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The irony of making an ao3 account to post fence content while not making any at all is baffling to me *screams in agony*

*opens notes app because i will write fence content i will write fence content i will write fence content i will-*

i just finished fence challengers long shot #1 and discovered that i need to wait until 2025??? i started this comic back during the pandemic in hs and next year will be my graduation like…

Lost in a Familiar Place pt. 4

(Aka the 'Nicholas never applied to Kings Row' AU)

A/N: Also on AO3!

This AU has a tag, but since Tumblr hates indexing things properly, here are the previous chapters:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Harvard asked Coach Williams, as Nicholas and Seiji faced off against each other on the strip.

Coach shrugged, not seeming concerned. “Nicholas is more than willing to fence Seiji, and Seiji wants to fence Nicholas. They both know what they’re getting into. Don’t forget that Nicholas competed at Regionals – he could easily have come up against Seiji in the first round instead of Kyle Allen.” Coach Williams looked at him sidelong. “Besides, I think this will be good for him.”

“Nicholas, or Seiji?” Harvard asked her, and Coach’s lips quirked up.

“Yes.”

Technically, the rest of the team should have been continuing drills or sparring, but they’d all gathered around to watch Seiji go up against Nicholas, and Coach hadn’t said anything. A lot of the non-team members had also stopped what they were doing and were not-so-subtly lingering nearby. Tanner, last year’s team reserve, came up behind Harvard, shadowed as ever by his best friend, Kally.

“So who is this guy and why is he about to fence Seiji?” he asked Harvard with characteristic directness.

“It’s… kind of a long story,” Harvard admitted. Even he felt like things had spiralled a bit out of control since he’d invited Nicholas to spectate their practice. He’d wanted to offer something that made up for Nicholas coming all this way only to have his date cancelled, since none of that whole situation had been his fault.

He hadn’t counted on Nicholas somehow developing a weird psychological rivalry with their team’s most talented, but also most closed-off, fencer.

“Hey, Aiden,” Kally said to Aiden, who was standing nearby. “Nice to see you at practice.”

“Yeah, what gives? You don’t normally put in effort this early on in the season,” Tanner added with none of Kally’s tact.

Aiden looked over briefly and smirked, although it was a shadow of his usual self-assurance. “Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf.”

“Sure, right,” Tanner scoffed, and Kally nudged him.

Harvard studied Aiden’s profile. He felt uneasy about the fact that they still hadn’t talked properly since Harvard had ordered Aiden to cancel his date and come to practice. He’d been annoyed with Aiden – like he always was when Aiden blew off the team – but he never held onto anger. Throughout their friendship, the two of them had always found a way to talk things out.

Having any kind of conflict, no matter how small, sit unresolved between them felt wrong. And Aiden was acting off – it wasn’t like him to lose a match, even a friendly sparring match, against an opponent that he should have been able to beat easily.

He edged closer to Aiden and spoke to him in an undertone. “Hey-” But just then, Coach Lewis called, “Pret! Allez!” and the match between Seiji and Nicholas began.

It wasn’t an equal match. No match that Seiji had fought since arriving at Kings Row had been, even the match where Aiden had inexplicably managed to beat Seiji. Harvard knew about Aiden’s tendency to play mind games with his opponents, unerringly finding the remark that would shake their confidence and throw them off their game. He liked to say that it was “All part of the strategy of fencing”. Harvard didn’t think it was the kind of strategy that you should employ, but that was one of the many ways that he and Aiden differed.

After that surprising upset, Seiji had seemed to be thoroughly shaken, uncharacteristically conceding points in a couple of his matches against much less able fencers. But he was still, if not untouchable, then extremely close to it. Harvard had seen the tail end of Nicholas’ match against Aiden and had been surprised and impressed – Nicholas was extremely quick to spot openings, although his technique needed serious work. But against an elite fencer like Seiji, there was absolutely no contest.

So why had Seiji been so adamant about fencing him?

*

Fencing Aiden had been a challenge. But fencing Seiji Katayama was almost impossible.

It was like being run over by a truck – a truck that came at you with unbelievable speed and accuracy, unerringly exploiting every weak spot. (And leaving bruises in its wake. When Aiden talked about Seiji not holding back, Nicholas hadn’t realised just how literal that would be).

He did his best to shore up his defences and managed to fend Seiji off a couple of times, but it took all of his skill and reflexes, and the guy just kept coming. And there was no let-up. The points on Seiji’s side mounted: 4-0. 5-0.

Was Nicholas an idiot for thinking he could take Seiji on? The guy was the second best under-16s fencer in the country, for crying out loud. But Nicholas had seen the gaps in his defence from the outside – he just wasn’t getting the chance to take advantage of them. Before he’d had a chance to analyse the possible openings, Seiji was there – and again, and again. 6-0.

Nicholas felt certain he could get through. He just needed to-

The first break was called. Seiji Katayama eyed Nicholas over his water bottle. “I must have been wrong. There’s nothing remarkable about you.”

