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reincarnate[ In a shocking turn of events, Nanashi is only human.
Actually, when he thinks about it, it sounds really bad that he got so used to being not-quite-human when he was only as such for two weeks top, but at the same time, a lot of things happened in those two-odd weeks. By his figuring, he risked his life more times in ten days than most people do in their entire lives, and that's even taking into account the fact that many people regularly have gotten attacked by demons for the last 25 years. Still, he's got an unavoidable self-awareness of the fact that an excuse is an excuse: Tokyo might not be as dangerous as it was before, but it's still not a safe ground either, and he should have taken more careful stock of his capabilities before throwing himself into an unnecessarily risky fight.
The good news was that he remembered that Dagda wasn't going to bring him back to life before the future of his life was in question. The bad news was that he only remembered this soon enough to dodge what could've been a fatal blow from a demon just enough to turn it from "life-threatening injury" to "non-life-threatening, but annoying and will probably take months to completely come back from type injury" instead.
Which is why he's been strictly quarantined in his room for bedrest, courtesy of Asahi's insistence. "I know you," she'd said, exasperated, pushing him back into bed. "You're gonna try and walk on that broken leg when it's not ready and just make it worse! Seriously, Nanashi, just rest. Take a staycation! You deserve it."
It only took two days for Nanashi to get bored of his so-called staycation, but he also knows Asahi's right and has quietly borne it for the last week. He feels restless cooped up in bed, and given that most of his spare time up until now was spent training as a Hunter cadet, he's begun to realize that he actually doesn't have too many hobbies, and has begun trying his hand at a few things to keep his hands busy. At least making stuff makes him feel productive, even if his craftsmanship is questionable thus far.
It's really the occasional visits and messages from friends that keeps him from being too bored, though, so when Hallelujah mentioned he was planning on dropping by, Nanashi didn't even bother with an attempt at a polite deference ("Don't you have boss type responsibilities to attend to now? Don't worry, I'm fine") and accepted the offer with a vague sense of relief.
When he hears a knock at his door, he figures it's probably Hallelujah, so he calls out: ]
Door's unlocked, let yourself in.
[ ... Since Asahi will be mad at him if he gets up to do it himself. ]
perceive[ In the end, he supposes he did take Nahyuta's advice: he let go and moved on. He just didn't realize what exactly moving on entailed before he'd signed up for it — which isn't to say that he regrets the undertaking, but when he jolts awake at the sound of the door opening only to find himself sprawled on his desk with all the grace of baby Bambi attempting to walk for the first time and a stack of papers spilling onto the floor, he does regret specifically not putting a stop to Rayfa's well-intentioned advertisements before he'd already been signed up for a double workload for the week.
That said, it is moderately embarrassing being found nodding off (not for the first time in the two months he's been in Khura'in, but those are just small details) when he's well aware that Nahyuta is even busier than he is, acting both as a prosecutor and Ray'fa's regent. Even more embarrassing because it takes a few moments for his brain to catch up with his body with an incredibly banal thought route: Nahyuta is here → what is he here for → I invited him over → wow, I'm being a terrible host right now! ]
I'm up — I'm fine!
[ Now the thoughts are sliding back into place properly — he'd been looking for a few legal reference books from before the DC Act, as research into how trials used to be conducted before, Nahyuta had offered to see if the royal library might have them, Apollo had insisted Nahyuta accept his gratitude in the form of a quiet dinner in, and unless a strange miracle has occurred while Apollo was napping, he's pretty sure his refrigerator is sadly devoid of anything that could be described as "dinner for polite company".
