summary: sometimes the thoughts get too loud for takeda
warnings: none :)
For some reason, every thought echoed in Takeda’s head, amplifying in volume every time it bounced around. Takeda winced as another thought intruded into his head and screamed at him. The beginnings of a headache had already formed and all Takeda wanted to do was bury his head into a pillow and go to sleep. He just had to make it through this meeting, and he would be done. He could go to bed and not have to interact with the world and all of its thoughts. He clenched his jaw and his fingernails into the palm of his hand, trying to take the edge off of the throbbing in his head. However, the ache still persisted, prodding and poking at every corner in his head, and he could feel beads of sweat starting to form at his hairline. The pain tore at his mind, digging its claws into his flesh and tearing at his brain. For a brief second, all the voices in the room converged into one, and a blinding pain echoed throughout his head, setting all his nerves ablaze, and Takeda forgot how to breathe. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus his energy into his lungs and to pull air into his lungs.
To Takeda’s side, Kung Jin eyed his boyfriend worriedly. He had looked pale throughout the entire meeting and started swaying side to side slightly in the middle of the meeting. Takeda had been staring off into the distance, not really listening to General Sonya Blade drone on about some new development in the portals leading to Outworld. When Kung Jin saw Takeda’s chest suddenly stop moving and heard his breath slightly hitch, the archer placed his hand into Takeda’s, interlocking their fingers, and squeezed his hand. He hoped the gesture was comforting and gave the telekinetic a way to ground himself away from whatever was happening in his mind.
Takeda cracked open his eyes and glanced over at Kung Jin, who was still looking at Sonya Blade, and Takeda gratefully squeezed Kung Jin’s hand back. His chest stuttered as air flowed back into his lungs, and he gripped onto Kung Jin’s hand as the pain in his head continued to torture him. The archer hardly reacted, only shifting in his seat to get a bit more comfortable. The pain continued to torment Takeda, but with Kung Jin’s hand keeping him grounded, the voices seemed a little quieter and the world didn’t seem so painful.
When the meeting finally ended, Takeda shot out of his seat and dragged Kung Jin out of the room. The archer could barely shoot a worried glance toward Jacqui and Cassie before nearly stumbling out of the room as Takeda kept his firm grip on Kung Jin’s hand. Takeda led Kung Jin through the halls quickly before finally opening the door to their shared dorm and throwing Kung Jin on the bed and cuddling up close to the archer.
“What’s got you all worked up?” Kung Jin asked, a bit confused but nonetheless welcoming the sudden attention. Takeda just shook his head and buried his face further in Kung Jin’s plush chest. Kung Jin figured it was just one of those days and raked his fingers through Takeda’s soft hair. Soon enough, Takeda’s breath slowed down, and his muscles had gone lax, indicating that he had fallen asleep, and Kung Jin pressed a soft kiss to the telekinetic’s head. A few moments later, Jacqui and Cassie opened the door to their room. Kung Jin put a finger to his lips for them to stay quiet. They nodded and entered the darkened room, closing the door behind them quietly.
Jacqui got into the bed quietly and wrapped an arm around Takeda and pressed herself flush to Takeda’s back, nosing Takeda’s neck and breathing in the scent of cherry blossoms. Likewise, Cassie cuddled up close to Jacqui and lazily kissed Jacqui’s neck. The room was silent and soon enough all of them had fallen asleep cuddling each other. When Takeda woke up a few hours later, drool drying on his face and his eyes barely able to focus in the darkness of the room, he found himself sandwiched between Jacqui and Kung Jin, both snoring rather loudly. Takeda just smiled to himself as their thoughts floated lazily in the air. Surrounded by the partners and the soft thoughts of their love clouding his head, he snuggled back into the warmth of their bodies and let sleep overtake him again.
Request: “hanzo listening encouragingly to takeda gush abt jacqui for the requests please? :)”
first fic of 2020 is for you, anon!!! enjoy :) (warning: hanzo mentions harumi for like 5 seconds and its kinda sad but i promise this whole thing is very sweet)
———
It was Takeda’s first visit to the Shirai Ryu garden since deciding to join a team with the Special Forces. He had spoken to Hanzo whenever he came to the base for any reason, neglecting to meet all of his team but one single time, and it had been so hectic in the recent weeks that Takeda had not been able to find the time to see Hanzo.
He arrived during the evening, when training had winded down for the day and all members of the Shirai Ryu were doing as they pleased. Upon arriving, he waved at many that he recognized, but he urged all of them to keep his arrival quiet. He wanted to surprise Hanzo with his visit, so keeping everyone quiet was important. All members were quick to oblige and pointed to the back garden, where Hanzo was meditating.
