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dracothedeatheatingcupcake-ao3 · 2 years

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Chapter 3 The Ultimate (Fake) Boyfriend

Hi guys!! Ahhh, my assessment of "I will post one chapter a day!!!" really went out the window, didn't it???? I'm sorry! I actually was editing this chapter and the next, and they, uh... needed quite a bit. Next chapter mostly. I was hoping that my edits would get me over my writer's block so I could at least finish chapter 4, but, uh... seems unlikely, oof. I've just not been in a writing mood recently, and while I still really like Danganronpa, I've been more into Danganronpa 2, ha. But I figured that since I wasn't posting for TPWM today, I might as well post the third chapter of this for those who were interested. ^-^

This chapter introduces more OC's, which I apologize for. That was one of my biggest challenges with this fic: so many different OC's. And I don't mind writing OC characters, but with so many, it gets a bit confusing as to who is who. If I were to ever finish and publish this story, I would post my list with everyone's names and info separately, so people could refer back to it from time to time if they got confused, especially in later chapters. I think it should be fine here, since not everyone is around.

Anyway! I hope y'all like this chapter. I had to edit it a lot from the original draft, and it is part of the reason I stopped writing this fic, but I've edited it enough that I'm happy with it now, I think. ^-^

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

By the time the car turns into a long driveway— the hour-long drive finally over— Mondo has managed to mostly stuff all of the roiling emotions down. They kept trying to crop up, over and over, but each time Mondo determinedly beat them back until they stayed nice and neat inside his little box. In fact, as they roll to a stop before the largest fucking house Mondo has ever seen, he’s actually feeling pretty good. Yeah, he’s gonna be a goddamn fish outta water, so painfully outta place it ain’t fucking funny, but hey. At least he has Taka. And as long as he has Taka, Mondo’s pretty sure he could walk through Hell and back and be perfectly fine.

“Alright, boys, we’re here! Taka, if you wouldn’t mind, would you please go help your father get our things out of the trunk? Don’t bring them up to our usual room just yet, though. Auntie Hana decided to change up our typical bedroom arrangements yet again, so she’ll be directing us once we get inside. Mondo-san, as our guest you don’t need to do anything, but if you’d like you can help Taka and my husband with the bags,” Kiyoshi says brightly, shooting them a smile through the rearview mirror. Mondo carefully looks away from her overly fond look, not wanting to deal with that bullshit again, and shrugs casually.

“Sure, I don’t mind helping. Come on, Taka. Let’s get going,” Mondo states, shooting Taka a lazy grin, honestly glad to be done with the fucking car ride. Don’t get him wrong, he doesn’t hate cars, it’s just… hogs are so much better it’s not even a contest. Why waste time in a cramped, enclosed space when you can be flying free down the road, wind in your goddamn hair? Mondo doesn’t know, truly.

As he looks over at Taka, however, he feels a spike of concern hit him, causing all other thoughts to vanish. Taking in the familiar face, he can see that Taka looks too fucking pale, his skin almost ashen, and his eyes are wide and full of anxiety. His breath is also shallow, and the grip the teen has on his hand is so fucking tight, now that Mondo thinks about it. It makes his chest hurt to see it, and he can’t stop the way he shifts closer to Taka in the back seat, ignoring the adults who are talking to each other while getting out. They don’t fucking matter, not right now.

“Hey, Kiyo. You… y-ya doin’ okay, man?” he mutters softly, his words meant for Taka and Taka alone. He sees the hall monitor bite his lip, his eyes darting briefly to his parents before darting back.

“I… a-ah. D-do not worry about me, k-kareshi. I will be fine. Just… n-nervous. I’ve never had a guest over for the family gathering before and I just… I fear that something will go wrong. Terribly wrong,” Taka replies back after a moment, voice soft and unhappy. Mondo’s heart clenches, hating seeing Taka like this. Humming softly, he squeezes the teen’s hand tightly, hoping he can provide even a little comfort.

“Yeah, I uh… I get what ya mean, Kiyo. But like I keep tellin’ ya, y’ain’t gotta worry man. ‘Course, I can’t guarantee that things won’t go wrong. I can’t exactly see the future, ya know. But the one thing I do know, without a shadow of a fu- uh. Fricken doubt is that no matter what happens, we’ll always have each other. Ain’t nothin’ gonna change that, Kiyo. Absolutely nothin’. So… uh. Yeah. There’s that.”

Taka’s eyes begin to water again at his statement, the hall monitor sniffling as he gives him a shaky— and yet still extremely grateful— smile.

“I… y-yes. Y-yes you… you’re right! We… w-we will always have one another! N-no matter what!” Taka does his best to exclaim, though Mondo can hear how his voice wavers. But that’s okay. Baby steps.

“Hell yeah, that’s the spirit, ky-kareshi! Now, c’mon man. Let’s go get the bags now, okay? We, uh… we can talk more later,” he mutters with a significant look. Taka nods slowly, and Mondo thinks the teen understands his meaning that they can talk about this fucking con job when they’re alone later. If they get a chance to be alone later. Which he so fucking hopes they do, god fucking damn…

He gets pulled from his musing when he feels Taka pull on his hand, causing him to instinctively tighten the hold. Taka laughs weakly when Mondo tilts his head in confusion at him, the teen looking at their hands pointedly.

“Ah, kareshi. I cannot exactly get out of the car to help father with our bags if you do not let go of my hand,” Taka says with a small smile, his eyes softer than they had been. And while Mondo feels a little (okay, a lot) embarrassed that he’s still fucking holding Taka’s hand, he can’t find it in him to mind too much. Not when Taka finally looks at least somewhat closer to normal. Whatever ‘normal’ is for the uptight and high strung hall monitor.

With a muffled curse, Mondo lets go of the pleasantly warm and surprisingly soft hand, smiling sheepishly. Taka must moisturize, Mondo thinks absently as he watches the teen give him one final bright smile, before finally exiting the car. Mondo then promptly shakes the thought out of his head, knowing how fucking stupid it is, and quickly follows after his kyoudai.

Outside the car, Mondo can’t help but let his eyes slide over to the old and almost overwhelmingly large house before them, a small frown forming on his lips. He slides his eyes all around it, sizing it up to try and form an opinion on it. It’s… well, it’s nice he guesses, if a little run down. It’s a traditional Japanese style house, with wide windows, cream colored walls, and dark brown wooden accents. The roof is sloping dark tile, with little ornaments scattered around. Mondo can see some signs of wear, like stains and some moss growing on the walls, but overall he must admit it’s very beautiful. And very large. Taka told him earlier this week that it’s been in his family for generations, each generation adding onto the house until it became a large, sprawling masterpiece. Mondo knows that Taka is awfully fond of it, telling many happy memories of his times here as a child, so he’s honestly quite intrigued by this place.

The thing Mondo is most interested in, however, is the small forest he can see peeking out from behind the house. Taka has only told him a little about it, since apparently the teen never spent much time in it as he was always afraid of it as a child, but Mondo is almost itching to head in and explore. A little known fact about him is that he’s always had a fondness for nature and trees, mostly due to the fact that Dai used to take him to a forest near their old apartment whenever their old man was a bit too violent and they needed an escape. They’d spend hours in that forest, walking the trails, exploring the lakes and ponds. They stopped doing that kind of shit once they started their gang, since they never had the time, but Mondo has never forgotten how much he used to love doing that shit with his brother. And hey. Maybe he can somehow convince Taka to brave his fears to head in there with him sometime… shit, wouldn’t that be nice…

Mondo is brought back to the present when he hears the trunk of the car unlatching, his head turning instinctively to face that direction. He watches for a moment as Taka and Takaaki begin removing the various bags and suitcases, before ambling over. Might as well help out, he figures, since it’s not like he has anything better to do.

As he walks up he can see that Taka is struggling to remove his own bag, though the teen takes a quick break to look up at him and smile.

“Ah, hello kareshi! You can feel free to look around if you’d like! Father and I can handle this!” Taka declares, before promptly turning back to continue trying (and failing) to wrestle the unwieldy suitcase out of the pitifully small trunk. With a smirk, Mondo reaches around his friend and grabs the suitcase with one hand, privately relishing in Taka’s squawk of indignation. He has to fight to keep his smirk on his face when he goes to lift the suitcase and almost throws out his shoulder, it’s so fucking heavy. Not too heavy for him, of course, he can lift upwards of 100 kilos without breaking a sweat thanks to Nidai’s training, but fuck was he not expecting the bag to weigh a goddamn ton.

“Jesus Christ, dude, the hell did you put in this thing?” Mondo grunts as he bends his knees to lift the bag, getting it out and on the pavement with only a little struggle. Taka pouts at him for the comment, crossing his arms with a humph. Heh. Adorable.

“I could have handled that perfectly fine on my own, Mondo!” Taka huffs, glaring when Mondo lets out a bark of laughter. Oh, he has no doubt that the teen is correct, since Taka is surprisingly ripped for a nerd, but something about Taka’s indignation just tickles him. It always does. “What?! It’s true! And to answer your question, kareshi, I have all of my essential items! My uniforms, my personal hygiene items, my summer work… and, of course, all of our school textbooks for this year, as well as our textbooks from last year, just in case they are needed for any of the summer problems! And some books I checked out from the library to cross reference if needed! Like I said, the essentials!”

Mondo laughs loudly at the earnest declaration, knowing that Taka is being one hundred percent serious right now. The teen’s pout grows deeper, and a spark of actual hurt begins to rise in Taka’s eyes, so Mondo lets his eyes soften and his smile turn gentle. He ignores any possible discomfort at allowing his affection to be visibly seen, focusing on making Taka realize he’s not making fun of him. Not at all. Not ever.

“Only you, Kiyo. Only you,” he mutters fondly, looking Taka deep in the eyes. The look lingers for a long moment, Taka’s face going slack and his eyes going wide with shock, and fuck does Mondo like it. So fucking much…

He eventually looks away when the moment stretches on a bit too long for his liking, grabbing his duffel from the trunk as casually as he can manage. He then promptly stiffens when he sees Takaaki standing beside the car, once again looking like he’d just been force-fed a lemon. As soon as the man notices his gaze, however, his face smooths into an expressionless mask, leaving Mondo to wonder which is worse, exactly…

“If you two are done, we should head into the house now. Bring your bags with you,” Takaaki says shortly, words clipped. He then turns on his heel and stiffly marches to the house without a word more, his own bag over his shoulder. Mondo darts a glance to Taka, who’s face is light pink with embarrassment. Mondo doesn’t blame him, since he doubts his face is much different.

“A-ah, I… forgot he was there,” Taka mumbles awkwardly, shooting him a glance. Mondo grimaces in return, raising his hand to rub his neck. Yeah, he, uh… he did too, honestly. He opens his mouth to say this but before he can reply, Taka snaps out of his embarrassment and looks towards the house, grabbing the handle of his suitcase in his hand. “Well! Regardless, we should do as he said! It wouldn’t do to keep everyone waiting needlessly!”

Seeing as he has no objection to that, Mondo nods and follows after the hall monitor, giving Kiyoshi a slightly awkward smile as they approach the woman, who is standing at the foot of the house. She smiles back, though she doesn’t say anything in return and instead just begins heading up the front steps with Takaaki beside her. Mondo allows himself one second to breathe deeply and stuff back down the anxiety that keeps trying to crop up, before he follows Taka up the stairs.

He then smirks as he sees the hall monitor struggle getting his suitcase over the first step, snickering as he leans down to pick up the heavy ass thing to carry it up the stairs for the teen. He can see Taka glaring at him from the corner of his eye, but he doesn’t really care. Taka can pout all he wants; Mondo will always help the dude out when it’s easily in his ability to do such a thing. That’s just what a good bro does.

By the time Mondo has managed to get the heavy ass suitcase to the main deck, Kiyoshi has already knocked on the heavy wood door, her smile bright as she holds her husband’s arm, looking like a kid on fucking Christmas. He can feel his anxiety try to crop back up, his heart beginning to race with it, and he promptly shoves it back the fuck down. Again. Stupid ass anxiety. He doesn’t fucking need to deal with that shit on top of everything, thanks.

Unfortunately, he can’t quite make it go away fully, though fuck does he try. To his displeasure, it just gets worse a moment later when he hears the latch of the lock click, his throat running dry as he realizes that this is fucking it. He knows that not everyone will be there immediately, since the arrivals will be scattered throughout this day and the next, but still. He’s gonna at least be meeting his kyoudai’s fucking grandma and great aunt, two people he knows are so fucking important to his kyoudai. If they don’t like him, then… then… s-shit…

It’s as the door is opening slowly— so slow that Mondo wonders if the world has been put into slow motion, Jesus— that he feels a now familiar warmth brush his. He doesn’t even think as he grabs the hand with his own, twining their fingers immediately. He can feel Taka squeeze his hand comfortingly, and to his surprise it… it fucking helps. A lot. He can feel his anxiety fade, and while he’s still a little nervous, it ain’t as bad. Not when he’s reminded that no matter what, he still has Taka. That— luck permitting— he’ll always have Taka. And that? Is all that fucking matters.

And so, even when the door finally opens fully and he can see a lined, elderly face jutting out, familiar red eyes sharp and shrewd as they stare out at them, Mondo can’t quite feel the anxiety that tries to take hold inside him. Yes, he knows it’s still there, but it’s not quite as bad. Especially not when he feels Taka squeeze his hand again, as tight as humanly possible. It honestly kind of hurts, but Mondo doesn’t care. He just… he doesn’t care.

“Mama!” Kiyoshi cries suddenly, her voice bright and happy. She then flings herself forward, her arms wrapping around the elderly lady standing in the doorway, warm and loving.

Ah, Mondo thinks, looking between the two ladies. So, that’s Taka’s grandma, huh? He honestly doesn’t know how to feel about that. From what Taka has told him, his grandma is warm and loving to her family, but can be overly harsh to those she does not approve of. She’s apparently never been particularly fond of Takaaki, doubly so after the scandal, which has added a lot of tension in the family. If he doesn’t earn her approval… well. Shit. While he may not actually be dating Taka, part of him does kinda hope that his family will still like him. After all, he does really wanna be in Taka’s life for the rest of his, even if it’s just in a platonic light. It would be awkward as fuck if his family hated him all that time.

“Kiyoshi, my daughter… it is so, so good to see you. It has been far too long,” Taka’s grandma, Kichi, says, her voice stronger than Mondo would have expected. She looks like a typical Japanese grandmother; her hair is pure white, her face is full of lines and age spots, and Mondo can see a cane held in her right hand even as she holds her daughter. But her voice is strong and sturdy, belying her age.

“I know, mama. I wish I could visit more often. I’ve missed you,” Kiyoshi mumbles into her ma’s shoulder, and Mondo shuffles, feeling a bit awkward watching the scene. He always feels awkward when around loving families, since he never knows what the fuck to do. It also hurts, but that goes without fucking saying.

Thankfully, the embrace ends soon enough, Kichi pulling back from the hug and giving her daughter a small but happy smile. Her eyes dart away from her daughter then, her face hardening as they land on something. To Mondo’s surprise, it’s not him she’s looking at with such distaste like he would have thought. Huh.

“Yes, well. That’s not exactly your fault, now is it Kiyo?” Kichi intones, her lips turned downward in a slight sneer as she looks at Takaaki, the man looking the most uncomfortable Mondo has ever seen him. And honestly, Mondo doesn’t blame the man. He’s only been around her for less than a minute and he can already tell that Kichi is not the kind of lady you want to be on the bad side of.

“Yes. It’s good to see you too, mother,” Takaaki replies stiffly, bowing lowly in respect. If he was hoping to get the lady to soften her death glare, he fails miserably, as her look gets somehow even more pinched. Well. This ain’t at all awkward…

“Mama. We’ve talked about this. Please don’t bring this up yet again. This is a time for family, not arguments. And besides. We have a guest today,” Kiyoshi stresses, darting her eyes over to Mondo conspicuously. Oh, fuck, why the hell did she have to go and do that for… oh, shit, now Kichi is looking over at him too, her eyes narrowing even more as she looks him up and down, her lips pulling down in a harsh frown, and Mondo has no hope that whatever she sees in him she likes. He can feel his heart rise to his throat and not even Taka’s reassuring squeeze to his hand can force it back down. Sh… shit. God fucking dammit…

Trying desperately to remember all of the shit Daiya taught him about being ‘polite’ when he was younger (that he never bothers to fucking use, because who the fuck expects a goddamn biker to be fucking polite), Mondo bows lowly like he saw Takaaki do. Forcing his voice to go as ‘polite’ and ‘respectable’ as possible, he tries to give a greeting that won’t fuck him over before he even has a chance to really begin.

