Itsuaki Akihiro

INSTINCT - An innate, typically fixed pattern of behaviour in animals in response to certain stimuli.

[cfakihiros]

sting-likea-stinger‌:

“HOLD IT!” cassie holds out both arms, eyes wide, stopping any other student from walking and stands protectively over the patch of cement where a large – yet normal sized – ant with a large number of smaller ants around, “this is a queen ant, I don’t know why it’s out of the nest, someone probably messed it up,” they add on in a grumble, “but you can’t hurt her! then the colony will die.” [ @cfakihiros ] 

Aki resists the urge to respond with the obvious answer - they’re ants, why should I care? - while staring at the other in surprise. He’s never seen someone so passionate about protecting insects really, that in itself is enough to spark the slightest hint of curiosity in him. “Well it’s not like I was going to stomp on it - her? - on purpose.” He responds as patiently as he can. “So - what exactly are you going to do?”

[cfakihiros]

lianhrpr‌:

Lian doesn’t know how to explain it. She takes a deep breath, and reaches out to grab Aki’s hand. She could have been normal if she wanted, but almost everyone in her family was a hero. “My mother is a supervillain and my father is a vigilante. I grew up with my father — and my grandparents are also heroes. I felt inspired by a young age to pick up a bow like everyone else in my family has. I know it isn’t my responsibility, but watching my dad, grandparents, my aunt, and my uncle doing so much good I wanted to help. I wanted to be just like them, and so I trained from a young age. It’s normal for us.” Lian says with a smile, pulling her hand back. “I’m sorry if you don’t approve. I don’t want to lose you, but trust me when I say that I can’t stop.”

Aki wishes he could do something about this. Wishes he could change Lian’s mind, make her understand she could have a normal life, without danger and fear and everything else she has to deal with living like this. But he knows he can’t change her mind. He knows it’s not that simple. It’s one of the reasons he’s always been so drawn to her - being so strong-willed, even if he doesn’t always agree with her. “Hey -” He reaches for her hand as she it away, tangling their fingers together and holding on tight - maybe a little tighter than he should. “Lian.. what you’re doing is incredibly selfless and very brave. I might not like you being in danger but - you could never lose me over something like this. I’m more worried about losing you over this. If something happened to you, I just -” He sighs and shakes his head. “I just.. want you to be safe.”

[cfakihiros]

nataliahowlett‌:

“I know I’m totally being a cliche, but I mean it. He’s really cute.” Natalia was emotional about this — she made this bundle of joy all on her own, and she was excited to see her child grow up surrounded by so much love. “You deserve to be happy too, and I’m glad I’m able to help. You can come see him anytime you want.” She promises with a smile.

Aki’s never really given children much thought. He’s never spent much time around children, or babies, and he definitely hasn’t considered a family of his own just yet. But.. seeing how happy Natalia is with her son, and how cute the baby really is - it’s something else.  “Thanks, Nat. And - if you ever need a babysitter, let me know? I’d be happy to look after him for you whenever you need a break.”

[cfakihiros]

lianhrpr‌:

“It was strange because I didn’t care about anything — it was as if someone took away my emotions. Which isn’t right considering that it’s me we’re talking about here.” She says with a soft chuckle, as she looks at her boyfriend. “I’m glad we’re both okay. We have each other here now — that’s what matters. I can’t imagine what you went through. If I could only speak Vietnamese I don’t know what I would have done.”

“That’s very unlike you. I saw.. a few people in the same kind of situation.” Aki says with a sigh, instinctively moving closer to Lian. He doesn’t like the idea of her feeling like that, being in that kind of situation. “Remind me to learn Vietnamese. Just in case that does ever happen to you.” Lian had learned Japanese for him after all, it seemed only fair to return the favour. “Listen - all of this got me.. thinking. About the aftermath of what happened. I - I couldn’t find you, and I went to the dorm but you weren’t there and I just.. I don’t know. Not being able to be sure I was coming back home to you really sucked.”

[cfakihiros]

feelthestxrm‌:

When he was younger Tommy never would have expected that he would end up being a natural when it came to taking care of children. Yet here he was anyway finding it quite easy to keep the children he’d been put in charge of taking care of amused. When Aki sends his half of the group for more juice Tommy does the same. Tommy hadn’t even realized they were running out of entertainment until Aki points it out. “Do you think a nature walk would be safe?”

“It’s safer than a walk through the city.” Aki points out as he follows the kids and Tommy over to collect their juice boxes, doing his best to herd them together so none of them break away and wander off. That’s the last thing they need right now - to lose a child. Considering the cleanup and construction going on right now, they need to keep these kids out of the streets. “Let’s give it a shot.”

[cfakihiros]

task starter for @feelthestxrm !

How Aki wound up basically running a makeshift childcare for the day is well beyond him. He’s not even sure he’s qualified to be here, and yet somehow he’s sitting with three kids between the ages of four and six, all watching him with wide eyes as he finishes off a story in an attempt to keep them occupied. “Okay - now that we’ve all had a happy ending, do you kids want to grab a juice box?” He asks hopefully, very much relieved when they all nod and run over to grab one each, giving Aki a chance to shoot Tommy a relieved glance. “I’m almost out of books, man - we need to think of something else.”

