A3! updates regarding the blogs and the plans for ACT5 and the 10th anniversary (and beyond!)
Member blogs are updating less and image blogs are stopping entirely, BUT it's because liber is going all out for ACT5 & 10th anniv prep! they even hired a whole new team for future content! we have so much to look forward to im so excited!
Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better (Banri x Reader)
A/N: I've been writing this one for a long time and it ended up longer than I expected. Anyway, have fun with Banri
Word Count: 2.5k
Warnings: Mild suggestive content, Banri being a bitch, bets, clubbing, excessive alcohol (drink responsibly!!)
Ask Box: Closed
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Banri Settsu was a cocky, arrogant, overachieving bastard. You thought that attitude would go away the longer he was in Mankai. And it did. At least, for everybody else. For some idiotic reason, he still acted cocky whenever he was around you. And it was annoying as hell.
You glared at him, your arms crossed. "You’re a fucking liar."
"Am not," Banri stared down at you. "It’s easy."
It was a hot summer day. Way too hot to be getting into an idiotic spat like this. Banri has been harping on every single thing you’ve been doing and it’s been driving you insane. He was currently bragging to you that he could do "Jugemu" all in one breath. Not only was that impossible, it was stupid to even brag about. Of course, you took the bait.
"Then do it."
"Only if you do it first."
"Oh my god. Why?" You groaned, rubbing a hand over your face.
He smirked. "Because I know you can’t."
"Do you have to try and be better than me at everything?"
"Yes. And it’s not trying when I am."
You wanted to slap the smirk off his face. Instead, you took a deep breath. "Fine. If we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do this right. Ten rounds. This will be the first round. I’ll choose what we do in the next round."
That got his interest. He raised an eyebrow. "And…?"
"And the winner is officially better than the loser. After that, no more bragging." You held out your hand. "Deal?"
"Huh." He smirked and grabbed your hand. "Deal."
You motioned for Banri to start first. He took a deep breath and started the whole story, not just Jugemu’s name. You could see his face go red as he slowly ran out of air. He almost made it to the end. Your hands squeezed in anticipation as he tried to push to the end. He failed with only ten words left to the story.
"Damn it!" He panted.
"Hah!!" You cleared your throat and shook out your hands. "My turn!"
With a measured breath, you started. You focused on saying the words as quickly as possible, barely stumbling. Banri’s eyebrows furrowed as he mouthed the words with you. He was just waiting for you to mess up. As you were reciting the story, Itaru and Chikage walked into the room. They stared at you in confusion.
"What are you doing?" Itaru tilted his head.
Banri lifted his hand. "Quiet."
Chikage’s eyebrows furrowed. "Are you trying to summon a rakugoka or something?"
"It took so long to explain, the lump is already gone!" You shouted. You gasped and jumped up. "I did it!! That’s one point for me!"
"Son of a bitch!"
Itaru laughed. "Okay, I need to know what’s going on."
"Banri and I made a bet to see who’s better. This was the first round and I won!" You did a little victory dance as Banri cursed again.
Chikage shook his head. "You guys are going to blow this out of proportion."
"More entertainment for us."
"More chaos."
It was total chaos.. The second challenge was baking brownies without a recipe. Yours turned out a bit dry, but still edible. Banri’s filled the kitchen with smoke and everyone had to be evacuated. Omi banned both of you from the kitchen for two weeks. The third round, to your dismay, was solving a Rubik’s cube the fastest. All of the Autumn troupe watched you fail miserably on that one. Every Mankai member was now in on the bet. It was a divide on whether your bet was entertaining or annoying.
You had a feeling that the ninth battle would be today. You were going out with Banri, Kazunari, Sakyo, and Tenma to a local club. It was a busy night tonight. The club was packed as you tried to maneuver your way through the crowd. Tenma, Sakyo, and Banri went to get drinks. You and Kazunari decided to hit the dance floor. Kazunari always made sure you were comfortable whenever you went out, knowing that a busy club could be overwhelming.
"You alright?" Kazunari grabbed your wrist and pulled you close. He tried to speak over the heavy bass. "You seem kind of tired lately."
You shrugged and started to sway to the music. "I just think this whole bet thing with Banri is stupid."
"Aren’t you the one who started it?"
"Maybe," You giggled and shrugged. "He just goaded me into it."
"Well, forget about it tonight. Let’s dance and have fun!"