“Hello, Gushiken-san. My name is Mondo Owada. It is very nice to meet you. I have heard many good things about you and it honors me greatly to meet you at last,” Mondo says as clearly and articulately as is physically possible. He’s been practicing all week for this and his heart is pounding as his mouth shuts with a silent click, his body still bent nearly in half in his bow. He has no idea when he should stop bowing or if he’s bending too much or too little or… s-shit, he’s fucking this up ain’t he, he’s already ruined everything, oh god, oh fuck, shit-

“Are you going to remain bent over all day or are you planning on straightening your back at some point?” he hears that deceptively strong voice call, the tone clipped and extremely short. Mondo straightens up immediately, his cheeks pink while embarrassment rises within him. With it he can feel the all too familiar anger, but he stuffs that right the fuck down before it can even rear its ugly head. He ain’t doing that shit, dear fucking god. Talk about ruining shit…

As his eyes land on the lady, his palms begin to sweat, heart pounding at the critical look upon her face as she looks him up and down, up and down. Mondo is still holding Taka’s hand and he can see how Kichi’s eyes linger upon the clasped appendages, her frown deepening. Shit…

“So. You are my Taka’s boyfriend, hm? I see…” Kichi muses, continuing her appraisal seemingly without rush. Mondo fights hard to not fidget or even really move at all as she looks her fill. This isn’t nearly the first time he’s been judged and found lacking, but it is prolly the first time that he wasn’t able to immediately rectify the situation, either by punching whatever fuckers would dare insult him, or else by barking insults at them and storming away without a single glance back. He can’t do either here and the unease inside him grows larger and larger with each second that passes. Shit… he’s always fucking hated being judged by people… like, he knows, he knows, he’s a goddamn piece of shit who ain’t gonna do shit with his life. He gets it. He knows. He doesn’t need fucking judgmental people telling him that…

“Mama,” Kiyoshi interrupts sternly after about five seconds of this, sounding more annoyed than Mondo has ever heard her, “that’s enough. Like I said, Mondo-san is here as a guest, and we should treat him as such. I really do not want any more arguments this year. Please, Mama.”

Kichi gets a pinched look on her face then, giving Mondo one final piercing look, before nodding sharply once and stepping back into the house.

“Fine. Come in, then. Hana will inform you of the infernal changes she has made to the living arrangements. Against my wishes, mind you,” Kichi grumbles, taking her cane and slowly making her way into the body of the house.

Once Kichi is out of their line of sight, Kiyoshi turns to face him, a small, sad smile on her lips.

“Are you alright, Mondo-san? I understand that my mother can be a bit… intense at times. More so now after papa sadly passed a few years ago. If she ever says anything harsh to you, please let me know and I will have a talk with her. You are our guest and— more importantly— you are Taka’s love. I wish for you to feel welcome here.”

The lump reforms in his throat, and he harshly pushes it down as he smiles and shrugs as casually as he can.

“Oh, uh… don’t worry about me, uh… Kiyoshi-san. I can handle things like that. Not like it’s the first time,” Mondo mumbles, his cheeks turning pink. He forces himself to not look at the ground, knowing that would show weakness that he absolutely cannot afford. Unfortunately, looking at Kiyoshi allows him to see the sympathetic look that forms on the lady’s face, which is almost worse.

“Ah, Mondo-san… well, you should not have to worry about such a thing here, and if you ever feel unwelcome for any reason, please come to me and I will handle it promptly. You are family, Mondo-san. And you are a good person. The things you may or may not have done in the past do not matter in the face of that,” she says softly, earnestly, so much like Taka it’s not funny. His chest aches so fucking bad in that moment, his hand clutching Taka’s tighter than he knows he should, but the hall monitor doesn’t complain. He just holds tightly back, looking at him in a way Mondo both dislikes and likes for vastly different reasons.

Fortunately, he’s not expected to respond, since Kiyoshi turns back to the door and begins entering the house after a moment. “Anyway, we should head inside now. Come when you both are ready.”

She and Takaaki enter the house then, though Takaaki looks just about as uncomfortable as Mondo feels. And Mondo definitely doesn’t blame the dude. Taka’s grandma sure is… shit. Daiya always told him not to speak bad about little old ladies, but man…

“Are you doing alright, Mondo? I- I know you just answered that, but I… I just wanted to make sure,” Taka murmurs to him as soon as his parents are out of sight, his thumb rubbing a soothing circle on the back of his hand. Mondo gives the teen a tight smile, shrugging yet again.

“Shit, man, I… I dunno. Ain’t exactly like I’m used ta shit like this. Give me a fuckin’ all out brawl an’ I’ll be just fine. Little ol’ ladies who hate me based on looks alone? Shit… but whatever, man. Already promised ya I’d do this shit, an’ I ain’t backin’ out now. I’ll handle it. An’ ya know, ya don’t hafta keep askin’ if I’m okay. Shit’s gonna get old fast. I… shit. How ‘bout this. I promise that if I ever am not doin’ okay, I’ll tell ya as soon as fuckin’ possible. Okay?” Mondo mumbles in reply, eyes intent on his kyoudai. Taka stares back for a handful of moments, before looking away with a firm nod.

“I… of course, kyoudai. I would hate to bother you, so if you do not want me asking, I promise I will not! And I will trust that you will tell me if it ever becomes too much! And I… I promise I will do the same! Just… know that I am here for you, my friend. And that I personally think you are amazing. Very much so!”

Mondo lets out a small laugh at Taka’s enthusiastic words, his smile turning genuine at the teen’s seemingly endless passion. He gives Taka one last squeeze of the hand before letting go, feeling a touch reluctant, but he knows he has to. Hoisting his duffel up his shoulder, he nods to Taka to indicate that the hall monitor should go ahead of him. Taka nods back enthusiastically and takes the handle of his suitcase, pulling it along behind him as they enter the house together. Mondo can still feel the unease inside of him, but it’s not that hard to push it down.

Mondo follows Taka through the large and spacious entrance hall, taking his shoes off and placing them in the wooden box by the door like Taka does. It takes Taka a lot longer than Mondo, considering the teen wears the most ridiculously complicated boots Mondo has ever seen, but he doesn’t mind. Taka always takes stupidly long to do shit and Mondo has learned how to be patient for that kinda shit by now. It used to annoy him to no end, but now he finds it almost comforting. It just shows that Taka will always, inevitably, be Taka. And there’s no one in this world that Mondo would ever want his kyoudai to be.

After Taka is finally done, Mondo follows the hall monitor down a few spacious hallways— passed some rooms that Mondo looks into curiously but doesn’t focus on too much— until they reach a doorway to a room that has the sound of many voices echoing out. Mondo pauses briefly when he sees Taka slip inside, heart skipping a beat despite himself, but he mentally slaps himself and forces himself onward. Daiya didn’t raise no little bitch, he tells himself harshly. He can handle this shit. It’s fucking fine.

He firmly ignores the pounding of his heart as he walks into the room, which he is somewhat relieved to find is not as full as he would have expected, only maybe seven or eight people— including Taka’s parents and grandma— either standing or sitting around. But he knows for a fact that this ain’t everyone and sooner or later, he’ll have to deal with the entire brood. Fuck…

“Taka! Oh my god, it’s so good to see you again little Cuz!” a random, feminine sounding voice bursts out, breaking the momentary silence that had descended around the room. Mondo then watches as a chick— prolly in her early twenties, he guesses, based on the brief glimpse he gets of her face— throws herself at his kyoudai, her arms wrapping around him immediately. Mondo smirks when he sees Taka’s eyes widen, his hands hovering awkwardly before they hesitantly pat the chick’s back. Ha. Taka’s always been so fucking awkward with hugs. It’s so fucking cute. It took Mondo months to get Taka use to the occasional hug from him, and fuck, is he proud that Taka is comfortable being hugged and touched by him now.

“A-ah! H-hello, Yoshi! It’s good to see you too, cousin!” Taka stammers out awkwardly, though his voice sounds genuine. And with the name, Mondo is able to realize who this chick is. One of Taka’s second cousins, the one who has the new baby. Taka had mentioned that they are fairly close, which Mondo supposes explains the hug.

Yoshi pulls back from the hug pretty quick, though her smile is wide as she looks up at Taka, seeming to be genuinely happy to see his kyoudai. And Taka looks at her similarly, which makes Mondo smile too. Fuck, but he likes seeing Taka happy… the dude’s not happy often enough, in Mondo’s mind.

“You’ve grown so much, Cuz! Ugh, you’re making me feel so old! I still remember holding you as a little baby, you screaming your little head off as soon as Auntie Kiyo let you go. Now look at us. You’re a big shot Ultimate Moral Compass at Hope’s freaking Peak, and I have two little kids, a husband, and a gosh darn career. When did we get so old, Cuz?” Yoshi bemoans, shaking her head sadly as she pouts at Taka. In return, Taka lets out a peal of laughter, his eyes crinkling like they always do when he laughs. It makes Mondo’s smile widen, adoring the laugh like he always does. What, it’s not weird, alright?! A dude can like his bro’s laugh! Nothing strange about it…

“Ah! I would assume sometime between the last seventeen and twenty-five years!” Taka exclaims, his eyes lighting up as he says his little ‘joke,’ darting a glance at Mondo. Who, of course, immediately snorts with laughter, his eyes soft as he grins back at Taka, the hall monitor looking so fucking proud of himself. Mondo notices that no one else laughs, Yoshi even looking a little confused, but he doesn’t care. Taka’s fucking hysterical when he jokes around, as earnest and enthusiastic as he always is, even if the joke itself doesn’t make much sense. The fact that no one else thinks so is what baffles Mondo.

“Nice one, man,” Mondo can’t help but say, heart light as Taka grins at him, looking so utterly adorable, good god. To his displeasure, Mondo gets distracted from tracing Taka’s features when he hears someone gasp loudly, before footsteps sound. Footsteps that appear to be approaching him, shit.

Immediately on alert, Mondo turns to face the noise, back stiff and straight, only to blink in confusion when he sees a wide eyed chick staring straight at him. Blinking, he lets his eyes trace her features, frowning slightly. Her face is small and rounded, her nose and lips equally small, but her eyes— which are a deep, mahogany brown— are large as they stare at him unblinking. It’s… actually kinda creepy, honestly… uh…

“Okay, as touching as this little reunion is— and as happy as I am to see you little cousin— I am afraid that this fine specimen has yet to be introduced. Who are you and where exactly have you been all my life???” the chick exclaims, fluttering her eyelashes at him in a way he thinks is supposed to be alluring, but just looks kind of silly to him.

“Uh…” Mondo says intelligently, blinking in shock at the forwardness of the chick. He doesn’t get a chance to say anything more before the chick is ‘causally’ leaning forward, her hand ‘accidentally’ brushing his bicep and squeezing. Okay, ya know what…

“My name is Miki Sano, but you can call me the girl of your dreams if you’d like,” the chick continues, her smile decidedly flirty. Mondo distantly recognizes the name as one Taka had told him, realizing that this chick is the perpetually single younger sister of Yoshi, but that doesn’t help him at all. He still feels absolutely floored, having no idea what the fuck to do. This isn’t exactly a situation he’s ever found himself in, really. And it’s not like he’s never been hit on before, right? He has once or twice. It’s just that usually the chicks aren’t this forward, since most chicks are scared off by his typical get up, and the ones who approach tend to be put off by his blunt demeanor. He guesses it’s a little flattering, but mostly it’s just awkward…

Thankfully, before he has to try and think of something intelligible to say, Taka is there, frowning as he stares at the hand still clinging to Mondo’s bicep. Oh, thank fuck…

“A-ah, Miki! I, er… I- I ask you to please refrain from doing that!” Taka exclaims, though his voice is a bit too hesitant to have any real effect. Case in point, Miki just raises an eyebrow at him, head tilted curiously. Her hand is still clutching his arm, though, and Mondo has to fight not to shake her off, not comfortable with the touch at all. He’s never liked people touching him without permission and this is no exception. Shit, but if he weren’t trying to impress Taka’s family…

“Oh? And why not, little cousin? I don’t see why I shouldn’t. Unless… oh, wait… he isn’t taken is he?”

Taka bites his lip harshly at the somewhat downtrodden question, eyes darting between him and Miki. After a second, Taka nods, though he doesn’t look very certain. Ah… shit… he truly hopes Taka isn’t about to blow their cover before they even really begin, goddamn…

“Ah, well… w-well… y-yes! He- he is, um, taken, so to speak! F-for you see, he is, um… I mean, that is to say, he is my… m-my- um… uh…”

“I’m Taka’s boyfriend,” Mondo interrupts when it becomes clear that Taka cannot continue, the teen’s face bright red and looking painfully uncertain and uncomfortable. He shoots Taka a glance that he intends to mean ‘calm the fuck down, dude, just act natural,’ but he doesn’t know how well Taka understands it. If anything, Taka looks more freaked out now, not less. Aw, shit…

The effect of his words on the room is instantaneous though, as a collective gasp is heard all around. He knows that everyone in Taka’s family knows he’s gay after he came out during winter, the word spreading quickly between those who had not been around during his initial announcement. He guesses based on this reaction that only a select few were told that Taka would be bringing his ‘boyfriend’ with him for the gathering. Well, shit. That’s fucking awkward.

“You’re what?!” Miki bursts out after a moment of shocked silence, sounding absolutely floored. “I’m sorry, are you telling me that Taka— nerdy, dorky little Taka— somehow managed to score a hunk like you?! And I can’t even manage to score a fricken date with anyone?! What the hell!”

Offense rises within Mondo at the words, his eyes narrowing as he glares at the chick. Because… okay, what the fuck is that supposed to mean, huh?!

“Hey! The hell ya mean by that?!” Mondo growls lowly, unable to keep it in. He watches as Miki’s eyes widen, the chick finally letting go of his arm to take a step back. While part of him feels a bit bad for scaring the chick, most of him feels fucking relieved that at least he doesn’t have to put up with that bullshit anymore.

“N-nothing!” Miki stammers, eyes darting between him and Taka. “Just… it’s Taka… you know? Mom told us he came out over winter— which I fully support by the way! Go gay rights!!— but, uh… I mean, I never would have thought he’d, you know… actually get a boyfriend… I mean, mostly because he always said he wasn’t interested in dating, so… y-yeah.”

Mondo’s shoulders relax a little at the comment, realizing that she’s kind of right, even if he still doesn’t quite like the way she said that shit. But honestly… he can kinda get it. He would also be shocked if he heard Taka got a boyfriend after all the insisting he’s done about how he’s uninterested in things like that. Not that it’d surprise him that someone would fall for his highly lovable and endearing kyoudai, definitely not! He’d be more surprised if anyone didn’t immediately fall for the dude, to tell the truth. Just… it’s more that he wouldn’t think Taka would want that sort of thing. Which the dude clearly doesn’t. Which is why he’s fucking here in the first place. Not that anyone else knows that, but still…

“As fascinating as this interaction is, I believe we have more important things to deal with at the moment. Such as, perhaps, introductions,” a wry, aged voice calls out suddenly, cutting through the somewhat tense silence that has arisen in the room. Mondo’s head instinctively turns to face the foreign voice, his back stiffening immediately. Because standing by the entrance of the room, at least a good forty centimeters shorter than himself, stands someone who Mondo can only assume is Taka’s infamous Great Aunt Hana, her eyes shrewd as they stare at him. She looks similar to her sister, with piercing red eyes that seem to stare deep into his soul, though she seems less disapproving and more… curious. Maybe. Or maybe he’s just seeing what he wants to see, really…

“I think Auntie Hana is right,” Yoshi calls, looking sternly at her younger sister, “introductions are what are more important right now. But, for the record, I have no problem believing that little Taka has a boyfriend. He’s a wonderful person and anyone who can’t see that must be blind.”

Mondo grins at the words, nodding his head firmly in agreement. Hell yeah, that’s right! That’s the kinda shit he’d been saying for months! Damn, he thinks he and this Yoshi chick are gonna get alone just fine, heh… he can see Taka’s bright red face when he turns to look at the dude and while he had intended on looking only briefly, he can’t quite seem to tear his eyes away…

“Anyway! My name is Yoshi Winters, I am one of Taka’s many cousins. It is a pleasure to meet you, Taka’s boyfriend,” Yoshi continues after a second, her eyes shining mischievously as they look at him. Mondo’s face heats up when he catches the look after finally tearing his eyes away from his kyoudai, feeling oddly nervous about something. Whatever, it don’t matter… “My husband, Alex, is currently upstairs with our two children, who are sleeping after the long car ride. I’m sure they’ll be up soon enough, eager to meet new people. Just a warning; my eldest— Samantha— is very much a talker and if she gets you in her sights, you will be subjected to an hour long rambling conversation about subjects only she understands.”

