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bbnibini · 3 years

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Oh, Brother! (Lucifer ft. Baby Beel)

Summary: Brotherly love comes with sacrifice, even if the said sacrifice greatly outweighs its benefits. (based on a headcanon request on our old AO3 request box)

Accompanying HC for this fic can be read here. This was originally a request. The old version is poorly formatted so I decided to repost this now that I am sliiiightly better at using tumblr. Anyway, enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I consider myself to be a rather self-sufficient person. It was a fruit of years of conditioning brought upon by my unique, personal circumstances. You may also say that it is my inclination to exhibit such behaviour because of my personality. But while I make long-winded introductions that segues even further from the point I was making, let me, as my brothers say, "cut to the chase":

I have no idea what in Devildom is going on. Sets of eyes looked at me expectantly, and I did as I usually do when I am dragooned into unforeseen…problems.

"I see." I don't. But a white lie is what is required to quell the squall of chaos right now: debris of what looked like Leviathan's furnishings were strewn on the wet floor. Looking up from the living room where remnants of the ceiling were barely keeping itself intact, Henry freefell into my arms, a timely catch away from his imminent death. I turned to my pale brother, asking "Lotan?" in the calmest tone I can muster, and was only answered in more silence. I offered him Henry, which he took still looking down, and turned to problem #2.

"MC, may I have him?"

"I…"

I stopped and talked over them. "I'm not angry. Let me hold Beel."

"It's all my fault!"

Sigh. Why do they always do this? A surge of pain was felt on my temples, but I pretended not to feel it. "Why don't you help Levi clean up his room? Do you even know how to take care of a non-human child?"

"No, but!" they argued again. I listened. "You're not going to punish Mammon, aren't you?"

Punish is such a heavy word. I noticed how protective they were of my brother, almost to an extent where I feel like they perceive me in an unfavourable light. They were more carefree with them, but all yes and no's with me in comparison. I wouldn't say I'm envious. Rather, I'm baffled. Occasional pranks became the highlight (read: tragedy) of my day, often while I was poring over documents and settling political disputes on behalf of Diavolo. Partnered with Mammon and Satan, they were a force to be reckoned with; one I remembered being visibly annoyed by for interfering with my work. No one shall ever know that I might…have looked forward to those times. It was a puzzle to be pieced, an idle form of entertainment to guess which kind of tomfoolery they would attempt at me that they were foolish enough to think they would succeed in. Unfortunately, any victory they may have celebrated in the past were my fabrications that only the likes of someone as observant as Satan would notice.

"Procure a change of clothing and go while I'm still being merciful." I saw them share the same pallour as Leviathan, dragging him along while mouthing complaints under their breath. A curse perhaps, not bound by magic but of something else, directed at me, their usual villain. Such childishness that I let slide, as I was accustomed to being an enemy, especially when I know I was right.

Beel is finally in my arms, a docile child as cherubic as the little Beel in my memories. The pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together as I look around.

"Belphegor, wake up this instant! You're sleeping on a wet floor." You'll catch a cold, I almost felt myself saying but was able to hold myself back. "Unless you would rather be carried like the old days? I don't mind."

"Fine, fine. I'm up." They stretched out their arms to retrieve their twin and I shook my head. "I wouldn't leave such a delicate child to someone who couldn't even coordinate themselves properly. Go to sleep, Belphegor.

...and Satan, if you have the time for hexes, you would also have the time to clean up this mess."

"Tsk."

"I would see all of you in my office once this is all fixed.

Not a spot should be left unattended. Understood?"

"Yes, Lucifer."

I don't have time for this. So many documents are left unsigned on my desk. A meeting with the Chancellor, a hearing from the House of Commons, a response to Michael's ridiculous letter…

"Wuchy, angy?"

Beelzebub's upturned eyes looked at me adorably.

"Wuchy…" I looked around and breathed a sigh of relief as I saw most of them are either absent or pre-occupied. Clearing my throat, I noticed my voice was shriller than usual. "Wuchy…" I repeated and sat Beel on the plush sofa. "Wuchy is NOT angy…"

"Bee hangu" he pulled at my sleeve, turning my attention to his rumbling stomach. "Wuchy…Bee hangu."

I nodded. "I see. Does Bee want to eat?"

"Peas!"

"You want to eat peas?"

"No! Bee Hangu! Peas!"

"Ah, " I nodded again as I finally understood. "I apologise, Bee. You're trying to say please?"

I couldn't help but smile back when he did so in reply.

To my disappointment however, even the kitchen was destroyed, to the point that MC didn't want me to enter. It was admirable, I suppose that they were able to explain the situation to me while everything was still in a state of chaos.

It all started with a hexes assignment that failed miserably, turning Beel into an inconsolable toddler that caused Levi's room to be absolutely destroyed. Since nobody was capable of understanding Beel's speech, his childish tantrums got worse and caused the House of Lamentation to be in its current state. The only reason the situation subsided a bit was because of Belphie's interference. Where was Belphie in the first place? Was my question, and MC's shrug affirmed that he ignored my warning about sleeping in on the weekend. Again. I sighed.

"Sorry, Lucifer. Why don't you eat out with Beel for a while?"

"Bee hangu! Now!"

"....Bee, that's my glove."

"Bee?" (MC)

!!!!

"Beelzebub." I cleared my throat. "I shall heed your advice before Beel throws a bigger tantrum."

"Wuchy, hangu!"

"Yes, yes. Wuchy…heard you. MC, take care of the house while we're gone."

There was a ghost of a smile on their face, one they must have tried to hide from me earlier. "Yes," They snorted, and I silently warned them to open their mouth again. "Wuchy."

Ah. They still have the audacity to mock me. Me. Who was trying to turn a blind eye? Giving them a chance to fix their mess before anyone else finds out? I smirked back.

"If the house falls down…or if it gets destroyed any further…prepare to face your punishment . Alone."

Their silence was enough of a penitence…for now. Beel's stomach growled louder and louder each passing second, and my gloves are currently soiled with bite marks everywhere.

I bent down to meet Beel at eye level and pried my hands away from his nibbling. "What do you want to eat?"

His eyes sparkled at the question, and he started chanting something in gibberish that I pretended to understand. "Wook wook! Bee fawwit!"

Wook?

He...never said that before. Or did he? I decided to carry him in my arms once I noticed he was having difficulty keeping up with my strides. He shook his head several times as we passed every food stall and kiosk in the shopping district, contenting himself with chewing on the gloves I thought I had confiscated already.

It had been so long that I almost forgot that Beel was once a picky eater when he was little. Michael marveled on his "refined palate", telling me I should cherish my brother's talent (and consider giving Beel to him once he got older to train under his tutelage) but I vehemently refused. I was busy enough as a high-ranking angel and barely had the time to see my siblings, and the last thing I ever wanted was to part from them. I understood the difficulties of having an absent parent all too well, and I did not wish for my brothers to experience the same longing I had when I was the same age as them.

Beel was as docile and as sweet as I remembered him long ago, smiling and laughing in my arms, calling me Wuchy over and over, and seeking for his twin in adorable babbles of "Bewphie" and "Bwanky", which I responded in my usual way:

"Bewphie, sleep."

"Seepu?"

"Yes." I answered, prying away my damaged gloves from his mouth. "Bewphie told me you should eat so you won't wake him up." I pointed at his rumbling stomach, and little Beel automatically held it and felt the rumbling coming from it.

"Bee…wouwd (loud)?"

"Mhm. Bewphie can't sleep unless you eat something."

He must not have been able to distinguish his twin because of his current form, seeking perhaps a smaller counterpart of his brother just like the old days. After some more meandering around stalls, feeling full over the meals that Beel refused to eat, I racked my brain to figuring out the meaning behind his childish babble:

What on earth does wook mean?

I have never heard him say it before even in the Celestial Realm, nor did I ever recall teaching him the words.

"Wook! Wook!" Beel said excitedly again, grabbing my hair in his elation to turn to a man flipping Bat Wing pancakes in a stall. The line was atrocious, barely moving, arid and noisy.

"Does Bee want to eat that?"

I sighed in relief when he shook his head. "Wuchy, Wook! Wook Bee fawwit!"

Wait a moment. Does wook mean…

"Do you want me to look?" But look at what? At the elderly demon flipping pancakes? Beel shook his head again, seemingly lost at how to translate his thoughts and feelings into his limited toddler vocabulary.

"Wook...wook fuu fo Bee…" he squinted his googly eyes at me and made exaggerated hand gestures. "Wuchy….wook fuu fo Bee! Bee fawwit!"

The proverbial cogs in my brain started to turn as I came across an epiphany. Before I knew it, I was already holding my DDD.

It pains me to do this, but I cannot let Diavolo know.

"Hello, Simeon?"

Brotherly love comes with sacrifice, even if the said sacrifice greatly outweighs its benefits. It was evident with Simeon's jovial expressions as he opened the door.

"It really is a baby! Can I hold him?"

Simeon's smile never disappeared, rather, his eyes narrowed as he turned to me to speak. "Luke is good with kids. He volunteers taking care of cherubs in Heaven."

"Mhm! I have Raphael's seal of approval!"

Sighing, I surrendered my brother to Luke, my traitorous brother who did not even cry or protest when a complete…stranger is now holding him in his arms.

"Meemwon!"

"Oh! I haven't heard that in ages! This sure brings back memories!~" Simeon planted a kiss on Beel's cheek and I couldn't help but frown. "Hello, Bee! It's big bro Meemwon!" Beel giggled in reply as Simeon planted smaller kisses at him, clearly enjoying the attention.

"You're getting into this, way too much don't you think so?"

"He's adorable!" Simeon reasoned. "But, isn't his stomach growling?"

"That's why we're here." I tried to maintain an aura of composure. "I need to borrow your kitchen. Is Solomon around?"

Simeon's eyes widened for a bit in understanding…then I heard manic laughter. Is this really how he should conduct himself in front of the children? I kept that opinion to myself and didn't say a word. "No, he isn't. Don't worry." He looked at me again and smiled reassuringly. "Feel free to use the kitchen. We'll take care of Beel~"

"Solomon--"

"...won't feed Beel anything even if he does come back. Just go before he throws another tantrum!" Simeon shooed me away from the living room, pushing my back to Purgatory Hall's fully furnished kitchen. It certainly had better equipment compared to Lamentation, which I can only attribute to Michael's influence.

Cooking was one thing, but feeding Beel another. He continued rejecting meal after meal after meal of my best dishes. His stomach only growled louder, and his mood became irritable even with Simeon's and Luke's aid. The ingredients I have purchased were almost gone, left only with a half-used bag of flour, milk and eggs.

"The best I can do with these are pancakes…

Pancakes?"

A memory flashed in my mind, taking me back to the Celestial Realm and our former residence there. Assuring the house help that I wanted to try cooking for my brothers for a change, I begrudgingly followed the recipe book Michael had given me and started with its easiest dish.

I attributed my failed attempts to Michael's unique, archaic wordings in his cook book and tried again. And again. And again. Numerous ruined frying pans and ingredients later, I was left with a shabby excuse of a pancake---charred at the sides, eggshells at the other. I waved my white flag in surrender and called for a food delivery instead, deflated. Some Morning Star I was. It was an hour before dinner and my siblings were peeking at the kitchen with their blinking, doe eyes.

"Wuchy...huwt?" Lilith looked up to me, looking like she was about to cry and I took her in my arms to comfort her.

"Lucy…" I corrected myself. "Wuchy isn't hurt. Just tired."

"Seepu?" Belphegor offered me his cow pillow and I shook my head. "Later after we eat."

"Fuu?!" I managed to catch Beelzebub with my free hand before he faceplanted on the floor as he rushed to me in excitement.

"I'm sorry, Bee. As you can see, Wuchy doesn't have anything edible he can feed you." I carried him in my free arm and showed him my culinary failures.

"Wuchy…fuu." Beel pouted at me. "Wuchy, whie. Fuu deww! (Lucy lied. There's food over there!)" He tugged my hair and glared. "Bee, eat!"

