourged through you whenever you would have these sort of nightmares. You tried your hardest to forget about what your brain just made you go through while you just hummed along to your favorite song.

After calming down a bit, you decide to head out, maybe go to the bathroom or the garden, anywhere as long as you can clear your head. You stood up and turned to grab your sweater on your headboard but then you saw something that made you scream.

There, on your bed, you saw yourself still lying down on the mattress with a peaceful look on your face.

"What the... " you whispered, unsure of what the actual fuck is going on. You stared at yourself, your chest rising and falling, at least your were still alive. You shook your head, this isn't the time to celebrate yet, you thought. This must be another nightmare, it must be. You've never experienced a dream like this before, however, so you had no idea what to do.

You tried to pinch yourself but it did nothing. How do you even know if this a dream, a thought suddenly popped into your brain but you quickly dismissed it, how exactly is this not a dream? You were pretty sure this was not something a person could just do. You didn't have any other explanation for this so you're sticking with the most logical answer. Nothing but a dream.

You looked to your roommates worriedly but you saw that they were all still there, sleeping on their beds. There's no blood, no screams, just snoring. You sighed in relief, perhaps this was better than your old nightmares.

You turned back to yourself, crouching down as you reached for your face. Your hand went through your head like it was nothing and your eyes went wide as you quickly retracted your arm in a panic. That's when you noticed a thin, red string tied to your wrist. Confused, your eyes trailed the red string until it reached out the door. You stood up and stared at the plastic rectangle anxiously. Slowly, you approached it and rested your hand on the knob before turning it.

The hallway was pitch black but red string was emitting it's own light making it clear as day. The red line kept going down the corridors until it disappeared into a corner. You told yourself to just close the door and stay in the safety of your own room but then you felt a soft tug from the string, beckoning you to come follow it. You stared at it for a moment before reluctantly following its trail. You were walking for a good 5 minutes or so, thankfully not seeing anything other than the red string, the trail stopped when you realized the the other end was tied to a figure hunched under a single lit wall light. He was leaning on the wall with his hands crossed, staring at the floor. His attire was entirely dark and the hood he wore prevented you from seeing his face. You felt the string tug again, more excitedly this time, and you walked closer to the man. You stopped at edge where light and darkness met and with a shaky voice you called out to him. "Excuse me." you said and he turned to your direction.

Ben felt shocked and confused when he heard a voice not too far away from him. He looked at the shadows and scanned for an outline but he couldn't see much in the dark. Suddenly, a girl walked into the light, she looked nervous and scared. Ben quickly pushed himself from the wall as he instantly recognized her. He stared directly stared at your face and you seemed to be looking up at him as well. Was she looking at me? He him mind raced. Could you actually see the phantom of Ben Hargreeves? Well, there's one way to find out. He inhaled in anticipation before breathing out your name "(y/n)?" he said and your eyes went wide.

"How did you..." before you could finish the man removed his hood and you gasped, covering your mouth as your eyes turned glossy. "Ben?" you asked, flabbergasted. Ben smiled wide and laughed, his eyes swelling with tears as he nodded his head. "Yeah, that's me."

Tears rolled down your cheeks and Ben cried too."Am I dreaming?" you asked as Ben closed the gap between you two. He gave you a smile that made your heart melt. "I hope not." he said but before he could place a hand on your cheek you were pulled back by a sudden force. The last thing you remember was Ben screaming your name before you were once again engulfed by the darkness.

When you regained consciousness you were standing in an alleyway with no recollection as to how you got there and why. You checked your surroundings and it seems like you instantly recognized the backdoor of  bar you frequently went to. You just thought that perhaps you got a little too drunk and the bouncer had to kick you out again. You shrugged and you started to make your way home before anything else unexpected could happen. Just as you reached the edge you could leave the alleyway, you heard familiar metal clank of the door as the bouncer threw out an angry drunk into the streets, telling him to come back with some money. You realized you were staring and decided to leave and mind your own business but you couldn't find yourself to do so. Instead you just watched as the man stumble up onto his feet and drunkenly sway as he yelled at the top of his lungs.

He then noticed you staring at him and he shot you a sneer. "What are you looking at, pretty little lady?" he laughed darkly, "Wanna lollipop or something?" he walked up to you and your felt yourself reach into your pocket. Your eyes went wide when your hands wrapped around a pocket knife. You finally realized what was happening. You wanted to scream for him to leave you alone but your mouth was as heavy as steal.

Not again. Please. No. Not again.

As the man quickly approached you you pulled out your weapon and stabbed him on the throat. The sudden breach in his jugular rendered him shocked and unable to speak, leaving him open to more attacks. You Stabbed him again, and again, and again, and again on the stomach and let him fall to ground. The man gargled his own blood and you watched as his fingers twitch as life slowly exited his body.

You felt a large lump in your throat, you wanted to cry but no tears left your eyes. You crouched to his chest and ripped his shirt open with your knife before carving your name on it. Blood splattered on toyour horrified face as you continued run your knife on his flesh. Once you finished you felt yourself smile and laugh at the sight much to your horror. You got up and wiped the knife on his pants before hiding in your pocket once more. With that you slipped into the darkness, escaping the line of sight of the lady making a phone call on the other side of the street just in time before she turned around and screamed.

Ben poked his head through the door of your room and somewhat relieved when he saw you lying on your bed, sleeping as you hugged your pillow. He walked over to sit by your side and ran his fingers on your head but they just passed through. He sighed in dismay before getting up walking out. He thought back to the hallway, you two were barely an inch apart from each other and he swore he felt his arms brush yours before you disappeared.

Was that all just a cruel trick of my imagination, he thought solemnly. As he walked back to Klaus' room he suddenly thought about his brother. He thought since Klaus was able to conjure the dead, perhaps he also had the power bring them to the physical realm as well. He's already been clean for a week so that would explain why his powers suddenly amplified. The more sober Klaus gets them more he can do with his powers. The more he thought about this the faster he moved. If Ben was right about this he might have found a way for you two to be with each other again but first he had to talk to Klaus about his theory.

A.N.: Heyyy!

So, I’m back from the exam and, as promised, here is the next chapter. uwu. I wrote this on the bus home XD an elderly lady who was sitting next to me thought I was sending a really long text message.

