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kotokos-cafe · 4 years ago

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Control (Yandere!FuyuPeko x Reader)

The sound of glass shattering echoed in your mind as the window fell to pieces. Glancing back behind you, there was no trace of the captors who claimed to be in love with you. Taking quick, uneasy breaths, you wedged yourself through the tiny window, the broken bars lying on the ground alongside the glass pieces.

It had taken you forever to find that hammer. You knew buttering the captors up and convincing them to leave that sledgehammer with you would be a good idea. But now you were feeling the weight of it. You were outside of where they had left you, obviously having smashed in the window. Who knew what they would do to you if you were caught? You had one chance, and probably five minutes to get out of there before they came down to check on you and discovered you were missing.

Taking a deep breath, without even a second to gather your thoughts, you bolted. You don't even know how long you ran before you were in the middle of a forest. Perfect, you figured. They'd never find you here, in the middle of a dense forest, right?

And that's when you just broke down. You cried about everything. The torture... The false love... Surely feelings that led two people to become that demented over you couldn't be love, right? It couldn't be. You cried about the pain you felt, the sheer agony of being locked away from the world. Didn't people miss you? Weren't they looking for you?

Your tears were close to stopping for the time being when you heard footsteps approaching you. Worried it could be your captors coming to retrieve you, despite knowing it was virtually impossible that they had found you already, you turned with wide eyes and a sharp gasp.

To your surprise, the two people who had traumatized you so badly were nowhere to be found. In their stead was a group of three men and two women, bruised and battered. You were instantly fearful upon seeing them. No group of people would approach a missing persons so casually, so aggressively, without bad intentions, right? Or were you just that badly brainwashed by your kidnappers that you now believed anyone who wasn't them meant you harm?

Your suspicions were confirmed when one of the women roughly grabbed your shoulders, and forced you to the ground. She wrenched you into a painful hold that made it tight and searing to struggle. These people were certainly trained to do this and knew what they were doing.

"My, my," she purred. "Isn't this the Kuzuryuu clan's little love that he's so hellbent to protect? How the tables have turned."

"What do you mean...?" you brokenly asked. You had no clue what the reason for this was. You had only just escaped, after all! How could this have been brought on? "What did I do to you...?"

"Oh, not you," one of the men responded. "But your boyfriend. We're from the Hoshikawa Clan, dumbass."

Ooh, you knew that name. A name both Fuyuhiko and Peko often spoke of with gritted teeth. With disdain. With hatred and with malice. They had some sort of vendetta against your boyfriend, and they were taking it out on you.

"Y-You've got it all wr-wrong...!" you pleaded. Your voice was weak and timid, a side effect from being punished for your resistance so many times. "I-I don't love him...! Or h-her...! They kidnapped m-me...!"

"This ain't about you, girlie," one of the other men answered. "This is about him. He loves you, even if you ain't reciprocatin'. And as for that bitch he always keeps around, she doesn't matter here. It's nothin' personal."

"N-No, please..." you begged. The other woman held up a video camera and began recording as the last man pulled out his pistol. They were going to kill you on camera and send it to their rivals? With nothing left to do, you relinquished your pride, and screamed for help. "HELP! HELP! PLEASE, SOMEBODY! HELP! HELP!"

The gun cocked and you closed your eyes in anticipation. A shot was heard, but you felt nothing. Opening your eyes, you realized you were still alive. And breathing. And standing in front of you, covered in blood and gore, were Fuyuhiko and Peko, who must have followed your trail and heard your pleas for help.

As the two remaining men and two remaining women glared at them and drew their own pistols, the camera was dropped and the six people engaged in a scuffle. You watched as Fuyuhiko mercilessly put down one of the men and one of the women, and Peko ruthlessly slaughtered the others. You shivered as you watched the bodies fall to the floor, stained in blood. They had killed for you yet again. After all was said and done, the two turned to you.

"The fuck were you thinking?!" Fuyuhiko screamed at you. With his gun still in his hand, you were worried about what he may do to you. But upon seeing your shaking but definitely submissive posture, Peko calmly placed her hands on Fuyuhiko's shoulders to make him calm down. Fuyuhiko took a deep breath and his tone became calmer. "Look, I'm sorry. I know you probably just... wanted to go on a walk or some shit."

"But it was rather unwise of you to do so without permission," Peko finished. She closed her eyes regretfully, her pain being displayed plain as day. "Because now we must punish you. And you know how much we dread the thought of having to punish you."

Your throat closed up and your stomach sank when you heard those words. Punishment? A punishment?! Again?! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! You didn't want to be punished! At this point, you would do anything to avoid a punishment!

"Peko," Fuyuhiko cooed, it being his turn to calm your girlfriend down. "Lay off 'em. They've been through a lot tonight and I get the sense they'll never pull this shit again. Ain't that right, S/O?"

You fervently nodded your head, earning a sigh from Peko. The two linked arms with you, putting their weapons back in their protective casings, and walked silent back to the captivity site. Eventually, the silence intimidated them. Were they mad at you? Sad? Disappointed? Oh, how you dreaded that word. Disappointed. You felt like such a failure being called a disappointment.

"Why did you... save me...?" you asked timidly. Fuyuhiko gave you a shocked glance whereas Peko looked at you more stoic. In his eyes, this meant you were starting to see real human, redeemable, lovable characteristics in them. "Even after I ran a-away from you both... You saved m-me... Wh-Why...?"

"Can't you see?" Peko asked monotonously. "The world is a scary and dangerous place. If you stay here, you’ll be safe in our arms. We promise you that. You'll be safe and protected from all dangers. All you need to do is swear your heart to us and us alone, and you'll be under our protective embrace for eternity."

You thought to yourself. To them, this had to be a power thing, right? This had to be! They wanted to see someone meek and timid in submission to them. But then again, what Peko promised you didn't sound so bad at all. Safe... Protected... Loved... And all of this forever? For just the small price of promising your heart, love, and devotion to them? It did honestly sound very promising, and they weren't bad lovers in the least if you behaved. Closing your eyes, you nodded and laid your head on Fuyuhiko's shoulder with a soft yawn, finally submitting to the rest of your life.

And now, they really had control.

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kimium · 3 years ago

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Chapters: 1/1 Summary:

One shot. Modern AU. No Despair AU. Soulmate AU: You fold a certain number of origami whatever (cranes, hearts, etc.) and once you fold enough you'll meet your soulmate.

“I know, but you don’t have to repeat the same argument. I don’t mind if you try folding origami.”

Fuyuhiko grunted eyes widening, as though Peko had slapped him across the face. He scrambled towards her, closing the distance and touched Peko’s hand. Peko swallowed but turned her palm so they could lace their fingers together. Fuyuhiko softly sighed and tightened his grip.

“I’ve been saying this since I was six,” he slowly said. “I don’t need to fold origami to find my soulmate. You’re my soulmate. I know this with all my heart. Everyone says I’m childish, I’m misguided, or I’ll come around, but they’re wrong. My father is just too stubborn to see the truth.”

Fuyuhiko has gone through life confidently knowing and proclaiming Peko is his soulmate. Peko and the rest of the family (read: Fuyuhiko's parents) aren't as confident. Don't worry, Fuyuhiko shows them he's right. (Which of course he is.)

Hello everyone! Originally I was trying to find inspiration for a Komahina fic but instead I felt this soulmate prompt fit KuzuPeko better. It’s been a year since I wrote a KuzuPeko focus fic and that needed to change. Also I wrote them soft and sweet because that’s the only way my brain wants to comprehend KuzuPeko.

As for this AU I am in love with the idea that Character A is So Confident they’re going to be with Character B that they refuse to believe other wise (and are right). I think that’s a delightful source of comedy (and is a honest to goodness Power Move).

I hope you like this fic. Please let me know!!!