It's not like he hasn't experienced this before, as a tired law student in college, but he feels more acutely aware of his embarrassment. Maybe it's because he knows Nahyuta will be serene and graceful about it, or maybe it's for other reasons he's going to choose to not think too hard about. ]
I feel like you have a knack for walking in on me sleeping at the desk... [ He swears he isn't giving defense attorneys a bad reputation for being abnormally fatigued when clients are around... as far as he knows, at least. ]
parallel[ By any account, Junpei has had a downright terrible year, between the two murderous games he became a part of and all of the crap that happened in the middle of it, getting his hopes up about getting the girl, and having that go to shit too. He's pretty sure that's why Carlos asks him to spend the night and have some drinks, even though by Junpei's own confession, he drinks too damn much and drinks to escape his problems, two habits that are bad as they are and even worse when put together — sometimes a guy just really needs the release.
Besides, Carlos is nice and socially capable enough that Junpei's reasonably assured that Carlos will say some kind things that make Junpei feel better, even if it's just lip service. Sometimes a guy just needs some buttpats and reaffirmation that despite the fact that he's become moderately bitter and can be a low-grade asshole, he's still a perfectly fine catch and no, it's not you Junpei, sometimes these things just don't work out and that's okay.
The first time that Junpei draws out the obligatory "it's not you" comment, he's only one cheap beer and a shot down, not yet far gone enough that he's uninhibited enough to push the boundaries on that comment. But the drinks are poured out again and again, it turns out that either Junpei can keep pace with somebody who probably benches the same weight as Junpei is or Junpei can gloriously fake it (the truth, of course, is somewhere in between) — and eventually, Junpei begins rehashing the same points but with more details that quite frankly, Carlos never asked for. But again: Carlos is kind, so Junpei is all too happy to take advantage and vent it out, follow up his recollections of "anyway, it turns out I thought we were close childhood friends, but I also never knew she had an older brother that entire time" with a round of thinly veiled self-loathing that elicits another remix on "it's not you, Junpei, it's just the situation, it's just how things happened, there are other fish in the sea."
That's when Junpei's uninhibited self decides to escalate. ]
So it's not me. That's kinda rich coming from somebody who looks like he had underwear dropping left and right for him since hitting puberty. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't appreciate the sentiment.
[ Junpei, a fool among fools, pauses here to take a sip of the wine cooler he's been nursing for a while. ]
But you're hot, so it's not like you've probably had problems getting a date, whereas me... not so much.
[ He's never dated seriously. Technically, he never even dated seriously the girl he proposed to. This is all beside the point of him saying, unsolicited, that he finds Carlos hot, of course. ]
blazeit[ Maybe, quite possibly, they did some things out of order in this wayward attempt to be in a relationship. Bakugou doesn't want to say this for certain, though he has this feeling like maybe they should've held hands or something before proceeding to go directly to R18, do not pass go, do not collect $200. It makes the entire "going on a date" thing feel conceptually awkward (or as awkward as Bakugou ever can feel) — he sort of, kind of consoles himself with the fact that they're probably just going to look like two dudes hanging out, but at the same time, he would also sort of, kind of like people to know that when he is out in public with Todoroki, it's different than when he's out in public with, say, Kirishima.
Bakugou is beginning to really dislike it when he has complex, nuanced, layered thoughts about his relationships with others. He takes more joy in reading his textbooks because boy he has got it bad.
Anyway, they've strategically chosen a time and a place they're not likely to be accidentally bumped into by classmates, a mall that's a bit of a distance from school (thanks to all of the gregarious students who decided to shop together in preparation for the class trip that they don't yet know will go to hell), as well an initial location that they will hopefully not struggle to come up with vaguely normal conversation about: lunch at... somewhere in the mall. Picking will happen shortly, but the idea that Bakugou can resolve any awkward silences that come up by shoving food in his mouth and blaming it on his need to eat rather than his inability to carry on a civil conversation was a really appealing factor in deciding what to do.
At the very least, Bakugou isn't the type to care too much about his appearance (and they've already seen each other in various states of undress, so does it really matter too much), so he barely gives any additional thought over how to look before showing up at their agreed-up meeting place near the main entrance to the mall. Between his only apparent summer fashion choices, the really plain T-shirt and the button-up over the tank top, he's gone with the latter because okay, maybe he tried a little more than normal. Maybe.
