#[but people get to see a little of how adachi's really feeling sometimes whether he means it or not]

[jesterofinaba]

what crystal are you?

snowflake obsidian

you are all grit and closed fists. you refuse to let anything in through the cracks of your armor. you would burn the world to protect those you love. the heart of a warrior burns in your chest. and it also weighs your shoulders down. what is the price for being so strong? what have you sacrificed to make yourself feel safe? when was the last time you let someone see your soul?

when was the last time you let someone see you and not just the masks you hide behind?

not everything must be a fight.

tagged by: @tricksheart​ [ thank you! ] tagging: gonna be honest i’m late to this so everyone and their grandma’s done it, but if you haven’t tag me and say I tagged you!

[softbean]

“capable of such magic”: cherry magic and Adachi’s ordinary power

Good day! I’m here to write a short essay on Cherry Magic after briefly ranting about “(extra)ordinariness” on twitter. I’ve once written my many thoughts about this series into a fic, but I wanted to elucidate some points about the show that are important to me and point them out exactly as they are, and present my interpretation of the show through something tangible, so here I am!

Here is my thesis. Are you ready?

Adachi is ordinary, but more incredible than he gets credit for, and in the same way, so are every one of us that identify with him.

Sections

1. Introduction 2. Adachi’s Self Perception 3. Adachi’s Courage, Honesty, Confidence 4. Audience Perception and the Point of it All

Introduction

When I first started watching Cherry Magic, I felt myself immediately pulled into the show because of Kurosawa. Machida Keita is just so good at embodying charisma in his role! Together with his kindness and gentleness, Kurosawa really felt like the ideal partner someone can have. On the other hand, at least with the way the “30 year old virgin” trope initially frames it, Adachi seems to blend into the sidewalk, have no outstanding qualities, and his virginity at 30 is actually supposed to add burden to his character.

Now, after finishing the show (4 times), stewing on it a bit and trying to understand why I loved it so much, I can say that Adachi is my favorite character hands down, and based on what I’ve seen, I have a feeling that Adachi’s character is actually hugely underrated. Hence, I am here to write an essay standing up for all the ordinary ways Adachi is incredible in my eyes.

We know that over the course of the show the perfect boyfriend/undesirable loner trope is actually flipped on its head. Repeatedly, the show challenges Adachi’s assumption that he shares nothing in common with this person he perceives to be in a different league from himself. Kurosawa and Adachi share the same interests, they both sometimes feel disappointed in themselves, they both feel anxiety and fear and uncertainty, they’re both genuinely good people, and so on. The gap between ordinary and extraordinary is bridged, and I think that’s the whole point of the show as I’ll explain in the rest of my essay.

Adachi’s Self Perception

As consumers of media, we are not aware of it while immersed, but our opinions of characters are subtly influenced by the characters’ own self perceptions. This often prevents us from seeing a character clearly and developing accurate judgment about what kind of person they are.

Adachi is one good example. Adachi is always putting himself down with thoughts like “I don’t have Kurosawa’s positive traits”, “I shouldn’t try things I’m not familiar with because I’ll fail”, “I run away all the time”, the list is so extensive that by episode one, we have a good idea what kind of character trope he’s supposed to be, and along with this understanding we attribute traits of this trope onto him, whether they are accurate or not. Let’s take a look at the text for a minute. Adachi always blames himself for being a coward and not daring to take a step forward, but is that really true? 

There is a certain degree of truth to Adachi being inclined to avoid scary or difficult situations (he does, after all, run away a couple of times). But the truth is, so do most people. That’s how people are built: to feel fear, which tells us to avoid some kind of danger or potentially undesirable outcome. Adachi fears Kurosawa’s feelings, but more so than that, he fears his own feelings, he fears what would happen if he did return those feelings, and fears he will disappoint Kurosawa if they were to get together, and so on. But these are normal feelings that, when put into words, most of us can relate to, especially in a situation with so much uncertainty and so little experience to support him. Adachi may consider running from Kurosawa “chickening out”, but isn’t it normal to hesitate when getting closer to someone you know has complicated feelings for you?

In other words, Adachi has a tendency to take normal human flaws and make an identity out of them. Because he’s so attached to his identity as a loser, we see him through this colored lens.

What, then, about the continuous effort Adachi makes to to open himself up to Kurosawa, the effort to give Kurosawa a chance, the moments when he doesn’t run away, or the moments when he proactively seeks Kurosawa out? 

These are moments of courage that Adachi doesn’t credit himself for.

Adachi’s Courage, Honesty, Confidence

One of the themes of the show is that mutual love makes two people better people together. Being loved gives you confidence, having someone else behind your back makes you more courageous. Adachi himself attributes his change in character to two things: his magic, and Kurosawa, but he neglects the role played by himself in carrying out these feats.

Kurosawa gives Adachi encouragement, but I wonder if it’s possible to give someone courage, if there was none there to begin with.

When Fujisaki is in trouble, despite almost peeing his pants wanting to run, with his voice cracking Adachi would stand and defend her. When Kurosawa is in trouble over the mont blanc, Adachi steps in and reads Hashimoto’s mind to save him. Despite thinking competitions aren’t for him, Adachi applies. Instead of pushing Kurosawa away after finding out his feelings, he works up the courage to get closer instead and eventually the courage to confess, despite how extremely difficult it is for him.

We also can’t forget about the times Adachi’s courage to be honest has saved lives. When the aromantic Fujisaki is troubled by her mother’s expectations to date, Adachi speaks up to encourage her that she’s doing well exactly as she is. When Rokkaku has the thought that he’s lame for giving up dancing, Adachi speaks up to encourage him that there’s nothing wrong with changing one’s dream. when Tsuge is having a hard time believing in himself and his chances with Minato, Adachi speaks up honestly about his relationship with Kurosawa to encourage Tsuge that he can do it too. 

And, of course, the start of it all, years ago when Adachi recognized Kurosawa for the person he is and not the appearance he was born with, and made Kurosawa feel seen and fall in love with himーspeaking his mind honestly there was an act of courage.

Not only courage, but Adachi also has a degree of confidence in himself that easily gets overlooked. Like an average person, Adachi doesn’t hate himself, but it’s hard to say he loves himself either. Still, when he hears Kurosawa’s thoughts of praise when getting the scarf wrapped around him, his reaction is not to dispute any of the praise that is being said, but to feel overwhelmed that someone else is seeing him for the first time. That means that he does see his own strong points, his attentiveness, his care, his hard work and self-sacrificing nature. To a degree, I imagine, these traits must also be important to him, something he puts effort into expressing instead of something that just happens to be. 

Adachi has his own life philosophy, as we can see from him telling Fujisaki about the romance part of it. He tries to live in a way authentic to himself and what makes him happy. This is why I believe that Adachi tries his best to be a person that he himself can approve of, and why being acknowledged for his efforts feels so satisfying. To this extent, Adachi must have some confidence in the way he has chosen to live. 

He has confidence, has dignity, in his way of living without romance.

He doesn’t let Urabe push him around when it comes to his personal choices. He doesn’t succumb to societal expectations, and that shit is heavy in Japan.

And so, with all these instances compiled, is it really fair to say that Adachi is the kind of loser he paints himself to be? He’s got a comfortable amount of confidence, is able to speak up to help others, and has acted out of courage many timesーso what kind of a person is he, really?

Audience Perception and the Point of it All

Something I’ve noticed here and there, and just always assumed (based on how gender works between female audiences and BL tropes) is that a lot of viewers, especially women, tend to identify with Adachi much more than they do with  Kurosawa. One, given the demographics of BL drama viewers, this makes sense. Two, all demographics aside, it still makes sense, because the average person probably relates to the ordinary Adachi more than they would to the extraordinary Kurosawa. Kurosawa tends to be seen as the prize, the “what have I done to deserve him”, and Adachi is seen as the undeserving self, lucky as if he had won the lottery. 