With silent steps, Takeda stepped through the garden and spotted Hanzo nearly immediately. He was visible through the doorway of a building, kneeling on the floor. His back was to Takeda, but he heard footsteps and rose to his feet. Takeda could not help but smile when he stepped out of the building and through the doorway, staring at Takeda in shock.
“Can I join you, sir?” Takeda called, his smile growing.
Hanzo did not reply with words, but his actions were telling enough. He showed a rare grin and walked down the steps of the building, and he approached Takeda with quick steps and opened his arms. A hug. A rare hug. Takeda was quick to take up on the offer, and happiness filled him instantly. “I’ve missed you, Master Hasashi,” he said kindly.
“And I have equally missed you, Takeda.” Hanzo ended the hug and held Takeda by his shoulders, his grin remaining. “I see your schedule has allowed a visit. I want to hear everything about the Special Forces over tea.”
And that is exactly what happened. Hanzo set up some tea in the garden, where they sat and prepared their tea. After Takeda made his own, Hanzo looked at him with a small smile. “I hope that Cage has given you proper training. I will be displeased otherwise.”
Takeda shook his head. “Oh, no, he has. He’s a great mentor. He has his wisecracks, of course.”
Hanzo shook his head. “It would not be Cage without them.” Hanzo gathered his own ingredients and began his preparations. “So run by me one more time who is on your team. I have already met Cassandra and have known her for an extremely long time.”
“She told me that she knew who you were,” Takeda mentioned, taking a sip of his tea. “She’s taken on a leadership position because of General Blade.”
“Is she performing well?”
“Absolutely.” Takeda laughed to himself. “She butts heads with someone in the group. Kung Jin, he’s the other boy that isn’t me.”
Hanzo thought for a moment before nodding. “I remember him vaguely. He reminds me of his uncle. I have heard a large number of rumors about their respective egos.”
“Jin has earned his to an extent. He joined the Shaolin later than most members, but he’s really good with a bow and hand-to-hand kombat. He’s definitely my best friend.” Takeda smiled. “You need to meet him. He’s great once you get to know him.”
“I have no doubts.” Hanzo took a drink of his tea and thought back. “I know there is another, but… I neglect to remember her name.”
“Oh, that’s… that’s Jacqui. Jacqueline Sonya Briggs. I know you like formalities.” Takeda could feel himself begin to blush at the thought of her.
Hanzo noted his lack of immediate explanation for who she was. He then noticed Takeda’s blushing, and his smile became mischievous. “Oh, heavens… do not tell me you like this girl?”
Takeda instantly shook his head. “Oh, no! No… No, liking her would distract me from my team. No way, Master Hasashi.”
Hanzo looked at him knowingly, and Takeda huffed. “Okay… Maybe I like this girl. Maybe.”
“I can always see your true feelings, Takeda,” Hanzo said. “If I recall, she is Jackson Briggs’s daughter, yes?”
“She is.” Takeda tilted his head. “You guys were revived at the same time, right?”
“We were,” Hanzo confirmed. “I have made contact with him, but not much. I have neglected to meet her.” He gave Takeda a small smile. “Do you have a photo of her? I know Cage gave you some sort of phone.”
“Yeah, hold on.” Takeda pulled his phone out of his uniform pocket and grinned upon unlocking it. “Perfect timing! She sent me a Snap on Snapchat.”
“A…” Hanzo hesitated a bit. “A Snap? What’s that?”
Takeda was confused for a moment before laughing. “It’s a social media thing, Master Hasashi. I’m on it with my whole team so we can communicate if we so desire.” He opened the app and showed it to Hanzo briefly. “We mostly just send pictures back and forth to one another. There are filters that can give us, ah… cat ears and big eyes and stuff. All in good fun.”
Hanzo nodded knowingly. “I see. What did she send you?”
Takeda swiped over and opened her message. He felt his breath leave his lungs at the sight of a sweet mirror selfie and a grin. The caption read, “Tell Master Hasashi that I said hello!” There was a heart at the end of the caption.
“She… She sent me a photo of herself.” Takeda turned his phone around so Hanzo could see. “She says hello.”
Hanzo admired the photo for a moment before smiling. “She is beautiful. Also…” He leaned a little closer to the phone. “Why is there a heart next to her name?”
Takeda immediately retracted his phone and inspected it. Sure enough, her name in his Snapchat had a heart next to it. He forgot he did that.
“Uh…” Takeda pocketed his phone with a nervous laugh. “Master Hasashi, I can explain—”
Hanzo chuckled softly. “No need. You two are…” He waved a hand around. “…together, are you not? And you waited until you saw me in person to share the news?”