BTW, HAPPY STAR WARS DAY! MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU ❤❤

Taglist:

@purple-alien-monkey @sweetkenzo @rougemme @padfootz-princess

[kikumerio]

[fic] what you have tamed (kuraryou exchange 2018)

to: @swwyz from: @kikumerio notes: dear tsu, i'm sorry i couldn't get my fingers to run with any of your wonderful au prompts, but you did mention futurefic -- so i hope you enjoy this glimpse at kuraryou post-high school ;;; happy kuraryou day!

(read on ao3)

* * *

He can't count the number of times they've found themselves here, the last few weeks as winter comes to a close, lolling on the embankment, shivering in the crisp air. This'll be one of the last, he guesses. There's a faint sting to that, even though he knows it's not really the end. That something like what they've got doesn't just fade away.

"Really?" he's asking Ryou-san. "Nothing at all?"

"I've had other things on my mind." Ryou-san sounds totally disinterested. "For someone to keep my attention... that person would have to be exceptional."

Not the reveal he's – not pushing for, exactly, but half-prepared for. One of these days. But – that person. When Ryou-san says something, it's never an accident. There's a warm feeling in the pit of Youichi's stomach.

"I suppose you've put quite a lot of... thought into it." Bone dry.

Youichi shrugs. Ignores the innuendo. "Eh, you know. There's plenty of time, right? After graduation. College. After that. What's the rush?"

Silence, and then a cool hand covers his forehead. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Peachy," Youichi says. Bats at Ryousuke's hand, as his heartbeat gallops in his ears.

"A fever? Possession? Body swap?"

"This isn't a horror story, Ryou-san."

"Hmm."

Youichi settles back into the grass. "I just think, you know. The right thing is worth waiting for."

"How romantic." Sharp, needling. Ryou-san's way of showing fondness.

Youichi smiles at the sky. "Sure," he says. "If you want to put it that way."

* * *

Youichi didn’t even notice at first, was the thing. At first, right after the third years had graduated – and he’d think of them as "the third years" for a long time, long after he himself moved up to 3-B – he and Ryou-san kept up a pretty steady stream of messages, trading news from the high school baseball circuit and reports on Kominato junior for stories about college life. Sometimes they'd text back and forth about the same big game on TV, kind of like they were watching together, almost.

Around the end of Ryousuke's second term at university, just as Seidou bowed out of the fall tournament and Youichi started to come to grips with the fact that his last high school baseball game had been three months ago, enough of the old team came home for the holidays that they had a meet-up, the first since Spring Koushien. Tetsu-san came by Seidou every so often to keep an eye on Little Yuuki, but Jun-san was back from Osaka, and Fumiya from Hiroshima, and even Chris-senpai was home, patient as ever as he was pelted with questions about California. And then suddenly between one breath and the next there was Ryou-san, smiling tranquilly next to Haruichi, and Youichi thought his face was going to burst from grinning so hard.

It must have begun after that. Youichi went home for New Year’s and squirmed as his mother ruffled his hair extra hard every other minute, her way of saying I can't believe you’re graduating. Haruichi sent him a picture of the Kominato family lined up at their local temple, Ryousuke’s hair short and windblown. Looking at them next to each other it was impossible not to see that Haruichi was a good four centimeters taller. Youichi remembered thinking it was funny that he didn’t hear anything from Ryousuke, but that was Ryou-san for you. He texted him anyway.

hppy new years partner

And after a minute: Happy New Year, Kuramochi.

Then there was the final push for exams, even though they didn’t really matter with a recommendation from Coach and his college offer in hand, then the scramble to do the rounds of goodbye parties and pack up and move into the baseball dorm at Hosei, the grueling first-year hazing-we-mean-training-camp, attending obligatory Spring League games to cheer for his new senpai, dragging himself to lecture whenever he could manage between three-hour sessions of morning and evening practice. And Ryousuke—did he have exams? He must have; it was the end of the term, and he wasn't texting Youichi at all.

In the middle of the summer heat, Seidou made it to Koushien for Sawamura and Furuya and Haruichi's last hurrah. Youichi couldn’t make it all the way to Kobe during game weeks, but he knew hell and high water combined wouldn’t keep Ryousuke away. tell the kids hi for me, he texted.

He never got an answer, which he didn’t realize for a while, because then the Fall League was on them and Youichi woke, slept and dreamed Big Six games for eight brutal weeks. They beat Meiji but lost to Waseda, and then to Rikkyo – embarrassing – coming a respectable second overall. He was so exhausted by the end of the league he barely had the energy to read the congratulatory messages he did receive, much less notice the ones he didn’t. Then a lackluster nod at studying with his freshman teammates, who were all in the same classes, and then it was the holiday break, again, and Youichi went straight from the end-of-season drinking party to his dorm room and slept for eleven hours.

He truly rejoined the world of the living sometime around the day after that. The sun was out, so Youichi wandered outside to bask on the steps outside the dorm. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d just... not done anything. He had a date with his PS3, just as soon as he could get himself to move again. He scrolled through his neglected messages instead, squinting against the glare. 31 new notifications. His mother, Haruichi (what a dutiful kid), Shirasu (huh), a text chain started by Sawamura entitled holidays?? that looked like a roll call of who’d be around for New Year's and included a pointed are you reading this Miyuki kazuya???

Youichi snorted. No answer from either Kominato, though presumably the younger would be there. Actually, there was no reason the elder wouldn’t either, even though he hadn't been around lately, not since – And all of a sudden Youichi realized the last time he’d seen Ryou-san face-to-face had been over a year ago.

It threw him, for a minute. But no time like the present. He opened a new message.

hey ryou-san!! long time no see. got some free time? wanna meet up?

It had been almost two weeks since the last time they'd texted, desultory complaints about the snowstorm rolling through Tokyo. Ryousuke would be an upperclassman soon; he’d said something about choosing seminars. Sure enough, when Youichi finally got an answer, late that night, it read, Ah, I’m a bit busy right now. Rain check, please.

np gimme a shout when your free!! hows school?

Ryousuke kept read receipts on. It gave Youichi two days to wonder before he got an answer.

Going. Stay warm out there.

Youichi couldn't put a finger on what exactly made him feely itchy and uncomfortable. So he ignored it. He'd cracked the starting lineup midway through the league and he couldn't let his practice schedule slip if he wanted to stay there, even for a couple days. Plus he had plenty of other shit to catch up on – violent manga to read, games to play. He wasn't going to let this get to him.

thanks ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ btw made the starting string. when are you gonna come to one of our games?