I hope that after my previous sections you’ve come to appreciate the strength behind ordinariness a little more, and that the gap between Kurosawa and Adachi feels a little smaller. Actually, the whole point of me writing this essay is that I wish more people loved the ordinariness that can be found in Adachi and within themselves!!

And this strength isn’t dependent on magic. In fact, I would argue that the message being sent by the show is that none of us need magic to become the person we want to be. All it takes sometimes is for someone else to believe in us, and most importantly, for us to see that there is no real distinction between us and those people we perceive to be extraordinary and alien from ourselves. Adachi was able to believe in himself because he saw the vulnerability in Kurosawa, realized they are both human all the same, and started to believe that maybe he can possess the same positive traits too. It wouldn’t be too far to say that the entire story revolves around empathyーthe magic of being able to read someone’s mind is the power of empathy...but that would be an essay for another day.

Think about it another way. If the storytelling in this series is really as good as I think it is, then The Magic doesn’t happen arbitrarily, it comes and goes with a purpose. I think of The Magic as a gentle guiding hand. It’s a hand that believes in the power of empathy, in this case, empathy that is shared between a romantic relationship. Assuming virgins like Adachi have never experienced this wonderful feeling because of a difficulty with connecting and communicating (I am rolling my eyes a bit, yes), The Magic allows them to get a taste of this connection by giving them access to knowledge about other people that they would otherwise have to work to obtain themselves. And, if losing one’s virginity is any indication of having successfully connected with someone (XD?), then The Magic calls it a day and leaves because its work is done.

Its work isn’t to make relationships work for you. It’s to make you realize you can make relationships work. Isn’t the point of having magic in the show so that Adachi knows, with or without it, he can be this powerful, because he’s already experienced what it’s like? Adachi may have visualized these new and scary situations going poorly for himself, and his perception of himself makes it difficult to believe something like being loved is possible, but when he has experienced it in his own body thanks to magic, then it feels real, then it feels achievable. 

The magic vanishes, yet rather than disempowering Adachi, it leaves him with a craving for more, as if it’s introduced a whole new world of possibilities to him. It makes him want to “ask for the moon”, to aspire towards things that had felt impossible for him before. Having magic has taught him that he can read the hearts of others and get closer to them if he just had the courage to try. 

And that’s what I think we should all take out of this series, on top of a wonderful love story. That by opening ourselves up to understanding others better, we start to see the rigid divisions between self and other dissolve, and things that we feel we lack that others have start to feel a little bit less unobtainable. As a side effect, we soften our hearts towards others too, because we feel their joy and their pain, and in so doing we find ourselves with more and deeper connections than we’ve ever had before.

In the end, we are all ordinary. You are more powerful than you think, if you believe in yourself, if you see the ordinary power you possess, if you see yourself for who you really are.

///

Thanks for reading my essay! If you enjoyed it, I’d appreciate any kind of engagement. I’d love to hear your thoughts or further this discussion if anything sparks an idea. If you’ve never seen Cherry Magic (!) I highly suggest watching it, or if you have, why not watch it again!

Have a great day!

[artekai]

There's been so much negativity online lately so feel free to use as an excuse to gush about your mutuals and anything they do. Whether it be art, writing, crafts, being a little cutie, making you laugh, making ocs that you love so much you basically adopt them, making a hella good grilled cheese, anything really. I've been sending this to a handful people and it's been so nice reading all the things people have to say. Btw feel free to ignore this if you don't wanna do it but at the same, if you want to you could send this to someone else and spread it more, you could do that too. The possibilities are endless.

As a little starter/something I've wanted to say for quite a while now: I really really love Artekai. He's somehow a sweetheart and a little shit at the same time and I just deeply resonate with this weirdly wholesome yet chaotic energy he gives off. He's incredible. 10/10. Would give a big old hug and smooch on the cheek.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

anon this is SO SO SWEET 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 It's so nice of you to take this initiative!!! I really appreciate it!! :') <3

And that's so??? That's so great to hear??? I'm always SO SO HAPPY to hear when other people enjoy Artekai T-T

"Somehow a sweetheart and a little shit at the same time" is RIGHT!! Kai's very transparent about his emotions, whether positive or negative, and he also does have kind of a big ego, but he's determined to use it for good, so that's certainly one of the combinations of all time, haha! He's one of those OCs that basically develop themselves, and I'm very proud of him :') Kai would definitely appreciate your hug and smooch a lot. Thank you SO so much and I hope you continue to enjoy him! <333

Okay... so it's my turn to gush about my mutuals... I'm just gonna do it on this post bc I'm embarrassed (//ω//) I have definitely said these things before though, so if I'm getting too repetitive, please ignore me, I just can't pass this up :')

@woolmasterleel Hi yes I would like to nominate you for Great Art and Great Writing and Great OCs thank you! You already know how much I love Kisaki but your OCs are all so creative and so interesting and have such cool designs! And you're also such a sweet and encouraging person??? And a chemist??? PLEASE leave some talent for the rest of us ;-; I think we should talk more, if you want? 👉👈

@akeshuharu You are SUCH a sweet and lovely person and have such good takes, not just about P5R but about things in general, I LOVE seeing you on my dash, and your enthusiasm about your interests is so contagious!! I do very much enjoy seeing your cats or your pics or hearing about what you've been up to or about your interests... Thank you for the chance to brainstorm my silly AUs with you 🥺 I really do wanna talk to you more but I'm just bad at initiating conversation ;-;

@aceredshirt13 Hi, I hope you don't mind tagging you here! I really appreciate you and our talks about P4 ^^ You have such good takes about Adachi and about fandom, and talking about headcanons or developing AUs with you (whether serious ones or crack ones lmao) is so much fun! Thank you for your patience <3 Sometimes I think about how this all started just because I reblogged your post about Adachi and ranted in the tags and I think... wow, I'm so lucky, haha.

@nicxan I know I sound like a broken record, but I really DO love your fics! :D You're also a really nice person and the way you see Takuto is just *chef's kiss.* You have such good concepts, I love seeing everything you put him through and how you characterize him, and how he breaks down as a result, hehehe. I wanna talk to you more too, but I'm very awkward and don't know what to talk about :')

@almightyrozenidiot It’s really nice to see you in my notifs, especially your comments on my posts, haha, they’re always fun/sweet! And I’m very curious about your OCs too! I know we don’t talk much, but I do want to get to know you better, if that’s okay with you ^^

Anyways, sorry to everyone for being so sappy all the time, I literally can't help it T-T It's kinda hard to show someone how much you appreciate them over the internet, unless you say it directly ;-;

And of course, thank you for the ask, anon, this is all very very sweet T-T

[bjy-on-ao3]

Fic Friday: Relaxation

(As usual, you can find the AO3 version of all my uploads [and some things I don’t post here to tumblr] via my Masterlist blog page.)

Turns out there are character’s besides Adachi from the Persona series I like, so figured I’d write a little something with one of them, starting with Dojima.

Summary Dojima has had a long day at work. Reader helps him unwind with a couple beers and some TLC.

Tags/Warnings

Alcohol, Consensual Sex, Couch Sex, Established Relationship, Fluff And Smut, Reader-Insert, Vaginal Sex

Relaxation (F! Reader/Ryotaro Dojima)

Sitting beside the table, leaning casually on your palm, you paid only half attention to the drone of the late night news anchor and flashy headers filling the screen. You cast a lazy glance at the time glaring at you from the corner of the screen. It only reinforced the obvious: it was late. Yet you had a feeling Dojima would run late again when he had asked you to watch Nanako - more like to keep her company, given how capable the young girl was for her age - and had no qualms about it. Yet it still surprised you, even with your past experiences, just how late Dojima’s work kept him from home some evenings. One would think they couldn’t function for even a scant amount of time without him.