"Eat!" Lilith mimicked.

"Bewphie, eat?" Belphegor followed.

"No, children. As you can see-- Mammon, wash your hands first!--"

I couldn't believe my eyes.

Everyone was gathered at the table, eating my failures with smiles on their faces. Beel, who had been sitting next to me this whole time tugged me on the sleeve to ask for seconds. "Dis...Bee fawitt! Cwunch!"

"It must be the eggshells."

"Mhm! Wuv it! Wuchy?"

I felt him wrap his arms around my side. With a wide grin, he said. "I wuv you!"

Only to be followed by a barrage of hugs from the others, talking over each other as they gathered around me with their syrup-stained faces.

"Asmo wuvs Wuchy disssss much!"

"Bewphie...wuv!"

"Wiwi, wuv Wuchy moww! (Lilith loves Lucy more!)"

"I guess you're okay…but the Great Me is better!"

"...Levi l-loves Lucy too…"

I couldn't remember much of what happened afterwards, but I do recall telling the delivery man that he can have my order for himself. After that, I strived to become better at cooking so I can serve my siblings better meals.

Anyone would strive to try harder if they are ever subjected to that much smothering, I suppose. Still, I do think that after that, Beel began to eat everything happily, much to Michael's dismay.

"This looks horrifying." The plating of the pancake itself was one or two burns shy of Solomon's best attempts at cooking…I could not believe that out of every dish there is in this world, this horrible disaster is my brother's favourite food. I never really asked him about it. Perhaps I have forgotten and he happily ate everything I cooked because he had no choice. Still, it was no time to mull over such nonsense, especially if Beel's stomach is now resembling Cerberus' growls.

"Wook!" Beel's eyes sparkled as I placed the cooled pancakes down at the table, munching on the sweet treat happily despite the…eggshells. I tried my best to emulate my failed attempts from before, and judging from the elated look on Beel's face, I must have gotten his approval.

"Is that--" (Simeon)

"Don't ask." I shut him up before he could even speak a word. "And please don't ever say this to Michael. I wouldn't hear the end of it."

Simeon smiled impishly in reply. "Would you cook here again--"

"No.

But I suppose I owe you some hellfire mushroom rolled cigar cookies for letting me use your kitchen."

"Anytime~"

"I was talking to the chihuahua, not you."

"I'm not a chihuahua!"

Beel was sleeping peacefully in my arms on the way home. While still baffled at a startling discovery about Beelzebub, I hadn't much time to think about it as I was covered in confetti the moment I opened the door.

"Happy birthday, Lucifer!" (MC)

"Simeon took too much time! The ice cream's meltin'!"

"Lolololol I told you he forgot his own birthday! Beel was the perfect distraction!"

What. On. Earth. Is going on?

"Sorry, Lucifer!" MC bowed her head and looked up to me, looking apologetic. "We were trying to throw you a surprise party but…things got…well...wrong. But, everything's okay now!" They pulled me inside and showed me the feast they have prepared for me.

It was a smorgasbord of my favourites. From the appetisers to the desserts and wines, I recalled some of these dishes as my specialties. Satan's familiar handwriting was drawn over a buttercream cake with my name on it, along with a small drawing of me in a party hat along with everyone else. Everyone else was seated at the dining table including Diavolo and Barbatos, both of which I was trying to avoid the entire day.

Were they involved in this ridiculous plan as well?

MC seemed to read my mind and nodded at me shyly. "I did mess up with my homework, that much is true, but Solomon helped in undoing the spell! He was the one who suggested to turn Beel back into a toddler so we have enough time to prepare for everything!"

Solomon waved a hand at me and smiled. "They still didn't let me cook anything though☆"

"So all of the chaos…"

"...is us cleaning up our first attempts of party preparations." Satan begrudgingly replied. "Until of course, you came back earlier than expected."

"Now, now~" Asmo interjected. "What's important is that he's here and Beel's spell is about to wear off!♡ Now, Lucifer dear, why don't you join us and blow your candles?"

I have completely forgotten about my birthday.

I didn't see the point of celebrating it anymore, I suppose. Thousands of years of repetitions can bring ennui upon you. However, things have changed.

The House of Lamentation had a warmer atmosphere thanks to MC, and everyone was closer than ever before. The loss of a family and an inclusion of a new one opened up our hearts enough to heal and perhaps forgive ourselves a little for the years we have ignored its value.

Who knew such a fleeting human could be the catalyst of such unimaginable developments?

"Oh! Beel's back!"

"Yay~! Your seat's over there, Beel!"

I consider myself to be a rather self-sufficient person. It was a fruit of years of conditioning brought upon by my unique, personal circumstances.

However…nothing can ever prepare me for this moment.

"Lucifer?"

I turned to Beelzebub, now back to his normal form and he offered me a smile. "The pancake you cooked was really good. Can you make it again for me next time?"

I smiled back.

"With or without the eggshells?"

#obey me #obey me lucifer #om lucifer #obey me beelzebub #obey me beel #obey me drabble #obey me oneshot #shall we date obey me #obey me fic #obey me fanfic #obey me headcanons #obey me scenarios #obey me mc #family fluff #first person pov

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toffee-pops-are-great · 5 years

Text

A Post-DR2 KuzuPeko One-shot(ish)

Hey there! This is an edited version of chapter 15 from my main fanfic. It’s written in such a way that it can stand on its own as a one-shot (I hope so at least). A couple places are edited that reference the outside narrative but it’s otherwise the same. Unfortunately, the formatting is pretty messed up on Tumblr but ╮(︶▽︶)╭ what are you gonna do? If you liked this I have also written another Kuzupeko one-shot called ‘Acceptance’ (which you can find on my blog) which is better if I’m being honest.

Anywho, hope you enjoy this for what it is! If you have any feedback please let me know - I’m new to writing so any constructive criticism can really help! WARNING: Contains swearing, references to violence and deals with a dark subject matter - please read with discretion. Read on AO3

“She is a tool, nothing more.” This was drilled into me from an early age. I can’t even recall the first time it was said to me… probably before I could even speak.

"She is a weapon," I remember on the rainy days of spring, seeing the garden in full bloom as I watched her train in the dojo. It was brutal, she would often come back inside with bruises and on occasion, a broken bone… but still. She would always get back up and keep going.

"She is your slave." Sometimes servant. I don't believe they cared much for the rhetoric. Either way, they wanted me to treat her beneath me. So… I did.

“She is not your family.” No, she had silver hair. She was different. She didn’t look like us. She didn’t act like us. She was different. That made me better.

“You can do WHATEVER you want with her.” They would always follow their provocative provoking with a sly wink or nudge. They would say this to a growing boy, I could never understand what they were alluding to.

She is a tool

She is a weapon

She is a slave

She is different

She is whatever I want her to be

She is a tool

She is my tool

How long did it take?

I was what?

11?

No… 12.

It took 12 years until I finally saw you as anything else.

Evidently, it was on this day when I realised… what an incredible person you are and what a piece of shit I am.

+++

My fuckup started when I noticed some kids at school, playing with some dumb playing cards. They had some colourful animal-monster type… thingies… illustrated on them. I'd always see 'em in the back of class laughing and yelling as they traded and played with them.

I didn't get it… what was so exciting about some drawings? Well, one day, my curiosity got the best of me, and I asked to join them. To my surprise, the moment I showed interest they all leapt at the opportunity. They talked me through this whole game you play and currency associated with each card. Shit was a whole 'nother world.

We even skipped our last class to continue a match, it was… fun. The first time I had done anything like that. I can be pretty abrasive and confrontational, yet they invited me back the next day. I was… excited. Normal kid stuff. It was better than I thought.

So, on the way home that day, I bought a pack of those cards. They were cheap, and my allowance was more than generous, so I didn't see the harm. At least that’s what I told myself, I knew if my father or mother found out there would be hell to pay for owning such a childish thing. But I didn't care, it was my first time having something like this and I was excited.

When I got home - Peko had arrived there before me. Like usual; she was under the shade the cherry blossom tree in our backyard, striking the air over and over with her bokken. An apple lodged between her teeth. She would occasionally pause to take a bite before continuing. She was never one to waste time.

Seeing her occupied and no sign of my mother or father, I seized the opportunity to take a better look at my new collection. I laid out each one in a symmetrical pattern on my bedroom floor. The bright and energetic colours that radiated off the cards were so foreign between the bleak walls of our home.

I remember feeling so strange looking at those cards.

It felt like two worlds colliding.

Ones that would never be associated with one another.

It was like… fuck, I don’t know. Seeing what my life could have been like if I had been a normal kid.

“Fuyuhiko…” I heard my father utter through a friendly façade – trying his best to hide his contempt. “What are those?”

I didn't hear him arrive. I was utterly enamoured by my new toy. "Sir… I uh…"

He picked one up. He examined it front and back, an evident disgust cemented on his face. Staring me in the eyes, he then threw it at me. "Do you want to explain to me why you have these?"

I was caught. I could feel his disappointment and anger crawling up my spine. There were no excuses, no compromises it was just a matter of time until I would be punished, and I hated his punishments. They hurt real bad, and up to that point, I don't think I had ever pissed him off so much.

I tried thinking up scenarios to lessen the blow.

'Oh, these? I stole them off some nerd for pissing me off.' That wouldn't work. He would ask why there sprawled out on the floor then.

'Got these as a present from some kid in class.' That wouldn't help any.

In the end, I realised it would be best to come clean. No point getting caught in a lie as well.

“Sir… the thing is-“

“They are mine.”

Clear, confident, not showing a lick of fear you stood in front of my father and lied to his face.

“Excuse me?” My father’s tone had even more anger contained behind it than before.

“The cards on the ground. I bought them.”

My father huffed air through his nostrils while he rubbed the palm of his hand over his mouth. He often adopted such a pose as he held back anger.

“Why?” He huffed.

I could see the small amount of panic cross your face as he asked you. You hadn't thought that far ahead. I was of no help, you looked at me briefly to see if I had anything to offer, but I just sat there dumbstruck. Finally, you thought of a plausible scenario, and while it would make things even worse for you, it would remove all suspicion placed on me.

“Fuyuhiko asked me to buy him a drink from the market down the road. Seeing that this was a special occasion, I saw no harm in indulging him this once. While there I saw these cards advertised towards his demographic and decided to buy them for him."

It wasn’t the story that did it. It was the way you told it. So convincingly that even I wondered if I had forgotten what happened.

My father was a smart man, but it seemed he couldn't see through your lies. After all, you never had before.

With a threatening gaze, he peered back to me. "Is this true, Fuyuhiko?”

I was still dumbstruck; I wasn’t sure what to do. I was about to go through with your plan when suddenly… you smiled. Behind his back, where he couldn’t see, you gave me a small and thoughtful smile. A friendly one that I had never seen before.

I didn’t want to see you get hurt for something I did.

But I was scared.

I was so scared.

I didn’t want to get hurt.

So, I let you instead.

“Yes.” I solemnly replied.

He quickly stormed off. I was left there with you for a small period before he returned.

Making sure he wouldn’t hear I mouthed the word; “why?’

You smiled once again and took one last bite of your apple. Most likely knowing you wouldn’t get to eat for some time for a fuckup this big.

“Happy birthday.” You whispered through a wistful expression.

'You're not a tool. You're a better person. A better one than me.'

It was odd.

I heard all these awful things about you.

I learned the way that you should be treated.

I saw how they acted around you.

And now I knew…

It was all bullshit.

You are different.

Because you’re better than us.

With that departing thought, I watched as my father's hand coiled around one of your braids as he began yanking you down the hallway. It was also the last time I would see you for that week. Yet… I could still hear you.

When you were punished, you wouldn't usually make so much noise.

It must have been even worse this time.

I found it so difficult to get to sleep.

The sound of the fridge buzzing, the occasional passing car, the crickets chirping, and you crying.

I still don’t know what he did to you… but it must have hurt… it must have hurt real bad.

I’m sorry.

