smash_logs | merry merry christmas, and I want you to know

Entry tags:

merry merry christmas, and I want you to know

Who: YOU
What: KISSLETOES
When: December 14th - January 1st
Where: Everywhere
Warnings: Sloppy makeouts.

SUDDENLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING...

title or description

The entire school has become covered in mistletoe overnight. It grows out of the walls! The ceilings! Everywhere you least expect it? HOW CAN THIS BE??

It's probably best not to think about it. Attempts to uproot the plants or burn them away only makes the plants grow back faster. For the time being, it seems the school must live with it.

[OOC INSTRUCTIONS:
+ Post dudes, get kisses!
+ Some (NOT ALL) plants are cursed. If you manage to step under a cursed plant, you will exchange a memory when or if you exchange a kiss. The memories will be first-person and very vivid, and characters will feel like they are experiencing the memory in real time, though in reality the transfer is instantaneous. Memories can be as short, long, happy, sad, or traumatic as you like.
+ If you'd like to participate, we highly suggest making a list of a few memories (with accompanying links/descriptions) that are up for grabs, and linking or posting the list in your top-level comment. Memory exchange is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL. When in doubt, OOC communication!
+ PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TAG YOUR CHARACTERS
+ That's it, we love you.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And in the case of Vivian, Kiyotaka didn't feel shy about the thought of kissing her in the least. In a completely platonic big brotherly gesture, you weirdo. Well, okay, it was a little embarrassing, and he certainly wasn't the type to go out of his way to express physical affection, but in a case like this where it was unavoidable? He'd prefer her over most others.

Except for, you know, the whole memory thing going on. He'd traumatized a couple of people with some choice memories already. The last thing he wanted was to upset Vivian with the darker parts of his past. She'd been upset enough when he tried to explain the Hope's Peak murder game to her a year ago.

Maybe the mistletoe would be merciful this time around.

"Vivi! I'm glad to see you! I'm stuck, so it would be very appreciated if you helped to free me! However... do you know what's happening with the mistletoe this year?"

"Of course - " she said, stumbling to a verbal halt when she realized he had more to say. "Ah... It's being a little mean again?" Same shit, different year to her. Legs locked as she got closer, she didn't even think about it because of who was in front of her.

"'Mean' is one way to put it. This year's process is certainly cruel and uncalled for." Like just about anything else about high school. And in front of him, a poor creature who knew no better life. That was heartbreaking, now that he thought about it.

"When people kiss this year, it seems they get to see their partner's memories. So... I have to warn you, you might see something that isn't very nice at all. And I could see anything that's happened to you! Are you alright with that possibility?"

A pause actually came across her now. His memories...? She never thought Taka would really hide things from her until she finds out he has been, but the thought only occurs when it comes into question, as if she forgot every single time. In a sense, she always did. She was pretty forgiving.

Cautiously, she took Taka's hand into hers, eyes down at the floor for a moment.

But, you know... any chance she can get to be closer to him was important to her. If they both knew what would happen, that must mean she wasn't doing something wrong by seeing it, right?

"It's fine," she replied, now looking up with a warm smile, one that heated her cheeks mildly.

It's fine. Would she ever say if it wasn't? The girl was too forgiving because she really didn't know any better, did she. But that was one of the things that made her Vivian. And Vivian was someone Kiyotaka adored and would do all that he could to make sure she was just fine.

"Then here it goes!"

His free hand reached up to brush some hair out of her face so he could press his lips to her forehead, hoping she'd witness something that was happy, or at least entirely mundane.

He knew it was only a matter of time before that lowlife caused some kind of trouble. What Kiyotaka was not expecting was that two weeks into a surprisingly calm school year, the trouble would come seeking him out instead.

"Come on out, Oowadaaaa!"

"You think you can hide up in a school, you pussy? Guess a gang leader ain't so tough without his fuckin' gang!"

There are five of them down by the gates, and their taunts echo across the courtyard, though most are distorted, sounding like they're being shouted down a long tube. It doesn't matter what the words are, because the message is the same: just a bunch of rowdy punks trying to prove something by ganging up on a single person. And their target? Nowhere in sight. Most of the students who were outside already rushed into the safety of the school building, buzzing excitedly in the halls about wanting a teacher to do something or wanting to see a fight.

