seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Iraq
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Iraq
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Italy
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
Michael Chapel
It was just a podcast… I began listening for no reason other than I was having a sleepless night and that’s what I do when I can’t sleep. I listen to podcasts.I had liked the delivery style of Sean Kipe’s other two podcast series, so on a sleepless, stormy night in Georgia, I searched his name in Apple Podcasts. His latest series came up. I tuned in with no preconceived notions about the subject…
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Second Glance - Chapter 7
How to Order a Commission From Me --
CRACK!
The sound of a bat connecting with a baseball not inches from her head was earsplitting. Baseball? Really? Hit the ball and run. That’s all she knew. And yet Namame expected her to hit balls that were being shot at her by a machine. At best she was barely protecting herself with the bat, and the three boys accompanying her could barely contain the laughter at her efforts.
“She doesn’t look like a co-worker, Kash.”
“Naw, what gave it away?”
Daichi was skeptical at first. When Kashii had told him he was bringing an extra player, he though maybe a friend from work. But a girl? She was one of the students in his class, right? The hell was he doing with a schoolgirl after hours? Had his reasons, Dai was sure, but still…
Another crack, and laughter sounded again. Shi could feel her face beginning to turn red. Did he bring her here to humiliate her? Asshole. When a ball collided with her shoulder from a missed block, Kashii decided to step in. Amusing as it was, she certainly wasn’t having fun.
“C’mere, let me show you how.”
Shi considered for a moment bashing the teacher’s head with the bat when he stepped into the cage with her, but thought better of it. Smashing things as hard as she could with a baseball bat could be fun, assuming she knew how to actually hit it. Relinquishing her bat to the man beside her, he had her step back and cracked the bat across a ball, where it smacked into the chainlink fence above the pitching machine. Afterward he jogged towards it, clicking it off before Shi got pelted again, then returned to her.
“First of all, you look like you’re trying to club someone’s skull in, not hit a ball.”
Handing it back, he positioned her hands in the right place. Shi moved the bat around in a mock swing. It did feel easier this way. She watched him make practice swings with an invisible bat, and copied the motions.
“Got that down? Afterwards comes hitting the ball. Clichéd maybe, but keep your eye on the ball. Aim for the center of it.”
He stroked his hand up the bat, as if feeling for a specific place, and stopped about six inches from the tip.
“You wanna try to hit the ball close to the end of the bat, about here. It’ll fly farther.”
There was a whistle from Danny.
“You be sure and teach her exactly how to hold your bat, Kash!”
Kashii gave a sigh. Despite wanting to tell him to fuck off, he decided to be the better man and brush it off.
“But you’re free to club him with it, Adachi.”
Shi snorted, moving the bat to her shoulder, waiting for him to turn the pitching machine back on. She swung when the first ball came at her, missing it entirely, growling when it bounced off the cage. She swung at the next ball, and clipped it with the tip of the bat. It flew in a crooked arc, and collided spectacularly into her teacher’s head. With a loud yelp, he tottered back into the chainlink fence, and dropped to a crouch, clutching his head. Immediately dropping her bat, Shi bent in laughter, the other two males joining the chorus. When the stars stopped dancing so brightly, Kashii cursed the three of them.
“Burn in hell, the lot of yeh,” he said, exiting her cage this time, leaving her to her own devices. “Pretend you’re crushing skulls after all. That’ll help your aim; you seem to be good at that much.”
Stealing a cold water from the small cooler, Kashii pressed it against the bump on his head, wincing.
“You alright, bud?” asked Danny.
“God damn that hurt,” he laughed.
“Looked like it,” said Daichi.
“Go practice some swings, I’ll play in a minute. Let’s go to the field once she starts hitting the pitches.”
Shi couldn’t hear the conversation over the sounds of the bat whistling in the air, missing balls, clipping others. Pretend they’re heads, huh? When the face of Shinji appeared in the next ball that flew, she hit it dead-center, and it flew and crashed into the top of the cage. Following that were whistles and ‘Way to go, Adachi!’ Well, that made it much easier. Shinji. CRACK. Russell. CRACK. Devon. CRACK. Namame. CRACK. Kate. CRACK. Alex. MISS. She growled, rolling her shoulder. Oh well. Alex hadn’t been the worst guardian she’d had. Having had her fill of pitches, Shi left the batting cage, getting a water from the cooler. It was somewhat fun, she supposed. She glanced towards the bluenette. Like he needed to lose any more brain cells as it was.
The rest of the evening was spent on the field. Kashii pitched, Dan batted, Daichi and Shi outfield. Rotating out now and then revealed Kashii to be the worst batter on the team. That was probably why his friends let him do the teaching. At least it worked. When the sun started going down, the four split paths, Shi following Kashii.
“Have fun?” Kashii finally asked.
“You could call it that. But the bill of your cap poking my leg was rather distracting.”
Kashii’s eyes narrowed.
“You know, you’re not much taller yourself. Knock it off.”
“Last I checked, it’s socially acceptable for a woman to be of my height.”