“Sounds like a conversation with Taka,” Mondo mumbles under his breath, smirking as he looks up at the teen next to him. He makes sure to keep his eyes and smirk soft to ensure the dude doesn’t think he’s making fun of him, since he most definitely isn’t. At all. He can see Taka’s pout and glare, but he can also see a softness in return in his eyes, so he thinks Taka understands that he doesn’t mean it in a bad way. Not at all.

Yoshi must have heard his comment since she’s smirking as well, her eyes lit up with that mischievous light again. She doesn’t comment on it and instead just continues to look at him, her head tilted pointedly in his direction. Ah… fuck. It’s his turn to introduce himself, ain’t it…? Fuck.

Straightening his back as much as he can, he looks around the room and smiles as nicely as is possible. Which he knows isn’t that great, his smile has always looked a bit awkward, but whatever, he can’t fix that shit now.

“It’s nice to meet you, Yoshi, and I am honored to have been invited to this family gathering,” Mondo says the practiced words carefully, forcing his voice to be as strong and assured as possible. He knows he could do better, though, shit… “My name is… uh. My name is Mondo Owada. Taka and I go to school together. It’s good to meet you all.”

As soon as his name has left his lips, he can see the effect it has on both Miki and Yoshi. While before they’d been looking at him curiously (and a little sullenly, in Miki’s case), after he says his name, he can see their eyes widen, both chicks gasping softly and taking half a step back. It’s so fucking clear they recognize his name and are now fucking afraid of him, like everyone fucking is. He can feel their eyes as they dart back and forth between him and Taka, and it makes him feel like utter shit.

He does all he can to shove it down, not wanting to ruin shit anymore, but he can’t help the discontent that rises inside of him at the fearful glances. It just gets worse when he hears Taka’s aunt let out a soft hum, the lady looking him up and down curiously, though she doesn’t seem disapproving. Though, again… maybe that’s just wishful fucking thinking…

“Mondo Owada, hm? An interesting name,” Hana muses, causing Mondo’s stomach to clench uneasily. Shit… Hana pauses for a second, letting the moment sit, before continuing, voice a bit brighter than before. Maybe.

“You are well met. My name is Hana Masuda, though you may call me Auntie Hana if you would like. Most people do. This is my husband, Akiro Masuda,” Hana gestures to a silent man Mondo hadn’t noticed before, who is standing to her right. The man bows slightly in greeting, Mondo bowing equally in return. It makes Hana smile, small as it is, and Mondo can only hope he didn’t mess this entire thing up. “So, you are Taka’s boyfriend, then? You are not what I imagined you to be.”

The words cause Mondo to wince despite himself, shoulders bunching up with tension. Because… shit. Yeah, he’s not what he’d imagine Taka’s boyfriend to be like either… heh.

And then…

“Hmph. I’ll say. He looks like a thug.”

Mondo can feel his body tense more than it has all day, his heart beating quick at the all too familiar insult. His wide eyes dart over to the source of the words, his hands clenching when he sees Taka’s grandmother giving him a shrewd, clearly disapproving look. Well. If he was at all wondering whether she actually approved of him or not…

Chest tight and throat thick, Mondo watches dully as Kiyoshi rounds on her mother, eyes full of a silent fury he’s only ever seen his kyoudai have, the glare as impressive as Taka’s always has been. It honestly makes Mondo feel worse. Oh, fuck…

“Mama! How on earth could you say such a thing?! That is not at all true and it is very disrespectful to say something so hurtful towards a guest!” Kiyoshi cries, tone very unhappy. Mondo clenches his hands as tight as he dares, his chest aching like a bitch, though he forces himself not to focus on it. He knew this was going to happen. He knew Taka’s family would never accept him, knew they’d see him as nothing more than a no good, criminal thug. Taka’s old man does, so why wouldn’t the rest of them? It’s not a surprise. It really isn’t.

He wishes it didn’t hurt quite so badly, though…

“Oh? And why exactly shouldn’t I say that daughter? It’s not like what I said is untrue. We all know full well who he is, so why pretend otherwise?”

Taka stiffens up next to him, the dude clearly feeling indignant on Mondo’s behalf, and Mondo wishes he could tell him not to bother. That it’s okay. That Mondo… that Mondo gets it. Yeah, it sucks balls, and he wishes shit was different, but the fact remains that he’s a goddamn piece of shit who’s done some horrible things in his life. It’s not other people’s fault when they see that and judge him accordingly. Why Taka sees anything in him at all, Mondo has no clue. He doesn’t deserve it. Christ knows he doesn’t deserve it.

He’s never deserved Taka. Never.

Shit like this is why he never thought of having anything more than this with Taka, though. More than… than what they have. It’s already more than he deserves. Anything more than that, and… shit. Shit. He can’t be thinking this shit.

“Kichi, that is enough. This is not the time for arguments, little sister. It does not do to judge a person on looks alone, as you well know. A person’s character requires more time to be determined,” Hana interjects before anything else can be said, her voice hard and unyielding. Mondo doesn’t even know what to think of it, as twisted as his insides feel. “Now, it has been a long day for all of us. I believe it would be good to allow our guests to retreat to their rooms and freshen up before dinner in an hour. Is that understood?”

Despite himself, Mondo finds his eyes darting up when a thick silence descends around the room, feeling somewhat anxious as he looks over at Hana. He watches as the lady stares steadily at her sister, who is glaring steadily back. After a moment of this staring contest, Kichi grimaces and looks away, annoyance plain on her face.

“Very well, ane. If that is what you think to be best,” Kichi grumbles, every inch the disgruntled granny she is. Mondo would find it amusing that even old ladies bow down to the demands of older siblings, but he’s not really in the mood to find anything amusing, really…

He jolts a second later when he feels a gentle hand touch his shoulder, eyes wide as he looks up into soft, concerned scarlet. They are watery and are bleeding their emotions like always, and it takes Mondo’s breath away, his heart clenching pathetically. He can see a small, shaky smile rise on pale lips in his lower periphery, the eyes he’s still staring into speaking volumes that he can barely understand. He tries his hardest to smile back, but he can feel how shaky and unstable it is. His weakness shames him and he thinks that Taka would be so much better off without him.

But Taka… Taka doesn’t seem to care. Taka just beams at him, his eyes lighting up like a goddamn Christmas tree, and it makes his heart hurt even worse. But it also… it also helps. Seeing Taka smile at him, having him so close, so near… it reminds him once more that no one else fucking matters. That it doesn’t matter if the whole world hates him, just as long as Taka doesn’t. As long as he has Taka… that’s all that fucking matters. He just has to hope that he never angers Taka enough to make the hall monitor hate him again… he honestly doesn’t know if he could handle that. He truly doesn’t.

“Very well then. I shall explain the changes I have made,” Hana asserts after a moment of silence, her sharp eyes darting over to him and Taka briefly, head tilted curiously. Mondo doesn’t really notice it, though. He’s too busy looking at Taka, who looks steadily back. “Kiyoshi, you and your husband will be in your old room like usual. However, I felt that Taka and his boyfriend may wish to have more privacy than sleeping on your bedroom floor, so I cleared out an old closet that I believe should be big enough for them to share if they want it.”

Hana pauses, before addressing him and Taka directly, eyes sharp on them again.

“It’s not much, but it’s the best I have to offer if you two wish for privacy. It’s up to you both if you wish to sleep there or sleep on the floor of your parent’s room.”

Taka looks away from him then— to Mondo’s private displeasure— and gives his aunt a wide-eyed look.

“A-ah! I am certain the closet will be fine, Great Aunt Hana! You have my humblest thanks!” Taka exclaims, bowing slightly. It makes Mondo smile, his shoulders relaxing again as he looks at his kyoudai. He can still feel eyes on him, judging him, but he forces himself not to focus on it. He’s just here to pretend to be Taka’s boyfriend. It doesn’t matter if his family doesn’t like him, it’s not like they’re actually dating. Shit, if anything it’s better if they don’t like him. It means they’ll all prolly be glad when they ‘break up,’ and maybe that relief will make them feel more charitable towards him when they ‘go back’ to being just friends. Silver fucking linings and all that.

Mondo watches dully as Hana smiles at Taka, her eyes soft and fond as she looks at the teen. She nods her head once and begins moving towards the doorway, clearly expecting them to follow her, her gait steady and even.

“Come along, then. I will show you where your living space will be.”

Mondo shares a look with Taka, before shrugging and following after the lady, who he notices doesn’t use a cane like her sister does. As he exits the room, he doesn’t look at anyone and just keeps his eyes firmly ahead of himself, not wavering a centimeter. He knows it’s fucking rude, but at this moment he just doesn’t care. He’s so fucking tired and it’s not even night time yet. He just needs to remove himself from this situation before he quite literally explodes.

Once out of the room, Mondo is able to relax only slightly, glad to no longer be stared at. He knows that he’s not in the clear yet, though, so he doesn’t let himself pause to catch his breath and just continues to follow Hana. They eventually reach a flight of stairs that Hana wordlessly climbs, not even looking back to see if they’re still following. Without a word, Mondo bends down and grabs Taka’s monstrosity of a bag as he begins to climb after the lady, the burn of the weight honestly soothing. He can feel Taka’s eyes on him as they follow, but it’s easier to handle just Taka than everyone else. It always has been.

It’s not long after they reach the top of the staircase that Hana stops outside a plain sliding door, turning to face them at last with a piercing look.

“Here we are, boys. Like I said, it’s not very large but I believe you both will have enough space to at least lie down and sleep, should you chose to stay in here. You can either keep your things on the shelves, or else you can keep them in your parent’s room, Taka,” Hana says, looking steadily at them both. She opens the closet and gestures for them to look inside, which they do after a moment’s pause.

It’s… well, small would be an understatement. He can tell it was originally meant as a fairly large walk in closet, perhaps for storing cleaning supplies. He thinks that it’s roughly a meter long and a little under two meters wide, making it a decently sized closet, but a small ass room. And honestly, Mondo doesn’t know if he’ll even fit inside while lying down, since he’s roughly 187 cm and he can’t imagine the room being much wider than that. If he does fit, he can already tell it will be a tight squeeze, especially with Taka added into the mix. He does notice that there is a sleeping mat placed on the floor that takes up almost the entirety of the space, which he guesses will make sleeping on the ground somewhat softer, but prolly not by much. All in all, it leaves a lot to be desired as sleeping spaces go.

But honestly… it sure as hell ain’t the worst place he’s slept. After their ma died when he was eight, he and Daiya were kinda homeless for a year and had to sleep in some… interesting places while Dai worked on figuring out how to gain custody of him so he wouldn’t be shipped off back to their piece of shit old man. He had never minded, though. Not even when they had to sleep under an overpass in the dead of winter, huddling together for warmth. It wasn’t that bad as long as he had Daiya there with him. And just like then, he thinks that he can handle sleeping on a thin mat in this small ass closet just as long as he can have Taka beside him.

He looks over at Taka and finds that the teen is already looking at him, his lips pulled down in a frown as he cocks his head in silent question. Mondo shrugs in reply, nodding to show that he doesn’t mind sleeping here. Especially if it means they don’t have to sleep on the floor of Taka’s parent’s room, which he shudders to think of. Talk about fucking awkward as shit… Taka lets out a little hum, turning to his aunt with a wide smile and another shallow bow.

“I believe that this will work, Great Aunt Hana! Thank you very much!”

Hana smiles softly back at him, her eyes softening from the intense stare she had been giving them before. She then reaches out and gently pats Taka’s cheek, humming under her breath.

“Good. I am glad. But, before I leave, I must say that it really is good to see you again, my nephew. Words cannot express how much it gladdens me to see that you have finally taken an interest in dating. Seeing you happy, my child, is what I have always wanted the most. If he makes you happy, then that is all that matters in my mind,” Hana murmurs to Taka, eyes on him alone. It makes Mondo a little uncomfortable to see such a private and tender scene, especially one that is kinda about him. Neither participant seems to mind his presence, though, so he just stands there, feeling awkward as fuck…

“A-ah… t-thank you, Great Aunt Hana… that- that means quite a lot to me… a-and yes. He… he does make me happy. Very much so,” Taka replies quietly after a moment, his eyes shiny and his lips pulled up into a gentle smile. Taka looks over at him then, causing Mondo’s heart to begin racing stupidly, mouth going dry. He ignores it like always and just smiles gently back.

“That is wonderful to hear, dear Taka. Now, I shall leave you two alone to get settled in your room. If you find that you dislike it, I’m afraid that the only other available space we have is, as I’ve said, with your parents. You are welcome to sleep there instead, if you prefer. Either way, I shall let you both rest and will see the two of you in an hour for dinner. Farewell.”

With that, Hana retreats down the hall, away from them both. Mondo watches after her for a minute, until he is certain she is out of view. The second he determines that she is, he allows himself to fully let out the breath he’d been holding and relaxes against the wall, his exhaustion hitting him like a ton of bricks.

Fuck, was that tense as shit. Don’t get him wrong, Mondo has faced a shit ton of tense and awkward situations in his life. But that had to be one of the worst, more so considering he was unable to escape it like he usually would. And he just… he hates being forced into awkward, tense situations without knowing what the fuck to do. He always has. It’s one of the reasons why he created his ‘tough guy biker’ persona, honestly. Tough guy bikers don’t have to worry about being judged. Tough guy bikers just beat the shit out of anyone who dares to fucking judge them. In many ways, it’s easier to just be a tough guy biker who doesn’t give a shit about what other people think.

As Mondo relaxes against the wall, he can see Taka staring at him anxiously, the teen shifting awkwardly like he wants to say something. Mondo knows exactly what he wants to say— of course he does, Taka is the easiest book to read on the shelf— and he can feel his shoulders start to bunch up again in anticipation at the stupid as fuck question he knows the teen wants to ask. And when Taka finally opens his mouth…

“Mondo… I was wondering-“

“I’m fuckin’ fine, Taka, god fuckin’ dammit,” Mondo growls, eyes narrowing with annoyance. Shit. He adores his kyoudai, but fuck can he be a broken record at times. He’d hoped his promise would make this shit stop, but apparently not…

He feels even more like shit when Taka reels back, his eyes widening for a second, before narrowing with hurt. It pains Mondo to see his friend look so upset, especially knowing it was his fucking fault, but he just… shit. Maybe he ain’t doing that great with all of this… he wants to be, wants to be able to do this shit no problem, but… fuck…

“I… I- I know that, my kyoudai. That wasn’t what I was going to ask. I remember your promise, after all, and I know you would not go back on that,” Taka mutters, eyes falling to the ground as he fiddles with the hem of his jacket. All of which makes Mondo feel even worse, god fucking dammit… Taka continues before Mondo can try to apologize, the teen looking uncomfortable and unhappy, which guts Mondo completely. “I… I was going to ask if you’d like to get some rest. I don’t know about you, but I am feeling… very tired. And I would like to rest before the rest of my family arrives. If you would rather not, then I can always give you a tour of the house I suppose, once we get our things settled. O-or I- I could show you the forest… I- I know how much you enjoy things like that, kyoudai, so if it will make you happy I will be more than willing to take you and explore the place together, though it truly isn’t that big, I don’t even know if it technically qualifies as a forest, really, and-“

“I think some rest would be fine, man,” Mondo interrupts as gently as he can, knowing that if he doesn’t then Taka will just keep on going for the next hour. Taka jerks his head up to look at him, eyes wide and tight, though they soften when they see that Mondo means what he says. It helps him relax again to see Taka relax, the tension flowing right on out.

With that decided, Mondo moves to close the door carefully, the room a lot more claustrophobic with it shut, but he honestly prefers that to the paranoid idea that Taka’s family is watching him. Moving in sync like they usually do, he and Taka begin putting their things away, no more words needed as a comfortable silence rises between them. Since the space is so small, they don’t have much room for storage, but there are several shelves and drawers that have been cleared for them to put their things in. Mondo keeps his shit in his duffel for efficiency’s sake, while Taka removes his uniforms and begins hanging them up along the back wall where a pole resides. It will end up giving them even less space, but Mondo doesn’t complain, knowing how important his uniforms are to Taka. He just feels glad he was able to convince the dude that he doesn’t need to wear his arm band during the break. Small fucking victory, really.

Once everything is set up to Taka’s liking, Mondo watches as the teen gingerly kneels on the floor, grabbing the blankets they’d found on one of the numerous shelves. Taka then lies on the thin mat, shifting to get comfortable. Mondo blinks in surprise when he sees Taka hesitantly open his arms while looking up at him so fucking shyly, which Mondo knows from experience means that the dude wants to hold Mondo, for once. They don’t do shit like that often, since it embarrasses the hell out of Mondo, but he’s feeling just shitty enough to oblige his kyoudai.