I’m so so sorry Peko.

I should have stood up for you.

I should have said something and been a man.

But… I’m not.

I was a stupid, selfish, fucking kid, and I still am.

How many times now have you sacrificed yourself for me?

I don’t deserve you.

I put you through so much…

Back then, while despair, in the killing game and even now.

I’m still selfish.

I’m thinking about me while you’re here, asleep. I hate myself. You deserve better. Yet still…

I just want you.

+++

Nothing.

No…

That isn’t right.

I’m here.

I’m something.

I don’t know what though.

Who are you?

Me…?

Peko recognised this voice. It was her own.

I’m… Peko, Peko Pekoyama.

What are you?

More memories came crashing into her mind. There was only one answer to that question.

I’m a tool.

No, you’re not.

Yes, I am. My sole purpose is to serve the Young master.

What do you want?

I want nothing but to be by his side.

A cacophony of colours splashed together in front of Peko's being. It was of incorporeal form, one that she could not comprehend but one she still recognised as herself.

“You want?” The being adopted a condescending tone. “A tool does not want.”

No… I… I must be useful to him.

More colours appeared one to her right. This void, this nothing, Peko was starting to realise that was not the case if she could comprehend direction.

A tool does not care if it is useful. A tool is just as happy to be useless. It is just as happy to be discarded. Do you want to be discarded?

I… I don’t care.

Now to her left, more colours. Black, red, white and silver. Wait… she now recognised it was her body.

You’re lying.

No…

Why do you lie?

Stop.

Do you want to be discarded?

I… I just… I want to stay by his side.

Why?

I… I don’t know.

Blackness surrounded her once again - the colours disappearing.

Nothing.

Nothing, again?

No…

No, this is different.

What is this?

There is something, but I can’t see it.

It’s dark.

It’s so dark I can’t even see my hands.

Wait…

My hands!?

Peko had being once again, and with that realisation, a single bright spotlight appeared in the darkness before her. She watched as a little girl approached the light, her hair in braids. Her body beaten, bruised and bloody. It was herself.

I want to protect him.

The girl's voice was meek and scared. She remembered how terrified she was back in those days. Crying herself to sleep each night.

Another spotlight fabricated, she appeared again. Now a little older.

I want to play with him.

No… I… I’m his tool. Nothing more.

Why are you lying?

Tens of spotlights now surrounded Peko. Versions of herself appearing beneath each light. All various ages and appearances.

I want to laugh with him.

No…

I want to have fun with him.

No.

I want to know him.

NO!

I want to be his equal.

SHUT UP!

I don’t want to be a tool.

NO! I’M A TOOL! I AM A TOOL!

I want to be happy.

I’LL BE HAPPY AS LONG AS I AM BY HIS SIDE!

I want to be my own person.

NO! THAT DOESN’T MATTER! IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT I WANT! I DON’T WANT!

The voices were beginning to get louder. Peko curled herself into a ball in a futile attempt to muffle the sound.

I want to know his touch.

NO! NO! NO! NO!

I want to love him.

NO! STOP! I’M BEGGING YOU TO STOP!

More and more lights appeared. More and more versions of herself that she wanted to deny emerging beneath each one. The room became brighter and brighter.

And I want him to love me.

Peko broke down into tears - unable to reply. Her sobbing being of little comfort to the contradiction inside herself, tearing her apart. Her other versions vanished with a sudden gust of wind, but the light remained. Peko thought she may have been free of herself when she heard the voice speak again.

Who are you?

Peko was unable to answer.

Who are you?

…

Who are you?

Stop talking!

Who are you?

…

Who are you?

… I'm Peko.

What are you?

I don’t know anymore.

Why are you crying?

I don’t know.

A tool does not cry.

…

What do you want?

I don’t know.

You’re lying.

…

Jeez… why don’t you get it yet?

This voice. It was no longer her own. It was… it was…

Young master?

You stayed by my side… all this time… why don’t you get it…?

M-m-m-master?

I never needed… a sword… or a shield…

The light grew brighter and brighter, engulfing the darkness around her.

I never needed a tool.

You never needed me?

S-So… You didn’t need to become a tool.

I… I didn’t?

You just… you just needed to be yourself…

What…?

I… I never wanted a tool! I just wanted you! Only you!

You wanted… me?

Wh-why!? Why couldn’t you understand!? We’ve always been together, ever since we were kids!

But I… I thought… I didn't know!

His voice grew fainter as it grew further away into the light.

P-Please Peko! Don’t go…!

No! Young master! I don’t want to… I don’t want to go!

I need you! Don’t leave me!

NO!

Peko called out to him. She yelled and screamed and clawed her way towards this overwhelming light. She could… she could see him. Crying. Bawling his eyes out as he mourned… her.

I… I didn’t know.

Suddenly a vision appeared before her, an answer to why she was in this void. The first thing she noticed was the desperate pleading in his eyes as he rounded the samurai looking for an opening.

W-wait…

He found it. She watched him as he began to shove past the robots.

N-NO! YOUNG MASTER! YOU WILL GET HURT! YOU CAN’T! NOT FOR ME! DON’T DIE FOR ME!

She went to strike them but felt her blade not against hard-mechanical gears but the easily malleable nature of human flesh. To her horror, she watched as her blade sliced up his torso and face.

NO! NO! NO! NO! PLEASE! NO!

Peko clutched him in her arms. Burying him beneath her body as she felt the stabbing of tens of blades pierce her back.

NO! YOU HAVE TO SURVIVE! I’LL PROTECT YOU! PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO SURVIVE!

SURVIVE!

PLEASE!

YOU MUST SURVIVE!

The scene vanished, leaving Peko once again in this isolating darkness.

I KNOW WHAT I WANT!

PLEASE!

I KNOW WHAT I WANT!

ASK ME AGAIN!

PLEASE!

PLEASE ASK ME AGAIN!

She got no response from the voice.

PLEASE!

I WANT!

I WANT YOU TO ASK ME AGAIN!

You want?

Yes!

Who are you?

I am Peko Pekoyama!

What are you?

I… I… I AM A PERSON!

What do you want?

I want him to survive! I don’t want him to die! Not for me! Not ever! I… I don’t want to see him cry like that! Please!

I DON’T WANT HIM TO DIE!

The light overwhelmed her overtaking her whole body. She felt as a gust of wind whisked her away.

+++

An aching in her throat. The steady beating of a heart monitor. A green hue of glass. The ocean scent. A metallic taste in her mouth.

These are the first sensations that Peko experienced as she regained consciousness. Questions of how she was here and what was going on were put aside for the only problem that mattered to her.

“Is Young master Fuyuhiko okay?”

Peko tried to move her body but couldn't. Her muscles feeling paralysed. With hard-fought determination, she managed to move her left elbow to her relief. Now knowing it was possible – with gritted teeth, she screamed at every muscle in her body to get their shit together and start working.

With slight movements across her whole body now - the pod opened. The warm, soothing embrace of fresh air greeted her now porcelain-like skin. With incredible effort and pain, she managed to sit up. Clutching at her forehead as she did so, feeling like her brains would spill out if she didn't. With multiple pained blinks, Peko's eyes adjusted to the bright fluorescent light shining from above her.

And finally…

She saw the blurry outline of the person she was looking for.

“Y-young… master?” Peko furiously coughed having forced the words from her throat.

“P-Peko?” He frightenedly asked.

Peko’s throat was on fire, she had never felt this kind of sensation before. Furthermore, it was completely dry, and she was incredibly thirsty, but she didn’t let that stop her.

“I-Is it… really you?”

Peko held at her hand, and in turn, Fuyuhiko placed his in hers.

The moment was utterly unreal for them both.

This person who he had watched die, this person who he watched blankly sleep for so long. A person who he had thought he would never get to see again was now alive.

This person who she fought to protect, that she had sacrificed herself for. A person who she had thought she would never get to see again was still alive.

With neither particularly initiating it they found themselves hugging each other.

And with the warm touch of each other’s body heat. Truly feeling each other’s presence. Peko found her eyes began to moisten without her consent. She wasn't exactly sure why she was crying, but all she did know was how happy she was to be in his arms.

Somehow, whether through fate, luck, or a mix of both. They had survived their insane ordeal and had finally been reunited.

Peko Pekoyama (the person) is awake.

+++

With their engagement finished Fuyuhiko draped a hospital gown over Peko to cover her nakedness. He sat back down in the rickety chair as an air of silence filled the room. He watched as Peko went through various facial expressions as she recalled how she got here.

Fuyuhiko twiddled with his thumbs as he waited for a good time to approach what he wanted to say but quickly realised there was never going to be one.

“Peko, do you hate me?”

Peko was derailed from her train of thought by the curiously out of place question. She gave him a whimsical look and angled her head. “Why would I hate you?”

Fuyuhiko was taken back as if offended by her. “How could you not after what I put you through… how selfish I am. You deserve better than me.”

While Peko was not one to anger, she felt a rage begin to build at the idea of entertaining this ludicrous narrative Fuyuhiko was spinning.

“You are not one to demean yourself. Why are you starting to now?” A cold thought pricked the hairs up on the back of Peko’s neck. Had he changed so much in this time without her?

“Listen… the things we did while we were brainwashed. The things I did to you, you have to hate me for that, right?”

Peko sighed as she leaned back against the headboard of the bed. She had recalled enough information to have a working hypothesis of what was going on. While Fuyuhiko had not told her anything, yet she took this to mean that he considered this matter of priority. So, putting her curiosity aside, she contemplated the best course of action going forward. What was the best way to help him?

Peko was beginning to formulate ideas of the most efficient way to improve his mental stability. The cause of the imbalance seeming to be his relationship with her.

'Simple affirmation should do the trick.' Peko concluded.

She was about to speak when she saw Fuyuhiko begin to cry again. A fresh memory rose to her conscious as his tears began to fall.

I want him to survive! I don’t want him to die! Not for me! Not ever! I… I don’t want to see him cry like that! Please! Please!! I’m begging you!

'That was…'

I… I never wanted a tool! I just wanted you! Only you!

'You did… didn't you…'

She had realised she was going about this all wrong. She was still treating him like a master and herself a tool. Peko caressed the lines of her palm with her thumb and realised she no longer had calluses from wielding a blade. She couldn't recall the last time she had hands this soft.

Soft.

She was soft. Weak, emotional, scared - she could no longer be a tool to him in this state.

Peko felt her emotions begin to boil over as a sincere and visceral question began to bubble forth.

It was a selfish question.

One she would not have dared ask if she still saw herself as only a tool.

It was time to know.

A tool or a person.

What did he really want?

“Young master, what you said before I was killed. Did you mean it?”

"Did I…" Fuyuhiko unburied his face from his hands and stared back teary-eyed. "Of course. I… I only want you Peko. I never needed you to be a tool."

“You want me?” Peko felt the words fly out of her mouth. This was one of the few times her emotions dictated her words. “I do not understand… why?”

“Why!?” Fuyuhiko snapped. “Cause you’re goddamn amazing! I’ve never had such respect for a person! That’s why!”

“A person…” Peko muttered beneath her breath. “Is that how you have always seen me?”

Fuyuhiko slouched back into the grooves of the chair. "Not always… Peko, do you remember when we were kids, and I brought those stupid cards home?"

Peko nodded thoughtfully in reply.

“You protected me… even though I brought it upon myself. I knew from then on how amazing you are.”

Peko felt a rush of blood redden the pigments of her cheeks.

“You have thought of me like that for all these years?”

Fuyuhiko forced a puff of air through his nostrils and shook his head. “I’m so sorry. I should have seen it sooner. I should have… protected you.”

“I see…” Peko felt an enormous – all-encompassing heat inside her. Unbridled joy at his incredible praise and confirmation of what he truly wanted. Not a tool. For some reason he wanted her, she still didn’t fully understand why.

Peko covered her mouth with her fingertips and began to giggle. A very girlish and improper giggle. One completely unfitting of her characterisation as a Yakuza's bodyguard.