#personal #writing #danganronpa 2 #sdr2 #one shot #modern au #alternate universe no despair #kuzupeko #soulmate au #fluff #more tags in the fic

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chiakisays · 4 years ago

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Kuzupeko preparing for exams

Peko rejects Chiaki's offer to study together because they always end up talking and playing games

Fuyuhiko decides to study alone because he thought Peko left

I headcanon that Peko is good at maths and science and Fuyuhiko - at literature and history

So they take their notebooks and check every task, explaining everything

Fuyuhiko goes for some snacks

Meanwhile Peko falls asleep, her head rested on Fuyuhiko's notebook

Fuyuhiko comes and almost drops all of the snacks

He rests his head next to Peko's and smiles

Fuyuhiko: You know what? I love you

Peko: snores

Fuyuhiko: laughs quietly

#kuzupeko #fuyupeko #fuyuhiko x peko #sorry for that amount of sugar #i needed some fluff #fuyuhiko kuzuryuu #peko pekoyama #sdr2 goodbye despair #danganronpa headcanons #danganronpa 2 #danganronpa #sdr2 #danganronpa sdr2 #non despair au

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linx-the-sphinx · 5 years ago

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Blind!Peko X Paralysed!Fuyuhiko AU - Headcanons

Peko:

Nobody -not even Peko herself- knows if she was born blind or she became blind before she was given to the Kuzuryu-Clan

Like most blind people, Peko can still somewhat differentiate light from shadow

Despite being blind, she still wears normal glasses because Fuyuhiko says they fit her better than sunglasses

She has a guide dog named Panda*

While, yes, she can touch animals, she wishes to see them (preferably in the wild)

When they go to the zoo, Peko likes to just sit near the enclosures and listen to the animals, imagining what they look like

Peko can't read Braille because Fuyuhiko's parents don't deem it nessesary but Fuyuhiko teaches her in secret -eventhough, his knowledge is quite limited but Peko is still thankful-.

Because Peko can't see but still has to make Fuyuhio food, her -for example- taking sugar instead of salt isn't out of the question but Fuyuhiko still eats it to make her happy

Peko both likes and dislikes rain. Because she is so dependent on her hearing, the distracting patter confuses her greatly. But if she is inside and doesn't have to concern herself with where she and Fuyuhiko are, she enjoys listening to the rain

Peko is afraid that if she were to have a child, it would also be blind thus not being able to see the wonders of the world

Fuyuhiko:

When the two were kidnapped, their kidnapper lost control and crashed their car which resulted in Fuyuhiko rendered quadriplegic from the waist down (Reference to the kidnapping, Peko talks about in her FTE)

Fuyuhiko hates people -even Peko- pushing his wheelchair because he feels somewhat defenseless and weak

To help him -should Peko not be around-, Fuyuhiko taught Panda simple things like opening and closing doors, or retrieving certain items he can't reach

When he was just getting used to sitting and moving around in a wheelchair, he would often times turn around too sharply, causing him to fall -and Peko to panic-

His parents invest a lot of money in physical therapy but it there is still the high chance that he might never heal

While Fuyuhiko won't admit it, he's scared of never being able to walk again

He misses climbing and hiking

Despite his parents telling him, he refuses vehemently the option of a caregiver for him

Sometimes he needs help dressing/undressing which is when he's secretly glad for Peko's blindness

One time, Fuyuhiko had to read aloud an entire restaurant menu for Peko

* Newfoundland, female, black and white, spot placement is similar to a panda, big floof

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creepercraftguy · 5 years ago

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Kuzupeko ship meme

And now for the ever popular Kuzupeko. This one is one I’m feeling a bit indifferent about considering what kinds of characters Fuyhiko and Peko are compared to each other, but I did it before and I can do it again ;)

Who confessed first?

I think Peko would be a bit oblivious to her “Young Master’s” feelings towards her, so Fuyuhiko would take some initiative. Knowing him though, he’d do everything he can to set the right scene and mood.

Who initiated the first kiss?

Fuyuhiko.

Who asks the other out on dates?

It’s hard to say. I think it’s about split down the middle (Scrum Debate for your answer)

Who is the bigger cuddler?

Fuyuhiko doesn’t like to be cuddled. Peko unfortunately, likes cuddling.

Who initiates holding hands more often?

Peko probably.

Who remembers anniversaries?

They both do.

Who is more possessive?

Possessive is not really the right word for it. Peko still has the bad habit of seeing her attachment to Fuyuhiko as a duty, so she’s very possessive but not always for the right reasons.

Who gets more jealous?

Fuyuhiko is jealous of how calm Peko usually is even in tense situations.

Who is the most protective?

I want to say Peko, and I wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, but I think Fuyuhiko is very protective and defensive of her too.

Who initiates sexy time the most?

I think Fuyuhiko would. Again, Peko isn’t the most romantically minded person, so he’d probably have to do it in order to get her in the right mood.

Who dislikes PDA (Public Display of Affection)?

They both don’t like it much. Of the two of them, Fuyuhiko likes it more, since he’d be happy for Peko to be flirty with him on any occasion, but it’s moreso a byproduct of them keeping their Yakuza relationship a secret for several years.

Who kills the spider?

Peko.

Who asks the other to marry them?

Fuyuhiko would pop the question first. Again, he’d work hard to set the right mood and time though. He’s the type of person who plans these things carefully.

Who buys the other gifts?

Fuyuhiko usually buys things for Peko when they go on shopping dates (I immediately think of this post)

Who would first bring up the idea of having kids?

Once again, I imagine Fuyuhiko doing this again, but Peko could also be the one to bring it up. The two of them didn’t have the greatest upbringing from what I remember, not like in an abusive way, but being raised in a life of crime isn’t exactly the greatest way to live, you know? I think if either of them were to ask the other, they’d want to do it with the idea of raising them right. (So far I’ve made it look like Fuyuhiko is the one who carries this relationship, but that’s not what I mean. I just think Peko would be a little inexperienced when it comes to stuff like this)

Who is more nervous to meet the others parents?

We can ignore this one, because there’s no point in answering it. Peko was abandoned by her own parents and taken in by the Kuzuryu clan, assigned to serve directly under Fuyuhiko, so she’s already acquainted with Fuyuhiko’s father.

Who sleeps on the sofa/couch when the other is angry?

Fuyuhiko tries to, but Peko doesn’t let him.

Who tries to make up first after arguments?

Most of the time the arguments start, it’s just Fuyuhiko getting angry at something either he or Peko has done and overreacts. He therefore apologises first to her, but she rarely is ever angry.

Who tells the other they love them more often?

Fuyuhiko, but Peko tries.

Who accidentally pushes a door instead of pulling it or vice versa?

Fuyuhiko, but Peko sometimes does it sometimes too.

Who doodles little hearts over the desk with their initials inside?

Fuyuhiko does instinctively, but then realises what he’s done and violently scratches it out.

Who starts the tickle fights?

Surprisingly enough, Peko does, mainly when Fuyuhiko’s stressed and she does it in order to relieve him of it. Fuyuhiko tends to lose the tickle fights, but at the same time, he knows where Peko is ticklish.

Who starts the pillow fights?

Fuyuhiko starts them, and it usually stops when one of them is tired out or accidentally gets hurt, but that doesn’t really happen a lot.

Who is the last to fall asleep while watching the other with a warm smile?

Peko is sort of used to looking after Fuyuhiko when he sleeps, but it has a whole different meaning when they finally get together.

Who kisses the other awake in the morning?

Fuyuhiko.

Who mistakes salt for sugar?

Both of them, mainly Peko, because Fuyuhiko actually is a pretty decent cook.

Who let’s the microwave play the loud beeping sound at 1am in the morning?

Fuyuhiko. Peko isn’t a heavy sleeper.

Who comes up with the cheesy pickup lines?

Peko. She can’t flirt for shit.

Who rearranges the books in Alphabetical Order?

Fuyuhiko is unexpectedly tidy and proper. Peko also does this though.

