i decided today that my first published work will be a poem called “My Grandmother Came From Romania”
it’s gonna take a while to write (bc the grandma in question lives in another state and i want to interview her in person, as well as talk to the rest of my family) but hopefully it’ll be good
me now: i’ve had an idea for what to do for my last fic for the fandom and i haven’t been able to decide if i really want to but i just thought of a scene that would happen in the edolas arc and realized that i have no choice so
(rough idea of the scene (it’s short dw) below the cut)
Mystogan frowned. “Actually, Jellal, you should come with me,” he said. “It’s been a while, but I could easily be recognized. I can’t let a child take the blame for my actions.” Jellal scowled at him - it was the type of scowl that an eleven-year-old would have made to show anger, but on a nineteen-year-old’s face, it just looked like he was sulking. Lucy tried her best not to giggle.
“No one in your world is gonna think I’m a kid,” he snapped. Cobra sniggered.
AN: Well, I did it for Fairy Tail… might as well do it for BNHA! Rules fic~ I wasn't going to post this at all, honestly – this is a joke thing I did for myself a while ago, but with all the angst I've been posting lately… might as well do something funny. I don't know if I can pull off a chatfic, so here's this instead. Anyhow, lemme know if you want me to continue this or whatever. Kitty out.
Title: The Yuuei Dorm Laws
Summary: The Heroics Department has moved into the Yuuei dorm rooms, and Principal Nedzu realizes that some rules should probably be put in place – for the teachers, the students, and anyone else who happens to get involved.
Warnings: General nonsense, reason being abandoned for the sake of humor, and Kacchan's potty mouth
Pairings: Everyone/everyone else (it's a list fic and I'm writing it – what the hell were you expecting?)
Aizawa Shouta – As a teacher, you should endeavor to act as a role model for your students. Showing up to class with a sleeping bag and a hangover, saying "today we're learning about spontaneous silence – anyone who talks in the next four hours fails," and falling asleep is not acting as a role model.
All For One – Stop persuading your guards to commit tiny acts of vandalism on school grounds. The government isn't going to let you go just because "the police force is corrupt".
Amajiki Tamaki – Asui is not going to eat you. Frogs do not eat people (or octopi or even clams, to the best of my knowledge). Please come out of the basement.
Aoyama Yuuga – Stop throwing glitter at people.
Ashido Mina – I don't care what Kaminari said. Do not cover his bed sheets – or anyone else's – in acid ever again.
Asui Tsuyu – If you see a student with compact eyes and antennae, you are not to beginning following them and whispering "frog food" at random intervals. Please apologize to the seven students that have locked themselves in the basement and convince them to come out.
Awase Yousetsu – "Killing two birds with one stone" is a figure of speech, not a challenge. Stop throwing rocks at Tokoyami.
Awata Kaoruko – Enough with the "fucking bubbles" meme. We get it.
Bakugou Katsuki – "Fuck the police" is not an excuse for setting off firecrackers in Iida's room, even if you do think he was policing you. This applies even if he is dressed as a police officer.
Bakugou Mitsuki – If your son asks you for a rather specific outfit, get context. If the words "dare", "evidence", or "Monoma Neito" are part of that context, please do not give your son that outfit. This applies even if "Monoma" is replaced with "that copy-cat bastard" or a similar insult.
Bakugou Masaru – You cannot adopt your son's friend group, no matter how happy you are that said group exists.
Bondo Kojirou – Cementoss is not trying to usurp you. That doesn't even make sense.
Bubaigawara Jin – Stop asking the students to help you become Deadpool. You are not, and should not ever be, Deadpool.
Chatora Yawara – You may not "forget" to apprehend a villain because the person she is attacking misgendered her. Arrest the villain and then scold the civilians.
Dabi – Todoroki does not need your help to be a deviant. He is doing just fine on his own. You are not "Super Fire Bros".
Desutegoro – Stop trying to schedule all your meetings on "February 51st".