“You truly are selfish Young master; it seems you did not even fulfil my final request.”

“Your final request?” He thought back to that tragic moment. One that he had done his best to hide in the dark recesses of his subconscious. But now that the meaning of such a terrible event had been reversed he felt confident enough to bring it back into the forefront.

“Young master Fuyuhiko... Please permit me to make one final selfish request... I want you to remember... the tool, Peko Pekoyama, who used to stand beside you... I would like it if you remembered that.”

Fuyuhiko caught the air in this throat as he realised what he was being accused of. "What!? NO! I never forgot you for a second!”

Peko continued to giggle at his expense. “Yes, but you see… you remembered me as a person, not a tool.”

Instinctively he went to argue back until realising what she actually said - Fuyuhiko couldn't help letting out an exasperated cackle. "Damnit… I couldn't even do that right…"

"Absent-minded, as usual, I see…” To Peko's relief, she realised he was the same young master she had grown up with.

“I’m sorry… I really am selfish.”

"Yes," Peko replied with a warm smile. "You can be."

Fuyuhiko’s face contorted into a pained expression - it seemed he only heard Peko’s words and not the intention behind them.

"But I can be too," Peko admitted her smile fading ever so slightly.

Fuyuhiko recoiled in horror – his expression was as if someone just called his mother a whore and kicked a puppy in the same breath. “No, NO! You are incredible and beautiful and…”

Peko calmly listened as he rattled off various qualities that were supposedly about her. It was a curious experience hearing someone think so highly of you, yet not believing a word of it.

“Do you really think that way about me?” Peko asked with a wistful scepticism.

“I-I do.”

An enormous smile carved its way onto Peko’s usually desolate face but as her smile grew wider, so too did her tears become more frequent.

“Thank you… thank you so much. But I am none of those things you describe me as.”

“What? No!” Fuyuhiko slammed the palm of his hands on the metal of the pod, making it rattle. "You're incredible, and I won't let you think of yourself as anything less! I know I can’t compare to you but-“

"Stop it!" Peko shouted in frustration. The powerful words scratching her throat as she did so, warning her not to cry again. "I… I do not wish for this. I do not want you praising me like some goddess."

Any more words Fuyuhiko was going to spout were stopped by his gritted teeth. With a hefty heave, he collapsed back into his chair.

“I don’t understand… why are you saying all these things now?”

Fuyuhiko pinched his fingers. “I’ve treated you so awfully I want you to know how amazing I think you are.”

“I see.”

A long silence followed as the two considered what to say next. Both had so many things to talk about yet verbalising them seemed impossible. Eventually, Peko found the words she was looking for.

“You asked me if I hate you. I never gave you a proper answer. Would you like one?”

Fuyuhiko was lost in Peko's crimson eyes as he nodded without thinking. Her answer would dictate so much of his life from this point on, and it was all her decision.

"Never say such foolish things to me again. Of course, I don't hate you."

Fuyuhiko felt guilty. Not happy or relieved. Guilty, so guilty.

“How? I made you do things… I did things to you that I could never…” The tears dropped from Fuyuhiko’s eyes like faucets.

“Brainwashed… that is what you said, isn't it?" Peko asked rhetorically. She just needed confirmation that she was correct. Since he didn't outright deny it, she presumed it to be true. “Then why would I blame you for those things?”

“You… you don’t feel guilty?”

“Of course not. We were forced to do those things, why would I?” Peko asked so calmly and casually that it seemed that she was merely stating a fact. The sky is blue. The grass is green. Why would I feel guilty? They were each as valid as the last in the mind of Pekoyama.

While Fuyuhiko felt in awe of her inner strength, he could still feel a chill crawl up his spine at her callousness.

“I see…” Fuyuhiko struggled to utter the words. “That’s… good to hear.”

“If that is so, why do you seem so upset?”

Fuyuhiko wore a small smile as he took Peko's hand in his. His posture straightened, and his face stiffened.

“Peko listen… It means the world to me that you don’t hate me, it really does. But… you really are a better person than me. I think it would be best if we split ways, you’d be better off without me around. I know you don’t see yourself that way, but I’m sure you’ll soon come to discover for yourself, just how amazing you are.”

“You really think I’ll be better off without you?”

Fuyuhiko closed his eyes and nodded.

Peko squeezed his hand in hers and put her other hand on top of his.

"You are lying to me," Peko stated in a low monotone. "What you really mean to say is: You feel guilty when you're around me, don't you?"

Fuyuhiko went pale and lost any kind of response he had at Peko’s spot-on deduction.

Peko clicked her tongue and looked away, “you truly are selfish.”

“Y-yes…” Fuyuhiko shyly muttered. “But that’s the reason why you should-“

"HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED HOW I FEEL!" Peko yelled once again, ignoring the pain in her throat. “I WANT TO BE WITH YOU TOO!”

Peko slammed a fist onto her hip in frustration and yanked Fuyuhiko closer so he couldn’t look away.

“I am selfish! I am uptight! I am serious and can be boring! I have many flaws! In my opinion, you have always deserved better than me!” Peko began to feel tears careen down the sides of her cheeks as she began to tell the truth behind their childhood.

"Bright, charismatic, funny and quick-witted. You were the ideal Yakuza. Sometimes I would find it hard to believe how perfectly you fit the role and how ill-suited I was to be your tool… yet. I still wanted to be. So, I trained, and I suffered. I worked so hard so I could be worthy of being by your side. Yet I never felt good enough… never… even now. I could have told your parents I wasn't worthy that I wasn't skilled enough… but I didn't! Why… because I'm selfish. I wanted to stay by your side no matter what… no matter how much it hurt or how hard it was. I felt at home right there beside you.”

Fuyuhiko had never seen Peko so honest with her feelings before. He watched as her posture slumped, and she covered her face with her hands.

"That's why I protected you when we were children. Not because I'm selfless. It was an apology. A small token of gratitude for the debt I felt I owed you. That I'm sorry, you have to put up with someone as awful and selfish as me.”

Fuyuhiko had lost her once before. He genuinely thought he would never see this amazing woman again. Yet somehow the fates or god deemed it to be that they were reunited. He was scared, though, scared that he wouldn't be a healthy influence in her life. That she might despise him. With these concerns now gone, nothing was holding Fuyuhiko back from what he truly wanted.

He was scared and insanely nervous.

But he was not going to let her slip through his fingers again. No matter what happened from here on out, he wanted to be honest with Peko with how he truly felt.

Noticing Peko’s grip around his hand loosening - Fuyuhiko tightened it, this time bringing her in closer. With their face’s mere inches away from each other, Fuyuhiko admitted the truth.

A truth that he still felt was selfish of him.

That would end badly.

That might hurt them both more than it would do good.

But he no longer cared.

'I'm a selfish bastard, but for some fucking reason, she still wants to be with me. So be it. I'll teach her just how selfish I can really be.'

Fuyuhiko closed his eyes and began to do what he had always dreamed of doing.

“I love you.”

22 years.

It had been 22 years, and finally, Fuyuhiko knew the taste of Peko's lips. A secret he would take to his grave as he wanted this sensation to be exclusively for himself. As he moved his face away and opened his eyes, he could see Peko bright red and wide-eyed.

"Peko, if you truly think of yourself as selfish, then let's be selfish together. Please, stay by my side."

Peko could feel the heat in her cheeks and her heart beating out of her chest. For a split second, she wondered if she ended up in heaven. With an obnoxiously wide smile one quite ill-suited for a bodyguard she agreed with a frantic nod.

With a cheeky, childlike grin completely ill-fitting of a Yakuza, Fuyuhiko giggled in reply.

They both hugged each other for a long time. Enjoying the presence of each other's true selves, not misguided by what they should be. Finally showing each other who they really are.

For that brief moment. In a world of pain and suffering, they had found true happiness.

+++

“Y-young master?” Peko whispered in his ear as she felt the moment had come to its natural conclusion.

“Hey, come on now. You should really call me Fuyuhiko.” He chuckled.

"F…F…F-Fuyuhiko." It was tangled mess in her mouth, but she felt relieved when she saw his face light up. "R-right well… I… I still don't exactly understand what's going on. I remember a few things, but… where are we… when are we… and is there anyone else? Those questions allude me."

Fuyuhiko nodded earnestly as he turned his chair around so he could lean on the back of it.

“Right!” He nodded with a beaming grin. “I guess I’ll start with the important stuff first yeah?”

Peko diligently nodded back.

"Well, the most important thing you should know. The first thing I tell anyone when they wake up from the simulation."

Peko nodded again. Indeed, this was vital information that would be incredibly useful.

“Is that…”

A variety of scenarios ran through Peko’s head as she tried to predict what he was going to say.

“Well, see this one time... Hajime… snorted… soup.”

The sound of Peko slapping her forehead could be heard across the entire building.

#danganronpa #fanfiction #kuzupeko #sdr2 #sdr2 spoilers #fanfic #danganronpa fanfiction #fuyuhiko kuzuryuu #peko pekoyama

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delaware-lemme-smash · 5 years

Text

In The Cave of the Mountain King - Chapter Two

Here is the chapter on AO3 if the formatting goes wild on Tumblr! Smut is next chapter, which I’m posting right after this~

Scrape. Like metal across stone. Your eyes popped open. The light pouring in through the cave entrance made them water, and you groaned, raising a hand to shield yourself. Something tickled the back of your neck, and another thing tightened around your waist.

Those things both belonged to another thing. Namely the barbarian lying flush against your back with his face buried your hair.

Oh, shit.

Your face burned, which was absurd. Why should you be embarrassed? You'd been minding your own business. He was the one who couldn't keep his hands to himself. You tried to wriggle free, but he only held you tighter, a growling noise in the back of his throat, like a displeased lion cub.

I can't let him wake up with us like this.

Instead of the trying to tug away from him, you squeezed down, slipping through the loop of his arm like someone escaping a noose, then crawling out of the furs. He grumbled, then rolled over onto his stomach and resumed his light snoring.

You breathed a sigh of relief, tugging your clothes straight. You could get something to eat, then consider your next move. Returning back to Kyushu without the Tennyo Slipper wasn't an option. Your father's fever would stretch out for a few days, but he would need the root dried and powdered and fed to him in a tea if he wanted to recover.

Turning, you found yourself face to face with a dragon.

You promptly made a comical squeaking noise and fell on your ass. Hardly dignified, but honestly better than some other possible reactions.

The dragon had stuck his head inside the cave - the only part of him that would fit. He must've made the scraping noise that woke you.

'Hello...' you said, every nerve ending quaking with centuries of genetic memory that screamed at you that this was not friendly puppy you were greeting, but a big, fuck-off lizard that breathed fire. It was staring at you with a scarlet eye the size of a shield. 'Um...nice to meet you?'

The dragon snorted smoke. You choked, waving your arms in front of your face, and the dragon withdrew his head. Peering outside, you could see him clinging to the side of the mountain like a giant gecko. You stepped out onto the ledge, turning your face upward.

The rain had cleared. The sky was open, endless blue, barely dusted with clouds. A perfect morning not to have been eaten by cannibals or killed by angry barbarian mountain kings. You shot a glance at the dragon. He seemed content where he was, letting the sun glitter and bounce off his scales. Basking, just like a real lizard. Did it help with his fire, too?

'You wouldn't know where that field of Tennyo Slipper is, would you?' you asked conversationally. The dragon's head turned toward you. His pupil was a dark slit in the sun, but there was a fierce intelligence there. Like a raptor bird. 'It's on the South face, according to his Majesty in there. A whole field of blue.'

Scale scraped across rock and suddenly there was a tapered tail as thick as a tree trunk in front of you. The dragon looked…expectant.

He wants me to climb on? He could either be inviting you to become his breakfast snack, or he might just be able to take you to the meadow you needed. You placed a tentative hand on his hide. It was warm, but hard and smooth as metal. Feeling like some idiot out of a fable a mother would use to scare her children, you scrambled up the dragon's tail. He had spines running along his back that you used as handholds until you reached the leather saddle still strapped to his back.

