#yantober

She had eyes and ears everywhere. He could barely speak a word of complaint before feeling the golden threads wring around his neck. Surely, she had some sense to let people speak freely, no?

"Absurd," he breathed with a grimace, disdain written across his face as he surveyed the view from above.

Suddenly, that sensation returned. A tight and delicate pain around his neck. Before another comment was made, he felt a gentle touch from behind, a cold shiver running through his body as he peered over to see Aglaea with a distant smile.

"What?" he sneered. "Can't deal with the thought of being criticized?"

Aglaea did not entertain him with a response; instead, her threads tightened. More gathered around him, soon tying his legs and arms together much to his dissatisfaction.

"Content with holding your guest as a hostage?"

"Yes. But I'm aware this guest enjoys this."

He was quick to shut up after she said this.

Sometimes, Fuse couldn't help but feel jealousy whenever his Houndy was in another team. He'd watch from the jump ship, seeing them talk with others that wasn't him. Of course, Bloodhound could do anything they want! There was no way he'd ever stop them. But, the pounding jealousy in his heart was something he couldn't deny. Currently, Bloodhound was in a team with Loba and Ash. Loba and Bloodhound had a friendship that Fuse was more than aware of. While it was nothing in hindsight, his heart couldn't take the sight of it.

"Hey man," Mirage perked up, gently punching Fuse's mechanical arm. "Are you ready?"

"Hell yeah!" Fuse replied, hyping himself up as his gaze pulled away from his lover. "How 'bout you?"

Rampart laughed, shrugging on Sheila to her back. "Yeah mates! All ready to go!"

And off they went.

Final ring. Of course, Bloodhound's team was among the three teams left alive. It was obvious, Bloodhound's incredible tracking kept them far from any aggressive fights but right into those they can pick out, It was no surprise to Fuse that they'd get this far. If anything, he'd be proud had it not been for Loba's tendency to stick around them.

It was obvious from his grimace, enough so that Mirage forcefully jabbed him to get his attention. "Hey man, I know you and—uh, Bloodhound—Have something going, but can you keep your head in the game?" he laughed nervously, eyeing the fight going on in front of them. "I'd like to win, y'know?"

Fuse forced a laugh through his throat, adjusting his mechanical arm. "Yeah, right mate. Sorry 'bout that." He peeked from behind the building, raising his arm up before launching an arc star directly underneath the team fighting.

That explosive boom was enough to have Bloodhound's team start pushing. The third team were clearly weak and had no space to flee. Their team had to capitalize on this too. They rushed in, guns blazing as stray bullets shot all over the place.

Amidst the fire, Fuse spotted Loba down on the ground, her shield deployed to keep her safe from these strays. Something overcame his mind as he rushed over and extended a hand out to Loba.

"Haha, why thank you, beautiful—" she said, taking his hand.

"Awh, don't thank me yet."

Immediately, Fuse bashed his head against hers, light blood splatters across his face as she dropped to the ground. He grinned, feeling a little bloodthirsty from that kill. Only to immediately feel a barrage of bullets down his back. He forcefully spun around, equipping his volt SMG to gun down the person in return.

However, he sustained too much damage first and was downed. Just when all hope seemed lost, Rampart came blaring though with Sheila, that typical laughter echoing the vast valley. Mirage slid over, his hand reaching for Fuse's as his cloak was deployed over them both.

"Love you man but you gotta stop trying to finish them here!" he attempted to joke, his voice overshadowed by the rain of bullets.

"Heh, sorry," replied Fuse. But, by his tone and cheeky grin, he really wasn't sorry.

With their team coming in second, they briefly celebrated before Fuse bee lined over to his Houndy. Bloodhound was sat on the bench, clearly exhausted from the long match. When his shadow lingered over him, a muffled laugh escaped their lips.

"Don't think I didn't notice you in battle, Walter."

Hearing their voice speak his name sent shivers down his spine. Even when caught, he brought out his biggest, toothiest grin, and enveloped them in a hug. "Oh, Houndy! Couldn't help myself mate. You're a mighty fine sight on the battlefield!"

Bloodhound rolled their eyes, carefully leading him to solitude. Carefully, the removed their mask, breathing lightly staggered as their hand traveled up his face. "You are but a fool, mitt love."

