#is it organized? ehh. but everyone has been so nice and I had a good sales day!

[emmaspolaroid]

GOOD CON DAY I AM VERY TORED BUT LOOK AT MY TABLE

[jinx-jade]

When A mother’s & A father’s world’s collide Chapter 2: Meeting Damian, Marinette’s pov

Marinette is unsure how she came to take care of and raise Damian.

When she had first met him, he was no more than a few months old.

Marinette had been doing her routine, destroying the League of Assassins’ world domination plans when she heard a baby cry. Moving quickly through the shadows, Marinette arrived at the room that seemed to be the source of the crying.

Slowly, Marinette entered the room, cautious of any possible attackers. Once she saw that the only person in the room besides herself was the baby she made her way to the decorative crib. This was too nice of a room for a common assassin’s child, most likely this was a high-ranking member of the league’s heir. She was unsure as to who this child was but figured that was a problem for another time.

 Marinette picked the fussing infant up from their bed, cradling them close to her chest in hopes of calming the baby. It took the child a full thirty minutes to calm down, having finally run out of tears. Despite the little one’s cries no one came to check on them, but then again, this was the League of Assassins, teaching a child that crying won’t get them anywhere isn’t even in the basics due to them believing good assassins will already know this as a natural response to how they are raised. 

Once the baby seemed to have calmed down they looked around a bit before making eye contact with her. Marinette is aware that she has always liked taking care of small children. That’s why she used to babysit when she was a normal civilian. For some reason, this felt different for her. The little one isn’t just some random small infant.

For whatever reason, fate has decided this baby will be someone important to her, the same way she felt Dick was when she met him in a random alleyway.

When the baby caught sight of her eyes they simply stared at them in what she could only describe as awe. At that moment she couldn’t help the soft smile that fell onto her features, her guard falling ever so slightly.

Marinette knows that her eyes are unusual, they’ve been so ever since she was twelve and had taken the mantle of Grand Guardian. The blue of her eyes is too bright and colorful to ever appear normal. Her pupils can shift from large and round like an innocent doe to narrow and sharp like a predator stalking its prey.

When her eyes had first changed to this unnatural form, she couldn’t help but hate them. To her, she looked inhuman, and with her abilities, she might as well be. The only reason Marinette can think of that she’s not classified as inhuman is her mortality. Being able to die like everyone else was the only thing keeping her human.

Marinette couldn’t seem to feel the effects of knowing what she is and hating herself for not having a normal life while she held this little one in her arms. The feeling once again of something she could only compare to her little bluebird.

She looked into the infant’s emerald green eyes, at this exact moment in time, she felt fully human, just like how she feels every time Dick comes to visit her in the temple in the middle of nowhere.

She could only imagine that her eyes must be soft and round, her shades of blue swirling around in a calming effect. Both she and the child stayed like this, silently staring at each other in wonder.

This small moment distracted her till she heard two sets of practically silent steps. If it weren’t for her animal-like hearing she might have been caught.

Marinette continued to hold the baby till they fell asleep, then gently placing them back into their crib before leaving the league’s hideout, fading back into the shadows just before the door of the baby’s room opened. 

Marinette appeared from the shadows in the kitchen of her temple.

“What… How? … you… shadows?” Dick asks, confused by her appearance, making Marinette giggle.

“You have a little bluebird that can send you halfway across the world on a whim, but chose to question Shadow walking?” Marinette asks through her laughter.

“Magic is weird,” Dick claims while shrugging his shoulders, taking a seat on the kitchen counter while snacking on some cookies.

“You know, I was starting to think you never left the temple.”He states.

“Ehh. I mainly leave the temple when underground organizations try to achieve world domination, so I have to interrupt their planning.” Marinette informs him casually.

“What!” Dick stares at her as if she said something strange.

“Happens more than you think.” Marinette states with a shrug.

“Aren’t you a vigilante? I pretty much do the same thing you do but with lesser-known and more dangerous people and groups.” Marinette explains.

“I didn’t know that!” Dick claimed worriedly, making Marinette giggle once again.

“Honestly some of the times I visit organizations are just weird interactions and no actual world or universe threatening thing,” Marinette informs Dick in an attempt to calm him.

“Ok. Then what did you do today.” Dick asked curiously.

“A little bit of both? I stopped an assassination plot to off some world powers. I also calmed down a crying baby.” Marinette says grabbing a cookie for herself.

“You ruined an assassination plot then calmed down a baby?” Dick looked at her strangely once again.

“Yeah. Don’t question it. There was just a baby, maybe a few months old so I picked them up and held them till they stopped crying. I could probably bring the kid here from time to time so they can get some actual attention that’s needed for social bonds to form.” Marinette thought out loud.

“Uhm… I’m pretty sure that’s called kidnapping.” Dick claims.

“And I’m pretty sure that I kidnap you from your guardians,” Marinette argues.

“... That… is a valid point,” Dick shrugs. “Can we go on a walk through the village?” he asks, jumping off the counter excitedly.

tag list: @eggadoodle @rosalineandrosemary

[negandarylsatisfaction]

[SUMMARY: Negans wives become jealous after he begins to like the new woman who has joined the sanctuary. Taking advantage of her innocence and English not being her main language, the girls plot against her, making Negan go back on one of his own rules.]

Got Negan speaking some spanish.

Smut

Negan and Valentina. PART ONE

"My oh my..." Negan squinted his eyes at the sight of you across the room from him. Not paying attention to who was watching you, you continued organizing cans of fruit as you were told to do that day.

"Is that the new chick you bought here this morning?" Negan looked over at Simon beside him.

"Yeah, I put her on supply duty. Her english isnt so good but she moves quick."

Negan looked back at you, your caramel complexion and long wavy hair catching his attention.

"And why the hell have I not been introduced to her?" Negan responded with a raised brow.

"You're the one who said not to bother you if I found people I felt could fit in here. Trust my judgement, dont you?" Simon asked Negan noticing he wouldnt take his eyes off you.

"Of course I do. I also trust you to tell me when a fine piece of ass joins us, she might want to join the others," he explained referring to his wives. His response causing Simon to shake his head.

"Ehh...shes a little different from the other ones buddy. That's why I didnt mention her."

"Different? How?" Negan asked with interest as he turned to Simon.

"Shes a quiet one."

"The quietest ones are the freakiest," Negan grinned as he chewed on a toothpick.

"What's her name?"

"Valentina," Simon answered crossing his arms. Negan slid the toothpick around his mouth with his tongue before pulling it out and flicking it to the side.

"I'll be right back," Simon watched as Negan made his way to you knowing exactly what he would try to do.

"Excuse me, Miss Valentina is it?" Negan spoke in a charming voice as you continued organizing the cans straight in a box.

"Shit, I dont think I've been properly introduced to you. I do run this place so I should know everyone here, shouldn't I?" Immeditaly you stopped what you were doing and looked up at him with a look of embarrassment.

"I did not know this was your place. My apologies." Negan frowned at you not expecting your politeness or being so attracted to the sound of your accent.

"No need for an apology, darling. Im Negan and it is my upmost pleasure to meet you." Negan spoke charismatically as he slowly checked out what was before him from head to toe. The look of innocence pulled Negan more towards you. Smiling at him you shyly crossed your arms not knowing what else to say.

"How about I give you a tour of my Sanctuary."

"A tour?" You answered with a puzzled expression.

"What's that?" You asked, not knowing too much English there was many words you did not understand.

"A tour, when someone shows you around. Shit, I'll be your personal host. What do you say, honey?"

"Oh, I guess. Yes." Your response exciting Negan.

Negan showed you the men at work, he showed you where everyone got together to eat and then he left his wives for last. He led you into a room with four women. Slightly confused by how they were dressed and how their faces changed when they saw Negan, you did not say a word.

"Dont be shy, sweetheart." Feeling his hand on your lower back as he gently pushed you close inside you smiled nervously.

"These women here are my dear, dear wives." Negan looked back at you to see your reaction. With a frown you looked at each of them as they stared back at you.

"Wives? All of them? I dont understand."

"Mmmhm." Negan bit his bottom lip with a smile.

"These women get special access to many things here at the Sanctuary and all they have to do is be my wife."

Negan explaining to you the rule did not notice the way one of his wives Sara, was looking at you. Right away you began to feel uncomfortable that this man had all these women, you were not sure if he was trying to come on to you with the offer.

"That is um....very nice-" you struggled to find the right words as you took a step back.

"I should get back to my work," Negan fully turned to you with your response.

"See that's the best part," he spoke in a matter of fact tone.

"As my wife you dont have to do any of that work, sweetheart." Standing still, you observed the way he looked at you. Clearly, he was attracted to you.

"In my country...we work for our needs. We work hard...nothing is for free."

"Hm," Negan responded as he looked down at you. He respected your way of thinking, if anything it made him more interested.

"I cant argue with that, darling." Negan winked at you as he stood beside you. The women watched the way he placed his hand on your lower back once again as he led you out of the room. You were the first woman to deny Negans offer but they saw the way he looked at you. They could tell he liked you and they didnt want to share Negan with anyone else.

The next few days you continued to work with the supplies as you had planned. Negan watched as you helped around with the kids, he thought you were a very sweet woman. He thought you had a softer touch than the others. Today you took a different task and helped with the cooking, you didnt notice how much Negan had his eyes on you. The man was captivated by your beauty. As you cut up the vegetables in the kitchen, Negan quietly entered. Humming to yourself, he entered the room and took it upon himself to stand beside you.

"Mind if I keep you company, sweetheart?"

"If that's what you like," your accent making him smirk. Negan leaned against the counter with his arms crossed, an amused expression on his face.

"What?" You looked up at him confused.

"Nothing...its just the way you speak."

His response making you frown, you weren't sure to be offended or not.

"What's wrong with the way I speak?"

Negan chuckled as he stepped closer to you.

"Oh...absolutely, nothing. I actually find it kind of..sexy." He answered with a grin making you look away shyly.

"I know men like you." Negan frowned as you responded with a soft voice.

"Men like me? What's that suppose to mean?"

"Que se-" you cut yourself off not meaning to respond in spanish.

"I mean-"

"Woah woah woah. What was that?" Negan leaned in closer to you.

"Were you about to just tell me off in Spanish?" He asked with half a smile, he couldn't deny it. The sound of you losing your patience in your first language aroused him.

"Please....go on," Negan teased.

"What I was going to say..was that-"

"In spanish, Valentina," the sound in his voice sounding like an order.

"Te gusta coquetear. You like to flirt...you chase after many women...womanizer."

"Mmmmm..." Negan bit his bottom lip and shook his body liking the sound of you talking in your language before he took another step closer.

"Well just for your information, Valentina. I dont chase after women, I flirt. But I cant help when a woman catches my eye like no other has..." His husky voice making you look up at him staring directly down at you.

"And I have to admit, you've really caught my eye." You could feel your cheeks begin to blush before turning away shyly.

"I better finish cooking." Nervously you responded continuing to chop up the vegetables as Negan remained beside you. Feeling his eyes heavily on you, you began to cut faster when suddenly you sliced your finger.

"Ow!" Negan turned serious at the sound of your scream.

"Shit." He instantly took hold of your hand taking a close look at your cut.

"I'm fine, I just-"

"Come here." Negan took you by your wrist to the table and sat you down across from him.

"Its nothing, Negan-"

"You cut yourself pretty fucking deep." Negan pulled out a small bottle of whiskey from his pocket and opened it with his mouth before quickly pouring some on your wound. You gasped trying to pull your hand back but he held you tightly.

"Easy, honey." Negan blew lightly on your wound as he looked at you and relieved the burning sensation.

"Better? Or am I going to get told off again in spanish?" Negan teased making you playfully scowl at him.

"Let me see this." Negan grabbed a cloth and patted it dry. Quietly you watched how gently he moved, how softly he touched your fingers. You had to admit, you were surprised to see a man like him move so lightly with his hands. He seemed so concerned with your wound. Sara, one of his wives unexpectedly walked in catching your hand in his as he treated you. Quickly you pulled away and stood up noticing the irritated look in her eyes.

"Sara, you need something?" Negan turned to her as she changed the expression on her face.

"No, we were just looking for you. All of us have been looking for you." Sara responded as you turned away wrapping your finger in a bandage.

"Alright. I'll be right there. You can go." Sara not liking his response turned and left the room as Negan stood up and walked towards you.

"You always carry a bottle of that stuff on you?" You asked with your back to him.

"Some times, never know when a pretty lady might accidentally wound herself." He teased making you laugh.

"I'm not so bad after all, am I?" His voice made you smile as you tied your finger up.

"You're still a womanizer," you responded playfully.

"Till one catches my eye." Negans tone wasnt as playful as yours, he meant what he said. Not knowing what to respond to that you changed the subject.

"Well thank you, even though it burned," you laughed as he stood behind you.

"I would've finished taking care of it if you didnt get up and run away so fast."

"Its okay, you're a busy man. Your wives are waiting."

"Let them wait." Negan responded not knowing Sara was hearing eveything behind the door. Never had Negan neglected his time with his wives before and they did not like this.

"I got it. Let me finish cooking, I'll see you around." You turned to him with a smile before continuing to make dinner.

Sara had already been complaining to the other women on how much attention Negan had been giving you. Not realizing just how much these women were growing to despise you, you went about your days not thinking of them. Negan on the other hand bought a smile to your lips everytime he came to mind. Everyday he took time out of his day to have some conversation with you. You would always catch him staring at you from afar, it made your heart flutter. He respected the fact that you didnt want to be one of his wives, that you werent like the others but that's what seemed to make him like you more. A couple days later you found yourself back on supply duty. Negan stood by the door as you marked off the number of each item on your clipboard.

"Everything going good?" The sound of his voice instantly make your heart skip a beat. Turning to him with a sweet smile he walked towards you.

"Yes, everything is great."

"Let me take a look at what you've got going on here." Negan stood right behind you looking over your shoulder as he read over what you had written down. The feel of his body so close behind you made your breathing begin to grow unsteady.

"Shit, this looks about right." He murmured behind you. Negan took a peak at the sight of your cleavage watching your chest rise and fall quickly, he could tell you were nervous with him standing so close.

"So, is good?" You questioned him before swallowing nervously.

"Valentina, tell me...how do I say 'very good' in spanish?" He asked close to you.

"Um..its muy bien," Negan licked his lips at the sound of your voice.

"Muy bien," Negans deep voice sent shivers down your spine, you had to admit he sounded smooth.

"Did that sound good?" He asked slowly, it was hard not to show how much you liked it.

"Mhm," Negan grinned behind you hearing the nervous excitement in your tone.

"How about..beautiful?" You suddenly felt Negans hand gently take hold of your waist making you softly gasp.

"Negan.."

"Say it." Taking a deep breath you hesitantly responded.

"Hermosa."

"Hermosa," he whispered behind your ear seductively, you could tell he was trying to turn you on and it was working until you remembered his wives.

"Negan-" you spoke breathlessly finally turning to face him.

"What are you doing? You know how I feel-"

"No I dont. Tell me again," his eyes were intense, he was turned on just as much, if not more than you were. His hands pulled you close against him as you looked up at him hesitantly.

"I'm not one of your wives...that's not who I am..we cant..-" you spoke but your eyes did not follow. He could tell how weak you were, how close you were to giving in to him. He leaned his forehead on yours, making you feel his breath touch your lips.

"Negan....I dont like being with someone who has...who has others."

"I havent touched them since we met," Negan spoke hoarsley. And it was true, the man couldnt bring himself to be sexually aroused by them with how much he thought of you since he met you. You found it hard to believe but it was true. Finally you both closed your eyes and let each others lips press against each other. Negan groaned with his mouth on yours, for so long he had been wanting to taste you. Not as one of his wives, not as just another woman he wanted but a woman he longed for. His lips trailed down the side of your jaw onto your neck as he sucked on it making you moan. Lost in the passion neither of you heard someone enter the room, that someone being Sara.

"Negan," her demanding voice making you jump back turning away from him as you fixed your hair.

"God dammit, what did I tell you about interrupting me?" He yelled at her in frustration.

"I'm sorry, I'll go." Embarrassed and angry, not expecting him to react this way, she left the room as Negan followed to where you moved.

"Now...where were we?" He pulled you against him making you put your hand to his chest to stop him.

"Negan no, I'm sorry. Those girls dont like me-"

"You think I give a shit?"

"Its not just that, I dont do this like this. I'm not one of them." You struggled to explain to the best of your ability in english. Negan felt frustration run through him, so turned on he could burst knowing he was so close to having you. So close until someone barged in and interrupted the moment. Negans breathing was heavy, you could tell how much he wanted you.

"Dont let her ruin what was happening between us."

"Its not her-"

"Then what the fuck is it?!" He suddenly yelled making you back away.

"You dont yell at me! Quien crees que eres!?" Negan raised his brows, a sudden smirk slowly forming on his face.

"So that's what it takes for you to talk to me like that huh? And what exactly did you just say?" Negan stepped closer as you crossed your arms holding the clipboard against you.

"Not that it matters because either way you sound so sexy..." Negan couldnt hide his arrogant and flirtatious side.

"Who do you think you are?" You repeated so he could understand.

"Thinking because you are the leader of this place you can yell at me or fuck me when you want-"

"Oh baby, talking dirty to me now?" Negan was amused by your reaction, his response only irritating you more.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry." Negan finally gave in, as much as he liked the sound of you speaking in Spanish, he didnt like you being angry with him. As this whole time, you had never become angry with him.

"But if you must know, that's not the way I think, doll. I actually fucking like you." He admitted making you blush.

"Do I wanna fuck you? Of course I do, cant you see how fucking hard you have me? I can't lie about that but, I also fucking like you. Do you see me making any god damn time for my wives? Why do you think they constantly come looking for me when I'm with you?" Negan had a point, either way at that moment you didnt want to speak about it any longer.

"I think I should continue with my work, I'll talk to you later." Turning your back to him you continued to count over the items, Negan walked out in frustration cursing at himself.

Sara angrily ran to the other women and told them what she had just witnessed.

"So that's why hes barely been with us this past month, hes been with that broad," one wife complained.

"Hes never done this before when other women arrived, what makes that chick so special?" Another complained with frustration.

"I dont know but we've got to think of something to get rid of her. She needs to go." Sara responded when suddenly Negan pushed the door open.

"Sara, can I see you for a moment." Negan called out for her making her smile, not realizing Negan was in anything but a good mood.

"Yes, Negan," she responded happily as she closed the door behind her and faced him.

"Do me a favor dont fucking look for me unless I look for you. Dont ask of me, dont call for me, forget I'm fucking here. Understood?"

Sara's jaw dropped not expecting him to ever act this way with her.

"Y-yes. Sure." Angrily he walked off, only confirming the thought in her head that you indeed had to go.

Sara and the women had planned on introducing themselves to you, as they had never spoken to you themselves. As you finished organizing the supply room and locked the door shut you turned to find Negans wives standing outside the door.

"Um hi," nervously you smiled at them as you felt strongly that they disliked you.

"Hi, Valentina right?"

"Yes."

"My name is Sara, this is Susan, Sherry and Lisa."

"Hi, its very nice to meet you." You werent able to look Sara in the eye knowing she had just seen you and Negan together...kissing.

"I know, we havent really met..but why not right?" All the girls laughed simultaneously as you smiled awkwardly.

"We wanted to ask if you'd like to join us for dinner?"

"I-um sure," being completely caught off guard you weren't sure what to say. The girls happily walked with you to the kitchen and you sat with them quietly.

"Look Sara, about what you saw-"

"What about it?" Sara responded playfully.

"We've all been there with him, now it's your turn. Dont feel bad." She laughed as you felt a kick to your gut. You knew Negan had many wives and fooled around with everyone but you still didnt like hearing it.

"He did that with all of us, whenever one of us were new, we were his main priority for a certain time." She lied through her teeth, she knew none of them ever got personal treatment this way. She saw the disappointment in your eyes.

"Oh. I understand." Your expression quickly changing, the girls could tell you liked Negan and was hurt by what you heard.

Their plan of pretending to be nice to you to gain trust was working, the things they told you of Negan made you never want to speak to him. You felt like a fool falling for his words, how could you be so dumb? The man had so many wives and you for some reason thought you were special? Walking outside with them after dinner instantly caught Negans attention. He frowned and squinted his eyes from where he was watching you speak to his wives. Negan had a funny feeling about this and didnt like the sight of it.

"Oh shit, hes coming," you heard one of the girls whisper when Negan suddenly showed up before all of you, his eyes directly on you.

"Ladies."

"Hi, Negan," they all spoke together while you stayed silent making him step up to you.

"I dont get a hello, Valentina?"

"Negan," you muttered low making him look at the other women strangely.

"Valentina....I'd like to have a talk with you. Alone."

"I'd rather not."

"I didnt ask," he shot back making you look up at him. Looking back at his wives as Negan walked ahead, you could tell they were annoyed but, what could you do. Quietly you followed Negan far from where his wives stood before he turned to you with a very serious look.

"I dont want you talking to them."

"Why not?"

"Cause I said so. I dont trust it," you scoffed rolling your eyes.

"What dont you trust? That they're making me see you for who you really are?"

Negan frowned stairing down at you, his eyes looking directly into yours.

"What are they telling you about me?" He spoke low leaning his face close to yours.

Before you could respond Sara suddenly appeared besides both of you.