This time, four days went by before he got a single, completely unrelated message: I suppose you've heard about Fumiya's latest.

Even then, it took a couple hours before Youichi got it, until Sawamura—fucking Sawamura—texted him a picture of himself and Furuya and Haruichi and Ryou-san at—they were at Seidou, on the practice grounds, with Yui and Little Yuuki and some vaguely familiar faces that must be their underclassman. oniisan came to visit!!!!!!! the text said, and that was when Youichi realized Ryousuke was doing it on purpose.

* * *

He didn't expect it so he didn't have any defense. Just hurt – dumb, animal hurt, the kind where his body didn't know whether it wanted to lash out or curl into a ball whimpering to protect himself.

He was—supposed to know. Ryou-san wanted him to know. Wanted to hurt him.

Ryou-san hurt people on purpose, sometimes. But he'd never wanted to hurt Youichi.

That was the thing. Ryou-san hurt people, if they did something that made him think they deserved it, but not his people, not Haruichi or Youichi or Jun-senpai or even dumb, lovable Sawamura – not unless something made it unavoidable. Youichi didn't think he'd done anything to deserve it. He hadn't had a chance. So it was unavoidable. For whatever Ryou-san wanted.

Youichi didn't have the right kind of brain for these kind of games, always guessing one step ahead of one step ahead. But he knew Ryou-san. He knew how Ryou-san expected this to go down. Youichi would be hurt, confused (check); he'd pull back, bury himself in baseball. Like he always had before. The distance would grow, the noncommittal texts – We should get dinner soon or Let’s hang out when you’re not so busy – slowing to a trickle, lip service, greetings on birthdays and Haruichi going pro, until the reason for the distance was forgotten and Youichi was left with a mild wistfulness and some fond memories. And in a few years they'd finally meet up for a Seidou reunion and Ryou-san would show up with some boring guy and introduce him as his date and smile, like Youichi was supposed to be surprised, like he didn't know –

He swiped a hand across his face, blinking back furious tears. Fuck that. Fuck Ryousuke. Youichi got to his feet.

"You-san?" Haruichi's voice was fuzzy, like he had a hand over the receiver; there was laughter in the background. "What's wrong?"

Youichi said, "Give me your brother's address."

* * *

He was lingering by the bicycle bay, the sun down and twilight shading the rusty light into grey, when Ryousuke came back to his apartment building.

Turned out it wasn’t that far away; twenty minutes on the Toei Line. For the last year, or more, they'd been twenty minutes apart. Thinking about it made the pressure in Youichi's head increase, something tight squeezing around his temples.

He knew it was Ryousuke the moment he turned on to the street. He hadn't changed in the ways that mattered. Perfectly self-contained, not a movement out of place. Smaller than Youichi remembered. It made his face heat and his throat prickle, anger and confusion warring with dumb canine instinct, Ryou-san, it's Ryou-san.

Ryousuke was working on his thesis proposal – Youichi knew that much, from the little he had been allowed. Something something economics. He was probably coming back from the library; he had a laptop bag over one shoulder and carried a paper bag bulging oddly with book corners. When he reached the bank of mailboxes, Youichi moved out of the shadows.

Ryousuke glanced at him. Then did a real, actual double-take, which would have been satisfying enough to defuse the entire conversation if Youichi weren't still so angry he couldn't see straight. Ryousuke didn't move, arrested two steps from the door, and Youichi could almost see him weighing it—walk right past, go inside, deliver the killing blow right then, or—

"Hello, Kuramochi," said Ryou-san.

No one else said his name like that. Like Ryou-san was rolling it around on his tongue, tasting it before he let it go. Like it was special.

Youichi said, "I guess you think I’m real stupid or something, huh."

Ryousuke's face gave nothing away. "And, I mean, maybe I am. I didn't even get what you were doing until yesterday. How long've you been working on this?"

Ryousuke didn't answer him. He turned away and moved toward the front door. Youichi thought with a sick sort of anger that now Ryousuke was going to try to ignore him, now that he knew Youichi was going to push him for answers and not just whimper for mercy. Then he saw Ryousuke was holding the door open.

Ryousuke said, "If you want to do this outside, by all means."

It was the cool voice that meant if Youichi wanted to drag him into such a mess he’d put a short and bloody end to it. Fine. Fine. He was Kuramochi Youichi and Ryou-san could fucking bring it. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stomped inside.

Ryousuke's apartment was on the second floor. Even in the middle of anger, Youichi couldn't help casing the place, trying to drink in as much as possible, as he always did with the rare insights he was allowed into Ryou-san's privacy. It was a simple studio, five by ten maybe. It couldn't have been much different from Youichi's suite, but it looked bigger, somehow. It was definitely cleaner. The desk was neat, the bed made up and tucked in a corner. A single mug was drying on a rack across the sink. No plastic bags bulging with empty cans leaning against the cupboard, no drying laundry strewn over the fold-out table and chairs.

Ryou-san took a position by the window, one hand resting lightly on the back of a chair. Kuramochi leaned against the tiny fridge and folded his arms.

He knew Ryou-san could wait him out, so of course then Ryou-san had to throw him by breaking the silence. "Congratulations."

"On what."

"Making the first string."

Youichi bit the inside of his mouth in an effort not to say I knew you read them, playing into Ryousuke's hand, again. Because of course he already knew that, that was the whole point, and Ryou-san knew he knew, and he knew Ryou-san knew, and – he hated this. He hated it.

With that eerie Ryou-san trick of reading his mind, Ryousuke said, "I don't think you're stupid. You understand perfectly well, don't you?"

And there it was again, the rage flaring behind his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I understand what you're telling me fine. You made sure of that."

"I've always thought it's best to be straightforward."

Youichi snorted, loudly. Sure, Ryou-san was straightforward, sucker punching you in the front to distract you from the knife in the back. But it wasn't worth arguing. Ryousuke didn't look the least bit affected by Youichi's scorn; he still emanated perfect composure, that hint of the smile you knew was there even when you couldn't see it. Youichi said, "You still think I'm – you think I don't know why."

"Why I don't feel like talking to you any more?"