Either way, he's pretty sure Todoroki will stand out more in a crowd for distinctiveness than he does, so he walks around looking for Todoroki rather than staying in one place. Nervous energy and all that.
Can they do this, can they go on a normal date without skirting into deviancy. Only time will tell. ]
blazeit[ Maybe Bakugou should just get used to being restrained or something, because it's beginning to feel like a recurring thing in his life that he never asked for. There is, at least, an element of actual agency over the situation here as opposed to chain him up so he doesn't assault a guy on TV? or chain him up so he doesn't stupidly pick an incredibly one-sighted fight — it eventually comes down to a combination of "Bakugou literally will not settle down" and "remember that time you failed at bondage" that convinces him, grudgingly, to allow his wrists to be tied behind his back.
He doesn't like this, but he supposes he's not horribly against it either. There's a moderately uncomfortable vulnerability that he can't ignore, but he tempers the feeling with the fact that they pretty much make each other vulnerable just by being in the same general space on a couple different levels.
Either way, whatever it is that's on Todoroki's mind that's led Bakugou's bedroom to yet again be a hotbed of depravity is probably still a better idea than Bakugou's brilliant "fight me" plan. The fact that they're starting off with the knowledge that probably both of them are getting off rather than that happening on the course of attempting to punch each other in the face is actually very promising. Still, Bakugou's rather tense; he doesn't like this so far, he's just tolerating it because he's evolved to that point of emotional maturity that tolerating something on somebody else's behalf is something he might entertain doing every once in a while.
(The promise of getting off is a big motivator here, though, in case we get deluded about his sense of altruism.)
That said, he also feels kind of dumb just lying on his side with his arms utterly useless behind him. Is he supposed to be doing something. Is he just here to be taken along on a wild ride and is he ready to actually willingly go on that wild ride with no immediate control of where exactly it's going? This and more on: How Do I Trust A Person? Lessons We Should've Learned In Kindergarten. ]
Okay, so... what now.
[ Translation: start doing something, oh my fucking god, the apprehension here will send me into cardiac arrest. ]
mayuzumi
| Welcome to Grounds for Thought, the local new & used bookstore! The store might be a little messy, but the employees know where everything is (...mostly, at least), and there's something for everybody here. There's a desk near the back where you can donate your old, unwanted books — and perhaps even get a little spare change! In addition to books, the store also carries notebooks, calendars, postcard prints, and other writerly knick-knacks. There are some exceptionally squishy chairs scattered here and there for readers to kick back for a while, or for writers to get into the creative zone. Also, there's a small cafe attached to the store. The selection is quite slim, but certainly emphasizes quality over quantity! On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, there are occasionally coffeehouse performances or poetry slams. Every once in a while, when the stars align, local and visiting writers will drop by to do signings and/or Q&A's as well. |
outplays[ If Akashi particularly cared for it, he would probably have stated for the record that he had not, in fact, taken a complete look through Rakuzan's basketball roster before deciding to attend the school. He hadn't particularly felt a need to — seeing the team and school culture, as well as the facilities, had been enough for him to make a decision. He knows that some people try and seek out their destined soulmates by looking through attendance lists and whatnot (he'd caught Midorima attempting to deny he was doing such a thing when they'd still been in the process of deciding what high schools to go off to), but he's always figured that things will happen when they happen.
— and so they did, when he found the next shadow player and his soulmate in one fell swoop. Still, he has priorities, basketball comes first and soulmates come second. His first business is to persuade Mayuzumi to join the basketball team, and then, well. Whatever happens, happens, he supposes.
He's always been careful to conceal the name on his right wrist carefully, to avoid drawing eyes and preventing any unwanted speculation or attention. Today is no different; he's got a wristband on and the sleeves of his school uniform pulled down: less to hide the name underneath, more because it's beginning to get chilly and he wears his uniform properly to begin with. And he doesn't particularly feel sentimental when he climbs up the stairway to the rooftop, he's as relaxed and confident as ever. Without dawdling or engaging in any other last-minute hesitation, he opens the door leading to the rooftop and walks over to where Mayuzumi's sitting, careful to keep a pace or so between them, a comfortable enough distance. ]
Mayuzumi Chihiro... right?