"Negan I have to tell you something."

"God dammit Sara, havent you learned-"

"I'm pregnant," you gasped at her words. A heart sinking feeling as you felt a knot in your throat. Sara was desperate to push you away in any way she could.

"Excuse me?" Negan looked at her puzzled as he walked towards her slowly.

"I-I should go." You began to walk away before Negan reached back and grabbed your arm without turning back to you.

"No Valentina. Stay right here. Now, what the fuck did you say, Sara?"

"I'm- I'm pregnant, Negan."

"Bullshit," he responded coldly.

"What the fuck do you think you're trying to do?" He spoke with a low angry voice, he knew exactly what Sara was up to and he wasnt going to let it happen.

"Its true, I am."

"I havent touched you in over a month."

"Did you forget that time in the supply closet?" She asked with wicked eyes, you looked away in shock, feeling disgust.

"Oh you want to play that fucking game with me?" Negan yelled at Sara charging towards her as she stared up at him boldly.

"Go back to the fucking room. Get the hell out of my face." Sara looked over at you in disapproval before storming off back inside. Negan turned back to find you with glossy eyes, he could tell you were attempting to hold back tears.

"Valentina-"

"I should've known. I knew you was a womanizer, a man with many-many wives." You struggled to express yourself properly.

"Val, shes lying. I havent touched her since I met you. I didnt want to."

"My name is Valentina," you snapped at him with your accent emphasizing on your name.

"And it doesnt matter, we are not you know...um a couple or whatever-"

"We can be."

"I dont want to be one of your wives!"

"I dont want you as one of them god dammit, I dont even want them!" Negan yelled making you silent. You didnt know what to believe with everything they had told you.

"I just want to go to my room." You responded in a calm manner as you looked away.

"Then go," Negan walked off angrily that you wouldnt believe him, angry that he ever lived the way he did at all. Quietly you went off to your room just wanting to cool off. Negan headed to where the wives were to discipline them and happened to walk into the hallway hearing them talk their next plan out.

"We have to get rid of her, hes not giving up on her and shes-"

"Shes not going to leave, she has nowhere to go, " Sherry responded.

"And Negan sure as hell wont make her leave. We're stuck with her."

"Unless......unless we do something to her." Sara suggested as Negan over heard with a straight face.

"What do you mean do something to her? Like hurt her?" Susan asked in excitement.

"Yeah, I mean, Negan wont know. He can just think it's an accident." Negan pressed his lips together angrily at the thought of anyone hurting you.

"What do you girls say?" Sara asked looking at all of them eager for a response. It didnt take long for them all to agree. Negan had a rule to never hurt women, but hearing them even think of hurting you made him want to bend some rules.

"We'll just get her one day while Negans out of the sanctuary. Trick her into being alone with us-" The women suddenly gasped at the sound of Negan entering the room.

"Negan, we weren't expecting you," Sara laughed nervously hoping he hadn't heard anything.

"Oh, I know that," Negan responded sarcastically as he stood before them.

"I needed to have a talk with you ladies. Now you ladies know what one of my number one rules are, dont you?"

"Yeah, to not do any harm to women." Lisa responded confidently.

"Exactly, now what are some things I hate?" Negan stepped closer in a very slow manner.

"Lies," responded one wife.

"Being crossed," responded another as Negan slowly pulled out his gun.

"Exactly! Now do you ladies know what this is?" They watched as he placed a silencer on his gun before pointing it at a random space.

"Is that a-" before Sherry could finish he pointed the gun at Lisa and shot her dead making all of them scream.

"So I heard from a little bird that you guys had a plan." Negan pointed again and shot Sherry.

"Shit-" Sara muttered in fear in shock at the cold blooded action Negan was taking.

Quietly you sat on your bed not being able to stop thinking about Negan. Were you actually starting to have feelings for this man? Maybe you should've let him really express himself to you, you knew those women didnt like you after all. With a sigh you stood up and decided to go find Negan and really have a one on one conversation with him.

Negan had by now shot down everyone besides Sara, terrified she put her hands up as Negan walked towards her.

"You thought you could cross me and get away with it?" Negan smirked as she shook her head.

"I...I apologize. I p-p-promise I wont-"

"A little to late for that dont you think?"

Walking towards the main room you could see the door cracked so you knew he was in there. Just as you reached the door you slowly opened it to a sight you would never forget.

"Ne-" you gasped just as Negan pulled the trigger and shot Sara through the head. You let out a scream covering your mouth in shock, Negan turned to you as you observed what was before you.

"Valentina," the look of complete terror in your eyes you couldnt believe what you saw. Visibly shaking, your eyes fell on him then back to his gun still in his hand. Quickly putting it away he took a step forward making you scream taking a step back. Negan could tell he had just instilled fear into you, fear of him.

"Valentina, sweetheart.. I can explain."

Not saying a word as you struggled to breathe you slowly took another step back before making a quick run for it.

"Valentina!" Negan yelled running after you catching you from behind in the middle of the hallway. You screamed as he covered your mouth and held you against him not letting you go.

"I'm not gonna hurt you!" He yelled as you cried trying to get away from him before he pulled you down on the floor against him.

"Shh, listen to me," his hand still over your mouth as he held your arms down around you.

"I had to do it," Negan whispered in your ear out of breath. He could feel you trembling against him, he hated knowing he made you feel this way.

"You think I wanted to do that? You know I dont hurt women but...those women wanted to hurt you. And I wasnt going to fucking allow that." You cried trying to push his hands away, you didnt believe him.

"I know you're scared but you have to trust me dammit!" Negan having more strength than you exhausted you, finally you gave up out of breath against him. Feeling you relax in his arms he slowly dropped his hand away from your mouth. Hesitantly you looked back at him in a way you had never looked at him before.

"No.. don't do that." He whispered looking down at you.

"Dont look at me like I'm a damn monster," you couldnt help noticing the blood splatter on the bottom side of Negans face before looking back into his eyes.

"You killed those women..." you spoke in a shaky voice.

"You werent suppose to see that."

Shaking your head in disbelief you kept picturing all four of their bodies laying dead on the floor. You couldnt believe the same man so gentle with your wound could do so much damage. You had no idea the kinds of things Negan had done.

"No....I-this isnt right.." you slowly began to push yourself away before quickly standing up and rushing off. Just wanting to get away from him you ran into a random room not realizing it was his bedroom. Before you could rush back out Negan entered and locked the door behind him.

"Now you're gonna hear me."

"Negan, please I want to go. Please." You began to cry as he walked towards you with deeply knitted brows.

"You think I'm gonna hurt you?" You couldnt look him in the eye as he stood inches away from you.

"Those women wanted you dead which is why they're dead and you think I'd fucking hurt you?" Slowly blinking through your tears you looked up at him hesitantly.

"Dead?" You whispered confused.

"Yes they wanted you dead and they were going to hurt you the next time I wasnt around and I would've killed them then too." Looking down you noticed the view of his gun, instantly making you uncomfortable. Negan followed your eyes and could tell it made you feel unsafe.

"You want me to put it away, then will you fucking listen to me?"

Without you saying a word he slowly pulled it out of his pocket and hid it in a drawer beside him.

"Why?" You suddenly asked looking up at him innocently.

"Why what?"

"Why for me...you do this? I dont understand I-"

"I thought I made myself clear about that, sweetheart." Negan slowly stepped closer to you not wanting to frighten you.

"I cant help when a woman catches my eye and I haven't had a woman catch my eye in a long fucking time."

Got cut off with this post, I'll post part 2 in a bit!

[weebtarurights]

Sakyo Furuichi SSR ( Have a Pleasant Journey )

Read full translation under the cut!  

Story Title: "Nostalgic Children's Park" 

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ PART 1˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Kumon: We're home-- Taichi: We're home! Izumi: Welcome back. Thank you for shopping, both of you. Taichi: Oh, by the way, Director-sensei! We found this on our way back from shopping! Muku: Is it.....an amusement park? Taichi: Yup! It's a simple mobile amusement park for children! They're stationed right in front of Veludo Station! Kumon: Everything is so small and soooo cute! Izumi: Heh, I didn't know about that. Muku: An amusement park in the city...It's almost like a movie set. Homare: Hmm, It is indeed a scene that truly invites poetry. Maybe I should stop by and go for a little walk. Kumon: It seems like they'll be doing it for a while. We were carrying groceries today, but I really wanna see it again~ Sakuya: Wow...! There are so many spots to play at. It's going to be fun for children! Taichi: That mini-train is super cute, isn't it? Kumon: Yup! Yup! The children who were riding the train were also cute! It's like we have attained world peace Sakyo: Mini train? Izumi: Sakyo-san? Kumon: Sakyo-san, are you interested in it too? Taichi: They have it!  There's a small rail within the small fence... Ahhh I should've taken a picture! Muku: Perhaps... Sakyo-san wants to ride it? Kumon: Ehh, is that so!? Taichi: It sounds like a fairytale coming from Sakyo-nii. Sakyo: Shut up. No way I'd want to ride it. ....... Izumi: ( Sakyo-san, I wonder what he's thinking about.....) --- 

Izumi: ( I have to go shopping soon...) ( I need someone to help me but it seems like everyone else is already outside....) Ah, Sakyo-san! Thank goodness you're here. Are you free right now? Sakyo: What is it? Izumi: If you're free, can you help me with shopping? I have the worst timing. There's no else around now. Sakyo: Yeah, I don't mind. Are you buying a lot? Izumi: No! I'm planning to buy in small quantities but I'd like to get some help. Sakyo: I see. Then... it's a little far off but there is a place I want to stop by on our way back. Izumi: ....?

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ PART 2˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Izumi: So the place you wanted to stop by is.....here? Sakyo: .....Yeah. Izumi: Umm.....Can I ask why you want to come here? Don't tell me, you really want to ride that small train..? Sakyo: That's not it. You're saying that too? Izumi: Ri-right... Sakyo: I used to work here a long time ago. Izumi: Eh...? Sakyo: It was not long after I joined Ginsenkai. ....... I didn’t even have the right to refuse. I had no choice but to hear out what kind of job it was.  I was asked to be a mini train driver. At that time, I was wondering why I had to do this kind of work. There could have been other guys who can do it. They could have hired another part-timer for it. In the first place, If someone like me is sitting in the driver's seat, the children won't be able to enjoy it either. Then the guy who was in charge of the mini train told me, "It's the kind of job that even a tough-looking guy like you can do," he said. "I'll make the announcement myself so you can do it without having to smile." He laughed. I was dissatisfied that time, wondering if it was the only reason they entrusted the job to me.... "That's not all," the man said. "I think you are unexpectedly suitable for this job."

To tell the truth, I was wondering what kind of qualities he saw in me. At the same time, for me who just entered, to be entrusted to do such a job, a small sense of responsibility sprouted within me.

After that, that person and I continued to ride the mini train with the children until the end of the holding period---.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ PART 3˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Izumi: I didn't know Sakyo-san had that kind of story too... Sakyo: That time, it was a part-time job so I only forced myself to do it. But when I gave it a try and saw the children laughing happily, I thought, a person like me could make other people smile too.

Choice 1: "It's the same as Sakyo-san now" Izumi: It's the same as Sakyo-san now. I think Sakyo-san's acting makes people smile. Moreover, everyone in Mankai Company loves Sakyo-san. Sakyo: I wonder. Izumi: Yes. There's no doubt about it.   It's coming from me, the general director. Sakyo: ....Hmp. Izumi: (Sakyo-san, are you being shy? )

Choice 2: " You might be a good fit to play with children" Izumi: You might be a good fit to play with children.... Sakyo: With this kind of face? Play with children? Don't be silly. Izumi: But Sakyo-san is surprisingly caring and somehow, you're gentle.... Sakyo: Is that some kind of joke? Izumi: No way. I'm serious. Sakyo: ...Whatever. Stop it. The story I told you just now, don't let the other guys know about it. It will be troublesome if those guys found out. Izumi: Fufu, I got it.

Sakyo: I haven't been organizing this children's park as much now but when I heard Nanao's story, I wondered if they reopened it without my knowledge. But coming here, it seems like it's not being sponsored by Ginsenkai anymore. Izumi: That's probably why. Sakyo: Still....The sight of children innocently laughing and  running around is no different from what it used to be. Izumi: ( ....This sight must've been memorable for Sakyo-san.)

Saejima: Oh? You over there...Are you perhaps, Furuichi? Sakyo: ...! Saejima....!? Saejima: I knew it was you! Long time no see! Izumi: Is he an acquaintance? Sakyo: Yeah.... He was in charge of the mini train when I was working as a part-timer here. Izumi: ( This person....) Sakyo: But what are you doing here....? Saejima: Nothing big has happened since then. I'm still in charge of the mini train. The management changed but nothing much changed. Sakyo: ....I see. Saejima: That's right. Would you like to drive it? Sakyo: I refuse. That's way too sudden. Saejima: Why not? You'll have lots of fun riding it! Sakyo: If the children see that I will be the one driving, they'll all run away. There's no way a yakuza like me can become a driver. Saejima: Is that so? You've pretty much driven it around the past though. I don't think you have changed that much since then. Sakyo: ..... Izumi: Isn't it nice? An opportunity like this doesn't come often. I'll watch over the groceries so please, come on board! Sakyo: ....You. Izumi: I'd like to see Sakyo-san drive a mini-train too. Saejima: See? Come on, Furuichi! The kids are waiting! Sakyo: .....Sigh.

Taichi: Ah, we finally made it~. Kumon: There are more people here today than there were yesterday! Taichi:  Ku-chan, thanks for coming with me! Kumon: Don't mind! I wanted to come here too! Taichi: I'll definitely take pictures today! Kumon: Yup, yup! Let's show it to everyone! Taichi: Let's check out the mini train first! Kumon: If I remember correctly, it's over there! Let's go!

Taichi: Found it! It's the mini train! I'm gonna send a picture to Sakyo-nii immediately.... Kumon:.....Huh? Isn't that Sakyo-san? Taichi: Eh? Why is Sakyo-nii driving the mini train? Kumon: I wonder....? Taichi: It strangely suits him.... Kumon: T-that's it! Taichi-san, Take a picture! Taichi: I-I'm on it! This picture is definitely going to be a big scoop! Kumon: It's crazy! Send it to everyone's LIME!

Sakyo: ....! Nanao and Hyodo Jr. ... Just when did they arrive here? Taichi: I wonder how everyone will react when they see it!? Kumon: I'm excited~! Sakyo: Tch..... You better watch your backs later.

[nose-bandaid]

n.i.t.e.

hi 👉👈 may i please request reader&wooseok + wooseok giving reader guitar lessons or maybe writing a song together? i love the idea of quiet nights in the studio, just being creative together and enjoying each other's company... it sounds really nice 😔

Wooseok x (gender neutral) Reader fluff | 1.7k words

synopsis: nights like these, where it was just the two of you chilling, making music together — you found them most enjoyable.

a/n: BAM another request done. for you anon !!! i hope you enjoy, this was very fun to write :D

=====

"Home at last," Wooseok sighed as he punched in the pin to his studio and pushed the door open. Trailing behind him, you looked around at the familiar room and quirked an eyebrow.

"You call this your home now? Not the dorms?"

He shrugged. "I practically live here, so it might as well be. But you know," He gently kicked the leg of the couch nearby. "I got my bed right here." He then lazily gestured to the setup of all the music equipment you could possibly imagine. "Entertainment right there," Lastly, he turned around and placed a heavy hand on the top of your head, his other hand reaching down to tug the bag of snacks out of your grasp. "And my kitchen right here!"

"You calling me a kitchen?" You retorted in mock offence.

Your boyfriend ignored the comment. "I'd say this is a pretty good home! So come in, come in, welcome to my humble abode."

"You're kitchen says thank you." You replied and he sent you a cheeky grin as you shut the door behind you.

While Wooseok took a seat and started up the computer, you headed over to the low coffee table next to the couch. Scattered on top of it was a mess of sheet music and stray lyric sheets, forgotten by the other members. Instinctively, you sat down and began to sort through the papers, allocating different piles for different categories to the best of your ability.

"How do you guys manage to work like this? Nothing's organized." You chastised when you recognized papers from eras ages ago.

"We don't." Wooseok laughed as he continued clicking away on his software. "Thanks for cleaning it up, the others will appreciate it."

"As long as you give me credit." You hummed.

It was a peaceful setting — the shuffling of the papers mixed with the quiet tune playing from Wooseok's speakers every so often. The dim lights from above and the drawn curtains gave a cozy feeling. This place was just for the two of you.

You enjoyed it very much, it wasn't often that you got to hang out like this; basking in each other's presence.

Your hand hesitated when your eye caught a familiar title on one of the sheets. Pulling it out from the pile, you realized it was guitar part for one of their songs — your favourite.

"Hey wait I really like this song!" You gasped and the other idly replied, too focused on the work in front of him.

"Wooseok." You tried again.

"Mhm?"

"Teach me how to play this song, I wanna play it."

That got his attention.

Getting up from his seat, he walked over and glanced at the papers in front of you. "Ah, a classic, everyone knows how to play this song."

"So you can teach me?"

He smiled as he grabbed the guitar from its stand. "Of course."

Wooseok started right away, teaching you about frets and chords and how to read the tablature in front of you and how to properly position your fingers and woah — that was a lot.

But it's okay because Wooseok is sitting behind you, guiding you through everything and you're slowly managing to read through the music.

"This is a bit harder than I thought it would be." The utterance of defeat fell off your lips before you could even register it.

"No, no you're doing just fine. How about you try it like this?" He reached over your shoulders to position your hands correctly on the fret. "Try strumming it now."

You gave the guitar a tentative strum and perked up when the chord came out much clearer than it did before.

"See?" Wooseok chuckled. "You're doing amazing baby, it just takes time. At the rate you're learning at, I'm gonna have to tell Yuto you'll be giving him a run for his money."

You hummed in response absentmindedly as you slowly but surely tried to memorize the fingering for the next chord. "I guess it's not that bad."

"Exactly! There's always tough obstacles that come in the way of making music, but once you get started, all you have to do is go with the flow and you'll get there eventually." He explained as he went back to his seat and dropped onto it with a soft huff. He proceeded to search through his drawers in search of something before pulling out a book and pen.

"Speaking of music, I want to write a song," Wooseok said a few minutes later, out of the blue. "Like right now. I feel determined."

"All in one go?" You asked and he nodded in agreement.

"So," He continued and tapped his pen onto the empty pages of his notebook. "Tell me, y/n. What's something you've been thinking about these days?"

"What have I been thinking about...?" You echoed, still focused on playing the song in front of you. There was a suspenseful pause as you recalled your thoughts from the past few days.

"You."

Wooseok stifled a laugh from behind his hand. "Seriously? Don't you think that's a bit of a cliché thing to write about?"

You stopped playing fully and rested your weight on the guitar. "Then there must be a good reason why it's so popular, right?"

"Touché. Let's get started on that idea then — praise me! Compliment me! Tell me why you love me!"

"Ah... for some reason I don't feel like writing about this topic now." You teased.

"HEY!"

=====

Hours later, the lyrics were done, the melody was drafted and ready for recording. You let Wooseok do most of the vocals for the demo, but he insisted you take part in some of it as well. Looking back on everything that happened, you were amazed to see how your determination allowed you to get so much work done.

"What should we title it?" Wooseok asked and you heard the sound of him saving the piece.

"That's a very good question, I don't usually like this part 'cause it always feels like it has to be perfect."

He pursed his lips as he thought, staring at the LED clock for inspiration. "What about NITE? As in like, N-I-T-E."

"N-I-T-E for Noodles In The Evening?" You joked, nodding towards the empty cup noodles sitting nearby along with discarded snack wrappers.

The boy burst out in laugher at your statement. "No, no, not for that."

You tilted your head curiously. For someone who didn't have a title in mind a few moments ago, it seemed like he had underlying intentions behind that name.

"I was thinking... Never Is There Enough." He proposed, eyes hesitant, but a hint of confidence in his voice.

"Never enough what?"

Wooseok made an odd noise in his throat as he made his way over to the couch that you were resting on and flopped his body onto yours. You took a deep breath, trying to adjust to his weight and he buried his face in the crook of your neck. Very faintly, you could feel his lips moving as he muttered something.

"Woo, never enough what?" You asked again, laughing lightly at his antics.

He lifted his head and stared at you with a newfound passion. "N-never is there enough of everything!" His voice died a little before continuing. "You know like... kisses."

Wooseok gave you a quick peck on the lips to prove his point.

"No matter how many times I kiss you, I feel like it's not enough to express how much I love you." He said in one breath. Even with the dim lighting of the room, you could tell he was blushing.

"And when I tell you that I love you thiiiiis much," he opened his arms as wide as he could, accidentally knocking his hand against the wall (and letting out a quiet ow). "Even though my arms are really long, I'd reach from here to the moon if I could."

"Okay—"

He continued rambling before you could fully reply. "There's also never enough time! I wish every night could be spent like this, just the two of us hanging out, but we're both busy so it rarely happens."

You faltered a little, no longer knowing how to respond to his sudden outburst.

"Sorry, that was a little overbearing, I'm just a little excited," Wooseok said sheepishly. "I really want this to be our song, you know?"

"I get that," You gently patted his head in reassurance. "I don't find it overwhelming, you were just too cute I needed a moment to register all of that."