"Why you want me to think that!" Youichi's voice shook just a little, god damn it.

"We're not in high school any more, Kuramochi." How childish, Youichi heard.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ryousuke's voice sharpened. "This is what happens. People grow apart."

"So, what, you should just give them an extra shove?"

"Why waste time?" He knew Ryousuke was doing it on purpose, he knew Ryousuke knew all his weaknesses, and it still hurt. "Things change. Friendships die."

The blaze of anger flashed through Youichi like lightning. "Who said anything about friendship?"

You wouldn't see it, probably, if you hadn't spent years learning Ryou-san's tells, how to communicate when words would have been too slow, attuned to every slight movement that might get the ball in your glove a hundredth of a second faster. Ryousuke's hand was still where it rested on the chair. His whole body was still. The stillness of a predator, or prey.

Ryousuke would deserve it if he weaseled out and went for some bullshit about partnership or brotherhood. But that wouldn't get them anywhere, and Youichi wasn’t here to score points. He didn't know what he was here for, exactly, only that he’d been waiting for it for a long time.

He'd been waiting, and now the pitch was coming. He couldn't fuck up now.

"I don't—you know I'm not good at, at subtle stuff. But I'm not stupid. I always thought—after a while we'd figure it out, you know? Whatever it is. Maybe—maybe not for a few years, maybe not for—I don’t know—but I always thought... I knew, okay? You made sure.” He took a deep, shaky breath. "So don't try and tell me this is, we're, that it's just friends. I know it's not. It never was."

Ryou-san just – looked at him, a look Youichi hadn't seen in a long, long time; like Ryou-san was reassessing everything he'd known about him. That hurt in its own way too.

“What did you think I was going to do, anyway, just—let it happen?” Ryou-san didn't say anything. Youichi's voice dropped, and to his own mortification he heard a helpless, plaintive note in his own voice. "I thought you knew me better than that."

That was the thing—the worst thing. That he’d thought—he’d known Ryou-san didn't see him the way other people did. Ryou-san didn't treat him the way other people did. Ryou-san got what made him tick and what lit him up and exactly how to take him apart. But despite all that, he still didn't get this, this most important piece. He still thought Youichi would let him down.

Ryousuke finally spoke. "I guess neither of us know each other as well as we thought."

The blood pulsed in Youichi's face. "Speak for yourself. I know you just fine."

"Do you?" And there it was, the first flash of the smolder that Youichi knew was there, always, like a forest fire in winter.

Youichi held his ground. "You bet I do."

"People change, Kuramochi."

"Not that much."

"We've barely spoken in months."

"And whose fault is that, huh?" He pushed himself off the fridge and crossed the room, just six steps, fists balled at his sides. Close enough to see Ryou-san's chest rise and fall, perfectly controlled. Close enough to touch. Whether to slug him or—

"Ryou-san," he said, as quietly as he could. "Don't do this to me, come on."

Ryousuke spoke to some point past his ear. "You seem awfully sure this is about you."

"I don't know what you thought I might do but—I wouldn't. I won't. I swear."

Ryousuke finally looked him in the eye. "Is something wrong with your hearing, Kuramochi? I said it has nothing to do with you."

"Bullshit," Youichi started to snarl, then pulled himself up short. Think, Youichi. What had he just told himself? Punch in the front, knife in the back. Right.

"Fine," he said. "'S not about me.' He saw it flash across Ryou-san's face, disappointment that he'd been right all along – like now he got what he'd been pushing for, he'd secretly been wishing he wouldn't.

"What do you think you're gonna do?" Youichi said.

Ryousuke's face froze.

"Cause whatever it is. You’re not gonna get rid of me that easily, Ryou-san."

Ryou-san wasn't moving. This was it—his chance, now or never. He took took two more steps. In arm's reach now.

"You can have anything you want. As much as you want. You know that, right? You’ve gotta have known it."

The good thing about Ryou-san was also the bad thing about Ryou-san, which was that once he got the bit between his teeth he would run with it until he dropped. He was a fighter; it was one of the things Youichi liked so much about him. Only this time Youichi was pretty sure he was fighting something that didn't exist.

"Any time since second year. All you had to do was say the word."

Two more steps.

Ryou-san smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile.

"What makes you think I want you," he said, cool as glacial runoff, the cool of a frosted drink on a hot day, a chill that made Youichi want to submerge his head and never come out.

How did he know? He didn't, he supposed. Other than that Ryou-san wouldn't be doing this if he didn't have something to be scared of.

That was when he saw that Ryousuke's hand, nearly imperceptible, was trembling.

It hit, a current of vindication and rapport and desire and tenderness all together, like something physical, pulling him in ten directions at once. He didn't know if he wanted to punch Ryou-san, or wrap him up or and never let go, or maybe fall to his knees, or maybe all of the above. It was even odds that Ryousuke would physically step on him, though, which he didn’t want–or maybe he kind of did? it was confusing—so he settled for taking the hand in his own, as gently as he knew how.

He knew that hand well. Smaller than his own, finely shaped. The most capable hand he knew. The baseball calluses had faded; a long angry paper cut ran down the index finger. He curled the strong, flexible fingers around his own. Lifted it to his lips and kissed the knuckles, once. Then he waited for Ryou-san to cut him off at the knees with a single word.

It never came. When Youichi looked up, Ryou-san's smile was gone and his jaw was clenched so hard the skin was white. His eyes were open, and looking at Youichi.

"Come on, Ryou-san," Youichi said again. Hoarse. "Give me a chance."

Ryou-san's voice was barely a whisper. "You don't know what you're asking for."

He couldn't help the laugh that bubbled over. Because—hadn't they just been over this? He knew Ryou-san. He knew exactly what he was asking for.

"Ryou-san. I'm here, aren’t I?"

It must have shown in his grin, because Ryou-san's face flashed irritation, before, unwilling, softening at the edges.

He knew that look too. That was the one that meant Even I didn’t know if you'd make that catch. You’ve managed to surpass my expectations this time. It meant, If I were a different person I'd say 'Well done, Kuramochi.' It was his special look.

He was still holding Ryou-san’s hand in his own. He squeezed it, gently. "Come on, partner. What do you say?"

Ryou-san said, "I suppose there are worse ideas."

Ryou-san's head tipped back. Youichi wasn't an idiot.