Ectoplasm – Detentions cannot be assigned for an indefinite period of time, no matter how insulted you feel. Honenuki will not be in detention for "the rest of his goddamn life", and he was probably not trying to offend you anyway.
Eri – You were in a bad situation, and a negative reaction is understandable. That said, please stop threatening to castrate people with your horn. How do you even know that word; you're like five.
Fat Gum – The fact that Satou and Yaoyorozu also have food-related Quirks does not mean you need to mentor them. Two students are enough.
Fourth Kind – "Having a katana" and "having the right to threaten people with a katana" are not synonymous.
Fukidashi Manga – Your Quirk does not give you the ability to "see beyond the fourth wall". Stop trying to convince people that we are all trapped within a shounen series. That is ridiculous.
Gran Torino – "Kick 'em in the dick", while an effective battle strategy, is not appropriate advice to give to children.
Gunhead – Stop trying to set Uraraka up with Midoriya. You're probably right, but they have bigger things to worry about.
Hadou Nejire – Stop asking villains questions. You're supposed to be arresting them, not sharing good places to get shoes.
Hagakure Tooru – Bakugou's inability to hear what you're saying is not going to stop him from punching you for talking about him behind his back. He'll find out, you'll get punched, and no one will feel sorry for you. If you absolutely must insult him, either learn sign language or get a translator and do it to his face.
Hakamata Tsunagu – Not everyone is comfortable in denim. Deal with it.
Hatsume Mei – "It seemed like a good idea at the time" is not only a terrible excuse in general, but also a completely invalid one that does not explain the giant robotic velociraptor currently patrolling the school grounds.
Hikiishi Kenji – Killing people for misgendering you is illegal. Please find other ways to express your displeasure.
Honenuki Juuzou – Do not challenge Ectoplasm to a "who can scare the most children with only their face" contest. I don't care that you think it's a compliment; you're hurting his feelings.
Iguchi Shuuichi – Hoshigaki Kisame has not challenged you to a sword fight. Hoshigaki Kisame is not a real person; he is a fictional character, and you know this.
Iida Tensei – Your little brother has a lot of respect for you. Stop abusing that respect by suggesting he do ridiculous things. He will.
Iida Tenya – Please do not dress up as a police officer when inspecting your classmates' rooms. You are only asking for trouble. I don't care what your brother said.
Inui Ryou – Do not tell students to mark their territory. The janitor would like you to know that anything that gets urinated on is your responsibility.
Ishiyama Ken – If Bondo declares you his "eternal rival", you are to ignore him, not encourage his behavior. Insanity does not "build character".
Jirou Kyouka – Do not start playing the One Punch Man theme song whenever Midoriya is about to punch something. This holds true for All Might too, as well as anyone else who tends to punch things in an over-dramatic manner.
Kaibara Sen – Having a name similar to that of a fictional character does not make you that fictional character. Stop challenging people to Duel Monsters.
Kamakiri Togaru – Collecting insects is a perfectly reasonable hobby. Using them to terrifying other students is not. Please apologize to Kouda so we can take the anteater back to the zoo and you can come down from the tree.
Kamihara Shinya – Bakugou does not need to be followed 24/7. Surely the No. 5 hero has better things to do.
Kaminari Denki – This school does not need an electric fence. You are not permitted to skip class in order to act as one.
Kan Sekijirou – Please stop encouraging your students to try and one-up Eraserhead's class. This will not end well.
Kayama Nemuri – Do not put smoke bombs in the teachers' lounge ever again. I can and will start making you wear normal clothing if this behavior continues.
Kendou Itsuka – You are not Lady Flyswatter, Queen of the Bitch-Smack. So stop bitch-smacking your classmates.
Kirishima Eijirou – If someone asks you to pass the salt, they are asking you to hand them the white crystalline substance used for seasoning. They are not asking you to pick up and throw Bakugou at them. Please desist.
Kodai Yui – Stop trying to scare Bakugou and Todoroki. I cannot promise you will continue to emerge unscathed.