The rest of the walk home was filled with banter, the girl amused with how easily she could rub him the wrong way. Kashii was on the verge of sending her off someplace else out of sheer annoyance, but the unfriendly ice queen had decided of her own violation to grace him with her presence. Probably needed a place to crash again. Tomorrow he’d have to look up her records and find a phone number. Dropping by sparingly would be okay, but if she made a habit of coming to his place often, it would inevitably cause trouble. His buddies were already suspicious that he had her with him in the first place.
* * *
“You’re late.”
“I’m positiveyou told me seven.”
“I decided to start at five.”
“...”
Rou sighed, entering Yami’s apartment when she opened the door. The girl lived alone; she’d lost her parents in a train accident when she was twelve. At sixteen she moved to her own place, siphoning money from a relative until she could work after school herself.
“Did you bring Puffs too?”
From around Rou’s feet came a small brown tabby with a green kerchief tied around her neck. Yami absolutely loved Puffs, and since the cat lived in the biology lab, Rou had to take her home at night. She had a habit of peeing on everything if she wasn’t by his side. Thank the gods his cousin, the Headmistress, was understanding.
“Of course.”
Puffs darted in when the door opened, bumping heads with the black cat she was met with inside. Sayuri, the black cat, was a yearling now. She was born as one of four kittens from Puffs, and the two darted off deeper into the threshold to have their own fun.
“I made Puffs’s favorite, spaghetti. Though I’m sure she prefers yours.”
“I’m sure she won’t be picky, I haven’t made meatballs in a while now.”
With a laugh, Yami pulled Rou into a hug. It wasn’t often they were allowed to have personal time. Even though they saw each other every day at school, interacting properly would have been a taboo that would get him fired. Yami’s birthday was in November, she’d be nineteen soon. They’d been in a relationship for over a year now. She’d been complacent for a while with hugs and kisses, but since her eighteenth birthday she’d been wanting more than just that from him. She was graduating this year, then she wouldn’t be his student anymore. But she was pushy and always got her way in the end.
Yami was a good influence on the Aburame, really. He was much too reserved, didn’t like talking to people much. Teaching wasn’t much of an interacting job most of the time, it involved relaying information to a mob as a whole, occasionally asking questions. Dissecting animals now and then. In mid-september, they’d dissected frogs that the students caught themselves. In december they were to do birds, which would be supplied by an outside source. Not everyone can catch a bird. But the cities had plenty of pigeons to spare.
That was, of course, assuming that the crazy Hozuki didn’t bomb his class again. Amaya seemed to enjoy screwing with him. Last year, the feathers from the birds mysteriously found themselves decorating every flat surface in the room, quills poking out from the ceiling, stuffed inside drawers. ‘HAVE FUN BUGBOY’ had been spelled out in flight feathers on the whiteboard, which left little choices as to who had done it. The entirety of homeroom into second period had been spent collecting all of the feathers, and he ended up spending the rest of the day issuing study period for the classes. That had been one of the worse pranks the woman had played on him.
Thankfully, Kagerou was distracted from his thoughts by the girl kissing him again, beckoning him to come to the kitchen for dinner. A yowl distracted both of them, and they looked to the living room where two flashes, one brown and one black, streaked across the carpet into another room. The cats were playing too rough, it seemed.
* * *
Days had passed since the baseball incident. The tender bump on Kashii’s head had finally disappeared. The leaves on the trees had all become a brilliant red and orange by now; it was already into October. Kashii’s hands were in the pockets of his jacket, fingering a stray pen in one of the pockets. Adachi had finally assed herself to return it to him after the other night.
It was a cool night. All the better to be indoors. Today he’d chosen a harder drink to match the pounding music and flashing lights. It was bitter, but it gave a satisfying burn. Kashii sat perched on a stool by a table, taking a break from the fun and enjoying his drink. He wasn’t even sure what it was; bartender’s favorite. Strong, but unless he was in a strawberry mood, that’s the way he liked it. His eyes scanned the crowd that was dancing, looking for his pick of the night.
His gold eyes eventually fell on a particular woman dancing alone in a sea of people. She stood at the edge, a drink in hand, spilling a bit now and then from the movements of the people around her. Curly blonde hair, tight pink dress. A hottie for sure. Even if he couldn’t reel this one in, there were plenty of other fish simply waiting to take the bait in this crowd, especially when many of the girls had just a little too much to drink. It didn’t matter who, really. He’d likely not see her again after tonight, and that was more preferable, really. He swirled his drink, waiting for the right moment.
When the girl finally did look his way, be it coincidence or not, Kashii raised an arm, beckoning and setting the glass on the table behind him. It took her a moment to notice him specifically, and she glanced around, seeing if he was looking for someone else. When no one else seemed to be paying attention, she looked back and he beckoned again, so she walked over.
She was bathed in greens and pinks from the neon lights when she approached. He waved in a little friendlier fashion when she came close, and he smiled at her.
“Hey!”
“Hey… you wanted me?”
Kashii noticed the smile on her lips. So far so good. He leaned forward, trying to get closer to her face. The music was always loud, and even close you need to yell to be heard. From sitting on the tall stool, he was at least eye level.
“I can’t help but notice you’re alone tonight. Wanna head out for a little more fun?”
She moved a half step back, sizing him up, and a little smirk crossed her features. She leaned in close, closer to his ear.