Who licks the spoon when baking?

Peko gets the sudden urge to lick the spoon, and a bit of chocolate always gets on her nose. Fuyuhiko then proceeds to laugh as he watches her try and lick it off.

Who buys candles for dinner, even when there’s no special occasion?

Fuyuhiko.

Who draws little tattoos on one another with a pen?

Peko usually does when Fuyuhiko talks to her about whether or not he should get a real one. She draws one carefully on him with a pen when she thinks about where he would put it (he never ends up getting one though) and she also finds it fun.

Who comes home with a souvenir/fridge magnet whenever they go on holiday?

Peko has a weird fascination with them, particularly one’s that look like cats.

Who convinces the other to fill out those couple surveys that you usually find on the back of magazines?

Peko would actively look for them in order to get a better understanding of how relationships work (#KuzupekoRelationshipGoals)

Who has the other as their phone background?

Fuyuhiko has Peko as his background. He loves her that much (eat your heart out @thewildwilds)

Who leaves notes written in fog on the bathroom mirror?

I see Fuyuhiko doing this and I laugh.

Who asks if they can join the other in the shower?

I don’t exactly know a scenario, but I see Fuyuhiko asking Peko if he can. Peko would probably be embarrassed, but would agree.

Who loudly proclaims their love while drunk?

Fuyuhiko, without a doubt.

#danganronpa #danganronpa 2 #dr2 #fuyuhiko kuzuryu #peko pekoyama #fluff #headcanon #ship meme #kuzupeko

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dotwrites · 6 years ago

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Humming

Summary: Peko only vaguely remembers the days when Fuyuhiko was an innocent, happy boy who would sing whenever he got the chance. Those times ended when they were kidnapped, all those years ago.

Read on AO3

Peko's memories of their younger years are vague, but filled with the sound of a little boy singing and laughing. The boy used to drag her along wherever he went, teaching her the nursery rhymes he learned through his mother or teachers and telling her all sorts of stories, both fairy tales and true. He was young and carefree, living the life of a normal boy and assuming that she was nothing more than a normal girl.

Then they were kidnapped. He was suddenly forced to realize something she'd been taught for as long as she could remember; he was a target, simply because of who his parents were. His parents' enemies didn't care how young he was, he was still somebody they would hurt if given the chance.

She got them home, though she had been scared and he was crying and then he saw her face and cried harder, but that couldn't undo the damage. His naive, happy boyhood was over. The singing that once filled her ears whenever they were together was replaced with silence and the stories he used to tell slowed to a stop too. He never grabbed her hand to pull her along, never laughed as he excitedly showed off his newest toy. The only time she got to see a small fragment of the boy he used to be was when they were alone and he would start to hum quietly to himself, but even that eventually stopped altogether. She blamed herself for it, and as the memories of his carefree days grew more distant she wished she could bring them back.

Age only made it worse, a crack growing between them that seemed irreparable. In middle school, he stopped treating her as an equal and a friend and she was selfishly heartbroken that he'd realized her station in his life. She was just a tool, and from the way he ordered her to leave him alone it seemed that she wasn't a valuable one, either.

She threw herself into her training, honing her skills until she thought he couldn't deny her usefulness. Yet, he still ordered her to pretend like they didn't know each other when they entered Hope's Peak. She obeyed, as painful as it was to still be unwanted after all the work she'd put in.

The killing game began and her time in it ended swiftly. Only just before her execution did she realize the error in her ways, the faults in her reasoning. Still, she woke up afterwards filled with memories of the things she'd done while she was a remnant of despair, the things he'd done, and she wondered if she had the right to see herself as a person. She was filled with guilt and horror as she remembered more and more, but the thing that made her feel the worst was that Fuyuhiko had become a remnant as well. What sort of tool would allow that? Just like how she failed to save his innocence when they were young, she had failed to protect him from himself when they were teenagers. Now she had to live with the guilt that he would forever struggle with the things he had done.

She could hardly remember how he sounded when he sang.

The healing process was long and painful, both physically and mentally. Fuyuhiko was given permission to leave the island long before her, but he chose to stay. He worked with her, helped her recover, and when she finally admitted her feelings for him he accepted her with open arms. Even with his help, it was another year before she was deemed fit to rejoin society. They left the island together, moving into a small apartment with faulty plumbing and flickering lights and an occasional mouse, and there they continued to live despite the pain they'd been through.

Months passed, and they laid in their bed together with as the city lights outside shone through the smog, enjoying silent company. Her eyes slipped shut as her cheek rested on Fuyuhiko's shoulder though she wasn't tired enough to fall asleep. His hand drew shapes onto her back, easing the phantom pains that sometimes tormented her still when she remembered her execution. Out of nowhere, he began humming softly and Peko quickly recognized the tune as one of the lullabies his mother used to sing to him.

She tilted her head to look up at him, her eyes meeting his as he kept humming. Eventually he paused, a smile on his lips.

"What?" He asked softly, as though speaking too loudly would break the peace of the room.

"I haven't heard you hum in...a decade, at least," she admitted, voice no louder than his, "I like it."

"Huh…" he thought for a moment, "I didn't realize I stopped."

She nodded, "You did. I'm happy that you started again, though. You sound so happy when you hum."

"I am happy, I have you here with me," he stated, then began to hum once more.

She stayed silent, listening intently and trying to memorize the sound of his voice as she placed a chaste kiss on his jaw.

That's how she eventually fell asleep, rocked into it by the sound of her love's voice and the feeling of soft circles drawn on her back.

#dot writes #dot's writing #writing #fanfiction #fanfic #kuzupeko #fuyuhiko #Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu #peko #Peko Pekoyama #fuyupeko #fuyuhiko x peko #mentions of despair #humming #fluff #i guess a late fuyuhiko birthday fic bc i didn't have energy on his actual birthday #happy birthday fuyuhiko

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thevastmultiverse · 3 years ago

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Small Kuzupeko fluff

Imagine Fuyuhiko telling Peko she reminded him of a white rabbit.. You know, the ones with red eyes and pretty white fur? Peko likes fluffy and/or soft animals and it just kinda melts her heart.. Maybe he catches on and calls her “bunny” sometimes

-🌻

#basil post #🌻#dangantalk #kuzupeko #fuyuhiko x peko #fuyuhiko kuzuryu #peko pekoyama #moonliticecream

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heyhoeudoin · 3 years ago

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INDEBTED TO YOU

"No matter what you tell me, I will always be by your side."

pairing: master!bakugo katsuki x servant!reader

words: 2.4k

genre/s: fluff, a bit mature

warning/s: swearing, mention of 'woman' but other than that no pronouns (unless i slipped, then sorry)

synopsis: you sworn to serve under the bakugo family, especially their son

masterlist

a/n: inspired by kuzupeko from danganronpa, i love them so much. also this is done in no particular order, so it's going to be a bit messy. enjoy either way!

you are the personal servant of bakugo katsuki

why?

because you and him grew up together, literally

the bakugo family took you in from a very young age, apparently you were found alone in an alleyway and from there on out they decided to take care of you

and since then, you have decided to protect this family and serve under them

most especially their son, bakugo katsuki

the one you fell in love with

of course, you told both mitsuki and masaru about your feelings and plans (on becoming their personal servant)

they allowed it because you insisted so much on it that they got tired of you asking everyday and they trust you as well

the bakugo family are loaded bro

and you took advantage of that

you got yourself to learn many things; multiple lessons on hand-to-hand combat, on using weapons (guns, swords, etc.), and other basic needs to become a servant (cooking, medical knowledge, cram school etc.)

how did you get yourself to balance all of these while still going to school?

well, your ambition is that big

katsuki, at first, denied of you being 'servant' to him

"i don't need someone to protect me at all times, i'm going to be the number one hero! i'll be the one to protect myself and you!"