Komori Kinoko – You are not required to provide "magic mushrooms" to anyone who asks or doesn't ask. In fact, you are actively discouraged from doing so.
Kouda Kouji – You are not allowed to "do favors" for animals in the zoo. I don't care how badly that polar bear claims to need a cup of coffee, he can't have one.
Kurogiri – While I am personally unsure of the League of Villains' hierarchy, you seem to be the most mature. If there is anything to do to stop your cohorts from playing mildly annoying but otherwise harmless pranks, please do it.
Kuroiro Shihai – "It's because I'm black, isn't it" jokes are not appropriate coming from a fully Japanese person; even if you are technically black in color, you do not have African heritage. Stop before you offend someone.
Lock Rock – Tsunotori and Rin do not need you to adopt them, regardless of whatever Fat Gum told you. That said, if you have any pointers on avoiding xenophobia, I'm sure they'd be delighted to hear them.
Maijima Higari – Tell Hatsume to get rid of that raptor. Or at least make her do something useful with it.
Midoriya Inko – No, you cannot adopt your son's class. Yes, this applies even if they have all called you "Mom" at some point. You also cannot adopt the teachers or the villains. I don't know why I have to tell you this, but apparently it needs telling.
Midoriya Izuku – The fact that anyone with a sex drive seems to be attracted to you does not mean that you had a secret Quirk all along. Said Quirk is not "The Love Bug", and you will stop insisting otherwise.
Mineta Minoru – "Stuff a sock in it" is a figure of speech. You are not expected to eat socks, nor are you expected to carry around socks so you can try and force other people to do eat socks.
Mizushima Masaki – "Don't stop believin'" is not your official theme song. You're from Toyama Prefecture; I doubt you've ever even been to Michigan, much less south Detroit.
Monoma Neito – While Bakugou probably will do pretty much anything if you so much as hint that he's incapable of it, I feel like I should remind you that such a situation may not turn out in your favor, though one would hope you figured that out on your own when you (and everyone else in the vicinity) learned that not only does he see nothing wrong with clothing generally associated with women, he looks damn good in a tutu. And he knows it. Lording this over his head will only get him to dress in drag again. I have to ask you to avoid provoking him, if only because several students who thought they were aware of their orientation are suddenly reconsidering (which is, of course, absolutely fine, but probably shouldn't be happening at school).
Nishiya Shinji – You are not the Lorax. You do not speak for the trees.
No. 13 – You are not legally obligated to begin back-up requests with "Housten, we have a problem", and you will stop telling people otherwise.
Ojiro Mashirao – You chose the hero name "Tail Man". Now you're going to have to live with the consequences.
Overhaul – Todoroki Shouto has publically declared you to be the worst father of all time. Take a moment to think about that.
Rappa – Stop trying to fight Kirishima. I don't care how "badass" you think he is. He has homework to do. You can't fight any of the other students either.
Rin Hiryuu – If you are actually being bullied because of your ethnicity, please tell an authority figure (me, the principal). Stop trying to guilt-trip people into giving you food.
Ryuukyuu – Stop telling people that the Dragon Balls are real. They aren't, and you can't grant wishes.
Sakamata Kuugo – Do not try to convince students to "rebel against the tyranny of Sea World". You are not being as subtle as you think you are.
Sako Atsuhiro – If you absolutely must ask Shigaraki to give you "a hand", do not do so on school grounds. You can and will be arrested, no matter how funny the students seem to think you are.
Satou Rikidou – If a villain breaks into the school, alert the proper authorities. Do not bake them a cake in exchange for them leaving. Even if it works, you're just encouraging them to come back again later.
Selkie – "Captain" is not part of your hero name. You do not have the right to arrest people for not calling you that, especially if you are not on your boat at the time.
Sero Hanta – I understand that boys your age like to roughhouse. That is perfectly fine. I only ask that you not use your elbows, as you could do some serious damage.