"So you think the name is okay?"

You cupped his cheeks and pulled him in for another kiss.

"I think it's perfect, and you seem like it so much I don't think I can go against it."

You adored the glimmer in his eyes when he heard your reply.

"Though I think I still like Noodles In The Evening more... or Never Is There Enough noodles!" You added on and whispered a just kidding when his expression broke into a pout.

"Are you hungry again or something?"

You averted your gaze. "Maybe."

"Do you wanna order more food?" He asked.

You immediately perked up at the offer. "Seriously?"

"Always serious when it comes to food."

"What time is it?"

"Ehh..." He gave the innocent clock a disapproving look. "Late, but something's gonna be open so it's fine."

"Then I'm down," You said, sitting up and watching Wooseok reach over for his phone. As he searched for places to order from, you spoke up again.

"Hey, Wooseok?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's do this again sometime, it was nice."

A small smile tugged on his lips at your words. "Really? Even though we didn't do much?"

"Dude, of course! Any time spent with you is amazing and we pretty much have our own song already made," you said, leaning forward as Wooseok listened to you with full interest. "Let's make it our goal to have an album done then. An album special to just the two of us, how does that sound?"

The smile on his face was wide now. "That sounds amazing."

"You're amazing," You kissed him on the nose and he flushed.

"I think every time you kiss me, I suddenly gain the ability to write a new song about just how much I love you," Wooseok admitted, before pulling you into yet another kiss.

"If that's the case, our album will be done in no time."

[inkribbon796]

It’s too Early for This

Summary: For Henrik’s birthday. Henrik has been receiving some gruesome leftovers every morning, and all signs point to Anti.

This is the exchange I made up in my head that inspired this whole fic:

Marvin: (sends fireworks overhead written in Jackie’s name)

Jackie: (misses the display completely)

Marvin: (screams in frustration)

Anti: (leaves dead birds to proclaim his love)

Henrik: I do not have enough coffee in my system to deal wiz zis.

Anti: (sad glitch noises)

Anti was an eccentric but after a couple months you got used to him. Or at least you learned to read his moods.

Unlike Dark or Phantom who would just glare at you and you had five seconds to guess and hope you got it right, Anti was straightforward. When he was bored he stabbed the closest moving object. When he was angry he stabbed the closest thing in general. There was no hesitation, no word play, no brooding in his room because things didn’t go his way.

But Anti had been bothering Henrik a lot, and leaving dead things outside his door. First it was small things like robins and finches. Then it was squirrels, and badgers. One morning Henrik had walked out to see a half-disemboweled nightmare beaver from Hell.

So Henrik usually kept a bin in front of his door so they didn’t have to keep replacing the carpet.

Henrik, exhausted from another late night at the hospital, opened his door and expected to see another rodent but what he saw was a human heart in a bin by the door.

Were this post-coffee, and not at 4 AM, Henrik would have his brain fully working and he would have screamed. Now he just stared at the alarm for a couple seconds. Then he picked it up and brought it with him into the kitchen. Jackie was half asleep at the table, looking like death walking, and he hugged his coffee to him as if it was going to save his life.

Seán was in a pair of sweats, and made a double take at the bin, “Shite! Anti again?”

Henrik set it down on top of the trash, immediately going for the coffee. “Ya.”

“Yah want me ta do somethin’ ‘bout him?” Jackieboy Man asked in concern.

“If ze glitch continues to send body parts, zen yes,” Henrik dismissed. “I am not a’vake enough for zis.”

“I feel yah,” Jackie agreed as a tremendous lightning storm hit right over their home, making everyone jump. The lightning hit Seán’s tinnitus particularly hard and spread to the rest of the Septics.

Seán was drinking his coffee, took one look at the heart and the rain again, “Night fookers!”

“It is 4 AM,” Henrik asked.

“Yeah, night,” Seán agreed.

Jackie looked outside and groaned. What he saw was Marvin and Anti were standing close to the street, Anti looking up at the sky and Marvin glaring at Anti. What Marvin had been planning on doing was summoning a huge display of lights for Jackie when the superhero walked out but at the last minute he was distracted by Anti and had messed up the spell, causing a storm instead.

And Marv wonders why our neighbors hate us, Jackie thought dryly.

“Yah fookin’ gopher shite,” Marvin spat at Anti, now thoroughly drenched to the bone.

“Ehh, yah should’a paid attention, maybe next time lover boy,” Anti chuckled.

“Oh like yeh can do any better,” Marvin spat back. “How’s ‘bout I fook over yer attempts ta fook Henrik.”

“Nah, Hein loves my gifts,” Anti reported proudly.

“Anti I s’vear,” Henrik had finally noticed that Anti was standing outside. “If you send me un more organ I vill feed you your own zrough a tube!”

The German doctor slammed the window and Anti had a heartbroken but love struck look on his face.

“Come on, Hein!” Anti groaned. “You can’t threaten me like that an’ not expect me ta fall in love with yah!”

“Smooth,” Marvin started trudging back inside, “real smooth. But, yah know better luck next time lover boy.”

“Shut it fore I kill yah, I sent him a heart, humans love those,” Anti grumbled, following the magician.

“Hey dipshite, yah know humans don’t send real hearts to someone, right?” Marvin reminded.

“What, that’s absurd,” Anti huffed. “What’s the point ‘a givin’ someone a heart if yah can’t hunt it down yer self?”

“We’re human, dumbass,” Marvin spat and once at the door he tried to shake off as much water as possible before heading inside. “Try gettin’ him some flowers or candy, Henrik loves caramel.”

Then he ran inside at a dead sprint to the bathroom to avoid getting as much water on the floor as possible. He failed, Chase noticed and got more than a bit pissed at him.

Anti for his part was just staring, missing Henrik walking out the door until it was too late.

So Anti decided that instead of demon tactics of blood sport and death threats weren’t working he’d try a more human approach, if Henrik wanted flowers and caramel, he’d get it for him.

Henrik day went from annoying to aggravating. He came to work to see Iplier tired but trying to stop himself from cackling. When Henrik looked at his desk it was covered in weeds, houseplants, and dirt. It was covering his desk. Whenever he cleaned up there was always more dirt and flowers. Then around midday he saw a clump of melted caramel just sitting on his desk, speckled with the dirt that Henrik hadn’t completely been able to clean up.

He knew to blame Anti, the glitch demon had been leaving him dead animals for ages, of course he’d dropped melted candy and weeds on his desk.

All day it was non-stop but he never came in time to catch Anti and yelled at him. This resulted in Henrik having a worsening mood all day and going home with death in his eyes. The first person he saw was Marvin who was sleeping on the couch.

“Marvin!” Henrik shouted in fury.

“Didn’t do it!” Marvin’s startled awake.

“Vere is Anti,” Henrik hissed.

“Don’t know, haven’t seen him,” Marvin told him, looking like he was about to fall asleep. “Last I heard he was getting flowers.”

“He put shit on my desk all day und I am going to kill him,” Henrik reported.

“Shit, he’s that bad a flirt?” Marvin grumbled, still half-asleep.

Henrik was so surprised by that statement it jolted him out of his anger a bit, he was still pissed as hell but now he was only slightly less pissed. “What?”

“Ahh, shite, yah didn’t hear nothin’ from me,” Marvin told him, suddenly very awake and scrambling away. “Gonna bug Jackie.”

The magician bolted out the house like he’d been set on fire, leaving Henrik alone with his slowly cooling anger.

The German doctor found Anti throwing his knives at the wall, trying to hit a picture of Seán and Dark’s faces.

“Anti,” Henrik warned.

Anti froze before he could toss another knife, staring at Henrik in surprise, “Sup Hein, you got an invitation.”

“Vhy did you melt caramel und pour dirt all over my desk?” Henrik asked.

“Maybe ‘cause I wanted to,” Anti evaded heatedly.

“Vhy did you put dirt on my desk?” Henrik asked.

“I couldn’t shake ‘em off the plants,” Anti tossed the knife at his dartboard.

“Did you give me flo’vers?” Henrik asked.

“Don’t be stupid, demons don’t give anyone flowers,” Anti denied, getting up to grab his knives again and started throwing them at the board at the other side of the wall that had all the other Septic’s pictures on it, including Henrik’s. Henrik’s picture was also the first one to get a knife thrown through it,

“Are you trying to flirt vit me? Henrik asked, almost certain Anti wasn’t.

But Anti paused and looked over at Henrik, “Is it workin’?”

Henrik took a second or two, deciding if even entertaining the idea of dating Anti was a good idea. He was a killer and more than a bit erratic. “No, I assume ze organs vere also an attempt at flirting.”

“Did yah like ‘em?” Anti asked in excitement.

That excitement was a bit of a surprise to Henrik, and a reminder that he was a demon. “No, ze organs vere vet und kald. Zey also dropped blood all over ze floor, however ze zought vas nice if you vere not attempting to kill me.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Anti grinned. “Besides, you threaten me so amazingly.”

“You like ven I z’reaten you?” Henrik asked.

“Course I do,” Anti grinned, inches away from Henrik in his typical flagrancy of Henrik’s personal space. “Yer so fookin’ descriptive.”

“Vell, maybe I can keep z’reatening you if you stop leaving ze animals, und perhaps,” Henrik offered “help me to start my day. I certainly vould not mind help wiz my coffee.”

Anti looked a little hopeful, “Black?”

“Two sugars,” Henrik answered. “No blood or organs.”

“No promises,” Anti smiled and glitched out of existence. Henrik left Anti’s room and relaxed for the rest of the day. He always felt like he was being watched but Anti didn’t show face.

However in the morning when Henrik opened his door, instead of seeing a dead animal or another organ, he saw a warm cup of coffee in his favorite mug in the container. Henrik smiled as he picked it up. He noticed that there were two sugar cubes that looked like human organs, one was a pair of lungs and another was a heart. It was almost too realistic but they crumbled like sugar and tasted like sugar so best bet was that they were sugar.

Henrik lifted the mug to his lips and went back into his room to change into his scrubs.

[sincerelyreidburke]

study break

“Take a break, baby.”

Quinn isn’t sure he’s ever been more grateful for a voice of reason. He looks up from his chemistry textbook for the first time in what has to be at least thirty minutes, and Sebastián, just back from his run across campus to the café, is a welcome sight to behold as he approaches. He holds a bag in one hand, and some kind of warm drink in the other. His cheeks are a little flushed, and there are snowflakes in his curls, where they stick out from under his stocking cap.

“I got you a tea,” he adds, with a gentle, handsome smile, and places the cup down like a peace offering onto Quinn’s disaster table. When he sits in the empty spot beside him on the couch, it sinks with his weight, and Quinn tips toward him naturally.

“Thank you,” he manages to get out, and then, as Sebastián wraps his arm around him, he presses into his shoulder to yawn. “What time is it?”

“Four-thirty,” Sebastián replies, which is an atrocity, because it’s entirely dark outside the windows. Quinn has occupied this same spot in the basement of the dorm for nearly the entire afternoon, trying to prepare as much as possible for his Chem 100 exam tomorrow. Exam season is in full swing, as the last days of the semester approach, and Quinn can almost feel the academic stress like a physical weight on his shoulders.

It’s been a busy weekend.

He grumbles, and rests his face against Sebastián’s sweatshirt. “I think I was just reading the same page for ten minutes straight.”

“You should take a break,” Sebastián repeats, rubbing his back. “I got you a grilled cheese.”

“Oh my goodness,” Quinn mumbles, eyeing the bag from the café. This boy is too good to him. “Tea and you bought me dinner?”

“I mean.” Sebastián pauses. “This should count as lunch. Since you forgot about that in your study coma.”

“I’m just— agh.” He squeezes his eyes shut and swats lightly at his chest. This sweatshirt is a nice one, bright Kiersey blue with gold lettering, not something from the hockey team but just from the bookstore. Quinn might want to take it home for winter break, but even that absentminded thought is something he wants to push aside.

Five days from now, he’ll be on a plane bound for six weeks in Michigan, where it’s back to the gray, isolated, artificial life he was living before this lovely first semester of college. Sebastián will be very far away, and they’re fully aware of that fact, ready to face it together, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be any easier to suddenly not have him around when he’s gotten so used to him. And though it’s a big part, it’s not only the distance from his boyfriend he isn’t looking forward to. He’ll be far from his drama friends, from doing the things he enjoys, from any semblance of having a life at all. Winter break comes with a regularly scheduled dose of his grandparents, a basement bedroom, and repression of self to the highest degree.

For now, it’s easier to focus on exams. And the large, lovely boy hugging him close to his chest. “Are you nervous?” Sebastián is asking, somewhere above him.

“Not so much nervous.” Quinn releases him to look out over his schoolwork again. He really should tidy up this table. The poor custodian would have his head on a spit if he could see how many class notes, books, and pens Quinn has scattered over it this afternoon. “More... anticipatory.”

“I know what you mean.” Sebastián is quiet for a second as he leans forward to gather all his chemistry notes into a semi-neat stack. He places them on top of his current page in the textbook, then closes it on them, to save his spot. When he leans back on the couch again, he takes the tea with him, and sniffs before taking a sip. It’s peppermint. Because this boy knows the way to his heart.

“You should eat, though,” Sebastián insists, while he drinks. “I called Remy and Rho to come down here. We can hang out. You can have a little study break.”

Quinn nods. He thinks the version of himself who set out on this chemistry mission a few hours ago would sooner fight Sebastián tooth and nail than take a break, but now, in the dark, snowy quiet of the early afternoon, he’s ready for a break. His head hurts a little from all the reading, and he’s put in a good effort. The exam is at ten tomorrow, and the night is young.

He pulls his grilled cheese from the bag; there’s an order of fries inside, too, and a cookie for good measure. “My dear,” he says, as he’s examining the food. “I’ll owe you a meal.”

“Ehh.” Sebastián shrugs; his curls bounce a little. His smile is self-satisfied and charming. “You can buy me lunch tomorrow after your test.”

Quinn smiles back, and tips up to kiss his cheek. “Deal.”

He sets the takeout container with sandwich and fries in his lap, and leans back into Sebastián’s shoulder, tucking his feet up onto the couch. Sebastián is looking at his phone, and laughs a moment before he announces, “Ben’s on his way. He kidnapped Remy from the library.”

“Oh, goodness,” Quinn mumbles. “Remy may kill him for that.”

“Yeah, I think that’s possible.” Sebastián tucks his phone away. Quinn offers him up a fry, but he pushes it away. “No— you eat first, baby.”

Quinn can do that. He knows that whatever he doesn’t finish, Sebastián will take care of for him, so he enters into grilled cheese euphoria without another thought on the matter. Nobody does a grilled cheese like the grill cook at the Bluegrass Café. Yet another thing about college he’ll miss over break. Oma’s cooking isn’t exactly anything to write home about.

“How’s your studying going?” he asks, as he eats. Sebastián already had one exam, yesterday, but he has three more to go, one of which is for his intro to sociology class, tomorrow afternoon.

“I feel good,” Sebastián says. “I’ll study more in the morning, though. I was doing study prayers earlier. I said one for you.”

“You—” Quinn pauses, with his sandwich halfway to his mouth. “You did?”

“Yeah!” The way he says it is so carefree, like he hasn’t just made Quinn’s heart flutter. “I’ve said a couple,” he adds. “I said one before you had that big lab practical last week.”

Quinn wonders if he’s red in the face, as he looks up at him. Logically, of course he knows— has known— that Sebastián is very religious. He wears it on his person, quite literally, with the cross around his neck, and figuratively, too, as he’s spoken openly about faith since Quinn first met and got to know him. But this— this in particular is new information. And it puts something warm and fuzzy in Quinn’s heart.

“What?” Sebastián has noticed now that Quinn is staring at him. He smiles just a little, as he asks, “You okay, cariño?”

He doesn’t exactly mean to blurt it out, but his head is so in the clouds that he doesn��t get the chance to stop himself. “You pray for me?”

Sebastián looks— well, maybe not surprised, exactly, by this question, but at least a little confused. “Of course I do,” he says, without a second’s hesitation. “I pray for you all the time.”

Quinn is most definitely red in the face now. He takes too long to respond, though, because Sebastián speaks again, with a tinge of insecurity in his voice. “Is that— weird?” he asks, then starts to scramble. “If it makes you uncomf—”

“No— no, Sebastián, no. It isn’t weird. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable.” He hurries to shut down any doubt, and, to his relief, the worry fades from Sebastián’s face as quickly as it showed up. He presses his palm flat to his chest, and looks right into his eyes as he adds, “I just think it’s incredibly sweet.”

“Oh.” Sebastián pauses a second, then smiles, that big, goofy grin that Quinn fell head over heels for barely a month ago. He somehow feels like it’s been a lot longer than that. “Well, yeah, I— I do it. It’s just— like, natural. I couldn’t imagine not doing it. I mean, you’re my—” He shakes his head, pausing again, and then remarks, “I pray for everyone I care about.”

Goodness, Quinn is in so deep with this boy. His cheeks burn as he smiles up at him, and then presses forward to kiss him, a gentle little peck but a sweet thing all the same. “I think that’s so lovely,” he says. “And thank you. For doing that for me.”

“I always will,” Sebastián says, like there’s never been another way.

Quinn is getting used to the idea of always.

He gives him another kiss, to make up for his loss for words, and Sebastián is making like he’s going to pull him into his lap when the rude interruption comes.

“Okay, simp city! Break it up!”

Quinn jolts, and doesn’t even need to look to know who the voice belongs to. At the foot of the basement stairs, and, by the looks of it, fresh from the outdoors, Ben is classically boisterous and disruptive, and has a less-than-impressed Remy in tow. Like Sebastián was when he returned from the café, they’re a little snowy and windblown.

“There’s no PDA in the basement,” Ben adds, tutting at the both of them, as he strolls over to the table. “I’ll snitch you to the RA.”

"That isn’t a real rule, Benjamin,” Quinn mutters, in lieu of a greeting.

“Snitches get stitches,” Sebastián adds, and mimes shooting Ben with a finger-pistol.

“You’re right, but for you two schmoopy fucks? I’d risk it all.” Ben tosses himself onto the couch on the other side of Quinn’s disaster table, and Remy, who still does not look impressed, takes the armchair next to it, since Ben has occupied the couch’s entire real estate via sprawling.

Quinn looks to him, as he digs into his backpack. “How are you, Remy?”

“I have so much vocabulary to memorize,” Remy mumbles, and presses his forehead into his hand before he adds, “Life is bleak.”

“Aw, you can do it, Rem.” Sebastián leans forward to drum on the table, like he’s trying to lift his spirits. “We believe in you!”

“I’m going to need all the belief I can get,” Remy replies, and then pulls a notebook out of his backpack.

“Q, is this your mess?” Ben puts his Vans up on the disaster table. “I expected more organization from Mr. ‘I Can’t Leave The Dorm; These Are My Inside Shoes’.”

“Oh, hush,” Quinn replies. “It’s not my fault I have rules about what constitutes sensible footwear for the snow.”

Ben folds his arms and arches an eyebrow. “And yet you don’t have rules about sensible study strategies?”

Quinn throws a fry across the table at him. Remy snorts, but does not look up from his notebook. “Ooh, delicious,” Ben remarks, even though the fry lands on the ground. “Where’d you get the food?”

He picks up the unfinished half of his grilled cheese, and waves it at Ben. “Sebastián graciously did a Bluegrass run for me.”

“You fucking traitor,” Ben whispers, eyes on Sebastián. “You got food for him and not for me?”

“He’s nice to me,” Sebastián replies.

“Ouch.” Ben puts a hand on his heart, bows his head, and remarks, “Message received. We’ll see who lets you in next time you’re locked out of the room at two AM.”

Sebastián sticks his tongue out at Ben, and Quinn laughs. Tucked under Sebastián’s arm on this couch, with snow falling outside, he has a lot to attend to— and cleaning up his disaster table is just the start of it. It’s going to be a busy week, between exams, packing, and saying goodbyes, but right now, he won’t think that far ahead.

Right now, he’ll give himself permission. Right now, he’ll take a break.

[themagicaltunaa]

Answer all the questions

well i have nothing to do so sure

1. What have you eaten today? 

some toast for breakfast, leftovers for lunch, and some cereal for dinner

2. Who was your last kiss with? Was it pleasant?

never kissed anyone, don't really care about that

3. What color shoes did you last wear?

light grey sneakers

4. Who has made you laugh the hardest in the last week?

Jeremy did, when I was watching his Alien Isolation stream on monday

5. What is your favorite scent?

I love the smell freshly baked goods

6. What is your favorite season? Why?

I love fall. I just love the aesthetic of the season, and my favorite holiday is during fall. I would love to experience it one day

7. Can you do a handstand or cartwheel?

lol nope. I was barely able to do it as a kid. If I tried now i’m pretty sure i’ll break something.