Though, Dojima had only requested you to keep an eye on Nanako until she had gone off to bed, so, really, you were the reason for staying so late. The little girl, like all children, seemed to vastly underestimate how long she could stay awake, and had gone to sleep several hours before. But you preferred sticking around until Dojima came back. It put you at ease seeing him return safely, not to mention it gave you an excuse to spend a few fleeting moments with him, though he was often rather exhausted after his shift at the station. He had never complained about the habit either, if anything he seemed to gather a little cheer despite his fatigued state at the sight of a familiar, friendly face greeting him. So you stayed, waiting much longer than necessary, while time and television programs slowly ticked on and away.

The sound of the entryway door opening and closing from the foyer broke through the dull, fake cheery drone of the latest repetition of the week’s expected weather. You glanced away from the TV set when the second door slid open, and you spied Dojima standing in the doorway. He looked tired as always, though happy to be home. When he noticed you were waiting for him again, you spotted a tiny, pleased spark to his expression and your lips twitched up at the corners.

The twitch bloomed into a full, warm smile of greeting as you got to your feet. “Oh, you’re back,” you noted cheerily, though kept your voice level and quiet. “Long day it seems like?”

Dojima didn’t chastise you for stating the obvious. He only sighed and nodded before responding. “You have no idea,” he confirmed, shutting the door behind him and making a beeline to the kitchen. “Half the station’s out sick. It’s a miracle they didn’t keep me all night,” he grumbled, opening the fridge.

“I’ll get out of your hair then,” you said, moving to his side and touching a hand to his shoulder. “I bet you want to get some shuteye before they call you back again, right?”

Ordinarily, now was the time when Dojima would nod in agreement, give you a parting peck on the cheek or lips, thank you for watching Nanako again, and apologize for how long his arriving home had been, all before bidding you goodbye and to stay safe. But tonight he seemed more needy for company, lonely almost. “I know you already stayed late watching Nanako,” Dojima began, though he knew very well you could have left earlier, “but would you mind staying a bit longer?” he asked tentatively, and your heart fluttered in response warmly.

“Sure, I’d be glad to, if you want me to,” you agreed. You leaned into give him a quick kiss on his cheek before returning to your previous seat on the cushion beside the table.

You were a little sleepy yourself by now, but you wouldn’t pass the opportunity to spend more time with him if you had the choice. Of anyone you had ever dated, Ryotaro Dojima was the one hardest to get free time with, especially alone time, given his additional responsibilities as a father on top of being a police detective. Neither of which you faulted him for though. To you, he was worth the effort, even if he was a little rough around the edges, and not the greatest with expression himself.

Dojima rummaged through the fridge’s contents for a few seconds, pulling out two cans of beer and closing the door. He made his way to the living room, setting down of can in front of you on that table, before sitting on the adjacent side of the table in front of the sofa.

“Thanks.” Dojima hadn’t asked you whether you wanted the drink, but you knew he wouldn’t have been upset if you had declined either.

You cracked opened the beer and took a small drink, wrinkling your nose slightly at the taste. Dojima repeated your actions, though he took a larger gulp from his can, and the room lapsed into silence. Though, as you continued to watch the droning news stories and the peppy commercials pepper in between, it was a pleasant silence. Lacking the heavy, awkward atmosphere silence sometimes possessed, or any of the pressure to frantically search for a conversation topic. One another’s presence was enough to make you comfortable, the company nearly therapeutic on its own. You were content to simply satisfy whatever need for quiet company Dojima had for however long he wanted it.

Out of the corner of your eye while you sipped the contents of your can, you noticed Dojima shift awkwardly, tensely, rolling his shoulders or stretching his back and rubbing his neck and wincing. When he rose at one point to retrieve a second beer, he even made a soft sound, something like displeasure or irritation. Another casualty of a long day at work, you imagined, especially the more sedentary parts. Dojima’s long shift had done more than drain him physically and mentally it seemed.

“Do you shoulders hurt?” you prompted curiously.

Dojima’s eyebrows knit together and up in surprise, as if he hadn’t realized what he had been doing or that you might even notice. “Ah, just a little stiff. Fewer people sure doesn’t mean less paperwork,” he groused, and you saw him grimace again at another twinge of obviously sore muscles.

“Let me help,” you offered, though it was more question than anything.

“Ah, no, you don’t need to go to any trouble,” he dismissed quickly.

“Really, it’s fine, it’s no trouble,” you assured him.

Dojima sighed, as if your persistence vexed him, though it was a sigh of defeat. You knew he was prone to brush things off, and sometimes it took a little convincing tor him to accept an offer of help. He nodded, wordless agreement to your insistence.

You stood up, moving to Dojima’s side of the table and crouching down close behind him. He returned to his drink, focus seemingly turned back to the news. You didn’t waste time, quickly getting to work and placing your hands on his shoulders and starting to knead. Your touch was gentle at first, carefully prodding here or there to map out the state of his sore shoulders. Dojima was tense as well, some of it beyond just the stiffness of his muscles, like always, but that tension evaporated soon enough. Feeling him relax, and having more of an idea on what to work through, you added more strength to your massage.

“You’re really knotted up to hell and back,” you pointed out, running across a knot of muscle that was extra hard and tight. Dojima released a sound that was a mix of a hiss and a groan when you applied a little more pressure to the stubborn knot..

He said nothing to you, though. And once more the comfortable silence took over the living, the only true noises the distant drone of the television and the small sounds Dojima continued to make while you tried to soothe his soreness. By the time you had gotten his shoulder satisfactorily loose, Dojima had finished his second beer, but didn’t rise yet for another. You weren’t sure if he had decided two was enough for the late night or if he was enjoying your massage.

His neck was your neck target, not strung nearly so tense as his shoulders and back, but still obviously sore. When you pressed your fingers into the muscles of his neck, it elicited much more pleasant sounding noises, less like the almost relieved pain when you had massaged his shoulders. The familiar tone of them made you grin, and you bent your lips to his ear.

“You know, Ryotaro, all this stress building up isn’t very good for you,” you murmured, shattering the silence.

“I’m used to it. It’s nothing,” he brushed off again, and you frowned.

“If that were true, you wouldn’t so tense,” you countered. A thought had come to you as you massaged the kinks from his neck. “You know, I can think of something that might relieve some of that stress,” you drawled, the kneading of your fingers morphing into featherlight touches on his skin, and you placed a few soft kisses following the path of your fingers.

Dojima hesitated, but seemed to follow the subtle hint well enough. “I don’t know, I don’t think I’ve got the energy,” he wavered.

“Don’t worry, you wouldn’t have to do anything,” you reassured him, planting a few more kisses and gentle touches on his neck. You smiled when a tiny shudder rolled through him. “I’ll handle everything. I just want to help you unwind and relax, I promise. They work you so hard you deserve it, after all.”

He gave a deep hum of consideration. “Alright,” he agreed after a moment of thought.

You got to your feet, helping Dojima to his own, abandoning your empty cans and moving toward the couch. Dojima sat down and you straddled him languidly, gently pushing him back to relax against the cushions completely. He slipped his finger through the knot of his tie, loosing it and the letting the collar fall a bit before relaxing completely. “Now, just lie back and relax, okay?” you insisted, one hand splayed flat over his shoulder.

“If you say so.”

Once Dojima was completely settled, you bent forward, kissing lightly along his jaw, his stubble scratching at your lips. You trailed slowly across his skin, down his neck and back up. Rewarded with a couple of pleasant, quiet hums, you moved to his lips, pressing yours to them. As you began to kiss him, Dojima’s initial response was slow, tired. But a subdued enthusiasm welled up in the kiss the longer it went on, moving to match the sensual pace you dictated. A muffled, satisfied sigh escaped him, and you took it as your cue to carry on further.

Brushing both hands down the front of Dojima’s shirt, you worked the buckle of his belt nimbly, slipping the leather loose and discarding it. You lay a palm on the crotch of his slacks, the beginnings of an erection rising beneath your touch. You rubbed your hand against it gingerly, coaxingly. Feeling the slight bulge grow beneath your fingers, you set to undoing the catch of his pants with your spare hand. The hand stroking him through the cloth moved swiftly, dipping past his waistband and the line of his underwear to caress him more directly.