“Are you even old enough to be in here, kid?”
She looked 21 at best. He dipped his head at the comment, a smile on his lips. It wasn’t an uncommon statement. A hand on her face, Kashii leaned closer to her ear.
“I’m likely older than you are, sweetheart. Being small doesn’t make me any less fun.” He leaned back slightly to brush against her lips with a purr. “‘Sides, not all of me is small.”
Her lips tasted of lipstick and drink. But it wasn’t set in stone that the hunt was successful. He’d still need to lure her out. His place? Her place? Perhaps a cheap motel for the night. Depended on how eager she would be and whichever was closest. He’d met a few who were okay with dragging him to the side of the building, or even at the back of the dance floor where no one would be looking. Those were the fun ones that usually got more than one visit. Now what kind of girl would this one be? She didn’t mind his touch when his hands slid down her back, feeling around the curves of her ass and pulling her hips against him on the stool.
“What kind of ‘fun’ did you have in mind?”
“Let’s get out of here and I’ll be happy to show you.”
* * *
Thank god it was a Friday night. It was late, it hadto be around three. It had been a good night. Sufficiently drunk and a rowdy girl, he’d have to say it was a success. Scraping his key against the lock until it fell in place, he pushed his way into his dark apartment. Or, at least, it was supposed to be dark. He hadn’t left any lights on, and the kitchen was brightly lit. Abandoning the open door, Kashii tread lightly, moving forward. Pulling an iron wolf decoration from the wall, he moved towards the kitchen, ready to club the intruder.
Pushing open the saloon doors that marked the entrance, he was met not with a thief but with a small violet-eyed girl rummaging his refrigerator, a piece of bacon hanging from her lips. They stared wide-eyed at each other, regarding the other’s appearance. Adachi looked as if she’d crawled out of bed for a midnight snack, and had attempted to ransack half his kitchen, judging by how half the cabinets were hanging open. He himself was disheveled, kiss marks on his neck, and the distinct stink of cheap perfume.
“This is gonna get old.”
The girl twirled the key in her fingers.
“Not my fault you trust strangers.”
She backed away from the fridge when he approached her, depositing the iron wolf on the counter. He was clearly not sober.
“Gimmie that key.”
“Stay away from me.”
Shi cursed when she backed against the wall, trapped like an animal. The kitchen wasn’t especially wide when you took the counterspace into account. Still, she didn’t quite want to relinquish it. He’d given it to her, therefore it was hers, and he’d given her permission to come whenever she damn well pleased because of it. So what reason would he have to take it away from her? Probably some dumb one that seemed perfectly acceptable to his clouded mind. If he took it, there was a chance he’d give it back. But then, things never work out favorably for her.
Shi was all but ready to crush his balls with a knee when he leaned over her, reaching for the key she was dangling as high over his head as she could. Granted, he could easily reach it, but making him stand on his toes was worth it. Surprisingly, it seemed he had zero interest in her when she flung it into the rat’s cage, the ugly pink creature toddling out to investigate this new object, and wriggled away, fleeing out the open door. She leaned against the rail at the end of the walk. Her things were in the guestroom. Damnit.
Even inebriated, Namame appeared to have zero interest in her personally, he’d only been interested in retrieving the key. Although judging by his state when he’d gotten home, it appeared he had better people to fuck than her. Maybe he just didn’t find her attractive. Either way, Shi supposed that was a good thing. It offered her a little feeling of safety that she hadn’t received at any other foster home. The most pursuit he had given was to go close the door behind her. She hadn’t heard the lock, though.
It was quiet and dark inside. It appeared he had gone to bed. Good. She made her way back to the kitchen, flipping on the light. Aside from the closed refrigerator, it was as dismantled as she had left it. A peek into the rat’s cage told her that the key had indeed been fetched. Well damn. Did that mean she wasn’t allowed back here anymore? He’d left the door unlocked though, which meant one of two things: Either he was allowing her to come back in, or he’d been too drunk to give a shit. Either way, she wandered back to lock it once she’d found a package of crackers to snack on, and headed to bed herself, locking the door behind her and shoving the wedge underneath.
* * *
Again, nothing had changed. Classes went on as always, but she skipped less. Perhaps it would keep him off her back. The Saturday morning after, she’d found the key on the table again, with a little note in neat handwriting underneath,‘Sorry. Won’t happen again.’ It occurred to the girl that the teacher got under her skin less. At least, his very existence didn’t grate against her nerves. Perhaps it was the foreign kindness he’d shown her. No one else was ever kind to her. More often than not, she’d even push people away. But that idiot didn’t seem to have a lick of care. Was he like that towards everyone? There was nothing extraordinary about Shizuka Adachi. There was no reason for him to extend such strange kindness only to her.
With that logic set firmly in mind, Shi placed her belongings into her bag, and stood, fishing out a cigarette and heading towards the door. She didn’t smoke, no, but it fit the image other students had of her, and was somewhat of a barrier to keep others at bay. Before she made it to the door, however, a piece of chalk collided with her temple. Ah, of course.
“Sit down, Adachi. Fifteen more minutes and you’re free.”