8. What color are your nails?

the regular pink color? I don’t paint my nails

9. If you had to get a tattoo on your face to save your life, what would it be?

aw geez, uhhh idk maybe like a tiny star or something

10. What is something you find romantic?

i dont know romantic things 

11. Are you happy?

eh

12. Is there anything in particular making you happy or sad?

no not really

13. Dogs or Cats?

cats. i like dogs too, but sometimes they’re too much to deal with. i’m more comfortable being with cats

15. Which do you prefer:a museum, a night club, the forest or a library?

museum

15. What is your style?

my style is “im trying”

16. If you could be doing anything you like right now, what would it be?

stay up all night to catch up on videos

17. Are you in a relationship or single?

single babeyyyy

18. What makes you attracted to the person you like right now?

nothing, because im not attracted to anyone

19. If you could replace your partner/best friend with a celebrity of your choice, would you? Who with?

i dont like celebrities

20. Are you holding on to something you need to let go of? If so then what?

i’m pretty sure i’m holding on to a lot of stuff, but I can’t seem to remember anything specific. if this question means metaphorically, the answer still works

21. How did you celebrate last Halloween?

I went to a drive thru haunted house with my 2 friends, and after we got some taco bell and went to the beach to eat our food. we sat there for like 10 minutes before it started to rain on us

22. Have you recently made any big decisions?

nope. I try not to in general , I hate having to make any sort of big decision because I starting stressing 

23. Were you ever in a school play?

I’ve always had stage fright so no

24. What movie would you use to describe your life?

uhhhh, I dont watch enough movies to pick one

25. Is there something you have dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it? 

oh there’s plenty of things that I've dreamed of doing, but I just can’t do it because of anxiety 

26. Complete this sentence, “I wish I had someone with whom I could share…”

I dont like sharing

27. What are two things that irritate you about the same sex?

uhhh idk? maybe the whole makeup culture thing? but it’s not like it irritates me I just don’t get it. I can’t really think of a second thing

28. What are two things that irritate you about the opposite sex?

too much to list

29. What is the best thing that has happened to you this week?

fuck if i know

30. What is something that makes you sad when you think about it?

can’t think of anything rn

31. How long was your longest relationship?

never been in one

32. Have you ever been in love?

pretty sure I have not

33. Are you currently in love?

nope

34. Why did your last relationship end?

see question 31

35. What jewelry are you wearing right now, and where did you get it?

not wearing any atm. actually, I just don’t wear jewelry in general

36. When was the last time you cried and why?

I think it was last week? I don’t remember why, it was probably something stupid

37. Name someone pretty.

the anon that sent me this ask

38. What did you receive last Valentines Day?

oh! I got a few gifts from my bestie :)

39. Do you get jealous easily?

no

40. Have you ever been cheated on?

no

41. Do you trust your partner/best friend?

sure

42. Ever had detention?

no because I was a good bean in school

43. Would you rather live in the countryside or the city?

city. the countryside sounds nice, but just the thought of being out in the middle of nowhere especially at night makes me nervous 

44. What do people call you?

by my name

45. What was the last book you read?

I do not remember. It’s been years since I’ve read a book

46. How big of a nerd/dork are you?

uhhh idk

47. What kind of music do you listen to?

anything that catches my fancy. I don’t really stick to one kind of genre

48. How tall are you?

my doctor said I’m allowed to say i’m 5′2

49. Do you like kids?

they’re alright. I can handle be around them for a bit, but I would never want to have any 

50. Favorite fruits?

watermelon, starfruit, and tangerines

51. Do you wear jeans or sweats more?

jeans

52. What’s your earliest memory?

I was like 3-4, and I was at disney world with my family. I remember seeing a stage show of Bear in the Big Blue house, and I remember walking around ToonTown when it still existed

53. Ever had a poem or song written about you or to you?

i hope not

54. Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

behind it

55. Do you have a collection of anything?

I used to collect seashells as a kid and I still have some of the collection somewhere in my closet. I wanna start a new collection of something but idk what

56. Do you save money or spend it?

i try to save it

57. What would your dream house be like?

something cozy and not too big, with a cat or 2

58. What top 5 things make you the angriest?

its 11pm at the time of answering this, i really can’t think of anything to fill a list rn

59. What top 5 things always brings a smile to your face?

see the previous question

60. You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

save the dog. i hate my job anyways so I don’t care

61. 72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

I would definitely tell my closest friends, and some of my family members, probably my mom’s side of the family. If I had the money to, I would like to travel to some places that i’ve always wanted to go to. I would have a month to accept that i’m gonna die so i think i would be fine. i’d rather get plenty of time to know i’m dying rather than like last minute. this has been a topic that i’ve been thinking of for a while now, not because I’m like thinking about death or anything, I just need something to kill time with at work

62. Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

a heart?

63. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

aw cmon, I can’t just think of stuff like that on the spot. I don’t even know where I would want to go

64. Do you like the beach?

It’s nice, especially in the early morning when everything is still calm and the beach isn’t packed with people yet

65. Ever sleep on the couch or a bed with someone special?

no? wtf does someone special mean?

66. Do you have a middle name? If so what is it!

Doesn’t everyone have a middle name? But yeah i do and i hate it so im not saying anything

67. Do you talk to yourself?

in my head all the time

68. Describe your hair.

brown, curly, very long because I haven’t cut it in almost a year, it’s very annoying

69. What is the meaning of life.

I wish i knew

70. What is your ideal partner like?

no one

71. Do you want to get married?

no

72. Do you want to have kids?

 ew no

73. Like or dislike your family?

 they’re bearable

74. Are you Chunky or Slim?

I’m more than chunky, i’m just straight up fat

75. Would you consider yourself smart?

lol no. I’m an absolute dumbass

76. What would you change about your life?

everything if i could

77. Religious or Not?

no not really

78. You’re drunk and yelling at hot guys/girls out of your car window, you’re with?

I don’t drink so this would never happen

79. You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, is that a problem?

it sure isnt because no one is there

80. Does anyone regularly (other than family) tell you they love you?

uhhhh no. I don’t really care tbh

81. If the person you wish to be with were with you, what would you be doing right now?

idk

82. So, the last person you kissed just happens to arrive at your door at 3AM; do you let them in?

i’m not opening the door because no one is there

83. Do you like when people play with your hair?

ehh not really. It’ll just make it frizzy

84. Do you like bubble baths?

no

85. Have you ever been pulled over by a cop?

I need to drive in order for that to happen

86. Have you ever danced in the rain?

no. its not fun getting soaked in the rain

87. Do you trust anyone with your life?

not really? 

88. What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?

why does god allow suffering

89. If money wasn’t an issue, what top 10 places would you travel to? (You get to stay at each place for a week)

1.greece

2. peru

3.disney world only because I have not been to all the parks yet, also i can bug my brother while i’m there

theres a lot more but i’m too tired to fill out the rest of the list

90. How was your day today?

it was fine

91. Play an instrument?

used to play mellophone/french horn in band in high school. after I graduated I haven’t touched an instrument since

92. Describe the what you think of the ocean.

it’s scary

93. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts?

aliens as anything that counts as a living organism not of this world, not green little men from mars nonsense. the universe is too big for only life to be on earth. for ghosts, i’m still iffy about them, but that doesn’t mean i’m gonna start walking around haunted places and call the ghosts a bitch

94. Honestly, are things how you wanted them to be?

abosolutely not. every day I regret all the decisions i’ve made through my life. does that mean I’m trying to fix said mistakes or try not to do them again? lol no 

95. Do you have a mean bitchy scary side?

in my mind i do. I’m too scared of everyone to actually do it

96. When are you vulnerable?

always

97. How much free time do you have?

doesn’t feel like much. saturday and sunday go by way too fast and i feel like when i go home from work theres just not enough to relax. im tired all the time

98. Do you like to go hiking?

never been

99. Odd or Even Numbers?

even

100. Would you ever go sky diving, bungee jumping , cliff diving, wing suit gliding, parasailing, snorkeling, or other extreme activities?

no because I actually have self preservation. I am also a very big chicken

[elcall]

SKY-GIRL vs Yuzukosho - Aikatsu Stars Oneshot

Title: SKY-GIRL vs Yuzukosho

Summary: SKY-GIRL announces their first comeback stage, and Yuzu wants in! 

Characters: Yuzu, Yume, Ako, Mahiru, Yozora, Tsubasa, Lily, Haruka

Soooo.... this is well overdue ^^” I said I would write it in August LAST YEAR lmao so instead of writing my other WIPs I decided to finish this one first >> 

~0~

A high voice shouted through the air, “Down with S4!” A moment later, a bundle of bright yellow shot through the sky, landing with a twirl under an arc of roses. 

“Yuzu-senpai?” the girls gasped all together. Yume, Ako, Mahiru, and Koharu were all gathered in the S4 gardens. 

Lily trailed into the S4 gardens behind the pop girl. “Hello, everyone.” 

“Lily-senpai!” Yume greeted in surprise. 

“Yuzu-senpai,” Ako blinked sternly, “what do you mean by that?” 

Yuzu raised her fist, “Yuzu heard that Yozora-chi, Tsubasa-chi, and Mahiru-chan are reforming SKY-GIRL!” 

Mahiru smiled and nodded from her seat, “Yes, that is true. Onee-chan, Tsubasa-senpai, and I are all excited for the reformation.” 

Yuzu slammed her fist onto the table, “Down with S4!” 

The girls flinched back, not knowing how to react. 

“Yuzu,” Lily began calmly, “you are no longer in S4, so this seems like a threat to the girls.” 

Koharu tilted her head, “What are you saying, Yuzu-senpai?” 

Yuzu crossed her arms, grumpily, “When SKY-GIRL formed, Yuzu formed Yuzukosho with Yume-chan and Ako-chan!” 

Yume and Ako nodded. 

“Yeah, I remember,” Yume smiled. “We did great together, and Ako-chan and Yuzu-senpai really helped me pick myself back up since it was just after you left, Koharu-chan.” 

“Yes!” Yuzu said, “But Hime-chi wasn’t around then, so it was two S4 members versus Yuzu!” 

Ako deadpanned, “Yuzu-senpai… that doesn’t… make sense.” 

Lily sighed, “Yuzu, tell them why you are here.” 

“Okay!” Yuzu perked. “Mahiru-chan, when is SKY-GIRL returning?” 

“Ah, our live is going to be in about two weeks, and three days.” Mahiru replied. “Why?” 

Yuzu proudly put her hands on her hips, “Because that’s when Yuzukosho is going to be making a temporary comeback, too!” 

Yume and Ako gasped together, “WHAT?” 

~0~

While Yuzu seemed very aloof about her plan, Yume took it rather well, agreeing with the idea, however, Ako was the most worried. 

“Yuzu-senpai! You can’t just jump those kinds of things on us!” Ako fretted, “Two weeks! That’s not enough time for me! With my show and acting and-” 

“Don't worry about it!” Yuzu cut her off, untroubled by her dilemmas. 

Ako jumped, hissing with her paws out, “How can I not?” 

“I think it’ll be a great chance for all of us.” Mahiru said, “After all, last time, Yuzukosho and SKY-GIRL lost to the Admins.” 

Yuzu patted Lily on the shoulder proudly as said girl blushed happily, “Thank you. It was with the help of Yuri-san and Miki-san.”

“Of course!” Yume recognized. 

Koharu looked at Mahiru, “So where exactly is your performance going to happen?” 

Mahiru beamed, “Actually, we're going to do a charity event for the fair.” 

Yume lit up, “That's a perfect place for us to join!” 

Ako nodded, “It really is!” 

“So it's agreed then!” Yuzu proclaimed, “whoever gets more donations wins in this S4 versus S4 competition!”

Mahiru jumped out of her seat, crying out as she slammed her hand down onto a pile of tiles. “Yes! That gets me excited! Onee-san and Tsubasa-senpai won’t back down from this either!” 

Yuzu threw her hand out in front of them, “Then, Yuzukosho has reunited!” 

Ako and Yume put their hands on top of Yuzu’s and all at once they threw them up, “Yeah!” 

~0~

“Okay! Welcome to Yuzukosho’s first meeting back!” Yuzu cheered, with Yume and Ako sitting with her in a private room. 

“Happy to be back!” Yume smiled.

“Let’s do our best,” Ako agreed.

“Then, let’s start by choosing a song,” Yuzu said, opening one of the books they had gathered for the meeting. She flipped through the pages of the book, each page with a song and lyrics. She continued passing over the pages, neither one of the three girls objecting, as they scanned through the lyrics for the feel of their stage. 

Expressions of concentration plastered on their faces, Yuzu continued to turn another page, already more than halfway through the book. 

She left the next page open, all three reading over the lyrics. 

“This…” Yume muttered, her eyes growing wide. 

“Excitement of meet and bye bye of sorrow…” Ako read out. 

Yuzu put her hands down on the table, standing. Ako and Yume turned up to her. “This is it girls!” 

“Yeah!” Yume nodded.

“I agree,” Ako said, “the lyrics in this song seem to fit well with our theme!” 

Yuzu pulled the song out of the book, “Exactly! We’ve got a great catch here!” 

Ako grabbed the next book, which was the dance choreography collection. “Let me find the choreography to this song.”

“Yuzu’s pulling up the video already!” 

“I’ll start looking for our coords for the stage then!” Yume contributed, taking up one of Yuzu’s Shiny Smile card binders. 

Over the rest of their time, they collected the dance instructions and decided on the coords they would wear with the stage. 

Ako smiled, “Now that all that is set, we can now focus on our practice.” 

“Sounds good to me!” Yume smiled. “We have all week to do so. Let’s schedule our practice times,” she said, taking out her aikatsu mobile. 

Ako and Yuzu did the same, and they quickly organized their practice times. 

Yuzu put her hands on her hips as she looked at her unit members, “Great! Yuzukosho’s show is now up and running on the road!” 

~0~

A clap sounded, then, “This meeting is now in session.” Tsubasa spoke, a notebook in her hands. 

“My, Tsubasa-chan, do we have to be so formal?” Yozora smiled. 

“Yes, this is an important meeting to discuss our stage against Yuzukosho’s sudden emergence again.” 

Mahiru tapped her leg, “Well it seems like Yuzu-senpai came up with the idea suddenly.” 

Tsubasa shook her head, “That is very Yuzu-like.” 

Yozora laughed, “We should have expected it.”

“Anyways,” Tsubasa moved on, “we have our song chosen, and our practice is going well so far. Mahiru, have you been practicing the last two formations that you were struggling with?”

“Yes I have,” Mahiru confirmed.

“And how is it going?” 

“I think I might need some more self practice, otherwise I feel confident that I can merge with you and Onee-san,” Mahiru answered.

Tsubasa smiled, “Good to hear.” She looked to her peer, “Yozora, have you found coords for us to wear?” 

Yozora pulled open her binder to a page where three sets of coord were. “Right here,” she passed it to Tsubasa. 

Tsubasa inspected them carefully, then nodded, “These look good.” She passed the binder to Mahiru to see. 

Mahiru smiled, “I think this style will go well with our song.”

“Exactly!” Yozora smiled. 

Tsubasa wrote notes down in her notebook, then looked at the two girls. “Looks like we’re on track. Just a few more days until our debut show.” 

Yozora nodded, “That’s good to hear! We’ll surely give a spectacular show!” 

Mahiru grinned, “That’s right!”

“Perfect! Yuzu won’t know what hit her with this performance of ours!” Tsubasa declared. 

Yozora giggled, “Seems like you’re as riled up about this as she is, Tsubasa-chan.” 

Tsubasa blushed, “Th-that’s not true, I’m just excited to have a successful charity show…” 

Mahiru grinned, “I am too! SKY-GIRL won’t let down!” 

“Of course!” Yozora nodded. 

Tsubasa grinned, “Let’s give it our all, SKY-GIRL!”

~0~

“Ehh?” Haruka cried, “Yuzu-senpai and Ako-chan and Yume-chan are reforming Yuzukosho to go against Mahiru-chan and Yozora-senpai and Tsubasa-senpai in SKY-GIRL for a charity event?” 

Ako leaned back in surprise, blinking, “Well… that’s about all of it.”

Yume nodded, “That’s right, Haruka-chan.” 

Haruka pouted, “No fair! Haruka wants to participate too! But she doesn’t have a unit!” 

“Sorry, Haruka,” Mahiru said, “but it’s okay. We’re booked for this event anyways. Perhaps in the next one we can have you, as well.” 

Haruka kept pouting. “Fine,” she muttered. 

“Yoo-hoo, everyone!” Yuzu’s voice called out as she leaped into the gardens. 

“Yuzu-senpai!” Yume greeted, “How are you?” 

“Doing well!” Yuzu grinned.

“Hello everyone,” Lily waved, coming up beside Yuzu.

“Nice to see you, Lily-senpai,” Mahiru smiled. 

Lily looked around the girls, “I’ve been hearing about Yuzukosho’s practice sessions from Yuzu, but how is SKY-GIRL doing, Mahiru-san?” 

Mahiru smiled, “We’re doing well.” 

Yume and Ako inched towards the girl, trying to keep nonchalant expressions on their faces. 

Mahiru blinked at them oddly, “What are you two doing?” 

Yume flailed, “That’s it?”

Mahiru’s expression didn’t change. 

Ako moaned, “You aren’t going to say anything else about your practice?” 

“Oh,” Mahiru realized. She smiled, “Of course I won’t. I don’t our hard work to go to waste by spoiling it to my opponents.” 

Both girls’ faces fell. 

Yuzu laughed loudly, “That’s Mahiru-chi for you! Good going!” 

“It was worth a shot…” Yume murmured. 

“We should’ve expected it,” Ako said in defeat. 

Lily looked at the bluenette frowning at her seat, “Whatever’s the matter, Haruka-san?”

“Haruka’s upset because she doesn’t have a unit!” 

“Ah, I see,” Lily nodded. “When Yuzukosho first performed, it was for the school’s Fall Fest.” 

Yuzu smiled, “Yeah, but Lilliene and Mikki and Yuri-chi totally beat us!” 

Haruka sat up, “You beat them?” 

Lily blushed and nodded, “Yes, but it was with Miki-san and Yuri-san’s help.” 

“Is that so…” Haruka muttered. 

“Ah anyways, Yuzu’s here to get Ako-chi and Yume-chi for practice!” 

Ako and Yume stood. 

“That’s right, we should be off,” Ako said. 

Yume waved to the rest of them as their unit walked out of the gardens, “See you guys later!” 

“Bye,” Mahiru waved, then looked down at her own aikatsu mobile. “I should get going, too then. See you, Lily-senpai, Haruka.” 

“Goodbye,” Lily smiled. 

Left alone, Haruka stood up and jumped in front of Lily. The idol didn’t blink. 

“Lily-senpai! Haruka has a request!” 

Lily only raised an eyebrow as Haruka continued with her proposal.

~0~

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to SKY-GIRL versus Yuzukosho’s charity event!” Anna-sensei’s voice rang over a large crowd of people at an outdoor venue. “Today we’re collecting money for the children’s hospital! Both units will be performing, and you get to choose the winner by donating under their unit! Whichever unit gathers more donations, will be victorious in this event!” Anna lifted her hands in the air, “Now let’s get this show on the road with SKY-GIRL!” 

The crowd roared as SKY-GIRL collected themselves backstage. 

Tsubasa, Yozora, and Mahiru stood beside each other, aikatsu system machines just ahead. 

“You girls ready?” Tsubasa asked. 

“Of course,” Yozora smiled. 

“Yes!” Mahiru declared. 

In each of their hands, they held their coords. In Yozora’s hand was the Pink Sunshine Fringe Coord. Tsubasa held the Water Sunshine Fringe Coord, and Mahiru the Yellow Sunshine Fringe Coord. 

“Mahiru Kasumi, like a radiant light!” 

“Yozora Kasumi, like a glimmering star!” 

“Tsubasa Kisaragi, holding nothing back!” 

“SKY-GIRL, let’s go!” 

SKY-GIRL made the stage, performing Love-Colored Passion. 

After their performance, Anna-sensei addressed the audience once again. “Thank you SKY-GIRL! Don’t forget to donate under their name if you liked their performance! However, don’t forget about Yuzukosho, who’s up right now! Let’s go baby!” 

Yuzukosho took their places at the aikatsu machines. 

Yuzu smiled at Ako and Yume, “SKY-GIRL was good, but we’ve got this in the bag, girls!” 

“I’m not worried at all!” Ako grinned. 

Yume nodded, “Yes! With our song dresses, we’ll do great!” 

The each held the set of their coords. Yuzu took the Yellow Skip Coord, Yume the Vivid Skip Coord, and Ako with the Emerald Skip Coord. 

“Yuzu Nikaido, fun is the best!” 

“Yume Nijino, ready to go!”

“Ako Saotome, making her dazzling entrance!”

“Yuzukosho’s show time!” 

Yuzukosho performed Ai Girl for the audience. 

Anna took the crowd after Yuzukosho finished. “Thank you, Yuzukosho! And that’s our two main performances for today!” 

SKY-GIRL gathered at the side of the stage, watching Anna-sensei speak to the crowd. Yuzukosho joined them quietly, waiting for their cue to take the stage for the final words. 

“Both units did great today, but we have an additional special performance for you!” Anna announced. 

The crowd cheered in joy. 

“What?” Tsubasa gasped. 

All the girls looked at each other in surprise. 

“A surprise performance?” Mahiru repeated. 

“By who?” Yume muttered. 

 Ako questioned, “Did anyone know this was planned?” 

“Yuzu has no idea, but now she’s excited to see it!” 

“Well, no matter how it happened, let’s watch,” Yozora decided. 

To their great surprise, it was The Admins. Lily, Miki, and Yuri took the stage, performing One Step for the roaring crowd. 

After their stage, both Yuzukosho and SKY-GIRL rushed up to the stage. 

