#oh by the way we're naming the cat tofu

[gofishygo]

hitherto ; simon 'ghost' riley x gn! reader

summary (more of a footnote but whatever) : simon 'ghost' riley with a civilian reader who loves animals heals me in some unspoken language <3

notes: mentions of past trauma (ghost), mentions of animal abuse (ghost), fluff and (maybe) hurt/comfort ?? not proofread; 639 words

He knew his footsteps would always leave a trail, no matter how lightly he treaded or how stealthy he was. He'd killed hundreds after all, all in the name of the world's safety- a legal killer, worthy of purging the unclean as classed. Not to mention the remnants of his past that always followed, violence and abuse and his family always legible in his surroundings like a ghost. He'd always wondered whether his stain had hurt the world more than healed it.

And then there was you, with your light treads and invisible presence and pretty smile. You were everything his hardships had prevented him from being- so much softer and warm and wholeheartedly loved. Always avoiding the bloodied fields of war and doing your best to slip through the world undetected. Simeon had always known that he never deserved anyone, let alone someone like you. And yet you still traced the markings on his calloused hands, talked to him with that bubbly voice of yours, held his face despite the black medical mask that would cover it. You held your world in your hands, and his world was right in front of him.

Your presence is a gentle hand to his marred and bleeding one.

But still, he can't help but glance twice at any snake he sees. His suvorexant holds him down through the nightmares instead of alleviating them. It almost feels to him like he's betraying you when he can feel his chest tighten when you scoop the stray cat up into your arms amidst the cascading rain, ignoring it's indignant hisses and the hair that now messied your formerly clean sweater. He can make the figure of his father in the darkest corners of the alleyway, mangled carrion bodies and blood in the garbage bags of the trash can.

" should put the lad back, doll. " he does his best to hide the grit in his tone.

You only reply with avid pouts of refusal. "it's pouring, si !! I'm not leaving some poor, defenceless animal in the rain !!"

His expression softens. He trusts you; he truly does. But the smell of dog blood is still cloyingly bitter in his nose, and it’s a scent that still stings at his brain.  It's too late for him to react though- you’ve already dashed off back to your shared apartment while covering the feline with your now soaked sweater. Simon follows suit without protest.

He watches as you wrap the cat in the fluffiest towel you can find, careful as to not scare the cat any further. Your gentle rubs to it's fur could never compare what he had seen in his childhood- menageries of vicious snapping teeth and growls , the smell of blood and unkempt fur. You're rummaging through the cupboards and microwaving a can of tuna, nudging it towards the creature to try soothe it's fear. Simon feel his hands start to relax, his grimace fading beneath his mask. You're nothing like that shadow of a man, nothing like Ghost or the little boy before him. You were never going to make the same mistakes, never going to end up as the same monster. A little thing clicks in him, a small shift of his aorta. You were the one he would choose to stand by his side in the old and grey.

"sim ? you've been zoning, is there something wrong ?" you're scritching the cat's head, giggling at its soft purrs as it nuzzles its head closer to your fingers. A doe eyed look of concern as you grace over his features, checking for any sign of turmoil in your boyfriend.

"nothin' to worry about, love." he wraps his arm around your shoulder as you continue to play with the cat, the movement of your muscles as you play with the cat allowing him to take a new breath. "just thinking."

[ichinisankaku]

Backstage Translation - Kappa Hunting (Part 2)

Misumi: Done with work today! Wonder if I should make a quick detour somewhere~

...Oh, it's Muku and Kumon. Heeey!

Kumon: Ah, Sumi-san!

Muku: Good job with work today.

Misumi: What're you two looking at?

Kumon: We're looking at a capsule toy machine.

Misumi: Which one~?

Kumon: This one! It's got headwear for cats.

Muku: Look here, Misumi-san. There's a kappa one too.

Misumi: Wah, there is!

Kumon: We were kinda curious about it since you're playing Sha Gojo!

Muku: You said you were looking for kappa the other day, so we considered giving the machine a try, but...

There's so many types that we might not get it, so we were just fretting about what to do.

Misumi: I'll give it a go, then!

Kumon: Really!? Wah, do your best, Sumi-san!

*clunk*

Misumi: Wonder what's in the capsule~

Kumon: Ah, it's a conical hat!

Muku: It's a hat for a tofu shop boy.

Misumi: It wasn't a kappa~

Kumon: That's a shame. But this is cute as well!