Shigaraki Tomura – Please stop breaking into the school and taping up crudely drawn pictures of tap-dancing monkeys with socks mooning the viewers. While your creativity is certainly nothing to scoff at, this is inappropriate behavior. Also, you're a criminal, so you shouldn't be here unless someone arrested you. No, you cannot demand fuzzy pink handcuffs, even if Yaoyorozu is happy to oblige.
Shinsou Hitoshi – Stop kidnapping Aizawa's cats. I do not want our teachers sending death threats to students; it's bad for publicity.
Shiozaki Ibara – Smacking someone with a Bible is not an appropriate method of combat, no matter how much you think they "need Jesus".
Shishida Juurouta – Unless you can turn into a prince at will, you are not "the perfect candidate for a new Beauty and the Beast movie" and you will stop insisting otherwise.
Shiretoko Tomoko – I understand that the loss of your Quirk has upset you. However, breaking into All For One's prison cell to demand he give it back is not only very dangerous but also very illegal. I advise against it.
Shouda Nirengeki – I understand that Shinsou's actions in the Sports Festival made you feel uncomfortable. I do not understand why you think the appropriate "vengeance" is following him around and hitting him with a pool noodle.
Shouji Mezou – Mineta should not be trying to get people to eat socks. You should not be helping him.
Shuuzenji Chiyo – "The little shit had it coming" is not an excuse for refusing to heal a student, even if they did have it coming.
Sirius – Please refrain from lashing out at Harry Potter jokes. You knew exactly what you were getting into when you chose that name.
Sir Nighteye – Plus do not leave your All Might body pillow out in the open. Midoriya doesn't need any more ideas.
Snipe – Your active hours cannot only be "high noon".
Sousaki Shino – While on my campus, you follow my rules. Stop telling the children that anarchy is an option to alumni.
Takeyama Yuu – There is no law stating that you and Ashido have to watch "Monsters vs. Aliens" together. You should not be telling her otherwise.
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu – There is nothing you or I can do to stop people from adding a "Tetsu" or two to your name. Learn to live with it.
Todoroki Enji – I have no say in the sort of activities the students partake in after school hours. Thus, should your son wish to gather a bunch of his classmates and egg his own house while you're away, I'm afraid there is little I can do to stop him. What a shame.
Todoroki Fuyumi – While I understand that you are happy that your youngest brother has begun socially connecting with his classmates, I have to ask that you not treat this as though it is his sixth birthday. Please stop showing up carrying pink cupcakes with hearts and smiley faces.
Todoroki Shouto – As amusing as it is to watch you infuriate your father, I must ask you not to break any laws. If you do, I will be able to stop you, and that is not something either of us desires. Full steam ahead (but only legally)!
Toga Himiko – Whether or not your hips are honest is none of my concern. Yours hips, as well as the rest of you, are not allowed on school grounds. Please stop flirting with/trying to stab my students.
Tokage Setsuna – If you are responsible for the creation of Hatsume's velociraptor, then you are also responsible for any damages in causes.
Tokoyami Fumikage – If you stand around dramatically on the roof, people will laugh if/when you fall. They will be justified in doing so.
Toogata Mirio – I understand that you are sick of Tintin jokes. I expect you to understand that Recovery Girl is sick of fixing broken noses.
Tsuburaba Kousei – Stop stalking Todoroki. I don't care if you're only doing it to protect him from the press, stalking is still stalking.
Tsuchikawa Ryuuko – You are thirty-one years old. Do not flirt with teenagers.
Tsunotori Pony – If Monoma tells you how to say something, double check with someone in your class first.
Uraraka Ochako – Please do not try and convince your classmates to refer to All Might as "Dad-sensei". Please also refrain from convincing them to refer to Midoriya Inko as "Mom". Please also stop trying to hook them up.
Yagi Toshinori – Do not encourage your students' delusions of grandeur, whether it's Bakugou claiming to be invincible or Midoriya claiming to be some sort of sex god.
Yamada Hizashi – Stop encouraging Jirou to annoy people with music. Stop helping her annoy people with music.