You broke away temporarily from the kiss to allow the pair of you to catch your breath, just in time for a gruff, but suppressed groan to drift from Dojima’s mouth. There was an exhausted hint to the noise, though his pleasure was plain as well. His dark eyes were closed when you looked at him, basking in the sensation, and the hints of a blissful expression had painted themselves across his weary features. When you returned to his lips, you were smiling, delighted to see some of the day’s stress already melting away.

Pushing his pants and underwear down more until his cock stood free and half-hard beneath your hand, you grabbed it in a surer grip. Dojima inhaled sharply, and you flanked down, feeling him twitch and harden further. You drew your hand up and down, again starting slow, gaining momentum and stroking faster until he was at full mast from your touch. You teased the head for a bare moment, before moving your hand away and pulling back, admiring the sight of him lying practically boneless against the cushions. A delightful flush of color dusted his cheeks and his collarbones where they peeked out from his dress shirt, and when he opened his gray eyes they were half-lidded. You tore yourself from your reverie quickly; you weren’t doing this simply for the pretty picture.

You climbed off of him for a time, and he eyed you curiously, as if wondering what had stopped you. Dipping your hands up beneath the hem of your skirt, you hooked your thumbs under your panties and tugged them down, letting them fall onto the floor. Gathering the ends of your skirt in one hand, you clambered back onto his lap, settling yourself more comfortably over him.

Reaching beneath you, you took his shaft in your hand again, guiding it your lips and sliding it between them to lubricate it with the wetness had pooled between your legs while you touched him. When he was coated well enough, you brought the head of him to your entrance, slowly easing yourself onto him. Another gruff sighed escaped Dojima, and you returned to his lips to kiss a third time.

This time the kiss was deeper, more passionate, and a little sloppy as you took more and more of his length into you, stifling tiny sounds from you both. When your hips pressed flush, and all of him was sheathed inside of you, you stopped, savoring the ache of him stretching you, a small gasp disappearing into his mouth when his length twitched again. His hands made their way to your hips, fingers absently kneading your curves through your clothes.

You leaned forward, pressing yourself more closely to Dojima, chest crushed against his, feeling the rumble of his chest as more muted sounds rolled through him, dying on your tongue. Your eyes met his gray ones again, half-lidded still, hazy with his fatigue, but also with a lusty quality that made you clench around him unbidden. Spurred on by the alluring expression in his eyes and the delightful hardness filling you up, you shifted your hips. Rocking them slowly, you allowed Dojima to relish in the tight, soft heat, and letting you feel every inch of him.

Your pace remained slow and steady, almost lazy, though the muffled noises coming from your throat and his own spoke of how much you both enjoyed it. As you had promised him, you were more than happy to do the work, letting Dojima relax and lose himself in the pleasurable sensations. His touch through clothes, while light, was pleasant and soft, encouraging you to stop now and then and grind your hips against his and kiss him a little harder, a little more ardently. Though the pace was languid, it was sure, building a low, simmering fire in your belly and a tension you tried to shove to the back of your mind in favor of focusing on Dojima.

Though he was tired, concerned he would have been too drained to be very involved, Dojima’s hips rocked up to meet yours gently, the motion almost involuntary and instinctive, rather than a concentrated effort. It only added to the pressure and the heat. You fisted your hands in the collar of his shirt, driving your hips more firmly against his and feeling the rumble in his chest intensify.

When the kiss parted for the third time, it was of Dojima’s accord. He buried his face in the hollow of your throat, panting hotly against your skin there, his small noises as muffled by your skin as they had been by your mouth. With his lips no longer around to stifle you though, you clapped a hand to your mouth in their place. Dojima’s fingers grew still, becoming a tight grip, digging into your skin through the fabric, tightening a little more each time your heat swallowed him up again, pushing him closer to the edge.

You whimpered and winced at how tight his hold became, hearing his breathing, ragged and heavy, become more labored in time with the strength of his grip and the rhythm of your hips. You thought you heard him growl something gruff and unintelligible into your neck, but in the moment you very well could have imagined it. You were far too distracted to pursue that train of thought though, choosing to rut against Dojima’ more desperately.

All of it, the vice grip of his hands, the labored breathing, and the gruff sounds smothered by your skin, was the precursor to Dojima reaching his climax. Still squelching any stray noises, he finished a low, rumbling groan that made you shiver. His hands held you so tightly as he filled you, they nearly interrupted the slow buck of your hips, and you rocked them with a bit more force.

Everything combined, with the aid of some friction from clever angling of your hips, had put you so to your own release, too. Dojima’s climax was enough to drag you over with him. Your walls fluttered around his length, milking him for all he had left, and making his hips jerk against yours spasmodically for an instant.

A thick silence followed when both of you were spent, falling back into the couch. Again it was the welcoming, almost soothing silence though that added to the moment. Dojima’s head lolled back against the cushions, and you pressed your face into his shoulder, his shirt crumpled from your grasp. You stayed that way for what felt like a long time, your bodies still joined, hot and tired, basking in the afterglow until your breathing returned to normal and your hearts stopped pounding.

You finally eased yourself off him tentatively, feeling overly sensitive, but pleased, hoping he felt the same. “Feel any better?” you whispered in his ear, moving a hand to toy with the short-cropped strands of his graying hair.

His answer was gruff and drained, but not unpleasant. “Exhausted… but better,” he admitted, not bothering to lift his head, his eyes closed.

“Good,” you said, smiling and placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth, and then another. “I’m gonna get going then, let you get some well-deserved rest. Just make sure you make it to your bed, alright?” you teased, knowing it wouldn’t have been the first time Dojima passed out on the couch; though this in particular was not a proper way to fall asleep there.

You got to your feet, gathering your underwear from the ground and shimmying back into them, smoothing your skirt down. “Call me if you need me to watch Nanako again, alright? Or, you know, if you just want me around,” you said, giving him a joking when he opened his tired eyes and fixed them on you.

“Wait,” Dojima shot up from his boneless position, tucking himself back into his underwear and redoing the catch on his pants. He rose to his feet as well/ “You don’t have to go. You could…” His words lapsed low, muttering almost, as if he were hesitant to speak them loud enough for you to hear, and a cute new flush decorated his cheeks.

“What was that?” you pressed.

“Uh, why don’t you stay the night? With me. It’s late and…” He paused, searching for the words, “I’d appreciate the company.”

The feeling of warmth that welled up in your chest at his hesitant, almost shy request was enough to make you blush, too. “All you had to do was ask,” you confessed, grinning and moving to him, wrapping your arms around his neck. You pressed a much more chaste kiss to his lips, which he returned just as sweetly. “And I promise I’ll behave and let you sleep,” you joked, sealing your teasing with another kiss.

With that decided, Dojima grabbed the remote off the table, turning off the tv for the evening and tossing it back down, while you grabbed the empty beer cans and moved them to the kitchen. You followed him then to his room, feeling warm and nearly giddy, or as giddy as you could be when you craved sleep.

When the bedroom door closed, you both tiredly discarded most of your clothing, leaving you both in your underthings. Climbing into the bed, you curled up against Dojima, and he draped an arm over your after pulling up the sheets. Snuggled against one another so warmly, made weary from a long day and from the strenuous end to it, the alcohol an extra tip to the scales, it didn’t take long before sleep claimed you, heavy and comforting.

[momothegeckho]

DL: The Scarlet Hetaera |02

|01 - Part 1

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

“... Even the one from last night?”

Yasuko froze. Had he found out about her sneaking onto the premises? Were there cameras or something? No. She had checked before climbing that tree. Was this because she caught that picture of Yui being attacked? Was that really something she should report to the police? Maybe she was overthinking this whole thing, and once she had calmed back down, she quickly laughed, albeit, nervously than she would have liked, and began to reach for the door.

“I’m sorry, Reiji-kun, but you must be mistaken. Coming here at night would be unethical since my camera would be of no use at night. Besides, it’s out of my way to come here, since my home is on the other side of town.”