Kiyotaka's the only one headed out with nothing but a shinai, despite Fujisaki's pleas to stay inside. She's a sweet but timid girl, the exact kind of person who'd be bound to end up a victim to this kind of lawless nonsense, because truly weak scum like this target those weaker than them. It's time to nip this in the bud before that happens. Once outside, he stops a safe distance away from the ruffians and slams the tip of the blade down against the concrete.

"You are not students of Hope's Peak Academy," he points out - he doesn't need to know the faces of all his schoolmates yet to be able to see that. He wonders what school they are skipping out on, but it's not important right now. "Therefore, you are trespassing! You have three seconds to leave, before I escort you off the premises myself!"

They're not afraid of the big bad Hell Monitor, they jeer, and Kiyotaka knows that it's going to come down to blows. Still, he begins the countdown, because violence will never be his first response. He's nothing like them.

"Three!"

They defiantly get closer, lips curled. Kiyotaka does not move except to thump the shinai again, to remind them he is armed.

"Two!"

He doesn't have the chance to reach one. A̕ ̢fi͟s͠t̨ ͜fliès. T͟he͏re's p͞a͘i̴n. A̝͖̫̠̣̜̕n͉̜̙̜̰͉͔d̵͔̮ ̢̼̜̙̦̙̦w͏̮ͅh̛i҉̲t̴̮ę̥͇ń̖̪̳̞̘̦o̢̟̩̗͖i͞s̠e̫͕͇̝̦.̲̰͓̙͚ ̟̹̦

When the memory cuts into focus again, two of the delinquents disappear around the gates. Three are lying on the ground, beaten and bloody, and Kiyotaka is flat on his ass next to one. Only one man is left standing, and that's Oowada. Typical. This is exactly what he wanted to avoid.

Oowada's voice is fuzzy, perhaps matching the forgotten dream-like quality of the memory, or perhaps just because Kiyotaka's ears are ringing. He can hear something like how he could get himself killed doing shit like that, and a hand reaches out in offering. He doesn't need help from someone like him. It's an embarrassment enough that he apparently needed to be rescued -- he knew he'd lose, but the point was putting up a good fight. He shoos Oowada's hand away, remarking dryly about how he's sure it wouldn't be the first time someone died because of his poor lifestyle choices.

The hand swings closer, grabbing him by the collar and jerking him off the ground. The punk's temper is a minefield over absolutely nothing, but Kiyotaka looks him straight in the eye, refusing to be intimidated. To think, he was extending a helping hand just seconds ago, and now he's pulling a fist back to knock him back down.

Kiyotaka has one last thought before the hit lands. He hates this boy. Nothing is ever going to change that.

A memory from before she could truly remember. It lingered as floating data in her very human brain, and though much had been twisted and broken it was there somewhere.

She was in a coma, or at least completely impaired. In and out of sleep from a terrible beating given to her for no real reason other than she protected her friends. At least that's what she believed. The fact it sparked a war? Beyond her. Probably a memory best left forgotten. All that mattered was Kiyotaka and Rick had survived, but this was the consequence of her actions.

The visions were foggy and brief, but mostly it was sounds. Darkness and voices, crying and yelling. Vivian heard Ishimaru begging her to say something, but her mind only cried out what couldn't be heard by human ears. She remained stationary and silent, dead but alive.

And then she finally opened her eyes and saw Eggman. There to praise her, give her freedom, and remind her that no one else was going to help her. It hurt. The weight of a dying heart was burdened by an aching will to believe she hadn't been completely abandoned. No, she trusted Kiyotaka. She swore she did. He was her partner. She... it wasn't words anymore. The memory was nothing but emotional pulls and choke holds. Would Kiyotaka recognize what she was feeling for him?

That unadulterated urgency to defend and protect? To give everything up in sacrifice?

Perhaps...

'Save me... Please help me.'

And the Doctor did.

