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phantomrose96 · 7 years

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A Breach of Trust: Chapter 11

(Act 1: Chapter 1-9 )

(Act 2: Chapter 10 || Chapter 11 || Chapter 12 || Chapter 13 || Chapter 14 || Chapter 15 || Chapter 15.5 || Chapter 16 || Chapter 17 || Chapter 18)

(Act 3 Chapter 19+)

When Reigen shut the porch door behind him, smelling of ash and smoke, the house was already warmer. He hesitated and wondered if he simply had fooled himself with the contrast, if his skin would adjust and he’d feel that permeating chill seep back into his bones. It didn’t. The warmth persisted. It was one thing, one small thing, but he was grateful. Reigen exhaled deeply, and tasted bitter ash on his breath.

He stepped further inside where the warmth swelled more, away from the icy panes of the sliding glass door. He pressed both cold hands to the sides of his neck to warm the stiffness out of his fingers. There was no sign of the kid yet, probably still in the bathroom judging by the quiet hiss of running water. So Reigen scouted out the living room couch, and he tossed a few pillows aside before he slumped into it. The cushions molded to his back, stole some of the tension from his shoulders, helping just a bit with the dull headache and tight nausea that his exhaustion brought on. Reigen breathed, and eased. Mob’s bed still had to be made, but maybe he could hold off for just a few minutes, rest here and let his eyes slip shut, and drift…just a bit…just for a little bit…

“Um… Mr. Reigen?”

Reigen jolted. He shot up too quickly. The room spun a moment longer after he stood, and he swallowed down the twist in his stomach.

“Oh! I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to—I’ll just…” Mob’s fingers tugged through a lock of damp hair. His eyes darted about in search of something, anything away from the man he’d just startled awake.

“Huh—no, no, hang on.” Reigen rubbed his hands down his face. He blinked until his vision refocused, remembering why he was here, remembering what had happened. “Don’t apologize. You’re right, you’re totally—I’m supposed to make your bed. I said I would. I am. Was just dozing. That’s not even my bed. Right. The sheets, um…” Reigen twirled his hand, eyes shutting as a huge yawn stole his breath. When he opened his eyes, they felt sticky. “The linen closet. In there is where. I’ve got. They’re. Just uh, hang on, and I’ll…”

Reigen stopped. He lost track of his own words as his focus fell entirely on the sight in front of him. The kid was standing halfway between the bathroom and the living room, his hair still a bit wet, and his borrowed clothes soft and loose. He stood a head shorter than Reigen, and his wide eyes stared back, lost, waiting for instruction. Waiting as though he needed permission to even get his sheets and go to bed.

God, it really was just a kid…

Reigen was awake now.

The thought came with a tightening in his still-burning throat. Things clicked into place in his mind, connections running along sluggish, bothered thoughts. It sunk in deeper and harder the longer he looked at the boy’s round cheeks and wide eyes, just a bit hidden behind a curtain of dripping hair. His hands were small, and he wrung them through his hair, waiting to be told what to do. He shuffled his feet, bare against the hardwood, and looked up to Reigen—an adult—like one. Like he was any other kid waiting for instructions from someone he trusted.

The thing that had run into him on the road—it had been more like a scared and lost pet to Reigen, something spooked and just a bit defenseless. Not a kid. Not this little kid in front of him.

He was though—just a kid.

And it hurt.

“Hey, uh, Mob…”

A kid, a person, someone with a last name, and a family and friends, Reigen imagined. Some kid looking to be sent off to bed so he could get up bright and early for school in the morning. What school? What family?

The image of Jun Isari flashed through Reigen’s mind, answering the door with a winter jacket gripped over her pajama top, the budding bruises of sleeplessness beneath her eyes, desperation painting her face defenseless as Reigen had approached through the darkness with Tetsuo’s nearly-limp arm slung around his neck.

Mob had parents like that somewhere, it seemed. Mob had people who waited up sleepless nights for the kid who never came home. How many nights, Reigen didn’t know.

Was it cruel to make them wait one night more?

“Look…uh, listen. Actually, scratch that, about the sheets, and the linen closet. Different idea. I’m thinking uh…before that, before we go to bed I mean, how about, how about instead we--” Reigen’s right hand ran along his neck. He winced when the stinging set in—the cuts, the bandages, right… “how about, we don’t go to sleep just yet? I mean I want to, god I want to—you do too, I bet—and we will—but I don’t…think that’s the right thing, right now. Maybe we should talk. Just a bit. Just maybe, a couple questions, so I know a little more about what’s going on, and then we’ll sleep, okay?”

Mob stiffened. His hands tightened to his hair, and he took one step back. “Are you gonna call the police?”

“No! I mean—it depends? Oh—oh, no then. Look. Look at me kid okay? I’m—no cellphone, yeah? My hands are empty. Pockets too they—oh man wow these tags—when did that even? Never mind. Never mind just—let’s sit in the kitchen. Let’s talk.”

Mob’s grip released from his hair. He dragged his fingers through as they let go, and Reigen noticed them snag. Mob moved toward the nearest kitchen chair, though his eyes stayed glued to Reigen, his expression like a cornered animal again. Reigen swallowed down the guilt and pulled out his own chair from the adjacent side.

Reigen sat, and he twisted his hands together on top of the table, leaning his weight against them. Mob pulled back just a fraction away from him. That stung somehow. To be so fully trusted and then…not. Reigen almost lost his nerve, almost sent the kid to bed with no questions asked.

Almost, but he didn’t.

“Your parents don’t know you’re here. They want to know where you are, don’t they?”

Mob waited, and he nodded.

“Is there some way I can let them know you’re here, Mob?” Reigen continued. He eased back, hoping Mob may come just a bit closer.

Mob considered the question. He pulled his legs up against his chest and hunched into them, his eyes cast aside. “Shishou wouldn’t like that.”

“Yeah well Shishou’s de—Shishou’s…” Reigen breathed deeply, though no matter what he felt as though there wasn’t enough oxygen reaching his bloodstream. “Let’s forget about Shishou, okay? For you, Mob. Can I call them for you?”

Mob’s jaw moved, his wide eyes steeled over, harder now, resolve tight in his face. He looked up to Reigen. “I…wouldn’t like that, Mr. Reigen.”

“And why not?”

“I told you already.”

“The barrier?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not--…Kid.” Reigen flipped one hand out, searching for words. “Look, don’t you think, maybe it’s a little important to fill me in here? ‘The barrier’ doesn’t explain a whole ton to me, you know. And I’ve got you, here, in my house, and you don’t belong to me—that’s not the word—you’re not my kid. You’re some kid, who’s maybe got parents who’re maybe looking for him, and I’ve got him, so I’m just, don’t you think, maybe, it would be nice of me to give you back? You’re free of this Shishou guy. I know you said you’re dangerous but I got rid of the—that thing—the barrier thing—that, which you still need to explain to me but it’s gone. You said it yourself. So maybe try working with me here, okay?”

Mob gave long, slow shakes of his head. For someone so small and so visibly exhausted, Reigen was surprised with how gravely he spoke. “There’s no getting rid of the barrier like that. Shishou told me. Shishou can suppress his barrier but that’s all. You’re doing that. But I can’t. I’ve tried but I can never ever do it. If you’re gone it’ll be back. Because I can’t do it. I’ll hurt everyone if I go home.” His hands twisted in his lap, eyes dropping to them for a moment before they flickered up with new, burning resolve. “…If you could teach me…”

“Teach you?”

Mob nodded vigorously. “How you’re getting rid of it.”

“How I’m…getting rid of it… Yeah okay this again. I just…” Reigen whipped his left hand through the air. “You know? Psychic’ed it away. It’s a technique of mine. You just—like with your hands—no not with your hands just, just concentrated your psychic—you know your psychic powers—concentrate them on the barrier and it’s gone. If you do it it’ll be forever I promise.”

Mob shrunk in, piercing eyes still to Reigen. “I’ve tried that. I can’t ever make it work… No matter what I do it never ever works. Shishou tried to teach me everything. I’m not strong enough.” His fists curled in his lap, eyes losing their fervor for a moment. “You have to teach me better!”

“It—I don’t—there is no…” Reigen ran a hand down his face, breathing deeply and cutting his thoughts short. He shouldn’t snap at the kid. He shouldn’t be angry. It was just a kid. Just a little kid. God, that still stung… “I…let’s try to start this again. Let’s not talk about the barrier right now. Let’s just--,” Reigen glanced around, and he stood. “It’s not nice of me to interrogate you like this. Let me…get us something warm to drink.”

The scraping of the chair made Mob jolt, but he didn’t move. He only watched as Reigen clipped the corner of the table to get to the cabinets behind it. Reigen popped them open one at a time. “I think I’ve got tea… One of these, at least. Maybe this one. Oh, no not this one. The next—here yeah it’s right—oh the box is empty. Right.”

Reigen flipped an empty container of tea bags upside down. Its top swung on the metal hinge, opening to the ground, opening to nothing. Reigen set it back on the counter. Then he set his elbows down too, firm and solid so that he could dig his hands into his eyes, attempting to push back the headache. He didn’t even flinch when the slits along his right fingers flared.

This was beyond him. This wasn’t something he knew how to handle. He knew nothing about psychological trauma, let alone a delusion of this intensity. This wasn’t him. This wasn’t something he could fix. He should just call the police and be done with it…

Reigen stood tall again, blinking a few times to clear the stars from his vision. He moved to the fridge and popped it open. “I’ve got…just milk. I can put it in a mug and stick it in the microwave. Is warm milk okay?”

No answer met him, so Reigen turned. He froze, and his grip on the refrigerator door loosened as he and Mob locked eyes.

It was wonder, or panic, or both that cut away the steely determination that had burned in the boy’s eyes a moment ago. It was something so intensely defenseless and child-like. Mob straightened, hardly seeming to breathe.

“You have milk?”

“Uh…yeah. Not even expired. I bought it like two days ago.”

“But Shishou said…” Mob swallowed the words. His breathing picked up, eyes flickering across the single carton of milk in Reigen’s fridge. Slowly, his voice almost choked, Mob answered, “Yes, yes please…”

Reigen had nothing to say in response. He only watched Mob, his gut twisting with unsettled anxiety as he pulled the carton from the fridge and took two mugs by their handle from the cabinet. He filled them both 2/3 up, and only after he popped both in the microwave did he remember that he didn’t even like plain milk.

The seconds dragged as the microwave hummed out in monotone. Reigen braced his hands to the counter, and he watched the mugs intently, because it was easier than watching Mob. It was easier than fathoming what the expression on the boy’s face meant.

Then it pinged. Reigen took them both out, their handles just a bit warm, and he rounded the table to retake his seat. He set Mob’s mug down in passing. The other he placed in front of him as he retook his seat.

Mob studied the mug, and Reigen studied Mob. Mob, with his shaking hands reached for it, his right taking the handle and his left wrapping across the warm porcelain face. Mob pulled the brim beneath his chin and studied it, enraptured. Suddenly Reigen felt invisible.