“Lilliene!” Yuzu called cheerfully, “You surprised us!”

Lily smiled, “I’m glad. It was a rather last minute arrangement.” 

“By who?” Yume asked. 

A bundle of blue bounded onto the stage. “By Haruka!” 

“Haruka?”

“Haruka-chan?” 

“That’s right!” Haruka grinned, swaying left and right, “Haruka was upset that she couldn’t perform, but after she heard that the Admins beat both Yuzukosho and SKY-GIRL last time, she couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to reform them!” 

Miki nodded, “Lily-san and Haruka then contacted Yuri-san and I to join them for today’s event.” 

“I had to take a flight, but it was well worth it,” Yuri smiled. 

Yuzu laughed, “That’s great! You three surprised us all!” 

Tsubasa smiled, “It was quite a wonderful surprise.” 

“Your stage was spectacular as well,” Yozora complimented. 

Yuri grinned, “We hope so, because,” she turned to the audience, “The Admins are also participating in this competition!” 

“What!” Ako gasped with the girls. 

Miki nodded at them, “Yup! So everyone, get over to the donations and make sure you donate under The Admins!” She winked. 

“What’s this? Promoting yourselves?” Yozora laughed. 

“No way!” Yuzu cried, “Vote Yuzukosho, everyone!” 

“Yuzukosho for the win!” Yume joined. 

Mahiru grabbed tiles and slammed her hand through a stack of them. “Donate for SKY-GIRL!” 

“No, The Admins!” Haruka shouted back. 

The ten girls started calling out their respective unit names cheerfully as the audience shuffled towards the donation spots, many of them calling their choices with them. 

After some time, when things had settled down from all the excitement, Anna-sensei went up on the stage. “Thank you everyone for donating today! We have totalled all the contributions made today, and we have the final results!” 

SKY-GIRL, Yuzukosho, The Admins and Haruka were lined up on the stage. 

“Let’s see the results!” Anna called and a chart with all three unit names started growing their total bars. Each bar raced against each other, until the first bar to stop was… 

“And SKY-GIRL earned the least!” Anna announced. 

“No way!” Mahiru cried. 

Moments later, the golden bar stopped growing. 

“Next is Yuzukosho!” 

The final bar, in orange, grew much larger than the other two, before it finally stopped. 

“And the winner with the most contributions is The Admins!” 

The crowd cheered loudly, and so did the girls on stage. 

“Thank you everyone!” Yuri called. 

“The Admins did it!” Haruka cheered, leaping in the air. 

Lily stepped forward, “Thank you everyone for your donations. No matter who you voted for, your contributions will greatly benefit the children that we are raising this money for.” 

Tsubasa smiled, “I am a little upset that we didn’t make it to the top, but SKY-GIRL has a long road ahead of them!”

“Congrats Admins!” Yozora smiled. 

“I can admit that their performance was well worth the most donations,” Ako smiled. 

Yume nodded, “I’m glad!” 

Anna waved to the crowd, “Thank you again everyone! Have a good night!” 

~0~

Yuzukosho’s song → Ai Girl - Lyrics - Skip Coords

SKY-GIRL’s song → Love-Colored Passion - Lyrics - Sunshine Fringe Coords

[the-himawari]

A3! Yukishiro Azuma - Translation [SR] Banquet of Blooming (2/2)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

---

Tsumugi: Good job with the screening party and talk show.

Izumi: Good work, everyone! We rarely get the chance to talk about what goes on behind the scenes of a photoshoot, so it was a valuable opportunity.

Azuma: Speaking of which, we’re going to take a polaroid photo for the present project that Sakyo-san mentioned today, right?

Izumi: Yep! I’m not as skilled as Omi-kun, but I’ll do my best to get the shot…!

Azuma: Fufu, please go ahead.

Izumi: Alright, I’ll take a few. Here I go.

-pause-

Izumi: Yep, got it.

Azuma: I was enjoying a new colouring book last night, so I accidentally stayed up a bit late… does it look alright?

Izumi: There’s no problem at all… There’s no need to retake it—you look pretty in the picture as usual.

Tsumugi: He’s as beautiful as always.

Azuma: You think so? I’m glad. Thank you. Ah, speaking of staying up late. Everyone’s been talking about how Director keeps dozing off in the middle of her work lately.

Izumi: Eh?

Tasuku: Ahh, I heard that too.

Tsumugi: Same. I suppose you’ve been busy… But please don’t overwork yourself, alright?

Azuma: Let me know if there’s anything I can help with.

Izumi: Sorry… thank you very much. I’ll be careful.

-pause-

Izumi: The questionnaire from today's talk show... it sounds like the audience enjoyed the behind-the-scenes stories about the play visuals that they don't usually get to hear. (Some people commented they’d like us to release some of the unseen visuals. I see, that’s helpful…) —Phew, I've sorted out most of the questionnaires, so I guess that's it. I'll hand them over to Winter troupe later. …*Yawn*. If I take a break, then maybe… zzzzz…

*dream starts*

Izumi: (Huh…? This place is…?) (It looks like a residential area, but it’s quiet and dimly lit… It feels strange and a bit scary…)

???: …

Izumi: …? Someone’s collapsed in front of the apartment building…!? Hey, are you alright?

???: Ugh…

Izumi: (Reo…!?) (Then, could this be the world from “Nocturnality”…?)

Reo: Ngh…?

Izumi: (Ah, it looks like he woke up…) (He really does look otherworldly… He’s beautiful and has a really mysterious aura about him…)

Reo: …You are…?

Izumi: S-sorry, I was spacing out. Are you alright?

Reo: …I’m so thirsty… I can’t stand it…

Izumi: In that case, I’ll buy some water from that vending machine over there! Please wait here for a secon—.

Reo: …Wait… There’s something that I crave more than that.

Izumi: Eh?

Reo: …

Izumi: (R-Reo suddenly got closer…) !? (What do I do—I can’t move my body…! Don’t tell me…)

Reo: —Forgive me. …

Izumi: (He’s biting my neck—!)

*dream ends*

Izumi: …! M-my neck… Thank goodness… nothing happened. (*Sigh*, so it was a dream…)

*knock, knock*

Azuma: Director.

Izumi: Ah, Azuma-san.

Azuma: ? You’re clutching your neck… is something wrong?

Izumi: Ah, no. It’s nothing.

Azuma: Are you sure? Sorry, I interrupted you. Are you working?

Option 1: “I was organizing the questionnaires…”

Izumi: I was organizing the questionnaires from today’s talk show.

Azuma: Ahh, is that so? Good work.

Izumi: It sounded like all the audience members were really satisfied.

Azuma: Really? That’s great to hear. I had lots of fun too. I honestly didn’t want to give up on the all-night screening party though.

Izumi: Come on, I told you that’s impossible.

Azuma: Fufu, then how about the two of us hold our own all-night screening party? We’ll sip wine while sitting next to each other on the sofa… And relax while watching a movie together.

Izumi: That sounds nice. I’ll keep you company then.

Azuma: I’m glad. Then I’ll search for a movie I’d like to watch together. I’m looking forward to it.

Izumi: Sure! I’m looking forward to it too.

Option 2: “I took a little nap…”

Izumi: The truth is, I took a little nap…

Azuma: A nap? Oh my. Even though we told you to be careful not to fall asleep during the day.

Izumi: S-sorry.

Azuma: But you were tired enough to take a nap, huh? …Say, Director, will you sleep with me tonight?

Izumi: Ehh?

Azuma: I’ll put you at ease, slowly, by your side. I'll pamper you lots and lots.

Izumi: I-I appreciate the thought, but I’ll have to refuse!

Azuma: Fufu, are you sure? Well, let me know anytime you’d like to snuggle.

Izumi: Umm, anyways, did you need something from me?

Azuma: Oh, yes. Omi made some sweets with the grape juice. I thought we could eat them together, so I came to invite you.

Izumi: Woah, thank you very much.

Azuma: …

Izumi: !? (W-why did Azuma-san get close…)

Azuma: ? Does your neck hurt?

Izumi: (Ah, I touched it again…!) Umm… it’s more like a reflex… so please don’t worry about it.

Azuma: Really? But I’m glad your complexion looks alright.

Izumi: (Ah, that’s why he brought his face so close. That surprised me…)

Azuma: Now then, come over quickly. …If you don’t…

Izumi: ?

Azuma: …I’ll eat you up.

Izumi: ! Why do you have to say that so sexily!? Also, you’re close!

Azuma: Fufu, just because. Come on, let’s go.

Izumi: *Sigh*, seriously… this is bad for my heart.

---

previous |

[hurt-care]

The Diner

(Remus Lupin, M, Allergies, Sneezefic)

I started this AGES ago for a Tumblr prompt (that I believe Sen Beret may have posted?) that proposed a fic where old friends reunited at a diner but one of them was sick/allergic. 

This takes place during the first war, when these guys are in their early 20s. 

“What about breakfast, then?” Lily had proposed.

The whole group had tried multiples times to organize an evening together but with various duties for the Order and their work schedules, no one seemed able to agree on a date. So Lily's solution came as a welcome relief when they all found a Saturday morning that they could agree on.

The small diner in Godric's Hollow served the usual fare in a cramped space that hadn't been updated since the 1940s, but that was part of the charm.

Lily and James arrived first and claimed a corner booth with enough room for the group. Lily eased herself into a chair at the end, her wide belly pressing against the chrome-rimmed edge of the table. It was mid-April and she had only a few months to go before she gave birth.

Peter was next to arrive, rushing in with his work satchel and apologizing in advance if he had to leave early. The Ministry department in which he worked was so far behind that they'd threatened to call everyone in early for an extra weekend shift.

Sirius was next, much to everyone's surprise given his normal lack of punctuality. He staggered in, bleary-eyed and still yawning, complaining that nine in the morning was far too early for socializing, at least before he'd consumed his daily ritual two cups of black coffee. A nod to the waitress and a trademark grin was all it took to get a ceramic cup to appear in front of him filled to the brim with a rich Javanese blend.

“Moony said he could make it, right?” James asked, perusing the menu as he spoke.

“Yes, he said he was in,” Lily replied. “I'm sure he's just running a little behind.”

“He's never running behind,” Sirius murmured between sips of coffee, slowly gaining consciousness by the second.

“Moon's in two days,” James reminded him. “Could've overslept.”

Just then, the diner's door chimed as Remus elbowed his way inside with a handkerchief pressed to his nose.

“Sorry,” he said breathlessly as he approached the table, wriggling the cloth a final time against his nostrils before shoving it into his pocket and sitting down across from Sirius.

“You look like death,” Sirius said, eying the new arrival over his mug.

“Well, it's nice to see you too,” Remus replied wryly.

“He's not wrong,” Peter chimed in. “What the hell, Moony?”

“I don't really know what you're all on about,” Lily said, leaning in to kiss Remus' cheek in greeting. “Hello, Remus. Glad you could make it.”

“They're right,” Remus said, shying away from Lily's embrace. “Sorry, it's bloody awful hayfever. I've been try--”

He broke off suddenly, lips parting and eyes squinting shut in anticipation. He raised a finger to indicate a needed moment of pardon and turned away from the group, shielding his face with his elbow.

Eghh-GMPHHH!

He sneezed into his shirtsleeve, muffling the sound. With a sniffle, he surfaced momentarily before his head bobbed again, this time not quite reaching his elbow.

Nhh'GSHT! Hehh....ehHH-TSGHHT!

He squeezed his eyes tight in a moment of clear annoyance and shook his head as if to throw off the irritation.

“Goodness!” Lily exclaimed. “Bless you.”

“Sorry,” Remus repeated, retrieving the handkerchief back out of his pocket and giving his nose a quick blow. “I'm trying a new potion for the pain...you know, for later in the week. But it's making me really much more sensitive to everything than I already usually am. I was up half the night like this.”

“Leaking from everywhere on your face?” Sirius asked and James laughed at the mental image.

Remus gave them both a dark look.

“Basically that's the situation,” he confirmed, wriggling his nose with the heel of his hand. “Not sure if it's worth the potion's effects, honestly."

“I suppose you'll have to wait and see,” Peter said. “Shall we order some food then? I'm famished.”

“Of course you are,” Sirius quipped.

“I'm usually up at seven for breakfast,” Peter replied. “Some of us keep normal hours, Sirius.”

“Some of us can't be bothered to listen to you two go on at this hour,” James interrupted.

“The french toast looks good,” said Lily. “What are you thinking, Remus?”

Remus squinted at the menu through red, itchy eyes.

“I don't know, really,” he said. “I'm not sure I can taste much at the moment. Maybe an omelet...”

“There's eggs benedict, Pads,” James pointed out to Sirius.

“I'm sticking to coffee for at least the next hour,” Sirius replied.

“Rough night?” Remus asked.

“I was on rounds with McKinnon. Didn't get in until past two.”

“So, normal bedtime then?” Lily said with a grin. Sirius scoffed and took a swig of coffee.

Eh-GHSHTT!

Everyone jumped as Remus sneezed loudly and unexpectedly, barely managing to shield his face.

“Pardon me,” he apologized from behind cupped hands. “I-”

He didn't manage another word before he was sneezing again.

Ehhh-heh-tsSCHT!

“Can I take some food orders?”

The waitress appeared at the end of the table, looking at the group expectantly.

“I'll have the french toast with strawberries, please,” Lily said. “And a cup of the decaffeinated tea.”

Beside her, Remus stifled another sneeze. Ngh-tsGHT!

“Just coffee for me, thanks,” Sirius said.

“I'll do the full English,” Peter ordered, followed by James' request for the sunny-side-up eggs combo.

Ehh-TSGHT!

All eyes turned to Remus, who was still fighting a battle against a volley of sneezes.

Tshh-GHTT! Sorry...I—the-- teh---hehh-TSGHT!

“The western omelet, I think?” Lily prompted. Remus nodded and made a noise of affirmation between sneezes.

“Anything else?” the waitress asked.

Hehh-TSCHHHSHH!

“Bless you!” Lily said emphatically, putting a caring hand on Remus' shoulder. “Can I help at all? Do you want a glass of ice water or something?”

Remus finally managed to stop sneezing long enough to speak.

“Yes, that might help.”

“A glass of water, certainly,” the waitress confirmed. “I'll be right back.”

Remus slowly lowered his hands and gave his nose some wipes with his handkerchief.

“Sorry,” he repeated.

“You can't help it,” Lily said. “Don't worry about it.”

“Do you think the...you know...Moony. Do you think he has hayfever?” Peter asked. “Will we be dealing with this when you're....you know?”

“Wolves don't get hayfever, Wormtail,” Sirius said with a laugh.

“How do you know? Have you ever asked one?”

“I seriously doubt they do.”

“I guess we'll find out,” Remus replied, rubbing absentmindedly at his left eye, which was rapidly reddening. “So does this mean you'll all be there this time?”

“I think so,” Peter said. “Depends on my work schedule.”

“Same here,” Sirius replied.

“I'm in, unless Lily needs me,” James said.

“He's in,” Lily assured Remus with a smile. Remus smiled back and sniffled for what felt like the millionth time that morning.

“What kind of potions are you messing with, then?” Sirius asked. “Must be pretty new if they're causing these kind of weird side effects.”

“Something that Pomfrey read about in some healing journal and she wrote me to recommend that I try it. Yeah, it's definitely ne—nehh...eh-TSCHTT!

He buried his nose into his sleeve with a frustrated groan.

“Here we go aga—again...nh'TSHGHT! Hehh-TSGHTT!”

He stopped and wiped at his pink nostrils with the edge of his hand.

“It's new, I was trying to say,” he croaked. The waitress returned with his glass of ice water and he drank from the cup greedily.

“Well, they clearly don't have the kinks worked out of it yet,” James said.

“There's not really money in the research of these sorts of potions,” Remus said, setting down his now half-empty water glass. “It was probably invented for something else. They don't really take the different physiology into consideration. My hay-fever’s already worse this close to the cycle and something about this just magnifies the sensitivity.”

“Well, I hope they can figure out a balance that works without being too much of a burden come spring,” Lily chimed in.

“If they bother to work on it,” Remus replied hoarsely. “We'll see."

He took another swig of water, trying to wet his rapidly drying throat where a vague, itchy feeling had settled.

“How's the Ministry treating you, Wormtail?” Sirius asked, changing the subject. Remus pressed his leg against Sirius' under the table in a show of gratitude.

“Well enough,” Peter replied. “Understaffed, as usual. I said to James and Lily not to be surprised if an owl shows up for me. They threatened us all with extra weekend shifts to clear some backlog.”

Ehh-NHHGSHH!

Across the table, Remus turned away and cupped his hands back over his face.

“Sorry!” he apologized once again as the sneezing restarted. “Go on, Pete. Ignore me.”

But the spectacle was difficult to ignore as Remus' head bobbed in time with each increasingly urgent sneeze.

Ngh-TGHHT! TshGHXTT! Ehh-TSGXHTT!

He pressed the handkerchief against his nostrils, squeezing his fingers tight around the inflamed edges of his nose, stifling the sound as his other hand waved at his friends to keep talking.

TsGHT! NgGHT!

“Remus, love, you don't have to hold it in,” Lily assured him. “Don't worry about us.”

“Excuse me,” Remus managed to gasp as he rose to his feet and rushed towards the men's room, his head nodding down occasionally in time with his sneezes.

“Poor chap,” James mused, watching him go.

“Here,” said Lily, taking a napkin from the table and tapping it with her wand so that it was transfigured into a face towel. She handed the washcloth to Sirius. “Get this wet in the sink so he can wash his face down.”

Sirius disappeared into the washroom in pursuit of Remus.

He found the man leaning against a stall door, still in the throws of the sneezing fit.

NhGHHSHH!

“Hey,” Sirius said. “Lily said this might help.”

He soaked the towel and guided it into Remus' hands. Remus pressed the cool rag to his face, sneezing a final harsh Ehh-TSGHCHTTT! before he finally relaxed a moment and let the water soothe his itchy eyes and nose.

“Thanks,” he said. “Give me a minute. I'll be out soon.”

“You don't want me to stay?” Sirius asked.

“I need to blow my nose. A lot. You can stay if you want but it won't be pleasant.”

“Ah,” Sirius affirmed. “Right. I'll go if you want me to, but I don't mind.”

Remus shrugged and pressed his handkerchief to his nose, giving a gurgling blow that didn't seem to solve any of the congestion. He tried two more times, each effort less productive and more strained. Finally, he was unable to get any decent amount of air out and he stopped, taking gulps of air through his mouth.

Sirius had edged closer during the ordeal and gently put a hand on the bare curve of Remus' neck above his shirt collar.

“Poor Moony,” he said, leaning in and kissing Remus' temple.

“Stop,” Remus grumbled, shying back. “Someone might come in.”

The....affair? Relationship? Fooling around? Whatever they were calling it, it was new and so far, a secret. They were both sure that James and Lily had suspicions, but Peter was entirely clueless and no one had openly spoken about it yet

“No one is coming,” Sirius assured him. “Wash your face again and come back. Breakfast has probably arrived by now.”

“Go on,” Remus said wearily. “Tell them I'll be out in a minute.”

Sirius returned to the table and relayed the message. Remus reappeared a few moments later, as promised, looking blotchy and red-eyed but no longer sneezing. He sunk back into his spot in the booth where a western omelet now waited to be eaten.

“You alright, mate?” James asked.

Remus nodded and cut into his breakfast, taking a mouthful of egg and chewing quietly. The food had no real taste to his muddled and congested senses.

The group chatted amongst themselves, enjoying the meal and the company, but it quickly became evident that Remus wasn't having the best time of it. His omelet remained mostly untouched on his plate and his eyes were now swollen and irritated to the point of almost permanent teariness.

“Not feeling any better, eh love?” Lily remarked. “What's on your plate for the rest of the day?”

“Just need to get some edits done for a journal review,” Remus replied. “I'll hunker down inside my flat and try not to let any outside air in, I suppose.”

“Can you even see?” Peter asked. “Your eyes look pretty fucked.”

“Yes, I can see,” Remus retorted.

“Why don't you head home and one of us will come by later to check in on you?” Lily offered.

“I'll be fine,” insisted Remus. “I'll probably just end up lying low for the rest of the day if I have to. And tomorrow will be a wash, I guess.”

“And then where the hell are we going to go for the night that won't involve you being unable to breathe?” James asked.

“I think I may have to owl Pomfrey and see if it's safe to take something,” Remus responded, rubbing absentmindedly at his eyes again. He wrinkled his nose and slowly shook his head, eyes squinting shut. Turning away, he sneezed harshly into his shoulder.

Hurhhs-TSGHHT!

“C'mon, then,” said Sirius, rising from his seat and depositing enough Sickles on the table for his meal with a few extra to cover Remus'. “I'll make sure you get home okay. Not a good idea to Apparate in your state.”

Eh-TSChGHT!

Hands cupped to his face, Remus stood and turned to the side, bending a bit at the waist as the final sneeze of the small fit exploded out.

Nhh-GHSXHTT!

“Are you sure I can't stop by later with some tea and treats or something?” Lily asked.

“It's really okay,” he insisted, wiping his nose surreptitiously on his sleeve. “I think I ought to try to keep quiet and get my editing done and then get some rest.”

“Send an owl if you need anything, okay?” James added. “I'll see you tomorrow night.”