Fuse laughed, feeling his gloved hand wipe away the light blood that splattered all over his face. "I'm your fool."

"I know."

He leaned in first, lips gently against their scarred lips. Even then, they felt unbelievably warm, a warmth Fuse never imagined feeling so late into his life. God, he loved this bugger. He'd kill for them all over again. Though, he ought to apologize to Loba for that nasty bruise on her head.

He had been eyeing her for years. Keeping a watchful eye on her.

She kept a close eye the second he stepped foot onto her nation.

Never had they thought the other did the same thing.

Now, faced in battle against one another, bruises battered all over their body, Mavuika grinned. She longed to see him in such a state of dismay; armor tattered and helmet nearly destroyed.

On the other hand, Capitano breathed in the surrounding. He fought the excitement surging in his veins, one that came from the exhilirating battle. Now that her attention was solely on him, he couldn't help but feel a moment of glee.

Trading blows, their obsessive gaze never left one another. Even when their companions or subordinates cheered them on, they never kept their eye off the other.

When their battle ended in a stalemate, they were forced to quiet corner, their passion in battle turned to lust. Mavuika's hands trailed his chest, her heavy breathing evident.

"Why?" she pondered out loud, her longing gaze surveying his wounds while her hands trailed behind. "Why are you here?"

"You know why." His response blunt and sharp, he spared her no details as his hands lingered down the curves of her body. He tilted his mask upwards, revealing his damaged face before sinking his teeth into her neck.

A light moan left her lips, her hands still trailing the bruises all over his body.

Art exhibits are everything for Amari. The most important artworks were all featured there and no where else. The way she spoke about art… It just made his eyes twinkle with awe. She spoke so delicately, detailing every knowledge she had about the works like they were just in the back of her hand. Her knowledge was extensive, a true show of her passion as an artist. There was not a single bone in his body that could deny that. He longed to have her talk about him the way she talked about art. After all, if she held such a deep passion for it, why couldn't the same apply to him?

He had all the money in the world, he could have everything he wanted—but he couldn't win her heart, not like this. No, he had to go further beyond. If he truly wanted to show his deep infatuation with her, he had to go all out.

He paid egregious amounts for each painting. All of whom were created by the same artist she was inspired by. Each time she heard of the paintings being mysteriously sold, she frowned. The pain reflecting in her eyes like a knife was driven through her chest. He couldn't stand it, he wanted to reveal every bit of his plan whenever he saw that pained look in her eyes.

But he couldn't—no, that would spoil the surprise. That would ruin the look of sheer joy on her face.

So, he continued down this path, monopolizing every artwork created under this artist's name. His tyrannical pursuit left him ostracized from everyone else, but he didn't care. The pure exhilaration of imagining her fall for him all over again was enough to keep him going

By the end, he had everything prepared. He planned this unique solo exhibition all for her, disguised as a simple date gone astray. Everything went according to plan, she was far too oblivious to recognize his plan. At every alternation of their plan, she merely beamed and continued to cheer him on, believing he was to one upset. Her blind optimism and kindness made his heart throb, such innocence he longed to take for himself.

By the time they reached to the exhibit, he revealed everything. The adrenaline coursed through his veins for a moment… Before she spoke up.

"It was you who bought the paintings?" asked Amari, her voice obviously entwined with dismay upon the reveal.

He felt confused. Where was that excited glimmer he sought for? That bouncy reaction she always gave.

"Yes?" he replied, his tone weary.

She frowned. The opposite of his intention. "You… I admire what you did but… You took away everybody else's chance to look at his works..!"

He had practically tuned out every word that fell out of her mouth afterwards. His anger insurmountable as his mind grappled with the fact that she was ungrateful more than anything. He worked so hard to give her this! Let her bask in the glory of her favorite artist! Let her worship him for giving her this opportunity!

But instead, she was sulking?! Sulking for others? Still, even after everything he had done, she thought of others instead of him.

One step after another, he approach her with anger he had never felt before. She continued to talk till he grabbed her by the wrist and spun her around. She immediately fell silent, her face twisting from sadness to complete fear.

Since she was being so ungrateful, he thought it'd be best to teach her how he ought to be loved.

It was hard to get you to drink. You never really liked drinking in the first place. At any given moment, you'd rather drink some water or soda. Iwafune always called you a drag for that, says its your inability to have fun. However, this guy drinks on the daily, shamelessly too. You couldn't believe it sometimes, yet no one else bats an eye. It seems like that was just the norm.

