An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Yippee, new story!!!
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Summary:
Miles (soon to be known as Tails) has never had a family of his own...
What happens when he gets fostered one more time before meeting a specific blue blur..
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Kemonomimi AU (They are basically human, but have animal ears and Tail/s)
Story:
Miles sat in the back seat of the car, staring at the window with blank eyes, watching as the place he thought he would call one day home faded out of sight.
Maybe he just wasn’t meant to have a home. Nor a family to call his own. Maybe he was just destined to be alone forever…
“I can’t believe it, Miles!” The caretaker driving the car said, “Even freaks like you should be able to find a home after the fifth time! You haven’t even spent a full week in that house!”
Miles just ducked his head and looked down, forcing himself to not speak a peep. Everyone hated it when he did. It always got him kicked out…
But then again, everything he did got him kicked out.
“Never in my life have I seen a kid go to five homes, FIVE HOMES, and get rejected within a month! Never!” The caretaker continued rambling, throwing Miles harsh glares every few minutes through the mirror.
“What made you think touching those glass cups was a good idea? Why did you decide to just randomly touch them!? Have you never seen glass before?!” Miles winced, holding back his large explanation to why he accidentally broke the glass cup. “Why do you keep messing things up?! Can you just keep your hands to yourself? Why are you such a freak? Huh?! You don’t only look like a freak, but you HAVE to get attention! You HAD to break the glass cup to get them to look at you! You couldn’t stand the fact that you are a FREAK and that NO ONE wants to see you?!”
…
And that’s how the rest of the car road went…
The caretaker continued rambling about how bad Miles was, while Miles just sat there still, careful to not move, nor say a word. He pretended as though the words being spat at him didn’t hurt, because it shouldn’t! He deserved it! He should have been more careful washing the dishes! He deserves the harsh treatment! He can’t do anything right!
That didn’t stop the acting feeling in his heart though…
“Starting this Monday you will be going to a new school called Chaos High,” the headmaster of the orphanage said.
Miles nodded obediently, showing that he was paying attention.
“As you can tell, this new family has high expectations for you, so don’t blow it up. You should be lucky that you were offered a home this many times, don’t ruin it this time…” The headmaster said, before excusing Miles.
Miles headed back with new found hope. Despite the harsh words of the headmaster, he couldn't help but think of the bright side of the situation.
Maybe this family will like him and adopt him! He can’t blow this up! He would do everything asked from him without questioning! Maybe Miles wouldn’t have to grow up alone, without anyone!
(Deep down, he knew this wasn’t true… If the first five homes didn’t work out, why would the sixth work?)
Miles went to the small closet, which was deemed to be “his room” whenever he stayed at the orphanage. Pulling out his ripped backpack, Miles started placing the few things he owned in it.
After packing (which only took 5 minutes), he sat in his closet and laid against the wall, thinking.
He can’t afford to lose this opportunity! He already lost five, he can’t lose a sixth! He can’t always go back and forth between foster homes! This might even be the last time he gets fostered! He won’t afford to lose this chance! He can’t!
Miles sighed again, his mind drifting off from his previous foster homes, to the new one… Maybe this one would be better… Maybe they won’t hate his two tails and instead like them… Maybe they would keep him if he tried hard enough…Maybe this time it will be different…
Spoiler: it wasn’t.
When his foster family arrived, Miles stood next to the headmaster, standing tall, with him back straight, but remembering to keep his gaze down…
That was something Miles learnt to do since he was five. He knew his place in the world, and knew better than to look up. He was taught not to look up! Not to make eye contact at all… So he didn’t.
He felt the harsh glare of the parents pierce through his head, but he continued to look down. After a quick introduction between the two, in which Miles took care not to say a word, the headmaster requested to speak with the parents in private. Miles took this as an opportunity to look up at the only other people left.
It was a boy and a girl- adopted, Miles concluded.
The two were rather average looking people. The girl was around 12. She had dark brown hair which was pulled in a ponytail, making her cat ears visible. She was also wearing a casual pink dress, with her tail appearing from below.
The boy, on the other hand, seemed to be part wolf. His pitch black hair blended with the black shirt he was wearing. He also seemed to be older than the girl, around 13 or 14 if Miles had to guess.
One thing Miles couldn’t help but realize the two had in common was that they were wearing neat clothes, and they got to act and complain to the parents whenever they wanted without getting punished. They also didn’t seem to have any bruises or scratches, both of their skins were smooth like any other person (except Miles, himself).