Takeda smiled sheepishly. “You got me, Master Hasashi. I figured telling you during a brief visit would be rude. I wanted to wait until I had a chance to visit.”
“I understand. Congratulations to you both.” Hanzo took another drink of his tea and put it to the side. “It cannot have been too long.”
“Nearly six weeks,” Takeda confirmed. “Not long, but… still a great time.”
“Wonderful. The first few weeks are very thrilling. It is all about new and exciting things. The euphoria that comes with a newly-birthed relationship is often unmatched.” Hanzo rested his elbows on the table. “Tell me all about her, Takeda. What is she like?”
“She has done stuff involving the Special Forces a lot longer than I have. She and Cassie are childhood best friends, and she sees Mr. Cage and General Blade as family. She whoops me in sparring a lot, but… it’s good training.” Takeda felt himself smiling even wider as he described her. “She’s tough as nails. She gets focused on training, and it’s the only thing on her mind for days. She gets up and goes on a run every single morning, and I’ve gone running with her, and she leaves me breathless… for multiple reasons, not just because she’s faster than me.”
Hanzo could not help but chuckle as Takeda went on. “She is so smart, Master Hasashi. She knows about… vehicles, farm life, taking care of animals, math, history. I can ask her any question, and she knows the answer to it. She even knows about the Shirai Ryu’s history and the Lin Kuei’s history and realm history and… everything. She has common sense as well, and she can think logically in any situation to keep our team safe.” Takeda sighed happily as he thought. “She has a great sense of humor. She is great at comforting people and has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She’s stunning from her head to her toes. She makes me excited to try new things and go to new places, and we get to do those things together.” His cheeks reddened in a blush. “She makes me feel things I have never felt before, Master Hasashi. It is too early to call it love, but… I feel phenomenal about where this is going.”
Hanzo shook his head with a content smile. “I have never seen you gush so heavily about anything, Takeda. This is… This is very exciting.” His smile faded a tad. “I trust that you will bring her to meet me properly. She… She reminds me of the woman I married, and I mean that in the kindest way. Headstrong, a big heart, beyond her years in wisdom. I need to meet Jacqueline in person.”
Takeda felt his chest tighten with emotion. “Absolutely. Mr. Cage will probably give us a few days off soon… I will bring her by here.”
“Excellent. I will offer tea when she visits.” Hanzo continued to smile as he thought about the day they would properly meet. “Does she… Does she like tea? Would she accept if I offered her tea?”
Takeda laughed. “Yes! She loves tea. She drinks it at least once a day. She would love it if she received tea from you.”
Hanzo sighed in relief. “Good. Her happiness is of high importance to me. After all, she needs to stick around, so you remain this happy always.”
The two grinned at each other and laughed. Takeda was glad that he visited the garden that day.
1) who can outdrink the other? Jacqui. neither of them has exceptional tolerance to alcohol, but Jacqui’s is just a little bit better
2) who says “I love you” more? Takeda. he is the biggest sap on Earth and loves seeing Jacqui’s face when he says it. she makes him so endlessly happy and he literally cannot contain it
3) who has trouble sleeping alone? neither of them. they’re really used to sleeping alone anyway, BUT they fucking love snuggling and sleeping next to the other any day. they probably call one another on the phone and sleep by their phone if they’re apart. it works
4) who swears more? Jacqui, but neither of them swears a lot anyway so it isn’t much more
5) who does more of the housework? their parents/guardians taught them to be responsible, so they share all housework responsibilities. they have races to see who can dust more in a short span of time
6) who forgets their anniversary? neither of them? these two have great memories and write dates on a calendar like a month in advance so they can make plans
7) who steals the duvet in their sleep? tug of war matches every night almost. they eventually get the biggest blanket ever so they don’t have to struggle
8) who keeps the other awake at night with their snoring? neither of them snores, but Jacqui does kick in her sleep. Takeda has woken up many times after Jacqui kicks the hell out of his shin in her sleep. he finds it super funny
9) who finds stray animals and begs the other to let them keep them? Takeda. this boy has never had a pet and wants a cat more than anything in the world. Jacqui has to constantly tell him that they are too busy for a cat
10) who usually makes dinner? they take turns because they’re about equal in cooking skill. they sometimes look up recipes online and try to cook them together
11) who plays their music out loud? Jacqui. both of them listen to music a lot, but she loves playing stuff out loud that both of them enjoy so they can sing along together