Muku: Yeah, it's cute.

Misumi: Alright, one more time! I hope it comes now~

*clunk*

Misumi: Wonder what's inside~...

Ah! It's a kappa!

Muku: Wah! That's great, Misumi-san!

Kumon: Amazing, Sumi-san!

Misumi: Hooray~!

Ehehe, I'm happy~ Thanks for telling me about this, you two!

Muku: No problem! It was really exciting watching you.

Kumon: Alright, let's go home now!

Misumi: Yeah!

Hisoka: Welcome home, you three.

Izumi: Welcome home!

Muku: We're home.

Kumon: Lots of cats came to play today too, huh!

Misumi: Ah, it's the cat from the other day!

Cat: Meow~! Purr purr...

Misumi: Ehehe, hello kitty~ Pet pet~

Hisoka: That cat was really looking forward to seeing Misumi...

Misumi: I saved it after it fell into the river the other day~ We've been super close since then.

Kumon: So this is the kitty you were talking about!

Muku: Yeah, that's right.

Izumi: It looks happy to be pet by Misumi-kun.

Misumi: Ah, I know!

Hey hey kitty, can I put something on your head for a moment?

Cat: Meow~

Misumi: I can? Thank you~!

Hisoka: That's... a kappa hat...?

Izumi: Is that cat headwear?

Muku: Yeah, it is. We found a capsule toy machine and Misumi-san managed to pull it.

Misumi: Alright, done.

Cat: Meow.

Izumi: It's a kappa kitty!

Muku: Fufu, it's so cute!

Kumon: I know, let's take pictures! Where's my phone...

Misumi: Take some with my phone too~

Izumi: Of course.

Kumon: Look this way~! Say cheese!

*click*

Muku: I'll take one from this angle!

*click*

Option 1: Give a big smile

Izumi: Misumi-kun, kitty, give a big smile~

Misumi: Okaaay, kitty, let's do triangle smiles together~

Cat: Meow meow~♪

*click*

Hisoka: Those are great faces.

Izumi: Yeah! I got a super cute photo.

Misumi: Ehehe, thanks Director-san!

Option 2: Do a Sha Gojo-like pose

Izumi: Since we have the opportunity, do a Sha Gojo-like pose!

Kumon: Ooh, great idea!

Misumi: Got it! Kitty, Sha Gojo is the name of the role I'm playing in our next play.

Muku: He's a really cool role.

Cat: Meow meow.

Izumi: Let's do it then~ say cheese.

*click*

Kumon: Woah, Sumi-san's tense expression is super cool!

Hisoka: The kitty copied him with a dignified pose.

Misumi: Eh, the kitty did a cool pose too?

Cat: Meow.

Izumi: Fufu, both your and the cat's role building is perfect.

Kumon: I wonder if this is good!

Muku: I took a lot of photos.

Izumi: How are they?

Misumi: Wah, you're all so good at taking photos! Thank you~!

Cat: Meow~

Part 1

[existentialstatesofmind]

Opening up

Clare: smiled. “I hope that means it teaches stuff other than how to get a girl to sleep with you. Like how to treat women like human beings not sex objects. Of course I don’t think you need to be taught to respect women or about consent...but lots of boys do. Even our old principal the Shep had to take sensitivity training.” She mock gasped at Kota’s confession. “Unacceptable! It’s a dark toned fantasy with magic, dragons, and violent dynastic struggles among the realm's noble families for the Iron Throne. And it’s loosely based off real medieval European history. What’s not to love? We’re watching the first episode tonight. Please just give it a chance. I won’t make you watch more episodes if you don’t like it for some strange reason.” Clare gave Kota her best puppy dog eyes look. “Yeah. Connor gets that weird tofu crap from his sort of sister, Emma Nelson. So you’ve already done a survey?” She laughed. “We’ll make do. I like teriyaki chicken stir fry, rice and noodles, soup. Cauliflower soup is my favorite.” Clare named a few different types of food she could eat in Japan. “This trip just keeps getting better.” She proclaimed after Kota approved of date nights. It would be very nice to go out together on a regular basis with no friends or family tagging along. They’d still be spending plenty of time with Emi, Alli, Connor, Eli, K.C, Yohio, and the new friends they were going to make. “I won’t break up with you by kissing someone else.” Clare promised, scrunching up her nose. “Sounds like a really mean way to end a relationship. Even K.C. told me he wanted to break up before he ran off to makeout with Jenna. I don’t want to break up and I like your kisses best.” She squeezed his arm affectionately. “Thank you. There might be things I don’t recognize at all like meat dishes. Don’t let me eat shark either!” Clare nodded. “My parents will be impressed by your academic accomplishments. Winning them over completely is hard but not impossible. They love Alli, Adam, and Connor. K.C not so much. Eli not at all. Jenna they felt sorry for. Before she had a baby. Dad’s easier to get along with. Unfortunately, Mom is secretly in charge.” Her parents fought all the time now but Dad never came out the winner. Clare looked back and forth between Kota and Melanie curiously as the singer brought up a footballer player from school and Kota mentioned being busy during free periods. “No one became nasty about it?” She’d never witnessed anything extreme but Clare was often caught up with her own extracurriculars at school. “Awesome!” Clare told them after looking at the screencap of Jimmy Fallon. “Oh come on. It is.” She scoffed. As she got out of the car at the mall, Clare looked past Kota, staring at the boy. Did he go to Degrassi? She didn’t recognize him. What had he done to make Kota hate him so much? The boy looked harmless and the mention of Owen caused her to stiffen. Why was Kota standing up for the school bully? She didn’t understand any of this. Clare started to walk away with Kota and Melanie. The girls stopped soon as Kota did and Clare edged away from her boyfriend. She gave Melanie a confused look and motioned for the singer to stand out of the way with her. They heard every word of the argument and Clare was embarrassed. She NEVER thought she’d be grateful to see Owen but after he separated Kota and the boy from school, Clare decided Kota might have a better reason to be friends with Owen than she had to dislike him. “Yes, where do you want to go Melanie?” After Melanie decided, Clare turned back to Kota. “I want an explanation. Who IS that kid? What is going on?” She hissed in a whisper

Kota: sighed at Clare's question. "Sadly there's no class for that." he stated honestly. "Clare, I"m sorry, but I can't watch the episode with you tonight, I have a lot of stuff to do before the trip." he apologized. "I didn't really do a survey, it's just that they asked." he shrugged. "In Japan everything is made different. Teriyaki there is made with Sake, the alcohol is cooked out, but you can still taste it. We can have ramen too.. they top them with either a hard boiled egg or soft boiled, you can ask to leave it off and the ham comes in a whole slice off a ham you buy in the store for holidays." he said a little excitedly and kissed her cheek when she mentioned the trip getting better. "I'd hope you wouldn't leave me by kissing someone else." he laughed jokingly, he knew she was being honest and kissed her chastely. "I like your kisses most too." he smiled and laughed when she mentioned not letting her eat shark. "I don't eat shark and I won't let you eat cat, dog, turtle, sting ray, octopus, raw horse meat, fish sperm, or kimchi either. Unless you like fermented vegetables." he promised. "But I do like squid, fish, and other things you won't." he said honestly. "I'm glad I stand a chance. I mean I have a job too does that count?" he asked curiously. He looked at Clare when she asked about Todd. "He goes to our school, his name is Todd. He works on the yearbook, he takes pictures at the dances and school festivals for now." he said honestly and saw Anya walking towards him as they neared the mall. "You said I can talk to you, right?" she asked curiously. "Yea, but can we talk later?" he questioned motioning to Clare and Mel. "Can I stay over?" she asked. "I'll text my mom. You'll probably have to share a room with my sister." he said and texted his mom only for her to hug him. "By the way, Todd is in the parking lot. I almost beat the shit out of him." he admitted. "And you'll get charged with assault." she said. "I'm going to school with a fucking rapist and I can't hit him a few times?" he asked a bit sarcastic. "You can't sleep in your own room, I can't get the images out of my head. Every time I see him I want to beat the fuck out of him and Simpson just wants to ignore it because the cops won't do shit." he fumed. "They searched his house." Anya shrugged. "I'm going to get the pictures one way or another, I promise you that." he huffed as Anya walked off and he looked at Clare. "Yea, we're going to school with a known rapist and since the cops ignored it so Simpson is too. How do I know Todd raped her? She was completely drunk and I went to check on her since she told me she wasn't feeling well and was going to lay down in her room, I walked in to see Todd on top of her taking pictures as he raped her. I threw him against the wall and went to hit him, but Drew pulled me off of him as Owen called the cops. We can't find the pictures and without them there's no proof." he explained.