[ Well, put it down in the record books for the most perfunctory first words ever spoken to your soulmate. ]
blazeit[ Before anything else, Bakugou would probably feel that it is extremely important to point out that he waited a long ass time before doing or saying anything about the weird trainwreck that the finals of the sports festival turned into. He stewed upon it. He thought and pondered extensively. For weeks. And for him, that is actually quite a show of commitment, and also indicates that he actually thought to himself that his kneejerk reaction might not be the most appropriate reaction. Character development is beautiful, basically, and okay — so maybe he thought it would make the whole "we're dating but we don't talk about it explicitly, ever, because honestly what the fuck" situation a bit awkward and reduce the amount of making out they do. So he has ulterior motives. Whatever, character development is still beautiful.
After weeks, though, he concludes that his kneejerk reaction was almost definitely the most appropriate reaction. His pride? It was offended, horrendously so, and it demands for justice. He wants vengeance, and also a proper victory, if he's going to keep the stupid medal and all.
He also doesn't want to cause property damage that he'd probably be held liable for if they went full-on fighting with their quirks in the streets, because (1) he is not rich, and (2) that seems like the kind of stuff that goes on your criminal record, which wouldn't look good for his future budding career. (Not that his future budding career is looking great in the first place, when his claims to fame include getting attacked by a sludge monster and then getting muzzled on TV, and hopefully too children weren't watching that because how would an appalled parent explain that, really?) As such, he's forced to wrack his brains over how he can get a rematch that appeases his ego without becoming a public nuisance.
In a shocking twist, Bakugou doesn't think about it that hard before coming up with his solution: a fight without quirks. It's an idea that would absolutely never go horribly wrong, obviously, because it's not as if they probably associate having their hands all over each other in close quarters with a whole other two-person tango. And let us not forget that the question, "do you think Mineta was implying Bakugou is gay, or merely a (sexual??) sadist, or something else" was once earnestly posed by the fan scanlators for this series.
Tl;dr: this was a disaster before it even began. But what else is new.
But the shorter recap of how they got to where they are goes something like Bakugou going full-on grade school bully and making sure that when he approached Todoroki with this brilliant plan, it was in front of the entire class. There was some weird egotistical and mildly Freudian grandstanding, the gauntlet was thrown down, and the phrase "come at me like you want to kill me" was unironically used. Kirishima commented about how manly it all is. Midoriya looked moderately concerned murder is going to be committed down the street from where he lives. Iida looked like he wants to somehow be the responsible guy and intervene, but didn't know how. And on the inside, Bakugou knew that Todoroki was probably regretting for the umpteenth time ever associating with him, but feelings are feelings and pride is pride. He is emotionally stunted, but has enough pride in his left pinky as most people do in their entire bodies.
It makes dragging Todoroki over to his house a somewhat more awkward affair than usual, because Bakugou has expressed a desire to casually kill or be killed at some point (literally dragging, as in he clamps onto the tail of Todoroki's blazer and refuses to let go of it in case he tries to stage an escape from his fate, which would be kinda cute except it's Bakugou). He gets the feeling that Todoroki only lets it happen because there's a part of him that wants to believe Bakugou is just kidding, or will be persuaded out of this really fucking bad idea.
He will not be moved by logic. As far as he is concerned, his home is merely a pit stop to drop off his school bag before they go attempt to beat the shit out of each other, only just letting go of his deathgrip to do just that before turning around and giving Todoroki an expectant look. ]
So.
[ A dramatic pause ensues, to build the suspense, or something. ]
You're not gonna half-ass it, right?