Nicholas bristled. “You’re acting like you’re untouchable, but didn’t you lose to Aiden at try-outs? He told me.”

Seiji’s jaw tightened. “It was an oversight. One I won’t repeat. I don’t think you need to worry about coming close, though.”

“I just beat Aiden,” Nicholas pointed out. “You saw me do it.”

“And I’m watching you lose to me now,” Seiji pointed out, and then promptly put his mask on before Nicholas could respond further.

Nicholas gritted his teeth and pulled his own mask back on. As they took up their positions again, he tried to will himself back into the headspace he’d found in the last third of his match against Aiden, where he’d acted at the speed of thought.

Seiji scored another point on him almost right away with his ridiculous flèche – but in the next moment Nicholas saw his chance. Seiji was open in fourth.

Willing his body to move faster, Nicholas went in for the hit – but Seiji, although off-balance, managed to parry just in time, and followed it up with a riposte. Damn. 8-0 to Seiji.

There were groans from the watching students, and despite his frustration, Nicholas grinned. “Looks like your guard can be broken through,” he commented.

“You still haven’t broken through it,” Seiji retorted – but his perfect composure had fractured just a little. Nicholas could imagine how someone like Aiden might be able to open a gap there and dig in ruthlessly, lever it wider.

He could feel the blood pounding in his ears. He went on the attack; Seiji parried him. Nicholas kept on, matching Seiji’s speed and aggression with everything he could muster. He could feel himself moving faster. Seiji parried again; attacked; Nicholas parried. And then- Seiji’s blade whipped forward, faster than he could block. 9-0. But Nicholas refused to be demoralised. He was so close, he was– There–

Nicholas moved before Seiji could react and the tip of his epée hit home. He’d scored.

Seiji’s eyes widened. So did Nicholas’.

“Point Cox,” the assistant coach said.

“Ha!” Nicholas exclaimed. “Now what do you say?”

Seiji snorted, dismissive. “I say it’s almost impossible to come back from an 8-point deficit.”

But something had changed in the way he looked at Nicholas. As they stood across from each other, readying for the final point, Nicholas finally felt like Seiji was seeing him. Seeing a real opponent.

He readied himself, determined to land a second point. Seiji lunged, but Nicholas moved back out of range; another lunge, Nicholas parried. He went on the attack – Seiji parried – but Nicholas had left himself open, and he felt the tip of Seiji's epée land.

“Point, Katayama. Match, Katayama,” the assistant coach announced.

Nicholas took off his mask, and Seiji did the same, regarding him levelly.

“Good match,” Nicholas offered, and Seiji nodded, once.

“Hey, newbie, nice job!” said a voice, and a hand came down on his shoulder. Nicholas turned to see Eugene grinning at him.

“Nicholas, that was so cool!” Bobby gushed, appearing at Eugene’s elbow. “That match was so intense! I could barely follow you both – you were like a blur!”

“All right, time to get back to practice,” Coach Williams directed them, but there was warmth in her tone. She nodded at Nicholas. “Take a five-minute breather, and then you can join some drills, if you’re up for it.”

“Of course-” Nicholas began, squaring his shoulders to show how much energy he had left – and then he winced as the movement aggravated the blows from the match. Okay, maybe that was why Coach Williams wanted him to take a break. “-but sure, I’ll do some stretches first.”

Coach Williams’ lips twitched in an almost-smile, and she nodded before going to instruct the other fencers.

Nicholas drank some water and stretched out, feeling the bruises pull tight and twinge. Seiji, of course, had gone right onto the drills as if it was nothing. Nicholas watched the team for a few minutes, noticing how Harvard helped to correct the other members, how polished Seiji’s form was.

Nicholas joined the group, and they made space for him easily. Harvard offered a friendly smile, and Eugene elbowed him in a companionable way. Even Aiden gave a nod.

Seiji didn’t react. But as Nicholas followed the drills, a prickling sensation nagged at the back of his neck, like he was being watched. Every time he looked over, though, Seiji was completely focused on the exercises.

After practice finished, Coach Williams beckoned Nicholas aside. “You fenced some good matches today, but your form needs serious work,” she told him, bluntly, and Nicholas winced. “Where do you train?”

Nicholas told her. He expected her to frown or look surprised, but she just nodded. “I’m not in the habit of giving out advice to non-students,” she said. “But you do have a lot of potential. You’re fast, you have good instincts, and you’re left-handed – that gives you an advantage, since most fencers train against right-handed opponents.

“You can win a lot of matches on those things alone, but you also make basic mistakes, your technique is poor, and you’ve picked up a lot of bad habits. If you want to compete on a higher level – to compete with someone like Seiji, or Harvard, that needs to change.”

Nicholas thought about Coach Joe’s instruction and all the time he’d already spent trying to get his technique right. He knew that he was still a beginner and made beginner’s mistakes. As hard as he worked, he had a ton of ground to make up before someone like Seiji would take him seriously.