it was sweet, not gonna lie but it hurt your ego also

"oh yeah? let's make a bet then. let's fight and if i win, i'm your personal maid or servant and if you win, then i won't be your slave- er servant."

spoiler: you won

and this all happened during middle school

speaking of

everyone thought you two were dating, that's why nobody really approached you since you're always next to katsuki

where ever katsuki is, you're also there

even midoriya thought you two were dating because he never saw you two not together

and no one ever asked because they didn't wanna bother you

by bother i mean no one had the guts to approach you two

the two of you are the power couple of the entire middle school!

everyone knew who you two were and are

you: the intimidating tall poise woman

katsuki: the arrogant aggressive man

yeah no one bothered the two of you that entire middle school (except for midoriya, sometimes)

okay so anyways,

when you won that fight to become katsuki's servant, that's when he finally actually noticed you

after middle school ended and when the two of you are training (well, you coaching him), but then suddenly

katsuki stood in front of you holding his water bottle, with a firm look yet nervous look, "i'll damn be the number one hero." he announced then paused and took a deep breath, "so you better be second best, right after me." and with that, he hurriedly stomped off

mother fucker practically just confessed to you

but no, it wasn't a confession

it was an acceptance

of you

you've been with katsuki since children, so you understand his language now (sometimes)

and you ended up not seeing him the entire day after that

why? because he's embarrassed (how cute!)

then u.a. came and holy shit the amount of times you almost died of a heart attack

why? because of fucking villains and shit

speaking of, remember the slime incident?

yeah... you got in so much trouble for almost killing the slime creature for even hurting and traumatizing your katsuki

and you also started working too hard on yourself saying that you weren't strong enough

yeah, you're pulling a bakugo

and of course, katsuki noticed and stopped you in his own way

katsuki watched you from the doors, you aggressively punching your way into the concrete wall. why? "i need something stronger." is what you said, like a fucking idiot is what he called you then. he stomped over to you, "stop fucking yourself over. take a break you asshat." he took hold of your collar and dragged you away to the showers.

this man just keeps making you fall all over again

that was his way of saying he's worried about your health <3

anyways, back to u.a.

stuff like the quirk apprehension test, battle trial, etc.

you did amazing at because of your intense training throughout childhood

and no, shockingly, you didn't win first place in the sports festival because of a sudden quirk mishap when fighting todoroki

but then why didn't you hold back though, for katsuki?

are you kidding? you're not that much of a fucking idiot. doing that is the biggest mistake and insult to katsuki ever

and you'd rather die than offend him in any way

also same thing happened as middle school; people felt kinda intimidated by you two

but the difference is that people talked to you both this time and slowly they aren't that intimidated by the two of you

thus the bakusquad!

oh also, no one thought you two were together

why?

because katsuki asked you to keep the entire relationship a secret which was hard to do, for both him (he can't just come to you for a conversation or for comfort) and you (you can't be next to him all the time and being overprotective of him)

kaminari flirted with you a bunch of times when hanging out with the squad

katsuki had to keep it in to not get all worked up while you had to keep it in to not slice his entire neck off and say you belong to katsuki only

but the two of you resisted (good thing)

and then usj happened

that shit was a fucking fever dream

there is only one memory in usj you vividly remember is when katsuki was about to get hit by the nomu

your heart pumped loudly through your ears as time stopped or slowed down. you didn't know what to do and dreaded for when you didn't do anything, but you did do something. a large hand appeared from the ground in front of katsuki, palm wide, protecting him from the running nomu.

he didn't get hit, but you did faint.

your quirk?

it's called duplicate and with it you can replicate and sprout pieces of your body from the surface of any object or living thing (like the hana hana no mi that nico robin has from one piece)

anyways,

then interns happened

and of course you wanted to go along with katsuki but he told screamed at you to go with who you wanted

and shockingly, you went with eraser head

yes, he offered you an internship because your quirk is fit for the underground life (his words) (you're also his favorite but we don't talk about that)

it was hell

and let's leave it like that

BRO CAMP WAS A NIGHTMARE FOR YOU

PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY

it was fine at first then the next minute you hear katsuki is the target

of a kidnap by the league of villains...

and holy shit you snapped

every time a villain was in front of you, you wouldn't even hesitate and just immediately attack them

and while doing that, you used your quirk to spread multiple copies of your hands with either ears or eyes on the palm to gather information quickly

this took a lot out of you

but what especially took you out was when it finally happened...

a laser beam shot out of the bush, hitting the man with the mask on the face and because of that, he spit out the two marbles where both katsuki and tokoyami is held captive.

you, shoji, todoroki, and midoriya reactively ran towards the two marbles (well, midoriya couldn't because he broke his legs again :D). shoji was able to grab tokoyami's marble, however, you and todoroki weren't able to get katsuki's.

the villain named 'dabi' was the one who got it instead.

he grinned ear to ear as a portal appeared behind him and the masked man, "confirm it now, release them." he told the masked man as he scoffs and says something about his show being ruined.

with a snap of his fingers, both marbles starts to glow and there came out both tokoyami and katsuki.

there he is. right in front of you. katsuki stood next to dabi, who's hand is wrapped around his neck, "no problem then." you, meanwhile, didn't listen to a word he's saying and just focused on getting katsuki back.

using what's left of your energy, you took off towards the portal with your hand outstretched with copies of your arm forming out of your palm as well. "katsuki—!" you screamed out, desperate but he didn't reach out.

"don't come, y/n!"

and with that he's gone.

and so is your sanity.

you stood in front of where the portal was, not moving or breathing. your eyes as wide as they can be, your fingers twitching here and there, your mouth open but nothing comes out.

suddenly a bunch of arms arise from the ground, holding onto you everywhere; your legs, your waist, your shoulders. everywhere. slowly you were pushed onto your knees and soon enough you laid on the ground.

and that's when you finally lost it.

a scream. an ear curling scream rings throughout the entire forest and it's coming from you. your body struggling against your own quirk, that is holding you captive. they knew that you'd react like this. however, you wouldn't let it hold you down any further. you kept thrashing about as if you've gone feral as you called for katsuki with that hoarse voice of yours.

your nearby classmates noticed and immediately went and restrained you. they even had to give you a sleeping drug to calm down.

when you woke up in the hospital, katsuki has already been rescued

he also heard about what had happened to you

and man did he worry, a lot

this sudden act made his friends a bit suspicious and shocked like "bakugo? worried? what?" or "when was he and you close?" and such

you and katsuki had a moment to yourselves, alone in the hospital room

when he first barged into the room, he started shouting at you in worry about your quirk acting up again

but you knew that this is all an act (well, kind of) to get you to not find out about his mental health

but you knew

you always know

so to give both of you some relief

you pulled him into a kiss

just kidding, it was a hug

okay no, yes it was a kiss

the two of you made it official then, but at the same time wanted to keep it a bit slow

when your friends found out, they were shocked and betrayed

because the two of you kept it a secret that you two knew each other since forever!

then the two of you started dating also

well, actually, you and katsuki were supposed to keep your relationship a secret until you're both ready, but then they found out because of katsuki blowing a fuse

ever since the dorms happened, you suddenly became the ultimate maid and worked on every thing; cooking meals, laundry, cleaning, and more!

you weren't bothered by it but katsuki was

one time when the class gathered in the common room for game night, everyone was asking orders from you; "y/n, could you get all of us drinks?", "y/n, get us blankets also!", etc.

katsuki had enough of his dumbass classmates and decided that enough is enough

you were busy getting every thing ready for game night while katsuki watches you from the couch. he would go and help you, actually, he did try to help you, but you locked him in place with your quirk before he could stand up.

"let me fucking help you, you shitty woman." katsuki grumbles out as you just chuckled at him then shook your head. "of course not! i won't let my master attend to matters such as this. besides, i'm okay with being the class' maid. it won't change our relationship, after all." then you narrowed your eye, "unless there's something you're not telling me." you barely whispered out.