Ryou-san's lips were dry. One arm wrapped around his neck, one around his shoulders. Tighter, tighter. His arm slid right around Ryou-san’s waist. Perfectly sized to fit together. He'd known that, too, somehow. Ryou-san felt just right. Of course he did.

Ryousuke's mouth was soft—softer than Youichi had thought. And he had thought, deep down. There was a reason he’d never taken the girls in his class up on their hints, a reason he'd never taken anyone home from a group date. Waiting, all this time, for the time to be right. Until all of a sudden waiting wasn't enough.

He didn't know how far he could push, here. Funny, when he'd just pushed as hard as he could. Ryou-san made a dissatisfied noise. One hand clenched on Youichi's shoulder; body poised, held just centimeters from Youichi's, just far enough for tension to crackle in the space between.

Then – it was like an electric current, a shudder passing through Ryou-san's body, and then Ryou-san had one hand digging into the meat of his shoulder and the other wound in his hair and was molding himself to Youichi, going for his mouth like he was starving, like he'd been thinking about this for a long, long time.

Youichi caught him with both hands and hung on. No room to breathe, to think, just to take as much of Ryou-san as he could. To feel the sharp pain of a hand tugging at the hair at the nape of his neck, the fingernails digging into his shoulder, the hungry, urgent mouth.

Again, and again. He didn’t know how long it went on. He was struggling for breath, gasping – "Ryou-san," into his jaw, the side of his neck, the magic words, "Ryou-san—"

He felt Ryou-san's smile against his cheek. "No need for honorifics, Kuramochi."

"Look who's talking," Youichi managed, between deep, panting breaths. "That the best you can do?"

"What was that, Youichi?" Ryou-san murmured in his ear and Youichi thought he was going to melt down right there in the middle of Ryou-san's apartment. Ryou-san knew it, too, he had the most insufferable knowing smile on his face – Youichi was grinning, grinning so hard it hurt, in relief, in sheer happiness.

Youichi kissed him one more time, long and hard. Ryou-san might look unruffled to outside eyes, but Youichi knew better – the heightened color, the deep breaths, the disordered hair where Youichi had run a hand through it, gathering Ryousuke up toward him. Not that he had anything on Youichi himself. He knew he had to look like he'd just gotten run over, and it gave him a deep, satisfied glow. Bring it. He was ready.

Ryou-san was giving him a long, lingering once-over. Reading his mind again. "You’d better be prepared," he said.

"Hell yeah I am," Youichi said, maybe more fervently than necessary, because something in Ryou-san's eyes kindled, assessing. Youichi's cheeks were warm, but he refused to back down. Ryou-san wanted to go there, Ryou-san could take what he got.

"Hm." Ryou-san eased back down onto his feet – Youichi hadn't realized he'd been on his tiptoes – and smoothed his hands over Youichi's shoulders, patting them once, absent and proprietary. It lit up some sort of nerve center down deep in Youichi’s brain. He was ready, all right, eight days a week.

"Hm," Ryousuke repeated, pensive this time. "I suppose there's no way to avoid mentioning this to Haruichi."

Youichi's train of thought, which had been progressing in a decidedly non-little-brotherly-direction, pulled up short. "Huh?"

Ryousuke's lips made a slight twist of distate. "Haruichi had some words. About... Well."

Youichi laughed—cackled, fine. "I bet."

One eyebrow went up sharply. In anyone else that would be a pout. "Don't think you're getting off so easy, You-san. He wasn't terribly impressed with you, either."

Youichi couldn't help it. He ducked his head to steal another kiss, reveling in the way Ryou-san leaned up into it, leaned into him, didn’t hurry to let go. "I can handle junior," Youichi murmured when it was over, blithely ignoring years of evidence to the contrary

Ryousuke's shoulders quivered – with laughter. "Is that so."

Youichi was carried away on a tide of satisfaction, blissfully invincible. Nothing could touch him. "Sure. The Kominato whisperer. That’s what they call me."

"Do they," Ryou-san said, which, oops, maybe that one had been a mistake – no, that invisible smile was there, and –

"He can wait until I'm done with you," said Ryousuke.

"Sure," Youichi said, husky. "All yours, Ryou-san."

And you better not forget it again, he wanted to add, but from the tiny, tiny smile on Ryousuke's face, he kind of thought he didn't have to.

* * *

"About time," Haruichi sniffed, next time he met Youichi for fast food. "Honestly."

"A lot of help you were," Youichi groused, stealing a handful of his fries as punishment.

"If you can't solve your own problems, why should I be expected to fix them for you?" Haruichi pointed out, which was pretty reasonable, actually, except—

"I didn't know there was one! Which was what it was!"

He stopped to review his pronouns. Haruichi blinked at him. "You-san, are you skipping class again?"

"Shut up, junior," Youichi grumbled, and stole another fry.

[emperor-lover]

hi. loved your minhyun college!au. can i request for tutor!minhyun whom your mother hired since you're struggling with a certain subject. something like tutor to lover. thank you btw! ♡

hi anon, thank you so much for being the first request i’ve gotten and i’m glad you enjoyed the college!au, it really means a lot to me!

Hwang Minhyun Tutor!AU

it’s your final year of high school and you really want to get into a good university but one of your subjects in particular is dragging you down

it’s chemistry btw (i hate chem lol)

because your teacher sucks and does not help at all 

so you’re complaining to your mum about it and she’s like “I’ll get you a tutor”

and you absolutely refuse, you’d rather try learn it all by yourself than get a tutor

because one of your friends had a tutor for maths and apparently she was super intimidating and the sessions were overpriced af

but nothing stops your mother once she’s decided on something

a couple of weeks later you’re coming home from school

and your mum is sitting in the kitchen with a young man

you don’t think too much of it, like you just assume it’s one of your brother’s friends or someone 

but you don’t want to be rude so you just nod your head and give them a smile

the guy doesn’t exactly return the smile, but they still give you a nod back

it’s a bit awkward and you don’t want to continue the awkward eye contact 

because his gaze is so cold and piercing, you’re a bit flustered

it’s a Friday afternoon, you’re exhausted and you can’t wait to just relax and enjoy the weekend

so you quickly grab an apple from the kitchen bench, and turn to head back to your room, but your mum is like “where are you rushing off to y/n?”

and you turn round with your mouth full of apple like ???