But he wanted that badly. After today, he wanted it more than ever.

“Thanks for the advice,” Nicholas told her. “And thank you for letting me come to practice. I know I’m just some guy, and you gave me a shot because... Well, I’m not really sure why, actually.” He looked at Coach Williams, but she just quirked an eyebrow at him. “I’ve never had the chance to do anything like this before. I’ll train even harder and work on my technique.”

Coach Williams nodded. “Did you ever give serious thought to studying somewhere with a fencing programme?” she asked.

“I’m not really… My school track record isn’t great,” Nicholas admitted, although the excuse now sounded weak to his own ears. “I figured I would probably flunk out.”

“Hmmm.” Coach Williams studied him for a long moment, then shrugged. “Well, there it is. It was good to meet you, Nicholas.”

The rest of the fencers were still milling around, chatting, and Nicholas was considering asking someone friendly like Bobby or Harvard to show him the way out when a hand gripped his arm hard.

“Do you just go around grabbing people all the time?” Nicholas asked Seiji, who scowled.

“Come with me,” he said.

Bemused, Nicholas allowed himself to be towed out of the salle. They powered along a corridor, Seiji seeming to have a destination in mind. At the end was the door to what looked like a supply cupboard, and Seiji barged it open and pulled Nicholas inside.

“Uhhhh-” Nicholas began as the door fell shut behind them. Was this some kind of weird abduction? What could Seiji possibly want from him in here?

His question was answered when Seiji rounded on him. “Why do you fence like Jesse?”

Nicholas’ eyes narrowed. Seiji Katayama, a guy he barely knew, had decided to drag him into a supply cupboard and was now interrogating him over his fencing style? “Jesse who?” he asked, feigning ignorance.

Seiji glared. “You know who. Jesse Coste. The national fencing champion. The boy who-”

Nicholas didn’t want to hear anything more about his half-brother. “I have no idea what you mean,” he replied. “I don’t fence like anyone but me.”

“That’s clearly untrue,” Seiji countered. There was a barely-leashed furious energy in him, as if any second he might shove Nicholas up against the wall. He’d been angry when they argued before, but this was something else. “The way you attack, your speed, your movements – they’re all like his. What is it? Do you train together?”

Maybe Nicholas should have been flattered to be compared to the best fencer in the country of their age, but instead he felt a slow burn of aggravation. Jesse again. When Seiji had fenced him, Nicholas had thought that he’d seen him for who he was and acknowledged him as a worthy opponent.

But he’d only seen Jesse.

For the first time, Nicholas had thought he’d found something of his own, even just for a day – a group of fencers who’d accepted him in, matches that he fought on his own merit. Yet somehow, without even being here, Jesse was taking it from him – just like he’d taken everything else.

“I don’t know Jesse,” Nicholas insisted. “I learned on my own; I trained on my own; everything I can do, I got by myself. What’s your obsession with him, anyway? Just because he beat you at Nationals-”

Seiji laughed slightly manically. “You have no idea,” he said. This was true – Nicholas barely even knew what was going on. “Jesse and I have fought together, trained together, for almost our whole lives. I know him better than anyone. But now you show up out of nowhere – whatever your connection is with him, I’m going to find out. And then I’ll-”

The simmering anger inside Nicholas reached boiling point and he felt the overwhelming urge to hit something. Instead, he grabbed hold of Seiji’s collar. “Shut up about Jesse,” he said, low and dangerous. “He’s no-one to me. I’m the one you should be paying attention to.”

Seiji gave a sharp laugh, leaning away from him. “You? What makes you think you could ever be in the same league?”

“I’ll prove it to you,” Nicholas said, wildly.  “I’ll beat him, if that’s what it takes! And then you’ll stand across from me and acknowledge me as your rival. Not Jesse; me.”

“My rival,” Seiji repeated. He wasn’t leaning back now, instead staring into Nicholas’ eyes from a very close distance. “You.”

“Got a problem with that?” Nicholas asked him.

Seiji’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, the door flung open and Nicholas blinked in the sudden light as a voice said-

“Oh. Are we interrupting something?”

DAY 4: ACCIDENTAL PET ACQUISITION🐱

For day 4 of @windbreakerweek, it's a Printable/Digital Note Page of our Mitsuki & Taiga stumbling on some cats.

Please feel free to use as you like! See ya on Day 5!

Here's the post leading to all the downloadable high-res pieces! :^D

✧₊⁎honnii☀︎

Twitter & Bluesky: honniisun

Every time I see Shin in his baggy sleeveless top and jacket combo, I feel like a victorian man seeing a woman's ankle for the first time whenever his shoulders are exposed.

Still playing around with it, but here’s my Hermes design!!!

And something extra BEJSHEJ //hits play on Wouldn’t You Like

Giving Wind Breaker some love~

ping ponging back and forth between seeing immense beauty everywhere and feeling deeply like i am in hell

why is this so goofy help