Kotone sat at the back of the room next to Shi’s empty seat, chewing her nails and watching the procession blankly. There was something she was forgetting, what was it, what was it… her aqua eyes fell to the writing on the top right of the board. Well, as close to the top as it could get. Sensei was funny when he stretched to write! Kotone wondered sometimes if she should write for him. But her handwriting wasn’t that good, he’d only get mad and throw chalk… Oh right! She was getting distracted again. Midterms were coming up soon! In two weeks all the classes would be having their hard tests. Kotone hated those tests. Sometimes she’d forget to study or walk into the wrong room or… no wait, sometimes she still walked into the wrong room. How is she supposed to know? To Kotone, all the classrooms on this floor except the science rooms.
Kotone loved science most. Ayama-sensei was all BOOMand SWOOSH and there was pretty fire and shiny glass and strange smells! Sometimes she wanted to taste some of the potions the teacher made. They were pretty colors and surely they tasted as good as they looked! But after she tried the first time, it had appeared that that sort of thing was frowned upon, especially when Amaya-sensei had to make Kotone throw up the red chemically stuff that most certainly did not taste like cherry.
Oh right! The midterms! What would be on the test, she wondered. Hopefully things that were easy. Sometimes she’d get some of the boys to share notes with her. They were surprisingly easy to convince, she had no idea why. She simply asked and they were always fluttery and melty and quick to share. Perhaps she had natural charm, like Namame-sensei or Makoto-sensei. That had to be it. It took her a while to realize her name was being called. A glance around showed that Shizu-chan had succeeded in escaping, and looking to the front of the room revealed a sensei looking straight at her. Oh no! Had she messed up? She messed up again, didn’t she? Perhaps if she asked him nicely, he’d forgive her. Asking people things always made them nice to her.
“Kotone. You’ve been staring at the ceiling for the last five minutes. I doubt there’s anything that interesting up there.”
There were a few giggles from classmates, whom were looking towards the aqua-haired girl. Oh no! She looked around frantically, aqua pigtails bouncing. They were all definitely looking at her.
“Sooorrryyy! It won’t happen again, I promise!”
“Good. Now read the passage that covers what we were discussing.”
“Ah.. ah! Right…” Kotone looked around at her page. Which one, which one? She’ll have to just pick one. “The economy has varied greatly over the years. The stock...market…”
Kotone’s voice died down when she heard more giggling. That was the wrong one, wasn’t it? She pouted, knowing that sensei was making her read because she had a momentary lapse in attention span. The boy next to her, Kori Kownacki, leaned over and flipped the page in the textbook for her, pointing to the paragraph she was supposed to read.
“On the next page,” he whispered, “it’s this one.”
Thanking him, Kotone read off the correct paragraph. Gee, she didn’t even have to ask! People were so nice, Kotone loved school. It was much better than being at home. Lady and Jirou wouldn’t be happy if she got bad grades again. She had to be a good girl for mama and papa! They weren’t her real mama and papa, though. Vaguely, Kotone remembered a mama. Not what she looked like, or her voice… did she really remember a mama? What would mama do if she got a bad grade? Hit her? Jirou liked to hit her. Lady was nicer. She only poured stuff on Kotone’s head sometimes. That at least could wash out when they let her shower.
Ooohh right the midterms.
* * *
“You’re a fun little toy, you know?”
“Come now, I’m not some plaything.”
“But you’re so fun to play with.”
“So is everyone else on your radar.”
“This is true…”
Amaya rubbed her chin all sage-like. Everyone was fun to fuck with, but some more than others. Perhaps she’d give that old school doctor a visit. He seemed to need some loosening up. Amaya looked around the interior of his apartment when Kashii let her in, letting out a low whistle. Not bad, kid. Moving her eyes forward, she bumped into her mini-date, looking at what he was looking at. Across from them, sitting at the table, sat Shi, munching on a peanut butter sandwich. She gave a little wave in greeting.
“Welcome home, Teach.”
Aw fuck. Now how was he supposed to explain that?
“Oooh girl, what did I tell you about breaking and entering?”
“Don’t get caught?”
“Damn straight ‘don’t get caught.’”
Kashii looked from Shi to Amaya, and rubbed his temples. Clearly there was little need to explain, however it seemed his plans for the night got cancelled. He really should havekept that key.
“Perhaps I ought to see you home, Amaya.”
“Home? After I came all this way just for you?” She glanced up to Shi, who continued to nonchalantly munch her sandwich. There was another shark-toothed grin. “Why not a threesome? What do you say, Shi?”
“Sure, I’m game.”
No. Full stop. Kashii crossed his arms in decline.
“No. No. Go home, both of you.”
Shi smirked at the display.
“But you were so compliant last night, Sensei.”
“I—you. What. No. Fuck.”
Kashii found himself knocked forward so that Amaya could enter into the house. Shi finished her sandwich with a smirk, rubbing the crumbs from her fingers. It was satisfying to learn she’d ruined some fun plans for him. Amaya leaned her folded arms across the back of Kashii’s shoulders. She had a pretty good idea that the girl was just giving her teacher a hard time, but why had she not been informed of this arrangement? He grunted in annoyance, entirely unsure of what to do right now. Amaya was clearly not going to leave. It seemed neither was Shi. It was late.