"stop talking in a shitty way! just talk how you normally do, we're alone. you don't have to act all fucking poise or some shit." he pouts which makes you swoon.

"katsuki~sama!"

after you finished tidying up for game night, everyone slowly started to gather in the common room.

you and katsuki sat next to each other on the couch while the rest of your friend gathered around the two of you. they also started teasing the two of you ever since the camp incident for 'being secretly crushing on each other.'

how did they get to that point?

your reaction to when katsuki got kidnapped and his reaction to hearing that you were hospitaliized.

suddenly your classmates started asking you for things or to do things. of course, you obliged after all it's in your nature to accept. however, katsuki is shaking in anger as you just easily accepted to do your classmates biding.

even your friends have noticed how much they've taken advantage of you and stopped asking favors from you and instead help you from time to time.

but katsuki had enough.

he stood up and took a hold of your wrist from doing more errands, "enough already, you fucking bastards." he exclaimed with a glare on his face. you turned to him in confusion and worry, "katsuki?"

he pointed to you, "stop ordering around y/n already! stop acting like y/n is a fucking maid or some shit, they're here to become a hero! get your shit together, and do it yourself!" he roared out, "if i hear anyone telling y/n what to do, then be damned and i'll fucking kill you myself!"

you couldn't hold it in anymore.

you jumped onto katsuki and plastered him in kisses. "oh katsuki!~ i love you!" then you placed your hand on your hips, "but don't kill them." you turned to your classmates who watched the scene in shock, "for every errand they asked me, it will add to their debt they' have to pay to me." you announced with a wide devilish grin on your face.

yea, your the one who let out the secret but either way your classmates now know that you two are together and not to be messed with

the end

masterlist

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acacia-may · 2 years ago

Text

Tackle the Monsters

Description: Masaru has always wanted to "The Hero," and though he has always tried his best to be a hero for his friends, Kotoko has long been of the opinion that the only hero she can really count on is herself. Though he might never be able to offer her a rescue, no matter how much he might want to, maybe sometimes all it takes to be a hero is being there when someone needs you…

Fandom: Danganronpa (Specifically Ultra Despair Girls. Danganronpa 2 characters also appear but are not centric)

Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort and Fluff, Future Fic (nearly) 20 Years Post-Canon. Also includes: Fairy Lights, Forts, Flashback Scenes, and Fuyupeko (Kuzupeko) domestic bliss and babies because I love them.

Relationships: Masaru Daimon & Kotoko Utsugi Friendship almost 20 years in the future (A/N: I wrote this as a platonic work about their friendship, but as they're both 30 years old here, I guess you could take it in a more romantic-ish(?) way if you just really wanted to see it (maybe?). That was not my intention in writing, however, and in my mind, this is Friendship Hurt/Comfort). Warriors of Hope Friendship (Masaru Daimon & Kotoko Utsugi & Nagisa Shingetsu & Jataro Kemuri) mentioned and depicted in a flashback. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu & Masaru Daimon friendship. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu/Peko Pekoyama established relationship (with a child).

Characters: Masaru Daimon (POV Character) and Kotoko Utsugi. Nagisa Shingetsu and Jataro Kemuri are mentioned and physically appear in a flashback in this story. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu and Peko Pekoyama briefly appear as well.

Rating: T for Thematic Elements and Some Language (Please see "Warnings" below for more details).

Warnings: Vaguely implied/mentioned childhood trauma and abuse. (A/N: This is hurt/comfort, but the past childhood trauma and abuse is only implied as vaguely and subtly as possible while still being treated with the sensitivity and gravity it warrants). Unhealthy coping is mentioned. Healthy coping is also mentioned and depicted. Legal/of age drinking is also implied/mentioned. Insecurities. Nightmares are mentioned but not depicted. Aftermath of nightmares is depicted. Some language. (A/N: I like to think they characters are in a better place psychologically here (nearly 20 years after Ultra Despair Girls and having begun to get the therapy they so desperately need), but they still have a ways to go and don't always cope in the best/healthiest way. Healing is a journey).

Word Count: 5588

Link to original post on AO3. Please do not repost to another site.

Note: Many thanks to @repo-net for reading through part of this story and providing very helpful notes and feedback! I hope you'll enjoy the finished story as well.

Story below the cut. Thank you for reading!

Masaru ruffled his hand through his hair as he took off his motorcycle helmet—not that it made much of a difference. It was probably still a mess as usual. Despite Nagisa’s scolding that at thirty years old he ought to know how to make himself look semi-presentable, Masaru didn’t care too much about the way he looked. In fact, he felt that his often tousled, messy “helmet hair” was part of his charm.

With a conceding shrug of his shoulders, he pulled his shopping bag and takeout containers from the built-in storage of his bike and headed up the driveway. He had barely taken a few steps when a high-pitched voice called out, “Uncle Masaru!”

Masaru blinked as four-year-old Natsumi Kuzuryu darted out of the garage where her parents were busy packing up their car for their trip. “Hey there, Tater Tot,” he said with a smile as she hugged him.

“Natsumi,” sighed her father, Fuyuhiko, following in close pursuit. “I’m sure he’s not here to see you.” He turned to Masaru with apologetic eyes, but Masaru just laughed and waved his hand.

“No problem, boss.”

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes. He didn’t much care for being called that—often said it made him sound like a mob boss when he was running a perfectly reputable business of independent security contractors, mostly for Togami and the Future Foundation—which seemed to be one and the same these days—and their related projects and investments, of course. Masaru often wondered what Fuyuhiko would be doing if the Kuzuryu Crime Syndicate hadn’t been destroyed in the chaos following the Tragedy, but even he knew better than to bring it up and, instead, insisted that because the former Ultimate Yakuza was, in fact, his boss now, such a nickname was warranted.

“Can I give you a hand with those suitcases?” asked Masaru, but Fuyuhiko shook his head.

“We’ve just about got it, I think.”

“Let him help load the rest,” said Mrs. Boss, Peko, peeking out from behind the side of the trunk. “We’re already running behind as it is.”

Fuyuhiko sighed but conceded, “Alright. If you really want to help, but I know that you’re probably just here to see Kotoko, right?”

Masaru shrugged. “Eh. It can wait a minute.” He sat his bags down on a work bench in the garage as he reached for some of the suitcases to load into the trunk.

“Auntie Kotoko can’t come with us because she has to work,” said Natsumi with a frown.

Masaru turned to Fuyuhiko whose own frown looked an awfully lot like his daughter’s. “We did invite her,” he explained shuffling his feet. “Just in case she didn’t want to stay here alone, you know?”

Stacking two suitcases in the back of the car, Masaru nodded. He had been thinking the same thing after all. Kotoko lived in an apartment above the Kuzuryu family’s house—which may or may not have been the result of Masaru pulling a couple of strings, though he’d never tell her that. Though Kotoko never really talked about it, he knew she felt a lot safer knowing that Peko and Fuyuhiko were on the floors below her along with their state-of-the-art security system, and this would be the longest both of them would be gone with Natsumi.

“You excited for your trip, Natsumi?” asked Masaru changing the subject.

Her little braids bobbed up and down excitedly as she nodded. “Yeah! I’m gonna play with the Dark Devas of Destruction.”

“Hamsters,” Peko explained dryly as she loaded the last of the bags into the car and closed the trunk.

Masaru stifled a laugh. “Sounds fun.”

“It is really fun! They have a wheel where they run around like this”—giggling, she made a circular motion with her finger—“And Auntie Sonia made them sweaters.”

“Alright,” said Fuyuhiko with a light chuckle. Natsumi giggled even more when her father lifted her up onto his back. “Let’s let your Uncle Masaru get going, okay?”

Natsumi pouted, but eventually, she sighed. “Okay, Papa.” Her face brightened, and she smiled as she turned to wave at him. “Bye, Uncle Masaru.”

“So long, Tater Tot. Have a great trip!”