“You…you okay there?” Reigen asked quietly. His hands fidgeted along the face of his own mug.

“Yeah…Yeah I’m…t-thank you, Mr. Reigen.”

Mob pulled the shaking mug to his lips, and Reigen watched with anxiety deep in his gut. He didn’t know how to read the boy’s reaction. He didn’t know what to make of it.

Mob took a sip, and he paused, and he lowered his mug still trembling. A little ring of white painted his upper lip. He swallowed, and stared forward at nothing until the steady shaking of his hands worked through his whole body.

“Is it…too hot? If it is I can—“ Reigen reached for Mob’s mug. He startled when Mob yanked it clear from Reigen’s grasp.

“No! No you don’t—it’s…”

Reigen’s hand retracted, and for a breathless moment he locked eyes with Mob. His stomach dropped.

Tears budded in the corners of Mob’s eyes. Soft pearlescent things, on top of the warm red blush that crawled along Mob’s cheeks—the first bit of color Reigen had seen in his face.

“I just…really like it…Mr. Reigen,” Mob whispered. He hugged the mug closer. “Thank you.”

“It—don’t mention it. It’s milk.” Then his voice dropped to an airy whisper. “It’s…just milk…”

Reigen did not know what expression he wore as he watched Mob raise the cup and drink the rest of it, something slack, something just a bit shocked. Something that maybe fit the ache he felt tightening his throat.

He couldn’t fathom what sort of world the kid had just escaped, but he knew now he didn’t want to. And he didn’t want to make Mob relive it, not if it was something so horrific that a single glass of warm milk could move him to tears.

“Here,” Reigen said, sliding his mug across the oaken table. “Have mine too…”

…

Sunlight crested just behind the Mogami house, throwing it into a fiery halo whose far-crawling shadows claimed the whole front lawn.

Isa watched the house for any sign of Officer Haruki Ando, her junior and almost-friend, while glancing every few seconds to her own police car. Her expression remained unreadable, almost bored. Only the tight strain of her jaw betrayed anything deeper, but the only other officer who knew to recognize the look was—

Isa’s eyes flitted back to the car, to the man seated sideways in the passenger’s seat, his body crumpled and his feet set to the cobblestone. He cupped a thermos between his hands (thoughtfully snagged by Haruki when Isa called him in) and stared at his own feet. Tetsuo did not drink any of it; he simply held it, as if it were an excuse for his shoulders to be so hunched in, his frame to suddenly cut so small. Isa straightened her shoulders in response, because she didn’t have her partner to be the composed one this time.

“Officer Maki!”

Isa turned, tipping her hand to the young man emerging from the house. Officer Ando snapped off his gloves, cutting a path across the grass to where Isa stood. His attention shifted in uneasy bursts to Tetsuo who hadn’t moved from the passenger’s seat of Isa’s car in all the time that Haruki had been inside the house.

“I think I covered all the rooms, and nothing was really, I mean beside the master bedroom of course which just…” Haruki trailed off, his subtlety lost as he stared on at Tetsuo sitting just out of earshot. “Has he said anything yet?”

“No,” Isa answered simply.

Haruki’s face betrayed everything Isa felt: anxious, sourceless worry and infectious paranoia. He was young, 22, and his face was younger, boyish and easily touched by emotion. “Is he okay at least?”

The question sent a prickling shiver down Isa’s spine. She couldn’t place the feeling exactly. It was almost like noticing a forest fall deathly silent, something instinctually wrong, some pressing sense of danger with no sense of what it might be.

“Physically, he’s fine,” Isa answered.

“But, mentally…is he?”

“I don’t know. He’s been stressed.” Isa looked to Tetsuo as she spoke. Tetsuo’s head drooped a bit more over his thermos. Isa saw his eyes slip shut and snap open. “I’ll grill it out of him when he’s less…like this.”

“It had to be…something…” Haruki whispered, vague, but Isa understood. It had to be something monumental, because anything less wouldn’t make Tetsuo Isari collapse during a case. That was the best it could be called—“something”—because Isa didn’t know what sort of thing could even manage that. She’d never seen it. She’d never seen Tetsuo break before.

A flare of anxiety racked through her veins as the possibilities turned through her mind, and she didn’t dare let it show on her face.

“It’s real,” Haruki filled the silence, discomfort pushing the topic along. He nodded his head toward the house. “The cursed corpse. Thought the stories were—mm—exaggerated? About it not rotting, and that barrier around it. Kinda surprising that the squatters in there never got their hands chopped off by that thing, you know?” Haruki’s expression soured. “Or maybe they have. Yikes.”

“Squatters, right…” Isa fixed her attention back on Haruki. “What’d you find?”

Haruki gave a half-hearted shrug. “Signs of squatters definitely. There’s the pullout bed with sheets on it in the basement that you already saw. Couple shirts and pants on the ground, dirty, definitely small. Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap in the basement bathroom. Some soup and medicine on the counter and in the cupboards. And that knife that—yeah, used—“ Haruki made quick stabbing motions. “Maybe a couple of them had a territory spat.”

“No kid though?”

“Not unless he’s really good at hide-and-seek.” Haruki took his hat off and swept his bangs out of his face. His hat had pressed his chestnut hair flat to the top of his head, and it fanned out near his ears. His uneasy green eyes shifted back to Tetsuo. “There was a kid’s winter hat in the main closet. Only thing in there.”

“Yeah, saw that.”

“…Why does Officer Isari think there’s a kid being held here?”

“Don’t know that either,” Isa answered. “But he was convinced, so I followed.”

“…I trust Officer Isari too…” Haruki added after a moment, his hands twisting together. “But there’s not much we can do now, is there? Without a warrant? This is already…what we’re doing already is pretty…off the books…”

“Right. Yeah it is. Sorry for dragging you in,” Isa said.

“Don’t mention it…” Haruki straightened, shoulders squared back and eyes serious despite his boyish cheeks. “I…Like I said I trust Officer Isari’s judgement. You said it was him, and he wouldn’t drag anyone out here unless he had a good reason. He wouldn’t be like this if it wasn’t…” Haruki trailed off, his line of thought cut short. “I want to help more, but I don’t know what I can… I’ve just never seen--I mean, a year’s not all that long, so maybe I’ve just never been around for, never been on a case when he, never seen…”

Haruki swallowed, thinking carefully about his phrasing before he continued. “First time I saw a dead body on a case, I thought I was handling it okay. Then Officer Isari tapped me on the shoulder and told me to wait outside and keep the area clear. My hands had been shaking. Didn’t even notice until I got outside and realized… And Officer Isari took my place like it was nothing.” His eyes lingered on Tetsuo. Isa followed his line of sight to Tetsuo’s still-trembling hands. “That Officer Isari—Seeing a dead body wouldn’t do that to him…”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Isa said. She was at a loss for what else to say though. She didn’t know what would. “Speaking of dismissals,” Isa clapped her hand to Haruki’s shoulder, “thanks, I couldn’t juggle the house and Tetsuo at the same time, didn’t want to leave him out here alone so thanks, but you should go home now. I’ll take care of him.”

Haruki gave a quick nod. “Yeah, like I said not a problem. Just.” His eyes flickered back to Tetsuo. “I was kind of thinking about that on the way over, the first dead body I mean. If Officer Isari could step in for me—I figured I could, this time, you know…” He glanced back to Isa, eyes bothered and alert. He opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to lose his nerve, veering safe. “Just, keep an eye on him, please?”

“What do you think I’ve been doing the last seven years?” The words sounded hollow in her ears though. She thought she had been, but something had slipped past her notice—enough for the sight of a corpse to drop Tetsuo to the floor, backed against a wall and curled in on himself with broken sobs. The memory put Isa’s stomach in knots. She knew how to handle hysterical people, but not Tetsuo, never Tetsuo…

Isa gave Haruki two quick taps to his shoulder, a dismissal, and she watched just long enough for him to get back to his civilian car before setting her sights to Tetsuo.

“Hey…” She walked forward, her feet crunching through the dead grass. She stepped heavily, so as not to risk startling him. His eyes were still dazed when he looked up, but he clearly saw her. “Ando finished scoping out the house. People have been in there, probably at least one of them was a kid, but there’s no sign of Shigeo.”

Isa waited for a reaction. Tetsuo breathed in deep, his ribcage shuddering. He looked forward again, and spoke with forced monotone. “Shigeo’s not in there?”

“No, he’s not.” Isa stopped just short of the car. She stood with the house to her left and Tetsuo to her right, attention shifting between the two. “And you’ve calmed down enough to talk to me, so explain to me what happened in there.”

Tetsuo looked up, and Isa broke eye contact after a few heavy seconds. She didn’t like the brokenness on his face. She wasn’t used to it.

“I don’t think I can explain it to you.” His grip on the thermos tightened. “I don’t think I want to.”

“Come on, none of that Tetsuo. No bullshit. I hate that.” She didn’t dare to look away this time.

“Please, Isa…”

“What did you see in that room, Tetsuo? Because all I saw was a corpse.” She gave him a once-over. “And you, sobbing on the floor.”

He watched her with the face of something wounded. “What did it look like to you, Isa? What did the the corpse look like?”

“Like a corpse. Very dead and hanging there.” Isa’s face steeled to hide the twist in her gut at her next thought. “…Meaning you saw something else?”

Tetsuo leaned over, setting the untouched mug on the cobblestone. He gripped his hands to his knees and stared into the grass, at nothing. “I saw him…”

“Who, Tetsuo?”

“Mogami.”

“No duh. It’s his corpse.” Isa watched him flinch, and she ran a hand through her hair, snagging at the ponytail. “Okay, okay… Elaborate. What does that mean? And no more cryptic answers.”

Tetsuo’s eyes flickered to the attic window. He stared into the darkness drenching the room beyond. “Him… His spirit, I-I mean. He was in his own body. Moving the eyes. He’s not gone. He saw me.”

“His eyes weren’t moving, Tetsuo. I was there. I saw. Ando saw too. It’s just a corpse.”

Tetsuo’s head tilted up. He stared at her, his face pale, bags bruising beneath his eyes. The raw red slits on his neck came back into view. “You didn’t see… I’m positive. I saw it, Isa. I’m so so positive.”

Isa’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “How long have you been awake, Tetsuo?”

He looked up, attention to the rising sun behind the Mogami house. “…At least a day.” Then his eyes flashed to her. “You too, though…”

“How did you get those cuts on your neck?”

Tetsuo released his right hand from his knee. It moved up as if to brush the scrapes, then he shuddered and dropped his hand. “A fight…”

“No shit. I told you no more vague answers.”

Tetsuo curled his hands around his knees, fingers digging in. “Please…I don’t want to talk about that anymore.”

“’Anymore’ well that’s news to me because you’ve told me nothing.” Isa stepped closer. “I’m out here, and not in bed, because I trust you’ve got a good reason for it. Now trust me enough to tell me.”