He quickly removes his stupid ass ‘respectable’ get up and changes into something more appropriate for sleeping, which is hard considering how cramped it is. He’s proud to say he only hits his head three times, letting out muffled curses for each. Once that is done, Mondo awkwardly lies down beside Taka, the mat as uncomfortable as he imagined.

There’s a split second of awkwardness now that they’re laying down together, but Mondo quickly moves passed it as he shifts to do what Taka had wordlessly requested. It’s hard considering he barely fits in the space in the first place, but after some careful shifting and maneuvering, Mondo is able to rest his head gently atop Taka’s surprisingly comfortable chest, back to the wall, listening to the teen’s steadily beating heart. He can hear the beat speed up, which in turn causes his own to follow suit, but it’s not bad. He even kind of likes it, even if he has to awkwardly bend his legs to not bump them into the wall.

As he curls his right hand lightly into Taka’s undershirt, he feels Taka hesitantly wrap his arms around him, pulling him slightly closer. Mondo goes easily, burying his face into Taka’s neck and breathing deep. As he’d said, they don’t do shit like this often, have maybe done it a total of three times including now, but… but Mondo kind of likes it. Being the one who is held for once. Don’t get him wrong, it makes him feels weak as shit, but as long as he doesn’t focus on that, it’s… it’s not that bad. In fact, it’s really, really fucking nice. So… so fucking nice…

“I know that what happened earlier was not… ideal, kyoudai. And I cannot say if it will get any better or not. All I can say is that I am so very glad you are here with me, my dearest friend. And that I am more grateful than words can say to have you,” Taka whispers into his hair, arms tightening until all Mondo can feel is Taka. Still, Mondo tries to press closer, his leg hesitantly moving between Taka’s so they can get even closer. He can hear Taka’s breath hitch— which makes him doubt himself greatly— but he feels so much like shit right now, and being close to Taka like this just… it makes him feel better, alright? So, he pushes aside the doubt and snuggles close, turning his mind the fuck off for once.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever man. Ya know I’d do fuckin’ anythin’ fer you. Just… go the fuck ta sleep, Taka. We can figure the rest a’ this shit out later. Okay?”

Taka hums softly at the order, nodding against the top of Mondo’s head. He doesn’t reply back and just squeezes him tightly once, before relaxing against the mat. A few minutes later, Taka is fast asleep, the hall monitor clearly exhausted if he willingly would fall asleep during the middle of the day. But Mondo doesn’t mind. While he doesn’t think he’ll be able to get any actual sleep, it’s good enough for him to lie here with Taka and just… exist, he guesses. Be with his kyoudai, one of the most important people in his life. Not worry about how unworthy he is, or how he doesn’t deserve this at all. It’s fine. He… he’s fine.

He’ll have to be.

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

Ha, I hope y'all liked the OC's. I kind of based Yoshi's interaction with Taka on how I interact with my own younger cousins. They were born when I was 7 (they're twins, one boy and one girl) and I remember holding one of them when they were only a few months old. The other didn't let me since he was a bit crankier than his sister. And now they're graduating from high school next year and I'm in graduate school. Oof. I don't get to see them often since they live across the country, but whenever I do I always have that whole "why are you getting so old!!!! Stop!!! Aging!!!!!" thing. I'm the baby of my family, with only one older brother, so seeing younger family members age is distressing, ha.

#The Ultimate (Fake) Boyfriend #Danganronpa #Danganronpa fanfiction #Mondo's POV #Kiyotaka Ishimaru #Mondo Owada #My fanfic #OCs #WIP

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anonymouslyangsty · 3 years

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Inspired by that Ultimate Assassin!Taka swap, how about Ultimate Child Caregiver!Taka? Mondo doesn't understand how kids could like this stick-up-his-ass dweeb.

Honestly? I think Taka would be a very good Ultimate Child Caretaker.

At first glance, his personality really doesn't seem fit for the task. He's stubborn, loud, strict, and very focused on academics. None of those traits scream "I'm good with kids". Plus he kinda looks scary. I mean, if I were some little kid, a loud man with angry red eyes would terrify me.

But! You have to consider that, while Caretaker!Taka would have the same personality, he'd have different goals. Yeah he's still serious, but he's serious about taking care of children. And he knows that play is just as vital as work to a child's development.

Child Caretaker!Taka takes everything seriously, both work and play. He'd be the best at playing games, especially things like playing pretend. Taka has no shame; if he's supposed to be a damsel in distress waiting for a prince to save him, he's going to do his best in that role.

Plus, he actually would respect the people he's caring for. Yes their young children, but they have minds like any other person. So he's not going to brush off any problems they have as unimportant and childish. Is there a fight over a toy? Kiyotaka will listen to both sides respectfully and come to a mutually beneficial solution. Is there a monster in the closet? Taka will search the area thoroughly to ensure that there isn't.

All this isn't to say he isn't strict with them, because he sure is. But they get to work hard and play hard, plus they get a lot of encouragement the entire way. He has a fanny pack full of snacks for them whenever they do good.

That strictness is important. It keeps everyone from getting out of hand, which keeps them safe. Because how can Taka take a group of like 20 little kids to the part if they don't listen to him? He doesn't want anyone running off and getting lost.

I'm sure it's an impressive sight, seeing a bunch of 5 year olds marching down the sidewalk like tiny soldiers. They're all doing Taka's "strict glarey" face.

Also, he's just so expressive, which will help them get over how scary his face can be at times. It's kinda hard to see him as intimidating after seeing him laugh, because Taka laughs and smiles with his whole face. Just the biggest, goofiest smile. It would make him very easy to like.

And he believes in them all so much! He's patient with them, because he knows they all have potential to do great things. And when you have someone believing in you that much, it makes you want to do well. The kids would love him.

With that belief, Kiyotaka absolutly doesn't believe any of his kids are too "young' or 'stupid' to learn anything. (with their parent's permission obviously) He teaches his class a lot of valuable skills. How to swim, ride a bike, basic math and reading skills, how to read a map. These 5 year olds can read at a 4th grade level. Good for them.

And if a kid has a particular interest? Taka goes out of his way to learn everything he can about it, then teaches all the kids about it. This is how all the kids know more about the solar system than their parents.

It totally makes sense that Mondo would think Taka's horrible with kids, because at face value he really looks like he would be. But being all fun and no discipline doesn't work for actually taking care of kids.

Mondo would have a hard time with a whole room of little kids. Sure it'd be fine for a bit, but good luck getting them to do anything. They just need to give him puppy eyes and he melts like putty. And once they know he can have his mind changed too easily, they are always going to try that, rather than actually listen to him. Then the rules will never be listened to.

Backstory wise, he's kinda hard to set up. Because of the scandal, I can't see people rushing to put Taka in charge of their kids. Maybe Taka starts babysitting for parents who have literally no other options? They're desperate, so they settle for him.

Then they realize that Taka's actually good with kids, despite seeming so strict. Which leads to more people having him babysit.

Alternatively, Child Caretaker!Taka could have a more Maki like backstory. I don’t know anything about CPS, so fair warning. Also trigger warning for Takaaki getting his son taken away because the world is unfair to this man

After the scandal and the horrible debt that came with it, Takaaki would seriously struggle with taking care of a child. He’s got to work full time just to keep them fed, and his horrible reputation means he either accepts mediocre pay or doesn’t work at all. Taka would be largely forced to raise himself, because Takaaki literally doesn’t have the time to, nor can he afford (or trust) a babysitter.

It’s a bad situation. And I can see someone, potentially fueled by a spite towards the Ishimaru name in general, making a big deal out of it. Calling Child Protection Services on Takaaki, accusing him of neglecting his son.

Takaaki would try his absolute best to keep them off his case, because Taka is the last good thing he has. But the bad reputation of the Ishimarus isn’t doing him any favors. When he tries to have his son stay in his office all day, his boss calls it unprofessional and threatens to fire him. When he tries to hire a babysitter, they try to charge him so much that he has to pick between paying them or buying dinner. He doesn’t have any family he can turn to for help.

Eventually he can’t keep up, because really he was set up to fail. Taka gets put into an orphanage because Takaaki is deemed incapable of providing for and giving proper attention to his child.

So Taka ends up in an orphanage or whatever. And nobody is particularly inclined to adopt him (largely in part because he just looks so much like Toranosuke; the Ishimaru genes are strong), so he ends up quickly becoming the oldest kid there. Which leads to him taking care of his younger ‘siblings’ a lot. Bam. Ultimate Child Caretaker!Kiyotaka is born.

I can definitely see Taka's passion turning away from politics and more towards preparing the next generation. Because it's the youth who will become the leaders, why shouldn't they have the best upbringing possible? Why shouldn't they have someone who believes in them, who realizes how great they'll one day be?

Taka wants them to know that they can do anything they want if they work hard towards it. And if they struggle? That's not bad, that's great! Who wants to be a genius who understands everything instantly?

#kiyotaka ishimaru #takaaki ishimaru #mondo owada #danganronpa #talentswap #an ask tag

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queenlua · 3 years

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Ace Attorney case tier list

so, in the past year, i finished replaying games 1 through 5 for the first time in forever, and also played game 6 for the first time ever

so here’s where i ruthlessly rank each of the cases based on that most scientific metric of all, My Opinions:

OPENING CASES

S-tier: Turnabout Trump (4-1). I already knew this case, and I still gasped with surprise when Phoenix showed up, and when Kristoph showed his true colors, and when Apollo realized OH SHIT OH FUCK I REALLY AM ACCUSING MY BOSS OF MURDER HUH... what a wonderful, splashy, shockingly concise case to open up the post-O.G. trilogy world. Marvelous.

A-tier: Turnabout Memories (3-1). Seeing Mia Fey (finally!) in action is a long-awaited delight; seeing Phoenix being a total dumbass was an unexpected-yet-perfect and fitting delight.

B-tier: The First Turnabout (1-1). Solid lil’ case with some conventional-but-well-executed humor. I’ve got a soft spot for Larry Butz.

C-tier: The Lost Turnabout (2-1), The Foreign Turnabout (6-1). The former’s fine but a little forgettable; the latter has some fun gags (Payne’s ridiculous new outfit, dude absolutely shredding on the mandolin, etc) but is marred by how uh... kinda silly the game’s core conceit is, lol

E-tier: Turnabout Countdown (5-1). The context surrounding this introduction is just sloppy (badly handled in media res + let’s lowkey retcon game 4 isn’t a great setup), and also the case itself is just. irksome. ted tonate is just fundamentally irritating to look at

FINALE CASES

S-tier: Bridge to the Turnabout (3-5), Turnabout Goodbyes (1-4). No explanation needed. God they fuck so hard

A-tier: The Cosmic Turnabout + Turnabout for Tomorrow (5-4 + 5-5), Turnabout Succession (4-4).

The former two cases are what makes AA5 worth it, and they make for a tremendously fun ride. It fumbles the execution in some notable ways (Apollo’s sudden j’accuse moment feels a little forced/awkward/inadequately foreshadowed, and damn it sure would’ve been nice to know Clay Terran at all before he died, and also The Phantom’s final meltdown could’ve used a bit more emotional heft)... but okay let’s be real, I’m here for Simon Blackquill, and this case gives me so much of him so who gives a shit. (And Aura! Condescending obnoxious engineering queen! I love her!)

As for Turnabout Succession... while I earnestly wish the game had explored more of Klavier’s feelings about this whole setup, and some more emotional beats for Apollo, the case still makes for such a satisfyingly twisty and fun investigation overall (the poison stamp! what a ridiculous murder method! I love it!) that it’s a more-than-worthy finale.

B-tier: Turnabout Revolution (6-5), Farewell, My Turnabout (2-4).

The former does some cool stuff—I particularly like the opening half, where Apollo’s being real snippy and coping with Frankly Bizarre Dad Feelings, and giving Apollo a chance to finally throw down against Phoenix is a blast. The latter half of the case starts feeling a little... ridiculous? cramped? idk? like, they didn’t do nearly enough foreshadowing about Nahyuta’s whole deal for me to care about his drama, this justice system is so obviously silly and the manner in which the revolution is playing out strains my already-suspended-sky-high disbelief... fun, and flashy, but more noise than signal in the last part, I guess.

As for Farewell, My Turnabout: of course I love Edgeworth rolling back into court goin’ through SOME kind of bizarre emotional arc of Hey I’m Totally Healed Now and obnoxiously preaching about Truth TM. And it’s cool that the game set up a case where you want to lose. But the net result is a bit strange tonally—it’s trying set up some kind of message about It’s Not Just About Winning, It’s About Pursuing The Truth, but it feels really muddled when that’s combined with Okay But Maya’s Literally Being Held Hostage Like Right Now, Surely A Reasonable Justice System Has A Process For Dealing With This Obviously Complicated Situation, Right?

but also Franziska takes a fucking bullet (how did I forget about that) and then gets to roll in like Ms. Save The Day so, really, lots of good shit here

FILLER CASES

S-tier: Reunion, and Turnabout (2-2), Turnabout Beginnings (3-4). Look, the first one gives me all the Fey family drama a girl could ask for, and the latter gives me young Edgeworth being a total shit in an obnoxiously shimmery outfit. The whole enchilada is here

A+ tier: The Magical Turnabout (6-2). DELIGHTFUL! MAGICIAN! SHENANIGANS! Like you get to guess the trick behind a magic act as part of the case, how fucking fun is that, and also the Apollo & Athena duo’s chemistry is perfect, the villain is a FANTASTIC bastard, and even the bit characters you meet during the investigation are total delights... Probably the best “standalone” case in the series, in that it doesn’t rely on any emotional connections to previous cases (unlike 2-2 and 3-4) to still totally and completely rule.

A tier: Turnabout Samurai (1-3), Turnabout Reclaimed (5-DLC).

For Turnabout Samurai, I remembered before this replay how delightful the TV SHOW STUDIO investigation and actor-fandom stuff was; I had TOTALLY forgotten Vasquez calling in her mob connections to try and wreck you. What a fantastic villain; what a fun case.

Turnabout Reclaimed is just good solid goofy nonsense. Probably receives a boost for me in particular because, yeah, Simon Blackquill. But then again who isn’t giving cases a boost on that account; they are MISSING OUT

B tier: The Stolen Turnabout (3-2). Ron and Desirée are so great sighs into hands

C tier: Listing roughly in order of preference: Turnabout Academy (5-3), Turnabout Serenade (4-3), Turnabout Sisters (1-2), Recipe for a Turnabout (3-3), Rite of the Turnabout (6-3), Rise from the Ashes (1-5).

Four of these (5-3, 4-3, 1-2, 3-3) are perfectly solid cases; I just don’t love them quite as much as “thievery hijinks” or “Hollywood hijinks” or other such particularly delightful flavors. Everyone has a favorite flavor of Jolly Rancher and all that.

Rite of the Turnabout is interesting and connected with the larger themes of the game in a cool way, and makes good use of the divination mechanic. However, the last bit gets twisty enough to actually be kind of confusing, and said larger themes of the game are... kinda hard for me to take seriously... which, yeah, leads to it feeling a little stilted when it really should be singing.

Rise from the Ashes landed awkwardly for me. I know it was added well after the first game’s release, and it does a good job of continuing some of the cool stuff from that game—it’s neat, in isolation, to see Phoenix and Edgeworth working together (while still sniping at each other!), and some of the DS-specific mechanics are neat. However, I just didn’t feel like I learned quite enough about Ema and Lana to care about them like I should, and retconning “(almost certainly true) rumors that Edgeworth was involved in Shady Shit TM” into “actually Edgeworth was totally ignorant of Shady Shit TM, like at worst his crime was willful ignorance / incuriosity, he was just been manipulated by the Police Chief”... makes Edgeworth less interesting to me! Like, it’s cool to see Edgeworth caught off-guard and under pressure, but I wish the circumstances had been different? Also Gant’s theme song is annoying as shit, which is petty but hey this is my blog post so

D tier: Turnabout Storyteller (6-4), Turnabout Corner (4-2), Turnabout Big Top (2-3), The Monstrous Turnabout (5-2).

Turnabout Storyteller has some fun gags with My Dude Simon and also Taka, but was heavily marred by Everyone Talking Down To Athena The Entire Fucking Case Oh My God Can You All Just Shut Up.

Turnabout Corner has... lots of fun elements but... look the fucking stolen-panties setup just grates ok

I don’t think I hate Turnabout Big Top the way most people seem to, but I did find the final murder setup more annoying that I remembered this playthrough—bro you were really sure the dude was going to conveniently stand right there and the heavy statue was definitely going to strike a killing blow and not just give the guy a concussion? ok lol

The Monstrous Turnabout suffers mostly from poor puzzle/investigation design, being too hand-hold-y, and also having a core gimmick/setting that just wasn’t really my thing. Alas!