[ Please Bakugou, he probably hasn't even agreed to this stupid idea yet. In which case, Bakugou would be doing worse than property damage. He would be performing straight-up homicide with intent to kill. ]
ex_herotaku594[ In a world where Todoroki is Midoriya's childhood friend instead of certain other parties, everybody is generally a more well-adjusted teenager, minus said certain other party. However, it doesn't teach Midoriya one thing that he wishes he knew more about: what it is to have a crush on somebody, and how to deal with it. No amount of reading he can do, he knows, is actually adequate preparation for what that's like In Real Life, although he really appreciated that Uraraka loaned him basically her entire collection of shoujo manga and even marked her favorites.
Still, he feels like he should say something. He consoles himself by mentally insisting that he's just waiting for the right moment, although he knows in his heart of hearts that he's just waffling, neither moving forward nor backwards. It's a place that makes him feel uneasy; he doesn't mind working hard and enduring to advance with anything, but he isn't sure how he feels about not going anywhere.
But the forces of the universe have their ways. In the middle of their practical field training, while he's busy trying to figure out how his quirk actually is supposed to be used, Todoroki unexpectedly gets more hands-on combat experience when a villain attacks nearby where his hero office was stationed. When Midoriya had heard about it, something sunk in for him: If he waits, what if there's never an opportunity to say something? He's not that worried about Todoroki, really (he finds it difficult to think that Todoroki could be killed so easily, practically unbelievable), but this and that can happen. Sometimes strength has nothing to do with it — All Might, of course, comes to mind.
Which is why he spurs himself to action, calling Todoroki out to a park that the two of them used to play at together when they were younger. (Totally indiscretely in the background: Iida and Uraraka, who are being really Good Friends and supporting/spying on him in his time of duress.) After the usual greetings, he inhales deeply, and —
Promptly launches into a very long rant, said entirely in a mumbling tone, about how dangerous the superhero occupation is, and how he's glad that Kou-chan is fine but he was really worried, and it made him think what if we never see each other again? and that isn't something he wants to consider but it makes him think that it means he should say something if there's something on his mind, because he doesn't want to regret not taking the initiative, and while it's very presumptuous of him since he has no lineage or really many redeeming points at all, it isn't unheard of for superhero couples to exist, in fact there are a few well-known cases that were documented in this really interesting article he read last year...
It goes on and on. And then finally, at the end, when he thinks his face is going to explode, he inhales sharply and blurts out: ]
AnywaywhatI'msayingisthatIlikeasinlikeyoulikeyougoodbye.
[ And then turns around and walks off a bit mechanically because oh god what is he doing even. ]
below[ So one thing had led to another, and before Mayuzumi could really completely process what had just happened to him, he was already at home, sitting in front of his laptop, staring intently at the screen, and typing in:I need help. You see, after unexpectedly getting somebody to reveal their gap moe to me thanks to Yazawa Nico-chan, somehow I ended up agreeing to go out on a dinner date with them, with the implication that this is going to be the beginning of a relationship upgrade. Well, they're sort of an "uptown girl", so to speak, and a very proper person, so I have no idea what sort of thing they're expecting. What kind of place is good for this kind of situation ...?In retrospect, he should have expected that from anon.
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anon: shitthatneverhappened.txt
Still, he couldn't very well just half-ass this, especially when he'd talked so big at the time. So he steels himself, checks his bank account, conducts a systematic evaluation of Internet reviews of restaurants within a reasonable distance, decides he can probably put off buying his next piece of otaku merch another few weeks... or months, and puts in a reservation at a restaurant known for their traditional Japanese food. He figures that's a safe bet; Akashi definitely seems like the kind of person who appreciates anything that's been around long enough to be considered traditional.
The rest is just waiting for Friday night to come around. They agree to meet at the restaurant, so Mayuzumi decides it's probably safer to show up early, and so he gets there about twenty minutes ahead of time to get situated.
He promptly regrets it. What the hell is he supposed to do sitting by himself for twenty minutes...? He might look impassive as always, but underneath the unemotional exterior, he is feeling for one of the first times in his life a feeling he never personally experienced before: the terror of dealing with the potential budding of that one, four-lettered L word.