Kazunari wiggled his body, making you laugh. You pressed closer to him and started to dance, letting your body relax. It was so crowded that you were practically pressed against his chest. You didn’t realize how stressed you were with this bet. It was making you do stupid things that you normally wouldn’t do. And you hated that. You just wanted to forget it all tonight.
"Hey."
Banri’s breath hit your ear, sending a shiver down your spine. You felt him grab your elbow and tug you backwards. You grunted and turned around, your eyebrows furrowing. He had a smirk on his face. Oh, great. You knew where this was going to lead.
"Are you about to challenge me to a dance battle?"
"What?" He laughed and shook his head. "Of course not."
"I would watch that!" Kazunari said, coming up behind you.
Banri rolled his eyes. "Drinking contest. Duh."
"Mmmh… I’m not too great with drinks."
"So you're forfeiting your point?"
Kazunari said your name, resting his chin on your shoulder. "Don’t listen to him. Continue the bet tomorrow."
"Stay out of this, Kazunari."
"Hey, don’t be rude to him."
"Will you do it or not?"
You let out a sigh and reluctantly nodded. Banri grabbed your wrist and guided you over to the bar. Tenma was nursing a fruity cocktail. Sakyo had just finished drinking his usual whisky. Once Kazunari spotted him, his eyes lit up. He dragged Sakyo to the edge of the dance floor. It was close enough to watch whatever inevitable train wreck this would lead to.
"Six tequila shots, please." Banri’s eyes met yours as you sat down. "Three for me, three for them."
"Tequila? Really?"
He shrugged. "Go big or go home."
"Fine."
You and Banri stared each other down as the bartender laid out rows of shots on the counter. Your leg bounced anxiously. Banri gave you a confident smirk. The score was tied. Whoever got this point would be in the lead up to the last battle. The one that would decide who was better than the other. And you were completely confident it would be you. After the bartender poured the last shot, you looked up at her.
"Keep them coming, okay? That guy over there will pay." You pointed towards Sakyo, who was sighing in disappointment as Kazunari attempted to dance in front of him.
The bartender shrugged. "Fine by me."
"Ready?" Banri asked, rolling his shoulders back.
"Ready."
"And… drink!"
You grabbed the first shot and threw it back. Your eyes watered as the hard liquor burned down your throat. You shouldn't have agreed to do tequila shots. Something lighter would have been fine. You blinked back the tears and looked at Banri. He slammed his second shot down onto the counter. With a deep breath, you started to drink each shot as rapidly as you could. After four shots, you felt your face heating up and your body starting to buzz.
"This shit is gross." You grimaced, reaching for another shot.
"It was the cheapest brand. Don't want Sakyo to kill us." He drank another glass and groaned. "Damn!"
You drank another as well. "It tastes like gasoline!"
"You wanna forfeit?"
"Never."
The bartender had started pouring more shots into the empty glasses. You were starting to lose count of how many you had. Banri swayed in front of you, his body splitting in two. Two? You squinted. Why were there double Banris? You reached forward towards one of the glasses. Your body fell forward faster than you could catch it. Banri reached out to catch you, but he fell forward as well, making you two hit heads. You let out a hiss of pain before laughing.
"Hah, you suck!"
Banri's face was red, his eyebrows furrowed. "You suck! Loser!"
Drinking however many shots the both of you had was not good. Talking in slurred words, stumbling around, unable to see clearly… the two of you had gotten drunk in what was probably record time. Too clouded by the copious amounts of tequila now in your system, you reached for yet another shot. Banri tried to do the same, but he just knocked over some glasses. He managed to grab one and held it up to yours. You clinked your glasses together.
"Cheers!"
Before you could drink, the shot was snatched out of your hands. The same happened to Banri. You looked up and saw Omi and Sakyo. Sakyo looked pissed. Omi had a disapproving frown. Wait… Omi? When did he get here? You tried to grab your drink back, but Sakyo handed it back to the bartender.
"No more drinks. You two are wasted."
"Uh oh!!" You looked at Banri. "Mom and Dad are angry."
Banri giggled. You joined in, unable to control yourself. Omi sighed. "Seriously? This competition has gone out of hand. No more. We're going home."
"Sakyo has to pay first!"
"Are you-" Sakyo's voice raised before rubbing his temples. "Omi, get them home. We'll have a talk when you two are sober."
"I am very sober, thank you very much."
Banri stood up and tried to walk to the exit. He took three steps before tripping over nothing and falling to the ground. Your giggles turned into full laughter. Banri started cussing out the floor. Omi picked him up by the collar. He dragged the two of you out of the club. Your steps were uneven. Your head was completely empty as you stopped laughing. You couldn't remember what you were laughing about in the first place.