#ace attorney #obviously these are just opinions. love what u love #but this was entertaining to type up lol

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johaerys-writes · 3 years

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Where Blood Roses Bloom

Fandom: Castlevania

Pairings: Alucard/Trevor Belmont/Sypha, Hector/Lenore

Summary:

After Trevor gets grievously injured by a night creature, he and Sypha return to Dracula's castle to seek Alucard's help. The man they find there, however, is but a shadow of the friend they left behind.

Meanwhile, in far Styria, Hector does his best to survive in the vampires' court, a lamb amidst wolves. Little do the wolves know, the lamb has fangs of its own.

Chapter 8: Safe is up! The trio return to the castle after their brief encounter with the night-creatures in the woods, and have some much needed quiet time. Plenty of introspection, angst, hurt/comfort, Alucard POV :)

Read on AO3! Or read from the beginning

“I prepared a bath,” Sypha says with a small, awkward smile as soon as Adrian steps into his room. “I figured you would need it.”

He stands at the threshold of his study, blinking into the interior. In the time it took for him and Belmont to return to the castle, Sypha lit up the fire in the hearth, dragged one of the copper tubs in his room and filled it with warm water; she even put some order to his chaos, placed his books back in their proper place, tidied his desk, folded his blankets. It... almost feels like home again.

It is still odd, though, to see her in his space; it has been so long since anyone has stepped foot in any place he called his very own. It should have felt like an invasion, but it doesn’t. He is surprised by how much he welcomes her presence there, considering how things were left between them before he stormed out of the castle.

“You and Trevor took your time getting here. I should probably reheat this,” she says, and her gaze glides discreetly straight past him and to the tub of water, which waits for him by the fire. "Unless you have a preference for lukewarm to cold baths?”

Adrian lets out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. Belmont's horse had been so spooked by the night-creatures, that it took almost an hour for them to find it, trudging through the snow. With Belmont stopping every so often to catch his breath, Adrian was surprised they even managed to get back at all. At length, they found the poor animal hiding behind a small thicket, close to a lake nearby. Even when they climbed into the saddle, the horse was jittery and restless, and Adrian would have turned into a wolf and ran to the castle on his own four legs if he hadn't thought it would have unsettled the beast even more.

Besides, riding two-saddle with Belmont wasn’t quite as uncomfortable as he would have once thought. The warmth of his chest, pressed up against his back, was more than welcome against the bitter cold he had had to endure that past day, and his arms resting at either side of him as he held the reins felt… good. Comforting. Infuriatingly so.

Not that Adrian would ever admit that to him outright, but still.

Sypha flicks her fingers, and instantly there is steam rising from the water, giving off the sweet scent of herbal soap. It smells faintly like her, Adrian realises, and something warm spreads within him at the thought that she used her own soap to prepare his bath. Sypha gives him a last smile as she turns to leave. “I’ll come back to bring you some tea. Or would you perhaps like some time alone…?”

“Tea sounds wonderful,” Adrian replies, and is surprised by how readily the words fly out of his mouth. “Thank you, Sypha.”

Her smile widens, and there is a flicker of understanding, but also of expectation in her eyes. Her gaze has none of the hurt or confusion it did last time she had seen him, none of the shock and fear. That alone is more comforting that Adrian can express.

“Alright then,” she says quietly, her cheeks taking on a rosy hue. “I’ll be back soon. I'd better go check on our perpetual patient first.” The door closes softly behind her, and Adrian is on his own.

With mechanical movements, he pulls off his boots, removes his clothes. A small blanket of snow, muddle and pine needles is gathered around his feet as he undresses. He doesn’t even bother folding them, leaving them on the floor next to the tub instead; they’re all covered in so much blood and dirt that he hardly make out the colour of the fabric anyway.

The warm, soapy water is slightly on the scalding hot side, but Adrian doesn’t hesitate a moment before lowering himself in it. It embraces his body swiftly and the many cuts and scrapes on his arms and legs sting. Adrian leans back against the sturdy copper of the tub and lets the water seep into his sore and tired muscles and take away the ache, the cold, the numbness. He rests his head on the rim of the tub and closes his eyes with a sigh.

The past couple of days drift behind his tightly closed eyelids, before he can stop them. His duel with Belmont, their ill-timed kiss, the dinner he and Sypha prepared for him, their argument. Himself running away, the castle and the forest disappearing behind him in a blur. He doesn't remember that many details after this, nothing concrete; only himself running for miles and miles until his limbs were numb and his lungs were on fire. Even when he could run no more, though, when he was so far away from the castle that he couldn’t even see its tall and sharp peaks, he remembers the ache in his heart being exactly the same, as if he’d never taken a step away.

They’re always within him, those memories, that hollowness, that pain. No matter how fast he runs, how far, they're always there. The voices in his head that tell him that he’s meant to be alone, that he's always been different, that he doesn't belong. All of his life, even since he has any sort of recollection of himself, he remembers feeling adrift, with neither foot planted firmly on the ground beneath him. Half human and half vampire; a part of both worlds, and accepted by neither. His father, after he had lost his mind, had tried to kill him because he thought him too human, soft and weak, with a human heart and human sensibilities; Sumi and Taka had tried to kill him because he wasn’t human enough, because to them he was a ruthless, heartless monster, same as the ones they’d come to know.

As if there really is any difference between vampires and humans in how monstrous they can be.

Adrian has seen enough of the world to know that anyone’s a monster to someone. He is a monster in the world of humans, and a monster in the world of vampires; an oddity and a stranger in both. If there is no place for him in this world, then where is he supposed to be? What is he supposed to be?

If you’re a monster, then so am I.

Belmont’s words ring in his ears. Adrian grips the edges of the copper tub tightly, until his knuckles go white. He presses his eyes shut, trying to ignore the shock he had felt at that moment, but also the affection that swells within him and that he can no longer deny. It rises in his chest, shy like an early spring bud on cold and frosty ground, even as he tries to push it down. It reminds him of the earnestness in Belmont’s gaze as he said it, the warmth of his touch and the steadiness of his presence, and it makes him wonder if, maybe, just maybe, there is hope for Adrian yet.

And if that isn’t the cruelest thing that Belmont has ever done to him.

So lost is he in his thoughts, that he doesn’t even hear Sypha as she enters the room. Her footsteps are quiet and her voice soft when she says his name, the teapot and fine china rattling on her tray. The sweet aroma of herbal tea fills the room.

“I brought you tea. Would you like some?”

Adrian has no strength to respond to her. It feels like it has all been drained out of him the moment he stopped running, as if his resolve simply crumbled the minute he stopped resisting.

“Alucard,” she says again, and Adrian doesn’t quite know why that name, from her lips, tears at him. She cautiously steps closer, and set the tray on the low coffee table. She extends her hand gingerly to touch his shoulder, but he recoils with a sharp intake of breath. A look of hurt flashes over her features.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbles, and that too, sends a stab of pain through him. “Would you like me to leave?”

Adrian takes a deep, slow breath to calm his rapidly beating heart, then shakes his head silently. He doesn’t want to be alone, but he doesn’t want to look at her either. He’s not sure what he’ll see there, this time.

“Would you like to talk?” Sypha asks, and again Adrian shakes his head. She gazes around the room, her eyes falling on a low stool. Carefully, she picks it up and brings it close to the tub. “I’ll sit here and keep you company, then. Is that alright?”

His silence is enough of an answer. She sits there, quietly for a time, gazing out of the window while he stares at the water in his bath. It’s starting to get cold, but a flick of Sypha’s wrist and it’s comfortably warm again. Adrian hugs himself tightly, pulling his knees up to his chest. He doesn’t quite know what to tell her; it’s awkward, sitting with her like this, but at the same time talking feels like an impossible task right now. His throat is raw and his heart is heavy, and there's so many thoughts swivelling in his mind that he wouldn't know where to start, even if he tried.

Still, he doesn’t want her to leave. That, he knows well enough. Her presence is comforting, the scent of her skin and of her herbal soap drifting around him, and she is humming an old song under her breath, like the ones his mother used to sing once. It helps fill the void a little.

“Do you want me to wash the blood off you?” she asks softly, a while after they’ve both been sitting there in silence.

Blood. Right. Adrian’s hands are still covered in it; it’s both Belmont’s and the night creatures’, and perhaps a little bit of his own, too. He has done nothing all the time he’s been in the tub, other than dejectedly sit in the water. He listens as Sypha stands up and looks around the room, then comes back with what must be a washcloth.

“I’m going to touch you now,” she says. “Is that alright?”

Adrian nods guardedly, but he still flinches a little when he feels her hands on him. She pauses and withdraws.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers again, with patience. Adrian swallows thickly, embarrassment rising within him with every moment that passes. Her apologies somehow make him feel even worse. He wonders if she’ll really get up and leave this time, but at the same time he has no energy to speak or to comfort her. He simply waits, eyes fixed on the water, hugging himself tighter still.

Sypha tries again, more slowly and gently this time, and this time Adrian doesn’t flinch quite as much. She carefully brushes the cloth over his hands and forearms, turns his wrists this way and that, carefully cleaning the blood and grime away. The warm cloth feels rough against his skin, and it stings just a little when she wipes the blood of the scratches the night creatures managed on him, but Sypha’s touch is gentle, even tender. She is careful not to linger too long on any of his scars, to brush the cloth over them as lightly as possible, as if afraid they’re still hurting him. And in a way, they are.

It feels like an eternity has passed since anyone has touched him for so prolonged a time. It reminds him of the last time someone touched his bare skin like this, a night that is etched in his memory with blood and fire and sharpened steel, and he trembles. He tries to remind himself that he is safe now, that Sypha has been nothing but patient with him all the while she’s been here and has never physically harmed him, that he can still protect himself if need be, if bad comes to worse.

He trembles all the same.

“Would you like me to stop?” she asks, her voice but the barest whisper murmured between them. “One word, and I’ll stop, Alucard. I’ll leave you be.”

Adrian closes his eyes and breathes slowly. He gives his head a slow, steady shake. He feels so strange like this, naked and vulnerable and exposed. He doesn't appreciate being seen in this state, but he finds Sypha’s touch almost tolerable. More than that, he knows the absence of it will leave him feeling... empty.

So he takes a deep breath and lets her clean his arms, his shoulders, his chest, lets her wash his hair. Her fingers are gentle and delicate when they thread through his locks and massage his scalp, working up a lather. She touches him like he’s fragile, easily breakable, like his skin is made of paper and his bones of glass. A part of Adrian knows that this sort of tenderness is unnecessary; that kindness such as this often pushes the hurt and loathing deeper instead of washing it away. Still, he is grateful. He’s grateful for her patience, grateful for her care, and he leans into it even as a part of him rebels against it, begs to run away again.

Adrian loses track of how long they stay like this, with him soaking in the water and Sypha’s hands on his skin, his scars; her gentle humming in his ears. At length, she starts talking to him in low and mellow tones, without expecting any answer. She speaks of the books she has found in the library, of the many spells she's managed to unearth, but it isn't long before her descriptions of spells and scrolls devolve into tales and legends of ages past and long forgotten. Snow is falling gently beyond the window, fluffy snowflakes tapping the glass, and Sypha is telling him a story of a water nymph in a far away land, up to the North, that fell in love with a hunter, and saved him from certain death when he fell in a frozen lake in the depths of winter. The nymph heard his cries and pulled him out of the water, Sypha says, then dragged him to a cave, and almost scalded herself when she tried to light a fire, so that he wouldn’t freeze. She nursed the hunter to health, and stayed with him until he gained full consciousness, even though it was getting harder for her every day, being away from the safety of her cold waters.

Adrian doesn’t know why this story tugs at him so viscerally. He listens attentively while she speaks, afraid to miss a single word.

“It is true, then,” he says quietly, when she almost reaches the end of her tale, speaking more to himself rather than to her. “The things we cherish the most often do us… the most harm.”

Sypha’s fingers stop their careful ministrations for a moment. Adrian thinks he can hear a soft smile in her voice when she whispers, “Certain things are worth fighting for, even if they hurt sometimes.”

Adrian says nothing to that. He just glances up at her, golden eyes meeting crystal blue. “What happened to the nymph?” he asks, and his heart beats with a strange sort of expectation.

Her smile widens, and she tilts her head to the side so that the light from the fire paints her fair skin amber. “They fell in love and lived happily ever after. The nymph in her lake, and the hunter in the cabin he built close by to be with her.”

Adrian huffs a quiet laugh at the gentle triumph that flashes in her eyes. “Do all your stories have a happy ending?”

“No,” she says, pouring fresh water over his hair to wash the soap away, “but this one does.” Her voice becomes softer when she whispers, “At least I hope it does.”

Read the rest on AO3!

#castlevania #castlevania netflix #alucard #alucard x trevor x sypha #trevor belmont #sypha belnades #trephacard #alucard/trevor belmont/sypha belnades #castlevania fanfiction #where blood roses bloom #johaerys writes

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needtherapy · 3 years

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soaring, carried aloft on the wind...continued 20

An arranged-marriage story for Xichen and Mingjue, in another time and another place.

The Beifeng, the mighty empire of the north, invaded more than a year ago, moving inexorably south and east.

In order to buy peace, the chief of the Lan clan has given the Beifeng warlord a gift, his second oldest son in marriage. However, when Xichen finds out he makes a plan.

He, too, can give a gift to the Beifeng warlord, and he will not regret it.

Part 1: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 Part 2: 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 … HOME

It’s complete on AO3 here.

Notes: Check the tags if you’re concerned about the pairings ;)

For translations of the entirely fictitious Beifeng language, you’ll have to scroll to notes. I’m only going to translate something that’s not clear in the text. Sadly, there’s just not any other good way to do it on Tumblr!

Chapter 20 Now

Xichen could not have guessed that the Ikarahu would throw a festival in an army encampment in the middle of a war. It seems so dangerous for so much of the army to be distracted. And yet here he is in the transformed sparring arena, surrounded by hundreds of people eating spicy meat grilled in huge open pits, drinking the sweet Ikarahu ale, dancing in pairs and circles, and singing boisterous, noisy songs. Any watching scout could see that there are brightly striped flags, strands of bells, and colorful lanterns looped over ropes suspended between posts around the outside of the arena. Xichen suspects the lanterns mean this festival will extend long into the night, and he tries to squelch the nagging concern.

After all, it is a party. It’s supposed to be fun.

Xichen had helped Huaisang hang lanterns for what felt like years, and Huaisang had explained that the festival was called Hatapi, a celebration of the ahuti’s birthday. The ahuti was considered a valued ruler as well, and the Hatapi was a chance to thank them.

“But really, it’s just an excuse to eat and drink,” he’d said, completely seriously. “Who doesn’t love that?”

When Xichen had asked how he had time to plan a festival, Huaisang had just laughed and said it was a yearly event, which gave him plenty of time.

“Right now Hatapi celebrates my mother’s birthday, but it used to be my grandfather’s birthday. And before that, my great-grandmother. It’s always celebrated on the birthday of the ahukau’s spouse,” Huaisang had winked. “Eventually, Hatapi will be on the eighth of…”

Xichen had slapped a hand over Huaisang’s mouth and refused to let him finish that sentence.

Even after Huaisang’s descriptions, Xichen hadn’t fully expected the sheer chaos of the day. It’s riotous and loud and full of surprises. There have been strength and skill contests all day: sword fights, hurling giant logs, foot races, even a surprisingly early drinking contest. Every winner gets a trophy and an enthusiastic clap on the back from Mingjue, and it pleases Xichen that it’s hard to tell which the winners prefer.

At the moment, Xichen, Qingyang, and Guangyao are watching the last contest of the day, the mounted archery competition, which Xichen has to admit is spectacular. More than fifty of the finest archers in the Ikarahu cavalry are riding without saddles or bridles in a tight circle, bows drawn, shooting arrow after arrow into bales spaced around the outside of the circuit. The judges, including Huaisang and Mingjue, are on the other side of the arena, both standing on horses, presumably for the vantage, which raises questions Xichen has never thought he would ask.

Guangyao sniffs. “It hardly seems like a challenge. They’re just riding in a circle.”

“Huaisang says the second half is more impressive.” Qingyang shrugs. “There are bonus points for style, but I don’t know what that means.”

They know immediately when the real competition begins. One by one, the riders take a circuit of the arena, making impossible shots as they stand on their horses or cling to the bellies of their horses or drop to the ground and bounce lightly off their toes to turn backward or dangle across the side of their horses to shoot from under their necks, hidden from view, all while galloping full speed. Xichen has simply never seen anything like it. He’s not sure there even is anything like it.