“Please, Isa…”

“What happened.”

Tetsuo stared forward, lost inside his own thoughts. His eyes widened, and his skin seemed to slip paler. He raised his hands, balled into fists, and pressing them hard against his forehead. Their weight forced his head back, until his fists loosened and his fingers slipped through his disheveled hair. He gave one pained laugh, frantic and desperate, while his body crumpled forward. Another broken noise, something between a laugh and a sob, came through muffled.

“Tetsuo no. No no no come on—come on look at me. Tetsuo!” Isa moved in front of him, blocking him from the house, blocking him from the sun. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. And when he didn’t respond, she took his chin and lifted it up. She froze.

“Tetsuo, are you crying?”

He seemed to startle in response, one shaky hand moving up to rub at the corner of his eye. He stared at his palm, just a bit wet, and curled his fingers in.

“What the…hell happened to you, Tetsuo?” Isa whispered. She eased back just an inch, and she felt the blank apathy on her face crumbling. “You’re scaring me. You’re scaring me now. I’ve never seen you—I don’t know what to do for you. Talk to me.”

Tetsuo reached one quivering arm out, and he grabbed at her left sleeve. He pulled her just a little closer, his other hand locking on too. He locked eyes with her, and the thing she saw was hardly Tetsuo Isari—it was fractured pieces of him.

“What do you need me to do, Tetsuo?”

“Isa, I’m…I’m going to keep searching for Shigeo, however I can. I just need you to watch me, Isa. That’s all I need you to do, okay? Please, please watch me, Isa. Please. I’m not okay. It’s not gone and I’m not okay anymore. If I’m acting strange, Isa, if I’m acting like I’m not myself, don’t let me go anywhere, don’t let me do anything. I’m begging you. Just call Jun. If I ever—If I’m ever—please call Jun.”

Tetsuo’s grip slipped from her arm, and Isa let it fall. She was fighting her own numb chill as the weight of his words sunk in, the implications buried beneath. Watch him… Don’t let him do anything… He’s not okay…

“O-okay,” Isa answered, and it was a gentle voice she hardly ever used, one she usually reserved for young kids whose world was shattering. “I won’t push you anymore. I’m sorry, Tetsuo. I won’t ask if you don’t want to be asked, I promise. I’ll keep an eye on you. That’s what I’ve always done. I’ll do it better now.”

Tetsuo answered with a weak nod of his head, a muttered “thank you”. He looked through the windshield, down the street. “I left Jun at home. Didn’t even grab my phone. She doesn’t know I came back here.”

“She’s at the station right now.” Isa watched the confusion paint across Tetsuo’s face, and continued. “She called me just a bit before Ando got here. Didn’t know what to tell her about…this—you—exactly, so I told her to wait at the station for us. Police order.”

Tetsuo gave a small, thin smile, eyes downcast as he pulled his feet inside the police car and retrieved his thermos from the ground. “She didn’t like that…”

“No, she didn’t.” Isa rounded the car and slid into the driver’s seat. She shut her door and cranked the ignition, seatbelt fastened as an afterthought. “Close your door—and maybe try to sleep for a bit on the ride back…”

…

Isa’s car idled just outside the Seasoning City police station. She watched from the driver’s seat as Jun Isari hopped down the station steps, pulling Tetsuo into a hug before he’d fully left the passenger’s seat. His arms twisted around Jun’s back, crushingly tight, and they rocked together. Tetsuo buried his face in Jun’s shoulder, and Isa felt it would be prying if she kept watching.

She shut the side door after Tetsuo and eyed the parking lot for open spaces instead. Her gaze slipped back for a moment to the Isaris, wrapped tightly together in the early dawn outside the station, then to her phone propped in the middle cupholder.

She twisted the key and scouted out the nearest parking spot, and she made a mental note to add a suicide hotline as an emergency contact in her phone.

(Chapter 12)

#A Breach of Trust #Mob Psycho 100 #mp100 fanfiction #-kicks a trashcan- WOW THESE CHAPTERS KEEP GETTING LONG #HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN I DUNNO #BUT HERE WE ARE #i know its midnight but im posting anywhere Chapter 11 is a-go :'DDD

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gamzee-the-capricious-fanfic · 4 years

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Chapter 6

Notes: This is the Chapter with a lot of bad shit in it so beware

You come to with a groan. You feel disoriented and you don’t know where you are. Luckily you know who you are so that is a plus. You manage to finally open your eyes, squinting immediately at the light above. You attempt to sit up but a wave of pain, dizziness, and nausea make you lay back down. You close your eyes again, your whole body hurts but especially your shoulder, the throbbing pain is intense. You just lay there for a bit, it appears no one is around you else they would most likely be pestering you with questions and concern. You open your eyes again and look around. You are on the couch of your dorm, you are not sure how you got there. You also notice that you don’t have a shirt on, you guess that makes sense considering your injury needed tending to. You sigh, there’s no way you just fainted, you would have come to much sooner so that leaves the other and more unpleasant option, you must have had yet another seizure.You had been doing so well, the medication had really helped. But you suppose such shock to the body could trigger it. You will have to keep that in mind for the future.

You hope you didn’t cause any problems for Kanaya and Rose. Considering past incidents you have the tendency to throw up when you have a seizure. Speaking of throwing up you start to feel the intense urge to do so now. You lurch up to a sitting position quickly but the action causes an intense wave of dizziness and the room spins and nope you throw up on the floor. You retch up stomach acid, which you suppose is better than the alternative, easier to clean at least. You pant a bit, desperate for air and you close your eyes. You can’t stop trembling and the movement causes more pain in your shoulder. This shit motherfucking sucks. You slowly lay back down trying to not trigger another throw up sesh. Getting up right now is not an option it seems.

You hear the door open and you open your eyes to Dave looking at you. “Jeez dude, do you throw up every five minutes or something?”

“Oh fuck off Strider.”

He looks at you for a moment more before grabbing a rag from the kitchen and walking over. He starts cleaning up your mess. “I can do that.” you mutter. “Just need a motherfuckin minute or two to get all up and fine.”

He snorts. “Sure dude, you look like fucking shit, doubt you’ll be getting up any time soon.”

You growl softly, he might be right but you don’t want to admit it. “Whatever bro” a few seconds pass before you say: “Thank you though.”

He just nods and finishes cleaning. Once he’s done he stands up and looks at the floor checking to see if he missed anything. “Alrighty, looks like new, now preferably clown boy don’t throw up on the floor that I just cleaned or else we are gonna have some beef.”

You chuckle. “S’not my fault no one thought to put a trashcan in my vicinity now is it?”

He shrugs a bit of a smirk on his face, “You’re not wrong.” He drags a little trashcan over to you. Then starts heading for the door again. Before he leaves he looks back to you. “You should probably just sleep some, that always helped when-” He cuts himself off. “Just trust me.” Then he leaves.

You sigh. You wonder what he was about to say, but oh well. You feel exhausted. Guess you’d better take his advice.

A day passes before you can move around and a week and a half before you feel back to full strength. In that time you find out that Xaleeb is actually in your health class. You wouldn’t have noticed this except that now he keeps looking back and glaring at you periodically. It’s kind of weird. In fact you are in health class right now, and he’s doing it again. You sigh and look over to Karkat. “When do you think this motherfucker will stop doing this shit. It’s fucking weird, like damn bro, just get over it.”

Karkat just shrugs and before he can really answer you the professor walks in raring to start the lecture. Usually this is when you would start to zone the fuck out but when she announces the topic you freeze. Great. We are talking about seizures today. You sigh again and Karkat gives you a look. “Great, get to learn all about how fucked up I am” you mutter under your breath.

Karkat rolls his eyes. “C’mon Gamzee, it’s not that bad. It’s not like the professor is going to single you out or anything.”

Hm, true you guess. And he is right, until around the middle of the lecture. As a rule all of your professors are aware of your little issue but most would have the tact to not mention it. Except this one it seems. She was just going through symptoms that occurs before a seizure when she looks at you and says: “Gamzee, would you say these are pretty accurate in your experience.”

Karkat looks at you wide eyed for a second before giving the professor a ‘what the fuck’ kind of look. She notices Karkat’s look and looks back at you apologetically. You just paste a fake smile on and nod to answer her question regardless. You can’t help but notice Xaleeb snickering and whispering to the troll next to him. Oh, it’s the female troll who’s arm you broke. Great. Your biggest weakness, just laid right out there for everyone to know. You try to breathe evenly, you are really pissed off and you are trying desperately not to show it. The professor just didn’t know better. Karkat paps your arm trying to soothe you. You just shake your head slightly. You are not going to lose your shit over this. At least this is your last class today. When class ends you mutter to Karkat that you are going to take a walk, he looks a bit concerned but nods.

You start heading towards your “kinda secret but not really” spot with a sigh of frustration. All you want to do is just get a little bit high, is that too much to ask? Probably, you think with a soft grumble. You arrive at your spot in a state of increased agitation. You pace for a minute running your fingers through your hair ruffling it up more than it already was. Finally you manage to come to a stop long enough to search for where you happened to hide your weed stash and lighter. After a minute of searching you growl with even more frustration, you could have sworn you put it right where you were looking. Just your fucking luck that someone would have somehow found your little stash spot. You let out a string of curses under your breath, you almost think Karkat would have been proud of you for the interesting amalgamations of words you managed to string together. You bite your hand lightly still rumbling with irritation. You stand back up still so caught up in your irritation that you don’t hear the steps behind you.

Abruptly a hand grabs your shoulder and spins you around then shoves you against the brick wall behind you. You can’t help but to yelp in surprise. In front of you stands Xaleeb, the blue blood from before, behind him you get a glimpse of his cronies before he shoves his phone screen up to your face. His phone screen is rapidly flashing black and white. For a second you are wildly confused, “Wha-” Then it clicks, he’s trying to induce a seizure. Wow, low blow motherfucker. You fucking laugh and his cruel smirking face changes to one of confusion. Like that is going to fucking work, with your medication you should be just fine you imagi--. You feel it then, your body starts to lock up. Oh. Oh fu--

You come to with a groan, your head is pounding, in fact your whole body just hurts. You are laying on your side and you’re pretty sure your hands are tied behind your back. You feel something around your neck too, some sort of chain you think. You mutter with your eyes still closed, unable to muster the strength to open them. “Motherfucking shitfaced bastards with your goddamned flashing lights really fuckin up my day here.” A hard kick to your stomach makes you shut the fuck up and gasp for breath. This really isn’t your day huh. After a few wheezing breaths you manage to open your eyes to the group of blue bloods standing around me. “Literally kicking a troll when he’s down huh? So valiant for some motherfucking ‘highbloods’ huh motherfuckers.” You give them all a mocking smile that earns you another kick to the stomach. After catching your breath again you manage a dark laugh. “One trick hoofbeast huh?”