Reiji smirked and crossed his arms, trying hard not to bare his teeth much. “I agree. It would be out of your way. Your parents would be worried if you didn’t come home before nightfall.”

“Yes, they would be… my parents. Yeah.” In all truth, Yasuko’s parents couldn’t care less whether she was late coming home, but she couldn’t give Reiji the leverage he needed to accuse her more. “I should get going. Thank you for allowing me in your home. Goodbye.”

Before she could open the door enough to leave, A hand came from behind her and pushed the door closed. She was now face to face with Reiji, who looked more serious than ever. “Before you go, I would like to look at your photos. May I see your camera rolls?” 

Yasuko couldn’t let him see it, in fact, she flat out denied to let him see it. “It’s a part of my ritual to develop them before allowing people to see them… I’m sorry.” She held the camera close to her body. Whatever was happening didn’t feel right, and suddenly, the cold sweat was back again. Something was wrong with this house and its occupants. She needed to leave immediately.

“I believe I know why you won’t show us anything. I believe you were here last night, and that you saw something you should not have seen. I also believe you are a terrible liar, because I have been observing your visit, and you allowed Komori Yui to look at your film all day. Also…” 

Out of the corner of her eye, Yasuko saw Laito coming down the stairs, a very intimidating smile on his face. He hadn’t seen her. There was no way. She was in a tree in the dark of night. She even made the extra effort to wear black clothing. There was absolutely no way he saw her.

“Laito. Is this the girl you saw last night?”

He smiled and moved closer to the two. “Yes. No mistaking that beautiful red hair, and that perfectly freckled face.”

“N-no. You must be mistaken. I wouldn’t break in at all!”

Laito locked eyes with Yasuko, and made it a point to smile even more. His eyes implying he knows more than Yasuko does.

“Really? Then, you won’t mind if we check your leg.”

“M-my leg? Why would you-”  Before Yasuko finished, she remembered she scratched her leg on the tree while she climbed up. But how could Laito know that? He couldn’t possibly know that. She began to go pale, her eyes showing great panic as her grave was being dug right before her eyes.

“Adachi-chan… you look so pale. Your heart is racing.” Laito smiled, getting her attention. 

“Could it be that you scratched your leg yesterday climbing that tree?” “N-no please. I would never-”

Once more, she was interrupted by Laito, who took hold of her wrist and held it close to his lips, she could feel him sniffing her. Why was everyone doing that now? She yanked her hand away, turning back to the door, but freezing when Reiji had stepped in front, blocking her exit.

“Adachi-chan,” Laito called to her in a sing-song-y voice, turning her to face him once more. “You were wearing a black hoodie and black pants, correct? My eyes haven’t been failing me, have they?”

Yasuko whimpered a little, but steeled herself. She would not let these brothers get under her skin. She breathed deeply and straightened her posture, emulating confidence. Laito was visibly confused by this, as his smile went away and his eyes widened a small bit. 

“Adachi-chan, your heartbeat calmed down so much… so cute~”  He became so excited at Yasuko’s strong will, he almost couldn’t contain the urge to try and break her.

“Enough, Laito.” Reiji stepped forward and began to address Yasuko. 

“Adachi-san. I don’t appreciate lies. Laito says he saw you in the tree last night, and that you took a picture. I would like to take that picture back from you, because it was none of your business in the first place.”

Yasuko didn’t know what to do. Should she just come forward and tell the truth? Reiji could tell she was hesitant, and so his next words would have to be something to break her. He was running out of patience, and the smell of her blood in her body was intoxicating. He needed to have it.

“Adachi-san-” “Okay. I took it.”

Laito smirked and Reiji adjusted his glasses, grateful that this game wouldn’t go on any longer. The next task was getting that picture back from her.

“If you took an incriminating photo, then I need to ask you to-” “I burned it already. Here is the rest of the undeveloped film if you want to check. I couldn’t have used those pictures, anyway.” 

Reiji wasn’t expecting such a quick response. He also wasn’t expecting her to have already gotten rid of the evidence, and handed over any others she may have. Usually anyone with that type of leverage would be stupid enough to try blackmail, but Yasuko was not like that. Well, he knew that now.

“Yes. I admit coming last night to take candids for my portfolio. My parents could care less that I was gone for so long. I probably went overboard with climbing the tree, but I was desperate to get into my University. As soon as I took that photo, I knew I had gone too far, and so when I got home, I burned the film thoroughly. It’s gone. It wasn’t my business, and I’m not dumb enough to blackmail anybody. I’m sorry for lying and spying, and I understand if you want to call the police now.”

Yasuko bowed yet again in apology, hoping not to get slapped with a lawsuit since the Sakamaki’s probably had all the money in the world to hire a law firm good enough to put her in jail for a long time. She stayed bowed until Reiji walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to stand up quickly.

“Thank you for your honesty, Adachi-san. And it was a good choice to burn the photo as well.” Reiji walked up to the front door and opened it for her. As she began to exit, Reiji spoke once more. 

“Adachi-san. One more question.” “Ask away.” “You said your parents don’t care much. What did you mean?”

It was a strange question, but Yasuko didn’t think of that before answering quite honestly.

“Well, I can’t say much. It’s really personal. It just feels like I live by myself sometimes, and when they do acknowledge me, it’s always a big fight. I guess you could say, they never wanted a daughter.”

Yasuko looked up from the ground and locked eyes with Laito and Reiji, who both looked at her with apathetic stares, staying silent. “Well, I’m sorry for taking up your time. Goodbye.” 

She bowed quickly and turned to leave the estate. She made up her mind to never return to this household ever again. This plan however, would be heavily intervened by none other than the Sakamaki brothers themselves.

Reiji watched the red headed girl leave, taking the sweet smell of her blood with her. Laito sighed loudly, missing her scent as well. 

“Reiji. Yasuko-chan’s blood… I want it.” Laito was always the one to say another’s thoughts aloud. 

“It’s not everyday we come across another person with such a wonderful scent… I know you smelled it, too. You were trying your best to hold back.” “Shut it, Laito. I know. But we can’t just take her. We need to make sure of some things and confirm my suspicions.”

Now Laito was curious. Reiji never entertained the idea of going after anybody for their blood, so what made Adachi Yasuko different? Clearly, Reiji knew something he didn’t, but the thought of having the chance to interact more with Yasuko, and break down that confidence and make her tremble with fear, made him very excited. He could see it now. 

His new bitch-chan.~

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

|03 (Coming soon)

[goodlucktai]

Could you write something with natsume and the squad?? You're writing is absolutely divine!!

i wrote this before work and now im late

x

Kaname hesitates for a second when he realizes what city they’re going to for the weekend, but only for a second. When his friends look around at him with expectant grins, waiting to hear whether or not he’s coming along, Kaname meets them with an easy smile. 

“Of course I’m going,” he says, his arms full of Natsume’s fat cat, his chest full of that squirming joy that comes from being so close to such warm people. “Someone’s got to keep all of you out of trouble.”

It’s a big city, and he hasn’t lived in it for years. What are the odds they’ll run into anyone there that he knows?

And so, naturally, it happens on the first day. 

They found their inn and dropped off all their bags, and now they’re combing the streets for a place to eat lunch– they’ve made it about three blocks when a vaguely-familiar voice says, “Tanuma?”

A boy he went to middle school with is in the middle of the crosswalk, coming over to their side of the street, and he looks incredulous and delighted. Something in Kaname’s stomach sinks like a stone. He’s glad to still be holding Ponta; now he understands why Natsume is often hugging him to his chest like a shield. 

“Yamamoto,” he mutters by way of greeting. 

“Didn’t think I’d ever see you again after you dropped out,” the shorter boy says cheerfully. 

“I didn’t drop out. I just couldn’t finish the school year.” Kaname is aware of his friends behind him, quiet and watchful, and wishes the sidewalk would swallow him up, or that there was a yokai was around that might do it. “I was– “

“Sick,” Yamamoto parrots with him, rolling his eyes. “No surprise there. It’s a wonder your parents ever let you out of the house. And what is that?”

