#he's more mad people didn't buy it than the fact they made the merch

[swearingcactus]

tried rubbing back. instructions unclear. rubbed salt in wound instead. (partly inspired by some Ker-Bear merch fanart i saw somewhere once!)

[fatuismooches]

I've been thinking about how Genshin merchandise for Dottore and [Name] would be like, and I've come up with two!

The first would be a plush version on Dottore and [Name], their holding each other's cute plush hands and there would be this tag or sign next to them saying "WARNING: THIS IS A SET, DO NOT SEPARATE"

The second would be Foxtorre and sparrow! [Name], and the segments would be cute little fuzz balls with tiny beaks and a big glowing red eye, all abit unique to differentiate between eachother. Omega would have his usual ruin guard core eye thing instead of a big red eye, theta (that's webttore right??) would have messy fur that's got blood splattered here and there. Zandy would be noticeably the smallest and would have the softest fur compared to all of the segments, and I'd like to think he can fit under/is attached under one of sparrow![Name]'s wing.

This out of context but i live for sharktorre 🙏, I'd like to think that [Name] crochet their own sharktorre and foxtorre plushies and they just sit on their bed for them to cuddle, the segments are definitely abit (very) jealous because why would you need to cuddle some plushies when they're right there?? They're 100% more comfortable just ask, they'll drop whatever they're doing for you ❤️

AHHHH AGREE WITH EVERYTHING IN THIS ASK...!! Oh gosh, Pantalone would definitely be the one behind the whole thing. Why? Because you best believe his pockets are being FILLED with the merchandise of you and Dottore. After all, let's not forget about the totally not obsessive fan club... sold out in a day. (And you didn't even ask for a cut when he asked your opinion/permission on it! You just wanted a free copy of each plushie! [Note: He asked you and not Dottore. Let's just say the Harbinger was not happy that random people were buying merch of him and his beloved. He totally doesn't have one inside his desk to squish when he's bored.])

You were the one who proposed that the plush versions of you two should not be separated. In fact, that was how Pantalone marketed the whole thing... let's just say it worked very well. (Definitely starts to consult you more).

I can just imagine the real Foxttore's reaction when suddenly you have a non-moving version of it... are you trying to replace it? It's so much better than that inferior thing! Probably bites it a few times and when it doesn't react it, glares at it before cuddling up to you. You're very amused. Yeah, plushie Foxttore is cute and all, but you got the real-life thing here! It obviously gets all the attention. Also, the plushie of raven Dottore would be a lot bigger than sparrow [Name]... you could definitely tuck the two closely to each other!! And the fuzz balls of the segments,, they definitely get made into keychains too hehe (you've attached them to your bag).

I live for Sharkttore as well, I mean, look at those teeth. Reader definitely makes their own plushies so Zandy wouldn't be lonely and night and so you wouldn't be either. I can imagine, if you like leaving your plushies on your bed, how much the segments and Dottore have to fight to fit on your bed comfortably... (you get mad if they try to toss them to the side).

[vivisextion]

I first saw Slipknot at age 14.

No one knows how I managed it. I'm not sure I even remember. These days, you have to be 16 or 18 to get into Standing areas. I do know I had to buy tickets on the phone, back in the old days (2005, that is). A singular ticket, too - none of my friends, not even the classmate who had gone with me to see Linkin Park the year before, was that into Slipknot.

But I HAD to see them. This was the Subliminal Verses tour cycle, and Vol. 3 was my first and favourite Slipknot album, even to this day. It's the reliable old warm blanket for my soul whenever I need it. It's on right now, as I write this.

My memory isn't that good, but luckily I unearthed a livejournal (livejournal!) diary entry about the event I made the next day.

August 16, 2005. I went right after school. I went to a very conservative Anglican secondary school, too. I tried not to get caught in the bathroom, as I coloured my nails black with permanent marker (I know, don't laugh) and changed into my standard metalhead baby outfit - Slipknot band shirt, black cargo shorts, and my pride and joy: steel-toe boots I somehow managed to cajole my parents into letting me own.

I caught the bus to the open-air war memorial park where the gig was going to be. I got there at 4pm, 4 hours early. A couple other maggots were already hanging around. I found myself surrounded by tombstones, and I read them all. It was the middle of the Hungry Ghost Festival, too - a very fitting time for Slipknot to pay a visit to this godforsaken hellhole of a small town I lived in. (Especially given the paranormal circumstances surrounding the making of Vol. 3.)