Yanagi Reiko – I am going to assume that you are the reason several people think the third floor girls' bathroom is haunted. You are not Toire no Hanako-san. Stop it.
Yaoyorozu Momo – I am legally obligated to advise you that providing Todoroki Shouto and his cohorts with eggs is, while not illegal, frowned upon. That said, so long as you can prove that you don't know what they're using them for, there's really nothing anyone can do to stop you from "feeding eggs to your hungry friends". Also, if Shigaraki Tomura appears and informs you that he refuses to be arrested unless it's with fuzzy pink handcuffs, do not feel obligated to provide them.
AN: That's chapter one! I won't be able to post it 'till later, so I'll write something else in the meantime… For those of you who don't know, "Toire no Hanako-san" (or "Ms. Hanako of the Toilet) is a Japanese spirit who was murdered in a bathroom and now haunts them. There are a few interpretations of her, but I'm just referencing her here. Lastly, don't expect this to make any sense. It's solely for shits and giggles. PWP ("puns without plot"), if you will. Anyhow, let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time! Kitty out.
AN: So I asked if I should write something for my OCs, and… people seemed to like the idea! So here goes nothing, I guess. Let me know what you think! Kitty out.
Title: no words to spare
Summary: The hardest – and easiest – part about hating Mai, Hector thinks, is that she's too cruel to even pretend to hate him back.
Extra Note: The majority of this story is told almost entirely from Hector's point of view, and is thus very biased. Mai is an extremely complex character, if only because I've put more work into her than most of the others (though I still have some issues with her that need to be sorted out), and Hector is one of the ones I have the most trouble writing. I hope this doesn't through anyone off of the characters – I do intend to write more, especially for the others, but I made a draft of this one a while back, so I figured I'd make some touch-ups and share it. I hope you like it!
For the most part, the others don't interfere. Katsuya and Kotomi have both known Mai long enough to know that befriending her is generally either something you do immediately, or never at all. That wasn't to say befriending her later was impossible, of course – just a year before beginning at Central Academy for the Magical Arts, Mai and a boy from their old school, Noah Dubinsky, had mended a previously antagonistic relationship that had been going on for about three years prior, and the two were now relatively good friends.
But every time Noah had been anywhere near their friend group – particularly Emi, who'd once been brought to tears by Noah's blunt and insensitive nature – after befriending her, Mai had been there as well. There had been no difference in her demeanor, and even people who'd known her all their lives couldn't explain how they knew, but there had been a threat there.
You are a friend, Mai's presence has said. I like you now. But you are not as important to me as the people you have hurt in the past. You have the opportunity to make thinks right. Waste it, and there will be consequences. The group had for the most part not noticed, but Katsuya had because Katsuya knew Mai, and he made sure to be as close to Noah as possible without being weird in case things got out of hand.
Hector Stonefield had never met Noah Dubinsky, and it was unlikely that he ever would. He'd never heard of him either. The two had absolutely nothing in common aside from one tiny thing: both had gotten off on the wrong foot with Mai from the start. In Noah's case, he'd said something that he hadn't realized could be seen as offensive, Mai had interpreted it as an insult towards someone she cared about, and the two had spent the next few years glaring at each other, slipping snide remarks across the room, and smirking when the other got in trouble. When exactly that had become friendship was unclear, but it had happened. Hector was a different case.
For starters, Mai had never once done anything to offend him, as far as anyone could tell. He was rooming with Katsuya and Jaren (or he had been, until Nikolai had arrived at the school and Jaren had agreed to room with his sister to keep things simple), and thus inevitably met their friends. Their first meeting had been fine. Hana had waved politely, Mikasa had nodded and gone back to her book, Emi had winked, Akiko had given him a beaming smile, Kotomi had blushed and shyly mumbled out a 'hello', and Mai had been as friendly and welcoming as she could be.