“My mother would have loved this,” Qingyang sighs, softly enough that Xichen almost doesn’t hear her above the din around them. “She missed the galio of her homeland more than anything else, I think. I’m sorry she never went back to Ikara before she died, but I’m glad I had as many years with her as I did.”

His own mother’s death is still a sharp pain in his side, but Qingyang doesn’t seem as unhappy as Xichen would expect. She looks at him with a wistful smile, one that seems to want to share this memory, so he ventures to ask, “When did she die?”

“Two years ago, before the Ikarahu came,” she answers, and Xichen squeezes her shoulder. So recently. He is amazed that she’s willing to talk about it.

She smiles at him, a bravely crooked tilt, and Xichen suddenly wants to tell her. To tell someone. Maybe sharing the pain will release it. Holding it tightly certainly has not.

“My mother died when I was twelve. Of a wasting sickness,” he says, and Qingyang makes a sympathetic noise. “I have always wished I had more time.”

Qingyang nods. “There is never enough, is there? I will always want to see her face again or hear her call me a-Yang. She was an artist too, and I was fortunate to work with her for years, until her fingers were no longer agile enough for fine details. The only comfort is that she didn’t have to…” Qingyang exhales sadly. “She didn’t have to know why I left Lanling.”

Guangyao is quiet and seems to be caught up in watching the last rider, a slim, short man who rides the circuit in constant motion. He is nearly a blur, bouncing off the ground, sliding under the horse’s belly to pop up on its other side, slinging under the horse’s neck, flipping backward, and somehow still shooting arrows. The crowd roars when he takes top honors and Mingjue bounds over to present him with the prize, a huge gold bowl filled with water that the man shares with his horse.

“My mother is dead too,” he announces, the words slicing cleanly through the noise of the crowd.

For once, Guangyao doesn’t seem to be trying to hide the emotion in his voice. He sounds as though he has been brutally stabbed in a wound that had not yet healed. When Xichen looks at him, there is such animosity on his face, his eyes narrowed to slits and his jaw clenched so tightly, Xichen can almost hear his teeth grinding together.

“Since you didn’t ask,” he says, his lips flattening into a tense slash. “I was seven when I found her. She wrote that she was sorry, as though she had something to apologize for.”

Xichen reaches out instinctively to slide his fingers around Guangyao’s tense hand, wanting to erase this terrible tragedy, this horror that still haunts his friend.

“Aitapaho, Qingyang, Yao-ti!” Mingjue’s booming voice interrupts, and Xichen jumps as though he’s been caught peeking at something forbidden, as though he’s been caught doing something forbidden.

Mingjue kisses Xichen firmly, with all the enthusiasm of a man thoroughly enjoying his life, but not before Xichen sees the quick, appraising look Huaisang gives him and Guangyao.

Guangyao sees it too, and laughs, the sound higher and more strident than usual. “We were only bonding, Oringa’anhu Ikira. Over stories of our dead mothers.”

He takes a deep, bracing breath as though he will say something else, something even worse, and Xichen is suddenly afraid of what it might be. Guangyao seems like a mirror about to shatter and slash whatever might be near it.

Huaisang grabs Guangyao’s wrist and interrupts him with a teasing grin. “Guangyao, you were wrong about the winner, so I am claiming your forfeit. You are required to learn the next dance. Ani?”

Guangyao frowns. “You didn’t tell me his horse was a galau, so I think you should forfeit,” he argues, but he lets Huaisang pull him toward the dancers.

Mingjue laughs and kisses Xichen again. He tastes like winter mint and joy, and Xichen lets it distract him. Mingjue can always distract him.

“Come, aitapaho. We will eat and drink and dance!”

Only part of that sounds enjoyable, and Xichen shoots Qingyang a pleading look, but she laughs at him too, shooing him away cheerfully as Titakau joins her. Friendship is not what it used to be, he thinks. He will have to get revenge later.

There is no reason he should not be able to learn this foot kicking, jumping, spinning dance, Xichen thinks crossly, but he is growing increasingly irritated with the frequency his feet get caught together, and he trips, falling against Mingjue, who only catches him with curious, roving hands. Finally, Xichen throws up his hands in exasperation.

“Ahoraho, I am going to watch,” he yells over the music, singing, and shouts of laughter.

In answer, Mingjue grabs Qingyang’s hand and drags her into the circle where she, Xichen notes enviously, picks up the steps almost immediately. Titakau silently hands Xichen a bottle of ale and he takes a drink.

“Roka iko auha em koni,” she tells him sympathetically, “Pia ei sakona auha em ga. Et taka ti eta engati hako.”

She’s right about that much. It is fun to watch. There are two lines of dancers, one on the inside, one on the outside. The two circles turn, flicking their heels in the air, kicking forward and backward, spinning from the inside line to the outside line, changing partners and changing back. It seems random and reminds Xichen of spinning maple seeds that flutter from the tops of trees in gusts of autumn wind.

Xichen catches sight of Huaisang, whose face is alight with mirth, and Guangyao, who looks—not quite angry anymore. Begrudging, perhaps. Huaisang leans in to say something and Guangyao rolls his eyes, but his expression softens. Huaisang tips his head back and laughs, suddenly spinning Guangyao toward Mingjue who catches his hand smoothly, exchanging it for Qingyang’s. Mingjue’s grin is impossible to resist, and a smile, one with dimples that reaches his eyes, settles on Guangyao’s face, and he shakes his head with a reluctant laugh. Mingjue’s face, which Xichen knows so well, shifts just slightly, from watchful hawk to satisfied cat, and he ruffles Guangyao’s hair as the song seems to finally end.

Xichen wonders. He wonders if Huaisang and Mingjue worked together to coax Guangyao out of his bleak mood. He wonders why. He wonders if there is something else here, a more complicated set of steps here than Xichen can comprehend.

As the night wears on, the crowd grows ever larger, including nearly every member of the Ikarahu encampment. Ale flows freely, the food tastes even more delicious grilled over huge open fires, and Mingjue convinces Xichen to try dancing again. It does not go any better than his first try, and in retaliation, Xichen trods on Mingjue’s toes. This is also unsuccessful, as Mingjue merely stops dancing and wraps his arms around Xichen, kissing him until his knees are weak and he forgets the whirling, swirling tumult around him.

“I’m ready for bed,” Xichen whispers to Mingjue.

Mingjue tightens his embrace and rests his forehead against Xichen’s. “After fireworks?” he asks hopefully.

Xichen nods, unable to resist the sweet, boyish grin. He traces one dimple with his thumb and Mingjue inhales, turning his face to Xichen’s palm. Xichen slips his fingers over Mingjue’s ear, into his hair, down the strong line of neck, and Mingjue sighs.

“Or now,” he says, voice husky, and Xichen chuckles.

“Now,” he agrees, taking Mingjue’s hand and leading him back through the crush of people where they run directly into Huaisang and Guangyao.

“Anakau! Xichen!” Huaisang hands Mingjue a bottle. “You have not toasted our mother with me! It’s tradition!”

Thwarted, Xichen can do nothing but take the bottle Guangyao offers him and raise it.

“Di ika gati,” Huaisang and Mingjue say the obviously familiar words together. “Sika galio, em inga oduna!”

Shaking his bottle at Guangyao and Xichen, Huaisang repeats the whole thing again, to long life, swift horses, and blue skies, until they join in.

Huaisang and Guangyao finish their bottles, and Xichen hands Mingjue the rest of his. He already feels lightheaded, and he doesn’t want to be drunk.

“What is your mother like?” Guangyao asks, surprising everyone. He looks like he regrets his words, though, and tenses as if preparing to run. “Does she enjoy this festival?”

Huaisang furrows his brow and answers the second question first.

“She endures it because my father loves it. Truly, she is the most generous person I know and the most terrifying.” An unconscious smile tilts his mouth. “She’s clever and stubborn and ambitious. She is not a soft mother, but she is wonderful. She would have been an exceptional ahukau, but she doesn’t like…” he looks at Mingjue for confirmation, “Being in the front of the room?”

“She is called Kiri’anata,” Mingjue offers. “It means…” He wiggles one hand and uses his other hand to move it around.

Huaisang laughs. “It means Shadow Hand,” he fills in, and Mingjue nods agreement.

Guangyao looks unusually confused. “It is known that she rules from behind your father?”

Huaisang shrugs. “They rule together, as partners. It’s not one or the other. They’re necessary to each other.”

Xichen can’t imagine what it must be like to have parents who love and respect each other. Who value each other.

He looks at Guangyao, who is staring at the ground, his expression a wholly neutral, blank mask Xichen recognizes from wearing it so often himself. Like now, when he is trying not to think of the treaty that forced Mingjue into this relationship or now, when he is trying not to think about what it means that Mingjue is the crown prince of his country and he is only Xichen.

“She is loved for who she is,” Mingjue adds, threading his fingers through Xichen’s.

“She is,” Huaisang agrees. “All the good and the difficult. Sometimes so difficult.” Huaisang’s eyes dance, and he laughs lightly, but he is watching Guangyao’s pensive, unchanging expression.

Huaisang is always watching everyone, Xichen thinks. Whatever he’s looking for, whatever it means to him, it’s too great a mystery for Xichen to puzzle out today. There is something else he would rather be doing.

“We’re leaving,” Xichen announces and turns, pulling Mingjue behind him. He looks back once to see Guangyao finally look up and meet Huaisang’s eyes without flinching.

The fireworks begin just before they reach Xichen’s tent, and the explosions reverberate through him, numbing his fingers and toes. Mingjue slows, intending to watch, but Xichen pulls him on, tugging off his coat before they’re even in the tent.

“Xichen,” Mingjue murmurs, cupping Xichen’s face in his hands, gentle as always. “What was your mother like?”

It isn’t what Xichen expected, but he says the first thing, the easiest, truest thing.

“She was beautiful.”

Xichen pauses and thinks. He seldom talks about his family. He rarely even talks about his former home. It has seemed like a necessary separation of the two halves of his life. And until now, Mingjue has never asked.

Xichen chooses this, too. He can not have a future without sharing his past.

“She told us stories of monsters and heroes. Stories of carp who became dragons, tigers who granted wishes,” Xichen says, smiling at the memories. “We played the guqin together. She was a healer. When we were boys, she taught my brother and I how to befriend the rabbits in the woods, although my brother was always more patient than me. Only the bravest rabbits would let me feed them.”

Mingjue laughs. “Ani, you are very fearsome, my bright heart.” He kisses Xichen’s forehead softly, lingering in the embrace. “Huan, will you tell me one of these stories?”

What can he do but agree? Xichen undresses Mingjue, and Mingjue undresses him, and they lay together in bed, legs tangled, Mingjue’s head on Xichen’s shoulder. Xichen tells him a story of a magical carp who granted bigger and more magnificent wishes to a man and his wife until the last wish was too greedy, too selfish, and the carp took everything away again.

“Tiras mau, Ahora’ipa,” Mingjue says drowsily, and Xichen smooths a hand over his hair and down his shoulder, listening to the sound of his breathing even out into sleep.

Love is such a surprise, he muses before he, too, falls asleep. It is a wonderful and perplexing surprise. Whatever their future holds, if he were to repeat the past, he would gladly pledge his heart and life, his honor and obedience to this man again, even if only in a treaty and not a true marriage contract. It is enough. Xichen curls deeper into the safety of Mingjue’s arms feeling lucky to have this much of him, his love and affection, and he will not wish for more, in case there comes a day he wants too much, and it is all taken away again.

Notes: Ahuti = The ahuti is the consort of the ahukau. It's gender neutral (as is ahukau). Roka iko auha em koni. Pia ei sakona auha em ga. Et taka ti eta engati hako. = I don't dance either, and I grew up with it. It's fun to watch, though.

#the untamed #cql #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #nie mingjue #lan xichen #nielan #soaring au #nie huaisang #jin guangyao #sangyao #cql au #mdzs au #Kristina writes tiny stories #complete on ao3 #forgot I hadn't finished this!#whoops

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eiennobeautyqueens · 3 years

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Namie and Mariah UTABAN translation