While I wandered around the venue (no security or sound guys were around at all), I spotted two white vans pull up to the stage, in the middle of a clearing. It was them! I spotted Joey and missed him by a hair's breadth. I was quickly ushered behind the stone archway entrance by security then.

(Funnily enough, while walking around, I got mistaken for Joey more than once. I am the same height as him, had the same long black hair, same pale skin, and was wearing almost exactly what he had been. One person claimed from behind, I was a dead ringer, apart from when I turned around, and they realised I was Chinese.)

It was soundcheck time. A sound guy testing the mics would say random things, like "testing one two three two one.... fudge fudge, I like fudge...." The band even did Purity, so us earlybirds were given a rare treat, and we screamed along from the entrance, and drummed our fists on the sides of nearby porta-potties. I hope no one was in there at the time. Whenever we got a glance of any of them, we'd scream and cheer. Finally they left again, but were soon to return.

This was the first time I'd been a part of the metal community. I was barely allowed internet in those days. But here, random strangers were friendly, striking up conversations like they'd been friends for years. Two big guys, called Trevor and Ted, looked out for me the entire gig after, keeping other big dudes from crushing me too much (I'm 5'3, remember). Other people commented on me being so baby, because I was only 14, and said they would take care of me.

When we were finally let in, right after the usher cut the rope, I ran in, screamed "WOOOHOOO!" along with a few friends I'd made. I only briefly stopped to receive this RoadRunner Records compilation CD from a roadie, then resumed running like a madman screaming and dashing into the VIP cage.

I was right up against the barricade - the first time I would ever be at a gig. People from assorted magazines and press took photos of us, and I think I got my photo taken about 10 times at least.

(This is how I got in trouble with my parents the next day. My photo had ended up in a local paper - you can see examples of that here. They had no idea what I'd been to see the night before, and were horrified when they saw what Slipknot looked like.)

We saw Sid filming us from the stage with a camcorder and screamed at him. We saw Jim and screamed at him too, and he flashed the victory sign back at us. I remember Metallica playing at the time, another one of my favourite bands.

The concert was a brutal religious experience I will never forget. People with their arms outstretched, crying and screaming out loud, moving like the devil possessed them.

The new friends around me made sure I was alright after every song! There were huge guys fainting behind us who had to get carried out, but I endured, a tiny 14 year old child. We got a family speech as per tradition, of course. "Are you guys out there all looking out for each other? We're all one big family, and we gotta look out for each other." What Corey said held true - strangers hugged, shook hands, talked, and made friends. I was heartened by how close-knit the maggot community was. It really did feel like a family, and it's felt like that ever since.

Of course, I did my first Jump The Fuck Up. It is possibly the most euphoria I've ever experienced all at one go. (Later, in 2020, I was extremely disappointed that I didn't get to do it again in London.)

They did the death masks for Vermilion, and I remember Chris helping Sid fix his mask and shirt when they'd changed back. Sid hung out near Clown's drums for most of the time too, and hugged him from behind and just latched on at one point. It was pretty adorable.

Fun fact: The version of Eyeless you hear on the 9.0 Live album is from Singapore, as is Eeyore. There are very few photos and videos from the crowd of this gig, because in 2005, very few people had camera phones. The crowd at the Slipknot gig in 2020 was a sea of arms with phones, filming the gig rather than experiencing it. Yes, I'm going to be that cranky old geezer who complains about the good old days.

Joey as usual, was fucking amazing and never failed. However, due to the fact that I was right up front, only his tiny head was visible behind his vast drum set, I couldn't see him the entire gig.

Amazingly, the government told Slipknot they were not allowed to do obscene gestures, curse, vomit (possibly due to the decomposing crow pre-show ritual), simulate humping on objects, throw faeces, or jump off stage (looking at you, Sid). I don't think our totalitarian government knew who they were dealing with, because watch what happens next.

Near the end of the gig, Corey tells the crowd “your government has given us a laundry list of things we aren’t allowed to do, your government has told us we are not allowed to swear”. Crowd goes “BOOOOOOOOO” and Corey goes “BUT WE DON’T GIVE A FUCK!!” And they launch into Surfacing, the last song. Everyone riots. Best night of my life.

You can find the setlist from that gig here. It had everything I wanted and more.

This story later got immortalised when Kerrang asked maggots for gig stories, for an article which came out in 2020. I had forgotten entirely, until people began messaging me to tell me, and one friend sent me a scan of it!