The female blue blood who kicked you snarls and looks as if she is going to hit you again but the leader, Xaleeb, snaps his finger and she halts, looking disappointed. If you weren’t still in such a shitty situation you’d be grateful, one more hit and you probably would have hurled up your guts. Really isn’t doing your throat any favors. Finally Xaleeb speaks: “You have quite a vile mouth for a ‘downed troll’. If you were smart you would be begging me for mercy, but well, I’m sure you are more stunted upstairs than you are physically.” You roll your eyes but while he speaks you manage to get your phone out of your back pocket, your back is still against the brick wall so no one notices you carefully get it. You are suddenly very grateful for a feature Sollux helped add to your phone, if you push the home button 5 times quickly your phone automatically sends Karkat an emergency text. Ya know, just gotta not die till he gets here.

You quickly get your phone back in your pocket as Xaleeb approaches you. He has a self-assured smirk on his face that pisses you off, in the most platonic hateful way of course. He lifts his foot and places it against the side of your head putting a slight bit of pressure on you. You growl. “Still not begging for your life huh? I could just..” He puts more pressure on your skull and you hiss in pain. He gets a maniacal smile on his face, the sadistic fucker is enjoying this way too much. You manage to growl out: “Fuck you motherfucker.” He lifts his foot off of your head and you almost sigh in relief. “Well now that is an idea isn’t it~.” You look up at him incredulously. “What the fuck. Why would I ever fuck you motherfucker.”

“You have it backwards I’m afraid, and I never said you had a choice in the matter.” His sadistic smile only grows.

“I’m tired of this sick joke, just fucking beat the shit out of me or whatever you intended to do so we can get this over with.” You snarl at him. There’s no way he is serious. That would just be sick and twisted. But he doesn’t look like he is joking. He grabs a part of the chain that is wrapped around your neck and he pulls on it pulling you to a sitting position. The chain tightens around your neck and you can’t breathe, he put a motherfucking barkbeast choke collar on you. Panic starts to fill you as the pressure on your neck doesn’t go away. A choked whimper makes its way out of your throat and Xaleeb releases the chain allowing you to breathe. You glare at him as you gasp for breath. He crouches down in front of you.

“Tell me, have you ever pailed anyone before?” He cocks his head slightly staring intently at your face. You just growl at him.

“I’m going to assume that is a no?” His smile widens. “That’s just perfect.”

You try to scoot away from him but the brick wall is directly behind you. Oh god, you hope Karkat shows up, this is getting too real. You look past him and the others tryin to see if there’s anyone else around. Xaleeb grabs your horn and slams your head into the brick wall. You hiss in pain. “No one is coming to save you dipshit.”

“Ah well, can’t blame a motherfucker for trying huh?” You give him a mocking smile.

He laughs, “That mouth of yours is going to get you into more trouble you know that right?” He grabs your horn again and shoves you to the side and you, unable to catch yourself with your hands tied behind you, get a face full of dirt. You groan in pain, god that fuckin hurt. C’mon Karbro where are you? Things aren’t looking good, did the text not go through? You followed Sollux’s instructions so it should have, but.. No one is coming. No. Karkat will show up, you just have to stall for time or something. Xaleeb smiles down at you. “Look at you, absolutely helpless.”

You snort with laughter. “I wasn’t so helpless last time now was I?”

Xaleeb nods towards the female blue blood and she smiles. She approaches you and kicks you in the side, hard. You wheeze painfully, you're pretty sure she might have broken something. You guess maybe it is payback for breaking her arm last time. Xaleeb chuckles, “Now, where were we? Ah, yes, I was going to show you all the ways I can break you. Ruin you. No one will want you after I am done with you.”

He starts unbuttoning his pants and you go cold. He is really going to do this. You hold back a whimper, you are not going to show weakness to this asshole, just gotta find a way to stall. “Can’t believe you’re so eager to fuck me.” You chuckle condescendingly. “Is fucking someone motherfuckin higher than you a fetish for you? Motherfucker that’s just sad. Honestly you remind me of a friend of mine, except he’d probably beg me to fuck him.” Sorry Equius, you really don’t mean that.

Xaleeb just keeps smirking down at you. “You know, no matter what you say you are still at my mercy right now. And well, I do actually have a fetish. You wanna know what it is?” He kneels down beside you. “I get off on causing people pain. And oh I can barely wait to hurt you. To hear you scream and beg me to stop. But I won’t. And when I’m done I’ll watch as everyone else here gets a chance to use you.”

You tremble slightly, your bloodpusher feels like it is going a million miles per hour. This can't be happening. Oh God, oh fuck, Karkat please, you beg, please fucking hurry up. One of the trolls grabs you by the back of the shirt and lifts you to your knees. You struggle a bit but it doesn’t do you much good, your body still feels weak. You feel cold hands slide up under your shirt a bit, you feel sick. “Wow, gonna feel me up now too huh?”

Xaleeb laughs. His hands drift to the waistband of your pants. You want to beg him to stop but you get the feeling that he would just enjoy it even more. You just growl as he slowly reaches forward to unbutton your pants, he’s taking his time it seems. “Gonna take all day with this shit then?”

You hear him chuckle. “No, I just want to take my time here, It’s for your benefit really. To really show you that no one is going to come and save you.” Your pants are unbuttoned now and he slips his hands down a bit further running them over your hips. You really want him to stop.

“You sure are confident aren’t you?” There’s a slight tremor to your voice that you hope he didn’t notice.

He hums softly, “Yeah, I am confident. I mean, who would fucking care enough about you to come save you?”

You snarl. “Maybe you are just jealous that so many trolls care about someone so fucked up when no one gives a shit about you motherfucker. You are nothing, motherfucker.” The only indication that he was at all affected by your words was his claws digging into your hips slightly.

“Says the one at my mercy. Hm, how many times now have I had to remind you?” He tuts softly as he finally starts to pull down your pants. Your breath hitches a bit. “You sick fuck!”

He slides your pants down to your knees. Your face feels hot as his fucking cronies leer at you. “You all are some sick motherfuckers, can’t believe so many of you get your kicks from this.”

You feel one of Xaleeb’s hands drifting up your inner thigh. “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME MOTHERFUCKER!” You are absolutely shaking with rage.

He viciously tugs on the choke collar cutting off the low growl you were making. “Aw, look, he’s angry~”

You cough and struggle to breathe for a minute. Your throat is very painful and breathing hurts. You hope he hasn’t caused any permanent damage. Suddenly he pushes you forward and you yelp as your face smashes into the dirt. Now everything neck upwards hurts and you are pretty sure your nose is bleeding. But even worse than that is that now you are in a very vulnerable position. You try to struggle back up but the troll who lifted you by the shirt now holds you down. You hear fabric shifting behind you then you feel something slimy and wiggly- oh god that’s his bulge- run against your inner thigh. You feel like you could throw up. You let out a stream of curses that would make even Karkat proud when you feel him sliding up against you. Oh no, any moment and he could- A scream rips out of your throat as he viciously shoves into you. Oh god it hurts. Beyond the pain you can hear him groan with pleasure.

You scream more curses, filled with intense rage but he makes you scream in pain again as he starts roughly thrusting into your nook. Tears stream down your face and you bite your lip hard enough it bleeds as you try to hold back your sounds of pain. Fuck. Fuck! FUCK! Your breathing is ragged as you once again try to struggle away. The troll holding you down pushes you down harder making it almost impossible to move. You dig your nails into your palms unable to do anything else with your hands. You want it to stop. You want it all to just stop. Why hasn’t Karkat come to help you? “Has it hit you yet? The fact that no one can stop this? That you deserve this?” He groans again. “And damn, let me tell you, for a cullable fuckup of a troll you do feel quite good.”

You choke back a sob. You try to tell yourself he is wrong, you don’t deserve this, and… and… Karkat must be coming… right? Xaleeb’s words echo in your head with each rough thrust into you. No one is coming. No one can save you. You deserve this. It feels like forever before Xaleeb’s movements become more erratic. His bulge twists around inside of you and makes you cry out in pain. You are left whimpering painfully as he shoves deep into you. He moans loudly and you shudder with disgust as he fills you with genetic material. You feel over-aware of the genetic material dripping down your thighs. You can just imagine the blue staining your skin. The imagery make you gag. You feel Xaleeb slide out of you and god every bit of you hurts. After a few seconds he kneels beside you making sure you can see him. You snarl at him. “Bet you wish this was done huh?” His smile is cruel, satisfied, it makes you sick. “Well, four more trolls to go~”

Your stomach drops, you had almost forgotten that this was nowhere near done. You wish you could come up with something more than the “Fuck you.” you manage to say to him. He just smiles. You hadn’t noticed the female troll had moved behind you till you feel her bulge shoving into you. You cry out again in pain, she really wasn’t that big but you were already ripped up and raw from Xaleeb that the pain was almost equally as agonizing. Xaleeb just watched your face as you screamed and cried. It felt like forever before they were all done with you. The last one had been the worst after Xaleeb. He had been the troll holding you down and he was considerably bigger than Xaleeb even. Save the best for last right? You almost laugh hysterically at that. Almost.

Said troll now lifts you up and slams you against the brick wall, your arms get the brunt of it and you hiss in pain. You glare at Xaleeb and the other trolls. Xaleeb crouches in front of you. “Now that was satisfying now wasn’t it?”

The trolls around him chuckle and nod. You fucking hate them. “When I get the fucking chance I’m going to rip you all into shreds and I’ll be the one satisfied then.” You snarl full of rage at them. You go into excruciating detail about how you would kill each and every one of them until you reach what you would to to Xaleeb. When you get to him he tugs on the choke collar again, holding it tight so you can’t breathe. “I think that is quite enough of that. You know, I am REALLY tired of hearing your voice. You don’t know when to shut up don’t you?”

You struggle desperately to breathe but he doesn’t release his hold on the choke collar until you are just barely struggling. You gasp desperately for air as soon as he does. You are trembling uncontrollably, you weren’t sure just then if he was even going to release his hold. He grabs your face, lifting it up till you are forced to look at him. You growl softly. He doesn’t look amused, in fact he looks annoyed for a moment then his face lights up. “Well now, I think I can solve this little problem.”

You give him a confused look. “Open your mouth. Now.”

“Fuck no!”

“You want another round of everyone or do you want to do as you’re told?”

You hesitate, you really don’t want to go through all that again. You can’t. You grudgingly open your mouth unsure of what he is planning. “Stick your tongue out.”

Hesitating a moment more you do as he asks. He grabs the tip of your tongue rather roughly and you wince. You never noticed the knife in his other hand until your tongue feels like it is on fire. You shriek in pain then choke on the blood filling your mouth. You cough up some of the blood and start hyperventilating slightly. He just cut off part of your tongue. You can vaguely hear him laughing but you no longer feel like you are there. That is until he punches you in the face, the immediate pain bringing you right back. “Come now, can’t have you zone out just yet. First off, and this should be obvious, don’t fucking tell anyone about what happened here. Tell no one about who did this. And if you do, then we will do worse to that mutant moirail of yours.” You growl. “Or, what about that shit-blood you moon over.” You shut the fuck up. “Good boy.”