“We’ll try,” sighed Fuyuhiko wearily. Masaru knew he cared about his former classmates, but he also knew that the fact he cared about them didn’t mean he didn’t find their unique brand of chaos a little tiring at times, especially now that he was a father and had enough domestic chaos keeping him on his toes. It was probably a little like how Fuyuhiko felt about him, now that he thought about it—an almost exasperated affection one would have towards a somewhat wayward little brother. Masaru’s mouth twitched in the corners at the thought.

After the Kuzuryus started to get into the car and they all waved their final goodbyes, Masaru picked up his bags and made his way around the garage to the door on the side of the house. He pressed the buzzer more times than was probably necessary.

“Natsumi?” asked Kotoko’s voice from the intercom.

“Nope. Guess again,” Masaru teased.

“Masaru? What are you doing here?”

Masaru shrugged before he realized she couldn’t actually see him at the moment. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by.” He paused, and when she didn’t respond added, “I brought food.”

Kotoko sighed. “Alright. Come on up.”

The door buzzed as it unlocked, and Masaru bounded up the long, narrow flight of stairs behind it. These stairs were nothing for the former Li’l Ultimate P.E., of course, but Masaru often wondered if Kotoko ever grew tired of lugging things up and down them into her apartment at the top since there wasn’t an elevator like there was in Masaru’s building. As much as he usually took the stairs back home to run off excess energy, it was still nice to have the option of taking the elevator, particularly if he was carrying something heavy like furniture.

When he reached the top of the stairs, Masaru turned right and knocked on Kotoko’s door under the shiny, silver 2 which was affixed to it despite this being the only apartment. Masaru knew the apartment number had been a gift from Jataro back when he had taken up metal-working as a new hobby a couple of years ago. Around the same time, Jataro had made similar metal carvings of their names to mark Masaru’s, Nagisa’s, and his own rooms, respectively, in the apartment in the city center where they lived as roommates, and when he asked the building manager if he could make a number for their door, their landlord liked it so much he commissioned Jataro to make metal numbers for every other apartment in their building.

If Masaru had to guess, this was a little too much for Jataro who decided as soon as the project was finished that he needed a long break from metal-working. He hadn’t picked it back up since, though he always had several creative, crafty hobbies to keep him busy when he wasn’t working on his prosthetic designs. The field of prosthetics was Jataro’s main career, and he was almost as passionate about it as Nagisa was passionate about his air filtration systems or whatever it was that he did with the Future Foundation. Between Nagisa’s use of complex, technical language and extremely field-specific jargon, Masaru could never really tell what it was that he did exactly, but he figured asking him to explain it to him like he was in elementary school would be a little too embarrassing.

“Hi. Come on in,” said Kotoko ushering him through the doorway. She was dressed in sweats or possibly pajamas—Masaru wasn’t always the best at telling the difference—and her hair, dyed dark and cropped short, was wet and scraggly. Masaru fidgeted. He had probably interrupted her plans to turn in early and catch up on the sleep she had missed out of during the busy workweek. “Please excuse the mess. I wasn’t expecting company,” she continued before she tilted her head pointedly at him. “Would it have killed you to call first?”

Masaru shrugged with a somewhat lopsided grin. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“Mhmm…” she hummed with a frown as she walked over towards the sofa.

Kotoko’s apartment was modestly sized, especially for only one person living there, and Masaru didn’t think it was nearly as messy as she was worried about. After all, he could only imagine what a pigsty his apartment would be if it was just him and Jataro living there without Nagisa and his “chore chart” to keep it tidy. That reminded him, it was his turn to clean the kitchen floor—he’d have to remember to do that when he got home.

As Masaru sighed and shook his head at the thought, he caught sight of a large stack of files on a nearby desk out of the corner of his eye. His brow furrowed.

“Did you bring your work home with you?”

Kotoko frowned. “I always bring my work home with me.”

Something stormy crossed Kotoko’s eyes, and Masaru wondered if she meant that in a less literal sense. She worked with the newly instated child protective services—with kids who were orphaned or displaced in their slowly rebuilding post-apocalyptic world—and maybe it was too many years of court-ordered therapy talking but he couldn’t help but wonder if, in Kotoko’s mind, when she saved those kids, she was really saving herself. After all there had been a time when she needed a hero but hadn’t had one, and while Masaru had tried to be one for her, he had been too messed up by all the things that had happened to him to be much of a hero for anybody, even himself. Besides, by that point, Kotoko had long learned that the only hero she could really rely on was herself and hadn’t wanted much “rescuing” from him, Nagisa, or Jataro.

That certainly didn’t stop them from trying to take care of her the best they could from a distance though. It was the main reason he was here after all, but he knew Kotoko well enough to know that if he told her that, she’d close the door in his face and send him home with far too much takeout for one person to eat. Masaru sighed. He also knew that it wouldn’t be long now until she started asking him why he was here. He’d have to hurry up and think up a good excuse before she…

“Masaru,” she interrupted his thoughts, quirking an eyebrow at him. “What are you doing here?”

There it was. He should win some sort of a prize for predicting it, Masaru thought. He twisted his mouth to one side, but his expression quickly softened as he tilted his head at her and teasingly clicked his tongue. “What? I can’t come visit you, now?”

Kotoko frowned. “Don’t you have a date or something?”

“Eh. There’ll be others.” Masaru’s mouth twitched into a lopsided smile. “Besides, I’d rather be—“

“I’m sure there will.” She cut him off before he could finish his thought, and—Masaru frowned—it was a good one too. Something nice and complimentary about how he’d much rather spend the evening with a friend than out on the town. He sighed. Kotoko would never get to hear it now, but it didn’t seem to bother her much as she crossed her arms and glowered pointedly at him.

With a slight shake of his head, Masaru ran his hand through his unruly hair. He probably should have expected this reaction—after all, it was no secret that Kotoko didn’t approve of his current preoccupation with relationships, probably more so than even Nagisa who was in the habit of referring to it as his most recent “drug of choice,” like his dates were no different than Kotoko’s liquor bottles.

They weren’t, but that didn’t mean Masaru didn’t sometimes worry that hearing about them sent the same kind of chill down Kotoko’s spine that he had whenever he caught sight of her extensive alcohol collection. Still, he knew Kotoko wasn’t an alcoholic just like, he hoped, she knew he wasn’t a lech. For the most part, they decided it was best to just stay out of each other’s business and not to talk about it. Of course, that was easier said than done when Kotoko was glaring at him like this…

“Look,” he sighed. “I know you’re upset that I keep getting in relationships…”

“Don’t be stupid,” huffed Kotoko. “I don’t have a problem with you getting into relationships. Just because I don’t want one, doesn’t mean that I don’t want anyone to have one.”

Masaru’s brow furrowed. “Then what’s the problem?”

“You go through relationships faster than paper towels and keep getting out of them whenever you get bored.”

Wow. She didn’t even miss a beat. He knew she could be blunt, and she wouldn’t quite be Kotoko without some sort of metaphor that didn’t make total sense but… “Bored?”

“Masaru…” Kotoko crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “You haven’t had a relationship that lasts more than a month, and most of them only last a couple of days, if that.”

“That’s not true,” he interjected before she could say anything else. “I’ve had a few that lasted two months.”

Kotoko’s brow furrowed, and she blinked at him. “Right, because that’s so much longer…”

Masaru supposed she had a point. He did have a track record of short relationships, the shortest being only 45 minutes until he finally faked food poisoning after getting asked one too many questions about his childhood.

He sighed. Kotoko was wrong. He didn’t get out of relationships because he got bored, he got out of them because he got scared. It was a lot easier to leave early instead of waiting around for someone to realize what a screw up you were and run out on you.

He shook his head and pushed the thought away. “Fine, never mind. Just forget it. We all have our vices, don’t we?”

“At least mine don’t hurt anybody else.”