On the way out, I managed to get a shirt. I remember calling my best friend at the time, and got everyone at the merch booth to go "IF YOU'RE 555 THEN I'M 666" for her. This shirt has since been lost to the landfill, because my Christian mother took it upon herself to dispose of it the first opportunity she got. Needless to say, our relationship is not very good.

After that, I even managed to get that Roadrunner compilation album they were giving out signed. The band was staying at the Carlton. Unfortunately, Joey wasn't there, neither was Clown, and Mick was swarmed by guitar nerds so, 6/9 it is. It is a great regret of mine that I'll never have anything signed by him, nor will I ever get to see him perform ever again.

The next day, I went to school, my head swimming. Yes, I went to see Slipknot ON A SCHOOL NIGHT. I was a giant bruise, from my ribs and my chest, to my hips and knees, from being slammed into the barricade like a screen door in a hurricane. Most of all, my sore, headbanged-out neck could barely hold my head up. Classmates thought I had been in a fight. I was torn between battle-scarred exhaustion and hyperactive ranting about the most amazing gig of my short life (it still is, to this day). When teachers spoke to me, I wanted to reply, "Fuck trigonometry! I've just seen SLIPKNOT. Do you not understand that my world is different? Do you not understand that *I* am now different?"

My country was a small, conservative town that Slipknot had graced with their unholy presence. Corey Taylor once said that where he grew up in Iowa had a way of making a 16 year old boy feel like a 36 year old man (or something to that effect). I felt that in my weary bones as a teenager, being from a place just like that. Years later, Watain would run into worse trouble, and wouldn't even be allowed to perform. The Christian stranglehold is stronger than ever. It was a good thing that back then Slipknot had the element of surprise, striking serpent-fast and choking this society by the neck for a too-brief time, before they departed.

After that, my desire to play the drums only grew like a weed. Joey Jordison had, has, and will always inspire me as a drummer, and seeing the beast live (or what little I could spy behind the massive riser) had only spurred me on. I had always been a noisemaker, be it driving my parents mad with chopsticks on pots and pans, or driving my teachers mad with pencils on my desk. But of course, my parents wouldn't have any of it. I'd have to wait a good 14 more years before I'd be able to afford lessons and later, a kit of my own. Better late than never, right?

There will never be enough words to describe the impact Joey has had on my life. And it isn't just Slipknot, either. I could write another essay on his time with the Murderdolls and its influence on my own gender-non-conforming ways. Suffice to say, my wardrobe doesn't look too dissimilar to his during the early Dead in Hollywood days.

I told my boss I could not come into work today. I was grieving. I said that my music teacher died, as I didn't think she'd understand the magnitude of my loss. In a way, it's true. And I am not the only one Joey has nudged on the path to being a musician, that much is certain. To the rest of us, I wish strength and love for you in this difficult time. The best way to honour Joey, who truly loved music, both the creation and appreciation of it, is to pass that gift on. Teach it to someone. He is the reason I picked up the sticks in the first place, and one day, they'll be handed on, the heavy metal baton for the next generation.

And finally: remember that the ones we have lost are never truly gone.

Vinnie

P.S. See if you can spot me in the crowd photos in this post!

[delightfulstarlightparadise]

Imagine Eijirou Kirishima and reader

Part 2

Part one here:

I'd like to remind you that English is not my main language, but I am doing my best.

So, you work at Fat Gum's favorite bakery and were used to having him or Suneater buy bread at 3 o'clock until one day Fat Gum's new sidekick Red Riot starts coming instead. You always have difficult interactions that trigger your social anxiety. Until one day you are attacked by a villain and saved by him. When he walks you home, he asks for your number and you give it to him, even thought it is just for the sake of making him stop apologizing.

You are at school, sitting in the back, as always, not paying much attention. This is your senior year and you already know you don't have much room to grow with your anxiety problems, distant family and lack of self confidence. Your intention is just graduating and keeping your job at the bakery.

You can't stop thinking about the villain who held you hostage, this makes you feel your body heavy and your head dizzy. This mixes up to the memories you have of yourself caught in the middle of a terrible fight between a villain and a hero when you were a kid.

You can hear people whispering about seeing you in television the previous night. Your colleages don't talk to you much due to your social anxiety.

"Y/n was held hostage."

"Really?!"

"What weird person comes to school after going through something like that?"

"Did you see that new hero with Fat Gum? Red Riot is the name. He is so handsome!"

"He is two years younger than us!"