He stands up satisfied then gestures for everyone to head out. All of them obey except one who approaches you and sneers, he reaches towards you and you lunge forward your teeth crunching down one his hand. You can feel his bones splintering as he shrieks. Finally, someone screaming besides you. That female bitch of a troll kicks you in the ribs repeatedly until you release the other troll’s mangled hand. She guides away the sobbing troll and to your surprise Xaleeb doesn’t come back to punish you further. They just leave you there.

You sit there for a bit, blood dripping down your chin before you shift forward a bit. You need to get your hands free. One thing at a time. You look around for a second and spot the knife Xaleeb used earlier, it has your blood coated on it. You are surprised he had left it. You take a breath and then slowly manage to scoot your way over to it. Once you can reach it you grab it and try to saw at the rope tying your hands together. It takes a while and you cut your arms a few times but you manage to free your hands. Once your hands are free you tug your pants back up. It's a bit of a struggle as your body is so sore but you manage. You lay down on your side for a minute, just physically exhausted. You just need a minute you think. You pull out your phone from your pocket once again. You turn it on and open up your messages. Nothing. Karkat never responded. You laugh hysterically. Xaleeb was right. You feel raindrops hit your face. Great. This is all just great.

#chapter 6 #graphic shit

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squisherific · 6 years

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Shokugeki No Soma Chapter 275

I really wanted to review this chapter because I’ve been seeing an awful lot of hate for it, which I think is absolutely hilarious. Now, just a disclaimer, I’m not saying this current plot line is fabulous writing by any means. However, I honestly don’t understand the hate for this specific chapter. After the events in the two previous chapters, I felt like what happened in this chapter was an obvious conclusion?

Of course Souma lost. I would have been really shocked if he had beat the guy who beat his dad. It’s clear Asahi was being set up as a new goalpost for Souma. Souma is the first seat. He clearly is in a very comfortable position. But in that position, there is little, to no tension. They needed to bring in someone who could challenge him.

What I do have a problem with, is a teacher-figure being that challenger, rather than a new student, or a foreign student, or a student from a different prestigious school in a different setting outside Tootsuki, which would have been more believable than this current setup. Because the biggest problem with this entire storyline is that it completely undermined Souma’s original (and what people assumed was his ultimate) goal of beating Jou.

Asahi should never have beat what was arguably the final boss in the series, and certainly not so decisively (5-0). By all means, introduce a character who has been Jou’s apprentice. That scenario is actually not unbelievable IMO. Jou is a really secretive guy, who travels a lot, so I can totally see him having taken a kid under his wing. And by all means, have the kid want to challenge Jou’s true son. All of that could have been done without Jou being defeated. That was the major mistake in this plot thread. But I’m hoping Jou’s defeat was not what it seems to be. I’m hoping he let himself be beat for whatever reason. We’ll see, though. Otherwise, it totally minimizes Jou’s place in the story, and that’s a shame.

That being said, I do understand what the author was going for. He wanted to really break Souma, and one way to do that, was to have Asahi defeat his dad, setting him up as not only this HUGE threat, but also, give him something important to fight for, which in this case, is his dad’s knife. He needs to get it back. I got that. That’s fine. But I also think it was unnecessary.

This situation, though, also gives Souma the opportunity to finally develop as a character. I’ve been dying to see him really upset and struggle. We never see that side of Souma. He’s too carefree and he shrugs things off too easily. He needs something to really devastate him, so he can build his way back from that, and grow as a character. Were there better ways to do that than this? Oh God yeah, but it is what it is.

The other problem with this arc isn’t necessarily a “problem” at all. It’s just cliche writing, that’s all. Actually, not just cliche writing. It’s a shoujo plot. Now, being a shoujo fan, and also being someone who’s been waiting quite patiently for the romance portion of this series to kick in, I think this current plot line is, as I said, hilarious, because Shokugeki is just not that kind of manga. So, the tone shift with this development is so striking that it’s funny. Asahi is essentially a giant plot device created to bring romantic feelings to the surface. Not Souma’s. That’s why his dad’s knife is involved. Souma is going to have other things to fight for besides Erina.

But Erina’s feelings towards Souma need to grow from the friendship levels they currently are, to blatant romantic ones. There is a hint of romance there already. The way she thought of Souma in the last arc felt very much like a girl on the cusp of falling for a guy. But they weren’t there quite yet, and that’s ok. Considering how very slow burning the Souma x Erina ship has been over the course of the series, it was actually a positive thing that Erina didn’t just fall hard and fast for him after just becoming friends. But now there’s been a 4 month time skip, and they are second years. They have likely been interacting far more often now, since she’s headmistress and he’s the first seat (who barges in on her whenever he wants, apparently lmao). So there’s a foundation there to build off of in a natural way… but that’s the issue.

Everything that is happening now, is not natural. That’s why it’s funny. It’s as if the author got impatient with his own story, and wanted to inject that romance element into it at last, and he wanted to do it IMMEDIATELY. So that’s why we just got an EXPLOSION of shoujo cliches in the form of Asahi lmao. I’m not mad at it, because it only helps my preferred ship. But it’s not ideal, to say the least.

I think the author did things this way, because he was really trying to do a lot of things at once, which include really bringing Souma to a very low point, rile him up, tear him down, take away everything he wanted: beating his dad, his pride as the first seat, pleasing Erina’s god tongue. And he wanted to do this, because giving Souma the first seat at the end of his first year, was a very tall pedestal to put him on, which is very dangerous for storytelling, because you trap your main character into a tiny box. You need to give him room to grow, but there’s no higher position to take him when the story’s setting is a school, and he gave him the highest position in that school.

So, in comes Asahi in all his overdramatic glory to strip everything away from Souma, and give him a new, more immediate goal to strive for. But the author also wanted to (thankfully, IMO) keep Erina involved too, and, again, get that romance plot finally moving. Hence, the shoujo cliche of a guy coming in out of nowhere, and declaring his romantic intentions for the hero’s likely love interest.

There’s also the possibility that the author might be trying to tie in Souma’s backstory through this connection to Jou and Asahi. That is something I’m not sure about at all. I still feel like Souma, and whatever happened to his mom, is still being saved for later, but maybe not. Maybe it’ll be introduced here, too, through all this drama. But, if so, that’s an awful lot of things going on in just one arc IMO.

Now, again, this chapter did not make me mad at all. This was very in keeping with what should logically have followed the last chapters. Souma lost badly. The trashcan thing was over the top though IMO. Wow. ^^’ But the princess carry portion at the end made so much sense in shoujo terms. Of course that happened hahaha. Now, this isn’t a shoujo though, so I’m not sure what will happen next. I don’t know how Erina will react to any of this. She’s never been put into the position before of having someone trying to romance her. So, whatever happens, I personally think it’ll be fun, because as I said, this will likely lead to Erina having romantic feelings for Souma, instead of Asahi, and it’s going to be interesting to see how and why things develop that way.

I do also think it’s intriguing that the author kept Erina very conveniently unconscious throughout the actual food match. He obviously does not want her tasting/judging their food yet. I don’t know if he’s saving it for a final confrontation where Souma comes out on top (probably), or he wanted Erina to taste Asahi’s food on it’s own, away from Souma, because this isn’t supposed to be about pushing Souma’s feelings forward, but about pushing Erina’s to the surface. But I honestly don’t know, and that’s good. I like surprises haha.

So yeah, this chapter just set up what we all assumed would happen, which is that Souma now has to beat Asahi to get his pride (and his dad’s knife) back. And Erina has to deal with this dude wanting to marry her.

I’m having a good time. It’s not great writing. Not by a long shot, but I do see the logic there. Asahi not being foreshadowed ages ago as a character waiting in the wings to take on Souma is not anything I have a problem with. Shounens do this type of thing all the time, where they produce new villains out of nowhere. And as I said, it makes sense that secretive Jou had an apprentice he didn’t mention to Souma. My only other issue, is what the whole midnight chefs plot thread has to do with Asahi’s current actions at Tootsuki. That I don’t get at all. And that’s kind of annoying. And again, the undermining of Jou. DO NOT LIKE.

But the overdramatic shoujo stuff is great. Much amused. 10/10 for the lols alone. xD

#shokugeki no soma #souma yukihira #erina nakiri #sorina #soueri

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selkie-elf · 6 years

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The Itsy bitsy spider

So, I wanted to write something sweet for Valentine’s day. This started as just a drabble, but I got carried away. Hope you enjoy this first chapter of a ship fic of the sad bard and the spider obsessed drow.

Read in AO3

” No, this won’t work”, Johann sighed and threw the crinkled paper in to the trashcan that was already overflowing with papers. He leaned back on his chair and held his head. He was supposed to write a new song to keep Voidfish happy, but he just couldn’t get any ideas. Everything that he wrote down just ended up sounding horrible. He stretched his shoulders, took a deep breath and looked out of the window of his dorm room. It was late. Only some other windows were lit up, otherwise everyone was already sleep. Johann stood up. What was even the point? He could just write something shitty down, it’s not like nobody would even care. Only one that would even hear it was the Voidfish and he was not sure that that thing even had ears.

Johann put on his jacket. Maybe a walk would help. Who knows, maybe his inspiration could be waiting behind the next corner? Or at least he could use a break. He packed his notebook to his backbag and took few quills from his nightstand. He strapped his fiddle on his back with some effort. He turned off the nightlamp and closed the door behind him.

As the tired bard walked along the hallway of the dormrooms he could hear muted laughter and talking from some of the rooms. It seemed that he wasn’t the only one awake. Killian’s howling laughter was easy to recognize, even it seemed like she was trying to keep it down. Robbie was sleeping on the hallway again. It wasn’t unusual for the potionmaker to forget that, in fact, he could open his door with his bracer. Johann just stepped over him, giving Robbie’s leg a small soft kick, in hoping that he would wake up. He just snored loudly and giggled in his sleep, so at least he was alive. Johann sighed. He didn’t have time or energy to deal with the high potionmaster now.

The bard walked around the campus for a bit before sitting down on the quad. He took out his notebook and started to scribble down everything that he could see around him. Green, fine-cut grass, a small patch of dandelions growing next to him, an old tree growing behind him. That was basic but, Johann guessed he could work it into song. The bard wrote down some notes as he quietly hummed to himself. He kept looking around. Nothing really caught his eye, before he noticed a shiny ring that was dropped on the grass. Johann reached for the ring. If it was from Leon he could return in the morning. But as he was about to grab it he saw what was walking towards it. A big, brownish-black spider. ”Ah!” the bard yelped and tried to scurry away. In his panic, he thought that the best place to get away from the big spider was the old tree. He quickly climbed to the lowest branch and watched helplessly as the spider walked all over his notebook. Johann knew that it was just a spider, it probably didn’t want to hurt him. More of a mystery was that were that spider had come from. Pets were not really allowed on the Moonbase, so how could it had gotten here?