He waves at Ponta. The lucky cat bristles. Tanuma doesn’t think it’s safe to soothe him aloud, not when it would only prompt more mockery out of Yamamoto. 

As it is, his old schoolmate is viciously pleased to ask, “Is that your cat?”

“No,” Natsume says abruptly. Kaname jumps a little; he hadn’t expected Natsume to be right by his shoulder. “It’s my cat. Is there a problem?”

That’s a tone Kaname has only heard once before, when Natori tried to warn Taki off of using her grandfather’s circles, and Natsume shut that right down in a big way. It’s the same tone he’s hearing now, and he glances to the side quickly to find his best friend gazing at Yamamoto with cool, dark eyes. 

Yamamoto looks wrong-footed. “Why would there be a problem?”

“You tell me,” Natsume says. “So far you’ve called Tanuma a drop-out and made fun of him for being sick as a child. If those are jokes, I don’t understand them.”

It sounds like– it almost sounds like he’s trying to pick a fight, except that isn’t like him at all. His eyes are dark and cold and somewhat narrow, the way Ponta looks when there’s something in his sights that he can eat if he’s wily enough.

Kaname looks behind him at the other four, stupefied. Adachi, Taki, Kitamoto and Nishimura all have the same expressions of wonder on their face, steeled by the prickly loyalty of protective friends. 

“They’re not– I mean.” Yamamoto doesn’t seem to know what to do with Natsume. He’s always talked to Kaname like this, and years down the road is a little too long and too late to reevaluate his behavior. But it looks like he’s trying, framing his words in this new light, and some of that sharp-edged joy that always stuck to him like armor is peeling away. “Oh.”

He looks at Kaname. Kaname blinks back, equally as confused. 

“Why didn’t you say something?” Yamamoto blurts. “If I’ve been hurting you– “

“It’s not his fault you did,” Natsume says, bristling like his cat. His eyes are impossibly green. He looks like something out of a folktale, melted off the page of a storybook to stand here between Kaname and someone who used to make Kaname relieved to be too ill to go to school. 

“No, I didn’t mean– “ Yamamoto backpedals helplessly. Kaname feels sorry for him. His friends are like a force of nature sometimes. 

“It’s okay,” he says kindly. “We were just kids. I don’t think about it very much. Until I saw you just now, I hardly remembered you at all.”

The shorter boy stares at him, one hand curling into a loose fist and uncurling again at his side. “Oh,” he says. And then, “I’ll let you, uh– sorry for interrupting all of you.” With a quick bow, he’s on his way again, bustling through the crowd on the sidewalk and turning the corner like he’d really rather run. 

“Tanuma,” Nishimura says before anyone else has the chance to speak. He puts a hand on Tanuma’s arm, as serious as the grave. “I’m sorry that happened to you. And that guy was an asshole. But this is the best day of my life.”

“Same,” says Taki immediately.

“Hard same,” says Kitamoto. “I’ve never seen Natsume go off like that before in my life, and now it’s the only thing I want to see forever.”

“Shut up,” Natsume says waspishly. He looks almost jittery, as though there’s all this energy built up inside him that has nowhere to go now that Yamamoto made his escape. “That guy– Tanuma, you– “ After a brief struggle, he blurts, “Is this how you all feel when we meet someone I used to know?”

“Uhh, yeah,” Nishimura says, lifting an eyebrow. “Are you going to stop scolding me for making a scene next time we meet one of your evil cousins?”

“We’ll see.” Natsume looks up at Kaname, and all those hard, angry lines in his face relent into the spring meadow softness of him that is so utterly familiar. “Tanuma, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he says honestly. Aside from that initial dread and embarrassment, he really didn’t have time to feel anything else. “I should have– I mean, I used to live around here, and I didn’t say anything while we were planning our trip.”

“So? Natsume never does, either,” Kitamoto says, slinging a friendly arm around Kaname’s shoulders. He’s the only one of his friends tall enough to do it comfortably. “Even without the heads up, we’re here for you.”

Kaname ducks his head, pleased, and leans into the touch. He never had friends like these growing up– never thought he’d have them, either. He missed the boat, he sometimes thought; he didn’t know how to interact with people his own age, didn’t know how to introduce himself and get to know someone without stumbling over his own mouth and feeling like a fool. He always felt scrutinized but somehow never felt seen. 

But now Kitamoto is here, an arm around him as casual as anything. And Taki is sliding her hand into the crook of his arm, eyes warm and caring. And Nishimura and Adachi are on either side of Natsume, peppering him with questions that seem to be calming him down under the guise of riling him up more. And Ponta is purring in his arms, a throaty rumble that sinks into Kaname’s bones and washes out the lingering bruises anxiety left behind.

And Kaname can feel himself letting go of that lonely boy he used to be. Not all at once, not quite yet, but– maybe soon. 

That night, as they’re arguing over takeout menus at the inn, a few rapid knocks at the door of their room has them all glancing up in some confusion.

“Might be housekeeping?” Kitamoto says. “Tanuma, you’re closest.”

Rolling his eyes, Tanuma nevertheless deftly extracts Nishimura from his person and unfolds himself from the cushion, wandering agreeably over to the door and pulling it open to find– 

“Sorry,” Yamamoto blurts in lieu of a hello, hands pressed together in gassho. “I know you super don’t want to see me right now, I totally get it. But– I backtracked earlier and realized you must have been staying at this inn and I told the lady at the front desk I was a friend of yours– sorry! I just– “

He digs into his pocket and withdraws his phone. Clutching it at his side like a token or a good luck charm, he goes on, “Can we talk? Sometime?”

Behind him, Kaname hears someone getting up. There’s a low round of “ooooh”s from the rest of the peanut gallery, which means it’s definitely Natsume. 

“Give him a chance,” Adachi mumbles, tugging Natsume back into his seat. “You gave me one.”

“That’s different,” Natsume hisses back. “This is Tanuma.” 

Kaname finds himself smiling as he pulls out his own phone. Yamamoto lights up a little bit, expression torn somewhere between surprise and hope. 

“Sure,” Kaname tells him. It’s not even difficult to tell him. “What’s your email?”

[goldenscript]

badboy!yuto

adachi yuto, japanese exchange student and baseball player extraordinaire

his pitch is insane,,, latest record was 89.5 mph but he might’ve upped it (he did and he’s still aiming to surpass the best recorded speed of 105.1) since the school’s newspaper last interviewed him,,, nervously

he may be a well-known around school for being one of the top-ranking baseball players but he’s actually really intimidating 

equipped with a brooding look and an almost always resting bitch face a lot of people find him,,,, hard to approach and he likes that

being in a new country is tough - getting to know the language and the customs is like being a little kid in elementary school and it’s because of this very reason that he really hates people trying to belittle him or look down on him

it certainly doesn’t help that just by going there has made other people treat him like an actual child but if there’s yet another thing about yuto then it’s the fact that he has this need to prove others wrong about him

there was a kid in like fifth grade who totally ragged on him,, really made yuto feel like he wouldn’t amount to anything especially in baseball and ok sure he was a pretty scrawny kid at the time, a bit of a late bloomer in the puberty department but y’know everyone matures at their own pace physically and mentally

and anyway, it’s this very kid that has just driven yuto to do the very best that he can even if that means overworking himself and only really putting baseball first

because of that, his grades are pretty mediocre which is funny because he just about calculates and figure just how much he can get away with slacking over just to do the bare minimum

it works though,,, his teachers can’t complain since he is putting in effort and his coaches don’t mind so long as he’s getting the required gpa and coming to practice (which he does almost religiously)

and it’s just really remarkable that this sole drive just to prove someone wrong and get back at them for really doubting him drives him that much

his life has always been shrouded in doubt and insecurity and lots of belittlement and out of everything,,, baseball has always offered some kind of comfort to him

he’ll just stand on that field, whether it’s turf or actual grass, and finds peace in all the screaming because the moment he takes his pitcher’s stance it’s like there’s this silence and everything goes still even during his wind-up and suddenly all this power is thrown into a measly pitch and it has people roaring over him

they didn’t care if he was too foreign or too scrawny or too whatever, they were there and they appreciated his skill and i think that’s all he’s ever really wanted as he grew up into the man he is now

instead of sticking to japan, he decided to take up a full-ride scholarship to south korea and when they announced that at the sports banquet he couldn’t help but feel this swell of pride even if that one kid couldn’t see it happen

it’s a rare sight but it made him smile that day because for once he was acknowledged y’know?