Utaban April 14, 2005. Amuro & Mariah Carey Nakai – the guys with the white hat Taka – the other guy Amuro – our beautiful queen that shall continue to sing and dance Mariah Carey – the other female in this video. -just to let you guys know, I sorta combined Mariah and translator together in the translations…- Nakai – oh , here it comes! Taka – is everthing going to be okay? Nakai – oh, we can see the legs! Taka –woa, it’s so skinny. Nakai – yea, it is really skinny! I wonder of this person is skinnier than how it looks on the tv? (just in case you guys didn’t know, on tv, ppl look skinnier than real life) Okay then, let’s introduce our guest today, Mariah Carey!! The kitty is here….. [Amuro Namie comes in] Taka – Amuro-chan? Nakai –yea….it’s Amuro-chan. AMURO CHAN!! Amuro – Hello. Taka – hello….? Amuro – I’m here, because I was invited….?? Nakai – ‘WHAT? It’s Amuro-chan!’ I can’t even say that! Taka – Amuro-chan? Amuro –well, I don’t know how to react to this surprise guest show. Ahaha. Nakai –we apologize that you have to be with us for this stupid surprise show. Amuro – yea…don’t worry though. Nakai – Anyhow, amuro-chan… Taka – Did you know that Mariah Carey will be appearing on this show today? Amuro –yes, I heard about it.. Taka – Do you know Mariah Carey? Amuro – yes, I do know her. Taka – we’re not too strong, so please listen to us. Nakai – she sings like this right? [Nakai starts singing real horribly] Taka –what type of song is that??? Nakai – ummm.. what was it?? Amuro – the Christmas song? Nakai –yea, it’s Christmas song. That’s the only song I know by Mariah Carey. Amuro –oh but Nakai-san, you should ask her how she does her voice training! Nakai –what? Are you making fun of me? Amuro – oh no!! I thought it would be helpful. Nakai – It’s not helping at all. It’s too late for me to get a voice training. OKAY! Let’s really introduce our guest toayd….. Amuro – what? Huh? Taka – Are you okay, Hello Kitty? [Nakai laughing] Amuro – Are you okay? Taka – oh, there goes hello kitty. Nakai – you know, we were suppose to start this show at 7:00, but Mariah refused to come out because she didn’t like her outfit… Ever since that incident she’s been in her room…. Amuro – really? Nakai – I asked when we’re going to start, but they were like, ‘wait!’ [Amuro laughing] Nakai – I guess she’s feeling better now? Taka – She was pretty irritated. Nakai – so Amuro-chan, good luck to you. Amuro – oh my my my, let’s just let Kitty do all the job….I heard that as soon as Mariah sees Kitty, she becomes really happy. Taka –what? Nakai – she’s coming? Taka – it was so weird! There were so many ppl around Mariah Carey, and these two African-american guys accidentally entered Nakai’s room! It was so scary!! Amuro – please don’t get her mad. Amuro & Taka – She sounds so intimidating! Nakai – oh, here she comes. OH! This one looks real! Amuro – wow, here she comes. Taka –wow!!! [Says this right after the camera reveals the boobs] Nakai – this doesn’t sound like UTABAN. Are you sure we are allowed to invite her!! Nakai – okay, let’s introduce our guest once again, Mariah Carey! [Mariah walks in with the kitty] Mariah – thank you!! HI!! Nakai – HI! Konichiwa, this way please. Amuro – HI. Mariah – hello. Nakai – Amuro-chan, sorry about that!! Hey Amuro-chan, say this to Mariah, ‘HEY! You stole my chair!!’ Amuro – please don’t say anything like that! She might get mad! Mariah –do you want your seat back? Amuro – I’ll be fine. Nakai – you should’ve yelled at her to get back your seat back, darn. Amuro – gosh, you are bad! Translator – umm.. did she do anything bad? Nakai – no, she’s perfectly fine, right Amuro-chan? Amuro – yes! Of course! Nakai – okay then, well, in this utaban we have a special guest tonight. We just saw you walking in with Kitty. Do you like Kitty? Mariah – I love kitty. Taka – Oh, also Ms. Amuro Namie have some questions that she wants to ask. [here, Taka is saying this on purpost to put some spotlight on Amuro in front of Mariah] Taka –she’s the #1 aritist in japan. [woa! I am so happy that he said that Amuro is #1 artist in japan!] [Amuro coughs] Amuro – umm. Nakai-san have some several questions to ask about the concert that was performed by Mariah. [everyone’s laughing] Mariah – why are we all laughing? I need a translator. Nakai – Amuro-chan, which song do you like the most from Mariah’s songs? Amuro – I like most of her songs. Mariah –Thank you. Amuro – when I saw you in the PV with all the dancers, you were really awesome and sexy. Mariah -AWWW, thank you. Nakai – Taka is the #1 Japanese comedian. [Mariah claps] Taka – Thank you !! [laughs] Taka – Nakai is also the #1 comedian in Japan. Mariah – really? Nakai – I’m Japanese #1 singer. Mariah – oh, so you’re Japanese #1 singer!? Nakai – DO MI SO!! Mariah – fantastic! [laughs] Nakai – Okay, the hello kitty will now bring in a photo. Let’s see what is on the picture. [Kitty walks in] Nakai – oh, you changed ! okay, here’s the picture. What is this picture? Mariah – Private Plane? Nakai – is this yours!??? Did you ride on this plane to come to japan? Mariah – this? Yea. Nakai – you bought this? Mariah – it was a gift. Nakai –what! From who? Mariah - *sigh* It’s a secret. Nakai –what! A secret! Gosh! Tell us! Mariah –we’ll talk after the show. Nakai – what? Oh, so you are going to tell us. Be more clear! Amuro – wow, Nakai-san. I’m impressed. Nakai – you’re impressed? What did I do? I think you’re in love with me. Amuro – oh no, that’s definitely not it. Nakai – you answered that question too early! Mariah – Do you guys want to go somewhere together with my private plane? Nakai – will you take us? Mariah – where do you want to go? Nakai – Mishima. [there’s an island called mishima in japan] Mariah – un huh..yes? Nakai – It is much much easier to go by the train. There’s no place for the plane to land. Mariah – okay then, we can go to GUAM? Nakai – will you take us on your private plane? [Mariah nods her head] Mariah – we’ll all go…and hello kitty. Nakai – you really want to go with hello kitty, not us. Right? Mariah – no, all of you. Taka – where is your plane at right now? At Narita air port? Mariah – I don’t know, they keep it somewhere. Taka & Nakai – wow.. Nakai – wait, aren’t you going to Guam, Taka-san? Taka – yea. Nakai – why don’t you just borrow this plane? Since you’re going tomorrow. Mariah – you’re really going tomorrow? Taka – would you lend me your private plane tomorrow? Mariah – yea, if I can go. Nakai – don’t’ worry he’ll give it back to you. Taka – I am going to Guam tomorrow with Mariah Carey. Mariah – exactly! Sounds good. Nakai – okay then, let’s go on to our next part. ‘What we really want to know about our divas;’ [Nakai gets up and get pushed by some guy] Nakai – ouch!! What the hell!! Who just pushed me on the floor! [Nakai sees who pushed him and sees that the guy looks angry too] Nakai – I mean…sorry about that. Taka – ummm.. Mariah doesn’t seem to understand what’s going on.. Mariah –no, I don’t , but that’s alright. Taka –okay, the first question is : ‘Would you still want to be a singer if you had to start your life from zero?’ Mariah – I pressed it, what happened? Nakai – oh, two of you said yes? Amuro –yes [Amuro and Mariah stares at eachother] Mariah –oh! Very good. Amuro – taka-san, please don’t embarrass me. Nakai – you said you wanted to ask her some questions! Amuro –later, okay? Nakai- oh I see, you don’t want to belong in our group. Amuro – what are you talking about, I’m in the same group as you guys, right? Taka –nah, I’m not in the same group as Nakai. Amuro – oh yea, you’re right. Taka – next, ‘when you were little, you wanted to do something else when you grow up.’ Nakai –wow, ever since you were young? Taka – okay…then I have a question for you Mariah Carey. How old were you when you realized that you sang better than other people. Nakai – 6th 7th grade? Taka – no one is listening to you! Mariah –when I was four. Taka –woa, you were 4years old when you realized that? Mariah –well, my mom was a opera singer. Taka – oh really? Nakai – how about you Amuro-chan? Amuro – ummm. I never really though that I was a better singer from other people like that. Mariah - I never really thought that I was better than others, but thought that I was good. Taka – I see, okay next! ‘ have you bought anything expensive recently?’ Mariah – I don’t know, I guess. Nakai – what did you buy? [Mariah shows her wrist] Taka –very gorgeous! Mariah – oh, so you speak English, see? Nakai – so you bought it yourself? Mariah – yes. Taka – wow, that looks really expensive. How much was it? Mariah – Darling, that’s private. Taka –how about that necklace? Was that a present? Mariah –oh this too, it was a gift. Emancipation of Mimi, my new album. I want you all to buy it, except you (touching her shoulder) I’ll give you a free one. AND… Nakai –what? The edge of the bread? *Japanese lesson on what MIMI means in Japan. It means the edge of the bread…like the brown stuff…sometimes white, but the little harder edge… you guys know what I’m talking about right? Mariah –don’t start with me! Watch your language, I”ll fight you. Taka –Mariah just gave message that she’ll punch you, Nakai! Ahaha. Just right now, the world famous Mariah Carey said, ‘I’ll punch you!’ Amuro – oh, don’t hesitate, please do punch him. Taka – Are you in love right now? Mariah – I don’t talk about those things Taka & Nakai – (imitate Mariah by saying ) I don’t want to talk about those kind of things! Nakai – (still imitating Mariah) I don’t want to talk about it! Don’t ask me those type of question! Gosh! (Mariah asks how to say I don’t want to talk about it in Japanese to her translator—I don’t want to = Shi ta ku nai no) Mariah – exactly, Shitakunaino! Taka – how about you Amuro-chan? Amuro – I don’t want to talk about it, Shitakunaino! Taka –Do you guys want something right now? Mariah – okay….something I want… (she pushes the button) Mariah – I want to go….nevermind…..I want to go on a trip. (she wants to go to the bathroom) Translator – where? (Mariah is giggling) Nakai –what? She pointed to me?? She wants to go with me? Translator – oh! She wants to go to the bathroom. Mariah –I want the hello kitty to guide me to the bathroom. Nakai –oh bathroom? (Mariah gets up and leave…. ---gosh, what a rude way to do it in Japan….--) Taka –wow, this never happened on the show like this…I think she’s going to leave now too, right Amuro-chan? Amuro –yea… Taka –well then, I shall go now to make a poop in the bathroom. Amuro – ehhhh…… Taka – okay, Amuro-chan, I’ll leave it up to you now.. Amuro –oh wait! Come back and sit down! Nakai – just now, a girl told me that she was going to punch me! This never happened to me before, she’s like this….(Nakai imitates Mariah’s expression) Taka – Maybe…I think she was faking the whole bathroom thing and probably thinking about punching Nakai Masahiro! Maybe she went to see the manager. Nakai –what? She’s coming back? (Mariah comes back with CDs) Nakai – did you really go to the bathroom? Taka –she has something in her hand..?? Mariah –I brought you gifts! Nakai –woooow!! Amuro – wow, how nice!! Thank you! Nakai –gosh! She made me worried! I thought she was going to the bathroom!! OH, here’s your nickname, This is what you were talking about ‘MIMI” the album title! Mariah –exactly! See? And we have a duet on that album as well. Nakai –what? Mariah –don’t you remember? Nakai – oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! But, you can’t be better than me!! Mariah- *sigh* I know. Mariah – how come you all are drinking something?? It’s not very nice to a guest. I’m a guest. {wtf! She’s such a diva….gosh} Taka –it’s Chinese tea.. Mariah – well, there’s no Japanese tea? Nakai – hey guys! Get some Japanese tea! Mariah –maybe some Sake. Nakai – what kind of Sake? Mariah –regular Japanese sake. Nakai – hey guys! Get some Sake!! (Hello Kitty brings the sake) Mariah – but I don’t want to be the only one to be drinking! How about everyone else? Nakai – (imitate Mariah in Japanese) Taka –okay then, To the success of MIMI!!! Everyone – cheers!! Nakai – do you like it? Mariah – very strong!!! Taka – how about you Amuro-chan! You don’t look like the type of person who drinks sake! Amuro –this was my very first time drinking Sake!! (laughs)

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kevkesblog · 4 years

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Translation: Julian Brandt Interview for “11 Freunde” (June 18, 2020)

Attention: long post! Julian talks about overblown salaries in football, why he even stays at two-star hotels, why he thinks football should not be dramaticly reformed and why you won’t see him in Gucci clothing & more.

Julian Brandt, what do you miss the most at the moment?

Ju: Just going outside and sitting in a café with some friends. Enjoying a bit more freedom. But I think many people have the same wishes right now.

Yet, the break because of the Corona pandemic seem to have lifted you. You were involved in all four goals during the 4-0 win against Schalke.

Ju: I would still have preferred it, without the break. I mean it’s like this: sometimes you need just a few days to arrive at a place, sometimes it takes months. Feeling well in a city, a club and with my teammates is important. I’m a football player that needs a comfortable environment.

How was it for you at BVB in the beginning?

Ju: There were definitely no fireworks at the beginning. But honestly, I kind of expected to need more time. I think thats normal after five and a half years at Bayer Leverkusen. It was a great time there, but in the end it was a comfort zone for me. I switched to BVB because I wanted to do something new.

And because Marco Reus asked you.

Ju: Many people were in favour of me going to Dortmund. Even my mother wore yellow pullovers astonishingly often, during the time before my transfer happend. And Marco asked me at the national team, that’s true. I felt honored, but I saw a chance playing for a team which plays competitively for the title until the end of the season and is represented in the Champions League regularly, those were the main reasons for my transfer.

What else is different in Dortmund than in Leverkusen?

Ju: Dortmund is bigger in almost every regard. Even the stadium is enormous and it becomes even more imposing with people in it. Building such a stadium somewhere is one thing. Brining it to live however like in Dortmund – that’s an art in and of itself. You don’t get that very often in Europe. Leverkusen – and I have to be honest here – has never been on my radar for me as a boy. But it’s the perfect club if you want to develop as a young player. I already suspected this after I talked to Rudi Völler for the first time.

I was told, you said „Rudi Völler has honest eyes“ to your father afterwards.

Ju: He has a sincere attitude. I would have believed everything he said. And his promises became reality. We were playing attractive and successful football. And you don’t get so much pressure as a young player from the outside. The media landscape for example is much smaller in Leverkusen than elsewhere.

Do you miss the fans in the stadium in Dortmund?

Ju: I was never that guy who was aware of stuff that happend on the stands. But after the game against Inter Mailand, where we were behind 0-2 before the break and won 3-2 in the end – I recognized how important football is for the people here and how much they were willing to support us. It was so honest, authentic and direct. One of the best games thus far.

Before that Michael Rummenigge critized you as „C-youth player“. That was after the Inter game where you scored as well. Was that a key moment?

Ju: Everybody can voice their opinions that’s totally fine for me. I’m not a person who jumps on it. And I wasn’t really satisfied with my game as well. Perhaps the 2-1 win against Gladbach a few days before was a turning point. Not only, because I scored twice, but rather because I was able to play on the ten for the first time. After that my game became better.

You said in the beginning of your time at BVB „Peter Bosz liked the risk. We don’t really have that here in Dortmund“. Did the way you play now changed?

Ju: We play nice football under Lucien Favre. He likes an offensive tactic. Adding that, we score alot of goals. But Peter Bosz was a special coach in that regard because we played a modern version of football with a high amount of ball possesion – often over 80 percent. And we not only wanted to keep the ball all the time, while playing until our opponent gets tired like it’s the case with tiki-taka football. We were always on the attack. At BVB we put more emphasis on the defensive at the beginning. It was a change for me, since I wanted to have the ball and not running behind him all the time.

Is football an elegant game?

Ju: My room as child was full of „Bravo“-magazine posters with offensive players. Nedved, Robinho, Del Piero and the best among the best: Ronaldinho. I liked it whenever players carry their street football skills to the pitch. Whenever somebody is looking for something spectacular. I want to gamble and not just act in a rigid system.

Doesn’t modern tactics prevent something like this?

Ju: You are basically being funneled at youth football academies with: receive the ball, passing, receiving, passing. There a strict requirements you have to follow. But I think good teams need self-confident players, saying „No, I won’t fit in, but I rather go into a one-on-one situation“. We have such guys in our national team. Leroy Sané or Timo Werner. Kai Havertz is a player who has a street football mentality too. Often it looks very easy, but it’s not. It just passed over into blood.

You are wearing the jersey number 10 at the national team. Like you also wore at Leverkusen. Does that do something with you?

Ju: I feel lighter in some sense. Perhaps because I know that you have to earn the number ten. Not like in the past, but I do think it has a certain meaning yes.

We heard you don’t like to talk about your strengths. Why?

Ju: I think, it looks like I’m a show off. I have enough self-confidence already.

Yet you do know that you can shoot really good. Who taught you?

Ju: Many things happened because I just tried. I even knew as a ten-year old boy: if I want to become a great football player I have to be able to shoot well with both feet. So, for weeks I shoot with my left foot on our lawn. Shot, flank, pass. It helped a lot. I met Federico Palacios during my youth time in Wolfsburg. He taught me insane techniques. I had a phase were I was obsessively training my first contact: not trying to stop the ball between the lines, but rather take the ball without defender nor midfielder getting the ball instead.

What are your weaknesses?

Ju: My headers. But I’m currently working on it and I often score. At least without opponent (laughs). Some people say I can work more on my defensive work. And yes, there is some truth to it, even after I already worked on it for quite some time. The thing is: I’m not an aggressive person, its not who I am. But of course, I understand whenever coaches say I need to have a certain minimum amount of aggressive behavior on the pitch.

Do you have a career plan?

Ju: No, everything I do, I do spontaneously.

But everything you do looks so reasonable: youth football for your home club. Training at a football academy in Wolfsburg. Professional debut at Bayer Leverkusen, your transfer to BVB a year ago…

Ju: Honestly: I could not have imagined going to VfL Wolfsburg as well at the beginning. Why should a boy do this, when he basically grew up just a 20 minute bike ride away from the Weser stadium in Bremen and was standing in the fan curve in his youth?

Because Werder [Bremen] overlooked you?

Ju: That’s not true. I even got invited to a try-out training. But then I looked at some other academies. I wasn’t only looking at VfL Wolfsburg. For example I looked at FC St. Pauli as well. Yet, I had the best feeling with Wolfsburg.

Why?

Especially during the ages 15 to 18 a lot is happening: you grow, your muscle mass is increasing, you slowly get to play with the professionals. On the other hand, many doors are opening. Your friends go partying for example. I liked being on a football academy for two and a half years. You couldn’t leave the campus after 11 o’clock in the evening. Apart from that we were very successful and won the German a-youth championship. But I can still remember how perplexed my parents were at the breakfast table, back when I told them about my decision to join Wolfsburg.

You are being called the “Anti-Star” of the business quite often. Does that do something with you?

Ju: Many people seem to think it’s probably because I have no tattoos and my father is my agent. But to be honest: there are some football player clichées I fit in. I like fast cars. I like playing playstation and I have 40 pairs of shoes in my closet. I just try not to pretend to be someone else. I wouldn’t look good in a Gucci-pullover.

Others like to call you “premature”. You were allowed to train with the professionals at the age of 15 in Wolfsburg. How did you do that?

Ju: That was insane and unreal. I was riding my bike to the training ground one day and the assistant coach Bernd Hollerbach took me to his side and said: “Introduce yourself to the coach”. So, I went into his office. “Hello Mr. Magath, I’m Julian from the under-17 team.” Of course, I was suspecting he already knew me otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten an invitation. But he was just staring at the television. After a while – it felt like an eternity – he looked at me, didn’t say a word, total silence and then he turned away. And then I was sneaking out of the room.

Magath wanted to test you?

Ju: I was unsettled a bit, but I wasn’t thinking about it anymore on the pitch. It doesn’t matter who is on your side, or whether your opponent is twenty years older than you and who your father is.

Did you nutmeg someone?

Ju: I would have been beaten for that. On the other hand: the pain fades away, the nutmeg stays (laughs). I remember I unintentionally shoot a ball into Marvin Hitz’s face.

How many agents were lining up at your doorstep at the time?

Ju: I stopped counting it after a while. I don’t think all agents are bad but I don’t need one at the moment. I have my father. He may not be Mino Raiola with thousands of contacts all over the world. But he doesn’t need them.

Nevertheless: this son-father-constellation also has it’s potential conflicts…

Ju: Our family sticks together – we are very harmonic and strong. I can’t remember a time where we were had an argument. I lived together with my brother in Cologne. I also have a connection with my father because of football. He used to play for the first team at SC Borgfeld – which was also my first club. I still remember: we went into the clubhouse whenever the Champions League was on. It was the best day of the week.

Now it’s about big business. Do you know your own worth?

Ju: It was downgraded since the outbreak of the pandemic. I read that on so some sites.