”Johann!” The bard turned his head to a familiar voice. He could see a long figure running towards him. ”Brian?” Johann asked ” Is it here?” Brian asked as he tried to catch his breath. He was in his pajamas, wearing an oversized black t-shirt whit a spiderweb print on it and black shorts. ” If you mean the spider then yeah. Is it yours?” Johann said with a shaky voice, still holding tightly on to the branch. ” Yeah, it escaped and I’ve been looking for her the whole night. Where is it?” Brian asked. Johann pointed his shaking finger to notebook on the ground. The spider was still laying on top of it. ”Ah, thank you so much!!” Brian happily smiled as he scooped the spider to his hands. He started to calmly pet the fantasytarantula’s head and sweet talk to it. ”You know, it’s a good thing that it was you that found her. Last time she got caught by Killian and I had to beg for her not to kill Bri-Ann”, Brian laughed, letting the spider crawl on to his shoulder. Johann had calmed his breath and just smiled relieved. It was actually kind of cute to watch Brian as he talked to the spider like it was a puppy.

”By the way, why are outside at this time? Shouldn’t you be sleeping? You look tired dear” Brian asked, standing below the branch. Bri-Ann was now on top of Brian’s curly hair that had been tied up to a bun, and dangerously close to Johann’s tangling legs. ” I was trying to find some inspiration. I was supposed to write a new song to the Voidfish, but everything I wrote just turned out sounding like shit” Johann muttered, shifting his position on the branch, leaning his back on the trunk of the tree. Brian bowed down and reached for the notebook on the ground. He looked Johann curiously. ”Is it okay if I take a look?” the wizard asked. ”Maybe we should go inside. It’s getting pretty chilly, and you know, you aren’t really wearing a lot. I don’t you to get sick or something” Johann suggested. Truth was, that even with his jacket on, he himself was getting pretty cold. ”Oh okay! Do you need help getting down from there or…?” Brian wondered and offered his hand. Johann grabbed his hand and jumped down. It was not really that big of a jump anyway, and Johann could feel a small blush on his cheek’s as the drow laughed as he tried to regain his balance. Brian carefully took the spider out of his hair and held it gently in his palms. ”Shall we go?” Brian asked, taking couple skippy steps. Johhan quickly grabbed the ring he had noticed earlier to his hand and followed Brian back inside.

”Welcome to my cave!” Brian happily announced as he opened his dorm room’s door. Johann took a careful step inside. There was a big bed, with a lot of pillows. On top of the mountain of pillows there was a big mushy spiderplushie. On the small desk there was a big spellbook. The most interesting thing to Johann was however that on the walls there was a lot of posters of famous musicans all around Faerun. ”Wow, you know Mars the Mandolinmaster?” Johann laughed happily as he recognized the handsome ,pink-haired tiefling on the spotlight. Brian chuckled and gently put the spider to the terrarium on the corner of his room that was hidden behind a black curtain. ”Yeah, they are my favorites”. Johann took of his jacket and looked around the room even more. In between some heavy looking spellbooks and the books about spiderkeeping, there were couple of books about music and couple CD's. Brian sat down on the bed and patted the place beside him.

”Can I see your song now?” he asked excitedly, clapping his hands. Johann smiled awkardly and sat down next to the handsome drow and handed the notebook to him. ”Some of them are pretty bad…”, the bard muttered as Brian started to flip through the pages. He found the page where Johann had wrote in as he was sitting outside. ”Starlit sky above us, guiding us through the endless fields, burning bright, looking down with tired eyes” Brian hummed as he read. Johann blushed a bit. The lyrics still sounded a bit weird and cheesy to him, but Brian’s singing voice was actually weirdly beautiful. ”I’m not that good with lyrics, they just help me find to some rhythm to my songs” Johann coughed embarrassed. ”No, no these are interesting dear!” Brian smiled and flipped through some more pages. ” You know this would work well, if at this point you would play this part a bit slower. Like let the listener enjoy every note” Brian said, tracing his finger along the paper. It was not a bad suggestion. ” Like this?”, Johann asked and reached for his fiddle. After taking a small breath and started to play. And to be honest, this slower, almost waltz-like song sounded pretty good. Brian face just lit up as he listened to the sweet tunes of fiddle. Johann smiled and ended his performance in a small bow. Brian stood up and clapped his hands. ”That was so beautiful! You are so talented dear!” Brian smiled. Johann took the compliments and sat back down to the bed and started to write down the notes. Brian laid down on the bed, raising his legs up to air and wiggling them around

”When I was little I wanted to be a bard, you know?” he suddenly said. Johann looked up from his notes. ”I figured” he hummed. ”But I was not very good at playing anything except the triangle and everyone thought my voice sounded weird, so I decided to concentrate on something I was actually good at, and so I became a wizard”, Brian said, sitting up again. Johann noticed a twinge of sadness in his voice. ”I think your voice is beautiful, it’s like a song in itself” Johann said gently, blushing maybe a bit too hard. The voice was not the only thing the bard thought was beautiful about the drow. Brian smiled widely, his canines shining in the light of the room. ”You really think that Johann?” Brian blushed. Johann nodded happily, playing a small happy tune with his fiddle. ”If you want, I could give you some lessons, I think you have potential to be a very good singer. I mean you have an excellent sense rhythm and you would great in spotlights…” Johann started to ramble, but cut off by a surprise kiss on his cheek. The kiss caught the bard off-guard and before he noticed it, he had fallen back on the bed. ”Oh I’m sorry…I thought.. I didn’t mean to…” Brian panicked and leaned over Johann, making sure that he was okay. Johann just stared up to Brian’s worried eyes, blushing harder then he ever had. He blinked his eyes for couple of times and smiled flustered. He hesitated for a moment. ”Fuck it”, he thought as he pulled the wizard in to a gentle kiss. He had thought about it a lot lately. Kissing the handsome drow. Brian had always been the person that had made him happy. Even the times were though, there was always positive in Brian’s opinion. And to be honest he was really cute. And now there he was, laying on the wizard’s mattress, kissing him straight on the lips.

Now it was Brian’s turn to be puzzled for a moment, but after a second of confusion, he kissed the handsome bard back. Brian laughed, tucking a curl behind his ear. Johann also chuckled, maybe a bit too loud than he meant to, pulling the wizard from his shirt’s collar in to another messy smooch. Johann laughed as he noticed that Brian was blushing really hard. Even the tips of his ear were deep purple. Johann pet the cheek of the beautiful drow.

”Okay Brian, I can take that you play violin music at two am, but what could possibly be so funny that…” Killian shouted as she opened the door. She looked a bit confused when she noticed the two dudes on the bed laying on top of eachother. Johann just now realized that he had not probably closed the door it properly. ”Hi Killian!” Brian happily waved his hand, still laying on top of Johann. Brian smirked as he noticed that Killian’s cheeks were full of lipstick marks. ”Are you having a fun night with Carey?” ”Yeah, we are. Hope you two are also having fun um… Can you just keep it a bit down?” Killian blushed and left quickly. Brian giggled quietly and looked back at Johann. ”I should really finish that song” Johann whispered as Brian pulled him for one more kiss. ”You know, you could finish it here, if you wanted” the wizard whispered. Johann nodded and sat up. Brian rolled over, laying next to him as the bard started to work on his song. Brian looking closely as Johann’s quill gently traced over the paper. ”Well that’s pretty sappy” Brian commented smirking. Johann hummed and kissed the tip of Brian’s ear teasingly, making him shiver for a moment. ”You inspired me, dork”

#taz #the adventure zone #magic brian #johann the bard #taz johann #taz brian #fanfic #gay #fluff #drow #elf #dnd #what is their shipname?#johian?#briann?#bard and spider?#Im goin to use that

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feelsgood-anon · 7 years

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Eros - Bar AU [Season 2] Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: THIS PIECE IS A MYSTIC MESSENGER AU. IT IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY THE AMERICAN SITCOM CHEERS, A SHOW CENTERED AROUND A BOSTON BAR CALLED CHEERS AND IT’S REGULARS. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE TRIED TO KEEP AS MUCH OF CANON PERSONALITIES WITH ALL THE MYSTIC MESSENGER CHARACTERS JUST REMEMBER THAT IT IS AN AU AND A FEW THINGS MAY BE DIFFERENT THAN IN GAME OR YOUR HEADCANONS. THIS HAS BEEN FUN TO PLAN AND I HOPE YOU FIND A BIT OF JOY READING IT!

PG13+ FOR SWEARIN’ AND BOOZIN’.

[Season 1]

[Season 2] | Prologue | Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5p1 |

The typical busy Friday night rolled on at Eros. Both Zen and Red had steadily kept the drink orders coming as Cannon and Sunny kept a good pace to make the patrons happy.

Joe squirmed in her seat as she intermittently checked her watch. Her fingers fidgeted along her drink and when she almost knocked it off the counter, Zen turned to address her, “Hey, Joe. Everything alright? You’ve been nervous since you got here. You aren’t in any trouble, are you? Who do I need to beat up?”

“No no, it’s nothing like that! I’m just waiting for someone and I’m hoping they find the place okay,” Joe replied with a weak smile, “Thanks for your concern though.”

“No problem! I can’t have my favorite customer feeling down!” Zen said, wiping up the bit of mess that she made with her constant turning of her beer.

Jingle~!

“Welcome to Eros! What can we get you tonight?” Zen called out to the woman that entered, flashing her his dazzling smile. Her face drained of color as she saw him, stopping in her tracks as she stared, “Oh wow, she wasn’t kidding. You are Zen! I can’t believe it!”

Upon hearing the voice, Joe turned quickly in the barstool to grin towards the woman, “Hey! You made it! Wait, you really thought I’d lie? I told you I knew him!” She threw her arms around the other and hugged her tightly, “Did you find the place okay? I know you don’t come to this part of town often.”

The woman kissed Joe on the cheek, returning the hug, “No problems with my GPS! It’s a really nice place though,” She pulled Joe’s hair to the side to whisper in her ear, “Can I really meet him?”

Joe laughed and pulled the female towards the bar, waving a hand towards Zen, “Hey! Got a minute? I want to introduce you to someone.”

Zen drummed his fingertips along Red’s shoulder to indicate he needed him to watch the bar for a moment, and stepped towards the two, “For you, my dearest Joe, I have all the time in the world! What’s up?”

“Babe, this is Zen! Zen this is my girlfriend!” Joe beamed as she introduced them, clearly proud to have her significant other next to her. Zen squinted towards the unknown woman, the cogwheels in his mind spinning rapidly. His eyes lit up, holding his hand out for a shake, “It’s an honor to meet you, Mocha! I’m glad you could make it out to our little hideaway. Please, allow me to get you something to drink, on the house!”