"All these stupid games… When will you two quit?"
You pouted. "It's fun! I don't wanna stop!"
"You'll have to. When we get home, both of you are going straight to bed. Understood?"
"Yes, Mom." Banri hissed.
Omi raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"Yes, Omi."
He dragged you two home like a pair of naughty children. Omi practically threw you in your room before walking off with Banri, who was muttering curses. Your stomach churned and you realized that you had way too big of a dinner. The tequila and food were battling in your stomach. Instead of getting on your bed, you laid down on the cold floor. Your breathing slowed as exhaustion took over you. As you fell asleep, you cursed Banri for convincing you to do this.
The next morning, you cursed Banri even more. Your head felt like it had been crushed by a hydraulic press. Your back ached from sleeping on the floor. You stood up slowly. Even the quiet knock at the door was enough to make you cringe in pain. You hobbled over to the door and opened it.
"You suck." The words came out of your mouth immediately as you saw Banri holding a glass of water in one hand, a bottle of pills in the other.
"Good morning to you too, sunshine." He looked about just as bad as you felt.
"Fuck you."
You opened the door wider. Banri stepped inside and closed the door behind him with his foot. You took the water and chugged down as much as you could. He opened the bottle, shook out two pills, and handed them to you. The tension in the room almost made you choke as you struggled to get the pills down.
"So, about last night…" He tried to smile. "I won, right?"
You shot him a glare. "Seriously? We both got blackout drunk and you’re trying to decide who won?"
"Just messin’ around."
"Well, stop!" You huffed and groaned, your own loud voice making your head pound. "God, I’m so pissed off right now."
"Don’t blame me."
"Of course I blame you!"
Banri scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You agreed. You have fault in this too."
"I know! And that pisses me off! Why do you always rile me up? Is it fun for you? Because it sure as hell isn’t fun for me."
"Liar."
"Excuse me?"
"It is fun for you!" He stepped closer to you. You stepped back. "You were the one who started the bet. You were the one who so eagerly went head first into every challenge. You could’ve said no or brushed me off. But you didn’t."
"Shut up."
"You know why? Because you love it when I challenge you! You love it when I rile you up, or when we get into fights! You just love proving that you’re better than me!"
"Banri, shut up." Your knees hit the back of your bed. He walked even closer to you.
"Not until you admit the truth!"
"Oh, fuck you!"
"You wish you could!"
You’ve had enough. He was always running that stupid smart mouth of his. The worst part was that you did enjoy it. Not only did you enjoy the challenge, but you enjoyed having his attention on you. You were just too stubborn to acknowledge it. You slammed the glass down on your bedside table and grabbed his shirt, tugging him against you. The pill bottle clattered to the ground as you crashed your lips against his. You ignored the painful sting, tilting your head to deepen the kiss.
Banri didn’t react for a moment. You could feel him grunt, as if fighting with himself. You were about to pull back when his arm wrapped around your waist. He used his other hand to lift your chin. A shiver ran down your spine. Was this the solution all along? A frustration-fueled makeout session? No, you were still pissed. But this definitely helped. At least a little bit.
You pulled away. "You make my head hurt."
"You sure it isn’t the hangover?" He moved his hand up to your cheek.
"Maybe that too." You paused and looked up at him. "Why did you always rile me up?"
"Because it was fun."
"Banri."
He cursed and shook his head. "I don’t know. Probably for the same shit I was just yellin' at you about."
"Oh," You slowly let go of his shirt. "We're both stubborn idiots."
Banri hummed, leaning down to kiss you again. "I'm sorry. I'll try not to do it again. I… I do really like you."
You accepted his kiss and apology. You knew how hard it was for him to be honest and vulnerable like this. It felt better than him brushing it off and continuing to be an ass. You weren't completely innocent either. You riled him up just as much. His arms wrapped around your waist and he brought you in for a hug. He buried his face in your neck.
You closed your eyes. "Does this mean I won the bet?"
I guess this is my 9th anni art lmao, Banri and Juza's Cinderella play was too silly to not do anything of it
I love bullying Banri, it's pretty easy to see who I favour here huh
Happy 9 years of A3! It's been a good 5 years since I fell in love with it, and I'm still here drawing fanart and playing without missing a single event since I started, so the obsession is still going strong, and will likely continue for years to come