And Hector had looked her in the eye as she grinned widely at him, and he had realized that he hated her. He'd tried to be quiet about it – Kotomi was a sweet girl, and he liked her a lot, and Katsuya and Jaren were nice enough, and the other girls were fine, and he didn't want to offend any of them. But he could not stand Mai Wakaba and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Even after realizing that she had survived the explosion at the CETMUD facility, the one where his mother had died, he knew that wasn't why he hated her.
He figures it out when their group is watching Akiko run with the track team, and they're all cheering and clapping (well, Mikasa is reading a book, but every now and then she glances up to watch with a tiny smile, which is probably as much support as she's comfortable with giving), and out of the corner of his eye Hector sees Mai. She's wearing her huge grin, eyes shining as she calls out words of encouragement, and it all seems perfectly fine until–
Until someone trips Akiko. It might have been intentional, maybe not, but Hector sees Mai's face change. The crowd boos as Akiko hits the dirt, but Mai has no expression on her face that Hector can identify. Her eyes are just a little wider than usual, but her knuckles are stark white against her tanned skin as she grips the bleachers. Mai is protective of her friends, especially Akiko, and everybody knows it.
Just for a moment, Hector sees murder in her eyes. He sees the girl who so often jokes about her uselessness in terms of both practical, everyday things, and in most combat scenarios, and he sees that girl replaced with someone ready, willing, and 100% able to kill any and every living creature between herself and Akiko's safety. For just one moment, Hector thinks he might be about to die.
And then Akiko's back on her feet, and Mai smiles again. Only this time, her mouth stays flat and her eyes soften and it occurs to Hector that he's never seen her smile like this before. He wonders if he's ever really seen her smile at all.
"You really don't like me all that much," Mai says one day, when Hector is in the library studying because the Common Tongue isn't the one he's most familiar with, and even if he speaks it fluently, his writing is always marked with spelling problems and grammatical errors. "Right, Hector-kun?" He doesn't get why she uses honorifics from the language spoken in the Far East of Lux to CAMA, the center of the Seven Kingdoms, when the Common Tongue is the one she grew up speaking. He knows she doesn't speak that tongue with her extended family either – she uses the cultural language, with hard "ch" sounds and backwards writing. He only knows that because he's seen her use it with Katsuya, when annoyed or frustrated, and he knows because she punctuates her Common with words from that tongue that can only be curses. He doesn't know who she speaks the Far-East Luxian too, except Kagura and Kotomi, but both speak Common just fine. In fairness, she does have heritage from that area – most of their group does; it's obvious from their names alone. Hana is the only one who's ever been there, as far as Hector is aware (not counting Kotomi, who's lived there her whole life, and Kagura, who's been all over the place but isn't really from anywhere), but most of the others don't speak the language at all. Mikasa and Akiko know a couple words, and Katsuya and Emi probably do too, but even Kotomi and Hana keep their languages separate. Mai… doesn't. Her speech is filled with every language she knows, and the lack of reaction from everyone else makes him think that's normal for her. He's met her little brother once – he doesn't talk like that.
And then there's "Hector-kun". He knows what it means, of course. Kotomi told him about both of her native tongues before she brought him to meet her fathers, and he knows about the honorifics of the Far-East of Lux. But Mai doesn't refer to anyone else like that. She likes nicknames – like "Koko-chan", "Ai-chan", "Emichi", "Mikami", "Katsu-chan", and the like. Hana is "Hana-senpai", but that seems like an inside joke between the two. Hector can't tell if it's because she knows he hates her or if she just hasn't thought of one yet. Not that he wants one, of course – he hates her nicknames, and he doesn't know if he'll be able to stop himself from punching her lights out if she tries to call him something so childish and silly.
"No, I don't," he agrees, because he's an honest person and because Kotomi isn't anywhere nearby. "I don't like liars." Mai nods.