Mocha blushed as she took his hand, “O-oh, it’s very nice to meet you too. I am a big fan of your work! But my name is-”

“Nuh uh~!” He chided playfully, “When you are at Eros, you are Mocha!” He reached under to pull a mug, pouring beer into it, “You’ll grow to love the name.” Passing the drink to her, he leaned into the counter, “Your girlfriend here? We call her Joe.”

Joe chuckled a bit and placed her arm around Mocha, sitting her down on one of the barstools, “It’s his thing. I find it rather endearing!”

Mocha nodded, still slightly dazed that she had Zen standing right in front of her, “Ah, you can call me whatever you’d like! I’m sorry, I’m just a bit star-stuck. You know, the first thing Joe and I bonded over was our love for your musicals! Now that I think about it, it's kind of romantic to meet you with her next to me.”

Zen grinned even wider, pushing the mug towards her once more, “You’re too sweet! It always warms my heart to know that people enjoyed my work in the past. It’s been awhile since someone genuinely complimented my talent. I can see why you two get along so well.”

“Oh, no thank you! I don’t drink alcohol,” Mocha moved the beer in front of Joe, “A glass of water would be nice, though.”

“Mmmm, of course! I can understand that. I don’t know if you heard, but I’ve been sober for a few months now. I assure you, our water is the best in town!” Zen chimed as he fixed up a glass, “Still on the house, yah know.”

Cannon, who had walked up during their conversation, scoffed at Zen’s comments, “Nice one, bro. I see how you pick up all the chicks.”

Zen rolled his eyes as he turned to look towards the waiter, “What is your deal? I’m just trying to be inviting to our delightful guest! It wouldn’t kill you to be a bit nicer once in awhile!”

“You’re not being nice, you’re flirting! And it’s disgusting! I would have thought you’d learn after not only losing the supposed woman you love once, but twice! Get over yourself, you aren’t that great!” Cannon practically screamed, his seething words echoing throughout the bar.

The tightening in Zen’s chest stole his breath away from him, and with a swift movement he roughly grabbed Cannon’s arm to pull him towards the office. Sunny, of course, heard the proclamation and immediately followed. She was stopped when Zen glared at her, “Not now, Sunny.” Amidst her protests he slammed the door, throwing Cannon onto the couch, “Listen here. I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately but it’s really starting to piss me off. I can let it slide if you are having issues with your medications again but I need you to quit starting shit in front of the customers! If you have a problem with me or anyone else I need you to pull me aside and talk to me like a decent human being!”

“Have you been drinking again? You only rage when you’re drunk. What a shame, Sunny was really hopeful about you.” Cannon sneered, crossing his arms as he looked Zen straight in the eye.

“I’m completely sober!” Zen roared, kicking over the small trashcan next to his desk, “Damn it, Cannon, what’s going on? There is only so much I can take, you know. Your words...they hurt.” His body slumped in defeat, dragging himself to his chair, flopping into it, “I know you, I’ve worked with you for so long. You say stupid things all the time. I also know when you mean to make it sting. And today, it cut deep. Call me a sissy, call me a pansy. I don’t care. Do you not understand that you go a bit too far sometimes?”

Cannon slowly dropped his arms from his chest and for the first time was at a loss for words. He knew what he said to people had the potential to hurt their feelings but he didn’t think anyone would ever take him seriously. A knot in his stomach began to form as the rise of guilt began to eat away at him. As much as him and Zen bickered, as much as they butt heads - Zen was always understanding and accommodating. Knowing that he had truly emotionally wounded him made Cannon feel like an asshole, “I-Im sorry-”

“Yeah, you’re always sorry. Sometimes an apology comes too late. I know that from experience.” Zen interrupted, his fingertips massaging his temples, “Words start losing meaning when the actions continue. Don’t you get tired of apologizing? When will you get to the point where you don’t have to? I’m too riled up right now, just go. Your tables are probably wondering where you are.”

“I’m...sorry…I really am…” Cannon whispered, getting up to walk to the door. As soon as he opened it, Sunny went tumbling to the ground. He frowned down at her, knowing she probably had her ear plastered to the door to try to hear what was going on. He silently stepped over her and made his way back towards the bar.

Zen raised a brow as he saw the girl, “I’m not really in the mood, Sunny. Could you please leave me alone for a bit?”

She scrambled to get to her feet, dusting off her apron, “I think you should talk about what you are feeling right now. If he really did hurt your feelings you can’t hold it in!”

He shook his head, “I get what you are saying, but I just want some time to think about things and cool off. I promise to call for you if I need to work something out. So please? Just give me some time.”

Sunny puffed her cheeks out. She really wanted to press the issues further but as she had promised him to try to give him space when he requested, she just nodded and closed the door behind her. Looking around, she narrowed her gaze towards Cannon, stomping over to him, “Are you happy with yourself? That was such an inappropriate thing to say! How dare you attack him like that? I expect better from you. He’s been through so much and you can’t even give him the courtesy of keeping your comments to yourself! You’ve really disappointed me today.” Using a finger to poke at his chest, she shoved him back a bit before walking away.

Cannon chewed at the inside of his cheek. That uncomfortable feeling in his stomach only got worse with her lecture. Not only was Zen disappointed but now Sunny? With a lengthy sigh, he continued to tend to his tables.

Red tip-toed over to Sunny who had busied herself cleaning some dishes, “Hey, everything okay?”

“If you must know, Red, your brother is being a really big brat tonight. Maybe you should talk to him so he doesn’t continue to destroy people’s lives.” Sunny pretentiously answered, “Someone needs to control him.”

Red looked over at his brother who seemed quieter than normal as he went around the bar, “Well...whatever you said must have done something to him. He doesn’t seem himself right now.”

Sunny turned around and looked toward Cannon as well, feeling slightly bad that she may have been too harsh. It was odd the way he was acting. Perhaps she was too harsh on him? “I’ll talk to him once things calm down. I can’t get angry, I need to stay objective!”

They both jumped when Zen emerged from the office, taking in a deep breath before he walked behind the bar once more. He pat Sunny on the head and went back towards Joe and Mocha, “Sorry for that, ladies. That’s not a usual occurrence, Joe can attest to that.”

Joe laughed a bit as she shrugged, “Things can get pretty interesting around here. If I may say, your therapy must be going well! I’m happy to see that you can recover and become calm in a timely manner. We are all proud of you.”

Zen blushed softly, looking down at his hands, “Ah, thanks doll. It really has been helping a lot. I just wish I wouldn’t blow a gasket still.”

“Hey, you shouldn’t be expected to just roll over and take everything people say! You’re allowed to get mad, especially if someone says something really rude!” Mocha piped in, “But I agree with Joe. From the stories she’s told me, you’ve improved a lot to move the altercation to a private area!”

He shifted his glance upwards to her, cracking a smile, “Thanks, Mocha. I see why Joe likes you. I hope you come by here more often, even if you don’t drink. I’ll make sure to add more non-alcoholic drinks to the menu. I can’t have sweet customers like you only drinking water.”

Joe leaned over and kissed Mocha’s temple, “She’s pretty great, yeah? I’m glad she came by to meet you. I spend a good amount of time here, I wanted to share the love.”

Mocha beamed proudly, “I’m glad I came too! I won’t lie and say I wasn’t worried about this place being a seedy joint, but I was pleasantly surprised. And I got to meet the wonderful Zen! I’ll definitely come when I can.”

Before Zen could respond to the barrage of compliments that were thrown at him, Cannon sneaked by him and tapped him on the shoulder, “Hey, boss? Can we talk?” The waiter asked softly. Zen would normally shrug him off but hearing the unusual tone from his employee, he nodded and gently pushed him out from around the bar, “Sure, let’s go to the back near the pool tables.”

The room was empty, Cannon thankful that he wouldn’t have to be in this situation around anyone else. Zen leaned against a table, blowing upwards to push the bangs out of his eyes, “What’s up?”

Cannon let in a sharp breath as he started to pace. He knew what he wanted to say, but didn’t know how to say it. The right thing to do would be to just outright apologize but he did consider that it would seem disingenuous at this point. How was he suppose to tell him how bad he really felt for what he said? He wasn’t used to going back on his words but deep down inside, he was aware of what had to be done. Letting out his breath in one slow exhale, he stepped forward and threw his arms around Zen, hugging him tightly.

Zen’s body stiffened so quickly, not knowing how to react. The first thought that ran through his head was that Cannon would try to body slam him into the table but when there was no effort to inflict harm, he was left with even more confusion. “What are you doing?” He squeaked, now trying to wiggle out of Cannon’s grasp.

“You want me to stop apologizing, but I need you to know that I know I was wrong. I did say all of those things just to piss you off and I acknowledge that you have every right to be upset. You’ve had enough shit going on to have to deal with me too. I’m...ugh…” Cannon pulled away and looked down at his feet, “I really am sorry, I was shitty. I’m going to try really hard not to bring that kind of thing up again.”

Zen’s expression softened, his hand going to ruffle Cannon’s hair now that he was free of his embrace, “Hey, thanks for that. Don’t worry about it, all is forgiven. It did bother me a lot but you coming to me calmly really helps. Is everything okay? You know I’m here if you ever need to talk. “

Cannon shifted slightly. How could he tell Zen anything when he didn’t even know why he was flying off the handle so easily? It wasn’t his mood swings being off, he didn’t feel irregular in that sense. He was just upset about anything and everything when he stepped into Eros. “I dunno. I guess I’ve been working too much. Do you think I could take a few days off soon?”

Zen nodded, bringing his arm back to his side so he could push off the table, “Of course. Let me look at the schedule and see what I can do. I’m sure Sunny won’t mind picking up a few shifts to cover things.”

The tightness in his gut pinched again at the sound of her name, “Could you talk to her for me, then? She seemed really mad and I don’t want to deal with it.”

“Sure, I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry about her, either. You know how quickly she forgives. Oh, and by the way,” Zen cleared his throat, “The hug. It was weird. Lets not do that again, yeah?”

“Yeah, I can assure you that it won’t. I wanted to puke while I was doing it.”

“Glad you didn’t throw up on me. I don’t even know how I would explain that to everyone. Go on, take your break. It’s Friday and I need you to be on top of things.” Zen said as he walked back towards the bar.

Cannon lingered around the pool tables for a bit before dodging his way out to the back alley of the bar. He paced, only stopping to kick aside an empty trash can. He had apologized to Zen and made amends but why did he still feel guilty? “Fucking Sunny…” He muttered. Her disappointment in him was still burning deep and that made him even more angry.

“Hey.”

He whirled around when he heard Sunny’s voice, the tips of his ears heating up with embarrassment, “What do you want? Gonna yell at me some more? Go ahead. I deserve it.”

Sunny winced as she fully stepped outside, sitting on the steps, “Yeah, about that. Zen spoke with me. Cannon, I’m really sorry about going off on you. I didn’t know you were already feeling bad about it and I probably just made it worse. I’m glad you worked it out, though. I’m proud that you could be mature enough to be so candid.”