anyway, coming to south korea was almost a culture shock (not by a grand scale but enough that it threw him off balance for a while)

it brought on a dry spell for him because he didn’t have friends or anyone to really be there for him to lean on because he was literally alone and not even with someone he could properly communicate with

it was frustrating on the largest scale and it made him feel even more hesitant and angry to deal with anyone other than his roommate, wooseok, who (bless his soul) is a sweetheart and always invites him to hang or play videogames,,,, sometimes he humors the giant

it took time for yuto to get acquainted with the other eight boys in wooseok’s friend circle but it worked out in weird ways

although yuto can’t exactly socialize in a huge gathering, he would spend one on one time with each of them and found comfortable niches with each so he does have a soft spot somewhere behind all his hostility

he won’t admit it a lot either but he’s more of a shower than a teller

but ok, anyway, even tho his first half of the year in south korea has been a huge struggle, he’s used it to push himself athletically and that’s why he’s getting noticed a lot more by others

they’re still intimidated as ever and rumors come flying in all directions about him killing someone with his pitch and none of the students in the journalism club want to interview him for the paper lmao

there was one brave soul but he’s still pretty,,, shaken from yuto’s rbf and you were actually out in this really cool study abroad in japan about tech culture and reported your findings and,,,,

basically you’re literally the only one who hasn’t heard of yuto aka the hardest person to interview on the baseball team so when you heard about a job that no one was willing to take because it was too scary you were just like “LMAO LEMME AT IT”

that and because he piqued your interest

to say the least, you’re pretty made to be in journalism because you refuse to half-ass anything you do and if they want to do a piece on understanding adachi yuto, literally the hottest rising star on the uni’s baseball team, then dammit you’re gonna do it

so, that’s exactly what you do

you go and hunt him down and approach his coach about interviewing him whenever there’s free time because you’re respectful like that y’know and when the older man grins at you and gives you the ok, you approach him on the bench and kindly talk to him about doing an interview

that alone throws him off because 1) you’re not scared of him??? usually just approaching him is nerve wracking for everyone and anyone but here you are just sauntering over like it’s nobody’s business

he just acts like it’s nothing though, coolly saying, “yeah sure whatever - we can do it right now”

“now?” you ask this with some confusion since you usually have some pretty long, extensive interviews just to get a good piece out because that’s how you are - you’re thorough

not many people in the club agree with you since it’s almost like a waste of time to them but neither you nor do the editor care very much because you put out really good stuff

even some of the stuff you wrote in high school are still circulating around as examples of what one should do and your methods too

 you’re not very black and white, you like grey areas and understanding concepts and people especially when they’re misunderstood and yuto is definitely no exception to that

so when he nods and simply says, “i know this won’t take long anyway, so why not right? we shouldn’t waste either of our time”

of course this throws you off,,, but you just nod and start off with some simple questions (to you) like what made him pursue baseball, how much he practices, what are some of his lucky items and pregame ritual habits, and like what are his goals as a player

like i said you’re thorough and even though you said these were simple, yuto was expecting things like “what’s your favorite part of playing baseball?” (pitching, duh) & “is mlb your goal for the future?” they’re pretty basic - during that first interview, he got even simpler things like what was his favorite color and what was his favorite base, and it made him hate that interview,,, significantly

the only redeeming factor of it was how cool they made him sound with his pitching speed record and that’s of course something he prides himself in but it felt so superficial and off,,, he didn’t like it

he didn’t quite feel belittled or anything but it made him disappointed that despite all his hard work,,, no one really cared enough to get to know him ya feel?

it’s silly but part of him working so hard is also for attention and that validation that he never vocally desires

so for you,,, to actually ask him things outside of his pitching speed record and what he plans outside of school and all that,,, is kinda nice

you can tell by the way he loosens up just a tad that he just has really high defenses and it makes you wonder why,, ,like by journalist instincts but genuine curiosity

and you get your answers (”this kid in school,” “four hours minimum a day,” “this keychain my mom gave me” (it’s this little pochacco bc she was like 99.9% certain that he would go into soccer LOL) and “chew hubba bubba gum - the kinda from the roll or it’s a no go, must wear something red SOMEWHERE, and the keychain has to be nearby”, and “surpass 105.1″) not that you’re in any rush because you really do like to get to know the people you’re interviewing

you’re the sort of person that believes in building connections with others - it’s really how one gets a good article and how to thrive in life like although you don’t talk to everyone you know / met on a daily basis you’d like to think that as long as those relationships weren’t superficial during that time you spent with them then it’s worthwhile

so you find all his answers really endearing and kind of cute even though it’s this stoic dude answering all your questions like he has other things to do and ofc you’re not even offended in the slightest because you understand that people get stiff over these things and it feels like people just haven’t been answering him the right questions anyway

but you being you, asks him the one questions he’s actually hoped to hear: “why 105.1?” 

he grins at you, like a genuine one that actually blows you away because his cheekbones are so gloriously prominent and light is just shining in his eyes and honestly if you were a photographer you would’ve really liked to capture this moment but before he can answer his coach is calling him onto the field and he turns to you almost apologetically

but you wave him off with a grin: “guess this means we gotta continue this interview right?” 

a flash of relief washes over his features before he gives you a brief nod, “guess so” 

you have your tape recorder still going, an heirloom of your mom’s because she loved journalism just as much as you do before she had you and in a way you’re fulfilling this dream for the both of you, and instruct him to recite his number for you

he looks a little exasperated but he does it and grumbles a farewell before jogging back onto the field and you go back to your dorm to listen through the interview, wanting to be thorough, and when you get to the part where he recites his number you jot that down with a wide grin

because deep down you really do think yuto is great - you don’t know it with complete certainty but that brief interview was more than enough so you shoot him a text about meeting up on thursday

to which he replies quite quickly in an affirmation

when the two of you meet, it’s at the park by the school’s garden and it’s absolutely beautiful - you know it’s completely unfamiliar to many people because you really have to look so you wind up finding yuto just take him there and he’s kinda flustered about it but it’s cute on him 

you take a moment to turn on your tape recorder and turn to him to ask the question you both left on 

his answer: “it’s the world record for the fastest pitch but i want to have the fastest pitch” 

there’s still a whole round of questions for him to answer and after a good hour of just bantering, you actually find him endearing and funny and really sweet beneath the brooding rbf

and the more he’s with you, the more he wants to open up even if it just for some interview because he feels acknowledged and appreciated 

with you, there’s something different that stirs in his chest - the ease that he felt after getting acquainted with wooseok comes with you but even more so

he really likes the way the gardenias and lilies complement your features, how the sun shines on you two and you bask in it

for reasons beyond him, he’s actually kinda sad that after this he won’t see much of you because there’s still a lot he’d like to know and ask you but between answering your questions and thinking ahead, it’s hard to interject his own considering it’s his interview

and tbh you’re pretty sad about it too but that sort of thing doesn’t hit you until it’s over and you’re playing the tape recording over and suddenly it’s like,,,, well, you want to know more about yuto

so you make a decision

after you’re done with the piece, you hit yuto up and let him read the manuscript and he’s in freakin’ awe because no one has ever really talked about him in the way that you did and he just turns to you and says “thank you” in the most sincerest voice and your heart truly feels like it might fall out of your chest 

you just tell him that “it was my pleasure” because it really was!!

a small moment passes between you two, but wooseok comes in and you two get embarrassed so you excuse yourself to go prepare for the final publishing 

wooseok totally teases yuto btw but one glare from the latter has the former cackling before he goes off into the shower

“you’re so whipped dude”

“shut. up.”