But it’s still 40 million euros. What does such a number do with you?

Ju: I can handle that because I can manage those numbers quite well. There is a lot money floating around in football. And I know its not easy to comprehend it with normal standards anymore. We live in our own bubble in that regard. The salaries in football are in no relation to what normal people earn – even with football being the greatest sport on earth. But why is that the case? Because sponsors are flushing so unbelievable high amounts of money into football. I think it’s important not to make the sport a luxury item. It has to stay affordable. In the stadium as well as in front of the TV.

Explain to us: why does a professional football player negotiate whether he should get 10 or 11 million euros per year?

Ju: It shows how greedy people can be sometimes. But that’s not football specific. It’s as unfair as the richest one percent of the world’s population owning more than half of the world’s wealth, right?

Could this crisis perhaps be a chance in order for football to calm down?

Ju: Perhaps in the short term. For the next one or two years. If any. I can’t imagine a player like Mbappé being sold next year for 80 million euros. Someone will always pay those insane sums of money.

How do you ground yourself?

Ju: Through my family and friends. Many are studying or doing an apprenticeship. It’s never about money when we talk, I just like having a great time with them. We don’t need a luxury vacation. But one time: we went to Mallorca for four or five days just as we qualified for the Champions League with Bayer Leverkusen. We stayed at a normal two-star-hotel, one room with a bed and a bathroom – that was it. We went to the beach and relaxed.

Has there never been a situation where a friend or family member had to take you back to the ground?

Ju: No. I can’t remember that I ever reacted arrogant or snooty. Or a situation where I thought: “Wow. That’s not who you are”. I’m fully aware of my very privileged life. In short: my greatest worry is whether we will win or loose on the weekends. It’s important to be thankful and to remind yourself what you got every once in a while.

Why do you have to remind yourself stuff like that all the time?

Ju: In order for it never to become normal. I know cheese costs about 69 cents at the grocery store and a different one costs 1,29 euros. But if a tool or device breaks down I sometimes just buy myself a new one. Whereas in the past I would have repaired it by myself.

But is football still the same game you fell in love with as a kid?

Ju: Absolutely. The game itself hasn’t really changed much. Okay, we have the goal line technology – which I support. And we got the video assistant referee, were people can argue. I abstain in that question. Once in a while, new ideas are being floated: like reducing the playtime to 60 minutes, new tournaments, elite leagues – I think it’s all bullshit. Keep football like it is. The way we learned it. With all its faults and tricky aspects. Even if something goes wrong.

Like during the World Cup 2018. Did you know that you could be the first DFB-team leaving the tournament after the group stage?

Ju: At some point he heard of it. It doesn’t really look good on your vita but it happened. Perhaps we needed this in order for something new to emerge. You have to remember: other great football nations also failed in similar ways. Italy, Spain or France all crashed out of the group stage after they won the World Cup.

Did the photo with Mesut Özil and Erdogan brought some unrest into the team?

Ju: The fact that almost all reporting was revolving around that topic was irritating sometimes. Don’t get me wrong: I think its important for the media to cover political topics extensively and with background stories. But I remember after the game against Sweden – after we barely won because of Toni Kroos free kick: shortly after the game you get asked whether the poor performance during the first 75 minutes were due to the photo – and you thinking: why don’t we talk about the game? Mesut became the poster boy for the disappointing World Cup. That’s nonsense. We all played shitty.

During the Confed-Cup the year before, many young players were in the team. At the World Cup the established players came back. Did Löw put his trust into the wrong players in Russia?

Ju: You can come to that conclusion afterwards, but you don’t know it in advance. I could fully understand Low though. He was loyal and in some cases he felt some gratitude. He couldn’t and he didn’t want to replace a World Cup winner from 2014 with a young player. The way we were defeated at the World Cup was not foreseeable. Because we also played great football between 2014 and 2018.

The team made it to the semifinals at the EURO 2016 and you became second with the Olympic football team in Rio.

Ju: A great experience with a team that was just thrown together. A contribution of Horst Hrubesch.

What makes him special?

Ju: He is just great, the guy! He’s from a different generation which you can tell with a lot of things around him. Once he wanted to show me how to shot from the side. I almost tore my muscle fiber doing it. But he manages it very well forming a team with young players. He’s a very free coach and very direct. He always called me lazy (laughs). And he has a very nice and dry sense of humor.

An example?

Ju: Me and the Bender-twins were sitting together shortly before the semifinal against Nigeria. He came up and said: “Guys, losing today doesn’t make any sense anymore.” A funny sentence, but also true if you think about it.

Julian Brandt, you made over 200 Bundesliga games, played Champions League and participated in one World Cup. You just turned 24. Do you even still have time to suck it all in and enjoy it?

Ju: Football is quick. I can still remember coming to Leverkusen – as if it was yesterday: my first game for the under 23 team against Essen. My Bundesliga debut against Schalke a week later. That was a little more than six years ago already. Crazy. Veteran players always say: “Enjoy it, because quickly your career will be over.” But how should you enjoy it? A game every four or five days. New photos, new events. You don’t have an awful lot of time to let everything sink in for a moment. I usually do that on new years eve. On a friend’s balcony. I even get sentimental then.

#julianbrandt #julian brandt #bayerleverkusen #borussiadortmund #bundesliga #bvb #dfb #diemannschaft #german nt

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theultimatefanficwriter · 5 years

Text

Mondo Oowada x Reader-Puppy Love

Requested by Makenzie-May on Wattpad

Mondo was riding down the street on his motorcycle after a meeting with his gang. He was headed to the apartment he shared with you, ready to kick back and cuddle with his beautiful girlfriend. He slowed his bike as he came to a stop at a red light. He let out a content sigh as he smiled, thinking about you and how lucky he was to have you in his life.

"Woof! Woof, woof!"

Mondo blinked and turned his head at the sound. There, standing on the sidewalk barking at him, was a small black and white Maltese puppy. Mondo looked at it for a moment, a smile forming on his lips as memories of his old Maltese, Chuck, crossed his mind. The puppy wagged it's tail at the biker and gave another yip. Mondo chuckled and looked ahead as the light turned green. He pressed down on the gas and began driving down the street once again.

"Arf arf!"

Mondo glanced back over to the side and saw the small pup trying its best to keep up with Mondo's bike, continuing to bark at the man. The gang leader watched the dog continue to run after him, making sure to keep an eye on the road. Eventually, he came to another red light. When he did, he pulled off onto the sidewalk and watched as the small dog pattered on up to him. It yapped at the biker as it pawed at his leg. Mondo chuckled and leaned down to pet it. It licked his hand and ran in a circle.

"Hey, buddy." Mondo laughed. "You don't got a collar on. You lost?" He looked around, trying to see if anyone was frantically looking for a lost pup. He didn't see anyone, but he did notice the dog looked dirty, and more underfed than it should be. Mondo frowned, his mind made up. He scooped the dog up gently and tucked it into his jacket. "How 'bout we go on a little joy ride buddy?" He asked the dog. He got a lick on the nose as an answer. Mondo let out a laugh as he pulled his bike back onto the road and continued on his way home, keeping his new friend safely tucked in his coat.

You were softly humming to yourself as you were finishing up dinner for yourself and Mondo. You had made spaghetti and garlic bread. Nothing extravagant, but it was a good food to come home to. You placed two plates of the food on the table as you grinned happily. You plopped down on the couch as you waited for your boyfriend to return. You knew he might be a bit agitated. He can get that way if something went wrong in the gang.

A lot of people are still confused that you, the Ultimate Sweetheart, would be dating the toughest, baddest, meanest boy to graduate from Hope's Peak. But it was one of those opposites attract things. Your kind nature was great for anchoring the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader back to Earth. He could get angry very easily, but all you had to do was hold his hand or give him a peck on the cheek and he'd calm down immediately.

On the other side of things, he had been helping you get more confident and had helped you stop people from walking all over you. Not to mention no one dared mess with you for fear of winding up dead in a ditch if they messed with Mondo Oowada's girl. You let out a content sigh, a dreamy smile on your face. You wouldn't trade Mondo for anything.

You heard the door open, and you perked up. "Hey, babe!" You called cheerily, standing from the couch and prancing your way to the door.

You heard the sound of Mondo tossing his motorcycle keys on the table and hanging his bike helmet up as you turned the corner. When you saw him, you smiled and ran up to him, throwing your arms around him. He took a step back, causing you to frown. "Mondo? Are you ok?" You asked, holding a hand out.

Mondo looked at you, clutching his jacket close to his chest as he nodded. "Uh, y-yeah. Of course I'm fine, baby doll. Just...ya just surprised me, s'all."

You raised an eyebrow. "That's never surprised you before." You pointed out. "And I do that almost every day."

Your boyfriend rubbed the back of his neck with the hand not holding his jacket. "Oh, yeah. Well, I'm a bit jumpy today. I uh..." He wracked his brain for an excuse. "There was a bit of infighting in the gang today." He lied. "Got me a bit pissed off."

You covered your mouth. "Oh, babe, I'm sorry you had to deal with that!" You told him, reaching for his hand. He allowed you to take it. You gently began pulling him towards the dinner table. "Well, I made spaghetti!" You chirped. "Go wash up, and we can eat!"

Mondo smiled at the food on the table. You worked so hard to make him happy. He's told you over and over you didn't have to make him a meal every day, that just being able to call you his was enough. But you insisted. "I'll get right on that, angel cakes." Mondo replied, leaning done and giving you a kiss on the cheek. He turned and headed in the direction of the bathroom. When he got there, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. Seeing that you weren't watching him, he dashed into the spare room the two of you had in the apartment.

Mondo carefully took the puppy out of his jacket and placed her on the ground. He had had time by now to figure out the dog's gender. "Alright, girl. I'm gonna need you to stay here and be quiet, alright?" He said in a hushed voice, crouching to the ground. The Maltese let out a high pitched yip, causing the gang leader to wince as he looked behind him. "Shh!" He shushed the dog. "I have no fuckin' clue how Y/N's gonna react to me bringing a stray dog home. I'm gonna have to tell her eventually, but that can wait til after we eat." He gave the dog a pet and stood up. "Now stay quiet girl. Alright?" The dog barked, causing Mondo to run his hand over his face. He sighed before shaking his head and leaving the room, closing the door behind him. He then headed into the bathroom and quickly washed up, cleaning his hands and face from any dirt that may have found its way onto him during the day. After drying himself off, he made his way to the dining area where you were already sitting.

"You all clean, handsome?" You asked, flashing your boyfriend a smile.

The biker chuckled and nodded. He walked over to where you sat and gently grabbed your chin, tilting it up. He leaned down and kissed you. He hummed into the kiss as he ran his fingers through your hair. "Fuck, I missed you." He muttered into your lips.

You giggled. "You see me everyday." You told him, pulling away slightly. "You saw me just this morning!"

Mondo smirked. "I could never see enough of you." He growled, pulling you into a deep kiss.

You smiled and kissed back, closing your eyes as you leaned back into your chair. Eventually you pushed against your boyfriend's chest, which earned you an annoyed huff. You rolled your eyes. "Dinner's getting cold, tiger." You chuckled.

Mondo sighed. "Fine, fine." He relented, backing away from you. He sat down in his chair, then gave you a smirk. "I'll just have some dessert later." He teased.

Your eyes widened as your face turned beet red. Mondo chuckled at that as he picked up his fork and began to eat. Once your blush had gone away, you followed suit. After a few minutes, you looked up from your plate. "So other than the infighting, how was your day, Mondy?" You asked him.

Mondo furrowed his brow. "Infighting?" He repeated, before his eyes widened, remembering his lie. "Oh shit, right." He cleared his throat. "Well after we got that shit sorted out, it was a pretty normal day. Nothin' special really happened."

You smiled at him. "Well that's better than something bad happening." You told him, taking a bit of the garlic bread.

Mondo chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, that's true." He watched you for a moment. "What you, babe? What'd you do today?"

Your face brightened. "Oh! Chihiro called! Remember him?"

Mondo nodded. "'Course I remember him. Me, you, him and Taka were inseparable back at Hope's Peak."

You nodded happily. "Well he asked if you and I could come hang out with him and Taka tomorrow, like old times!"

A small smile crossed Mondo's face. "You know, that sounds fun as hell. I miss those guys."

You beamed brightly. "Yay! I can't wait! I'll call Chihiro and tell him the good news as soon as we're done eating!"

The biker chuckled as he watched you. He loved it when you got excited. He thought it was adorable.

The two of you finished eating soon after and Mondo helped you wash up. Or, more like you washed dishes while he stood behind you and kissed your neck. He had his arm around your waist as he peppered your neck with light kisses and the occasional nip, causing you to bite your lip to not let out any sound.

"Mondo, I'm trying to do the dishes." You told him, turning your head to look at him.

He chuckled. "Well go ahead. No one's stopping you." He said, giving your neck another soft bite.

You sighed as you continued your work, and Mondo his. Suddenly the both of you were startled by the sound of something falling. Mondo released you and looked in the direction of the spare bedroom, while you looked around the house randomly. "What was that?" You asked.

"I-I don't know." Mondo lied. "You finish up here, I'll go check it out." Without waiting for an answer, Mondo had already ran off.

When he reached the spare room, he opened the door and saw that a stack of DVDs that had been placed in the room was now fallen over. The small dog was currently in front of the mess, chasing it's tail. The biker sighed. "You gotta be quiet, girl!" He reminded the pup. "I still haven't told Y/N yet."

The dog stopped chasing its tail and sat down, looking up at the gang leader. Mondo couldn't help but smile and pet it. "Damn, you're adorable. I'll tell Y/N soon, alright?" The puppy barked, before dashing underneath Mondo's legs and out the door. The biker's eyes widened. "Oh, shit!" He cursed quietly as he chased after the small dog.

As he left the room, he saw the puppy dash into the open bathroom. He looked over to you and breathed a sigh of relief seeing that you were still putting up the dishes. Mondo went into the bathroom and closed the door. He turned on the light and saw the dog in the middle of the room, shaking her tail. She yipped at the man. "Ok girl, come on. Let's go." Mondo said, approaching the dog and attempting to grab her. The dog dashed out of the way, however, and barked at Mondo. She crouched down in a pouncing position as she wagged her tail, thinking they were playing a game.

Mondo looked anxiously at the door. He had no idea how you hadn't heard the barking by now, but he was sure that if the pup kept it up you were going to hear it soon. He made another grab at the dog, and this time he managed to get her. Holding her carefully, he headed out of the bathroom.

"Oh! There you are, babe!"

He froze at your voice. He turned and saw you looking at him as he left the bathroom. He quickly stuffed the dog in his jacket, being careful, of course, not to hurt her. "Oh! Hey, baby doll." He greeted you with a forced smile. "Just went to clean up some more."

You furrowed your brow. "What do you have there?" You asked, pointing at his jacket. "I thought I saw you hide something in your jacket."

Mondo bit his lip. "What? N-no! I didn't hide anything. Don't be silly, babe!"

"Arf!"

Mondo froze.

You blinked as your boyfriend's jacket barked. "Mondo...did your jacket just...bark?" You asked, tilting your head.

Mondo sighed and lowered his head. He pulled out the black and white pup. "I found her on the side of the road." He explained. "She looked lost and abandoned, so I wanted to give her a new home."

You looked at the dog. She did look underfed, but happy in Mondo's arms. You looked up at Mondo with a smile on your face. "Why didn't you just tell me, babe?" You asked.

Mondo blinked. "I...I had no idea how you'd react." He answered.

You giggled. "You thought I'd be angry at you for rescuing a lost and starving puppy?" You shook your head and kissed your boyfriend's cheek. "I thought you knew me by now."

Mondo felt his cheeks redden. "Yeah, well..." He muttered.

You chuckled and pet the puppy. "So what are we going to name her?" You asked, looking up at the biker.

The brown haired man thought for a moment as he placed the dog down. "I was thinkin' something like...Oreo. To match her fur."

You smiled as the small pup began running circles around the two of you. "I think that's an adorable name." You agreed. "Oreo it is." You walked up to Mondo and placed your arms around his neck. "You don't have to hide anything from me, Mondy. I thought you knew that."

Your boyfriend side as he placed his hands on your hips. "I know, I know." He muttered. "I guess I kind of just...panicked?" He pulled you closer to him as he leaned down and gave you a kiss. "But I won't hide anything from you ever again. Alright?"

You smiled happily and leaned into his chest. "Good." You chuckled as you watched Oreo barked at one of the houseplants. "I love you, Mondo."

Your boyfriend placed a kiss on the top of your head. "I love you too, Y/N."

#danganronpa #mondo oowada #danganronpa mondo #reader #x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #request

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