“this is your chem tutor, Minhyun. Minhyun, this is my daughter, y/n, I hope she pulls her act together for you and….”

your eyes widen because you were not prepared for this at all

you were not expecting someone….as visually stunning as Minhyun

which you then are ashamed of yourself for thinking because hey, tutors can be hot too, you cant just dismiss them like that 

but Minhyun is like god level, your ideal type visuals so you’re just a tad stunned

you’re caught up in your own thoughts because you hear your mother sigh loudly before telling Minhyun that you have a tendency to zone out mid conversation

and Minhyun laughs

and his laugh is sO BEAUTIFUL

it’s such a genuine, happy laugh, which is a contrast to the cold first impression you got when you had the stare down less than a minute prior

but, back to business, you start your first chemistry tutorial with him 

and you realise that wow, without a tutor you probably would’ve failed

Minhyun is really clear and concise, and you’re a bit embarrassed by how little you know

But he’s super understanding

“chem is hard y/n, don’t worry I struggled at first when I did it last year”

he says as he blinks 10x a second

you note down somewhere in the back of your head that he’s only a year older than you lol it’s useful info to have you know, who even needs chemistry

“how did you get so good at it then?”

“uhhhm, I listened to my tutor?”

“don’t lie, you’ve always been good at chem, haven’t you?”

he looks away in embarrassment and nods

the first tutorial goes smoothly, he refreshes your memory on the basics 

your mother brings the two of you some fruit and snacks to eat while you study

and you notice that Minhyun’s a really polite and nice guy

like after the two of you had finished eating he had gotten up and was going to go wash the dishes you’d used

“Minhyun it’s fine really, I’ll wash them later, just leave them”

but he insisted on washing them, and there was no stopping him

The next few tutorials went well and you feel like you’re slowly starting to get the hang of chemistry

and you’re also getting more comfortable around Minhyun and vice versa

conversations aren’t awkward anymore and you find out a bit about him

He’s in his first year of uni and studying health sciences, which surprises you because you wonder how he has time to be a tutor and study

Minhyun just shrugs it off, but from then on you notice whenever his dark circles are clearer than usual

or when he asks you if it’s okay for him to eat his food he brought with him because he didn’t have time to during lunch

but he never complains about being tired at all unlike you lol

and over time Minhyun practically becomes your confidante, and you tell him a lot of your concerns about school and your future etc

he gives you really good advice, and always listens to every word you say and takes it all in like a sponge

So usually you have your tutorial sessions in the dining room

But one day your mum had guests over so she ushered the two of you into your room

you only have one chair in your room though so before that you had to go into your younger brother’s room to get a chair for Minhyun to sit on

His room lowkey stresses you out though because it’s as if a wild animal has torn through the room with dirty clothes and books strewn everywheRE

Minhyun follows behind you, and when he sees your brother’s room you swear his eyebrow started twitching

“uh, yeah sorry, please ignore my brother’s mess of a room, it’s actually disgraceful”

Minhyun looks at you in concern

“Please tell me your room isn’t like this too.”

you have never been more thankful to yourself because you like to keep your room clean and organised.

when you two sit down in your room, Minhyun breathes out a very audible sigh of relief

and you can’t help but laugh at how adorable he is

Minhyun doesn’t know why your laughing at him but he does know that he really likes your laugh

your brother comes home a little while later and he barges into your room demanding where his chair is

and he sees Minhyun and proceeds to freak the f uck out

“HYUNG!!!”

Minhyun’s eyes widen and he looks back and forth between you and your brother like a deer caught in headlights

“oh my god y/n, your little brother is Yoo Seonho????

that’s when you realise that this Hwang Minhyun, your chem tutor, is the same “Minhyunnie Hyung” that your little brother idolises so much

From then on Seonho tries to crash your tutorial sessions much to your dismay, so your mother decides to permanently move the tutorial sessions to your room

You apologise so much to Minhyun

“if you’re uncomfortable we can meet in the library instead?” 

“Seriously y/n i’m fine! If you want to move to the library, we can, but it’s probably more convenient for both of us to just continue having them at your house”

He’ll usually make sure that you’re listening to his help and that you’re studying for the two hour sessions you have

But sometimes he comes over a bit earlier or stays a bit later and the two of you have good chats and eat snacks and drink tea because you both dislike coffee

sometimes you feel bad for rambling on about your worries to him because he must have worries too and you dont want to dump it all on him

so you decided that the next tutorial you wouldn’t talk as much and just focus on chemistry

and as you’re finishing up for that day, you start clearing up your books but Minhyun looks at you in concern

“are you alright y/n? you haven’t said much today”

tbh you’re surprised he even noticed 

“I just thought that you’re probably sick of hearing about my life every week..”

“I like listening to you talk about anything though”

His ears go as pink as your blushing face, and you both shy away

Around university exam time Minhyun had to take a break as your tutor in order to focus on his studies

but he felt really bad so he made you a little care package and he came round in the weekend to personally deliver it to you 

and it had all his chemistry notes and your favourite snacks and chocolates

he had even put a little fox plushie in because he said it resembles him

and when he gave it to you, you were so touched

the funny thing is that you had made him a similar care package too (minus the chem notes lol), to cheer him on for his exams

and the two of you were a blushing mess when you gave them to each other

like it’s become so obvious that the two of you like each other

Minhyun gives you a quick hug before he turns to leave and is about to get in his car

but he has second thoughts and turns around

“um, y/n…after my exams, do you want to go on a date with me? 

After his exams (which went well ofc), you start dating, and you go on little dates here and there

the two of you try to keep it a secret from your mum and Seonho

but one day your mother asks if Minhyun wants to stay for dinner to thank him for being such a good tutor and boyfriend to you

the two of you were originally going to go watch a movie that night but because you were now stuck at home to eat dinner you didn’t see a reason why minhyun shouldn’t join your family

lol regrets

because minhyun can’t lie for shit remember (you’re not that much better either)

he’s so suspicious at dinner and keeps blinking constantly your mother can see right through the two of you

and then she dead ass asks “so how’s the dating going?”

and minhyun replies “it’s good!” before realising that she said dating not tutoring and he’s like asdfghjkl shit.