“it’s the truth~~~~~~”

“sleep with one eye open, woo”

when it gets published, everyone is freakin’ amazed ofc and those who read the piece actually get some proper insight on the misunderstood baseball player, and you hand deliver a copy to him because you’re so freakin’ ecstatic and proud because everyone loved it and it looks so great and 

well yuto is really happy and seeing happy is an absolute blessing 

as flustered as he is, he actually expresses a better expression of gratitude and tells you that “no one has ever done something like this for me and i really, truly appreciate it” 

you can feel your heart thudding and your throat closing up because he continues “and honestly, you’ve been on my mind like crazy y/n”

all you can manage is a “why?” but he’s relieved to see blush dusting on your cheeks

“because i want to get to know you and i want to understand you and i-” he whispers the last half: “thinkyou’rereallycute”

you’re almost in shock but you’re too elated tbh and you embarrassingly say, “i think you’re really cute too,,,,” 

so you both spend this impromptu first date wandering the park and going to the campus cafe and just talking but he lets you talk 

 in fact, he wants to know everything about you - why you started journalism and why you decided to take him on and what your favorite color is and what your favorite song is and all those little things that people tend to forget but him? 

he remembers them 

he remembers everything you tell him and he finds it so adorable how your nose scrunches and your features light up and how much you have to say even though you’re usually the one asking the questions

and it just feels so damn good to have someone show interest in you

like yeah sure you’ve made some strong connections and friendships but the way yuto asks you questions and absorbs your answers, even inputting his own feelings, you feel so happy because this isn’t some obligatory “tell me about yourself” it’s a genuine “please tell me more” 

each day you two learn new things about each other too which is really great if you didn’t realize just how mischievous he is 

LOL like it seems to be a hidden personality trait of his but you’ve come to find that being with yuto has become a series of getting soft pranked or just watching others get hardcore pranked and it’s kinda funny

you really wouldn’t expect it from him but the way he softly pranks you is just too adorable for you to get upset with

like well, the first time he ever told you he loved you, he steals your tape recorder from you - not really steal it but one minute it’s on your desk and another it’s in his hands and he’s fumbling with it but he manages to record over the blank tape and goes “y/n, did you know you’re an amazing person?” 

you can’t help but laugh because he has one of those sports newscaster voice and feigned serious face as he holds the tape recorder out to you in wait of an answer so you just shake your head “no sir, i did not” 

he grins, “well, did you know that i, adachi yuto, love you for being the amazing person you are?” 

and even though his cheeks are so blatantly red and yours are too, you’re stunned 

“i-i did not know that,,,,” and you lean in close and place your hand over his on the recorder and say, “but did you know that i, l/n y/n, love you too?” 

and he just pulls you into the sweetest kiss because he just feels so goddamn happy with you, so content, and most of all, so understood

the rest of the boys are really grateful for you because as comfortable as yuto has been with them, you’ve made it much easier for him and his transition because of the article

a lot of the time, people will come up to him and talk about his stats and baseball which he’s actually happy to converse about 

or even those people that kind of judged him at first, they’re not so,,,,, prejudiced y’know?

they have such a great insight on him as a player and it really is because of all the things you put into that article and you’re so damn proud of it

when you get thanked and welcomed into the group, they adore you man

they love how you aren’t afraid to tease yuto or go along with his playful antics and they love that you bring out this undeniably soft side to him that makes even wooseok go “awwww, my roomie has a heart~~” which is of course replied to with a glare that has even you giggling because that’s just how yuto is

like he’s still pretty intimidating looking but most of the school doesn’t think that as badly - it’s usually people on the street in the city

though there were a few people to stop you two because y’all just looked like The Aesthetic couple and it left you both really flustered 

even as you both continue on in your relationship, there are moments where you just fluster each other because y’all just so damn cute and neither of you two can take it

but it works - everything between you just works and it’s kinda perfect in an odd little way 

sometimes you bicker when he gets a little tsundere with you or if he pranks you a little too much (like hides your stuffed pochacco he won you at the fair very unfairly - poor milk bottle worker LOL) 

in the end, you’ll both apologize because you’re both that hyperaware of your actions and you’re both very accepting too 

you can pick up on things that he doesn’t realize and somehow he can do the same with you - with each other, it’s just.... right 

you understand him and he understands you, and honestly, neither of you could ask for anything better than that~~~~

(also lemme just say that on one of your gifts to him was a badtz maru charm for his bat or anything really because it reminded you of him and how pouty he got but literally everyone agreed)

(he hung it btw and it’s considered his lucky charm because he got his pitching speed up to 95.6 mph!!!!!!!!)

[gamenu]

ADACHI.

                     “THIS WORLD IS TOTALLY FUCKED –” Here, he has his OWN WORDS he has to lock inside his throat and swallow down staring ahead as if he said NOTHING– Oh, sometimes he just wanted to watch it all B U R N, Nicole! THAT’S NORMAL RIGHT? He said morbid shit to the girl but there was only so far he could go before someone over heard him and reported back to his superiors that he was WISHING DESTRUCTION onto the world itself– Not to mention, albeit a little disappointing, it was STILL too early to say whether or not he could TRUST Nicole completely… STILL TO BE SEEN!

                 “People, even authorities, like to ignore issues until they become a ‘REAL’ issue– Don’t ya KNOW, Nicole, that requires actually–” He gasps dramatically turning to her with eyes spread wide, “DOING SOME WORK! And no ones got time to prevent any childhood trauma! Everyone will get what comes to them someday… Can’t say whether or not I BELIEVE in Karama but I’m hopin’ a few people get hit in the face with it pretty hard.” Did that make HIM a form of KARMA in the end? Making people get their JUST DESSERTS through his own hands and sly words? Cheaters and thieves all falling into place before him– An abusive teacher in fact DIED through inspiration of his own crimes! WASN’T IT ALL JUST A FORM OF RETRIBUTION IN THE END!

                Ah, he couldn’t say– Adachi makes his decision on a Green Apple soda, he rather liked the slight sour taste of it mixing with the sweetness of the apple! It wasn’t too sweet or too sour, he liked a little BALANCE. Patting the girls back he glanced down at the bag of vegetables covering her wrist, “How’s that feel? We’ve been wandering around for a little while is it still frozen.” He glances around, the store wasn’t TOO populated today and it was likely anyone back at the frozen section had already filtered out, “Wanna head back and switch out the bag to keep your wrist cold?”

         “I need a word stronger than ‘disgust’ ta describe how I’m really feelin’ abou’ all this,” But she was more than glad that Adachi was on the same page as her with all of this. With the fact that this world was awful for letting the children suffer as they do. For letting the emotional trauma that builds in them- that creates the very ‘monsters’ they have to put away! It was a vicious cycle that they didn’t seem keen on fixing. This is why no one trusted authority. They didn’t do what they were supposed to do. Even Adachi slacked off. But then that’s just because the work they did have him doing was utter bullshit. If not for Dojima taking him out in the field half the time, she’s pretty sure he would have died of boredom by now.

          At the mention of karma giving people what they deserved, all Nicole could do was nod in agreement. She really did hope that these people got what was coming to them for being awful. There was a strong desire to see some people just suffer. However, she couldn’t talk about that. Morbid jokes are one thing, but wanting to actually see people suffer was a whole other ballpark, and she wasn’t sure if Adachi was ready for that kind of talk yet.

          When questioned on switching the bag of frozen vegetables out for others, she stares for a moment before pulling the bag off her wrist, and trying to move it around some. Honestly, it was kind of numb now. Giving it a bit more thought, she shakes her head softly.} “Nah. We can jus’ go’ pu’ these back. I’s fine fer now, an’ if i’ star’s ta hur’ again...oh well. I’ll jus’ deal, ta be frank.”