Masaru frowned as he caught sight of the cluster of half-empty liquor bottles on her counter. He shook his head, remembering how Nagisa had come home one night with a busted lip and black eye after getting in a fight with some thug who had been harassing Kotoko in a bar. How every so often chestnut trees would start popping up in Jataro’s artwork, and they’d know it meant he was worried about her. How when he wasn’t working through his own shit at the gym, he was thinking about her and pushing himself well past his limits until he was achy and exhausted as if he could somehow lift out, bike out, punch out, or run out his worry for her. He’d come home in the middle of the night, finding Nagisa still wide awake from worrying about everybody but himself, and though they wouldn’t ever talk about it, Masaru would know he understood—after all, he had been up scrubbing the counters until his fingers were raw for the very same reason.

Still, he sighed and conceded, “Look. I didn’t come here to argue with you.”

Her eyes narrowed curiously. “Why did you come?”

“I thought it might be fun to have dinner together. Jataro went to bed early because he has a cold, and Nagisa’s working late so—”

“You were lonely,” she interrupted with an almost-teasing roll of her eyes. She chuckled. “Alright, fine. What kind of food did you get?”

Masaru smiled brightly as he held out the bag of takeout boxes to her. “Soba noodles.”

After she took the bag from him, Kotoko laid the containers out on the counter, but her brow furrowed. “What’s in that bag?”

Masaru fidgeted—twisting the handles of the extra bag in his hand. “Oh. Uh…fairy lights.”

“Fairy lights? Why?”

“I thought maybe you might want to make a blanket fort.” Masaru shrugged his shoulders, and Kotoko laughed.

“A blanket fort? We’re thirty years old—don’t you think we’re a little old for that?”

“You sound like Nagisa,” quipped Masaru with a playful roll of his eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with being in-tune with your inner child.”

“I don’t even remember the last time I built a blanket fort.”

Masaru’s face softened. Kotoko might not remember, but he did. It was probably why he even thought about the fairy lights in the first place. Though it was nearly two decades ago he could still remember it as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.

*-*-*

Masaru bolted up in bed—his heart pounding. Drenched in sweat, he struggled to catch his breath as if he had just run a marathon. The sounds of screaming rang out again, and he sprang out of bed onto shaking legs. So he hadn’t imagined it after all. He couldn’t always tell the difference between reality and his vivid nightmares. In this case, however, he was sure that the screaming noises were coming from down the hallway, rather than from the monsters in his own mind. Someone was in trouble.

Without a second thought, he sprinted into the hall and ran smack into Jataro who fumbled around with a wide-rimmed bowl in his hands.

“Woah. Sorry,” he said as he helped Jataro steady himself. “What’s with the bowl?”

“It’s water. I thought it might help.”

Masaru’s brow furrowed. He wasn’t sure how a bowl of water could help in this situation, but it probably made Jataro feel better to think he was helping in some way so Masaru decided not to question it. Instead he asked, “So you heard it too?”

Jataro nodded solemnly. “It’s coming from down there. Nagisa or Kotoko probably…”

Masaru could feel his pulse pounding in his ears as he took off down the hallway. Whatever was going on down there, they could take it right? At least he could. After all, he was the hero…

Kotoko’s door was ajar, and the closer they got to it the easier it was to hear Nagisa’s voice. Even though Masaru couldn’t quite make out the exact words he was saying, the tone of his voice was calm and even, most unlike the cloud of panic that wafted into the room as Jataro and Masaru rushed through the doorway.

“What’s going—?”

“Shh…” shushed Nagisa quietly turning towards the doorway while pressing a finger to his lips. Kotoko’s room was dark aside from the few strands of fairy lights which were strung across her shelves and dresser, but in the dim light, Masaru could see that Kotoko was sitting up cross-legged on the bed. Her eyes were wide and teary but almost mesmerized by the fairy lights as her lips barely moved, no audible sounds to be heard. Nagisa sat in a chair beside the bed, and when Kotoko shivered and let out a painful whimpering noise, he returned to what, Masaru presumed, he had been saying before, “Kotoko, you’re in your room in Towa City. It’s the third of November at 1:30 in the morning. It’s dark outside because it’s the middle of the night, but it’s supposed to be sunny and a little windy today after the sun rises.”

“Nagisa, I brought this,” whispered Jataro pushing the bowl of water into Nagisa’s hands. Masaru blinked, unsure of when exactly Jataro had managed to slip past him into the room. “Do you think it could help?”

The corners of Nagisa’s mouth twitched. “Thanks, Jataro,” he said quietly as he sat the bowl next to Kotoko. “Kotoko, Jataro is here too. He brought some water for you. Can you put your hand in the water?”

There was a long, heavy pause. Kotoko, it seemed, couldn’t pry her eyes away from the fairy lights, but she did eventually place her hand in the bowl. Masaru finally willed his legs to move and stumbled through the doorway over to Kotoko’s bedside. Her eyes were glossed over—distant and tearful as they stared intently at the strings of lights, her lips still slowly moving as if she was mouthing words. No, not words. Numbers. She was counting the lights.

Something clicked in Masaru’s brain, and he could’ve almost kicked himself for taking so long to figure it all out. He ran out into the hall as fast as he could and back into his room until he finally stopped in front of a shelf full of used and oftentimes busted bottles. Perfumes, colognes, body mists, and room sprays—anything with a pleasant scent strong enough to cut through the reek of booze and cigarette smoke that haunted his dreams and filled his room when his nightmares bled into his reality.

He had no idea which ones Kotoko might like or what might help her so he tried to grab all of them which only resulted in him fumbling around with arms filled with dropping bottles. He swerved so they wouldn’t all clatter to the floor and break and instead let them fall onto the bed. He frowned and decided to grab only his two favourites, since that’s what he could carry in his hands, figuring he could always come back and get more if neither of these worked.

When he returned to Kotoko’s room, she had stopped shaking though she was still counting the lights. Nagisa was talking about everything they had seen on a recent walk through the park, and Jataro was keeping quiet vigil and holding the bowl of water steady so it wouldn’t spill as Kotoko splashed her hand around in it.

Masaru carefully crept into the room and took his place beside Jataro, but before he could hand off the bottles to Nagisa, Kotoko blinked her eyes and said quietly, “I’m sorry. I’m okay.”

Nagisa sighed sympathetically. “You don’t have to apologize. We’re all just glad you’re okay.”

Kotoko looked around the room. Her eyes stopping on each of them. “I didn’t want you all to worry about me.”

“We’re your friends,” chimed Jataro. “It’s what friends do, right?”

Kotoko’s face fell guiltily, and she grew suddenly interested in her hands. “Thanks. But you can all go back to bed now…” Her voice trailed. “I really didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Like hell we will.” Masaru felt all the eyes in the room suddenly turn and stare at him at this outburst. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I mean, uh…I don’t know about you guys, but I was up anyway.”

“Uh yeah…” lied Jataro. “Me too.”

Even honest-to-a-fault Nagisa nodded. “I was reading.”

“See we were all up. You have nothing to feel bad about or anything,” said Masaru with a shrug.

From the look Kotoko was giving him now, he could tell that she knew they probably weren’t telling her the whole truth, but she sighed, clearly lacking the energy or motivation to argue about it and said, “Alright. Well…what then? Are you just suggesting we all stay up all night…again? What would we even do?”

Masaru tilted his head, almost waiting for Nagisa to lecture them about how they needed their sleep or something like that, but he didn’t say anything and instead stared at the fairy lights. That gave Masaru an idea.

“What if we built a blanket fort?”

“What?” asked a cacophony of his friends’ voices.

“Yeah, we could all gather up the blankets and pillows from our rooms and build a big fort out of them. We could even have snacks and play games and stuff—it’ll be bright enough because we can use the fairy lights as the light in the fort.” He beamed. “What do you say?”

“That sounds like a fire hazard,” said Nagisa with a frown.