“Well, where’s the grand tour? Why not add dinner to the bill?”
He sighed, pulling away from Amaya’s grip. May as well. If he goes along with the woman, perhaps she won’t rat him out to Aburame. But he ain’t cooking. Some cold sandwiches out to be satisfying enough. If the woman was staying over, Kashii didn’t especially know what to do with her. The bed Shi was using was barely big enough for a second person, and while his bed was, he didn’t want either girl unattended in his room. Too much stuff to get into that require adultsupervision, which didn’t apply to either female. Maybe they could duke it out over who gets the bed, and the loser gets the couch. He left Shi to deal with Amaya so that he could fix sandwiches. There was ham and cheese, lettuce too. That would do. If she didn’t like it she could make her own food.
Well, this night would turn out more interesting than he thought it would be.
Second Glance - Chapter 4
How to Order a Commission From Me ---
“Adachi?”
Although the voice cut through her mind, it did nothing to pull her away from the frightened cries of those she had once held dear. Dirty, crude, hungry. That’s what she was. That’s what they were. Survival of the fittest. If you wanted to eat, you had to work for it. And even then, there were nights when she went hungry.
“Adaaaachiii.”
Shi opened her eyes, the blurry tan colors of the classroom coming into focus. Blinking once, then twice, she realized the room was empty.
“Awake yet?”
Instead of the ridiculous cheery grin she was used to, sitting sideways in the seat in front of her was Namame, a concerned look on his features.
“...”
“Kotone tried waking you after the bell rang. I just had her leave you, but I’ve gotta close up shop. This ‘night job’ of yours seems to take a lot out of you. Should try looking for other employment.”
What would he know about jobs? Teaching is hardly a taxing profession. Some people needed to work hard to get the things they needed. And even then, it was often not enough.
“Stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours.”
Kashii leaned back against the ledge of the wall when she got up and left. This ‘nice guy’ routine would get old. But at least it would be worth the trouble. Eventually. Still, sometimes Kashii wondered why he went into teaching. He liked kids, yeah, but teaching roomfuls of bratty teenagers were another thing entirely. Especially when he was one of those bratty teenagers not so long ago. Teaching in a school required him to play nice, so it was rather a refreshing break when kids got themselves into fights. Taking the time to break them up and deal with the aggressors was more interesting than standing in the classrooms. He just needed to make more interesting lessons. Turn teaching into a game. Kids learn better when it’s fun.
With no studying to be had, Shi made her way to the park instead. Spend a few hours people-watching, perhaps get a sandwich at the McDonald’s a few blocks over. Deciding on getting the meal first, she crossed the street from the school, heading in the direction of the restaurant. Once she’d gotten her food, Shi chose a booth by the window, nibbling on a fry and idly looking outside. Bored. That was a good way to sum up her day. Every day. Something exciting needed to happen now and then. Nothing was interesting. And even if it were interesting, it was only fleeting.
The next couple hours were spent perched on a park bench, reading one of the books she’d gotten at the library a couple days ago. This one was about another world, a land of talking beasts and magic. Conflicts were fought with swords, fists, or magic, sometimes even altering the landscape with the sheer power. It was interesting, much more interesting than this life had to offer. What would it be like, Shi wondered, to set things ablaze or even explode at the touch of her hand?
Pulling her from her thoughts were the booming barks of a large dog, and it was headed straight for her. The book was abandoned in favor of protecting her face from a huge slobbering tongue, hands digging into the thick fur around the beast’s head to push him away. Struggling against a dog that was nearly as large as her—whom wanted nothing more to play, mind you—was irritating, but the footsteps of someone running and yelling towards her meant a savior was on the way.
“Sorry about that,” the man, whom Shi assumed to be the owner, panted, yanking the mastiff back by his chain. “He usually doesn’t take off like that. You must just attract dogs.”
With a nervous smile and a second apology, the man took off, canine at his heels. With a sigh, Shi stood, putting her uniform and hair back in place. A way with dogs, eh? Perhaps she could get herself a watch dog. A rabid wolf sounded like a nice choice. One that could bite all those annoying fuckers like Devon, Shinji, and Russell. A score of others could fill that who-to-bite list, but for now, she’d leave it at that. Retrieving her book and thumbing back to the page she’d left off on, she absently considered what kind of beast would make a nice, loyal companion. By the time it was too dark to read and the light on the walk buzzed to light up, it was time to go. Getting to work earlier meant extra hours and extra pay. Wouldn’t hurt once in a while. Marking the page and putting the book away, Shi slung the bag over her shoulder and headed out to start her night.
* * *
“Remember that time?”
“Oh, with the scissors and aerosol can?”
“Yeah! I cant believe you got away with that!”
Three guys walked on the street in the evening, laughing hysterically and smacking each other in the back over past achievements and nonsense. Like always, Kashii was dwarfed by his buddies, but that never meant much to them. Danny Porter, with copper hair and blue eyes, had been with Kashii going on five years. But the other, Daichi Hiiro, with his black hair and black eyes, had been Kashii’s best friend ever since middle school. They’d been to hell and back together, but the chubby boy he once knew had chosen to stay in service rather than leave like Kashii did. Despite this, they always found time to hang out.