Seonho is horrified but your mum loves it, she thinks Minhyun is perfect boyfriend material and was hoping something might happen between the two of you wow matchmaker mother in the house

However, Minhyun still insists on being the absolute professional when he tutors you

but he’ll schooch his chair closer to yours

or feed you fruit when you’re busy writing stuff down

and sometimes he’ll hold your hand under the table

or sneak in a kiss here and there

he also cleaned Seonho’s room “it’ll be good bonding time!”

and one time he fell asleep on your bed after a long day at uni and you didn’t have the heart to wake him up because he had been so tired and he looked like such an angel and you realised then that you really really love him so much because how can someone be so perfect 

you end up falling asleep at your desk but when you wake up the next morning you’re all warm and snuggled up in his arms in your bed and he kisses your forehead and gives you the sweetest eye smile that you feel like melting and you can’t help thinking at that exact moment that you’re the luckiest person in the world

[storiesbyaya]

Story Of A Hero -17

[PS-  From here, Bayesh’s last name was changed to Saarinen. It’s been changed in the full copy as of oct 21 2018, but not on the published chapters of SOAH on tumblr. It’d be really difficult to go through every post and change it, but the final cut will have this change <3]

[First] [Previous][Mobile] [Next]

Kat had not lived in her parents’ home for a while now, but you couldn’t tell at first glance.

Her room remained similar to how it always had been- Minus, maybe, the mess of clothes, the tower computer, and all the comic books that had been in the barren bookshelf. The walls were still papered with posters, the drapes and blankets were still matching black and white diamonds with a circus theme, and it still smelled like lavender and old books, even with Kat long gone.

There’s always been something cold about guest rooms- They lacked a sense of personality, of life. Generic beds, sparsely decorated rooms… After an awful night like he’d had, it was nice to spend the night somewhere that wasn’t lifeless. Movie posters from films they’d all seen together, trophies he’d watched her get… Even with Kat having gone home for the night, Wesley felt like she was still here, and that he wasn’t spending the night alone. Bitt hopped upon the circus top lamp and chose to sleep there, where she could be seen, to remind him she was there, too.

William and Bayesh woke up early the next morning to prepare for their day at school. Kero only worked whenever he was called, and the two always conducted their morning routines with a respectful silence. It surprised William that a drowsy, half asleep Wesley joined him in the kitchen as he was eating. “Morning,” Wesley mumbled, settling down on a stool. “Good morning. Did we wake you up?” William asked, concerned. Wesley gave an exhausted shrug. “Honestly? Anything wakes me up; I’m kind of a light sleeper… Coming downstairs was my choice, though” Wesley explained. “Oh,” William said, “I see.”

He returned his attention to his own food for a while, but noticed that Wesley had not moved, staring into space. William poked him carefully, and Wesley blinked, looking back over to the younger kid with confusion. “Huh? Sorry. Got lost in thought,” he said. “Did you need something?” “No, but I did want to remind you that you are free to grab yourself breakfast… As you’ve always been. Are you alright?” William asked. It made the brunet wonder if there was some kind of indication on his face as to his mood, or if he was just worried about what had happened last night. Wesley replied with a small shrug, and he got up to grab himself some toast… Before feeling bad that he had been kind of dishonest, and he turned to frown at William as he waited. “I’m good- I mean, with regards to last night, at least. I was just thinking about how all my stuff is at home. Clothes, text books, the works.But I don’t really want to go back there. But I need to. You know?” William nodded in understanding. After all, one couldn’t wear the same clothes all day every day, and schoolwork was very difficult without the proper materials. “If you’re willing to wait, Bayesh and I can go with you after school?” he suggested. At least that way, Wesley didn’t have to go back alone, they could get everything moved easier with more bodies and, most importantly, the most intimidating person he knew would be there to silence any confrontations. “I don’t really want my mom yelling at you, bud,” said Wesley,shaking his head at the idea. A kind hearted little kid like William didn’t deserve to be yelled at, too. If his mother thought that her own son was a freak, he didn’t want to imagine how she’d react to someone else’s child. “That’s why I said /Bayesh/ and I,” he said. Again, Wesley shook his head. “I don’t really want Bayesh yelling at her either… And we know that he will. I don’t want any yelling at all, really. I think I’ve had enough of it.” Defeated, William nodded. They both knew that Bayesh had been downright enraged at the way that Wesley had been treated. That anger had been boiling ever since the first time that Wesley had come in with an injury, and surely if the two met it would burst, and Bayesh along with it. After everything, Wesley just wanted some peace; a protective Bayesh was far from peaceful. “Angel, then?” William suggested. Whereas his father was an intimidating presence, Angel had an aura of quiet elegance that commanded respect from those around her. Unfortunately, thinking the suggestion was a joke, Wesley laughed it off. William was about to continue, but he noticed the time, and sighed. “I need to get ready for school, but I will keep thinking on this,” he affirmed, then rinsed his bowl, leaving Wesley and his toast alone in the kitchen.

After breakfast and waving the Saarinens’ away, Wesley returned to bed to try and catch a little bit more sleep. He was awakened by bubble noises… It took a few moments for him to realize that it had been his phone. Katherine was texting him.

[K@] Sup? Stuffs still @ home I hear?

[W] Yeah.

[K@] No worries, i got a brilliant plan

[W] Do I want to know?

[K@] Duh Anyways… Funfact- it’s not considered a B&E if you actually live there. Even if a talented friend teleports ya in when no one is home. (That’s me, btw)

[W] Pretty sure my mom will think she was robbed And call the police.

[K@] Huh yeah… Guess I didn’t have that problem lol Leave a note?

[W] Saying what? “Your son came and stole all his stuff ok bye”?

[K@] OMG fine, you wanna waste the $$ you spent on that program failing it be my guest Just don’t stink up my room one undies wonder

[W] >:T

[K@] Real talk tho- Write.a.letter! If you need a hand, ask Kero. Gotta run ttyl <3 Write! Write!

Wesley dropped his phone with a sigh. Write a letter. So much easier said than done. He couldn’t just… Write a letter, go home, steal his stuff and leave. But… then again, he couldn’t sit in these clothes forever, or not brush his teeth or show up to class without his text books… He rolled off the bed and determinedly made his way to the basement.