Remus nodded as Sirius began to guide him to the door.

“I'll side-along you from the alley next door,” Sirius said as they approached the exit. “Try not to breathe too much outside.”

“That should be easy enough, given how little I'm already doing it,” Remus quipped, bracing himself for the inevitable allergen-filled spring air.

They stepped out into the alley and down to the magically-marked apparition spot. Remus pressed his sleeve against his dripping nose and sniffled miserably.

“Almost home,” Sirius assured him, wrapping an arm around the smaller man's waist and hugging it tightly. “One...two....three...”

They suddenly spun and disappeared from sight, landing outside the block of flats where Remus kept a small bachelor room.

Eh-GHTSHTT!

Remus staggered forward with a harsh sneeze.

“Merlin,” he croaked as he wiped his now red and raw nose. “I thought I might splinch us but I managed to hold it ih---eh-TSGHH! ---hold in in.”

He gathered his handkerchief, turning it over in his hands to invoke the self-cleaning spell, and blew his nose aggressively.

“Let's get you inside before your nose falls off,” Sirius suggested, watching the man with a sympathetic expression.

They trudged up the stairs to the third story flat, Remus wheezing and sniffling as his efforts to breathe became more and more difficult. When they entered his small flat, Remus let himself collapse into the old beige chenille couch that dominated the centre of the room.

Ngh-TXHTT!

He sneezed into a pillow and groaned loudly. Sirius headed to the washroom in search of a towel. He returned with a damp facecloth and sat down on the sofa beside Remus.

“Here,” he said, offering the cloth. “Get some of that pollen off your skin.”

“Too late,” Remus grumbled, pressing the cloth over his swollen eyes and nose. He sat up and leaned forward, letting his face rest in the palms of his hands with the facecloth sandwiched between.

“I'm going to send an owl to Pomfrey to see if you can take another potion,” Sirius offered.

“Please do,” Remus replied from behind the towel shield. “It wasn't nearly this bad when I left the flat earlier.”

Sirius went to Remus' desk to draft a note. When it was finished, he folded it up and put it into his pocket.

“I'll Apparate over to the post office to send it,” he said. “Be back in just a second.”

Remus nodded and listened for the 'pop!' of Sirius' disappearance. It was too much of an extra cost for Remus to own his own owl, so he often relied on the local post office for sending owl mail.

When Sirius came back, Remus was reclined on the couch with his fingers pinched at the bridge of his nose.

“Okay, sent,” Sirius said. “Hopefully we'll hear from her soon. I sent a request to the apothecary for some owl-mail allergy tonic so that'll be here in a bit either way.”

“Thanks,” Remus replied, distracted. He adjusted his fingers and pinched his nose again. “Sorry, my sinuses...there's a sneeze that's stuck there or something and it won't come out.”

“Want some help?” Sirius offered. “I'm sure there's a sneezing hex I could look up.”

“The last thing I want is to be forced to sneeze more than I already am,” Remus responded, pressing his palm to this nostrils and wriggling a circle. “It's just really really itchy.”

“I have an idea,” said Sirius. “Look at my wand.”

“Does that pickup line work on other boys?” Remus asked sardonically. “I said I don't want to be hexed, Sirius.”

“I'm not going to hex you, I promise,” Sirius replied, giving his best innocent look.

“I'm not convinced,” Remus said, pinching his nose again and groaning. His nostrils were quickly becoming chapped and raw from all the irritation.

“I promise. It's not a hex.”

Remus turned his head and Sirius pointed his wand towards Remus' eyes.

“Lumos!” Sirius said and the end of his wand glowed bright white. Remus' pale eyes squinted and he turned away from the glare.

“Arghh,” he moaned, mouth dropping open and breath hitching. “That might do it.”

“Look again,” Sirius urged.

Remus squinted towards the light, nose twitching and lips trembling in anticipation.

Hurrrhhh-TSCHGHHT!

He suddenly erupted forward with an urgent, explosive sneeze that bent him at the waist. He kept one hand over his nose while the other searched wildly for his handkerchief.

Ehh-nghhGHTHHH! Ehh-TSCHHHH!

He managed to get the cloth over his nose as the fit continued. He tried to stifle the next few outbursts, but they quickly escalated back to full sneezes.

Ehh-TXKKT! Ngh-XHT! 'GXHT! Ehhhh....hehh-SGHHHHT! Heh-TSCHHHTT!

Sirius elbowed his way onto the couch beside Remus and put a hand on the man's back.

“Poor allergic Moony.”

“I don't care what Pomfrey says,” Remus panted as the fit ended. “I'm taking that potion when it arrives. I can handle the pain.”

“Here,” Sirius said, flicking his wand to summon a fresh handkerchief from Remus' bedroom. He handed over the cloth and Remus blew his nose.

“I don't like seeing you in pain though,” Sirius continued.

“I don't know if this is any better or worse, frankly,” Remus admitted, rubbing at his swollen left eye.

Just then, a tap sounded on the window and two owls looked through the glass.

“Sweet relief is here,” Sirius declared. “Sit tight. All will be better in a minute.”

He went and retrieved the potion from one owl and a letter from the other. Tearing open the parchment, he scanned the response from Pomfrey.

“Oh thank Merlin,” he said, tossing the letter on the end table and hurrying to open the potion bottle. “She says she's sorry about the side effects and of course, take a tonic. Worst case scenario, you don't see any pain improvement. Best, it works even with the allergy tonic.”

“Good,” Remus said, gratefully taking the potion bottle and drinking a healthy swig. Almost immediately, some of the redness faded from his nose and eyes and his breathing seemed to ease.

“That's better,” Sirius said.

“Definitely,” Remus agreed, taking a mostly full breath for first time in hours. “This stuff always makes me drowsy though.”

“Then lie down. I don't have anything for the rest of the day. I'll stay.”

He sat on the sofa, patting his lap. Remus stretched out, letting his head rest on Sirius' thigh. The man ran a hand through Remus' sandy brown hair as Remus closed his eyes.

Not a minute later, Remus was snoring quietly, totally exhausted from the allergies and the potion. Sirius stretched out his legs and let his head roll back, closing his own eyes. It would be several hours before either of them woke.

[chilly-territory]

K ~ Four Seasons of K: Chrysanthemum Festival

September’s story, with the Silver Clan.

The original Japanese text is kindly provided by blueseraphima.

Chrysanthemum Festival by Furuhashi Hideyuki

When German-sensei, that is, Adolf K Weissmann, a teacher for Ashinaka Academy, returned to his dorm room, he found his two roommates busy playing tag.

The fleeing side was represented by his roommate #1, a certain Ameno Miyabi also known as Neko, running chaotically around the room with a cloth-wrapped bundle clasped in her hands. The one doing the chasing with his hand on the sword at his hip was the roommate #2, Yatougami Kuroh, or simply Kuroh. For the two possessing physical ability beyond normal for humans, jumping over the tea table and bed was not enough, as they kicked off the walls and ceiling, running about the narrow space across all its surfaces like 2 mice in a cage.

"I'm home. So what is this commotion about today?"

As he called out to them from the door, Neko immediately took it as her cue to slide behind Weissman's back and use him as a shield, explaining, "Kuroh is a bully! He steals yummy things from me!" "Enough! Just put that bundle where you got it!" Kuroh ordered, standing in front of Weissman. Crouching slightly, his stance was that of a man ready to draw his sword and strike at any moment, his ability and intensity being such that you wouldn't put it past him to cut the two in front of him down in a single swing.

But...

"Easy, easy, for starters, tell me what happened," Weissman requested in his carefree manner, and the high-strung atmosphere of the room loosened. Kuroh relaxed from his battle-ready stance and Neko handed the bundle she was clutching to her chest over to Weissman, albeit reluctantly. Weismann held it out to Kuroh while giving it a once-over.

"This wrapping paper... looks like something from the Japanese confectionery shop downtown. It's wrapped very nicely, is it a present for someone?" "Uh-huh. I thought I'd give some confections on the Respect for the Aged Day to the benefactor from my home town I owe a lot to..." "Benefactor?" "I suppose I have yet to mention the lady named Watanabe-san to you, do I...?" "Oh, you did mention her, the old lady you're indebted to from back when you were with Miwa-san, right?" "Yes. Like Ichigen-sama, she treated me as part of her family," Kuroh nodded deeply. "Mn!" Neko spoke up. "I'm indebted to grandma Watanabe, too! She fed me! It was yummy! I liked it!"

For a period, Kuroh and Neko wandered all across the country, trying to find out Isana Yashiro's whereabouts. It was at that time that Neko accompanied Kuroh to the village where he grew up, and for a few days that she stayed there, she had been visiting the old lady Watanabe.

"That's right! You, too, want to do something for Watanabe-san, right? So you can't be eating the dorayaki I've prepared for her." "Ehh, it's dorayaki?! But I love dorayaki, among other things!"

Kuroh dodged Neko who jumped at the bundle in his hands, now raised high overhead.

"I told you, this is a gift for the Respect of the Aged Day. It's not just snacks, they're meant to express the feeling of respect towards the elderly." "Mn? ...Mnmmn, true... grandma is really old..." Neko folded her arms, thinking hard, and then, "But I got older by a year, too, compared to last year, so it should be OK for me to have at least a mouthful..." "What kind of logic is that!" "Besides, I'm going to try hard next year and overtake you in age, and you won't have any right to be all bossy with me anymore..." "It doesn't work that way. When a year passes, everyone gets older by a year. There's no catching up or overtaking when it comes to age."

"Ahaha... Say, Kuroh, that Watanabe lady, how old is she right now?" "Hm...? A few years ago, she had celebrated her 70th birthday, so now she must be 70-something." "I see." Weissmann, looking like he was up to something, flashed a mischievous smile. Usually fitting the description of a calm young man in his twenties, it was at times like this that he looked awfully young. "...That means she's a lot younger than myself." "Hm?" "Meow?"

As the Siver King imbued with the attribute of unchangeability, Adolf K Weissmann spent almost 70 years inside a private blimp. Possessing supernatural power capable of rewriting the world map, he, nonetheless, insisted on remaining a mere observer of the world below. It could be said that his position was the exact opposite of the attitude of his companion, the Gold King Kokujouji Daikaku who was taking an active part in national and international politics, employing all kinds of means, both clandestine and public. Perhaps, the Silver King's voluntary isolation was a result of Weissmann's wish to avoid friction and conflict with the powerful kings lining up down on the ground, but in the person in question's own half-joking words, he led a life with his feet not planted firmly on the ground.

"Oh... It's true, isn't it," Kuroh faltered and nodded seriously.

The strange air about Weissman, inexplicably combining naivete of a child and maturity of an old man in a young man's body, stemmed from the unimaginable loneliness he had lived in. A glimpse of the grave history as an Ubermensch lurking behind the back of this man they considered their equal and friend was enough for Kuroh to stiffen, both mentally and bodily.

"...So, Kuroh, make sure you buy some dorayaki for me, too, on the Respect for the Aged Day, okay? A posh set with more of them than for Watanabe-san would do. I'm much older than her, after all," Weissman chattered. "Hm, I don't really have objections..." Kuroh said evasively, feeling awkward and looking away. "But on the other hand, you don't exactly strike anyone as an aged person. You don't have enough presence or dignity for that. Aging without dignity and accomplishment is not the way to go." "Mmn~" Neko attempted to deliver a light kick to Kuroh who had entered what she dubbed as 'unintelligible lecturing mode'.

Checking her attempt with one hand, Weissmann let out a chuckle, "Ahaha, I'll just have to make up for what I'd skipped in life experience from now on, I guess." "That you must."

The awkward exchange was awkward, complete with just as awkward encouragement. There still was some mutual reserve and hesitation remaining when it came to topics like that.

Watching Weissman, Kuroh breathed a sigh of relief.

And that's when the door ring chime resounded.

*

The visitors that had arrived to the three's modest living room were several individuals in rabbit masks and kimono - the Usagi of the Gold clan. Formerly, they ruled the whole country as the extensions of Kokujouji Daikaku, but presently the Gold clan, Timeless Palace, withdrew from actively participating in government matters, and like a big old tree slowly withering, they seemed to dissolve their organization or, perhaps, were on the way of transforming it into a commonplace shape, independent of superpowers.

There had to be a special reason for these people who retired from their trade to pay a visit to Weissmann, a King.

"I would like to ask what business I owe this pleasure to," Weissmann inquired ceremoniously. "In accordance with the dying wish of His Excellency," the head of the Usagi answered, "we called on you to congratulate you with the seasonal Chrysanthemum Festival, sir."

Having arranged rice boiled with chestnuts, eggplant dishes and other traditional food in an amount enough for the three, as well as chrysanthemum sake for Weissmann, the Usagi bowed deeply and made themselves scarce.

"---One of the five annual festivals, the Double Ninth Festival, also known as the Chrysanthemum Festival, huh... Come to think of it, you were observing the Respect for the Aged day even back in your country." "Yeah, because the Lieutenant... Kokujouji Daikaku came from a line of exorcists, and they tend to be very particular about stuff like that, as I found out." "I see. Back to the present though, unexpectedly, I have been rid of the necessity to cook dinner. ...I suppose I'll spend the free time I suddenly have on my hands to write a letter." "Can I eat already?" Neko was reaching out for the food, and Kuroh said to her, "Neko, you come here, too. If you have a message for Watanabe-san, I'll append it to my letter." "Mew...?"

Neko sat down next to Kuroh, who produced an inkstone case, placing it on the low tea table and starting to rub the ink stick, and peeked at what he was doing. They looked like siblings who got along just fine, and Weissmann couldn't help a smile as he leaned against the wall and opened a slip of paper he held in hand.

It was a private message from Kokujouji Daikaku that the Usagi had brought.

I pray for your longevity and good health. -signed: Daikaku

Evidently, he wrote it when he was still alive. Just one short line, but the solemn brush strokes of the written words expressed the writer's character thoroughly, bringing his image to life in the mind's eye: Kokujouji Daikaku, back ramrod straight, sitting at a low Japanese writing desk above the vast sea of clouds and writing with his brush...

"Hey, Kuroh, earlier..." Weissmann called out to Kuroh's back. Although Kokujouji possessed a lot more dignity, perhaps there still were some core things that could be communicated through how you sit. "Yes, what is it?" Kuroh turned to look over his shoulder, his brush suspended in midair. "...Ah, no, nothing. Sorry, sorry." Checking the words he was about say, Weissmann dropped his gaze to the slip of paper in his hands again.

---Earlier, you said that when a year passes, everyone gets older by a year, and that there is no catching up or overtaking when it comes to age... But it's not quite true. Those in the sky don't age, only those on the ground grow old. Those on the ground catch up and overtake those in the sky in age. That's why in the past I didn't age, only the Lieutenant did. And presently, it's the opposite: the Lieutenant up in the sky doesn't age, only I'm growing old, and the gap in distance and in altitude we had let open is now being closed, little by little...

Weissmann's eyes swept to Kuroh and Neko.

"Hey, Kurosuke, Kurosuke. If you just write, 'Thank you, it was yummy', it'll make grandma much happier!" Neko was saying, while surreptitiously reaching for the bundle with dorayaki, until Kuroh slapped her hand away.

...That's right, these little heartwarming scenes are what is going to leave age marks on me, one after another, from now on.

"Fufu... 'longevity' and 'good health', huh..." Weissmann smiled lopsidedly. "That slydog Lieutenant... he plans to make me into an even older geezer than he himself is, eh."

[inkribbon796]

Traveling Shadow

EGOTOBER  2019: DAY 12

Prompt: Travel

Word Count: 904

Summary: The Mayor has a conference to attend to, which means Dark needs to leave town without tipping anyone off. A feat easier said than done.

    Damien was pacing a storm in his office.

    “My good man you are going to break through to the floor,” Wilford smiled, he was sitting in a padded chair.

    “You and Google have already been arrested twice since I’ve been ‘gone’ and everything is supposed to be fine?” Damien spat.

    “I don’t understand why everyone’s making a big fuss about you wanting to work with us,” Wilford shrugged.

    “At least you stopped talking about Bim,” Damien was checking his bowtie in his mirror, then looked at his watch. He had a convention to go to, and not going to it would out himself as Dark. So all Dark had to do was make a convincing act of needing to deal with a situation over in L.A. Which was going to be hard enough to fake on top of it, but the more pressing issue was the convention.

    Darkiplier had been out of Egoton for about two weeks now . . .

    He wanted to scream at everything that he would have to fix when “Dark” came back.

    Wilford had scoffed at Damien’s comment. “I told you it was an accident, I was drunk and Silver was there. I’m proud of him, I didn’t realize I couldn’t be a little proud of the boy.”

    “They know he exists again, and I will not have his debut and life spoiled because you got impatient,” Damien warned angrily

    “I’ve got it,” Wilford rolled his eyes. “Bim will be fine, the town will be fine, and I won’t let Anti eat your computer. You want me to feed the dog too?”

    “I don’t have a dog,” Damien looked at the crazed reporter with a suspicious stare.

    “Not yet,” Wil warned.

    “Just make sure Bim eats something other than junk food and sweets, I don’t want to come home to him on a sugar rampage or sick again,” Damien checked his suitcase again, making sure his important paperwork was there.

    “For the millionth time, we’ve been through this before,” Wilford promise. “You just leave it to old Warfstache. He knows what’s best.”

    Damien groaned but grabbed his suitcase. “Head back to your office, I don’t need anyone seeing you.”

    Wilford waved his hand, “Ehh, you’ll be fine, they’ll join in on the laugh.”

    “No, they won’t, go home,” Dark ordered. “I still need to grab something from the Manor before I go.”

    “Fine,” Wilford pouted and he was gone in a puff of pink, psychedelic smoke.

    Dark wound up needing an extra five minutes to pass through the Void to get his little black notebook from his home desk in the Manor. The entity kept it in his suit pocket so it’d be on his person at all times. He couldn’t have anyone, even Wilford, taking it while he was gone. Inside held little snippets of information and if Anti or the heroes got their hands on it his entire operation would be in jeopardy. Then he got back into his office and his security guards took him to the train and it was a rather uneventful ride. Unsurprising since this was normally a situation that Dark would send someone to intervene on his behalf. But Damien wasn’t in the mood to go that far with the double set up.

    After a couple hours of peace, working with the files he’d brought along with a work laptop. and quiet his train car got another passenger admitted. It was a woman with long dark hair and glasses.

    “Ahh, Dames,” the woman said as she walked. “You got around to talking to the Missus yet?”

    “Kathy,” Damien tried to smile warmly. Dark didn’t have friends, but Damien was human and naturally was supposed to have those. Or so his blue soul supplied. “You know I don’t have one of those.”

    “Ah hah!” She pointed at him. “I knew it, what’s his name?”

    “I am happily single,” Damien waved his hand dismissively. “If I am married to anything it is the city itself. I’m too busy to think about anything like that.”

    “Bull,” Kathryn told him. “You liar! You just don’t have the courage to tell him, do you?”

    “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Damien promised, just choosing to work instead of humoring the incredibly vulnerable and human woman next to him. After letting her drill him for a bit, she calmed down and the two got to talking, and somewhere in the exchange, Dark was able to relax, letting Damien play the scene as more people began to fill in.

    It had been ages since any part of Dark had taken anything even close to a break. Helping to raise Bim would have been enough of a full-time job but he had an organization to run on top of it. He was never going to admit it to anyone, but it was nice to get away from the city. To wrap his influence into a new place and feed off of the misfortune there. He had no one else to share the area with.

    That thought alone was exhilarating.

    But he knew if he stayed, Wilford would inevitably find him and Bim would be with him, of course. He’d never have an area to himself again. Dark knew, however, that after his break he’d go back home, smooth over whatever mess Wilford and the others were causing. Things would go back to normal again and it would be fine.

[acrispyapple]

50 more interesting questions

Rules: fill this out and tag at least one person you’d like to know more about! Or just fill it out! Or don’t! Answer only some of them! Make up your own questions! “What kind of requirement is that”, you ask? A reasonable one! Who am I to tell you what to do? Anything goes!

Tagged by @incorrectmidc i had this open for days and i answered a few questions per night lol @o0w0o and @deathbymidnightcinderella  <3

1. What kind of food can’t you stand? spicy stuff and umm food loaded with exotic spices / herbs

2. If you could choose one minor inconvenience to never have to deal with again, what would you pick? my mouse ending up double clicking after a year or so

3. Have you got any useless talents? i have way too much trivia and animal facts. plus random skills with no practical use. oh and playing the piano is also a useless talent for me since i don’t really “use” it

4. If you were really really good at one thing, what would it be? my answer isn’t an “if” thing lol. i have a really good memory. it really helps with mostly anything i do + it makes studying easier. but sometimes people think it’s creepy that i remember little things about them, they think i keep notes about them or something lol-- but i really do just remember.

5. Name a few people you think are extremely good-looking - umm neil caffrey (matt bomer) from white collar, nick burkhardt (david giuntoli) from grimm, daniel shaw (brandon routh) from chuck -- i seem to have a type haha. omg i forgot jo in-sung. i’ve always thought he was handsome! 

6. What was your favorite way to pass the time as a kid? i was a pretty boring kid. i just read books, watched cartoons, and organized things. as a kid i’d look at my toys but never really play with them because i liked seeing them all set up nicely. i just kept collecting stuff i liked. the most i’d do that’s remotely active was play with my dogs

7. What is something you’re proud of? i do well academically and i learn fast. and somehow i’m proud of how i’ve remained the same over the years.