As soon as you were settled, the dragon gave a heave. You grabbed for the straps and handholds, lest you topple off down the mountain. The dragon unfurled its wings, then fell away from the rock face.

Air rushed past your ears, tearing your ragged scream from your lips. The dragon tilted, levelled, and then began to glide. He made a wide circle around the mountain peak, angling down. You saw why Bakugou wore a cloak. Despite the warm day, the air remained chilly up here. The dragon rounded a jutting bluff, and there it was. A carpet of deep blue, rippling like a small lake in the breeze.

'Down there!' you called to the dragon, hoping he'd actually understood you before and wasn’t just taking you for a joyride. 'Can you land?'

He understood you perfectly, or just got what a lot of yelling and pointing meant, because a moment later you were dropping to the gently sloping plateau. A grin pulled at your lips. An entire field of Tennyo Slipper. You could take back an armful and have enough to last the village a year.

Your foot slipped as you climbed down the dragon, and you tumbled into a bed of the flowers, laughing. The dragon's head swung round to you, eyeing you curiously.

'Don't mind me,' you reassured him. 'I just need to get some of these and then we can go-'

You cut off with a yelp as the dragon flopped onto his belly, making the ground shake. He buried his head in the nodding blue flowers and closed his eyes. Well, you supposed that meant you could take as long as you wanted.

The furs were too warm. He rolled, kicking them off with a grunt. Cool air washed over his bare back, ruffling his hair. Something scraped outside. Must be the big scaly bastard returned from wherever he'd waited out the storm.

Bakugou reached out across the bedding, looking for the wrench he'd rescued last night. She might be reckless and too goddamn nosey, but she smelled good and he'd enjoyed the way she melted into him when he'd thrown an arm over her. Maybe she would...

A crushing weight pinned Bakugou's hand to the floor. His head snapped up; he let out a bellow of pain and fury. What the hell did that bitch-

It wasn't the village girl.

Blood-streaked, filthy and stinking, one of the cannibals stood over him. The cannibal's lips parted in a hideous smile - his teeth were black at the gums, yellow and half-rotten. Bakugou had half a second to wonder how he'd got up here, and where the girl had gone, before the cannibal came for him with a rusty, short-bladed knife.

Bakugou rolled, swung his other hand up, and caught the cannibal in the knee. Kneecap, tendons, and blood exploded as he brutally amputated the limb that dared try to hold him down.

Bakugou Katsuki, King of the Mountain.

He surged to his feet, long dagger in hand and slashed out. The cannibal took a cut across the chest and fell. Blood, deepest arterial red, pooled underneath him. Bakugou kicked him away from the furs toward the fire, and drove the knife down into the cannibal's neck, adding a gargle to the man's incessant screaming. It wasn’t necessary - the guy was already well on his way to dead - but Bakugou was feeling vindictive.

He wiped the knife clean against his pants. His hands were bloody to the wrist. More droplets had speckled his arms and chest.

Where the hell was the girl? He went to the mouth of the cave, scarlet eyes squinted against the daylight. Let the stupid brat just be cowering somewhere, cause if that asshole had killed her...

Bakugou didn't have any more time to worry about the village girl, whose name he'd just realised he'd never asked, because the mountain looked like a kicked-over anthill. Cannibals, dirty and leering to a man, covered the mountainside like an infestation. It looked like the whole sorry lot of them had finally come crawling out of their warren this time. Bakugou's hand tightened around his dagger, the other curling into a fist. Smoke seeped between his fingers.

Time to claim his throne.

Your smock pockets were full of Tennyo Slipper. You wanted to take more, but there was no feasible way of carrying them. This was more than enough to break your father's fever and restock the village supplies for months to come.

You cast a look at the dragon dozing in the flowers. Besides, this big guy might be willing to bring you here again. Maybe you could bribe him with a side of pork or something.

'I've got enough now!' you called over to him.

He lifted his head, opening his eyes. His pupils went from comically large and dewy to narrow slits the instant the sun hit them. You approached warily. Would he consent to carry you again, or had it been some dragonish whim the first time?

'Can we go back?'

In answer, the dragon flicked his tail. Well, that was about as close to agreement as you'd get. You went up his tail again, using his spines to climb up to the saddle. All those years climbing trees and mountains helped. As soon as you were in the saddle, the dragon climbed to his feet, revealing a huge dragon-shaped patch of flattened Tennyo Slipper.

Oops.

The take wasn't as easy as letting go this time. The dragon shot toward the edge of the plateau, leaving a huge track of mud and uprooted flowers in his wake. Wings spread, he leapt from the ledge. The wind filled his wings like sails, and you were aloft. The foothills spread out below you like a rumpled dark green rug. Beyond that, the lowlands were a patchwork of forests, farmland, and shimmering rice fields.

As you soared around toward the North face of the mountain, you caught sight of the cannibal's plateau. The illusion didn't hold from above, or the hag Bakugou had killed was their witch. It was blessedly quiet. Deserted, even. The freaks must be nocturnal. Not even the corpse remained. With a sickening lurch, you realised why.

I guess meat is meat.

You dragged your eyes away, gaze falling instead on the thin streams of smoke from the foothills that marked Kyushu. It was technically a village but seemed to be growing every day - hence the lack of herbs as demand outpaced supply.

Your father was down there. Your mother, torn between anxiety over her husband's health, her daughter's fate. If you didn't return soon, your father would only worsen.

'Hey!'

The dragon turned its head back to fix a scarlet eye on you.

'Can we go down there?' You pointed at the village. 'I need to get these to my father.'

There was silence for a few moments, then the beast tipped its wing and curved its body around to make the sharp turn. Shrieking in delight and terror, you gripped the saddle straps until your hands cramped.

Of course, this wasn't some fairytale where you could fly a dragon right down into your home village and expect to be welcomed with open arms. The pitchforks and screaming felt like a bit much, though.

'Sorry,' you said, patting the dragon on the neck. 'It's not every day we have giant lizards dropping out of the sky, and you're a very impressive dragon.'

The dragon seemed mollified.

'Where's Elder Mikongyu?' You scanned the crowd for her craggy old face. 'How is my father?'

There was a long silence, and then several dozen voices began speaking at once. A shriek cut over all of it. You winced.

Your mother came barrelling out of the house, running toward you -and the giant dragon- like she was about to take off her slipper and wallop you with it. Instead she threw herself at the side of the dragon, who made a chuffing noise like he'd actually felt the impact, and tried to climb her way up his side to you.

'Mother...'

'Where were you!? I was out of my mind with worry! Your father...! If I lost both...!' She gave up trying to climb the perturbed dragon, only to wipe her eyes with the heel of her hand. She stamped. 'Get down here, young lady! Where did you get this dragon? Oh, gods...a dragon!'

'Mother,' you said again, after patiently waiting through her succession of emotional crises. You reached into your pocket and pulled out a fistful of Tennyo Slipper. 'I got some.'

'Where...'

You didn't get the chance to explain. Not any of it. The second you opened your mouth, an explosion came from the top of the mountain. So loud, the air seemed to tremble with it. Fire and dust blew outward, almost invisible in the daylight.

Bakugou!

The dragon had the same thought. He surged to his hind legs, a roar grumbling up out of the deepest pit of his chest. His wings fanned out. The villagers ran for cover. Clinging to his back, it was all you could do to stay on. Desperate, you threw the handful of flowers toward your mother, hoping they wouldn't be trampled or forgotten.

'Wait! Don't!' she cried, reaching toward you like she could pluck you from the back of a dragon.

Too late. You gripped the straps, turning your head toward the mountain. The dragon took off with three huge beats of his wings, scattering dust and villagers and flowers like chaff. Despite your worry, you couldn't tamp down the fierce joy you felt at rising from the earth into the air. You could see some of what made Bakugou the way he was, if he got to feel this all the time.

'Let's repay the favour!'

The dragon roared his approval.

Fuck!

That last barrage was supposed to have driven them back!

Bakugou ducked behind a boulder. Tiny darts made of bone peppered the rock where he'd just been standing. Bastards had blowpipes. The darts were tipped in something nasty and greenish. He didn't know what, but he knew it would be a bad idea to let one stick him.

Unwilling to be cornered in his cave, he'd blasted his way up to another ledge, forcing them to come at him from below. He'd kicked the first few off the ledge, stamping on their clinging fingers in revenge for his own bruised hand. Then they'd swarmed up and over and he'd been forced to retreat, much as it galled him.

As good as he was, he couldn't let them pen him in. He needed room to fight with his long knife. Thankfully, his palms were slick with sweat and his blood was full of endorphins, so he could blast them back again and again.

So he did, clearing the ledge a half a dozen times over while the bastards kept coming, clinging to the rock like goats or some hideous form of monkey. There was a reason people weren't meant to live in the dark, eating human meat.

He didn't even have time to wonder where his dragon was, or the village girl. There was a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he didn't have time to address it.

'Fucking die!' he snapped, delivering a savage kick to the centre of a leering man's chest. The cannibal went flying, toppling into the empty air and out of sight. 'I'll kill all of you!'

They took that as a challenge. Ten of them climbed up over the ledge, fifteen, twenty. How long had they been eating and fucking and breeding in the bowels of the mountain?

Bakugou reached out, ready to blow a hole in their ranks, when a plume of fire shot out of the sky, so hot it burned them like tapers where they stood. He looked up.

The dragon was a silhouette against the sun. Lowering a wing, he circled, and landed heavily on the mountain behind Bakugou. Small pebbles rumbled down, slithering past him. He shaded his eyes.

'I swear, I leave you alone for five minutes and you piss off a whole army!' cried a very familiar voice.

Bakugou's expression morphed into one of savage joy. He gave a ragged laugh, flipping you off.

'Not my fault you stole my fucking dragon, wench!'

You were so relieved to find him still alive, you couldn't even be mad he was calling you "wench".

His explosions had created a field of stone shrapnel. You scrambled down from the dragon's back. You might not be a mighty hunter, but you had better aim than half the boys in your village.

Bakugou cracked a laugh when the first stone toppled a cannibal off the mountain. The dragon got stuck in, picking the attackers up in his huge jaws and shaking his head back and forth, savaging them. Bakugou's explosions or a fall off the mountain were preferable ways to go, in your opinion.

It was a dirty, exhausting business. You'd never seen someone die before Bakugou had killed that woman...thing. The dragon cut swathes through the crawling creatures, cutting off their claims about how they were going to spit and roast you, pluck out your eyes and eat them like plump grapes, crack open your bones to suck out the sweet marrow-

It would be a while before you could eat meat.

Finally, horribly, the ledge was clear. There were a few thin, pained moans from far below, but they wouldn't last long. The dragon was crunching on something you didn't want to think about. Your hands were scratched and bleeding from throwing rock after rock.

Bakugou hobbled over to his dragon, putting a bloody-knuckled hand on the beast's hide. The dragon dropped his gruesome toy, turning to look at his rider. You turned your head away, expecting they might need a moment of privacy in the depths of their bond.

'Where the fuck did you go, fatass?'

Your gaze snapped around. The dragon gave a great, bass rumble of displeasure and slapped the barbarian with a wing, making him stagger.

Guess not.

#delaware-lemme-smash #bakugou katsuki #in the cave of the mountain king #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha imagines #bnha headcanons #bnha scenario #mha #my hero academia #mha imagines #mha headcanons #mha scenario #bakugou katsuki x reader #Mod Rig

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agent-yolk-writes · 5 years

Text

Friends Like You and Us - Venom!Reader - Ch. 1

Hello hello! Welcome to my take on the whole Spidersona bandwagon. I couldn’t think of a name, so I did the best next thing and made it a reader insert. This is actually hitting two birds with one stone since this is also fulfilling my desire to write a Venom!Reader story.

Don’t really like the lack of text formatting Tumblr provides, but it’s Tumblr...what are ya gonna do on this hell site?

This is just the beginning of your, the reader’s, adventure with an interdimensional symbiote. I even have an origin story set up that I thought about releasing first, but decided to introduce the main story to build up hype.