12) who hogs the bathroom? Jacqui, but not on purpose. it’s not that she has more to do, she just takes her time getting ready in the morning so she doesn’t have to fix her look later in the day. Takeda loves watching her get ready
13) who gives the most compliments? Takeda. he’s a nerd and loves complimenting Jacqui on literally everything. Jacqui always gets blushing because he’s so sincere in all that he says and she loves it
14) i am not answering this one and can’t rephrase it in a way that i like jsgnjdkg
15) who isn’t afraid to embarrass the other in public? I think they can handle embarrassment pretty easily, but Takeda will say something about Jacqui without thinking (”oh, yeah! Jacqui *insert a secret* and—”) that causes Jacqui to run over and get him to be quiet. he has no filter when he’s excited
16) who gives the other cringeworthy pet names? Takeda, fueled by Johnny and Cassie. he probably sees a lot of them as cute and Jacqui cannot help but scream
17) who fusses over takes care of the other when they get sick? both of them do. either of them getting sick is really rare, so both of them try their best to help the other feel better
18) who finds it impossible to stay angry at the other for long? neither of them is one to get mad? like, Takeda is just so chill and can handle most things like a pro (not including that cutscene in MKX with him and Kenshi. he’s a more mature boy now). Jacqui is the same way. they’re also really good at communicating
19) who clings to the other for comfort when they’re sad or scared? both of them, honestly. it’s rare that it gets that way, but they’ve both seen some crazy shit. Takeda killing Fox (mentioned in the comics) and his mom dying, Jacqui living with her traumatized dad and her mom dying too, doing anything with the Special Forces. they’ve killed people. they’ve seen their loved ones die. their lives aren’t easy at all. there are lots of nights where they just hold one another in silence, knowing how the other feels and trying to best to both comfort them and live with their own traumas
20) who is more ‘physically passionate’? (hugs, kisses, or maybe more…) Takeda. this boy loves holding Jacqui’s hand and kissing her and picking her up and sparring with her (that’s not physical ‘affection’ really, but it usually ends with them kissing/making out 9 times out of 10). anything involving Jacqui just sends him over the moon
these two are literally perfect. thank you for the ask!!!!
1) Who rocks the Ferris Wheel seat and who flips out and begs them to stop? They work together to rock the seat as much as possible. The ride worker is the one that begs them to stop because they’re about to break the ride.
2) Who is always horny and will have sex at any time, at any place and at any time? Neither of them is super horny, but Jacqui is more likely to suggest that they have sex in general.
3) Who is more into taking showers/baths together? Who tries to make it relaxing and who tries to make it sexy time? Jacqui adores baths and takes this time to just… be lazy. Takeda likes them too, so he oftentimes gets in with her. He makes it sexy on occasion, but most of the time they just relax.
4) Who likes to walk around the house naked and who tells the other to go put some clothes on? If it was legal, Takeda would never wear clothes. Ever. He’s very comfortable with himself and spent a lot of time naked in the Shirai Ryu. Jacqui is very far from used to it.
5) Who sleeps on the couch when they get into a fight? Takeda. Their fights rarely escalate to that, and he doesn’t necessarily get so mad that he needs to distance himself… He knows that Jacqui could use some alone time, and the bed is more comfortable. Jacqui always goes to the couch to drag him back to bed.
6) Who takes photos of the other while they sleep? Takeda. He thinks that Jacqui is, like… the prettiest woman ever. Models wish they were as pretty as Jacqui. His phone is filled with photos of her. She thinks it’s sweet and will pose if she’s awake.
7) Who said “I love you” first? and who ends their arguments in a fight with “Because I love you”? Takeda said it first. He was going off on a tangent about Jacqui’s impact on his life, and he eventually ended wit “what I’m trying to say is… I love you.” Jacqui was so touched. He’s also the one to end fights with “because I love you” if she’s about to do something with the Special Forces that he worries is too dangerous.
8) Who likes to wear the others sweatshirts? Jacqui adores Takeda’s sweatshirts. He gets them big specifically because she likes to wear them, and he wants her to be comfortable.
9) Who wakes the other up in the middle of the night to tell them a cool dream they had? Who has the most nightmares, and who sings them back to sleep after? They both love waking the other to talk about dreams, and they’ll ramble a while about what they dreamt about. Jacqui rarely has nightmares, but Takeda has a lot… and they’re pretty bad sometimes. She won’t sing, but Jacqui will definitely hold him close and hug him to help him calm down and get back to sleep.
10) Who is more likely to cheat at games (cards, board games, etc.)? Takeda. He can be either super sneaky or super obvious; there’s no in-between with him. Jacqui has asked him to teach her some cheating tricks.