"Oh, come on, that is not too much. And he is a real piece, have you seen those abs??"

"Such a nice and deep voice too. He was interviewed, he got all shy, but not weird shy like that Suneater guy."

You should have skipped class, all this conversation was making you nervous.

Suddenly there is a loud message bip that echoes in the class and everyone checks their own phones. The teacher doesn't even bother lecturing them anymore.

But it is none of their phones. It is yours and it rings again, bringing all the attention in class to you.

"Ma...may I go to the restroom?" You ask, almost bursting into a panic attack.

"Yeah, yeah." You see your teacher has no more will.

You run to the restroom and hides in a cabin, unlocking your phone's screen. There are 4 messages in it.

The first one is:

Hello pretty!😚🥰😋

The second one:

Would you care for some 😈🤭🙊☻

The next is just:

💥💥💥💥

And the final one:

You're so lovely! Let's hit the dancefloor together someday?! How about that?💕

You see the simbol of someone typing and a new message arrives:

"Sorry, my stupid friends got my phone. It is Eijirou here... Red Riot."

You keep staring at your phone as the typing message shows up again.

"How are you? I am sorry for last night, it was bad of me to ask for your number that way. I don't want you to think that you need to speak to me just because I saved you."

You ponder what to answer while sitting on the toilet when another message comes.

"Sorry again about my friends. They are really dumb😅"

"It is ok." You reply.

The typing sign shows up again, but then disappears.

"I'm fine." You send. "Just a little traumatized by yesterday."

You wait a while and he texts you back.

"Who wouldn't be, right? I am glad I showed up."

You start typing but he does it too, so you wait.

"Sorry, I seem like a perk talking like this. I really mean I am glad you are ok. It must have been awful for you."

This text makes you smile thinking of his sudden worried expression when realizes he might have sounded arrogant. He always made a cute blush expression when realizing something, like he forgot the money to pay for the bread or he had said something weird.

"I can't thank you enough for saving me." you reply. "People here at my school are commenting about you?"

The answer comes quickly:

"Really?! Nice things, I hope.🦈"

You can't help but laugh. He uses a shark emoji instead of a smily one. This brings his sharp smile to your mind immediately.

"Very nice things. Mainly that you are handsome."

It takes a while before he answers.

"You think I'm handsome?"

You feel your heart coming to your mouth when reading this. It tottally came out the wrong way for you. You quickly type back:

"I have to go back to class! Talk to you later!"

You turn off your phone and spend some more time in the restroom with your red face between your hands. You didn't have to think anything, he IS handsome.

...

When you arrive your house and turn on your phone, there is a message waiting for you.

"Don't forget to pay your phone bill this month. You can do it by acessing..."

You sigh and leave it on the table, then, turn on the TV to watch anything. You don't really know what to do with this free time while the bakery is repaired.

You are in the middle of an episode of a cheesy dorama when your phone vibrates on the table.

"Hey. Are you free?" It is him.

You don't really know what to answer.

"I guess..." you reply after a long time thinking.

"I really didn't want to bother you with this,but Fat Gum asked if you could come to the bakery to tell him a little more of what happened yesterday. He thinks the guy had an accomplice."

Your hands get cold at the thought of it, your heartbeat increases and you start typing a "I can't" but a new message arrives.

"I am at your building's door. Sorry."

"What?!" You reply by impulse.

"Sorry! I must seem like a real creep to you. Fat Gum made me come here to make sure you are safe in your way to the bakery."

You freeze until a new message arrives.

"He can be very persuasive 😅. But if you say no, I understand."

Not wanting to be inpolite to him, you find yourself putting on your coat and boots and going downstairs to meet him. There he is smiling at you with embarassment and wearing those revealing clothes that you are sure are even more appealing today.

"Hey y/n! Thank you a lot for agreeing to come. Fat Gum would totally kick my ass if I showed up alone." he says.

You just nod as he stares at you looking unconfortable, wich makes you feel unconfortable.

"So... let's go?"

You nod again, even more nervous.

You start walking in silence when you see him pull off his phone. Great, you are boring him so much he needs a distraction, you think. Than you feel your phone vibrate.

"Please don't be mad at me." You see his message and look at him from the corner of your eye. He seems really worried.

"I am not mad at you. I just get really nervous around you." You type back.

"Really? Why?"

"I get anxious around people, in general..." you answer him pronto.

"Oh, I have a friend just like you." He replies. "He is a very nice guy."