Edited 2015-01-06 16:19 (UTC)

There was a distinctively nightmarish quality to the scene that played through Kiyotaka's mind. Being paralyzed and unable to see his - Vivian's - surroundings was a discomfort in itself, but to hear his own cries beyond the darkness sent chills down his spine. Just answer me, damn it! This was something he remembered and Vivian was not meant to.

Then she had been listening back then after all.

Another memory nagged at him, one that was neither his nor his partner's. Zero's memory involved Eggman looming above too, but this time there was none of the menace or sheer violation that accompanied the reploid's memory. That should have been a comfort. Somehow, it still wasn't.

For a few seconds he was silent, his hand resting atop Vivian's head, chest heavy with residual heartache. Her pain was his, and he'd never been able to do anything to soothe it.

"That... was..."

Vivian's eyes were focused on Taka's face as she tried to understand what she saw. He heart seemed still as she saw into her partner's mind, part excitement, most confusion, but the pain felt incredibly real for a moment. His anger inside her that moment was something she almost thought she felt for ages. Hell, she even looked upset for a few moments before the images faded away.

"Taka..." She stepped closer to him, curling her fingers into his sleeves.

Telling her what he saw wouldn't do any good. He was pretty sure she wasn't even supposed to remember it on a conscious level. It had been just before everything was wiped from it, after all. But... Was it fair to think that way when he was so desperately trying to piece together parts of his own past?

Perhaps it was just that selfishly, he just didn't want to be reminded of how useless he'd been for her from the very start.

"I'm here." He cleared his throat with a small, quiet grunt. "Whatever you just witnessed, it isn't happening anymore! But do you see what I mean? This is what you can expect from the mistletoe this year."

"Yes..." Her fingers trickled down to his palm, pressing into it weakly to hold, or perhaps to be held.

"It's okay," she added. "I would... do it again."

He all too readily took a step back so he had room to bring his other hand over and gently squeezed hers, so deceptively small, between both of his. What she felt for him in that memory mirrored his constant feelings for her: sad, bittersweet love and dedication. He wondered if anything had changed on her end.

"That's the right attitude," he decided, and he took a breath. Right. He needed conviction behind his words. "There's no sense in being afraid of the past, after all! What's done is done, so let's focus on the future!"

No matter what, he wouldn't stop looking for a way to better hers.

"Thank you for freeing me. We may even have to do this again before the plants die."

"Mm," Vivian agreed, nodding to punctuate the desire to know more. Talking wasn't easy; she knew that better than most people. But if they could learn about each other this way, than she'd kiss him a thousand times. Maybe even a thousand and one times, if he'd let her.

Gripping his hand carefully, balancing her need to hold him and her strength to never let go, Vivian said, "We'll be okay."

"Of course we will." He wasn't sure it was a promise. Her memory was enough to remind him that he wasn't very good at ensuring that she would in fact be okay.

"We should move on, but... I want to ask you a question, first." There was a lot he wanted to ask, really. But he lacked the words for any of it. Eventually he settled on, "do you resent me?"

With the way she let out a sharp gasp, you'd swear he suddenly yelled at her. However her automatic response was not so automatic today.

Grey eyes wandered along the outlines of his face, studying his mask to see if any hidden meanings might have been slipping out; words melting from a book she couldn't possibly read on her own.

Fingers were loosened from his hand, pushed away by feelings ballooning under her fingertips.

"I don't know," she began. "Taka... is it normal when you think of someone... you, uhm... don't like yourself?"

It was a feeling he could certainly relate to. When thinking about Mondo and everything he hadn't been able to do to stop his fate at Hope's Peak. His contributions to destroying their friendship at Smash. When thinking about Aoi and his shortcomings romantically.

When thinking about Vivian and all the pain he had caused her.

But was it normal? He was always just aware enough to know that he operated a little differently from normal people on an emotional level. At least, he was always positive that was the case.

He let her hand fall away from his, and he stepped back, staring at her with that harsh red gaze. This wasn't a road he wanted to go down, but here they were.

"What do you mean? Is there something about me that makes you not like yourself...?"