"Hey, you didn't drink anything today, did you?" Iwafune noted, walking over to your side with a glass of water. His sleazy smirk made you wary of the drink he just offered, which he promptly caught and quickly defended. "Just water! Promise!"

Your brows furrowed, pushing away that feeling of caution as you took the drink from him. The uncertainty still lingered but at the end of the day? You were at a safe location. This bunker could be found by no one. So, there felt like no reason to be wary about anything suspicious or odd.

At least, you thought.

In mere minutes of that drink, you felt unbelievably drowsy. Your eyes were fighting to stay awake, reality slipping as you fell limp over the counter. It was like a thousand pound weight just fell on top of your body. You couldn't move or react, anything at all. Iwafune lingered on top of you, that sleazy smirk of his growing to a sadistic twist. Your heart sank as you realized what he had done.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," he hummed, gently lifting you up in his arms. "Just making sure you never leave my side for the next few days~."

She hated how close he was with others. The fact that he'd tease other women, oogle at their beauty, and play them like a fiddle. She always knew it from the start; that playboy smile of his was trouble, trouble that she found herself intwined with.

Even as a princess, his cunning and playful nature always caught the best of her. Well, it was difficult not to play into his games. He knew her pride was the greatest downfall, so he'd always poke the right buttons to get her to falter. And he loved doing it over and over again.

It just infuriated her that she wasn't his sole attention. Seeing him deploy the same tactics with other women tore her heart to pieces. Whenever he came back, she gave him the cold shoulder. Truthfully, there was no good reason to excuse her jealousy. They were never exclusive; but that push and pull kept her lingering for more. She couldn't help it. She was in love with him.

That's why she deployed a plan, to catch him off guard and monopolize on it.

Just so he could be all hers.

The mail service had been around for centuries. It was the calls and texts before the phone. The email before computers. The fax before the fax machine. The morse code before Morse codes. Still used today worldwide by millions upon millions of people as a popular way to communicate. 

You never thought that you'd be scared of it. 

You had just arrived at Kimetsu Academy. Just moved to the city actually. Ready to start a new life and get a new job. You heard that Kimetsu Academy was looking for a new secretary so you called and got an interview scheduled. The interview with both principals went over great! You were nearly hired on the spot and was introduced to the Chairman of the Academy who was a very nice man. The job was like a dream come true. Good pay, good neighborhood, your coworkers were all really nice people, most of the kids were pleasant- 

It only started going downhill once you started receiving the letters. The first one you had gotten was almost a year into working there. You were just starting to pack up after delivering some reports to Mrs. Otogawa when you saw it. Laying down on your keyboard in the office. A folded piece of paper just sitting there. Curious, you picked it up and opened it-

'My precious love,

                                    You're laughing is like wind chimes in the breeze. From the moment I saw you, I knew what true love was truly. Every time I see you my heart skips a beat, I get choked up when you speak to me, and the earth blooms flowers in your honor as you go by. I can't wait to express my true feelings for you when the time is right. Until then do not dare give your heart to another. 

                                                                                                                                                    -SIncerely Yours'

You were confused by the strange letter, even asking Nakime or Amane if they knew anything about the letter but they were as confused as you were. At the time you thought it was sweet but didn't think much about it assuming it was a student pulling a prank. Tossing the letter in the trash can and moving on. The next one was only a few days later. Again a small paper was on the keyboard and this one was more mushing declarations of love. It took was tossed in the trash and forgotten. But you were a little surprised when you kept getting them. The culprit always seeming to slip in when no one was around. 

It was starting to get creepy but nothing you couldn't handle...until it started to go too far. You went out to your car one day working late and found a note tucked under your windshield wiper. A parking ticket? No another letter.

'Dearest, 

                                     Why must you be so elusive my darling flame? I do my best to please you, praise you constantly yet you never seem to appreciate my dedication towards you but soon we'll be together and plan the rest of our lives together. Please do not fret, for I don't lose faith easily. Please don't toss away my letters anymore.