The chosen haunt of the night was a personal favorite of the musketeers, a club called Paradise Nights. It wasn’t really often that they came here, it was pricey. But hey, what better place than a strip club for three single guys to enjoy a boys’ night out? Teaching was a dull job compared to the last few years, but even so, the two wanted to hear all about the cute girls in Kashii’s classes. With it being a Friday night, they could stay late, chat with the pretty girls, and get as hammered as they wanted.
As always, the atmosphere was hazy, brightly colored lights lighting up the stages and casting a glow on the darker area with the tables. As usual, the dancer on stage was an unfamiliar one. They didn’t come here often enough to learn them by name, nor did they care to. The girls were up there to be viewed, perhaps touched if they got close enough. Sometimes they’d even get lucky and one of the boys would get to take home a prize for the night.
Getting a nice table near the stage, they continued chattering, talking about previous lays, games, and nothings. What had gone on since the last time they’d met up. It hadn’t been since summer. It was good to catch up and hang out.
“The whole drink list, and you gotta order that?”
“Fuck off, I’m paying, I drink what I want.”
So what if it was a girl drink? Kashii didn’t give two fucks what Dai thought. Strawberry daiquiris were damn tasty and that’s all there was to it.
“Treating you to straight vodka before we leave.”
A snort.
“You’re on. I can out-drink you any day, Dai.”
Danny watched the procession with amusement, attention distracted by an approaching girl. He looked like a thunderstruck teen when she stroked his face, background music of wolf whistles and catcalls from the other two when she serviced him with an intimate dance. When another came up with their drinks, the boys were more interested in watching Danny, and Kashii didn’t look to the girl who was approaching him until she laid a hand on his arm. However, the smile fell from his face when his gaze met the familiar violet eyes he knew well from the classroom.
‘Crap. Crap crap crap.’
Shi recoiled as if she’d touched a hot iron. She tried to keep her cool, and played it off easy. What was he doing here? Of all places? Karma never liked to work in her favor, did it?
“Is there anything else I can get you boys?”
Kashii reached out to grab her arm when she walked away, but realized where he was and released her when her foot nearly cracked into his shin. With a curse he grabbed his drink. The fuck was that kid doing here? Well, it’s not like he could ignore it. Other days, he wouldn’t give two fucks who worked in these places. But she was one of his students. She escaped unscathed, and he tapped his fingers against the cold glass in thought.
“I think I found my pick of the night,” he said, finally standing.
“What, that girl? Fitting for a little shit like you.”
“To think theypay you to be alone with girls her age.”
“Fuck off, assholes.”
He should have known something was up. There weren’t many establishments that hired high schoolers at such late hours she’d been saying she worked. He ignored the laughing, draining the rest of his glass and heading towards the back. The easiest way to get her alone to talk was to buy some time with her. He’d seen plenty of girls when he was her age doing the same shit, knew they had their reasons. If she didn’t have a damn good one he’d have no reason not to let the school know about her little escapades.
An exchange of cash for thirty minutes with the girl of his choice, he lounged in the cushy chair in the private room, thinking about what he should say, waiting for her to arrive. Needless to say, her face was absolutely fantastic when she arrived to find him. He raised a hand in greeting.
“Yo.”
“Here to blackmail me?” She asked him with a scowl, clicking the door closed behind her, praying to god he wouldn’t stare at her tits.
“I’ve got better things to do with my time. Put this on.”
Kashii slid off his jacket, throwing it at her. It would be easier to talk if she wasn’t dressed like a little slut.
“Like buying highschool girls?” she sneered at him. “I’m sure this’ll do wonders for your rep, ‘teach’.”
Even so, she pulled the jacket over her shoulders, holding it closed. It was the only cover she had against those piercing gold eyes, and thank god he was offering at least that much. Better than being out there, at least. He merely shrugged.
“Really, I’ve had worse. And on the note of buying, what are you doing here?”
“What did you think I was doing when I said I worked nights?”
“Certainly not this,” he replied, indicating the room in general with his hands. Red velvet furniture, black painted walls. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it did the job nicely for its intended purpose. Shi leaned against the door, wanting to stay as far as possible.
“Because all-night babysitting and dog walking is such a booming business.”
Kashii sighed.
“Is it money you need? Or are you just doing this for kicks?”
The scowl never left the girl’s face.
“Yeah, because being pawed at by men old enough to be my grandfather gets me off. Dumbass.”
He shook his head in disappointment.
“Is there something you want to buy that makes you resort to this?”
She pushed away from the door, irritation bubbling over, and approached him with venom in her voice.
“Some people have to pay for things in life. Tuition and school fees, not to mention groceries and rent and the electric bill when Baron von Fucktard, Lord of the Castle drinks away his disability and forgets to pay the fucking bills. Not to mention getting the damned social workers off my back because at least Whiskey-Dick McGee can’t get it up to rape me like some of the other scumbags out there will.”
Kashii leaned back against the couch, letting out a low whistle. Yep, that was a pretty good reason. But the implications she gave him weren’t very pleasant ones.
“Not everyone,” she continued, “has the good fortune of external plumbing to make signing up for the military-class pleasure cruise that much easier.”