You put down your phone and look at him. He is giving you the biggest and most friendly smile ever. You immediately put your head down.

"How can I help you being less unconfortable around me?" He sends you after you do it.

"I don't know. It is a thing that happens to me since I was a kid. I am just weird like that." you reply.

"I don't think you are weird." He says out loud and it makes you turn to him. "You are so nice."

You blush completely and get your phone, typing really fast.

"Don't say things like that, it makes me unconfortable." you send him.

"Sorry." He answers back. "But I really think you are a really nice perxnroal !(($$&@(!)....."

You look up and Red Riot is sunk inside of Fat Gum's back.

"Hey! Look where you are walking!" The hero says, pulling him out. Red Riot takes a huge breath and falls on his knees. Fat Gum turns to you. "Y/n!! I am glad you are here! Can you please help me? We need you to describe everything you remember about that night! Anything helps."

He guides you inside the store, where Suneater is trying to organize some merch in a shelf. When he sees you, he drops everything and puts his head down. He has the same effect in you. You REALLY don't want to interact with each other.

"So... can you help us?" Fat Gum asks.

You take a deep breath and look around. You can remember everything that happend. Exactly how it happened. Every detail and second of it. That is your quirk, remembering everything that ever happens to you and around you.

You give such and accurate description of that night that the three heroes get impressed by it.

"And... do you remember seeing anyone with the guy?" Fat Gum asks, amazed.

You pull from your memory the moment you look at the door before the villain comes in. You can see a woman wearing a similar overcoat talking to him and standing by the door, looking out for any incomer. Than you remember her fleeing right at the moment you see Kirishima arrive.

You describe her as a tall lady with black hair, say the exacr brand of her coat and even the color of her shoes. They all stare at you again, impressed.

"You should be a detective, y/n!" Fat Gum says giving you some slaps in the shoulder.

You shake your head as a firm no and he smiles at you.

"Ok, ok. You are right. There are better carrers around." he says"Red Riot! Take y/n home, safe, please."

"Yes sir!" Red Riot replies.

For your surprize, Fat Gum lifts you in the air and hands you to Red Riot as if you were a kid. He takes you in his arms so you don't drop on the floor and you see yourself being carried by that hero damsel style.

You stare at each other in shock. You in literal shock, pale. He with his cheeks blushed.

"That was mean of you." You hear Suneater say to Fat Gum.

"Let them kids be in love." Fat Gum replies. "It is healthy to have some passion by this age."

"No. Y/n is going to pass out." Suneater says.

In fact, you do. The last things you hear are Red Riot say: "How did you know?!" and Suneater reply: "Because I would."

...

When you come to your senses you are lying on your couch, the TV is on showing a documentary about sea life. For a moment you think it was all a dream. That is when you hear:

"Hey! You're awake!"

You scream caugh by surprize by Red Riot, in your Kitchen and almost scare him into dropping the bowls of lamen he had in hands. He is only wearing the pants from his costume and this makes your whole face burn in shame. You almost pass out again.

"PLEASE DON'T WALK AROUND MY HOUSE NAKED!!" you yell, throwing the blanket that was covering you at him.

"Naked?!?!"

After he puts on a shirt that is probably a school uniform,the two of you sit down to eat.

"I am so sorry for what Fat Gum did. This anxiety of yours is really serious." He says.

"It wasn't that." you reply while sucking in some noodles. "I usually get very tired after intentionally using my quirk. It can cause me to pass out like this."

"Really?! So I am sorry we made you use it!"

You shake your head and say:

"It is fine. I am just glad I could be useful for a change."

"For a change?" He repeats staring at you with a pitful face. "You are always helpful! We love your sweet bread."

"I am not the one who makes it. I just sell them to you."

"You are the most special part of it." he says, smiling at you with a soft expression.

You feel your heartbeat increase, but it is not panic attack-like. It is something different.

"Don't say this kind of stuff. You make me nervous." you say, looking at the other side. But you can't help a smile from coming to your face.

"Sorry!" He replies with a sharp teeth smirk.

After you eat, he thanks you for helping and you take him downstairs to say goodbye.

"Here, your keys. I got them from your pockets to get in." he says.

"You are the first visit I get here, besides my mom." you say, getting the key from his hand. "I shouldn't say that, it makes me sound like a weird paria."

"Makes you sound lonely." he replies.

You look at him a little offended by the honesty, but he actually looks concerned about you.

"I prefer it this way." you say, and turn around to get inside.