8. What’s one character flaw in people that you just can’t tolerate? i don’t know if this is considered a character flaw but i really dislike poor manners haha. it drives me crazy when people open their mouth while chewing or if it’s too noisy. i die a bit inside. besides table manners and manners in general, i dislike people who are rowdy during inappropriate times.

9. Do you consider yourself to be more of a leader or a follower? both but to avoid stress sometimes i just want to follow. i’m a bit of a perfectionist / rule follower so i get frustrated a lot. i know not everyone is like a machine but it’s hard with my ocd lol. and no this isn’t just me saying ocd like most people when referring to certain things, i actually do have it and i have medication for it

10. What kind of student are/were you? normal i guess. i got along well with people, i didn’t fail anything, and i never rebelled or did anything wild. it was uneventful lol. i’m still technically a student now, but i see it more as an adult thing.

11. Butterfly effect question! Has there ever been a seemingly minor decision you’ve made (at the time) that ended up having a profound influence on your life? i’m sure everyone has one

12. Name your most irrational fear/aversion well it’s not a fear per se, but i have an aversion to most asian food, sorta? the smell sets me off especially if it has a bunch of spices or herbs in it. my nose is just sensitive and i get affected easily by strong scents. but i’m fine with japanese food, maybe some korean and chinese stuff. for fears, iono, i don’t think it’s irrational to be afraid of spiders and big cockroaches ><

13. Are there any fictional characters you find especially relatable? a bunch haha but it’s mostly people associating them with me first. i’m not tsundere..... how dare they

14. If you drink, what kind of drunk are you? Alternatively, what sort of person are you at parties? i don’t think i’ve ever gotten drunk the way people imagine people getting drunk to be like. i remain the same except i get a headache. i don’t really change at all. and in parties i guess i just stay close to my friends. stranger danger lmao

15. Do you fall in love easily? Or does it usually take a long time for you to trust someone? umm no i do not. i mean i can trust them fine but i don’t think i can believe their feelings until they can prove it isn’t just a short time attraction. i’m in for long term stuff so i don’t really wanna waste time if it’s not headed there. but yeah currently in a long term relationship

16. Would you rather have one close friend or 100 casual friends? having fewer friends makes it easier for me to update all of them without getting tired of repeating the same story over and over haha

17. Do you consider yourself to be more of a slob or a neat-freak? always organized and no one’s allowed to touch my things haha

18. Describe a place (imaginary or real) that you would find incredibly cozy i’ve always wanted a seating area near a huge window with a good view, bunch of pillows, earphones + music

19. Do you have kids? If not, do you want them someday? nah i don’t think i can handle it. i’d probably go insane trying to control them and making them become my idea of what a person should be like

20. What was your favorite book as a child? the chronicles of narnia, still love it to this day because it’s really written well

21. Name one thing you just don’t get what all the hype is about WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES A FIDGET SPINNER DO -- yeah i’m sorry, i think it’s stupid

22. Name one thing that you think is tragically underrated i should have an answer for this but i totally forgot lol

23. If you had to be glued to a person for a month, real or fictional (who you have never met), who would you choose? since im in the midcin fandom i’ll just say byron

24. What’s something you’d like the chance to do someday? visit all the haunted places i’ve ever read about, and prolly explore old ruins. i was way into archaeological finds etc way back

25. Do you typically speak your mind when you have a controversial opinion? Or do generally prefer to not rock the boat? i try to say it in the most courteous way possible. i can’t keep it to myself because it would bother me and my mind would just dwell on it forever but i also don’t like offending people haha

26. What’s the dumbest fad you’ve been caught up in? sTiCkY cApS in chat (but i stopped after a month okay, and i was 12)

27. What’s something you thought was cool as a kid/adolescent, but now cringe at yourself for? typing in sTiCkY CaPs. kill 12 year old me pls

28. What’s a trait you consider to be very admirable? being kind and yet still firm when needed even when it comes to friends. i really admire people who don’t just blindly agree with their peers

29. Is there a particular kind of item people always tend to give you as gifts? (For instance, people always get you things with ducks on them because you like ducks, etc.) people give me stuff with owls, bears, hedgehogs, or stars because i love them. i also love stationery and pens. i like getting different colors and i never use them. i just keep them forever haha

30. Do you speak multiple languages? Which ones? i know a bit of stuff from other languages but not enough to be proud of it. i don’t want to be a poser and claim yeaaaahh i speak this and that lol

31. Would you rather live in the big city or the countryside? city please. i hate the quiet countryside. it’s like if someone comes to kill you and there’s no one around and you’d be all “this is why i should’ve been in the city with people everywhere”

32. Has there ever been something you were certain you’d hate, but ended up loving? byron wagner from midcin. when i first started and i saw him i was all, ehh eyepatch dude. so edgy. lmao. i even purposely skipped him during certain events and i regret that now.

33. Do you mind being the center of attention, or do you prefer the spotlight to be on someone else? i don’t want to be the center of attention, i’d feel awkward

34. Favorite holiday? the usual, christmas and new years eve... but i miss having an actual christmas where it isn’t summer...

35. Are you a more go-with-the-flow type of person, or do you need to have things planned meticulously? i always have a plan lol

36. Is there something you loved so much you wish you could forget it and experience it all over again? (A tv show, book, series–anything.) hmm, i can watch something over and over with no problem. all good

37. What hobbies do you have? reading (but it’s mostly fantasy and sci-fi), watching crap, annoying my dogs, playing video games, making stories in my head. I WISH I COULD WRITE AND DO IMAGERY WELL. oh well

38. If you could have a superpower, but it was only mildly useful, what ability would you want to have? the ability to moisturize instantly, one click. that’ll save me time daily

39. Something people are always surprised to learn about you that i like video games and anime lol. and that i’m happy to talk to them T_T

40. Something that took you way too long to figure out i still don’t know how to knife. how to knife~ i mean how to slice things or chop things or do anything in the kitchen

41. Worst injury you’ve had? is it considered an injury when you’ve had to get 4 major surgeries in a year? i mean i guess tending to / waiting for the surgery scars to get better can be considered an injury since it took a while and it was sorta a pain

42. Any morbid fascinations? umm, i can’t think of one

43. Describe your sense of humor i don’t really know lol. i make a lot of jokes and sometimes it breaks the mood for people lol

44. If you had to be born in another era/place, which would you choose? i really like princess stuff but the real medieval stuff would be dirty people who don’t take baths and really horrible stuff so maybe just the fantasy version of that + high speed internet

45. Something you are irredeemably bad at not rambling when i really like something. to the people who’ve ever had to listen to me whenever i got excited about something-- i’m sorry

46. Something that sucked but you’re glad you went through going to a nature retreat thing 3 months ago or something. i had no internet and it made me cry inside but i guess it was fine

47. Would you rather have a really godawful ugly tattoo in a place that is only slightly inconvenient to conceal with clothing (upper arm, thigh, etc.), or the coolest, most beautiful tattoo ever in the middle of your face? (Neither tattoo can be removed or concealed with makeup, and the ugly tattoo will deeply offend anyone who sees it.) i don’t really want tattoos in general so i guess the ugly one.

48. Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist? optimist

49. What would be the most flattering compliment someone could give you? something that isn’t physical or shallow. i’d be really happy if people noticed my achievements or if they liked something about my personality-- or if they found me funny lol

50. Something you feel people often misunderstand about you that i’m not nice lol because i keep to myself unless spoken to irl + that unimpressed scowl i always have. it’s like my default facial expression!

not forcing anyone to do it since it’s very long, just tagging for the sake of tagging! and i think most of the people i know have already been tagged? i’ve seen this tagged post done by most of them lol

@ashnable @nimmywik @captiveotomeprincess @otometrashcan  @princessdiarymdc @arimii @madamemalfoy21 @kinkymint @oh-my-otome

[the-panic-the-static]

ALL THE QUESTIONS IF IT'S NOT TOO MUCH

1. What is your middle name?I don’t have a middle name

2. Do you have any nicknames?Nope

3. Do you have any allergies?No

4. What is the longest your hair has ever been?To my hips 

5. Apple or PC?pc

6. Favorite flavor?ehh depends on the food

7. Have you ever been on a blind date?No

8. Are you friends with any of your exes?NO

9. What kind of car do you drive?A Citroen

10. How grammatically correct are you when you text?In German, very, in English I try to be 

11. What foreign country would you most like to visit and why?Norway, because it’s so fucking beautiful there AND the US just to see a wonderful human

12. Creamy or chunky peanut butter?creamy 

13. Favorite food to pig out on?

14. DC or Marvel?ehhh idc

15. Disney or Nickelodeon?SAME

16. Do you have any stickers on your laptop computer?I have not!

17. Name/author of the last book you read cover to cover. Do you recommend it?It’s called Bio-Nahrungsmittel für alle ... ?: Trendentwicklungen der Biobranche by Astrid Sara Nave, and ehhh I would recommend it if you’re interested in organic food and speak German (I had to read it for my diploma thesis)

18. Do you read any magazines?I do

19. Coffee or tea?Tea

20. What is your go-to Starbucks drink?I’ve been to Starbucks just once and ehh no thanks

21. How many things can do with your weaker hand?IDK actually nothing tbh

22. Last show you binge watched?None

23. Dogs or cats?Dooogs

24. Favorite Disney princess?wat

25. Do you like fast food?sometimes, sure

26. Favorite thing to cook for yourself?Lately I’ve often been cooking this coconut-rice with vegetables, cashews and dattles cause it’s SO GOOD

27. Favorite song to sing in the shower?Lately: The Heart From Your Hate

28. Have you ever butt dialed anyone?HELL NO

29. iPhone/iPad or Android?Android

30. Any styles of music you do not like?Actually everything else but Metal/Rock tbh

31. Have you ever kissed anyone of the same gender? If so, did you like it?I did and yeah, I liked it

32. Have you ever gotten a ticket while driving?Nope

33. Favorite emoji?EH IDK

34. Showers or baths?DEPENDS ON the day/mood

35. Is there anything you regret buying?Not really, no

36. Are you fluent in more than one language?I am

37. Any movie(s) you can watch over and over again and enjoy just as much every time?There are a few

38. What is the heaviest you have ever weighed?AHHHH

39. Do you have any tattoos? If so, how many and where?3, two on my arms and one on my back

40. Have you ever uttered a spoken hashtag?NOPE

41. Favorite school subject?EH it was Business Informatics and Information- and Mediatechnology

42. Favorite non-chocolate candy?ICE CREAM IF THAT COUNTS AS CANDY

43. Name one celebrity you dislike.IDC

44. If you could have one superpower, which one would you most like to have?READ OTHER PEOPLE’S MINDS I GUESS

45. From 1-10, rate your singing ability.Probably a 3

46. From 1-10, rate your dancing ability.0

47. From 1-10, rate your cooking ability.I love cooking, I’d say a solid 8

48. From 1-10, rate your driving ability.SAME FOR DRIVING

49. Are you religious?No

50. Do you drink soda? If so, which one is your favorite?Not really

51. Have you ever locked your keys in your car?Ehh, no

52. Spring or autumn?Autumn

53. Do you play any sports?nope

54. Can you play any musical instruments?The flute 

55. Are you more introverted or extroverted?Introverted, obviously

56. How easily do you cry?Very, unfortunately

57. Last musical artist you saw live?KORN

58. Favorite YouTube channel?Don’t really have a favourite

59. Star Wars or Star Trek?IDC

60. How long have you known your best friend?5 years!

61. Have you ever voted for a reality show?Ehh, no

62. Last CD you bought?GOOD QUESTION, I don’t really know

63. Have you ever ended a romantic relationship?if you mean if I’ve ever broke up with someone, yeah, I have

64. Have you ever been broken up with?Yeah

65. Have you ever been in the audience for the taping of a TV show?No

66. How long was your longest relationship? Are you still with that person?kinda over a year, no, luckily

67. Have you seen any Broadway plays or musicals?Yeah, with school but I can’t remember anymore

68. Have you ever acted in a play or a musical?When I was in primary school, yeah

69. How flexible are you?kinda, I think

70. Have you ever sexted?Sure

71. Do you own any clothes from garage sales or thrift stores?No, I don’t

72. Real or fake Christmas trees?DON’T REALLY CARE

73. How many pillows do you sleep with?One big and one small

74. How well can you write in cursive?my handwriting is horrible

75. What is your political affiliation?-

76. Do you like any boy bands?HELL NO

77. Have you ever broken any bones?I haven’t

78. Have you ever gotten any stitches?No

79. Do you have any piercings in places other than your ears?I do

80. What is the oldest piece of clothing you still wear and how old is it?a pullover, 3 years I guess

81. Do you like wearing hats?No

82. Have you ever dyed your hair?Sure

83. From 1-10, how competitive are you?I’d say 5, I don’t really know tbh

84. How long have you been at your current job?2 weeks, just started

85. Have you ever studied abroad?No

86. Phrase you say the most?probably “What the fuck” or “I DON’T KNOW”

87. Have you ever quit a job?no

88. Have you ever gotten fired from a job?No

89. Have you ever won a trophy? If so, what for?I have, flute 

90. Have you ever been a Boy/Girl Scout?I haven’t

91. Last thing that made you laugh?TODAY at work I told my co-worker that a girl from my friend’s class and her boyfriend have dildos distributed all over their apartment and we talked about how weird that was cause they don’t hide it when people come visiting them and like, THERE ARE DILDOS ON THE FUCKING TABLE OR COUCH AND THEY JUST DON’T CARE ABOUT IT AND ACT LIKE IT WAS NORMAL TO SHOW EVERYONE LIKE IT WAS SOME DECOR 

92. Do you eat meat?No, actually not

93. Are you more of a morning or a night person?night, definitely

94. Worst habit?Eating at nights, I hate it 

95. Deepest fear?Old habits

96. Do you believe in ghosts?I don’t

97. If you could take home any animal from the zoo, what animal would you take?EHH IDK Probably a tapir, they’re so sweet

98. Do you consider rapping singing?rapping is rapping, singing is singing

99. Favorite costume you wore for Halloween? How old were you?IT WAS A WITH when I was like, 6? 

100. Favorite store to shop at?EHH idk

101. Have you ever given anyone CPR?I haven’t

102. Favorite Pokémon?-

103. Do you own any homemade clothing?NO

104. Do you drink alcohol at all? If so, what is your drink of choice?I do, Gin Tonic

105. Have you ever skinny dipped?YEAH when I was maybe 2 or 3 in our garden 

106. Favorite type of cookie?CHOCOLATE chip, probably

107. Favorite flavor of ice cream?I LIKE THEM ALL CAN’T DECIDE

108. Biggest pet peeve?table manners, probably

109. Are you still friends with anyone from high school?I am

110. Favorite literary character?EHH idc

111. Are your birth parents still together?They are

112. Do you wear or have your ever worn glasses?I have, now I’m wearing contacts

113. How many of your Facebook friends do you actually hang out with?I have like 20 fb friends so yeah, pretty much with everyone of them 

114. Have you ever been the victim of a prank?I haven’t

115. Do you belong to a fraternity or a sorority?No

116. Have you ever taken a nude selfie?I have

117. Are you adopted?I’m not

118. Favorite fandom??

119. Oldest memory?I laughed at a friend’s haircut when I was 6 and she started crying, I regreted it so much that I locked myself in the toilet and cried until my teacher followed me, she needed one hour to make me open the door and brought me back to class, I apologized immediately and since then I’ve never done something like this to anyone ever again, and I won’t 

120. Have you ever snorted when you laughed?No

121. Can you drive stick?I drive stick

122. Favorite Disney song?IDC

123. Random boy’s name.Daniel ♥

124. Random girls’ name.Ehhh, MARLIES

125. How often do you eat out at a nice restaurant?maybe 2-3 times a month

126. How many people are in your nuclear family?4

127. What accent do you consider the most attractive?IDK I JUST KNOW that mine is the ugliest

128. What is your Myers-Briggs personality type?IDK

129. What is your astrological sign?Gemini

130. Biggest regret?THERE ARE some I guess idk

131. What type of shoes do you wear the most?BOOTS

132. Do you like any soap operas?Nah

133. Do you listen to talk radio?No

134. What sports team(s) do you root for?NONE

135. Describe your sense of humor.IDK it’s weird I guess

136. Have you ever been hit on by someone of the same gender?Today a girl randomly sent me her tits, if that counts

137. Favorite video game?BATTLEFIELD AT THE MOMENT

138. Name a moment in your life when you were pleasantly surprised.When I got the job I haven’t thought I would get

139. Do you believe in serendipity?No really

140. Have you ever left a movie theater before the movie was done?Yeah

141. Have you ever felt you were born in the wrong period of history?SOmetimes, yeah

142. Is sex before marriage wrong?Of course not? wtf

143. Have you ever gotten a song you dislike stuck in your head?I have

144. Can you handle spicy food?I love spicy food

145. Have you ever called a non-lover a term such as darling, honey, babe, or dear?I have

146. Do you like MTV?Nah

147. Where on your body are you the most ticklish?Probably feet

148. TV show or movie you quote/reference the most?idk

149. Have you ever lived with a roommate you didn’t get along with?No

150. Where do you think is the best place to meet a new lover?idk, probably in a restaurant or bar, I think it’s not important as long as both feel comfortable with the place

151. Have you ever successfully been on a diet?I have

152. Favorite thing to do outside?EHH GO FOR A WALK? IDK

153. Where did you go on your last vacation?Croatia

154. Do you say “y'all” at all?sometimes, I do

155. Have you ever lived on a farm?I haven’t

156. Do you believe in evolution?I do

157. What TV channel do you watch the most?I don’t watch TV at all

158. Favorite Beatles song?IDC

159. Have you ever been on TV?No, luckily

160. Have you ever been to Disney World or Disneyland?Nope

161. Do you like horror movies?I do

162. Do you like to go fishing?Haven’t been in years, used to go sometimes with my dad when I was like 4?

163. Have you ever been hunting?Ehhh no?

164. Do you take medication for anything?I do

165. Name one item from your bucket list.I don’t have such a list

166. From 1-10, how much do you like children?it depends on the child? I’d say a 5

167. Have you ever thought about your wedding?Nah

168. Have you ever been bungee jumping or skydiving?I haven’t

169. Favorite flower?I LOVE THEM ALL

170. Do you collect anything?LINGERIE if that counts

171. Who was the last person you told a lie to?MY MOTHER TODAY cause she asked me when I’m going to visit them again and I said I didn’t know even though I’m going to visit them tomorrow!

172. Have you ever been a bridesmaid or a groomsman?No

173. Have you ever had a fortune cookie fortune come true?ehh no

174. What was your favorite toy to play with when you were a child?can’t even remember

175. How good are you at math?not too good, not too bad

176. Have you ever learned anything from a how-to YouTube video?No

177. Have you ever participated in a science fair?No

178. Have you ever wished you were born the opposite gender?Nope

179. Have you ever participated in a public protest?No

180. Do you have a pool at your house?I haven’t

181. Have you ever hosted a wild party?nope

182. Do you like karaoke?No really

183. Have you ever written a love letter?I have

184. Have you ever ran a marathon?No

185. How often do you get mad at yourself?Like, all the time

186. Any guilty pleasures? I don’t think so

187. Fruits or vegetables?BOTH

188. Do you live in a house or an apartment?Apartment

189. The countryside or the suburbs?both has its pros and cons, for me it’s the suburbs

190. Worst job you’ve ever had?-

191. Do you hang out with any of your co-workers?NOT YET

192. Were you ever voted homecoming/prom king or queen?We don’t have this dumb shit over here, luckily 

193. Were you voted a “best” or “most likely to” in high school?wtf

194. Have you ever gotten detention?no

195. Have you ever babysat?I have

196. Have you ever taken a road trip just for the fun of it?Of course

197. How many drinks get you tipsy?I think it starts around drink number 6

198. Were you a part of any academic clubs in high school or college?-

199. Have you ever given a public speech, aside from your schooling?no

200. How long have you been on tumblr? For almost 3 years now

THANK YOU SO MUCH DANIEL ♥

[acarnivalofstars]

Amnesia Later: New World Prologue Part 1

Amnesia Later is the first fandisk for Amnesia and consists of several parts to the game, including New World and After Story. New World is basically an AU of sorts that focuses on a scenario where the MC is dating no one and the staff of Meido no Hitsuji make summer plans together. I’ve split the prologue into 2 parts for more easy reading (and workload on myself....) This first half focuses on giving a short recap of the game’s plot as well as introducing the cast.

Someone pray for me to have the willpower to translate the latter half orz

Special thanks to my friends @aphonicdreams and @dyinganddead​ for helping me with proofreading! Translation is under the Read More

August 10th

This was the story of a certain world, a certain country, a certain girl.

August 1st.

When the girl opened her eyes, she had lost all of her memories. Beside her was a mysterious boy named Orion who called himself a spirit. The spirit Orion told her that it was his fault she lost her memories. In accordance with Orion’s advice, who told her he would help her with anything in order to gain back her memories, the girl began to examine her surroundings…….

Eventually the girl’s relationships became clear, complicated and entangled intentions started to be seen, and the real reason why she had lost her memories.