“I’d rather give you money than let you do this.”
As if military anything could be considered a ‘pleasure cruise’ as it was, but he didn’t bring that up. It wasn’t the time nor place. He had a feeling that things would not go well as the conversation continued.
“I don’t need yourcharity, Namame. I’ve worked my ass off to get what little I do have, and just because it’s not good enough for snobs like you doesn’t make it any less mine.”
‘Charity.’ What a laudable term, especially in the same sentence as his name. He smirked and patted the seat next to him.
“Sit down, I’d like to keep chatting. Can’t have you stand the whole time, can I?”
She scoffed, hand on the knob to leave.
“Oi. I paid for your time, don’t waste my money. Now sit down, or should I mention something to the manager about customer satisfaction? We got another twenty minutes.”
With a curse, Shi withdrew from the door, seating herself to continue this lovely chat with her teacher.
* * *
“How long’s he gonna be gone?”
“Leave ‘im alone, we got plen’y of fun righ’ ‘ere.”
Danny raised a brow to Dai. Man had a low tolerance, didn’t he? As if on cue, their little blue friend returned from the back, wearing a solemn expression.
“Whats wrong? Girl not worth your money?”
“Hah. It was enlightening, really.” He gave a light punch to Dai’s shoulder. “Take you up on your offer. Could use a few shots of vodka.”
There was a snort, and the laughing began again. No matter how much he was prodded, though, Kashii wouldn’t tell them what happened in the back room. Off on the side, in the dark, there were two hushed voices conversing, too low to be heard over the music.
“Did you bring it?”
“Of course. I’m a man of my word.”
“And that’s the only damn thing that makes you worth my while.”
The male voice sounded irritated.
“I am aware.”
The female voice was curt, and she spoke once more before leaving.
“Continue to do me good, and you will continue to be rewarded in kind.”
* * *
Shi cursed, sitting alone in the room, a bill crumpled in her hand. She told him she didn’t need it. He told her if she took it, he wouldn’t rat her out to the school. Distasteful at best, but he hadn’t touched her, not once, even where there were no eyes to see. Perhaps there was hope for the human race yet. No, on second thought, not likely. She considered trashing the jacket he’d left behind with her, but thought otherwise. It was a bit of a shield he’d left her with.
‘Life is too short to live just to survive,’he’d said. ‘There is always a choice and you shouldn't be degrading yourself in such a way. Find your own path and take the chance you need to reach the better place you look for.’
Even after-hours he felt it a necessity to preach to the choir. Well whatever. Perhaps she should take it into consideration. Either way, there was a chance he could get her expelled for this now that he knew, despite his word. She’d need to quit. Hopefully she could get her pay, at the very least. Heading to the back, she traded the sparkly, skimpy nothings off for her much more comfortable home clothes.
Shi paused when she heard footsteps following her down the path that led to the street she took home. The pause was all her stalker needed, for he pounced on her. After all, a small, pretty girl coming home from her tiring shift at the nightclub would be a perfectopportunity. Shi’s switchblade was out before the assailant had a chance to fully close his arms around her, and she heard the yell when her blade bypassed cloth and sunk into soft flesh. She jammed it back further for good measure, and withdrew it. The man let go in favor of clutching the wound, staggering and cursing all forms of obscenities.
“You picked the wrong girl tonight,” she said, flicking the loose blood from her blade. “They call me Death. Do you know why? Because I am death. Get out of here if you want to live.”
The man nearly fell in the gravel, falling back and shouting about what a crazy bitch she was. Satisfied, she knelt, using paper litter from the ground to clean the bastard’s filth from her knife, and pocketed it once more, taking off at a faster pace towards her residence. Just when she thought she was safe, the bitter stench of smoke met her nose, and she saw the figure of the pedophile that bothered her nearly every morning. Shinji looked her over, exhaling the smoke, the taste of nicotine pleasant on his tongue.
“You’re home early, aren’t you princess?”
Shi gripped the knife in her pocket, debating on whether or not to let it taste blood a second time tonight. Thankfully, he seemed inclined to do little more than finish his smoke, and she passed quickly... only to be met with her angry guardian.
“The hell ya always doin’ out so late, Shizuka?”
Ugh. He was drunk, too. Not that that was uncommon.
“Playing Pacman at the arcade.”
He cursed.
“Why do ya waste yer money at those places. Ya know you gotta help out around here. Ya want to keep fed, don’t ya?”
‘Well, maybe if you didn’t hold onto your whisky like a life support, that wouldn’t be the issue.’
Rather than dignifying him with the answer that ran through her mind, Shi simply went passed, wanting nothing more to shower and sleep.
“I’m going to bed.”
* * *
A few days passed since then, without incident. Namame never brought it up, he didn’t call her out of class, he didn’t act any differently than before. She supposed that was a good thing. But clearly, he had some ulterior motive. He had no real reason to vouch for her favor to the Headmistress. But without the need to stay up late, she’d been staying awake. That was probably the proof he needed to know she’d quit the job. Perhaps doing nothing pissed her off more than doing something did. She disliked not knowing what people were thinking when it came down to herself. The other students talked. Rumors spread around and eventually came back to her ears. She knew what people thought of her. This man held dangerous information over her head, and she had absolutely no idea what he was thinking. Thankfully, the bell ringing would provide temporary relief to that particular train of thought.