“Oh come on,” whined Masaru. “Don’t be such a stick in the mud. It’ll be fun.”

Nagisa twisted his mouth to one side, but it eventually twitched in the corners. He sighed, “Alright.”

“And Jataro can decorate it,” added Masaru, and Jataro practically lit up at the idea.

“What do you think, Kotoko?”

Kotoko’s brow furrowed thoughtfully, but she eventually shrugged her shoulders. “I guess that could be fun…”

*-*-*

“Masaru?” asked Kotoko pulling him out of his thoughts. She tilted her head at him with that all too familiar ‘you’re zoning out again’ look.

Masaru chuckled and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck almost sheepishly. “Yeah…it’s been a while, but it could be fun right?”

Kotoko blinked at him but sighed with a slight shrug of her shoulders. “I guess…” She sighed again. “I still think it’s kind of silly, but if you want to eat our takeout in a blanket fort, fine.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Nagisa.” Masaru crossed his arms with a playful pout, and Kotoko barely stifled a laugh.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the only time in Nagisa’s life he’s been called a bad influence.”

“I didn’t say bad. I meant boring, and he’s always been a boring influence.” Masaru chuckled as he sat the shopping bag filled with fairy lights on the counter. “Too bad he isn’t here to make sure our fort isn’t a fire hazard.”

“I think who we’re really missing is Jataro. Whatever we make will look like garbage without him.”

As Kotoko pulled an extra sheet out of the closet in the hallway and draped it over the backs of two chairs and the sofa, Masaru supposed she was probably right. Their fort wasn’t much to look at. Jataro probably would have been appalled if he had been there—Nagisa too for that matter though his issue would have been with the fort’s structural integrity rather than its meager aesthetic.

Masaru looked around for something heavy to hold the sheet in place, a trick he remembered Nagisa had tried out back in the day, before eventually deciding that Kotoko’s pots and pans would likely do the trick. Kotoko glared at him as he stacked her cookware on top of each other on the seats of the chair and sofa to anchor their makeshift roof, but she huffed with a look that said, “if you must…” Masaru beamed almost triumphantly as he added the finishing touches of draped fairy lights and crawled into the makeshift structure, sinking into the stack of pillows, throw blankets, and sofa cushions Kotoko had piled into their fort. For the first time in a long time, he almost felt like a kid again.

“After you, Milady,” he teased with a playful bow, peeking his head out of the structure and motioning inside.

Kotoko rolled her eyes and tapped him teasingly on the back of the head muttering, “Goofball” before following him into the fort with the food containers.

Building a fort may have made Masaru feel like a kid again, but having to contort himself to comfortably fit inside said blanket fort given his long legs and broad shoulders reminded him that his childhood was long gone. After all, there had once been a time when not only him and Kotoko but Nagisa and Jataro as well could all easily fit in a blanket fort of this size, with space to spare, if he remembered correctly. He could still picture Jataro and Nagisa curled up next to each other sound asleep while he and Kotoko sprawled out on the floor of the fort staring up at the twinkling fairy lights. Maybe he should try that now, Masaru thought, as he decided to stretch his feet outside of the structure with a somewhat defeated huff.

Kotoko blinked at him before sprawling out on the ground next to him. The fairy lights overhead twinkled and sparkled. He hadn’t realized that he had purchased pink ones, but he supposed that was appropriate. He would probably forever associate Kotoko with the color even though she had long since dyed her hair and it had been ages since he had seen her wear anything pink. Even the pillows and blankets she had brought out for their fort were neutral tones—greys and beiges. He knew she had sworn off anything remotely “adorbs” long ago, but he still wished she hadn’t had to.

“Masaru?”

“Hm?” Humming, he shifted towards her, but she wasn’t looking at him—her gaze transfixed on the fairy lights.

“I lied.” Kotoko sighed, and Masaru’s brow furrowed. “I do remember the last time we built a blanket fort…”

Masaru blinked and scratched the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t have blamed you for forgetting…”

Kotoko turned towards him with a slight smile as her hand ruffled through the ends of his unruly strands of hair. “I’m not as fragile as you think, you know?”

“I didn’t say you were—” he began, but she cut him off with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

“But thanks.” Her smile widened, and Masaru’s own mouth curved into a beaming grin. Kotoko quickly reached for the takeout boxes with an almost playful, “Now let’s eat. I’m starving!” and that was the end of it. For the rest of the evening, they just sat together eating takeout and catching up, talking and laughing about the most mundane everyday things. But for Masaru, that was enough.

He had long ago accepted he wouldn’t be able to offer her a rescue, to tackle her monsters, no matter how much he wanted to, but he supposed sometimes all it took to be a hero was to be present, to be there for someone when they needed you. Masaru shrugged his shoulders. Kotoko was right: she wasn’t fragile. If anything, she was one of the strongest people he had ever known. And yeah…even Masaru could admit that maybe she didn’t need him, maybe she didn’t need some fairy lights or soba noodles or a blanket fort or the company of an old friend, but—he thought as a smile tugged at his lips—they couldn’t hurt.

*-*-*

“Masaru, are you still awake?”

Masaru somewhat groggily rubbed his eyes but rolled onto his side so he was facing her. “Mhmm…” he hummed, and it seemed like he was the only one who was still up as Nagisa and Jataro were leaning on each other, shoulder to shoulder and fast asleep. Masaru knew they had tried their best to stay awake all night, but they eventually tuckered out and crashed in the corner of their blanket fort. “You wanna have a contest to see who can stay up the longest? Nagisa and Jataro already lost.”

Kotoko chuckled breathily, quietly enough to avoid waking their sleeping friends. “You should get some sleep too.”

“What about you?” he asked with a frown.

Kotoko stared up at the strings of lights hanging from the canopy of blankets forming the roof of their fort almost pensively. After a long pause, she whispered, “Masaru…you were asleep earlier weren’t you? All of you were?” Masaru fidgeted but didn’t say anything—averting his eyes when Kotoko glared at him with a pointed “Masaru?”

“Yeah, but it’s no big deal. We just wanted to make sure you’re okay, okay? We all have nightmares, and we all help each other. That’s what friends do, Kotoko, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Something panged in his chest. “If I could take all that away, if I could fight all the monsters, I would”—he curled his shaking hands into fists, his vision growing blurry—“but I can’t.” Nagisa hummed and stirred in his sleep, and Masaru realized his voice was growing louder than he had intended. He consciously tried to whisper as he repeated, “I can’t. I’m…I’m just a kid…” The next words spilled out of his mouth startling him nearly as much as they seemed to startle Kotoko. “Maybe…maybe if I’m older someday…maybe I’ll be strong enough to—”

Masaru stopped abruptly as Kotoko gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. It was only then that he really began to realize what he had said. “I…I don’t…uh…” he stumbled over his words. Though Masaru had lost track of how long it had been since they had given up on their ‘Children’s Paradise,’ he still wasn’t sure where his companions stood on the idea of growing old. He honestly wasn’t sure where he himself had stood on the subject and hadn’t really been aware that he had started to even consider the idea until those words had fallen out of his mouth just then. Still…he scrambled, “I…I didn’t mean to…I…”

“No, I… I’ve been thinking the same thing,” Kotoko confessed before adding quickly. “Don’t tell the others.”

Masaru nodded emphatically. “Hero’s honor.”

With a brisk, understanding nod, Kotoko sighed and sunk back into the stack of cushions and pillows lining the floor of their blanket fort. After another long, heavy pause, Kotoko whispered, “I think there are some monsters that will always be too big to fight...no matter how old and strong you are…”

“I’m still going to try.” Determinedly, Masaru clenched his hand into a fist. “No matter what, I’ll always be there to try to fight the monsters. Because that’s what a hero does.” His brow furrowed, and he twisted his mouth before he shrugged and beamed at Kotoko with a bright lopsided grin. “And I guess if that doesn’t work, I can always build another blanket fort to keep them out.”

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