Ah, yes. Here they were, all because she had an innate desire to be pure and honest with him and literally no way to understand and control it consciously.

The reality of it was she knew that she upset him. She often made mistakes and though they discussed learning from them, she never got much better. Hajime was someone important to Taka and she always seemed to create a different mood the moment she entered their space. Vivian may not have the intellectual capacity to convert her emotions into words, but she felt them all the same. They were more present to her than the organs in her fleshy body she cherished so much. More often than not, they were a cancer occupying more space than her body allowed.

A welcomed disease, but suffering nevertheless.

Never in her life did she think she would have to lie to Taka, but in her head, it made sense as to why.

"Everything," a struggled voice revealed, a tone far different from any she had used before. Perhaps because this was the first time.. well, for a lot of things.

It was amazing how a single word could carry enough weight to crush everything beneath it. Kiyotaka was plenty aware of the fact that he'd caused Vivian plenty of grief, but to hear her admit it with such a startlingly unfamiliar tone brought a new wave of despair over him.

If he wanted so badly to ensure that she had a happy life, the best thing he could do for her was to stop being a part of it. In deciding that, suddenly he understood just what Mondo had been feeling when he denounced their friendship for similar reasons all those months ago. That severance caused Kiyotaka so much suffering, and this was bound to cause Vivian the same, but...

...it would probably be less than it would be otherwise.

"Then..." His own voice sounded so far away. Somehow he thought the words would be harder to say, but they came out automatically, as simply and hollowly as though he were reading from a script. "It's better that you don't think about me anymore. We should part ways. For good."

It would be difficult to avoid each other when they both lived on the same campus, but doable. If anything, it would give him an opportunity to keep an eye on her from a distance. He turned his back on her, because keeping an eye on her right now would hurt just a little too much.

It was a good thing he did, too, because she couldn't keep her eyes from breaking. They were leaking again, flooding her cheeks with unspoken words. She made a little noise of agreement since he couldn't see her, and she turned her back on him as well.

She understood that she made everything harder for him. She had been so selfish this whole time and it was the first time she realized she was a real problem. She tried so hard to be good to avoid facing that truth, but the reality?

She was dysfunctional. She didn't work. She was broken as a human and could no longer go back to being a machine.

So now she knew what she had to do. Someday when she was a better everything - not so fractured, not so damaged - then maybe she could come back to him as a proper friend - a proper person.

She carefully moved down the halls to avoid getting caught again. The least she could do was start trying more right away.

Not so much as a word of protest. He'd expected some kind of fight, but it made it a lot easier this way, didn't it?

(It should have hurt less, too. It didn't.)

He wondered just how long she'd been waiting for an opportunity like this, then. He half-turned to watch her go just in time to watch her disappear behind a corner before he continued on in the opposite direction.

He just hoped his attempts to teach her how to make it on her own sank in, at least a little bit.

Edited 2015-01-12 16:05 (UTC)

BUT THEN HE TURNED THE CORNER AND SLAMMED A FIST AGAINST THE WALL LIKE

FUCK I FUCKED UP

THIS IS CANON

~~She swings back and punches him in the fucking skull for damaging school property~~

Perhaps she wasn't looking close enough, because rounding a corner she walked right into a wall of blubber. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE--Vivian?" Eggman was about to start ranting, until he realized who it was. "I TOLD you to be more careful--"

He cut himself off again, only this time it was because he noticed something else. "...You're crying."

Tipping her head back to look up at him, she looked like she had been hit in the face with a water balloon. No, no, no, she didn't want the Doctor to know she was broken too.

Quickly moving her arm to cover her eyes, she forced a smile.

"I'm n-not malfunctioning, Doctor."

"Crying is not the same as malfunctioning," he told her, kneeling down and cupping her chin to look her over. "What happened? Did someone hurt you?"

Does papa need to choke a bitch.

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SPARKLES - I still don't know what to barf at him

Make it hurt, whatever it is.

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tldr incoming

BARFS BACK

my heart

Crushes it

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KICKS THE HEART

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PAPA TO THE RESCUE

PAPAAAAAAAAAAA

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