[cfakihiros]

lianhrpr‌:

Lian was probably too good at hiding out places so when a disaster happened she quietly sneaked out somewhere that she can wait the whole thing out. She didn’t know what was going on with the mist, and thought exploring was too dangerous. She was glad that Aki as safe through everything though. “No need to be worried anymore, I’m right here. I’m sorry — if I was there you’d have had someone to talk to.” 

Aki shakes his head quickly, concern and worry slowly starting to wear off. It wasn’t Lian’s fault - as much as he would’ve liked to protect her, god knows he was probably too panicked to do much good. He was just glad she’d kept herself safe. “Please don’t be sorry - I’m just glad you’re okay. It could’ve been worse, really.” He saw the effects of the mist on some of the others around him and he knows he could’ve had it worse than the mild annoyance of not being able to communicate with anyone. “I'm just - I’m really glad you’re okay.”

[cfakihiros]

lianhrpr‌:

“I wasn’t hurt no. I just didn’t feel like myself, but I’m okay.” Lian says with a smile as she looks at her boyfriend, placing a hand on top of his. She was good at staying quiet, and tried to stay away from others among the chaos going on around them when the fog came. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” She promises with a smile, but it quickly fades. “Are you okay though? I was worried about where you went.”

“Okay. Okay, good -” Aki can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief at the knowledge that Lian was as close to okay as he could’ve hoped for during all of this chaos. As much as he would’ve liked to find her, he’s glad at least she seemed to stay out of the worst of it and keep herself safe. “It’s okay - it’s okay, you didn’t scare me I just.. I was worried, and I couldn’t find you.” He smiles weakly and nods his head. “I’m okay. It was - annoying, though. I was stuck speaking Japanese, and no one knew what I was saying.”

[cfakihiros]

volatileforces‌:

“ sorry ? “ naomi was fluent in a few languages but japanese was not one of them. “ i take that as it’s not going so well ? “

Aki can’t help but groan in frustration, giving up on having a decent conversation with anyone until this wears off. “<No, I ->” He sighs and shakes his head, giving up on speaking altogether.

[cfakihiros]

“I couldn’t find you -” Aki can’t help but rush over to Lian the moment he sees her, reaching to take hold of her forearms as though he’s scared she might disappear. Not being able to find her once the storm hit was probably one of the worst things he’s ever felt. God knows how he’s going to deal with letting her out of his sight now. “Are you alright? The storm - it made everyone change somehow, did it hurt you??” [ @lianhrpr ]

[cfakihiros]

thcwolverine‌:

“ do i KNOW you ? “ laura asked , her voice strong with a bit of annoyance tied in. she wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone’s problems and had spent the past hour trying to figure out what had happened and why everyone was acting STRANGE. 

@cfakihiros

“<What? Of course you do - don’t be ridiculous.>” Aki responds, already on edge with the way he’s suddenly tied up speaking nothing but Japanese, he doesn’t even know whether or not Laura will understand him, but the fact that she doesn’t seem to know him is something else entirely. “<I’m your nephew!>”

[cfakihiros]

onelcved‌:

does melody speak japanese? no . but did melody watch enough anime growing up as a kid to have a way too over confident grasp on the language ? completely.   after she broke away from the hug,  and rubbed her eyes for a quick second,   she tried to clarify herself in the broken language. ‘ うさぎ…大丈夫かどうか…心配している.’

Melody’s Japanese isn’t terrible, but it’s definitely not - traditional either. It’s enough for Aki to feel a little less lost and alone though, and he can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief - even if she doesn’t seem to be making much sense. “<Melody - I’m sure the bunnies are fine, I think we have bigger things to worry about.>” He says, tilting his head to the side a little. “<What’s wrong?>”

[cfakihiros]

nataliahowlett‌:

There was something amazing in seeing how Aki reacted to holding the baby. James was looking up at Aki with curious eyes so new to the world still. It was good seeing her nephew so calm, anti makes smile spread over her own face. “Yeah? I know right? I don’t think there’s anything cuter than him.” She was biased, but doesn’t care. “It’s good to see you smile again, Aki.”

Aki didn’t expect this to be so easy, or to feel so comfortable - to make him so comfortable. But somehow.. holding this small, fragile bundle of joy, of new life, is something else entirely, and - well, it makes him wonder. Just a little. “I think all mothers say that, but - you’re probably right. He’s very cute.” He chuckles softly and looks up at Natalia, still smiling. “It.. feels strange, but thank you. It feels - good to smile again.”

[cfakihiros]

lianhrpr‌:

“Deep breaths.” Lian reassures her boyfriend, knowing that this must be a lot to take in. She was a hero like her father, and grandparents. She wanted to be part of this, and doesn’t regret ever getting involved. She knows the risks associated with getting into this lifestyle — her entire family was in it. “I was going on patrol with  my dad, but he can’t do that anymore because of a new job. My family is invested in this, and I know it’s dangerous, but I want to do my part.” 