The gross feeling Cannon had now changed to butterflies in his stomach, causing him to turn around so she wouldn’t notice the blush he felt creeping on his cheeks now, “Yeah well...he’s an asshole but you were right, he’s been through so much already. I guess I can give him a break.”

She laughed a bit; the response from him made her feel better that he was back to his normal self, “Hopefully everyone can get along better from now on.”

“Everyone?” He asked, “I don’t know about that. Some people are just meant to stay away from each other. But at the very least, we can shut up enough to get through the work shift.”

“I like to think I get along with everyone! Even with you! I don’t mind the things you say even if you are mean at times.” She stood up and skipped over to his side, putting her arm around his shoulder, “I think we all make a great team!”

“Tch.” He looked away from her, but her actions strangely calmed him a lot more than he expected, “I guess you’re not so bad yourself. At least, in small doses.”

“Really?” She replied quickly, giving him a big smile, “See! I knew you weren’t such a grump! Come on, let’s get inside. They are probably wondering where we are. Cannon, but honestly, I’m sorry.”

He shrugged, reaching a hand to the small of her back to lead her to the back door, “It’s cool, I’m over it.”

tags: @zenscrotch @illneverrecover @suzunesays @serensama @sinfulinsecret @forever-ender

#mystic messenger #Eros Bar AU #mystic messenger fic #mm #mystic messenger AU #Jaehee Kang #Zen #Hyun Ryu #Unknown #Saeran Choi #Seven #Saeyoung Choi

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crimsonfantrash-blog · 7 years

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Don’t Forget - Sans x Gaster (Human AU)

Chapter Two - First Day on the Job

Monday had rolled around much sooner than anyone had anticipated. Much to Gaster's dismay, the weekend just wasn't long enough. He got to the lab much before his shift was supposed to start, out of lack of anything better to do. A cup of hot coffee on the corner of his desk, a mountain of paperwork and too much free time could drive a person to go to work at six in the morning when they didn't start until eight.

The door opened at seven forty-five, and Gaster turned his head to see his new assistant early for his first day. He frowned slightly. Early on the first day... Hm...

"Uh, hi." Sans said. His voice echoed through the room. "I'm a bit early. I hope there's no problem with that."

"No, not at all. I hadn't expected you to be early, but there isn't any issue with it." The Royal Scientist replied. "Come over here, we're going to talk about the expectations and rules."

Sans closed the door and walked over, standing beside his new boss' desk. "So, what do I do?"

"Your first task is to refill my coffee mug." The other replied. He tapped the mug with his index finger. "There's a coffee pot in the break room."

Sans frowned, but shook the expression. Wouldn't wanna get fired the first day, and fifteen minutes before he was even supposed to start, no less. "Got ya, boss. How do you like your coffee?"

"Three sugar, two cream." Gaster replied, wrapped up in his paperwork still. Sans took the mug by the handle, and like a good little go-for, went into the room labeled 'Break Room'. A few minutes later, Gaster had a cup of coffee on his desk again.

"There ya go." Sans said. Gaster looked up at him, and Sans just stared back.

"Three sugar, two cream?"

"Three sugar, two cream." Sans confirmed. "What do I do now, Doc?"

Gaster cringed internally at the broken English. "We're going to talk about a uniform."

"What the heck is a uniform?" Sans asked. Gaster wanted to hang himself.

"Specific clothes you have to wear for a job. Today, your street clothes are fine. It's the first day, and you are... Apparently misinformed about uniforms." Gaster explained. His assistant made a face of understanding. "The uniform is a straight colour button down shirt, a tie, black or khaki slacks, and dress shoes. Think you can manage to get things like that in your closet by next Monday?"

"What's the female uniform like?"

If ever there was a question that absolutely boggled Gaster's mind, that would be it. "... Several questions. Firstly; do you see anyone here who is female?"

"No. We're the only ones here." Sans replied.

"The janitor is a woman, but that's about it. She doesn't do the same job as us. Second question, why do you care about the female uniform?"

"Was just curious..." Sans muttered. Gaster internally facepalmed. Right... This guy was a piece of work.

"To answer your absolutely confusing question, if a woman were to work here, the uniform would probably be the same. Maybe minus the tie."

"What about a skirt-"

"Save all questions like that for after nine A.M, please, and thank you." He pointed to the desk in the corner of the room. "Please move that desk over here, Mr. Fontz."

"You can just call me Sans. Mr. Fontz is too formal." Sans replied.

"Move the desk, Mr. Fontz." Gaster repeated. Sans moved the desk closer, almost directly next to Gaster's.

"What now?" He asked.

"Sit."

Sans sat. "What now?"

"Keep doing that."

Sans frowned. "Is that all I'm gonna do all day?"

"Probably. That's mostly the job."

He frowned deeply. "Why am I getting paid to sit?"

"Asgore insisted I have someone around here to socialize with. I told him that I wasn't a very social person, but he didn't exactly listen." The scientist leaned back in his chair.

"Well, can we do science stuff?" Sans asked. Gaster was becoming very impatient.

"Later, Mr. Fontz." He answered.

An hour of silence passed before something made contact with the side of Gaster's head and landed on his desk. A paper airplane... He unfolded it. Written in red pen was the words 'i'm bored let's do something'. He glared at his assistant, who shrugged. Gaster crumpled the paper up, throwing it towards the trashcan, it bouncing off the rim and rolling on the floor before Gaster fixed his glasses and went back to his work. "Psssst." He glared at Sans, his hair covering his annoyed expression. He glanced back at his work. "Psssssssst. Gaaaaster."

"Please be quiet so that I can concentrate, Mr. Fontz." Gaster said. Another paper airplane was thrown at him. He glared at his assistant again, making sure that Sans had seen his annoyance. "Please stop that so that I can concentrate."

Sans folded his arms, blowing his hair out of his face. Gaster unfolded the plane. Written in red pen was 'i wanna actually do stuff, dude'. "This isn't a very challenging job."

"You want challenging? Fine, I'll give you challenging. Make sure you don't have dull moment at all today." The scientist stood, and returned a few moments later with... A cube. It had different colours on it. He mixed it up a bit before slamming it onto Sans' desk. "Solve that."

Sans picked the cube up. "The hell is this thing?"

"An intelligence test. Get all of the colours on the same side as the cubes with that colour. Match it."

"So, like, one side all red, one side all green-"

"Yes."

"Okay."

Gaster sat as his desk. Five minutes later, there was a tap on his shoulder. He looked over, eyes widening. "How-"

"Solved it." Sans interrupted. "That was easy. Gimme something challenging."

Gaster muttered under his breath. "I've had just about enough, Mr. Fontz." He said. "I don't think you're cut out for this."

"What? I solved the cube. Isn't that what you wanted?" Sans asked.

"You aren't very mature." Gaster replied. "If I really need to hire someone because of Asgore's insistence that I can't do this alone, despite having done it alone since I was sixteen years old, an assistant that could show a little decorum, and engage in intelligent conversation would be appreciated. You asked me about the female uniform, despite there being no females here, and then proceeded to throw paper airplanes at my head...!"

The Royal Scientist was turning red in the face, and Sans looked a bit hurt. "Alright, I'm sorry..." The smaller male replied. "I'm not used to... Doing nothing, and then getting paid. I've always had to work for it. I'm just kinda... Nervous, and a bit confused."

Gaster relaxed in his seat. Right, first day jitters... "Please, get me more coffee."

Sans stood from his seat and was back with a fresh cup of coffee within minutes. Gaster sipped. His assistant had remembered how he liked his coffee... Which wasn't much, but it showed that he retained memory pretty well. "Um... Could we do science stuff?"

Gaster put the mug down. "Yeah. Sure. Why the hell not? That's what we're getting paid to do."

~~~~~~~~~~

Punch out time, five P.M. The taller male had locked the doors after they'd exited the building, looking to his assistant. "You did... Okay work today. Less airplane crashes from now on, please."

Sans laughed a little. "Sure thing, Doc."

"Please, it's Gaster."

"Well, then, call me Sans."

Gaster paused. "Fine. Sans it is."

Sans grinned. "Could also call me The Legendary Fart Master."

"I am not calling you that." The Royal Scientist protested. "You're lucky I'm even calling you Sans. I don't do first names."

"Yeah, you do. You called the King 'Asgore' earlier. That's his first name." Sans said. Gaster flushed pink in embarrassment.

"I've personally known Asgore for about seven years, before his child was even born. We're on a first name basis. I have known you a few hours. It's different."

Sans pulled his phone out. "We should exchange phone numbers."

"Why on Earth should we do that?" Gaster asked.

"So you can know me for more hours without having a paper airplane thrown at ya."

Gaster stood there for a moment. It seemed his co-worker wanted to be friendly... "Okay. Sure." He pulled his phone out, they exchanged numbers, and then they both shoved their phones in their pockets.

"See ya tomorrow." Sans said.

"See you tomorrow."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Marco!" Sans yelled as he got in.

"Poooolooooo!!" Papyrus yelled back.

"Nerd's home!!" Sans heard Undyne yell. He mentally prepared himself for the hyper pre-teen and teen as they ran down the steps.

"Can we have money?" Papyrus asked. Wow, what a great question to walk in to. Not 'how was work, Sans,' or 'how are you Sans,'. 'Can we have money?'. Undyne knocked him on the head.

"That's not how it's done, Papyrus! He's more likely to give us money if he's in a good mood! Make him smile, then rob him!!"

Sans raised an eyebrow. This sure was interesting to watch. "Oh! Okay, Undyne!" Papyrus said. She facepalmed as he looked back up to Sans. "Brother, I love you lots! Can we have money?"

"What for, and how much?"

"Glow sticks, and twenty G." Papyrus replied. Sans pulled out his wallet.

"You are killing me, smalls. I bought you guys glow sticks last week." He handed Undyne the money as Papyrus hopped up and down.

"I love glow sticks almost as much as I love you, brother."

"We're gonna get 'em tomorrow, after Paps gets out of school." Undyne said. Sans had hung his hoodie up and kicked his slippers off.

"Fine by me." He plopped on the couch, leaning back. It wasn't a very comfortable couch... But it beat standing, or sitting on the floor.

His phone started ringing, and he picked up. "Hello?"

Silence on the other end for a moment. "I have called to confirm that this is the right number."

"Well, who were ya trying to call?" Sans asked.

"The Legendary Fart Master."

Sans blinked, and then smiled. "Yeah, this is him."

"Okay." Gaster said. "See you tomorrow at work, Sans."

"See ya, Gaster."

Click. The Royal Scientist stared at the screen for a few moments. Maybe Sans was the kind of person he could actually be friends with. Lord knows he didn't have many of those to begin with...

#sans #gaster #papyrus #undyne #sanster #gaster x sans #sans x gaster #undertale #undertail #humantale #human au

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