----Orion had a flash of insight.

“I see now. Her losing her memories wasn’t due to me crashing into her!”

The organization members that appear before the girl desperately working to understand everything. The evil influences that stretch out their hands. Will the girl be able to retrieve her memories? What is the true reason she lost her memories? Will Orion be able to protect her?

Now then.

The fate of Orion and her is---?!

……….

Orion: Well, if it was that kind of story then it’d be nice!

Hey, good morning [MC]. Are you awake?

Huh? Are you still sleepy?

You did hold a strategy meeting with me up until late last night after all.

But to say something like “Who are you again…...?” right after waking up is a little harsh for being half-asleep, you know?

You seem to be a little out of it so I tried to summarize your current situation up until now in a simple manner.

What I talked about just now was an outline of what happened from August 1st up until today. I’m the spirit Orion. Do you remember now?

…….What’s with that face?

There was a part that was different from what actually happened? Eh~ Is that so? I thought it was pretty accurate to what happened though.

………..

That was a lie. I’m sorry.

There’s nothing like the evil influences of an organization or the truth of your amnesia at all.

It was just a simple accident. It’s all my fault.

Because I crashed into your soul, your memories went flying away.

What I said just now was my own desire!

Aah, it would be nice if there was an actual truth behind it, though.

If there was something going on behind your back, I would protect you and fight.

I’d use my wit and courage to guide you and protect you from a huge villain! 

I can’t touch things in the human world, am invisible to any other people besides you, nor can I even talk to them, but…... 

“Ah, someone’s following me…..! Orion, save me!”

“Leave it to me! I know the entire layout of this town! We’ll shake off the pursuer at the next corner!”

……..Just kidding.

Either way, in truth I can’t even do something like a personal background check for you. Hah…...the real world sure is harsh~.

→ I’m relying on you

If only you could talk to other people as well

Uuuuu, thanks~!

I might not be that useful right now, but I’ll work even harder!

I’m relying on you

→ If only you could talk to other people as well

Right?!

That way, I would be able to get information and go to dangerous places in your place.

I’d also be able to give a good talking to the guys who’re aiming for you!

Well, we can’t just gloom about. We have to do our best with what we can do.

What I can do for you now is support you so that you can carry out your lifestyle safely.

Hey, look. It’s the person correlation diagram you made yesterday.

Ever since you fell asleep last night, I’ve been looking at this myself and thinking.

After getting an idea of your condition up until yesterday, we managed to get a general understanding of your relationships with other people.

Your parents are absent since they live somewhere far away. You currently live alone, and you don’t have a boyfriend.

You’re particularly close to two childhood friends and have four acquaintances from work.

It’s not like you were caught in the middle of some accident, nor did you have a bad experience of being bullied by some vicious female group.

And it doesn’t seem like your life is being prowled after by some guy with a tragic fate for some startling reason.

So, this is just my suggestion, but why don’t we try picking someone who seems reliable and ask them for help about your amnesia?

I think that’d be the best shortcut to getting your memories back and living a peaceful, normal everyday life.

For now you have work today. You sure seem to meet reliable people a lot.

While you talk to everyone, you should start thinking which person seems the most reliable once again.

And then, once you think “it’s this person!” the most, we’ll explain your current situation to them.

Ah, but we don’t know what might happen so be sure to be mindful of the situation, okay?

What do you think? Is it too risky? Well, let’s think about it carefully during work.

Alright, let’s change and head straight for work~!

???: …...Huh?

Hey, are you in the middle of heading to work? If so, aren’t you running late? If you keep going now you’ll barely make it in time.

I bet you fell asleep again, didn’t you? Fix that bad sleeping habit of yours. It’d be a pain if you came to a meeting place late or something.  

Orion: Thank you oh so kindly for those harsh words to start off the morning.

I think you know already, but I’ll explain just in case. This guy is Shin. He’s your childhood friend.

He’s an unsociable guy, but he looks out for you in a lot of ways. ……..Though he’s a Spartan when it comes to training.

I think it’s alright to view him as someone we can trust in itself, so it might be good to consult him.

Shin: What are you spacing out for? Not even bothering to give me a reply is even more cruel than usual. Are you still half-asleep?

Orion: It’s not like that! We made sure to get plenty of sleep~

Shin: Why are there so many idiots around me?

It’s too much of a handful. ……...Everyone I deal with is so troublesome.

Orion: Hm…..? It sounds like he’s bothered by something.

I wonder if something happened. Or is this simply an idle complaint he has towards you?

→ I’m sorry for being slow

Did something happen?

Shin: What are you apologizing for all of a sudden? I don’t get it.

Orion: Ehh?! I-I mean, weren’t you just using a tone of voice meant to criticize her?! Am I wrong?

Shin: It’s not like I had a complaint towards you or anything so you don’t have to apologize.

You’ve been a handful since long ago so I’m not bothered by it.

Orion: I’m not following through at all. I’m just following into a dead end…...

Shin: Besides, you should hurry up and go. Otherwise you won’t make it in time.

I’m sorry for being slow

→ Did something happen?

Shin: When I woke up this morning my mom was in a panic because she had forgotten to buy rice and bread.

Since the rice is heavy she thought she’d leave it to me. Meanwhile, the store we always get bread from was closed due to a holiday.

Since she’s been nothing but perplexed this morning, I came here to buy the bread.

On top of that, she said convenience store bread is no good and that it had to be this store specifically here. Apparently she’s been gathering up points at this place.

What do you think of someone who causes trouble for others because of his or her personal mistake? I mean, I’ll still go to where she told me to.

Orion: Uh, um…….What would you think?

But despite him making a face like that, he still listened to her and went out. I guess Shin’s actually pretty kind?

Shin: Whether it’s you or my mom, why are you both so out of it? Isn’t it just inconvenient for yourself to be like that?

Orion: ……...Although he says too much.

Shin: Anyway, this isn’t the time to be standing around and chatting. You should go already. You don’t have time to waste, right?

Orion: Ah, he’s right.

Shin: See ya. Do your work seriously, okay?

Orion: Or so he says. While the same goes for work, we also have to work hard on gathering information!

Orion: Whew~ Just as Shin said, we barely made it. We might’ve been a bit sloppy while changing.

???: Good morning, [MC]

We seem to be meeting at the store quite a lot lately. Haven’t you been working 6 days in a row now? You seem to be working hard.

But you seem to be building up fatigue and coming here nonetheless. ……..Look.

Your headdress is tilted, but it seems like you haven’t noticed it at all. Do you mind if I fix it for you?

Orion: Stop right there! Don’t just close the distance between you two so swimmingly first thing in the morning!

This perverted monster here is your senior at work, as well as a 4th year college student, Ikki.

He’s ridiculously popular with girls to the point where it seems like a joke that he’s even got a fan club.

Anyway, if we just leave him be he’ll start getting even closer so give him some sort of a response!

→ I’ll fix it myself

Please fix it for me

Ikki: Do you not want me touching your hair? It’s not like I’ll take advantage of the situation and do something else to you, you know?

Orion: Saying a remark like that is already a hazard!

I’ll fix it myself

→ Please fix it for me

Orion: WHAAAAAAT?!

Ikki: …....How unexpected. I thought you would get embarrassed and run away. Does this mean you don’t view me in that sort of way?

Hmm~ …...If that’s the case then it’s a pity, but oh well.

You have such pretty hair. I’ve been thinking I’d like to touch it since long ago…...

???: Stop right there, Ikkyu.

Orion: This voice is…..!

???: Don’t get any closer to her. Even if the manager may forgive your acts of sexual harassment in this holy workplace, I, however, will not.

Ikki: There he is, the mysterious statistics-loving Mad Kent!

Orion: What’s with that introduction?!

This guy is Kent. He’s also a senior at your workplace and seems to be a graduate student at Seichi University.  

Ikki called him a mysterious statistics-loving guy, but in truth he really does come off that way. He’s kind of like the embodiment of numbers and theories.

Kent: I won’t allow such shameless behavior to take place before my very own eyes, Ikkyu…..!

Ikki: Oh? By what right do you have to get in my way, Ken?

Kent: If it’s a right you want then I have one. For you see, the victor of Puzzle No. 500 that I presented you the other day is me.

Losers should obey winners. That is a formality of this world which has been proven through history. As such, I have a right to interfere with you.

Ikki: Eh…...No way, was the score result bad enough to make you say an announcement like that, Ken?

Kent: You got 68 points. Well, I also had a feeling I raised the difficulty level too high since it was a commemorative 500th puzzle.

Next time I’ll make it slightly easier. There’s no point in giving you a puzzle that can’t be cleared.

Ikki: You better not do that. If you go easy on me it’ll just make me weak. You should come at me with everything you’ve got.

Kent: Oh, is that so? If that’s the case then for Puzzle No. 501 I’ll make it the hardest one you’ve ever seen until now.

Ikki: I’ll also attack you with all I’ve got. It’s not in my nature to be beaten by someone, you see.

Orion: …….So these guys have given and solved up to 500 puzzles between the two of them. They sure aren’t tired of it.

As you can see, Ikki and Kent are super close.

Both parties have parts of them that aren’t exactly normal per se, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t people that can’t be trusted.

There’s also the possibility that we consult the two of them as well. In that case, rather than just choosing one of them it might be better to ask them together……

Ikki: By the way. [MC], so what are you going to do about that headdress in the end?

Do you want me to fix it? Or do you want Ken to fix it?  

Orion: You’re bringing the conversation back to that?! And we have to choose from the two of them?!

→ Ask Ikki to do it

Ask Kent to do it

Ikki: Got it. Come over here.

…….Is this the first time I’ve ever gazed at you so closely?

If you were to become my captive after this I’d be happy…...How about it? Does it still not work on you?

Orion: Um…….You’re just fixing her headdress, right?!

Kent: You must also have bad taste, [MC].

It’s not as if there was a need for you to willingly jump into the tiger’s den.

Ask Ikki to do it

→ Ask Kent to do it

Kent: …….What? Are you asking me to fix a woman’s hair ornaments? That sort of thing is impossible for me. I refuse.

Orion: I figured he would say something like that…….

Ikki: She nominated you to do it, so why don’t you fix it for her? After all, she did pick Ken over me.

Orion: And this guy’s sulking!

Kent: Besides, touching the hair of a person of the opposite sex can be considered an act of sexual harassment. You don’t like it when I touch you after all, no?

Ikki: Isn’t it because she doesn’t dislike it that she asked you? Or is it that you dislike it, Ken?

Kent: N-no……..That isn’t the case, but, however…….

???: It seems you’re all quite excited over something.

Ikki: Waka-san. Good morning.

Kent: Good morning.

???: Good morning. Is this everyone for today? I am very pleased to see that you’ve all assembled together on time. ……..Hm?

Your headdress is sliding off, [MC]. You should go take a look at yourself and fix it. We shall continue this conversation afterwards.

Orion: So he says. Let’s go, [MC]!

How is it~? Did you fix it? …...Yup, all good. Alright, OK!

That person just now is the manager of this store.

Everyone refers to him as Waka-san. At his core he’s a nice person but…….

……..Just why on earth does he always have a bamboo sword hanging by his waist.

Waka: That was quick. Well then, let us continue the conversation. Today I shall be working in the kitchen. Can the two of you handle the front by yourselves? Ikki, [MC].

Ikki: No problem. It’s not like it’s during the middle of the fair so the two of us can keep alternating.

Waka: Well then, Kent. Would working in the kitchen be alright? It seems you came early today to prepare the ingredients.

Kent: About that, manager. I’d like to shed light on a problem around here.

Waka: A problem?

Kent: In place of the fresh basil you ordered for, a large amount of dried basil has been delivered instead.

We used up all of the fresh basil yesterday. As such, we cannot create the pesto sauce for today’s pasta.

Waka: What……?! Instead of fresh basil, we received dried basil you say……?!

Kent: The same thing occurred just last Monday. I believe you apologized for this after messing up repeatedly as a result.

I don’t doubt that you feel responsible for this, but to have the same mistake occur twice in a row is quite painful.

Even if we were to go out to buy fresh basil right now, by the time we return it would be 5 minutes after opening. As such, I would like to inquire as to how we should decide to resolve this.

Waka: ………

Ikki: ……...Manager?

Waka: To think that I…...over the course of 2 weeks would pile mistake after mistake on top of one another…….! How could…….How could I allow such a thing to happen!!

This is an unforgivable offence as a store manager…….Since it has come to this, I shall slit my stomach as repentance!

Orion: His stomach?!

Ikki: Stop, manager! You can’t even cut a stomach with a bamboo sword anyway, and even if you could it’d be a problem.

Kent: Indeed. After all, the manager of this store is you. So to exactly whom are you apologizing?

Waka: However, to have the manager of all people make a mistake regarding the contents of an order is an eternal disgrace!

The only way to wipe out such shame is to slit my belly…..!

Ikki: Like we just said, this is modern-day Japan. This is a cafe. This isn’t Edo Castle nor the Pine Hallway.

Please quit that bad habit of jumping to commit seppuku so quickly, seriously.

Kent: Anyhow, I wish to replace today’s pasta with a different menu. Using the small amount of peperoncino we have seems reasonable to me.

I took the liberty of making use of those ingredients. Although it wasn’t much preparation, honestly. Is that alright with you, manager?

Waka: …...I’m in your debt. I’m greatly obliged by your consideration.

Ikki: Well then, since that’s settled…...Shall we open up Meido no Hitsuji?

Orion: Alright, Table 6 is all clear!

Whew~ It sure is a pain when someone orders the “Stew of the Day.” The pot’s hot and heavy after all.

If his hands are free Ikki will carry it for us, but we can’t rely on him to do that for us every time.

…….But just why on earth does a cafe have a “Stew of the Day”? Does that even make sense?

Whoops, it’s another customer! Welcome back, Mas…….Ah.

???: Good work today. Are you working hard?

???: ‘Sup! Looks like you and Ikki are in charge of the front today.

???: Hello, Senpai. I’d like a window seat, please.

Orion: Eh. T-This is kinda an odd group of people……

I think you remember them but I’ll give some supplementary info anyway. This guy here…….

???: What’s wrong? You’re spacing out. Has your low blood pressure gotten worse?

Just because you live alone doesn’t mean you can live a careless lifestyle. If your health starts to fail as a result then you’ll regret it.

Orion: The one who acts like a grandma is Toma. He’s a caring person and often looks out for you.

He’s one year older than you, and he’s also your childhood friend. Together with Shin, the 3 of you were raised like siblings to one another apparently.

Then, this person here……

???: Is that based off your own personal experience, Toma?

They do often say that catching a cold and becoming helpless as you lie in bed is the very first hurdle of living alone.

Orion: This girl is Sawa. She’s in the same year as you, and it seems she’s a friend you go out with on days off.

She can be a little careless at times, but I think she’s a good person.

???: Eh~ But doesn’t Toma live close to his parents’ house?

If that’s the case then he could just head back there whenever he caught a cold and relax, no?

Orion: This girl is Mine. She’s one year below you so she’s a 3rd year high school student. She’s a little selfish, but you can also call her an honest girl in a sense.

All 3 of them are part of the Meido no Hitsuji staff. And for the most part, everyone who works here generally get along with one another.

That’s why on the contrary, picking just one person to consult with is pretty difficult…….

Toma: There’s no way I could return to my parents’ house if I caught a cold. My parents wouldn’t spoil me like that.

They let me live on my own so I could be able to start an independent lifestyle, so dealing with colds and such is also part of self-responsibility.

Sawa: Yikes~.......That sounds rough.

Mine: So does that mean your parents don’t intervene in your affairs at all, Toma?

Toma: Yup. As long as nothing big happens, I’m pretty much left alone. Thanks to that I can pretty much do whatever I want, but……

Whoops, standing here and chatting would just disrupt business. Let’s continue this convo after we give our orders.

Mine: Got it~ Then we’ll just go ahead and sit wherever we like, okay~

Sawa: This’ll probably end up being a long talk so let’s go to the corner!

Mine: But I wanted a window seat~.......

Orion: A long talk? …….I wonder what they came to talk about.

Ikki: Good work so far.

Orion: Oh, Ikki. I guess he’s done serving customers over there.

Ikki: Seems like an odd group of people has arrived. It isn’t every day you see Toma grouped with 2 girls.

Have you finished taking their orders? Not yet, huh. Then maybe I should head over to where the 3 of them are and take their orders while saying hi.

Female Customer: Excuse me, I’d like to order now.

Ikki: …... Whoops…….I was also in charge of the customer over there.

Sorry, can you go give them my greetings in my stead? …….At your service. Please wait a moment, my lady.

Orion: So he says. Alright, let’s go to take their orders.

I’m also curious about the subject of their long talk.

Sawa: I really do think we’d find them at a riverbank, though.

Mine: So does that mean lakes and stuff are out? Like reservoirs?

Sawa: I think rivers would be the most standard place.

Mine: Eh~ Then where did you find them last year? I wasn’t there so I wouldn’t know.

Sawa: That’s…...Umm…….Where did we find them again?

Toma: It was by the promenade. But there’s some soil preparation going on around there so it might be impossible to go there.

Sawa: Eh, really?

Toma: After the heavy rain a lot of sand was blocking up places so they’re trying to make both the middle of the river and the spaces around it as thoroughly clean as possible, apparently.

Due to the change in environment, I’m not sure if we’ll be able to expect finding them there this year.

Mine: Then what should we do? Should we just go to the mountains then?

Sawa: Ooh, mountains sound nice! Staying in a lodge! Camping! Barbeque! Oh, but you also can’t forget about curry.

Mine: Sawa, you’re slipping away from our objective.

Sawa: But if we’re gonna go to the mountains it’s best if we have fun through various ways, right? There’s gonna be a lot of people after all.

Mine: Hm~......But wouldn’t Shin dislike this sort of thing? I feel like he’d make a stink face at the mention of a barbeque or something.

Toma: That guy’s not as much of an individualist as he appears, so I think he’ll tag along.

He might not actively take part in the conversation, but he enjoys being in the middle of a group of people having fun.

But still, going to the mountains might be difficult. We won’t be able to return on the same day.

Mine: Eh~ So we can’t?

Toma: You’re a high school student as well as preparing to take exams so staying overnight is a no-go. Maybe next year.

Mine: …….Toma is so strict.

Toma: I’m the overseer after all so I have to be in regards to that.

And besides, it’s not like I’m kind in the first place.

Sawa: Uwah, he said it himself. …...Well, we did say we were gonna go on a day trip this time around.

Orion: Is this about a trip or something? Do you have plans to go hang out somewhere on a day trip……?

Toma: Whoops, sorry [MC]. You came to take our orders, right?

I’ll have the house blend…...Scratch that, I’ll have the cafe au lait. What about the 2 of you?

Mine: I’ll have a cinnamon milk tea.

Sawa: Today Kent’s in the kitchen, right? Then I’ll have a matcha latte.

Mine: Why’d you ask that?

Sawa: Kent’s super good at making latte’s. Shin and the manager are good too, but it’s like he’s even above that.

Toma: Oh yeah, he always talks about the blending ratio of matcha to milk or like the temperature or even the theory of the foam on top.

Orion: The theory of foam……?

Mine: …...Hey, that’s right. Say, Senpai. Where do you want to go?

Orion: Eh?! …...W-What are they talking about?

Sawa: Ah, that’s right. You’re the leader after all so why don’t you pick?

Orion: The leader?! Did [MC] have plans to join too?! And on top of that you’re the leader apparently…...Eeeeeeeeh.

We don’t know anything! W-What should we do……?!

→ Anywhere’s fine

Toma should choose

Mine: Anywhere’s fine, you say……

Toma: There, there. If you suddenly bring up the topic to her, I’m sure [MC] would be flustered.

Anywhere’s fine

→ Toma should choose

Mine: Eh~ What’s with that. You sure do rely on Toma a lot, Senpai.

Sawa: But it’s not like it’s unexpected, right? She did say they’ve been like siblings since long ago.

Toma: Aside from whether or not I spoil her, if it’s okay for me to choose then I’ll pick where to go, but…...Is that alright with you?

Orion: If you could do that for us it’d be a big help…...Right, [MC]?

Toma: Then I guess I’ll search around on the Internet. If we’re going to go somewhere I picked then I’ll have to be thorough in my research.

It would suck if I took you all to a disappointing location after all.

Mine: Uwah, Toma is so soft. When we gave our input, all you said to us was “I wonder about that.”

Toma: Her and Shin are like my family after all. I tend to look after them more than what’s necessary.

Thanks to that Shin calls me irritating, and lately even [MC] has been acting oddly distant from me.

But anyway, it’s been awhile since I’ve been relied on so Big Brother will do his best.

If I can’t find a good place within the neighborhood then we’ll have to go a bit further out. That’s okay with you, right?

In case we go somewhere far, have you all been saving your part-time earnings properly? Well, I’m sure at the very least a one-way ticket would only be a few thousand yen.

Sawa: It’s OK with me! …...Probably.

Mine: Of course. I’m pretty serious when it comes to saving money.

Toma: You’re okay too, right [MC]? You did tell me last month that’s why you’ve been coming in to work so much.

Orion: Eh, really?! I did think you had a lot of shifts but it was for that reason?!

Even though it’s determined you guys will be going somewhere, it also seems like there’s some goal in mind. Just exactly what is it though……?