Deep down, Miles knew that that should not have surprised him; however, through the five foster homes he has been to, if he looked the foster parents in the eye, he would have had the beating of a lifetime…
This also brought Miles an unforeign feeling of hope… It was childish, he knew; however, he couldn’t help but think that this family would be better and keep him! They kept the other two kids! They might keep him!
(He might be bringing his hopes up, but hey! What’s wrong with having wishful thinking once in a while?)
“Hey, what are you looking at, freak?!” The part wolf boy exclaimed.
Despite having always been called by the name freak, it takes Miles a second to realize that he was the one being addressed.
“U-uh! S-sorry… I-I w-wasn’t- I wasn’t looking a-at any-anything…” Miles managed to stutter out.
“Don’t lie! You were looking at me! What?! Jealous that you would never get the life I have? Well, duh!” The boy rambled, while the girl beside him nodded, paying attention to the conversation. She wore the same disgusted look as her brother… The look Miles had seen too many people wear when looking at him. “If you think that my parents are fostering you to love you, then you are wrong! They won’t love you! And I hate the fact that they want to foster you!”
Miles looked down in shame. In all honesty, he knew that was true… It was why most people fostered him… They get more money for fostering a freak, than they get for fostering a normal person… But that still didn’t remove the feeling of hurt he was feeling deep down…
When Miles first arrived at his new home he learned that he was expected to call the parents Mr and Mrs. Evans, and that the name of their son and daughter (who turned out to indeed be adopted) was Charlie and Lilly.
He was then shown out to the small shed in the yard. At first he was confused to why he was brought out there; however, Mrs. Evans then explained to him.
“Things will work differently around here. This,” she said while opening the door, revealing a small dark, bare room. The room was empty in exception of the blanket that was laid on the floor. “Is going to be your room. You are not to leave it at all at night. I wake up around eight in the morning, and the rest around half an hour later. When I’m awake, I expect the whole house to be cleaned.
“Your school, as I believe that orphanage headmaster told you, is Chaos High, and it starts at nine. You will start tomorrow, and should see the principle there. Here is the letter with everything you should know." Miles gently took the note, seeing that he will have to read it later.
"And do we offer you food? Only once a day for the first week. After that we will give you some money which you will be responsible for. You are also expected to keep the house clean when you are here. But I don't want to see your face too often, you understand?"
Miles simply nodded, before the woman decided to go back into the house leaving Miles outside alone. It was only when she left did a small smile appear on his face.
He can do this… Starting tomorrow he will do everything expected from him, with no question and to the best of his ability! He won't lose this chance! He can't!
Who cares if he has to wake up earlier than normal? Or not enough food to satisfy his stomach.
Exactly! No one! This is why he will give this chance!
The sarcasm barely came through, because Steven had calmed his nerves ever so slightly - there was a strange comfort in insignificance, one that Ryan had been far from alone in experiencing over the course of this past year.
Despite popular belief, Tsurugi likes to get eight hours of sleep, thank you very much. He sleeps at 9, and wakes up at 5. Why does he wake up so early you may ask? It’s definitely NOT to get his eyeliner done perfectly. Rather it is out of the request of his brother-dearest, and waking up at 5 gives him the chance to visit his brother before school! Unfortunately, ever since the unfortunate accident, his dreams have been plagued by nightmares and has been having trouble sleeping. Somehow all of that has stopped ever since he was confronted by a young brunet…
Shindou-
If you were to ask him, then Yes! He does get his eight hours of sleep!In reality? Nope! Not even close! Shindou’s sleep schedule is composed of:
Heading to bed
Trying to get some shut eye
Remembering something sad that happened that day
Cry
Stop crying
Looks at the time and its already 3 Goes to sleep
Gets the worst sleep of his life
Wakes up at 6
Luckily though, if Tenma’s there, he would comfort him before he even gets those dark thoughts!!!
Tenma-
(Please bear in mind, this is according to my au, and I’m trying to write this without spoilers!!!)
Tenma tries to get a full eight to nine hours of sleep! He really tries! Sadly, sleeping is easier said than done! Sometimes at night, Tenma would start overthinking his decisions. He questions how much of a burden he is to others. When these thoughts come, he takes his Endou plush and a soccer ball and pulls them into a tight embrace. Tenma then curls into a ball, trying to stop the tears from flowing out of his eyes. Whenever any of Raimon (specifically Shindou, Tsurugi and Sangoku) find him, they pull him into a tight hug and try to talk him out of his sad thoughts. Usually they would find themselves sleeping next to the young brunet, whose face would be nuzzled into their chest for warmth!