He closes his eyes and tries to shut those thoughts out. Maybe he can write a novel about this for catharsis. Will Akashi really let him get away with writing a novel about this, though, that's the real question. ]
outplaysIt's a strange, wholly unique arrangement of circumstances that dictate their reunion. Childhood friends from long ago, unceremoniously and unexpectedly torn away from each other while still young, Akashi has no idea what might've happened to Jun in the years that passed between them. But he's come out of those years apart a very different person at heart, torn away his compassion and caring for others in order to cope with everything that changed around him. Without a friend he could completely confide him, without parents to properly emotionally support him, with the weight of so many expectations heaped upon his shoulders, he'd split off that part of him as if into a separate entity entirely, stowed it away deep in his heart, and tried his best to lay it to rest.
Meeting Jun again in high school, when they coincidentally happen to enter the same academy — a well-known boarding school in Kyoto — stirs a little of his former self in him, but not enough to awaken it entirely. Rather than pure relief and joy, there's a desperate part of him that thinks to himself: he can't leave me again. He wouldn't be able to handle it, if that were to happen a second time.
He knows how to manipulate people well enough that it's a simple matter to get his roommate and Jun's to suddenly decide they preferred alternative living conditions. Besides, he's one of the school's shining stars; a first year ace in every sense of the word — in academics, athletics, and extracurriculars, he excels and dominates even when put up against third years. The school bends to students like that a little, out of a desire to keep their accomplishments under the school's name. That's how Akashi manages to ensure that the two of them end up rooming in a double together during their second semester at the school, even if its somewhat... unconventional, for people to change roommates halfway through the year.
All necessary steps, for keeping Jun where Akashi wants him.
Their summer break comes up, and Akashi's already got his mind made up. The school allows students to board over the summer, if they like, and he prefers not to go home anyway. But he'd also like to convince Jun to stay behind too. It's one late afternoon, after classes are done and club activities wrapped up, and the both of them are studying in their shared room that Akashi decides to broach the topic.
"Hey," he says, suddenly and out of the blue. "Can I ask you something?"
It sounds more like Akashi wants to tell him something by the tone he uses, though.
clearasmudmayuzumi
| It's a beautiful summer day for a reunion of sorts. True, the reason the reunion is taking place at all is a bit, well — there were good times and there were bad times, but it must be said that if it weren't for that stupidly dangerous mansion, there were a lot of things that would never have come to pass — experiences that would've remained mere possibilities — people who would have remained strangers. The reunion itself is, uh, a picnic or a party or something. Or whatever. It's whatever you want it to be. In true NSS fashion. |
upcaste[ Summer's coming. The temperature's risen steadily over the last week, a truly terrible combination of both humid and hot, and all the students in the school are suffering through positively sweltering conditions. A girl in the first year comes down with heatstroke and has to be sent to a hospital. In the second year hallway, which is a little better shaded from the sun for most of the day, the conditions are marginally better, but even still — everybody's sweating through classes.
It's disgusting, Karino thinks, but he keeps that thought to himself.
The room set aside for the personal use for the king is air conditioned. Naturally, it's why Karino's found it amusing to keep Azusa out of it the entire time, making sure that the other students in the class keep him out of the other air conditioned rooms in the building — the library, the infirmary. It's a game, he figures. Azusa will lose eventually, he's sure, but it's just a matter of when he loses.
And when the temperature hits 100 for the first time in a record-breaking heat wave, Azusa finally shows up, sweat dripping down the back of his neck. It's kind of erotic, Karino thinks. Sensual in a visceral sort of way.
He moves immediately, to block Azusa from entering, using every bit of his height to loom and actively look down on him, wearing his fake-polite smile with all the charm that he does whenever he sits in the classroom. ]
What do you think you're doing? This place isn't for you, you know.
[ His smile widens by a margin until he's positively leering. ]
Well, I might let you in. If you beg for it.
[ Just another game. ]
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