"I figured as much," she says cheerfully. He wonders if she actually thinks he buys it, or if she just doesn't care enough to drop the act. "You're pretty observant, for royalty." Hector chokes then, because he's never told anyone where he came from. He doesn't lie about it unless absolutely necessary – he really hates liars – and there's really no way Mai should know about it. Granted, he hadn't bothered to change his name, but he shouldn't have had to – he knew his elder brother well enough to know that his name wouldn't be brought up after he left. At least, not without a swift and almost certainly deadly response. "We really don't have much in common, you and I," Mai notes. "Aside from our friends, I mean." She laughs, and the sound makes Hector feel ill.
"What do you want?" he demands. He isn't going to be polite to someone who's been lying to his face, who is lying to his face as they speak, but she doesn't seem bothered. Her infectious grin – like a terminal disease, he thinks, that no one else seems to want to acknowledge; a plague smile – widens.
"I just thought you should know," she says, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I really don't mind. There's no reason to pretend you like me when you don't; Koko-chan knows that not everyone can be friends." Does she? Hector wonders. He cares about Kotomi a great deal, but she's always been a bit naïve. "Besides," Mai adds. "You hate lying, and you're really not very good at it. So don't lie, okay? I think it makes the others more uncomfortable when you pretend everything's fine instead of acknowledging how much you hate my guts." Hector's jaw clenches.
"I don't want to be lectured about honesty by you," he spits out, glaring at her.
"So you want to keep lying?" Mai asks, feigning surprise. "I didn't think you were that kind of person. But honestly, I don't mind." She beams at him, and he wonders how it's possible to hate a single person so much. "If you hate me, that's fine. But there's something I should tell you." Hector slams his book shut, stands up, and turns on her.
"What?" he snarls. "What the hell do you–" she pokes his nose.
"I don't hate you," she tells him, smiling. It's not her real smile, but it's not a fake one either. Her lips are turned up slightly, and her eyes are crinkled at the corners like she's laughing, but there's a glimmer of something else behind the amicable mask that's laughing at him. You really thought I'd hate you too, the smile taunts him. You really thought you were worth at least that much. "I don't hate you, Hector-kun. If you were in trouble, I'd do anything I could to help."
Mai wraps her arms around him in what Hector feels is less of a hug and more of a coil, a snake wrapping around its prey to choke the life out of it – a venomous snake, no less, one that could kill him quickly with poison but was too sadistic to let him die so simply. "That's what friends are for," she whispers in his ear. Hector tears himself away and sprints out of the library, away from Mai. He doesn't realizing he's going to his room until he gets there, flinging the door open and throwing himself on his bed. Katsuya isn't there, and that's a relief, because he doesn't want to explain to his roommate why he's crying into his pillow.
When he leaves, nothing will have changed.
In the library, Mai calmly hands Hector's abandoned book to the librarian, asking him to hold onto it until Hector realizes he forgot it. She walks out with her hands in her pockets, wandering aimlessly through the halls of the school. Dinner will be in a couple of hours, and she thinks she might want to go for a swim first.
When she next sees Hector, she'll smile at him and he'll glower at her, and Kotomi will laughed and shake her head, and it will be like nothing ever happened.
There are times when things aren’t right. Times when Atem expect someone to give something to him and then remembers he has to ask first. Times when someone points at Bakura’s hair and he tenses, ready for a fight. Times when Atem looks down at his cards and sees Mahado and Mana instead of the Black Magician and the Black Magician Girl. Times when Bakura can’t see anything but fire, and he chokes on the ashes of the dead.
But there are times when it isn’t so bad. Times when Atem’s friends call him by his name, and treat him as an equal. Times when Bakura can sleep with both eyes closed, and not have to worry about someone killing him in his sleep. Atem is no longer the King of Egypt. Bakura is no longer the King of Thieves.
Times have changed, and sometimes it’s not so bad. Sometimes, Bakura will hand things to Atem before he gets to ask (well, ‘throw’, but still). Sometimes, people will point at both of them. Sometimes, Mahado and Mana are just trading cards. Sometimes, Atem can douse the fires and Bakura returns to the real world.
Sometimes, Atem thinks, is probably as close to “always” as they can manage.