                                                                                                                                  -Your Soon To Be Beloved'

You freaked out immediately running back inside to a surprised Amane, however that surprise turned to shock and worry when you handed her the note. Her expression quickly turned serious as she escorted you to your car and watched you go to make sure you weren't followed. Paranoid you took the extra long way home still looking behind you and hiding it detours every two streets to make sure you weren't followed home. You didn't want to even return to work but Amane called to ask you to come back and talk to her husband and an officer she knows. 

The Chairman's presence was very comforting. He listened to what you had to say telling him about the first time you found the notes up to the incident with the note on your car. Unfortunately you threw the letters away except the one Amane kept so there wasn't really much evidence to go on. The officer wasn't any help either. 

"There's not really much to go on. This seems more like a workplace issue so I advise you to file a report to HR."

A lot of help he was. Fortunately Mr. and Mrs. Ubuyashiki took things like this VERY seriously. Launching an internal investigation to try and determine the culprit behind your love note leaving stalker. In the meantime a large staff meeting was held to go over the importance of proper workplace conduct and the seriousness of workplace harassment, more cameras were installed, and you were escorted to your car once work was over usually by Amane but some of the more burly male teachers had also started escorting you out. 

Sanemi or Mr. Haganezuka usually as they were the scariest teachers, but sometimes Uzui or Rengoku would walk you out as well. You much preferred the later twos' presence because they had very approachable personalities, especially Kyojuro. He was great at calming you down and remaining positive despite the fact that you were being stalked. 

Slowly it all began to drift away. You didn't get anymore love letters or notes but the paranoia was still there. What if whomever was stalking you came back?! What if they were biding their time waiting?! Gods you didn't want to end up on the news as one of those missing people with a crazy stalker kidnaper!!

"MISS L/N!!"

You squealed jumping from your seat to face the culprit, only to relax once you saw familiar red eyes. "O-Oh. It's just you, Mr. Kyojuro."

Said red head chuckled from where he stood. "Please. Mr. Rengoku is my father. Call me Kyojuro!"

"O-Ok. K-Kyojuro." His smile beamed wider at you as you scrambled to pick up things. "D-Do you need anything?"

"I actually just got done grading papers and was wondering if you'd like me to walk you to your car." He gestured behind him. 

"Oh..Y-You don't have to do that, Mr- Kyojuro. Everyone else h-has stopped since...Since well nothing has happened for a really long time."

"I INSIST!!," He boomed out, "My coworker's comfort and safety are a priority!! If you don't feel comfortable going out there by yourself get, then I'll keep escorting you until you do!!"

"Aw. Thank you, Kyojuro. I don't know what I'd do without kind people like you."

Oh yes. Without him. Without him she'd be helpless. Red eyes watched as you went back to finishing up your work like a cat watching an injured bird. 

"I just have to finish typing this report up."

"Please take your time."

Take your time so he could watch her for longer, BE with her for longer. Her being helpless to depend on him wasn't his intentions at all...but he'd make it up to her by making her feel safe. He knew from the very moment he saw you what love was. That first time you both touched hen shaking hands sent electricity shocking through his body and igniting his passion. However he didn't exactly know how to convey it to you.

After all while he had situationships before he's never exactly wanted to be with someone this badly before. If he approached you at work you'd just turn him down claiming to keep a professional relationship. If he did it outside of work, you still might turn him down for the same reasons. No. No he had to WOO you. Make you fall for him and then he'd work his way in and you both could start your lives together. But how to do it?

Then it hit him. Love letters!

He couldn't get himself to say anything but he could definitely write it all on paper and leave them where you'd find them. It worked...Kinda...And..not the way he wanted. She noticed them alright, and read them but he never once heard her talk about them positively except for talking about how weird they were-

"Hey, Kanae. Do you know if any of your students have started their senior pranks yet?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Well lately I've been finding these really weird love notes on my desk. It's really weird and I thought some of the boys were playing a prank on me."

"Hm. That does sound weird. I'll ask the school resource officer to keep an eye out for any pranks."

Hmm. In hindsight he probably should've stopped there, but he was blinded by love and he didn't like his hard work going unappreciated. But what followed from his last note was pure chaos. Emergency staff meetings, cameras, a second hired resource officer, and his beloved how paranoid and putting everyone else on alert. 

... Perhaps he went to far with his wooing.

But it's ok. He'd be more patient. He'd bide his time and make her feel more safe until she was back to normal. And then he'd ask her out face to face.