Shinsuke and Kageyami:
They are one of the few people in Raimon who actually get good sleep at night! They usually dream about having fun with their friends and playing soccer!
Amagi, Kurumada and Sangoku:
They sleep a good six hours at night! The main reason for this is because they often stress about applying to highschool! They still try to get eight hours; however, seeing as their schedule is cramped with school work, soccer, application, and other extracurricular activities, it is very hard to find that time!
Sangoku, however, still tries to encourage his fellow classmates to catchup on their sleep, despite being unable to do so himself.
Hayami:
Hayami’s dreams are… questionable to say the least. During their time in the tournament, he kept dreaming about them getting squished by Fifth Sector… Quite literally. He’s also got other weird dreams, like getting kicked out of school (also literally), getting fired from his imaginary job (also literally), and getting kicked out of the soccer club, like a soccer ball (do I have to mention it? But also, literally)...
Hamano: He often dreams about becoming a fisherman. He likes to dream of the peaceful life he can lead, without having to worry about things. Once in a while, his dreams would get pretty wild! For example, he would dream about himself being a pirate while the rest of the team are crew. They would be in the middle of a storm trying to catch the largest fish in the ocean. Somehow, soccer was involved in the middle of the dream and it helped them catch the fish? Hamano isn’t really sure how that happened but he wasn’t going to question it!
Kariya:
Kariya sleep consists of dreams. Dreams he likes to interpret into real life! Normally, he would dream of the many pranks he would pull on his fellow classmates, especially a specific pink-haired upperclassman! Kariya has often woken up to find himself on the floor after a good night's sleep! Once a while though, Kariya would dream about how his life would have been if his father has never fallen in dept. Thankfully all that stops as his father is once again able to take custody of him!
Kirino:
Kirino’s sleep is arguably the most normal. He gets sleep ranging from 5 to 8 hours, depending on the day. He rarely ever gets nightmares and dreams. When he does it is usually centering him and another teammate, mostly his best friend Shindou, where they do normal day to day things, such as play soccer, go out, etc.
Kuruma:
Although Kuruma hates to admit it, he is usually scared. He’s scared of the possibilities that may come up in the future. When the revolution started, he was afraid that he would get soccer taken away from him, and his dream was based on it. When applying to Raimon, he dreamed about the many unfortunate ways he would get rejected, some including the principal coming to his house knocking down the door, explaining why Raimon, and no other school, would ever accept him! Thankfully, after winning the Holy Road, his dreams have lessened significantly, and he started looking at life in a more positive way.
Nishiki:
Something Nishiki will never mention, out of fear it will reach Midori, is that he spends his nights dreaming about food and the many amazing dishes he tasted in Italy. When he isn’t dreaming about food, he is snacking (more like having a feast) at night, watching Italian television and soccer shows.
Shindou caught the ball midair, kicking the ball towards the net. The ball went past their goalkeeper, Shinsuke, making it a goal.
Tenma ran from his place, engulfing his upper classmate in a hug from behind in celebration. “Good job captain!” he exclaimed with a wide smile on his face.
Shindou looked down at his underclassmen with a fond smile, “Thanks. You too! I wouldn’t have made the goal without your help!”
Tenma smiled up at the ex-captain, opening his mouth to say something before he was cut off.
“That’s enough training for today,” their coach, Endou exclaimed, calling them all in for a discussion.
The whole team walked in, wondering why their coach would call them in so early.
At this point it had been a whole month since the end of the tournament, and it is easy to say that a lot has changed since. Raimon kept getting thank you cards from other teams, who were also under Fifth Sector’s rule, thanking them for their bravery and for freeing soccer.
Raimon themselves have started to become a lot closer than before. They started hanging out more often, spending most lunches together, and having homework sessions.
In Tenma’s opinion, he couldn’t ask for more. To him, it seemed like a dream come true. Being able to play on his favorite team without the orders of anyone. It was a drastic change from how they started, with everyone being sad and broken. He couldn’t stand the looks in their eyes. The look of sadness, loneliness and hatred. The latter being aimed at him.
However, now he looks around and sees the complete opposite. Everyone seems so happy, being able to play soccer as much as they want.
Recently, they had midterms, so they minimized the practice to once a week, to give everyone time to study. Tenma has spent the last two weeks studying day and night, in order to get the highest grade possible. Now that they are done exams, he couldn’t be more thankful to be back on the field playing his favorite sport with his friends.