If you have any other suggestions on what I should write about next or want to ask about headcanons so I can flesh out some stuff don’t be afraid to ask! My ask box is always open and I love when people talk to me :)

Here’s the AO3 link!

*Please note that the Reader is about 15/16; a bit older than Gwen just as she’s a bit older than Miles. Keep that in mind when you ask about stuff.

Are you sure this is the best idea?

We can sense someone inside. Hurry.

To everyone else, you look like one of the older kids of this charter school. Someone who was lucky enough to win that lottery that families rely on to make sure their child’s future is secured. You could feel that small part of your mind wondering if they knew you don’t belong here. The shimmer of your uniform and your nervous glances at the people passing you could be up for interpretation. What you hope is that nobody will discover that you really don’t belong here.

What you also hope for is that nobody discovers that you’re carrying an alien from another dimension.

Your fingers fidgeting the straps of your backpack didn’t help either. This is your first time skipping school, and most likely won’t be your last. Your usual haul of notebooks and miscellaneous crap had a spare change of actual clothes, two mobile phone chargers, and ‘treats’ for when the symbiotic companion gets testy.

Fake it ‘til you make it. Fake it ‘til you make it. Fake it-Ow! The hell, Vee?

Your interloping navigator had the balls to pinch a painful nerve in your body.

Focus. We’ll eat anyone who stops us.

I sure hope it doesn’t have to resort to that.

With shaky legs, you ascended up the stairs to the entrance. This was going to be very difficult-

Actually, this was easier than you thought. The first thing you see upon opening the doors were two students, a boy and a girl, latched onto each other running in circles. The boy had his hand in the girl’s blonde hair while the girl was yelling at him to relax or something. You wouldn’t mind the two if it wasn’t for the fact the weird vibes Venom is prone to get intensifies two-fold at the sight. You felt a migraine coming on.

Suddenly, the girl grappled the guy and dragged him to the nurse’s office with little difficulty.

We need to follow them.

”Yeah, I know.” Vocally responding to your companion got you some weird glances. It's not like they're going to see you after today anyway.

One of those two is the key to get this parasite in you back to his natural habitat...but who, exactly? Well, you weren’t going to solve that question by standing around.

Your body froze up outside the nurse’s office. Walking in there and introducing yourself sounded like a better idea on paper. You lost your chance with the boy, but the idea of pursuing him was quelled when you witnessed him getting chased by who you assumed was the security officer of this school. With your senses going off, there was no doubt that the girl was in there. She had to be.

The only thing stopping you from barging in was the realization of everything that happened to you. Trying to explaining it all and running the risk of being labeled not only a lunatic but a trespasser too.

What’s the problem?

I’m nervous. So nervous in fact that you didn’t realize you were circling outside the door. What did you expect me to do? Walk in there and say ‘Hey, I’m harboring an alien from space, but like another dimension’s space that needs to go home.’?

There was no response from Venom. You hoped he had something better in that intergalactic ooze of his.

At the start of another loop, your body froze up. The instinctual thought was to start moving again but your joints have locked up as if you lost all-

On cue, your body moved to the door.

We’re going in.

We don’t have a plan!

We don’t have time!

“Vee, stop! We can’t just barge in!” Your pleas fell deaf as you were left in the passenger seat of your own body. You felt your hand gripping the doorknob when it opened on its own. Considering how you got control of your body back, it’s safe to assume it wasn’t Venom’s doing. Standing in the doorway was an older woman in a white coat and colorful scrubs, and she seemed surprised to see you as you were of her.

“Oh! I didn’t see you there.” She forced a small laugh as she placed a hand on her chest, acting like she wasn’t that startled. “Are you feeling well?”

Out of habit, you scratched the back of your neck as you try to read the faded nametag. “S-Sorry to bother you, Nurse Mo...ore.” You mentally praised Venom on the teamwork, but you’ll have to scold him later for not using his inside voice. You pretended to be clearing your throat before continuing, “Whoops, that sore throat again. Must be that strep going around.” You too forced out a laugh, but it didn’t seem to catch on to her. “A...Anyways, I saw my friend getting dragged here earlier. Is she okay? Is it anything life threatening?”

You could see her eyes soften at your concerns. “She’s fine. Her hair, on the other hand, is another story. Someone didn’t wash their hands and got his glue stained hand in it.” Ouch. That sounds painful. “You can go in and see her, but you need to get to class soon.” Just then, the warning bell rang throughout the building. “...Actually, I need to run a small errand to the teacher’s lounge. I’ll write you a pass if you’re still here when I return.”

“I will. Thank you.” With that, the nurse exited her workplace. You almost wanted to tell her to take her time, because who knows how long it’ll take to explain your story to the other girl inside. To make things worse, as if she knew you were talking about her outside, her eyes were immediately on you as you entered. You could see the left side of her hair freshly buzzed off, and if you two met under better circumstances you would've complemented it.

Alright. No pressure. Just lay it on her, but not too much.

You cleared your throat and said, “...Hey.” Way to go.

”...Hi?” She replied. ”Who...are you?”

Before you could babble off your origin story, your pseudo-spidey-sense went off followed by your vision going black. You weren’t surprised that you had another seizure as you’re greeted with the girl over your prone body, her face blocking the too bright lamp overhead.

“You’re like me.” She said.

“Not...entirely, I guess.” As you catch your breath, you could feel Venom moving inside you. It felt like he was unraveling himself from you but at the same time still attached. Your body shot up on its own and at the corner of your eye, you could see a black oozy tendril with your companion’s face on it. “It’s...complicated. I’m (First Name), by the way.”

#my writing #spiderverse #spidersona #x reader #spiderman into the spiderverse #spiderverse x reader #spiderman into the spiderverse x reader #venom x reader #idk how else to tag this #venom & reader #venom symbiote & reader #friends like you and us #reader insert

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kravkalackin · 6 years

Note

This is kind of a really weird question, but AO3 is blocked on my school wifi and I want to be able to read heartstrings when I have free time during the day, is there any chance you could post new chapters directly to tumblr under a read more?

normally i wouldn’t because the chapters are long, but because you asked, sure. a warning, it won’t have any of the like, formatting (which is really just italics) because i’m too lazy to go back and put those in ^^; but here, chapter 25 of heartstrings is under the cut

Angus wasn’t sure how long he spent crying. He hadn’t meant to break down like that in front of Taako, especially since the thing he thought Angus was all upset about wasn’t even a big deal. It was probably bad of him, to mislead Taako like that and make him think he was all worked up over something so small.

Sure, everything he said was true, he couldn’t died if he didn’t do the spell right. It was super dangerous and stupid and he had to get a ride back up to the moon base anyway so it wasn’t even like it mattered. But it had been fine, and the panic he’d felt when falling down was nothing compared to the utter confusion and uncertainty he was feeling from everything else.

But Taako had been worried about him. And for some reason, even though he had more than enough evidence to prove that Taako cared about him, it was still a surprise.

And Angus was upset. He didn’t know what to do and when Taako told him not to worry him like that again for some reason the damn just broke.

That had been a little while ago now though, he didn’t know how long but it was definitely longer than he thought Taako would put up with. Instead of getting annoyed or trying to pull away though he’d brought Angus to his bed and let him keep crying. Finally though he was starting to get a hold of himself, and trying to hold back anymore tears he reluctantly pulled away some. Not completely out of his lap or anything, just enough to he could rub at his face and try to wipe away some of the tears.

“Sorry about your shirt,” he managed to say after another moment of deep breaths. It was a dumb thing to comment on, but it was the first that he could manage to voice. It looked like a nice one, and Angus remembered that Taako had been out on a date and had probably run over here as soon as he got back. It was all wet and stained now though, but Taako just shrugged.

“Not even a thing bubula,” he said, and grabbing the umbrastaff still hooked around his wrist he cast a quick prestidigitation on both his shirt and Angus’s face. He was sure he still looked all red and puffy, but that actually felt like it helped some. “What’s the point of magic if you’re not gonna use it, am I right?” he added and Angus nodded.

“I guess that’s a fair point,” he said, and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do now. He wanted to tell Taako, but he’d made a promise, and he was pretty sure he trusted the Red Robe enough right now that he actually wanted to keep it. Not because he was afraid of what would happen if he broke that promise, but because he wasn’t sure if he should be working against the Red Robe anymore.

He wasn’t sure of anything anymore, and it was eating up his mind and he let his head fall back against Taako’s chest in defeat.

“Sorry for worrying you. It really wasn’t a big deal,” he said, although it felt kind of hallow now. He knew it was hallow, because Taako wouldn’t believe him after all that, not unless he explained what the real problem was. He wasn’t about to do that though, so it all rang false.

“I wasn’t that worried. Avi said you were fine,” Taako said, starting to sound defensive now. That wasn’t a surprise, it was actually kind of a welcomed relief, how normal it was.

“You were wooorried about me,” Angus insisted, trying to tease him despite the way his voice was still kind of horsed and wavering after all of that crying. Taako scoffed, starting to ruffle Angus’s hair a bit rougher than necessary. When Angus tried to push him away it was only halfheartedly.

“Fine, maybe, you don’t fucking know me. See if I ever do it again though, ungrateful brat,” he grumbled, and that was as straight as Taako would ever get to admitting he cared about someone.

Angus didn’t quite have to force the smile on his face so much at that. After a moment he found himself sighing again, rubbing at his eyes and trying to will away the cry induced headache that was already starting to form. Taako started sort of fluffing his hair back in order from where he’d mussed it up before.

“You uh, you good though? Like, we good here? I don’t- fucking surprise of the century here. I don’t know what the fuck I’m supposed to be doing with that,” Taako said, and Angus nodded. He was fine. It was- he was fine.

“I’m good sir. It was- you didn’t have to come see me. I appreciate it though,” he said, figuring Taako was probably going to leave soon now. He didn’t want him to, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He shouldn’t be greedy about this.

“Right yeah well, cha’ boy’s just all kinds of magnanimous and shit as always,” he said, definitely sounding awkward about this, which was starting to settle things back into normal. Angus wasn’t sure if that was a relief or not.

“And uh, hey,” Taako continued, surprising Angus. “Would you quit it with the sir thing already? I’m not a fucking ‘sir’ alright?” he said, and Angus frowned some in confusion.

“Oh, I’m sorry? I didn’t mean- is there something else you’d rather I call you?” he asked, kind of surprised Taako would wait this long to tell him to stop doing something if he didn’t like it.

“Just fucking Taako my dude. Like, I’m not- I’m not some fucking stranger. You don’t gotta be all formal and shit,” he said, and it took Angus a moment before he understood.

“Oh. Okay Taako,” he said, and Taako nodded.

“Cool, cool, uh, you should get some sleep. Eat, when was the last time you ate?” Taako asked, and Angus crawled the rest of the way off his lap so he could stand up.

“I didn’t um, didn’t get a chance to eat dinner,” he admitted, because he was pretty sure Taako would figure out if he tried to lie anyway.

“Yeah, had a fucking feeling. Just stay here, I’ll bring you something,” he said.

“You don’t have to, I can get something myself,” Angus insisted, but Taako was already heading towards the door.

“Too bad, I’m doing it and you better still be here when I get back,” he said, and Angus relented and nodded. Once he was alone again, Angus took a very long, deep breath, trying to recover from all of that.

It was- It had been a lot. He guessed getting it all out was a good thing though. He was still worried, confused, didn’t know what to do, but some part of him was a lot less panicked. He wasn’t sure if things were going to be okay, and he didn’t know how he was going to figure this out, but he would. He would find something.

It was entirely possible that he was just too exhausted to be panicked though.

A part of him was tempted to lay down and fall asleep, but if Taako was making him food he didn’t want to already be out when he got back. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to rest his eyes for a few minutes.

Angus pulled at his blanket to wrap himself up, hearing a thunk as something he hadn’t noticed fell off his bed and onto the floor. Looking over, a simple umbrella was lying there.