Lian is silent for a moment, hating that it upsets Aki. “I’m sorry, I can’t just stop, but I can try to be more careful for you, babe.”

Aki’s ready to keep arguing, to keep freaking out - but he pauses for a moment, he listens to Lian and takes a few slow, deep breaths. He can’t help but worry, though - what she’s doing is dangerous, and it’s not like she has any kind of healing factor or special abilities to make this easier for her. There’s a good chance she could get hurt, or worse - and Aki’s not sure how he’d handle that. “Why, though? Lian - it’s not your responsibility to be out there doing stuff like this. You - you have a life, you have people who love you and want you to be safe. I love you and want you to be safe - isn’t that important, too?”

[cfakihiros]

tcbefree‌:

she has this theory about all ofsentient beings. it’s parallel to that ages-old greek tale of soulmates, of humans being first with double everything, before being split into two by the gods. she thinks that certain people are made of the same deposition. there’s something unique that binds her and aki together. they’re similar in a way that’s deeper than personality, deeper than blood, something about the way they work. she thinks that, because of this, even in some alternate universe, where she never walked into that field and aki had a father that knew how to be such a thing, they still would be here. not with the same scars, sure, or the same age-old stories, but they would still be friends, or whatever it is that they really are — friends doesn’t do it justice. 

❝ who says i’m not just faking it ? ❞ she asked him with a giggle, a clear joke. as if. for aki, for margot, for all her favorite people — they were the ones she didn’t fake it for. skylar raised her eyebrow’s at him. ❝ aki, i plan to live the rest of my life on the burst of impulsivity. i’m so fucking sick and tired of letting other people live my life ! and i’m sure you are, too !i want to make my own decisions, even if they’re shit ! ❞ her voice gained traction and volume as she spoke, and she really meant it. skylar wanted nothing else but to live freely. independence was her drug of choice. ❝ you’re overcomplicating things, akes. they’re really not very hard, i swear. and, honestly, you’re way better with dogs than i am, at least. ❞ she’s too alike to them. they play off each other’s bouncy energy. she let out a loud peal — excited giggling and giving aki a playful hug. ❝ oh, my god, yes ! it’ll be so fun ! ❞

It’s not easy for Aki to make connections - real connections, the kind that don’t just crumble or fade. Somehow, he and Skylar have managed to hold onto their bond through so much in both of their lives. Something’s kept them together, kept their connection strong no matter what - and Aki’s grateful for it. She may not be the only person he trusts, or the only person pulling him through things right now - but she certainly is one of the most important. 

“You seem to forget I would be able to tell if you were faking.” Aki reminds her with a small smile and a raised eyebrow. It’s not that, though - he just knows she wouldn’t do something like that, not to him. To others maybe, people who don’t quite deserve her best or her honesty - but not Aki. “Sky - I’d never tell you not to make your own decisions. You know that. I’m just saying - there are some things you need to plan, too. Impulsivity won’t work for every situation in the world.” Though, truth be told, even if Skylar did live her life that way Aki would always be here to try and fill things in to help her. That’s one thing that will never change. “I’m only good with dogs because my father taught me how to communicate with them.” He argues half-heartedly, but he knows it’s an argument he’s already lost. The fact that he’s agreed to go to the shelter is enough proof of that. “Whoa -” The hug takes him by surprise, but Aki still wraps his arms around her, returning her excited embraced. “Why do I feel like you’re looking forward to this more than I am?”

[cfakihiros]

volatileforces‌:

“ having fun ? “ naomi asked , perched up on the end of a railing as she helped herself to a bag of cheeto’s. her feet swung ; she NEEDED to be moving. it was a feeling she had never felt before and she didn’t exactly enjoy it. 

@cfakihiros

“<Not really. No one understands me.>” Aki responds glumly, not expecting Naomi to be able to understand him either. He’s only sitting out here on his own to avoid dealing with more people staring at him blankly - he definitely didn’t expect Naomi to join him.

[cfakihiros]

onelcved‌:

 melody was slowly running out of people she could cry to/on without them complaining about it,    albeit the list was never that long in the first place and she’s never been this emotionally inept like this before  –        so the prospect of another long time friend that she could  ‘ help out’ ( in reality,   just be overly sympathetic and sniffly ) was enough to put the smallest of smiles on the red, blotchy, and teary face.   ‘ aki – oh it’s all so horrible, why would something like this happen on today of all days – think about those poor bunnies from the party ! oh i hope they’re okay … ‘ // @cfakihiros

Truth be told, Aki’s been doing his best to avoid talking to anyone. It’s been so woefully difficult to find someone around here who understands Japanese that he’s just given up trying. But when Melody approaches him, clearly in a mess of a state for some reason, he knows he can’t just give up on her. “<What are you talking about?>” He says, but he highly doubts she’ll understand him either. Letting out a sigh, Aki pulls her in for a gentle hug, in hopes of comforting her.