11) Who makes fun of the other for having a crush on them, and who has to remind them that they are in a relationship? Neither of them really tease for having a crush… but sometimes they’ll say something along the lines of “I wish I could do _______ with someone” and then they realize that they can! Because they have a boyfriend/girlfriend to do that stuff with!
12) Who starts a food fight in the kitchen? Jacqui. They’ll be cooking and then she ‘accidentally’ gets batter in his hair… It quickly turns into a war.
13) Who initiates duets? and who is the better singer? They both initiate duets. They probably do karaoke a lot together. Takeda is the better singer, but not by much!
14) Who starts the hand holding? Who grabs the others butt? Who slides their arm around their waist? Who likes to put their fingers in the belt loops? Jacqui initiates the hand holding. She loves physical contact of any kind. She’s also prone to grab Takeda’s butt, much to his surprise every single time. Takeda wraps an arm around her waist if they’re ever in public. Jacqui grabs his belt loops a lot if they’re laying there together.
15) Who likes writes the others name on their wrist? Neither of them writes their name, but they probably doodle on each other’s wrists when they’re bored.
16) Who is more seductive when they are drunk? and who is louder in bed? Neither of them is seductive, really, but they are more confident. Jacqui’s louder, but she still isn’t very loud.
17) Who is more protective? Both of them are protective of the other. They work together to keep themselves safe. Power couple!!
18) Who talks to the other while they are sleeping? Takeda. He calls her beautiful a lot when she can’t hear him. If something’s on his mind, he tells her when she’s asleep to get it off of his chest.
19) Who drives and who has the window seat? Jacqui drives. She does it a lot more often, plus… Takeda is a terrible driver. Dear god.
20) Who falls asleep in the others lap and who carries them to bed? Jacqui falls asleep in Takeda’s lap a lot. She occupies his lap often, sitting it in or laying on top of him if they’re relaxing together, so she falls asleep there a lot. Takeda has a bad habit of falling asleep too, but if he manages to stay awake until time for bed, he’ll gladly carry her to bed.
21) Who cuts the others hair? Neither of them. Jacqui pays someone else to cut her hair, and Takeda cuts his own hair. She loves watching him cut it though.
22) Who is super bad at sexting? and who sends them encouraging messages throughout the day? Neither of them sext seriously, and Jacqui is more likely to do it as a joke. Takeda loves texting her at all, and he’s the king of encouraging messages!! “You can do anything you set your mind to, i love you SO much baby” followed by like… a bunch of heart emojis. He’s a softie.
23) Who thinks they are not good enough for the others love? and who’s more afraid of loosing the other? Who thinks they keep messing up, only for the other to tell them they don’t need to worry? I honestly don’t think one of them feels unworthy of their love? I don’t know why but I feel like they assure one another that they love another so often that they aren’t worried about it. But Jacqui is definitely afraid that her life and her father is gonna make their relationship strained or even cause it to end. For that same reason, she feels that she messes up sometimes as a girlfriend. Takeda is quick to assure her that he’s never been happier in his life, all because of her.
24) Who starts random slow dancing with the other in the kitchen? Who holds the other just above the ground and kisses them? Takeda is a sucker for romantic stuff like that, so he does slow dances a lot. Jacqui is just as fond of dancing as he is. Takeda loves holding her up off of the ground and kissing her nose.
25) Who says shitty puns and sex jokes just to see the other giggle and blush? Takeda. Dear god he’s practically spoon fed puns by both Cassie and Johnny, and they’re all bad. Jacqui cracks up whenever he gets on a pun spree.
26) Who kissed first? Takeda. They were watching a movie, but it was god awful so they were just quietly chatting to themselves. At one point, Takeda leaned forward and kissed her cheek, and Jacqui smiled and said that he missed. He immediately kissed her lips then, much to their delight.
27) Who orders take out at two in a morning? and who wakes the other up at three in the morning to go downstairs with them to get a glass of water because it’s too dark? Jacqui orders take out because her sleep schedule is shit. Neither of them wakes the other up to walk with them to get water, but if he’s up, Takeda will offer to walk with Jacqui.
28) Who writes poems/stories and love songs about the other? Do they sing the songs the write for them? Takeda writes poems, but they’re so bad that he doesn’t share. Neither of them really sing songs for the other unless they’re doing karaoke.
29) Who does some crazy stunt to try and impress the other and who ends up driving them to the emergency room after it backfires? Takeda once dedicated a whole day to trying to learn how to do a backflip, just to impress Jacqui. When he broke his collarbone, she spent the entire drive to the hospital yelling at him for being a dumbass.
30) Who is embarrassed when they have to wear their glasses and who thinks they look super cute? Neither of them has glasses, but Takeda loves looking at Jacqui in sunglasses.