Oh, Taako must’ve forgotten the umbrastaff by mistake.

He knew he should leave the wand alone, it was Taako’s and he was very protective of it. Still, after all of this, Angus still felt like he didn’t have much of a clue about this thing. He’d been trying to learn about it, but he still only knew that it belonged to the Red Robe who died in Wave Echo Cave, who was close to the nice Red Robe. He didn’t know why it sometimes acted on its own or anything like that.

It was frustrating, and he wanted some sort of answer already.

Reaching over, Angus picked it up by the handle and settled back down on his bed. It was a little too large for him to wield properly, especially as an actual arcane focus. It would make a pretty decent actual umbrella though, if he was ever stuck out in the rain.

It really did seem like a normal umbrella, and when he inspected it closer, it seemed like a pretty simple arcane focus. He couldn’t get why there would be something so odd with it.

Taako had been worried about him touching it too much before, but it seemed fine right now. He wondered- he knew Taako would get annoyed at him for using it, but he wondered if that would give him any clues. If maybe there was something there that Taako had never thought to mention to him before.

And really, right now he needed a distraction. Something to keep his mind occupied until Taako got back so that he wouldn’t either get himself all worked up or end up falling asleep.

So, raising up the umbrastaff, he pointed it over to where he’d kept several candles on his desk, Angus went through the motions to cast a quick prestidigitation to light them.

Prestidigitation was not what came out of the umbrastaff.

It was a spell he’d seen before, but not one that he’d ever cast himself, because he didn’t know how to cast it.

Scorching ray shot out of the umbrastaff and into his desk, and he felt the wand start to jerk his hand around on its own. Shouting in surprise, he dropped the staff, the umbrella twitching on his bed as it continued to shoot off the spell.

“What the fuck?”

Angus’s head shot towards the door where Taako was now standing, and the spell slowly petered out. If it had been trying to make some sort of mark like last time it hadn’t managed to. It’d gotten half of a few lines that couldn’t been any number of letters before scrambling out into flaming scribbles, some of them going so far as to cut through the wall. His desk was also on fire, along with any of the notes he’d been keeping there and several of his books.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t- I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry,” Angus managed to shout, tears already starting to come back. Taako quickly grabbed up the umbrastaff, shooting off a few quick spells to get rid of the flames. As soon as they were gone, cool air was starting to blow in from the outside. Angus couldn’t see what food it was he’d brought for him, because he’d dropped the plate and it broke on the floor.

“I’m sorry. I don’t- I don’t know what I’m doing,” he repeated, pulling his knees up to his chest and trying to hide his crying as much as possible.

“Fuck, it’s not- how’d you even get the umbrastaff?” Taako asked, and Angus couldn’t quite place was emotion was in his voice right then.

“You left it by accident. I’m sorry, I didn’t notice until after you left. I swear I didn’t take it on purpose,” he said, and Taako sighed heavily.

“Didn’t think you stole it Ango, you’re too much of a goody-two-shoes for that,” he said, and that was somewhat of a relief to hear. Peaking up from where he had his head buried up in his legs to see Taako walking over to the disaster area that was his desk. “Yikes,” he said, picking up one book and it crumbled away into ash in his hand.

He wasn’t quite able to keep in the whimper that escaped him at that sight. It was- they were just books, they were probably replaceable. Except he’d taken most of those from the library, and the Director was going to be upset when she found out what happened.

And all of his notes. He could rewrite them, it would be fine, but they were- it was just-

He could feel himself start to tear up again, and he guessed Taako noticed because he quickly stopped poking around in the charred rubble and turned back towards him.

“Nope, no more of that. I’m not dealing with anymore of- fuck I’m tired,” Taako said, and Angus sniffled, trying to fight back the tears some more. “Come up, get up. Grab your blanket, and fuck, I don’t know, whatever else you need to sleep,” he added. Angus frowned in confusion, rubbing away several loose tears before looking up at him.

“Um, why si- Taako?” he managed to catch himself at the last minute.

“I mean, you can’t exactly sleep in here. Your room’s busted. Come on, we’ve got a couch. We’ll think of something to tell the director about this mess in the morning,” he said, and reluctantly Angus nodded. Gathering up his blanket, pillow and pajamas, Angus figured that was enough. His wand was still hanging around his neck, he’d never bothered to take it off after all of that, or else he would’ve grabbed that too.

“I think I’m good,” he said, and Taako nodded.

“Alright, come on then Pumpkin,” Taako said. Angus started following him out of the room, stepping over the broken plate of food and closing the door behind him before hesitating. It took him a second before he could place what it was that caught his attention, and by the time he did Taako had stopped walking about was looking back at him, barely noticeable concern on his face.

“Hey pumpkin, everything good?” he asked, and Angus forced himself to nod. His mind was trying to work around the static again.

“Yeah, it’s nothing. You just um, you reminded me of someone for a second there,” he said, and Taako seemed confused for a moment before shrugging it off.

“Huh, someone cool I hope,” he said, and Angus had to shuffle the items in his arms as he sped up to keep pace with Taako.

“Hmm, I don’t think so. I think it’s probably a big dork,” he said, letting himself smile despite the gravity of information he was keeping from Taako.

“Brat,” he grumbled, clearly not meaning it. “What, did I remind you of yourself?” he asked, and Angus had to keep himself from making any too noticeable signs when static started to overtake his mind again.

“No, no I don’t think that’s it,” he said. Taako looked hesitant for a moment, but didn’t press him on it.

Angus told himself that was a relief. Not talking about this was a good thing, as much as he wished otherwise.

—

It didn’t take long to get Angus back to his dorm, fix him up a second meal since the first one was toast on his floor, and shove him to his room to go sleep. There was a bit of an argument where Angus started insisting he could sleep on the couch, but shut that down with the fact that he was a whole elf, if he needed to he could mediate. It didn’t seem to satisfy the kid much, but it got him to agree and head off to sleep.

As soon a the door to his bedroom was shut and Taako was alone he fucking collapsed onto the couch.

What the absolute fuck?

A part of him was pissed about all of this. It was complete and utter bullshit. He never asked for any of this, and he’d never fucking wanted it. He didn’t even know what this was.

He wasn’t mad at Angus though, for some reason that definitely wasn’t what was going on here. He didn’t want Angus to think that either, and honestly that was even more frustration on top of everything.

Shifting somewhat to get more comfortable on the couch, he felt where the umbrastaff was hooked around his arm. Grabbing it, he held it up above him, and he wasn’t even drunk this time but he still found himself speaking out loud like a dumbass.

“You could’ve fucking hurt him, you know that?” he asked the umbrella, and of course, there wasn’t any sort of answer. “Don’t- don’t fucking do that again. Freak out with me all you want, but leave the kid alone,” he finished.

Something in his gut flipped uneasily as he spoke, but he ignored that. He was good at ignoring things, even if it seemed like he’d gotten shitty at it lately. Instead of saying anything else he let the umbrastaff drop to the floor and flipped around so his face was kind of smushed into the side of the couch.

Tonight had been such a nice night too. So much for that.

Taako wasn’t quite able to sleep, and he couldn’t meditate much either, and he was pretty damn sure the couch wasn’t to blame for that one.

The next morning he wasn’t exactly surprised when Merle and Magnus came stumbling out of their rooms bright and early for training. They both seemed kind of surprised to find him out on the couch, but they thankfully didn’t fucking question it. He didn’t explain it either, instead quickly ducking into his room to grab some shit to change into because he was not training in day old date clothes. Angus was passed the fuck out when he went inside, which was more of a relief that he’d want to admit. Maybe he’d wake up before they got back and leave and they wouldn’t have to deal with any of this shit.

Taako doubted it would be that simple, but whatever, he could hope.

Grabbing his clothes, he ducked into their bathroom to get changed and wipe off the day old makeup before heading out to the training area with Merle and Magnus.

“So uh, long night buddy?” Magnus asked as they walked, and Taako grumbled, not in the mood to explain.

“Maybe, I don’t gotta tell you, you’re not my dad,” he insisted.

“Oh! What about me?” Merle piped up, and Taako rolled his eyes that that.

“Closer, but no,” he said, and thankfully that seemed to be the end of that. It was mainly because they got to the training area then and the Director started running them through the shit.

It was just as rough and impersonal as they had been since they’d gotten the chalice. Taako wasn’t sure what had gotten the Director all like this, but it was pretty annoying. It wouldn’t bother him too much, he didn’t need to be friends with his boss after all, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was gonna have to tell her some shit he’d really rather not today.

He could leave it for Angus to do, but like, he was already here, so it wasn’t a big deal.

So, once training was over and the Director started excusing herself to leave Taako run over, cutting her off before she could leave. Merle and Magnus were already heading over to the showers, so he wouldn’t have to deal with them asking questions with all this. Small miracles.

“Hey um, Madame Director, you like, got a minute?” he asked, and she seemed surprised but nodded, turning back towards him.

“Of course, do you need something Taako?” she asked, still sounding all formal like she had been lately.

“Uh, not not me. Taako’s good, but uh, since I’m here I thought I’d let you know that the boy wonder needs a new room. Or like, needs his room fixed,” he said, and the Director wasn’t an easy lady to read. Even still, he could see a flash of several emotions cross her face before she went back to her deadpan, mostly confusion and worry.

“Is- I’m sorry. What’s wrong with the room Angus is currently staying in?” she asked, in that way that clearly meant ‘and how did you break the thing this time?’

“Uh, well it was on fire, only a bit, and some parts of the wall aren’t really wall anymore. Also some of the books he might’ve had from the library probably aren’t in the best shape anymore either,” he said.

“What happened?” the Director asked, sounding some mix of angry and horrified. “Where’s- is Angus alright?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Yeah no, let the brat spend the night in my room instead, he’s probably still asleep. It was uh, a magic lesson malfunction. Uh, totally my fault, that one was on Taako. I can probably fix most of, like, most of it. The books are toast though there’s no getting those back,” he explained. The Director nodded before taking a deep breath.

“We’ll get his room fixed and figure out which books were lost, it’s not an issue. Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” she said.

“Okay, cool, uh, catch you later then,” he said, starting to leave.

“Oh, and Taako?” the Director called, stopping him before he could get far.

“Yeah?” he asked, not really liking this situation any.

“I’m glad you care about Angus enough to try to cover for him, but if anything else like this happens again I would appreciate getting the full, true story,” she said, and Taako found himself nodding despite himself.

“Yeah, sure,” he mumbled before speeding out of the training area.

He meant to go straight back to his room and fucking hide until he absolutely could not anymore, but he found himself heading in a beeline to Angus’s instead.

He didn’t know what the kid was up to, but he knew he was up to something, and whatever it was it was a big enough secret that he wouldn’t even tell Taako. Slipping inside, he almost didn’t manage to step over the plate of old food before heading over to the mangled desk and bookshelf.

Flipping through his shit, Taako grabbed every notebook and paper that was recoverable and hand written. He was sure most of this was garbage little ‘who’s been breaking into the cafeteria at night to eat the day old muffins before they were thrown out? Surprise surprise, fucking Magnus’ but he couldn’t be too careful.

Once he was sure he had everything Taako started back to his room, stack of notebooks and papers in tow before the clean up crew could arrive.

He didn’t know what Angus was doing, but he knew it was important to him, and probably dangerous. So he wasn’t going to chance some nobody looking through his stuff and ruining it.

Taako was pretty tempted to look himself, but kept himself from giving in.

Angus would explain it to him when he was ready.

He trusted him enough to do that.

—

Lup was getting desperate.

She needed to get the fuck out of here.

It was too much, too painful to sit back and watch. It wasn’t that it was all bad, no, a lot of things seemed to be better. Taako was being better, there was a noticeable difference in him lately, and it was a good thing. He was letting himself get close to people again, and it was such a relief.

Even though he couldn’t remember, even though he had no idea of the truth, he was starting to try to be there for Angus, and that meant the world for her to see.

But that didn’t lessen the ever growing desperation to escape already.