Fretting over it wouldn’t do her any good. Judging by the note Russell had left her this morning, he’d be home all evening. And, of course, that meant she’d have to deal with him, and had no place to keep herself busy. The library would only keep her busy for so long. She could only play these mindless computer games for so long. Perhaps she should start reading comics too? She’d heard of some supposedly good ones from conversations the other students held. There was one that involved games and trolls, another that involved talking foxes. Lots of variety. Couldn’t be so bad. At any rate, it kept her busy until closing time. Putting the new books into her bag, Shi headed out into the evening, listening to music on a cheap MP3 player she’d gotten at a thrift shop.
The lamps had already buzzed and flickered by the time Kashii had resigned himself to returning home. Some things were needed for the classroom, and he’d considered getting some kind of plant for the window near the desk. As he knew nothing about indoor plants, he’d need to look it up online when he got home. The soft sound of the plastic bags brushed against his leg as he turned towards the park.
Frankly, this place was unpleasant. If Stanley park sucked during the day, it was ten times worse at night. The scent of weed smoke hung in the air in some places; just as it had when he was a kid smokingthat weed in some places. A hit now and then wouldn’t hurt, but that would require finding his old favorite sellers, and he didn’t want to look for new ones. Too much time and trouble. If it came down to it, he knew a couple people to bum.
A dark figure lounging on the wooden bench caught his eye, and he paused to see a girl curled up, leaned against the backboard. Troublesome little gnat. Putting a hand on his hip, he tapped the bags against his leg.
“Oi.”
No response. He could hear the chittering sound of music on headphones, and rose his voice. There was a little matter that needed settled with this girl, anyway.
“Oi. Adachi.”
Shi looked up when she heard her name, pulling the phones away from her ears. Her face turned sour when she saw the speaker. The sweatshirt he wore reminded her that she still had his jacket.
“Shouldn’t leave your clothes with strangers if you want them back.”
He tapped the bags against his leg again.
“If you get the chance,” he said in an equally sour tone. It hadn’t especially been on his mind. “That’s not why I stopped. I want to talk about the other night.”
Shi pulled her hood over her head.
“We talked enough then, did we not?”
“Aye, plenty. I take it you quit, then?”
“Between the choice of working there and getting kicked out of school, I chose the more favorable option.”
“What are you doing in the park at six in the evening? This isn’t exactly the best place to hang out alone.”
“Enjoying the scenery. Now leave me alone before I report you for harassment.”
“My my, what a scary girl we have here.” He gave a wave, moving on and leaving the girl to her own devices. “See you in class, Adachi. Try not to get eaten alive by the wolves that prowl these parts on your way home.”
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omg. I just discovered Danico. and. I'm dying. like my heart is actually fluttering over them what have you done danny porter needs to exist in all his british punk rock loving lankiness someone please draw this.
danny porter!! i miss that boy, it’s been a while
does danny boy here have any siblings other than the demigod ones?
a half sister who is human. he absolutely adores her
remember danico? yeah i finally wrote something for them. just a drabble
When Nico gets home he is not surprised by the sight that greets him. Danny is dancing around the living room in blue basketball shorts and a ratty grey t-shirt from his high school basketball team. His chunky black headphones cover his ears. His hair blooms out on each side of the headphones band in a wild dark array of curls; the longer parts flop into his eyes as he bops his head to the music.
He is also singing. Danny likes to sing, and as a son of Apollo, he's pretty damn good at it. He is also a snob when it comes to American punk-rock; in that he refuses to acknowledge it. Despite and perhaps because of Nico's endless coaxing to get Danny to listen to it, he just won't.
oh no oh no son of a biscuit i ship danico
could we have some headcanon's about danny's relationship with the rest of the 7?
alrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalright
he and Piper are totes besties. they can chat shit for hours and he likes to convince her into wearing cute little hipster dresses and yeah, they’re tight
Jason get’s on with him as he does with everyone, but they find a particular bond over basketball. and then they start going to games together and Jason even convinces him to go to an american football game,(which Danny takes the piss out of the whole time)
he has a little trouble with Percy at first - for obvious reasons, but Danny gives everyone a chance, and he is glad he does, because Percy’s one of the nicest kids he knows. they bond over music. and Danny gets him into loads of indie stuff which percy then proceeds to sing all day and night to a suffering Annabeth.
he joins the glasses club with Annabeth (and Jason). Danny has an immediate respect for her intelligence; she works hard and he can appreciate that as he has always had to work hard in his life.
Leo doesn’t quite get Danny at first. but then one of them tells a joke and they are the only two laughing and they get on like a house on fire
Frank darling blushes scarlet red when Danny first bounds up to him and kisses him on both cheeks just to tease him. but once he settles down, they get on well enough
and Hazel, the sister-in-law. who is slightly alarmed when Danny throws his arm around her and starts calling her little sis - or should it be big sis? since you were born way before me… and she also blushes furiously when he begins telling her a little too much detail about his relationship with her brother
yay