Beyond the basement door, any illusion of a normal family was shattered. It was an open area the length and width of the home with only two small rooms adjacent. One was the laundry room, and the other, Wesley had never seen open. The grand room had a great deal of gym equipment, and gymnast equipment. Bars he fondly remembered Kat hanging from, a swing and a set of trapezes below which were soft mats. As Wesley came down the stairs, he saw Kero pulling one of Katherine’s old sectional beams to the side. “Need a hand with that?” he asked softly. Kero chuckled softly, shaking his head. He set the beam aside and turned to smile at Wesley. “Nah. I brought this thing down here when she first showed interest, and I’m not too old to bring it back up again… Besides, aren’t you a guest?” Wesley shrugged. Guest or no, he still wanted to help. The Saarinen’s had never really treated him like a guest. He’d always felt at home here, moreso than he’d ever felt at his actual home. They only used the ‘you’re a guest’ thing in a playful fashion. Apparently that wasn’t going to change even with his longer stay. “Guess so. Side note- Can I borrow a piece of paper?” “Yeah,” Kero replied. To Wesley’s surprise, Kero headed immediately to the door that Wesley had never seen open. Curiously, he poked his head in. It turned out to be a small office, likely for Bayesh while he did his teacher work. Well organized and unremarkable, at the exception of the countless frames on the walls. Stepping forwards, he observed them, and when Kero noticed him staring, he put a hand on his shoulder, fondly. “Never been in here,” he said softly. “Nice photos… Hey, that one’s Kat’s first birthday party, and… that’s our graduation?” “Yup,” Kero replied, grinning. Wesley continued to observe while Kero rummaged around, cursing his boyfriend and his organization standards. ‘Local boy donates dozens of handmade toys to Pediatric Hospital’. Read a piece of newspaper, an article they had written about him. Beside it there was also a diploma, one that belonged, surprisingly, to Kero. Looking for Bayesh’s, he noticed a photo of a woman with two children and asked Kero who she was. “Kyolin Tengshe, and her two kids.” “Who was she?” “Lady Redd.” “Oh. I’m… I’m really sorry,” Wesley said. He could see the sorrow in Kero’s face, so he quickly turned to a different photo. It was old, but the woman pictured was pretty lovely. “And her?” “That’s my mother. Her name was Eirini.” Wesley vaguely remembered that she’d died rather tragically when Kero was young, and was struck with horror. This game of who’s-who was only making things worse. He let out a sigh. “I’m sorry,” he said again. The hand on his shoulder moved to ruffle his hair. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, kiddo. Anyways! What’re you up to?” He asked, trying to defuse the tension and hand Wesley the paper and pen he had asked for. He took them gingerly and shrugged. “Writing a note to my mom. Kat wants us to break into her house while she’s at work and steal my stuff,” he said, trying to make it sound like it was not at all a big deal. “It’s not really stealing if it’s your stuff though, is it?” “That’s exactly what Kat said. You sound like your daughter,” Wesley said, chuckling. “Weird!” Kero exclaimed playfully, “It’s almost like she’s my daughter or something!” They both broke out into a fit of laughter. When they calmed, Wesley spoke again. “Anyways, said daughter suggested I ask you for help. Not… really sure why, but…” This made Kero’s expression drop again, and Wesley suddenly felt guilty again, as if that was just something that he shouldn’t have said. “I do,” Kero said. “Follow me.”

They walked upstairs in silence, to the top floor, and came to a stop at Kero and Bayesh’s door. “Exam time, final year of high school. I came home, excited, college acceptance in my hand… But when I came to find my mom to tell her… Well. I always knew she had depression, but no one ever expected that she’d- She’d kill herself. That day, the school called, to tell her there was something wrong with me- That I ran too fast for it to be normal, you know. I was convinced she’d killed herself out of shame for what I was. I spent so much time with that weight on my mind. I didn’t know how to feel about what I was. Can you imagine? Coming home and finding a corpse, one bullet to the head, and feeling like it was your fault?” “No,” Wesley admitted softly, and that made Kero smile. Once again, he had a hand on his shoulder. “I hope you never do. I spent a good chunk of my life blaming myself for something that just… wasn’t my fault. And then, suddenly there comes this brilliant man into my life who points out the biggest flaw in all this- She never heard the message to begin with. I only knew they’d called because the voicemail light was flashing, but it wouldn’t be if she’d actually heard the message. When I stopped blaming myself, I finally saw the bigger picture. That it was never my fault, that she was sick. I… I realize it sounds like I’m just suddenly dumping this all on you, but-” “No, I get it,” Wesley cut him off, smiling encouragingly. “I see the similarities.” “But do you see the point?” he asked. “You can’t shoulder  all of the blame for the bad things that happen around you, and you do. A lot. You need to step back and face the bigger picture. This letter Kat wants you to write isn’t just to let her know you’re taking your things and leaving. It’s got to be the real truth of the matter and, maybe, just maybe, you might convince her to seek help, because I think your mother may be sick, too. I don’t mean that as an offense, by the way.”

Wesley’s mouth formed an ‘o’ as he fully registered what Kero was trying to say, and by extension, Kat as well. “You… you were busy, yeah? You can go back to that, and I.. I think I can handle this,” Wesley said, nodding. Once more his hair was ruffled. “Never too busy for you, kiddo. Let me know if you need any help. I might not be a linguistic genius like Bayesh...But I’ve been there.” “I know… And thank you.” He nodded, and let Kero go back to moving things in the basement while he settled at the table to write. It took a bit of crossing out and a few drafts, but Wesley finally managed to get the concise, clear truth that he wanted on paper.

“Dear Mom

I feel I have done everything I can to make you understand that my powers are not evil. It’s a piece of me, and just like a hand can be used to break and create, so are my powers laden with equal potential to be either good or bad. It’s all in how you use them, and I am going to continue to use them and help whoever I can. Unfortunately, because we can’t see eye to eye on this matter, I have to leave. Despite everything, I still love you. Kind of silly, huh? You’ve literally burned me, yet I still love you and forgive you. Since we’re being honest here, I don’t think any sane person would literally burn their own child. Maybe after some time apart you can step back and realize that what you did was wrong. Hard to hear that you’re wrong, but there it is. I’ve always believed in honesty. If you do decide to actually love me for me, all of me, then I’m not going to change my phone number. Bad enough dad did that to us, I’m not going to do it to you. Love always., Your son Wesley, and his Adex. Her name is Bitt and she is a frog, btw.”

The note was taped to his bedroom, after it was stripped of all the important things.