Angus was getting up to something, she could tell he was, and so could Taako. She didn’t- she wasn’t worried about him finding ‘the red robes’ like Taako was. If anything, she wished she could be there when he did. She’d kill for a chance to get to see Barry again, just for a moment. He’d probably do anything for a chance to see Angus too, so on that front, she was kind of hoping Angus would manage to find him.

So yeah, that wasn’t the issue. Angus was so smart, and she was so proud of him for that, but it was obvious this was too much. She could see in the way he tried to deflect in, the same way Barry used to, that this was bothering him more than he would ever admit. She could see her son, a fucking child who shouldn’t have to deal with any of this, being overwhelmed by a mystery that at it’s base was impossible for him to solve.

And so she wanted out. She wanted to explain the truth to Angus. She wanted to remind her brother she existed. She wanted to help Barry, who’d been trapped on his own for ten years.

She wanted to ask Lucretia why she felt she needed to completely tear apart her family.

And after hearing Angus sobbing against Taako for a time she couldn’t place, since time had stopped meaning much to her a while ago, she couldn’t just sit silent anymore.

It was only when she heard Taako shouting and Angus near tears again did she realize what a mistake she’d made. The message that she’d been trying to send was a scattered mess, a ‘B’ barely recognizable before dissolving off into squiggles of nothing. All of her energy was expended on a broken message no one would be able to get.

She could barely focus on anything after that, barely heard Taako scolding her for endangering Angus. The only thing she could think of was how close she’d been. If she’d waited a little bit longer, been a bit more patient, she could’ve gotten through. They were both so smart, even with this block, if she’d gotten her message through, she was sure they would’ve figured it out.

But she hadn’t, and the words she’d desperately been trying to send her family kept replaying over and over in her head.

B R E A K M E

#yay questions #nice people #heartstrings #i hope you like it!!!

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jefardi · 7 years

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Not my story, just wrote a review that broke the character limit on Ao3 thrice over. So posting that here. @okapifeathers

Cool, awesome and Bravo!

This is going to be a long review, so strap yourself in!

Disclaimer: I thoroughly enjoyed this story and any critiques I make are with the best intentions of helping self-improvement. Also, I tend to jump around topics a lot, sorry (not sorry)

Let me take a bit of backstory before I begin the review proper;

I honestly was just browsing tumblr idly when I came into the NicoMaki tag out of pure boredom… I want to say either 3 or 4 days ago. Discovering that this was my jam happened fairly quickly and lo and behold I ended up searching invariably for fanfic on Ao3 (which, honestly was only because I was doing it mobile, else I would be using FF.net…). Love Novels (which a friend farrrr more into Love Live then I am, has pointed out is a song name, which I had not the faintest clue) was the first long formatted story I read in the Love Live Fandom. I’ve read a few Hogwarts AU for the same pair but that’s it. Nothing else.

To a certain degree, I think this is why I’m so enamored with this story; I have no pre-conceived notions or head canons that it could realistically conflict with… oddly enough, the reason I have trouble even reading RWBY fanfiction nowadays, is because I write my own, which then makes incompatible head canons with others’. To put it simply, I can hear Nico or Maki talking in your story exactly as they do in the dub (because I’m a scrub who can’t understand Japanese…).

Perhaps what draws me the most to this pairing is one of the things that stand out the most, that is to say, the way you do the chemistry between Maki and Nico.

That is the biggest selling point, one that all other stories I read after this for this fandom will have to hold themselves to; having dialogue that flows and ebbs like the way you write it. The back and forth that happens so naturally between two characters with misaligned world views or clashing personalities.

Very often in writing, especially in fanfiction, authors have a bad tendency to not understand or have trouble differentiating between saying something in-character or just having the character be a mouthpiece to what needs to be said. Which in turn breaks the suspension of disbelief that these are real, organic characters. Characters that exist just as well as any average person off the street. The manner in which you write them completely side jumps that.

With that out of the way, lets dive in, shall we?

You handled the slow burn extremely well, in fact it was rather incredible. I think the strongest point, though possibly the oddest to me, was how to handle Maki’s end of the romance. Throughout the first half (or was it 12 chapters? It blurs a bit to me), there was a lot of build up on Nico’s end, making the audience very firmly know her point of view of the dynamic. Yet Maki’s view…. Was, how to put this, rather vague?

Perhaps that was intentional, but it certainly seemed like that we weren’t given a clear understanding of what she thought of Nico until way, way later. At first this was a non-issue, seeing as it was thought/implied that she didn’t have feelings for her and it was a one-sided romance (poor Nico), except once Christmas hit, that all changed. It was weirdly jarring how Maki suddenly went from no clue to “yup, I’ve always had these feelings wheeeeeee”

On the one hand, it seems that Maki wasn’t thinking about it up until then because she was flying by the seat of her pants once school started, yet I can’t help but think back to when they are in Nico’s apartment, in the first chapter, eating cake. That is when Maki is not quite stressed, yet it’s not even something she brings up, when its later implied she thinks heavily on it.

Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, except your story relies heavily on introspection. In some ways, that might be an even bigger selling point then the interactions between the main characters; it is enlightening and amazing, and does exposition dumping far better and less jarring then any other way, especially since Maki is more of a introvert by her nature. Yet, by this very fact, the very fact that it isn’t brought up in introspection early one is a weird one, especially in hindsight.

This segue ways into the next thing I noticed; the way the introspection messes with the pacing.

Now that might be subjective on my end, but during the whole course of this, you’d have bits of dialogue with huge chunks of introspection. There was a tendency on my end to keep skipping the introspection to find the next dialogue, which resulted in a lot of rereading something.

The other issue I ran into during the pacing was how much it jumped around. One moment we’d be going through a very long scene and then line break, and it skims through the next several weeks. To a degree, I understand brevity is the soul of wit, but at the same time, it was beyond frustrating when this happened at several points of the story. If you want, I can go back and find though I think it’s a lost cause at this point, given that having already read it, my eagerness to jump ahead is sated haha.

Other pacing issues; this was a big one for me, but sometimes you’d have very important things happen… and then format in such a way that it didn’t pop out immediately. Again, possibly personal preference for me, but when Maki’s dad calls before the birthday, its like a sentence in the middle of the paragraph, and I swear I missed it twice before I could figure out why Maki was freaking out. This happened a few times, where a important thing that should, by all rights, have its own line, being jammed into the middle of a paragraph.

Another one of the strongest points of the story was honestly how you handled Maki and Nico’s ship sailing.

While I might have railed on it a bit, I certainly enjoyed it when it wasn’t some awkward confession, or having to watch Maki’s feelings develop and effectively watching the story drag, but instead by revealing she has always had them… that made it good. Like really good. Like A+++++ give yourself a cookie, go to start and collection a thousand dollars kind of good.

Swinging back around to the interactions, between Maki and Nico, there are some of their exchanges which made me burst out with ugly laughter. Like holy shit dude, good shiiiit. Personal favourites are of course, the time when Maki attempts to make breakfast and drops it and Nico just deadpans “well, I’m sure the floor appreciates the meal.” Another, which while its not quite nicomaki, it is related, is Nico’s realization that she has indeed left Maki home. Alone. And her kitchen might not be standing when she gets back.

There are a lot of interactions that you wrote, that I just flat out found hilarious, okay? :P

Skipping back to critiques, I think there was one moment that stuck with me… not because it was amazing but because it was ultimately one of the most unsatisfying in it. The moment where Maki goes “they know.” It’s quite obviously cliffhanger material, but nothing is quite as much a punch in the gut as getting to the next chapter and realizing that the worry that Nico has is essentially worthless (not completely, but you get what I mean). It’s akin to seeing an episode of something and ending with major developments… only for It to get regened as a dream at the beginning of next episode. Maybe I’m being a bit overly harsh but that’s what it felt like to me.

Wow, okay, I’m at 1400 words. That’s, um, huh. More then I’ve done in a long while.

Moving on…

As a story, and from my own personal experience of trying to write semi-realistic slowburn, there is something that I have to say I’m most envious of and that is the way that you created drama within the story.

For instance, the way Maki’s father is set up.

For all intents and purposes, he is the primary antagonist, or as close as we get to one. He is the one that Maki is the most concerned with, the one that continually gives Maki stress like you wouldn’t believe, the one who basically drives her to the point of several mental breakdowns and a panic attack or two. Yet for all of this, outside of the final chapter, I don’t think he says more then maybe… 10 or 15 lines? Rather it’s the looming possibility that makes him such a negative force. Realistically, he can’t do all that much to harm Maki. I mean, he COULD, but I feel like that’d be a whole another type of story.

In that way, this story is very much about Maki failing to meet her father’s expectations. Its not something grandiose like saving the world or the school, nor is it about her father blowing up. Rather its infinitely a much smaller and larger thing. Perhaps the glory of it all is that he doesn’t need to be. In fact there is real no conflict besides what Maki sets up for herself. No external forces conspiring against them, just what Maki thinks would make her father happy.

To be perfectly honest, the moment Nico rang the doorbell, I was so into the story that I could feel Maki’s anxiety, my heart was just about to pound out of my chest.

I think, at it’s core, Love Novels’ theme is about choice.

While I would call Nico and Maki the main characters, I would argue heavily that Nico isn’t the main, main character. She effectively is the same person as she was at the beginning. The only character who experiences real character growth is, of course, Maki. She goes from being a caged bird to a freed one.

To an extent.

I have to believe that this story is not over by a long shot(not just because part two is up to 3 chapters, of which I’ve read a bit of the first… thought I should this first tho).

Namely I’m wondering if Maki is actually going to finish her medical degree.

A reoccurring theme that occurs throughout this story is that of choice, and Nico brings up multiple times that Maki isn’t truly happy being a doctor, but instead hints at how she is happier being behind the piano, or being an idol. Which makes me think if she might change majors or drop out completely? Much like it was stated above, given her father isn’t abusive nor is the one with money and her mother actually gives a damn, she isn’t going to lose her inheritance at this point (though I do wonder if she will buy the café Nico works at just to make sure she doesn’t have to work ever again and lazes about in bed all day…)

At this point I’m getting speculative because I’m wanting to lock my speculations in a time capsule before starting part 2, so just a warning about that and what not…

Another thing I’ve noticed, and it still stumps me is the way the first chapter starts. The tone feels off. Like something much greater is about happen that day, when all conventional story telling wisdom would make it be the happy times before the bad, not Maki getting a sense of foreboding doom.

I have two great hopes for the next part. Maybe three, but the third is super long term.

First, I’m hoping that its something that focuses more on Nico’s development instead of Maki. I say this because as a character, Nico has literally no reason I can think of to block her from doing her dreams of being a professional idol. She doesn’t have to pay for the kids’ college, and Maki can pay her share of rent/food money. Going along with the theme of choice, it would be Nico’s turn to deal with that, albeit with some help from her ever so supportive girlfriend/soulmate/princess ;)

Another would be to see Maki’s continued development, i.e. seeing her continue her choice to do something she is passionate about not something that was pre-chosen for her at birth.

My final curiosity is less about the characters and more about the ship. Namely what you will do with a relationship in the long term. As of now, they are currently in their honey moon phase, and like all things, as the poem, Ozymandias teaches us, nothing is eternal. The good times won’t be around forever, or if they do this might get stale really quick.

I’m actually personally quite excited that you are continuing this on past the getting together stage. I’m very, VERY interested in the long term. How the stress of a first relationship would get to them, or how they would just do the wrong thing. Really anything like that. I want to see them screw up, and take a break, or get angry and yell at each other. Something that breaks their bond so it can be remolded. Speaking of which…

This might be a personal gripe, but while I can accept that they could all (Muse) of them be other than straight (quite easily, actually), I’m curious to why you had them all pair up (besides honoka)?

Buh, I think I may have missed a few things, but I’ve gone over triple the character limit that Ao3 allows so I think I should post this. I might update it later, however.

Like I said before, this was awesome! You should feel proud ^_^

Cheers!

#love live #review #maki nishikino #nico yazawa #love novels

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