"Can I call you tomorrow?"

His question makes you freeze at the door.

"Why would you?" you ask without turning to him.

"I want to be your friend."

You look at him from above your shoulder.

"Sorry... I can't befriend a hero."

He looks horrified by your answer and reaches towards you, but you run inside before he can say anything else.

You feel dizzy. Your quirk is forcing itself onto you again. Everytime you remember, you literally live every aspect of the memory again. You live again the moment your father was accidentally killed by a hero.

...

You wake up as always. You eat your breakfast. You get yourself ready to go to school, a normal day this time, you hope. Maybe people won't be speaking about what happened anymore.

You check your phone and see there aren't any messages. This should make you feel relief, but it actually makes you sad.

Another day of school goes by. People are still gossiping about you. Maybe it is a good idea to spend some days away from school. You ask for a license and they give it because of what happened to you.

"What am gonna do at home with all this free time?" you mutter while walking back.

You wish you could work all day along stocking the bakery. This was your favorite part of your job. No clients to attend, no social interaction, no worries, just you and the products getting organized.

Then, you rise your head to the door of your building. You can't believe your eyes.

"What are you doing here?!" You ask by impulse and it sounds a bit aggressive.

"Sorry! Sorry! Fat Gum told me to check on you." Red Riot said moving his hands anxiously.

"Well Fat Gum should let you leave me alone!"

He sighs and shakes his head. He is wearing his school uniform and it makes him look a little less intimidating.

"I lied. I wanted to check on you. It is my fault." he says.

"What do you want from me, Red Riot?"you ask, crossing your arms and staring him with as much determination as you can. Wich is not much.

"Please, call me Eijirou or Kirishima. I... I really want to be friends with you. But... but I also don't want to look like a stalker."

"Well, you are not having much success." you reply.

"How about an Ice cream?"

You get surpsrized by the invite and can't help but noding in agreement. It is a hot day after all. After a while you are both sitting in front of the Ice cream shop having some icream cones.

"I like pistache, but I guess strawberry will always be my favorite Ice cream flavor. It reminds me of my childhood." you are listening to him blab about ice cream flavors for a while now. "I don't mind chocolate, too. It is the top choice among my friends. Except for Bakugo, that creep likes even his ice cream spicy."

You stare at him in silence while eating your vanilla ice cream. He seems unconfortable with it, so he continues to blab about his friends' favorite ice cream flavor.

"Mina likes anything that is pink like her, so she likes strawberry too. But I think it is just because of the color... I can't eat anything grape related anymore because it reminds me of Mineta."

You are actually interested in what he is saying, but you can't bring yourself to answer. Mainly because you don't have friends unlike him.

"Yao-momo is lucky. She can eat as much ice cream as she wants, it becomes energy for her quirk. I have to be careful, this body can only take so much carbs before I have to do some heavy exercising." He hits his own belly and you can hear it make a rock-like sound.

The image of his well defined abs comes back to your mind with your quirk fully activated and you turn bright red. You remember the exact moment he took you in his arms and you coul feel how jacked that guy actually was. You gag with your ice cream and Kirishima starts giving you small slaps in the back to help you.

"So... is vanilla your favorite flavor?" He asks after you stop coffing.

"It is not." you reply. "Smells and flavors bring back memories. I try to avoid things I like too much."

"What do you mean?" Kirishima asks throwing the last piece of the cone in his mouth.

You remain in silence a while but then sigh and decide there is no reason not to tell him.

"Everytime I remember something it is like living that again."

"Wow! That is an awesome quirk!! Imagine re living all of the best moments of your life as much as you want!" he smiles, all excited, as if he was picturing many nice things in his head.

You smile at the sight of him. He is such a bright boy, with a happy energy. It makes you feel good when around him. But, then, you put your head down and sigh.

"The good memories are the saddest ones." you say, and stand up, bowing to him. "Thank you for the ice cream, Kirishima. Nice work for you today."

You turn around to leave, but he holds you by the wrist.

"I will come tomorrow, too." he says, his expression is serious and firm.

You feel like telling him to leave you alone. But it is not what you actually want. You smile at him and nod. You can feel your whole body warm up when he opens the most beautiful sharp teethed smile, so satisfied.

As he lets you go and you go back to your appartment. Each step you take, you remember a bit of him telling you things about him and his friends.

You pass out on your coach as soon as you arrive. It is the first time in a long time that you have a wonderful nap.

Next part here: