#simultaneously in my current life i’m sitting at a job i dislike. i’m supposed to be going on vacation monday but my passport has yet to

[yourkevlar]

so stressed out and defeated.

[arigatouiris]

is that how it’s supposed to go? // tendou satori

Author’s Note: Tendou is babie and I love him so much my heart hurts. I can’t write angst for him, yanno? He’s so precious I wanna give him the world. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM AND KUROO IN THE END thanks I love ya’ll, hope you like this

Word count: 4817

Pairing: Tendou Satori x Reader

Warnings: light angst, fluff, childhood friends, mentions of divorce

Sometimes, things got a bit too much for Tendou Satori.

It wasn’t unusual for him to cry about not having friends, but he didn’t cry where tears were shed. Tendou often just muffled his emotions, rather than expressing them—because what was the point, after all? Being named ‘Satori’ brought in a lot of hate, and he was growing to hate his own name because of it. It was the sort of feeling that left him wanting for some sort of approval from others, even though his parents often told him that he had to give himself that approval first.

But, how could he?

Just as he walked out of his house’s gate, his eyes flashed to a large truck three houses down. He blinked before tilting his head a bit, blowing his hair away from his eyes. There was a man and a woman, taking out things from the back of the truck, and that was the first time Tendou laid his eyes on you.

You were crying, holding on to a doll in your hands; your grip on the inanimate object was rather tight, but Tendou could sense how deep your emotions were. He often felt that way, even though he never openly cried, but watching you cry there, loudly—your cries echoing across the area, sent a tinge to his heart that felt rather odd. He felt like crying because you were crying, and it was odd because he had never seen you before. The woman, he assumed was your mother, turned to you and patted your head before kneeling down to your level and saying some words of assurance.

Tendou gulped before walking away; he was getting late to school anyway. It was his final year of elementary school. Most of his classmates hated him, so there was no hidden excitement lodged in his heart right then to even go to school. Letting out a dramatic sigh, he walked to school, feeling lonely and small, and wondered how much longer he had to feel this way.

Upon reaching his class, he quietly sat to the seat that was assigned to him, which wasn’t by the window or the corner. He was somewhere in the middle, the second column, and the seat to his left was empty. No one wanted to sit beside him, an understandable fact, but it pained his heart to live with it as a fact. When the teacher arrived, Tendou didn’t look up. There was no point to giving the day any more attention than it deserved; after all, each day was the same.

     “Class,” The teacher announced, “We have a new classmate joining us today!”

Great, he thought before pouting a bit, Another one to the list to call me monster. Tendou didn’t dare look up at his future possible assailant, and he wasn’t planning on moving an inch till the class ended.

     “Why don’t you introduce yourself to us?” The teacher whispered.

     “I...” The person sniffed, clearly crying, which made Tendou pause for a second, “My name...” 

Slowly, the class was filled with snickers—people were giggling at this new person who was crying whilst introducing themselves. Tendou looked up and his heart sped up when he spotted you—the very same girl that had been crying earlier in the morning today. You were wearing his school’s uniform and your hair had been neatly combed to stay away from your face. However, you looked devastated; almost as if you didn’t want to be here. He noticed that your lips were quivering, and he felt utterly miserable that the class wasn’t even trying to understand your predicament. 

What was so funny while you were standing there crying?

When the laughter in class increased, Tendou frowned before pressing his lips together. He wasn’t brave enough to stand up and do something, but he kept his gaze on you; intense and warm, hoping you’d get to see it. You started searching the classroom for one face that wasn’t laughing at you, and you found Tendou’s intense glare.

He wasn’t glaring at you, and you had no idea how you came to know that. Gulping, you took a shaky breath before licking your lips.

     “My name is (l/n) (y/n)...” Your voice broke in the end, but when Tendou smiled at you, your heart skipped a beat.

It was quite obvious now that you were asked to sit beside Tendou, because that was the only seat that was empty. You weren’t crying when you reached your seat, but you were still very sad. You had moved from Osaka to Miyagi; your father had a job that made him move quite often, which left you devoid of a chance for a normal school life. You made friends easily, but if you kept moving the way you were, it was hard to stick to any of them. You were a mess when you arrived, and you were still a mess now. 

     “Are you okay?” The red-haired boy asked you.

His hair was a bowl cut and his eyes were rather large, and he had a strange face that made you want to smile more at him, because that strange face had a very addictive smile. You sniffed before shaking your head.

     “My name is Tendou...” He avoided telling you his first name before he looked away.

You tilted your head before wanting to ask him about it, but you chose not to. You instead answered his question first.

     “I moved here from Osaka...” 

Tendou made an ‘o’ with his mouth before asking you, “Did you have friends there?”

You paused a bit before thinking and then shaking your head. Tendou grinned before telling you something that inevitably changed your final year there.

     “Then why be sad? You can make friends here!”

And you did. 

*

After just a week, Tendou and you were as thick as thieves. You’d gotten quite comfortable with everyone in just that week, and it was rather easy. Everyone seemed to dislike Tendou, and comfort didn’t always mean you were happy. You were comfortable telling Tendou’s bullies off, and they could do nothing about you in hindsight. 

     “Tendou-kun?”

The two of you were currently on his house’s terrace, building a house of cards. Since Tendou lived only a few houses away from you, you often went over with the excuse of doing homework and spent hours just watching anime or playing. Sometimes, he’d ask you to play volleyball with him, just to spite you for fun, considering how bad you were with handling a volleyball.

     “What?”

     “Why won’t you tell me your first name? You know mine.”

His eyes widened. Of course, he did know yours. But, if you knew his, you’d make fun of him too. You noticed how hesitant he looked and that confused you, and as much as you wanted to comfort him, you didn’t even know what about his first name was bothering him.

     “Is it funny?”

He shook his head.

     “Is it... weird?”

He paused, looking down at the ground. The silence that grew between you felt almost like a burden, and you inched closer to where he sat across from you. You ignored the house of cards, you knew you could always build one again later. Right now, nothing mattered more to you than Tendou’s first name.

     “It’s...” He took a deep breath, “...Satori.”

He immediately shut his eyes and waited for you to laugh. He expected you to laugh first before pointing your finger at him and telling him off; he waited for mean words to slip past your lips and to have you call him a monster. But when no sound came, Tendou opened his eyes and slowly, he dared to meet yours.

You were wide eyed, almost as if you had learned something amazing. Your gaze was simultaneously both invasive and immersive, and Tendou felt strangely vulnerable under its intensity. Your pupils were glittering, and your lips were forming a very wide grin, and it felt as if you were peering through the keyhole of his heart.

     “(l/n)?”

     “Satori-kun!” You exclaimed, eyes still sparkling. “I love your name!”

Suddenly, Tendou felt a surge of energy upon catching your words—a joyful thrill that settled in his stomach, arced up through his lungs and flashed into a spontaneous smile on his face—which scrambled his ungrounded circuits and tempted him to chase that very feeling constantly. When you spotted Tendou grinning, and grinned back, giggling at how happy he looked.

     “Satori-kun has such a nice name,” You said, in awe, and he merely just watched you, his heart ricocheting like crazy, “And I’m stuck with (y/n).” You ended with a pout.

Tendou gasped before standing up, almost ready to fight, “(y/n) is such a lovely name! I’ll fight you if you say it’s bad!”

You looked up at him with wide eyes and giggled some more, “Satori-kun, you’ll fight me if I say my name is bad?”

     “Yeah, because I don’t think it’s bad.”

     “Because you’re a sweet person, Satori-kun.” You whined.

     “No,” Satori said, “It’s because I’m being honest.”

Perhaps, he had learned to love his name more because you were so proud of it. He happily placed his happiness inside the palm of your hands, entrusting you with it; he trusted you with his life, the boy who had seen no light from an external source, and had found it in you—a girl he had seen crying her heart out the first time he met you. For some reason, your good nature stirred his own inside of him, which intended to change him. It brought out a side in him he never knew he had, and for that, he was grateful.

That entire year with you, Tendou knew he liked you. It was the strangest thing because you were the one to tell him, and it was such a matter-of-fact statement that it felt as if there wasn’t anything unnatural about it. The two of you were once again on Tendou’s house’s roof, trying to finish up homework because the walls inside the room bored the both of you.

     “Ne, Satori-kun?” You were always the first one to get distracted.

     “Hm?”

     “You’re my boyfriend, right?”

His eyes widened at your blatant statement and he turned to you as if you were mental. 

     “What?! Since when?”

You pouted, “What do you mean since when?”

Satori leaned back, “Well, you never told me you liked me.”

     “Is that how it’s supposed to go?”

Satori nodded, “Someone confesses first and then they go out on dates and stuff.”

You gestured to the both of you and said, “Isn’t this like a date?”

Satori hummed before tapping his chin like he was deep in thought, “I guess. But, you still didn’t confess to me.”

     “Hah!? Why should I confess to you?”

He scoffed, “Because you’re the one calling me your boyfriend.”

     “Does that mean,” You tilted your head before your eyes met his, “You don’t want me as your girlfriend?”

Suddenly, Tendou felt an emotion he hadn’t felt in years; in fact, Tendou felt something so blatantly new that it shook him. That he might have forgotten about completely if his emotional playlist hadn’t been left on shuffle—a feeling whose opening riff tugs on all his other neurons like a dog on a leash waiting for him to open the door.

He shook his head, “Girlfriend sounds lame,” You froze at his words, “You’re like my wife, aren’t you?”

     “Ehhh?” You laughed before throwing an eraser at him, earning a chuckle from him in response.

But, in your laughter he saw acceptance, and in his chuckles you saw candid seriousness. The sound of cicadas rang in both of your ears, hunger rumbled in your stomachs, but your hearts were full. It was a blissful feeling.

*

Blissful feelings don’t last, or that’s what Tendou told himself as he entered Junior High without you.

It had been close to six months since you had moved out of Miyagi, back to Osaka. For some strange reason, your father stayed behind; you moved, your mother moved, and your grandmother who was staying with you had moved as well. Since you weren’t close with anyone else in class, there wasn’t anyone Tendou could ask, and his parents didn’t say anything either. He missed you, no, he ached for you, but you weren’t there. 

You could have exchanged emails, but since Tendou and you were always together and due to the fact that you were not allowed phones yet, you never had the chance to. He recalled his father once telling him that some friendships were only supposed to last during childhood, and while he didn’t want that to be true with you, he was seriously starting to doubt everything at this point. Missing someone was easy if only they hadn’t lived in such close proximity; everything Tendou did reminded him of you, everything lived, breathed, and moved you in essence, and unlike what they told him about missing someone and feeling sad, Tendou only missed you and felt angry.

At least he had volleyball, right? Junior High wasn’t as bad because Tendou had learned the art of making others uncomfortable about him. If they were scared of him, if they called him a monster, then so be it. He’d behave exactly how they expected he would—but he’d be better. Tendou had discovered what he liked, what he disliked, and he strove for it; it was unbelievable how much you had influenced his thinking.

You’re a sweet person, Satori-kun.

I love your name, Satori-kun!

Ah, it had been four years now and he still missed you. Entering High School seemed easier, and he was now expecting people to walk over and make fun of his name, just so that he’d join in. Oh? You want to see what else this monster can do? He’d block every single volleyball coming his way, and the look that was left behind on his opponent’s face was everything. It was because he wouldn’t let their words bring him down, it was because he was much, much more.

Only, the bullies outside the court of volleyball stopped affecting him now as well since you had given him the approval he had been longing for. You may have left Miyagi, but your essence stayed behind with him, he remembered you; and you had liked him just as much as he liked you.

Whether he gave it credit or not, Tendou knew that this was what had shaped his ability to be proud of his own prowess. You had given him what he needed right when he needed it, and his growth had only been imminent. For that, he would always be grateful; despite the pain you had caused after you left.

     “Wakatoshi-kun!” Tendou exclaimed, bending down to his side just to spot any change in expression on his rather stoic friend.

Ushijima turned to the middle blocker and blinked, wondering what Satori had to say. Sometimes, the setter was certain that a few things Tendou tended to say were rather unimportant. 

     “Have you ever considered missing practice?”

     “Why would I miss practice?”

Satori shrugged, “Just because.”

     “That’s not an excuse at all, Tendou-kun.”

Satori sighed; having a friend like Wakatoshi was amazing in almost several ways, but he was not you. Tendou sat across Wakatoshi in his dorm room and smiled to himself as the stoic friend read his latest JUMP comic. Tendou leaned back and fell against his bed, thinking of you.

      “Why don’t you find my name weird?” 

You looked at him like he had said the most dumbest thing you had ever heard. Tendou almost looked hurt with the look you had given him.

     “Satori-kun,” You grabbed both of his hands in yours and stared him in the eye, “I think you’re amazing!”

Tendou remembered blushing at how blatant you were; he admired that about you. You were just... honest. Sweet. Pure. 

     “Amazing?” He knew what he was doing. He wanted you to say nice things. He never wanted you to stop. 

And while he believed you didn’t know he was just fishing for compliments, you knew. And goodness, you’d give this boy compliments any time of the day. Your smile grew and you nodded.

     “Just imagine the look on people’s faces as you prove them wrong about you,” He could feel the warmth in your fingers. “Satori-kun, I look at you and all I can feel is how much better I can be overall as a person and as anyone I want to be! You make me want to be better!”

Tendou let out a sigh, alerting Wakatoshi. 

      “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head, “Just reminiscing, Wakatoshi-kun.”

Wakatoshi appeared like he understood what his roommate was saying, but he was kind enough not to pry. After all, people tended to need an extension of their personal space as often as the requirement to pause and breathe in the middle of practice. It was just as essential. 

Tendou missed you for the entirety of his Junior High, and first two years of High School. He had imagined you being there with him, where he could finally understand his feelings for you and ask you out proper; but that chance was stolen. Of course, he’d had crushes before but none of the girls compared to the image he had of you. Of how you would be if you were still around; how your hair would look, how tall you’d be.

But one thing Tendou couldn’t forget was your smile.

*

Sometimes, things got a bit too much for Tendou Satori.

It wasn’t always that Tendou felt sleepy during the first period of class. But, because practice held on for too long in the morning, and the fact that he had woken up a bit late and had to rush to practice meant that he had to keep his eyes peeled open forcefully. 

     “Class,” The teacher announced as soon as he walked in. “We have a new student today!”

A new student in the third and final year? That too in Shiratorizawa? The student must be a nerd or something. Tendou’s eyes were heavier than boulders right then, but if he had kept them open for just a few seconds, he would have had the air knocked right out of him. 

But, you did it for him instead.

     “Hello, everyone!” Tendou’s eyes were closed at this point, “My name is (l/n) (y/n). It’s nice to meet you all!”

Boulders? They were feathers. Tendou looked up and spotted you—you! You, in all your splendour, bowing and smiling; and when your gaze met his, he saw the glitter in them just like he had seen back when you told him you liked his name. His heart skipped a beat, and he could swear that his fingers were sweating. There was no way. You could not be here.

Immediately, he slapped himself on both cheeks, alerting the entire class. The teacher himself looked perplexed, and you just stood there, smiling, biting your lip so you don’t break out laughing.

You had almost forgotten how important Tendou was to you, until you saw him right then, slapping himself for not being able to believe you were in his classroom. Unfortunately, unlike last time, the only empty bench was somewhere in the front, away from where Tendou was. You sat down, arranging your things down and turned to spot him, his eyes fixed on your form. You offered him a kind smile, but seeing no smile from him worried you. Sure, he was shocked, but he had to feel something, right?

Was he mad that you had left without saying a word? That would make sense considering how close you two were. You turned away, feeling the gloom stick to your eyelashes, something Satori caught in a blink of an eye.

After class, you walk over to him, unable to hold yourself back. Tendou stood up, towering over you—your eyes were wide at how tall he was now. He smiled at your reaction before asking if you were willing to step out for a bit. You nodded, quietly following him; the air around the both of you was comforting, but at the same time, it was quiet, and it was the sort of quietness that had never existed between the two of you before. It made you feel tense.

     “How... How are you?”

He wondered if you’d still call him by his first name. It had been close to five years now. 

     “Taller, (l/n)-chan!”

It felt like he had slapped you by calling your last name. Your smile doesn’t fade. 

     “Definitely a lot taller than I expected, Satori-kun,” You pressed, looking up at him hesitantly; you noticed his eyes widen just a bit before pressing his lips together.

He was holding back. There were clearly many things he wanted to ask, but he wasn’t. You wanted him to. 

     “I should apologize—”

     “Why?”

     “Eh?” You look up at him, turning away, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. 

Your heart broke at how detached he was right then; but you deserved how he was being right then. You had left him, without offering any explanation or even a goodbye. Your eyes softened at the thought of leaving Satori alone especially when he had trusted you so much. But, just thinking of him was also taking away the fact that moving away had hurt you too.

     “Mother and father got a divorce,” You said, looking at him, “I moved with mother and grandma. Back to Osaka.”

He had expected that was what had happened as he grew older. But when you confirmed it, there was a tug in his heart.

     “You didn’t tell me...” 

     “I couldn’t. It was all too sudden. They separated before the divorce and I... I couldn’t face you,” 

He was confused. He looked at you, waiting for you to explain.

     “I didn’t want to make you sad. I know I made you feel worse by leaving without saying anything, but to come to you and say ‘Hey, I’m moving away again’ right after we... right after we had...” 

Right after we’d joked about being married.

Tendou could quite practically hear your thoughts. In your own way, you were trying to protect his feelings and while that was noble of you, it was also a tad bit selfish. 

     “I’m truly very sorry, Satori—”

     “There’s nothing to be sorry about, (l/n)-chan,” Tendou said so kindly that it sent shivers down your spine, “It’s all good now.”

You looked at him expectantly, something eating away at your heart. Please, you asked, but you didn’t know for what. Don’t, you begged but you didn’t know why. Tendou waved at you before walking back to class, leaving you there with wide eyes.

You opened your mouth to say something, but you closed your lips together and let out a breath. 

*

As days passed, Tendou noticed how you made friends with others rather easily. You were easy-going, and he also discovered that you didn’t stop speaking to him. You’d greet him whenever you saw him, and he’d catch you turning back and looking at him whenever something funny happened in class.

His heart ached the entire time, however. He wondered if it was possible to like someone for that long, especially when things were confusing as they were right then? Surely, your reason was more than valid and after sleeping on it for a few days, Satori had realized that as a child, there was no possible way for you to have thought ahead and pictured how leaving without a word could have hurt him more. You were trying in your own way, and that itself should have been good enough.

And it was, clearly it was, if Satori could tell himself that much.

But, why was he still pushing you away? It was evident that you didn’t want to be pushed away, judging from how you kept speaking to him; how you tried to inch closer and closer to him each day; how warm your smile was every single day toward him. 

He had missed you so much and now he was ruining it by being confused for all the wrong reasons.

It was close to 9 p.m., right before the curfew hit Shiratorizawa dorms. Practice had ended long ago, Wakatoshi was reading a book and Tendou was lying on his bed as usual. 

I love your name, Satori-kun!

Definitely a lot taller than I expected, Satori-kun.

     “I’m still Satori to her...” Tendou said, staring at the ceiling.

     “To who?”

Tendou’s eyes widened before he turned to Ushijima, who was eagerly looking at Satori as if he had said something of significance. Did he think I started a conversation with him? Ah, no.

     “You need more friends, Wakatoshi-kun.”

     “Is there a reason why you say so?”

     “Just...” Satori rubbed his face, “I don’t know, don’t you get bored?”

     “It’s hard to get bored when I’m dorming with someone like you, Tendou-kun.” 

Tendou looked at Wakatoshi and blinked, “Eh?”

     “You are constantly catching up. That makes me want to be better.”

Tendou’s eyes shot up like saucers. Hearing him say those words reminded him of a particular someone. 

Satori-kun, I look at you and all I can feel is how much better I can be overall as a person and as anyone I want to be! You make me want to be better!

Ah, shit.

Sitting up quickly, and almost alerting Wakatoshi, Tendou stood up from the bed and grabbed his jacket. Ushijima merely watched the redhead put on his jackets and outdoor shoes before rushing to head out. It was almost past curfew, but that didn’t matter to him, apparently.

     “She’s here, Wakatoshi-kun!” Tendou exclaimed, as if sudden realization dawned on him. “She’s here, she’s actually here.”

     “Who’s here?”

     “My life just returned to me, Wakatoshi-kun. I’m wasting time by not claiming it, you see.”

Again, Wakatoshi was used to it by now; nodding at whatever Tendou tended to say. Sometimes, the redhead made no sense to him, but right then, watching how Satori rushed out made him eager to understand. Perhaps, it was something important after all. And matters of prime importance must always be tended to.

Tendou knew heading to the girls dorm would require some skill at not being caught. He knew a way to sneak to the back, but he had to alert you somehow. Spotting a random girl who was heading to the dorm, Tendou threw a small pebble at her before alerting her attention. She walked over to him with fearful eyes, wondering what a boy was doing here at this time.

     “If someone sees you—”

     “I’m trying to confess to the love of my life. Can you please ask (l/n) (y/n) to come out? She’s a third year—”

For some reason, the girl just nodded and rushed inside, cooing. Satori knew he had to wait, but the wait was excruciating. His heart was beating loudly in his chest, and a large grin settled on his lips. After what felt like an hour (but only 10 minutes) later, you showed up, swearing sweats and a casual tank top. Your face was flushed and you looked like you ran.

     “I never really asked you out back then, did I, (y/n)-chan?”

You teared up at what he called you and chuckled, “Is that how it’s supposed to go?”

Recreating an old conversation from your past was sweet, but Tendou didn’t want that conversation. He walked over to you, inches away from you and held your hands. Ah, he thought, feeling right at home.

     “I thought you were mad at me.” You whispered, looking at your connected hands.

Satori shook his head, “Never mad at you. It’s almost impossible to be mad at someone like you. You quite practically ran inside my head for five years.”

You looked up at him before letting out a chuckle. Reaching over to him, you pressed your lips against his before he pulled you closer to him by pressing a hand to your lower back. He had kissed a girl before, but she had not been you. The feeling this gave him was much, much more significant.

A second later, he pulls away and places his forehead against yours. His hands were on either of your cheek and he just breathed.

     “I’m so grateful to you,” Satori said, eyes closed, “You’ve been so nice to me.”

     “Says the boy that made me smile while I was crying.”

A short few seconds of silence passed, and Satori realized that his new favorite thing was hugging you when the two of you were supposed to be in your dorms.

     “Ne, (y/n)-chan?”

     “Hm?”

     “You’re my girlfriend, right?”

The resemblance to your old conversation made you smile, but this was not that time. This was something else.

     “Yeah,” You tightened your grip around his waist, “Yeah, I guess I am.”

[goffilolo]

Conflict of Iyashi Shin

After a long time of waiting, I present you the much needed Shin-centered one shot. Also available on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19408303

Shin used to pride himself on his professionalism...for the most part. Some people (mainly Mrs. Todoroki) would say that it’s complete bullshit, except they would probable do away with the profanities. That is not to say he was ‘boring’; the brooding type of psychiatrist you see on the TV, who nods along whatever bullshit the patient of the week says and remains composed at all times, no that wasn’t him. The psych ward was already depressing enough without him having to fake an emotional depth of a puddle. Some would say that his approach was unorthodox at best, but...oh well, as long as it got the desired results it didn’t matter, not to him at least. Which, in hindsight wasn’t that good of an approach since it led to...Izuku.

Having Izuku as a patient was an experience. Whether it was a good one or a bad one he couldn’t tell. Something about that kid made him lose sight of his objectivism and everything else he stood for in regards to his profession. He knew very well what that ‘something’ was, except he wouldn’t dare to say it out loud; not when the filing cabinet next to his desk contained fake quirk registry documents, because he himself was too much of a coward, and now he was also a hypocrite, telling a damaged child that he can do better, be better.

Overall it could’ve been worse.

And here’s the issue.

It did get worse.

Just not in the way he originally anticipated. The doctor was currently faced with a new problem altogether; its name being Bakugou Katsuki.

Throughout the weeks of working with Izuku, he has developed somewhat of a strong, but distant hatred for that boy; the kind that you feel whenever you see a post about a celebrity you particularly dislike for something they’ve done despite never meeting them in person. That has obviously changed when he first ‘met’ Bakugou, which wasn’t so much of a meeting as it was staring at him in cold judgement as a roundabout way of being supportive to Izuku, while he proceeded to verbally destroy the blond in what became later known as ‘The Bakugou Shitshow’.

The second time he met Bakugou was during the group anger management session, which was surprising to say the least, because it used to be so easy to hate this imaginary concept of a person who you only got to hear the worst of from one of your patients. A bit like Endeavour, except not really, because he was dealing with a child who probably didn’t know any better. That didn’t stop Shin from feeling a certain level of bias when dealing with the blond, but it did make him feel a bit more ashamed for having that bias in the first place. When he went around asking each person in the group what made them decide to attend the session Bakugou replied with “My friend made me realise that I need to get my shit together” and it took everything in Shin’s power not to exclaim with a sarcastic “Since when do you have friends?”.

The third time he met Bakugou was...right now actually, in his office to be more precise. It felt wrong somehow, to have him as a patient, sitting in the same chair where Izuku sat before; crying his eyes out as he told the childhood tales that were long gone and forgotten. He very much did not want to have Bakugou as a patient, because despite his professionalism he knew he would have trouble keeping the sessions free of his own judgement.

Conflict of Interest, they call it.

“So Bakugou, before we start I will let you know that everything you say in this room is confidential, and while I won’t share any details of our conversations, I will need to write up a general summary of our sessions to go with your medical file, which will help me in conducting your evaluation. Is that alright with you?” he asked, the exact same way he asks all of his patients like broken record.

“Yes Doctor”

“No need to be so formal, I prefer to be on a first name basis with all of my patients so you can just call me Shin” he mentioned. “Can I call you Katsuki?” he added as an afterthought, hoping to appear more open and friendly, a striking contrast to their initial interaction.

“Sure, whatever” replied Katsuki.

The boy is really closed off, which is not unusual for first sessions, but given that he came here out of his own volition you’d think he’d be more willing to talk. That won’t do.

“Let’s start with something simple then” announced the doctor “Why did you decide to come here? Most people who seek out therapy do so with a specific goal in mind, so tell me Katsuki, what’s your goal?”

“My goal is to get you stop asking dumb questions! I’m not here for some hippie ‘life fulfillment’ bullshit” snapped the blond. This was not going to be easy.

“Well I still need something to work with, how else am I supposed to know what to do with you?” asked Shin, very much not in the mood for this.Not today Satan , as Izuku once said, not today.

“Deku probably already told you everything about me, so don’t act like you don’t know shit” replied Katsuki, and wasn’t that one of the most self centered things he heard in his career? The kid really overestimated his own importance in other people’s lives. Maybe it’s time to take him down a peg or two.

“Contrary to what you seem to believe, Izuku doesn't talk about you all that much. You’re not his whole world Katsuki” he says, and if he sounds ever so slightly spiteful then...no one can blame him really “And even if he did ‘tell me everything about you’ I still wouldn’t be able to do much with it due to patient confidentiality. This isn’t about Izuku, it’s about you , therefore I need to hear things from you” he emphasises with the most sarcastic tone he can gather at that particular moment, because Shin feels it’s very important when his patients know that he’s not impressed . Which seems to do the trick as the teen in question looks outright offended only for a few seconds before reverting back to quiet, angry humiliation he displayed before.

“I want to become better” says Katsuki, after a minute or so of putting his thoughts together “Deku had a fuckin point you know? I always wanted to be the strongest, become the best hero and all that shit. I wanted all that since I was a little kid, just like him.”

“And did that change over time?”

“No, I just...I think I forgot why I wanted all these things in the first place. I was so focused on being number one in everything that I just didn’t care about other things or other people, especially Deku.”

“Everyone wants to be number one at something. Striving for greatness is a human condition” says Shin, ever so carefully keeping his voice neutral because this session might’ve had less than ideal start, but he still needs to see through to making sure he does a good job “The problem arises when that desire overshadows everything else in a person’s life. So tell me, why do you think it’s so important to you to be best at everything?” he asks, mentally preparing himself for another textbook example of a ‘gifted child’.

“Cause I don’t want to get left behind” replies Katsuki, his voice full of pain and shame alike.

“Left behind in what way?”

“In life. Everything in life is like a race you know? It’s not fair and not everyone even gets to the finish line, but it’s still a race of who can get the best grades, who can get the best job, who can be the best at a whole bunch of things. And I knew - I thought that I would always come out on top, but then Deku just wouldn’t quit!” screamed the blond as he went off on a rant “He’s quirkless, he’s worthless, a coward, he can’t do anything right, but he just wouldn’t fuckin stop talking about his dream; my dream, as if it was something attainable to him and it just pissed me off so much!-”

“Why?” asks Shin, feeling the need to interrupt the boy’s progressively irritating rant, mostly for the sake of his own sanity “If we stick to your ‘race’ analogy, then by all means Izuku is anything but a threat to your victory. Besides, having dreams is not a crime, many people want to become heroes and it never leads to anything, so what makes Izuku so special? What makes him so worthy of your rage?”

Katsuki, for all he’s worth, did not answer.

***

His second session with Katsuki was simultaneously better and worse than the last one. Better; because the kid was actually willing to talk, worse; because Shin did not particularly like what was being said.

Izuku’s suicide attempt was a bit of a sore topic for the doctor. By all means it was not the first time he was dealing with a suicidal patient, but this one was just a bit more painful to talk about for obvious reasons. And so Shin didn’t really discuss it beyond the initial assessment of the resulting injuries with Izuku’s other doctor, nor did he really talk about it in detail with the boy himself. Which is probably why he was so unprepared for what was about to come.

“He still haunts me” says the blond rather suddenly, after spending the last 10 minutes talking about all the ways in which Izuku annoys him. For someone who seems to take pride in reminding the whole damn world  about Izuku’s lack of worth as a human being, Katsuki sure is fixated on him. Shin decided to actually be polite and not point that out to his patient, at least not yet. “That day after I said...you know,  the thing that I said and I burnt his notebook, I didn’t think much of it. And I just left, like I usually do with these two guys that always follow me round” he admitted, voice strangely quiet for someone so loud and the doctor had a feeling that there was more to it than what Izuku initially told him.

Nevertheless Katsuki continued “So I walk out of the building, past the pond with fish in it and I see something fall into it...it happened so fast and it was blurry and then I heard that cracking sound a-and-” he stammers, tears threatening to spill over along with the confession “-And I look down… and it was D-Deku! He hit his head against the edge of the pond and the blood was gushing out of the wound and mixing in with the water an-and one of his legs was bent the w-wrong way-”

“Katsuki, it’s ok, you don’t have to talk about it-”

“I THOUGHT I KILLED HIM!”

“Katsuki, calm down!”

“I told him to jump!” lamented the boy “I saw him lying in a pond filled with his own blood and you know what my first thought was? ‘oh shit I’m gonna get in trouble’ because even then I was only thinking about myself, so I took his notebook out of the pond and was planning on just running away. And then - and then it got worse, because Deku was still conscious and he was looking at me, completely out of it. I don’t think he even remembers it, but he - he said...”

Shin did not want to listen to any of this, he wanted to flee his office and never look back. He felt a contradicting mixture of sympathy and anger, because as much as it was his job to help Katsuki he couldn’t stop himself from feeling vicious and bitter, because how dare he? How dare he cause so much trouble and suffering for Izuku and then act like a victim?

“ Kacchan, why did you want me to die so badly? ” he cried, almost hysterically in a poor imitation of Izuku’s voice, and just for a moment Shin thought he might cry too.

***

“He’s arrogant” exclaims Katsuki.

“What?” asks Shin, ever so slightly baffled by the sudden statement.

“Deku! He’s arrogant, always looking down on me” replied the blond, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“ If he’s arrogant what does that make you? ” he doesn’t ask, even though it’s really tempting.

It was their third session, which was honestly more than Shin expected he’s be able to go through with. It was emotionally draining to say the least, yet the doctor was not willing to admit defeat. It also helped that Izuku got recently discharged, because after last week’s session Shin wasn’t sure what he would do if he were to see the boy during his regular rotation right after spending an hour listening to the blond.

“What brought this on?” he asked instead.

“You asked me before why I was so mad at Deku all the time”

“Ah”

At this point Shin was mentally preparing himself for an oncoming wave of bullshit and paperwork, wondering if it’s not too late to transfer Katski to one of his colleagues. Alas, he still had a session to run and so he went back to asking his questions.

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific than that. What is it about his behaviour that you find ‘arrogant’?”

“He always goes around acting like he can do shit if he ‘just works hard enough’. Do you know how insulting it is for me to stand next to that useless dipshit who can’t do anything and yet acts like he can be my equal? Like back when we were kids he’s always stand up for other kids even though he didn’t have a quirk to defend himself with, and that one time we were playing in the forest and I fell into the river and he just went in after me and tried to help me get out? Who the fuck does he think he is?!” ranted Katsuki.

Now, there were a lot of things to unpack here, but Shin thought that it might be easier to just throw away the whole suitcase instead. The longer he talked to the blond (which in reality wasn’t that long, but time flies slow when you’re stuck with that kid) the more convinced he was that majority of his problems with Izuku were due to Katsuki projecting his own insecurities onto the other. He wasn’t about to say that though, because he knew that the words ‘projecting’ and ‘insecurities’ would result in a Bakugou-level shitfit; truly worthy of his quirk by the way.

“That…” announced the doctor, drawing out the silence for as long as he could in order to mentally prepare himself and his brain cells for what was about to come “Is probably the dumbest thing that has ever been said in this office.”

“THE FUCK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?”

“It means that you’re full of shit !” replied Shin, his voice undertaking the tone similar to that of his last outburst. The doctor certainly wasn’t proud of that moment, but when all else failed putting aside his professionalism seems to do the trick “Look at you, getting mad because someone offered to HELP you? God forbid! How do you think this world works? Helping each other is just something that people do !”

At this point he just stood up and started pacing around the room, unable to contain his rage

“Actually, you know what, scratch that! Helping each other is something that nice people do, you know? People like Izuku” shouts the doctor, not missing the way Katsuki flinched at being reprimanded in such manner “People like him who wouldn’t even think twice about going out of their way to help another person in need, even if said person always treats them poorly and berates them; even if that person is YOU!”

Well this is it , he thought rather grimly This time I’m losing my medical licence for real.

Which was soon followed by If I’m going down then I might as way go all the way.

“And another thing-”

***

“How’s the anger management going?” asks Shin, somewhat absentmindedly in the middle of writing down some notes from today’s session. Now that he’s Katsuki’s primary therapist, the boy’s anger management sessions are handled by someone else.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” snapped the blond, although there was no heat in it, not anymore. Over the time Shin learnt that the boy’s aggressive nature wasn’t to be taken seriously, since that’s just the way he spoke and based off the few meetings he had with the Bakugous Shin was more than certain that it was mostly a matter of upbringing.

“I sure would” replied the doctor, his voice making it very clear that he did not actually give a shit, because every now and then Katsuki still needed to be put in his place, otherwise he would try to overthrow the hospital or something…actually no, that’s more Izuku’s style.

Izuku and Katsuki , those two are driving him equally nuts in all the opposite ways. He can’t wait for the day when those two will sort their shit out, and possibly leave him alone.

“How’s Deku?” asks Katsuki, rather shyly.

Which is why Shin couldn’t miss the opportunity to reply “Wouldn’t you like to know?” with a shit eating grin.

***

“How can I be a good hero?”

“Katsuki, for the last time, I’m a phyciatrist, not a life coach”

He’s lost count of how many sessions they had at this point. The conflict of interest still stands, but it’s no longer riddled with hatred on Shin’s part.

And maybe, just maybe he’s grown a bit fond of the explosive blond. But that doesn’t mean the fondness is gonna stop him from pointing out that Katsuki can’t blame all of his life problems on Izuku’s mere existence.

“How can I be more like Deku then?”

Neither is it going to stop him from occasionally teasing the kid.

“Have you perhaps thought about illegally obtaining a sheep?”

[flowerynameslover]

Enigma Chapter 10

"…I can't help seeing that you are very lonely, and sometimes there is a hungry look in your eyes that goes to my heart." — Louisa May Alcott (Little Women)

-

Chizuru and Inoue exchanged a glance of shared frustration.

It really wasn't a surprise that Souji was refusing to rest like Hijikata ordered him to, or that Souji was being difficult at all. But they normally had better luck with him, managing to coax him with their concern for his well-being and the fact that Inoue was one of the few people Souji was humble around. Chizuru also liked to think that her keeping his secret played a part too. But today, they had no such luck. Souji was not hearing a word of their pleas and orders, and he knew full well that Kondou was unavailable to offer his own persuasion.

So the disguised girl and the older captain sat with their chins on their fists, trying to think of how to make Souji see reason. Occasionally their eyes met, ideas having sprung to their brains only to be dismissed with simultaneous headshakes as they realized that idea was bound to fail. Meanwhile, Souji was moving around the room like a mischevious child.

Chizuru sighed. Kondou was not available, Hijikata just barking more orders at Souji would be ineffective as usual, Yamazaki would have the same luck as Hijikata, Saito had been twice as busy lately so getting him to talk sense into Souji wasn't an option. And there was no point in even considering asking someone else for aid. It seemed Souji had won.

Right as Chizuru was about to give up, an idea clicked in her brain. She jumped a little in her seat, making Inoue and Souji shoot her curious looks though the latter shrugged it off and went back to ignoring them.

"You win this round, Okita-san," Chizuru said, standing. Inoue stood with a raised eyebrow. Chizuru winked at him, then returned her attention to Souji."Do whatever you prefer for now. Just know that I'll be informing a certain someone of today's events, which he specfically instructed me to do in such a situation."

Souji's eyebrows rose."Really, Chizuru-chan? Threatening to tell Hijikata-san on me?" He crossed his arms, unimpressed and amused."I can't believe I expected better from you."

Chizuru smiled sweetly."I wasn't referring to Hijikata-san." She felt a spark of sadistic glee."Do you remember the cat incident?" A pointless question. One would have to be suffering from terrible amnesia to forget a single detail of that day.

Souji's eyes narrowed. She could picture the gears turning in his skull, trying to figure out her plan. Inoue watched with equal curiosity.

Her smile widened."Well then, I'm sure you remember that Sanan-san pulled me aside and protected me so you couldn't involve me in your mess. He told me that if anyone ever tried to force me into one of their schemes again, I should tell them I was under strict orders from Hijikata-san." Souji narrowed his eyes further, knowing there was more to it than that. Chizuru crossed her arms, enjoying the incoming smugness."Sanan-san also said that if the mention of Hijikata-san was not enough to discourage the troublemaker, then I had his blessing to mention his name as well." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, pretending not to notice the way Souji whitened."If memory serves, Sanan-san personally handled your punishment for the cat incident and you walked with a limp for two days after some rather vigorous training." She adopted an innocent expression, waiting for Souji's decision and half-hoping she would get to make good on her threat.

Souji recovered swiftly, giving her a shaky smirk."Nice try, Chizuru-chan, but given the current circumstances-"

Inoue clapped his hands with enthusiasm and approval."Splendid idea, Yukimura-kun. I can easily deliver this message to Sanan-san and arrange for him and Souji to discuss this little problem."

Souji gawked at Inoue, whose smile was even sweeter than Chizuru's. Truly, Sanan would be proud of their attempts to mimic his mixture of pleasantness and unpleasantness.

Souji looked back and forth between them, mouth opening and closing. After swallowing nervously and pondering for a minute, he hurried to sit down and consume the meal they'd brought for him.

Chizuru and Inoue covered their mouths to hide their grins. Souji glared at them, impressed and annoyed at having to concede defeat.

After making sure Souji ate everything they brought and that he was actually resting, they left him alone.

Inoue patted her on the shoulder as they walked."Excellent job, Yukimura-kun. We should use that tactic more often."

"It won't get old?"

"Not even Souji is brave or foolish enough to take any chances with Sanan-san. No one knows that better than the man himself."

She giggled. That definitely sounded like Sanan. She could imagine him chuckling and smirking while his terrified subordinates shook and struggled to form excuses. Her amusement doubled at the knowledge that Souji easily counted among those unfortunate souls, although she couldn't deny that he often deserved it.

She bit her lip. She hadn't heard or seen anything related to Sanan since the note at her window last week. No one mentioned the Itou issue during the more private, secretive meetings; she was torn between relief and unease about that. It seemed everyone went out of their way to avoid the topic of Sanan and the Water of Life, and they certainly couldn't use the excuse of being careful with information around her anymore.

Chizuru looked around to ensure they were alone and there was no risk of being overheard. "Inoue-san?" She said hesitantly.

Inoue turned to her."Yes?"

She leaned in to whisper,"D-Do the others talk about Sanan-san much?"

Inoue frowned."You've noticed it too, then." Looking ahead of them, he sighed."It is no different when you are not present; they avoid that topic like a plague, only mentioning it when absolutely necessary."

She would be lying if she claimed to be shocked by that. It was just a confirmation of what she already strongly suspected.

"Like the recent Itou problem," she murmured. He nodded with a grimace.

"Have you heard anything?" She asked. Inoue was among those sent to handle the meals and supplies for the Fury Corp. and the only one that didn't express negative thoughts about it. Chizuru had done that a few times after they moved to the temple, but soon received other duties and barely saw the Furies. And with the two new recruits, Souma Kazue and Nomura Risaburo, becoming her page protégés, she did not expect that to change.

Inoue shook his head."I have not seen him in awhile, no. That task has fallen on others lately." He pressed his lips into a thin line."The last time I saw him was a few weeks ago, just before Itou started experiencing...nightmares. He seemed...the usual."

Chizuru opened her mouth, closed it, and lowered her head. As she'd expected, and as she'd worried. His next words made her head snap to the side to look at him so quickly that it was a wonder her neck didn't snap.

"It is possible I will be assigned to that task again soon." Inoue spoke smoothly, understanding in his eyes and the ghost of a smile teasing his lips. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. After looking away for a moment, she glanced back at him with gratitude clear on her face and nodded.

-

Sanan watched the fury like a hawk.

He decided to bring the fury that had shown hints of intelligence and rationality to a separate room, away from their more savage counterparts. He had been ready to give up on it, but it'd again reacted fiercely during one of his bloodlust attacks and grown quiet when the pain stopped, as if it sensed what was happening to Sanan despite being in a different room. He undid its chains and waited for something, only to be attacked again. But as he re-chained the creature, it lifted its gaze to meet his own and though he couldn't decipher any emotion in its eyes, the calmness in them was human.

Just a day after he gave Chizuru the note thanking her for her kindness and trust, he already had hope for his research. A possible breakthrough. He did not let himself be giddy, however, left he become more vexed if this turned out to be nothing. Still, it was a nice thought to have some hope, for however long it would last.

After the second incident, he arranged for the fury to have its own room, still chained but receiving more observational visits for studying than the others. He spent almost half the night watching it, taking note of every movement that stood out. The creature kept its head down, but shifted whenever he entered the room. The first night was mostly growls and struggles, albeit not as fierce as in the past. Sanan placed some medicine within its reach, but it did not react. The medicine was still there when he came back later. The second night was the exact same, as was the third night. The fourth night was when things started to change. He left the medicine, and when he came back, it was gone. The fury still would not look at him, but as he left, he could have sworn that he noticed from the corner of his eye the fury glaring at his back. The fifth night was when the fury finally met his gaze, but still waited until he left to take the medicine. The entire time it glared at him, gaze never wavering. The sixth night was when the fury did both, watching him like he watched it and taking the medicine in front of him. Sanan smiled and avidly recorded this in his notes.

Now here he was, having just awoken on the seventh night, eager to continue with this breakthrough. It seemed he would truly not be alone in maintaining his mind, after all.

Someone was supposed to come tonight to deliver fresh supplies for the Fury Corp. For once, Sanan was glad that most of his comrades disliked venturing to this section of headquarters, as it meant there would be no dillydallying with small talk that distracted or delayed his work. He was not about to waste precious time and energy that this potential lead required. Though it would be nice to have someone to share his enthusiasm with, if only to brag.

Alright, maybe it was too soon to brag, but this week was more productive than any other period of time had been for awhile.

That was why it was a pleasant surprise to see who had been assigned to bring the supplies this time.

"Inoue-san." Sanan's eyes widened briefly before he nodded at the older man and let him in, taking some of the supplies from his hands. Inoue hadn't been assigned this task since a few weeks ago, shortly before the Itou problem began forming.

"Sanan-san." Inoue smiled as he followed him to his room."You seem to be in a good mood."

"I am," he admitted softly. He hesitated, glancing over his shoulder to check Inoue's expression. Inoue was always polite and friendly to everyone, and had never expressed a solid opinion on the Water of Life and Furies, so it was impossible for Sanan, despite his skill at reading people, to tell if this was a courtesy question or true curiosity.

"I might have reached a breakthrough in my research," Sanan confessed."Time will tell if it is truly signficant, but I am hopeful."

Inoue's smile grew."That's good to hear. I'm sure Isami-san and Toshi-san will be happy to know that as well."

Sanan shrugged. Almost everyone seemed content to ignore the Fury Corp.'s existence, and the few who tried to be more open-minded changed their minds and fled at the last minute, like Heisuke had done recently. Souji and Chizuru might be interested, if only for the sake of making sure he was well in the latter's case. Souji might be a mix of both concern for him and interest in the serum.

Sanan bit his lip."Is Yukimura-kun well?" He hadn't dared go out on any walks after the Itou problem was taken care of, hesitating to simply step outside for a minute of fresh air. He had no idea how Chizuru was doing since Yamazaki finished helping him and providing updates and had returned to his normal duties.

Inoue's smile was a knowing one."As well as can be expected." He said pleasantly."She has had more work to do recently, nothing that she can't handle, of course, and not that she is complaining. Souma Kazue and Nomura Risaburo have become pages for Isami-san, and Yukimura-kun is in charge of training them. She seems to enjoy it, and they are quite enthusiastic to learn as much as possible from their new Senpai. And since she has actually been allowed to act as Hijikata's page, she has plenty to teach."

"I am certain they will benefit greatly from learning the art of tea-making," Sanan said dryly.

Inoue chuckled."You joke, but that will indeed be a very valuable life lesson."

"Who said I was joking?" Sanan asked, half-humorously. He remembered his own beginnings as an instructor back at the dojo. A learning experience for both himself and his students. He was glad that Chizuru would get to experience that for herself. The boys were lucky to have someone so bright, kind, and optimistic guide them into properly serving the Shinsengumi.

Then something hit him. One of those names rang a bell."You said Souma Kazue has joined our ranks?" The same Souma Kazue that carried a painting of Serizawa in Fury form given to him by Ibuki? He did not expect to hear or see anything of him after the matter was resolved and he was let go.

Inoue nodded."Along with Nomura Risaburo, yes." Then he frowned."No one told you? Surely Toshi-san and Isami-san would have-"

"I do not get much news here," Sanan said icily, shrugging in partially feigned nonchalance. He'd already talked about this with Chizuru and wasn't in the mood to be reminded that his existence was a popularly ignored topic."The last update I received was a week ago, from Yamazaki about Itou-san's nightmares." He looked straight ahead as he walked, his good mood fading.

"I see." Inoue spoke quietly."That's very unfortunate." There was a hint of displeasure in his voice.

Sanan gave another shrug without looking back."Kondou-san and Hijikata-kun are busy men." He smiled sadly as he recalled Chizuru saying something similar while trying to comfort him after he admitted the same thing to her.

"Hmm." Inoue pressed his lips into a thin line."And they are especially busy at the most convenient times, it seems." The displeasure was far more noticeable now. Sanan opted to ignore it. Nothing would come of this, and his eagerness to return to studying the intelligent fury was all that kept his good mood from completely dropping. It was no insult to Inoue, of course, but simply how things were and perhaps how they should be.

Inoue finished helping him with the supplies in silence. Once that was done, he smiled kindly at Sanan and reached into his pocket."Before I go, there is one more thing I was asked to give you." He retrieved a folded piece of paper and handed it to Sanan, ignoring his confused expression.

"Good luck with your work, Sanan-san." Inoue patted his shoulder and turned to leave. Sanan watched him with a raised eyebrow. Once he heard the door open and close as Inoue left, he examined the note. Inoue claimed he was asked to deliver this to him, so he obviously hadn't written it and surely he would have just told Sanan if he wanted to let him know anything. Could it be an update from Yamazaki that he was too busy to do himself or just gave it to Inoue since he knew the older man was already coming here? Maybe a well-intended but ultimately meaningless apology note from Heisuke? Certainly possible.

Sighing, Sanan shook his head. He didn't need more reminders of what an unpleasant necessity he was viewed as by his comrades. So he decided to dispose of the note without reading it.

Until another possibility popped up in his brain. Could it be from Chizuru? A response to his own note to her from the previous week? Sanan hesitated for a second, then shook his head and unfolded the paper a little faster than necessary.

A slow but wide and genuine smile graced his face when he saw the familiar handwriting, and his heart swelled when he read the words.

I will always trust you.

"Let us hope you do not regret that, my dear," he whispered.

His left hand tingled at the memory of her touch. All the negative feelings left him, his eagerness to return to his research matching his hope for the new development. He placed the note in his journal, promising to write a new entry once he finished tonight's research.

His smile vanished as he walked to the room where the fury was kept, but his positive feelings remained strong as ever.

This time, the fury was already watching the door as if awaiting his arrival. It kept its calm gaze on him despite its slight physical struggles. Sanan placed the medicine in front of it again, hoping for a repeat of last night. Regardless, the fact that it seemingly had been expecting him by now was progress.

The fury kept staring at him. In the previous staring sessions, it had done so without blinking, but now it did blink. He wrote that down, trying not to rush in his excitement over the growing potential success of this lead. The fury directed its gaze to his notebook, following the movement of his hand and pen. Sanan stopped writing, and its gaze stayed glued to the pen. Sanan leaned down to make eye contact, and its eyes flickered to met his own for a second afore returning to his writing utensil. Sanan restarted writing and its eyes followed each motion, stopping when the pen stopped and glancing up at him briefly whenever he tried to make it look at him. The more he did this, the more he could have sworn that he detected an increasing glint of annoyance in its eyes. Sanan moved backward a bit, just in case its apparent annoyance eventually drove it to try to attack. The fury blinked, then narrowed its eyes, realizing he'd moved. It kept observing his hand and pen, though. Did it really understand what he was doing?

Sanan ceased writing and held up his pen, moving it around in the air. The fury's eyes did not follow the movement, yet they did narrow in understanding of what he was trying to do. The nonsense act was ignored by the creature, who cared only for the notebook. Sanan put down the pen and moved the notebook around the same way he'd done with the pen. The fury gave the same reaction to that action.

"You do understand then," Sanan murmured. The fury either didn't hear him speak or ignored the words. He placed both items down, receiving a brief glare. Sanan retrieved the items and began quickly writing, both from his eagerness to get all of this down and to see how good the fury was at following his movements. Its eyes didn't move quite fast enough, yet the creature was clearly trying.

A half-grunt, half-growl escaped its throat. Sanan's head snapped up to fully look at it, and his hand instinctively moved closer to his sword. He wasn't close enough for it to actually touch if it attacked, but one could never be too careful.

The fury made no move to attack, or any move at all for that matter. Nothing about its facial expression or body language indicated a threat, merely irritation.

Sanan took a gander at the medicine, hoping the fury would take it while he was watching just like it did last time. No such luck. It hardly mattered, though, with all the other things it had done. Accepting this was all he would be getting out of it tonight, (other than the medicine being gone when he returned, of course), he sighed and closed the book and stood to leave. Right as he was about to open the shoji, however...

"T-Took...l-long..."

He froze, almost dropping his supplies. He spun around on his heel, gaping at the fury. Had he imagined it, or had the fury actually spoken? Its lips were parted and it was swallowing profusely, which made sense given how hoarse and quiet the voice sounded. He wasn't imagining it.

Sanan took slow, careful steps toward the fury and knelt in front of it. He inclined his head, realizing what it'd been trying to say.

"What took me so long?" He asked slowly. The fury nodded curtly, actually nodded!

"You were waiting for me earlier," he whispered. Another curt nod from the fury!

"You can tell time then," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

The fury tried to speak again, but only a choked grunt came out, so it settled for a nod.

Sanan sat there in silence for several minutes, head swirling with so many thoughts that he almost didn't notice the fury reaching for the medicine. Their gazes met as the fury slowly and clumsily unwrapped the packet and stuck the medicine into its - no, his - mouth.

For the first time, Sanan no longer felt so alone among his fellow furies.

-

After completing their patrol for the day, Heisuke accompanied Chizuru in checking on Souji.

Partially, it was because he wanted to spend more time with Chizuru to make sure she was alright after the Itou problem. The other part was a feeling that she would need his help in getting Souji to cooperate.

So he was pleasantly surprised to see Souji fully cooperating. He was also amused by the smallest hints of nervousness on Souji's face and in his voice as he greeted Chizuru. For her part, Chizuru was wearing the ghost of a smile that reminded him of...Sanan. So much so that he wondered if they'd switched bodies.

Despite his uneasiness about Sanan's possible involvement, Heisuke grinned and raised his eyebrows at Souji."Who are you and what have you done with Souji?"

Chizuru giggled. She sat beside Souji and started pouring him tea and making sure everything was properly arranged on the tray.

Souji scoffed and crossed his arms. Chizuru giggled again, making him pout and point at her."Chizuru-chan is an evil genius." His eyes narrowed."Don't let that adorable face fool you!"

Chizuru looked away to hide her blushing cheeks, though her laughter didn't cease. She waited a moment to collect herself before giving Souji the tray with a stern countenance. Heisuke chuckled despite himself. If she really was the evil genius Souji claimed she was, then maybe seeing that adorable face would be more than worth the suffering...

Wait, what? Heisuke's eyes were now the size of saucers and his face turned crimson. Had he really just thought that? Clearly, the wrong brain had taken over for a moment.

"Heisuke-kun?" Chizuru touched his arm, frowning in concern."Are you alright?"

Heisuke blinked twice, then nodded rapidly."Ah, yeah, I'm fine, just got lost in thought for a second there." He grinned sheepishly.

Her frown didn't falter."You were red." She put her palm to his forehead and pressed her lips together into a thin line."Hmm, you don't have a fever. Don't strain yourself for the rest of the day, just in case, okay?" She smiled kindly, looking, well, adorable.

Heisuke dipped his head in a clumsy nod. Chizuru patted his arm and turned back to Souji. Her touch had almost made him blush harder than earlier.

The shoji suddenly slid open and Inoue poked his head in. He smiled in amusement and satisfaction when he saw Souji was complying. He gave Heisuke a nod, but was mostly focused on Chizuru.

"Yukimura-kun, can you help me with something?" Inoue asked. He appeared pleasant enough, but there was the slightest bit of ire in his eyes. Not directed at them, though. Heisuke wondered what and who made Inoue angry, then it hit him. Inoue was the one to deliver supplies to the Fury Corp. last night...

Chizuru and Souji seemed to be thinking the same thing, the latter grimacing while the former quickly stood up and hurried outside. Inoue stepped aside to let her pass and gave a polite wave to Hesiuke and Souji before closing the shoji.

"Well, they're dead," Souji said wryly."Kondou will be mostly alright, but Hijikata may have to take the Water of Life after Inoue is through with them."

Heisuke scowled."That's not funny!"

"What's not funny?" A new voice enquired. Hesiuke turned to see Harada, Shinpachi, and Saito standing in the doorway. Without waiting for an answer, the three entered the room. Saito took a seat next to Souji whilst Shinpachi and Harada sat on either side of Heisuke.

Shinpachi pointed his thumb over his shoulder."Does it have anything to do with how angry Gen-san looked?"

"Last night was his turn, correct?" Saito guessed. Heisuke and Souji nodded. Saito sighed."The Chief and Commander will be getting an earful."

"The rest of us won't be off the hook," Harada said, rubbing the back of his neck."Even if we don't get it as bad as those two."

Souji snorted as he put down his teacup."Speak for yourselves. I have an excuse." A genuine cough escaped him, and he smirked as he gestured to the air as if say,"See?"

"It has not stopped you from jumping and running all over the place while Commander Hijikata yells at you," Saito stated, pouring a fresh cup of tea for Souji and handing it to him."And based on your out of character good behavior, I assume that he has already found a way to frighten you for the time being." A statement, not a question.

Souji huffed."It was mostly Chizuru-chan." At everyone except for Heisuke's surprised and curious expressions, he said,"You remember the cat incident?" They all nodded."And how Sanan-san rescued her and protected her from being dragged back into helping us?"

Heisuke shuddered. He had sent Sanan and Chizuru desperate looks, beggng them not to abandon him. Chizuru hesitated a bit, but Sanan tightly gripped her shoulder as he ushered her out of the room, the door closing behind them mere seconds before Hijikata exploded. At the very least, he didn't have to endure an extra punishment at Sanan's hands like Souji. At the end of the day, Hijikata was stuck with a lost voice for a little while and Sanan and Chizuru showed up at the meeting room with the cat. Sanan explained that it came into his quarters a few minutes prior, yet Chizuru's refusal to look at anyone confirmed that they'd found the cat long ago. Afterwards, Sannan grabbed Souji by the ear and dragged him away. The cat refused to leave Chizuru's arms until the next morning when she and Sanan ensured it was properly fed and clean before giving it to the owner of their then-headquarters' child, who'd told Saito that he liked playing with it often. Souji suffered from a limp for two days due to the vigorous training Sanan subjected him to as punishment.

"Well," Souji continued,"Sanan-san gave her his blessing to mention his name if someone ever tried to cause trouble for her. Gen-san backed her up. I wasn't gonna take my chances. You'd have to be an idiot to risk his wrath."

Saito chuckled, earning a glare from Souji. Heisuke and Shinpachi burst out laughing. Harada snickered into his fist. Scowling, Souji gulped down his tea a bit too quickly and thus choked. Saito slapped him on the back, and he spat out the liquid, waving off Saito's worries.

Once he recovered, Souji pointed at Heisuke."What was that look on your face earlier about?

Heisuke paled. Of course Souji noticed that! Harada, Shinpachi, and Saito snapped their attention to him so quickly it was a wonder their necks didn't snap.

Heisuke bit his lip."W-What are you-" He knew before he spoke that his attempts at denial were doomed to fail.

Souji scoffed."You're a worse liar than Chizuru-chan." He smirked, eyebrows shooting up."Blood flow to the wrong brain for second back there?"

Heisuke almost fell onto his back in shock and humilation. Shinpachi loudly choked on his own breath; Saito coughed lightly; Harada stiffened and looked away. Souji shook with the force of his cackling.

Heisuke hugged his knees to his chest and hid his face. Eventually, someone cleared his throat.

"Alright, that's enough," Harada said sternly."Lay off him." He patted Heisuke comfortingly on the shoulder.

Souji rolled his eyes."Don't think nobody's noticed you acting the same way around her."

Harada bit his lip to stifle a response. Taking hold of Heisuke's arm, he forced him to stand up and beckoned Shinpachi."Let's go listen in on Gen-san lecturing them." He waved an arm to the door.

"Please let us know what you hear," Saito said, then midly glared at Souji."Souji, your food and tea will get cold if you keep laughing to distract yourself." When Souji ignored him in favor of continuing to laugh at Heisuke and Harada, he picked up a piece of food and shoved it into Souji's mouth, shutting him up.

"You deserved that one," Harada said dryly.

Heisuke almost ran from the room alongside his two best friends. Shinpachi walked ahead of them, just out of earshot.

"Just ignore him," Harada whispered, lightly tapping the back of his head. Heisuke gave a small grateful smile to his friend and nodded. They caught up with Shinpachi and the three of them walked along in silence.

-

@thebluestmage, @lescahiersdesable, @thereluctantherosrose @sabinasanfanfic @hidetheremote @blueberrypancaaaakes @eliz1369 @hakuyamazakisensei @nia-nita @nimiise @animeluver1798 @impracticaldemon @annedey

If anyone wants to be added or removed from my tag list for when I post my writings, please let me know.