#❪ semishira’s children ❫

[raelyn-dreams]

Ships

(These ships do not exist as "set" ships. I ship characters in many different ways and with different people, while I may only rarely ship a said character with others. My usual "preferred" ships will be in bold. This list is not all-encompassing - please feel free to send me an ask about any ship or character!!! I love excuses to ramble!!!)

Death Parade: Decim x Chiyuki

Haikyuu: Daisuga, Sugadaiyui, Asanoya, Kiyoyachi, Ennotana, Kiyotana, Kinonari, Ennokinonari, Kagehina, Kenhina, Tsukkiyama, Iwaoi, Matsuhana, Kyouhaba, Kinkuni, Kuroken, Bokuroo, Bokuakakuroken, Fukutora, Fukuken, Toraken, Fukukentora, Levyaku, Inulev, Shibalev, Teshinushibalev, Bokuaka, Ushiten, Semishira, Kawashira, Kogagoshiki, Aofuta, Kogasaku, Kitaran, Osasuna, Sakuatsu, Daimika.

Ouran High School Host Club: Tamaharu, Tamahika, Tamahikaharu, Kyokao, Hanirei, Kasumei.

Pokemon: Satogou/Journey/Firstfriend, Pallet, Sapphirepearl.

Sailor Moon: Mamousa, Harumichi, Makoami, Reinako.

The Promised Neverland: Norrayemma, Gildon.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children: Fugh, Emwyn, Enorace.

Carmen Sandiego (2019): Julethief/Carulia, Carmivy, Jeantonio.

Ninjago: Jaya, Pixane, Bruise/Geode, Mudshock, Lava, Glacier, Techno, Opposites, Plasma, Polyninja, Samurai, Amberpheonix, Scruffy.

Teen Titans: Robstar, BBRae, Starrae, Jerikole.

Twisted Wonderland: Azurid, Florid, Treyrid, Treyjade, Treycaterid, Treycater, Mallekei, Adeuce, Epeldeuce/Applejuice, Leoruggie, Leovil, Epeljack, Azuido, Azujami, Idiazu, Jamikali, Silkali, Rookvil, Silseb.

Enstars: Wataei, Yuzutori, Subahokke, PolyTrickstar, Chiakana, Midochia, Midotetoshino, Hiiai, Tatsumayo, Hiyojun, PolyEden, Shumika, Rinniki, Reikao, Adokoga, Mitsutomohaji, Kurokei, Izuleo, PolyKnights, Natsumugi, Reichi, Eikei, Eimugi, Watarei, Torikasa, Midoyuzu, Subanatsu, Ritsumao, Chiakao, Tetohina, Yuushino, Hiikoha, Kohaii, Kohiiai, Tatsuhime, Tatsukana, Ibahaji, Kanajun, Kuroshu, Shunazu, Rinneshu, Narumika, Ritsumika, Reikei, Adosou, Kogasou, Adosoukoga.

Injustice: Greencanary, Jason Rusch x Jaime Reyes.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst: Faith x Icarus, Faith x Plastic.

Obey Me & Obey Me Nightbringer: Dialuci, Solasmo.

Cursed Princess Club: Gwendrick, Jellie.

[kittensvball]

boyfriends and girlfriends of the ushiten’s kids pt. 2

tsukishima akito

he never thought much about it until he was right in front of both of them

i mean, he loves tendou’s sweet stuff, seriously. he has a sweet tooth, but it’s different as his boyfriend’s mother

and ooh he freezes as he goes to tendou’s shop once before school and his brothers start to tease him like the little shits they are

akito kinda forgets how to talk and basically says “you make really delicious teika, tendou-san”

he never came back to tendou’s shop. EVER

he’s still one of those who tries to NOT go to ushiten’s house, but... well, not because of ushijima this time

bokuto toshiki

honestly he’s very scared to meet ushi and tendou because damn, those two have a reputation. he doesn’t feel like... he’s worth of izanagi’s time, and thinks his parents will think the same

since his grades are low and he’s not great at all at volleyball, there’s nothing really for him to impress his boyfriend’s parents really and it drives him insane

he overthinks a lot

he still haven’t met them officially, and he’s very afraid to

semi yukiya

out of them all, yukiya is the one more comfortable around ushijima and tendou after all they are family even before he fell for hisashi

i’m gonna assume they are yukiya’s godparents because honestly? it fits 

yukiya has ushijima as an exemplo. not as a volleyball player, but as an athlete in general

and he is kinda of jealous of tendou for a long time, since he felt like he’d be like uncle ushijima, except... with no one else to make him feel things

but overall, he is all cool with them. it’s more likely to see him with ushijima though, since they are somewhat alike

[hongbubs]

My gift to @sunarintarou for the @hqvalentineexchange <3 I do hope you’ll enjoy it even if it’s not what you were really expecting ;) Happy Valentine’s day, dear! <33

Here’s some little aesthetics to set the mood ;) Eita & Shirabu 

Title: Would it really kill you if we kissed?

Pairing: Semi Eita/Shirabu Kenjirou

Rating: Teen and Up

Words:  13586

Summary:  "Here was the thing that made pretty much everything infinitely more complicated: Eita Semi liked Kenjirou Shirabu an awful lot. Now this wasn’t a well-kept secret in any way, shape, or form. In fact, it wasn’t even a half-hidden, half-known secret, definitely not something that Eita spent any conscious effort in keeping to himself. On the contrary, by the standard of most truths concerning the affections of teenage witches and wizards at Hogwarts, or ‘crushes’, if you will; it was a fact expected to be well-known by most friends and associates, and Eita did not particularly mind this."

[ideks-on-mars]

Literally GORGEOUS just like their parents 😭

Let me introduce my Semishira kids!!

The one on the right is Eijiro and the one on the left is Kaito

I have a mini comic but I'll put it in a separate post

[ideks-on-mars]

hey bestieee i went grocery shopping with my sibling and it was pure chaos so now i want reonsemishira grocery shopping headcanons !! no headcanons can be as chaotic yet domestic as grocery shopping !

Omg Logggg 🤭 I love grocery shopping thingys omgomgomg

ANYWAYS REONSEMISHIRA GROCERY SHOPPING TRIP HCS LET'S GO!!!

- Reon usually goes by himself so that he can get it done quick and easy

- But SemiShira INSISTED that they help their handsome boyfriend cuz they wanna be helpful

- Reon's too sweet to say no 💀 so he rolls up with the two hooligans this time

- It goes just about as well as you can expect

- It's a shit show

- They let Semi push the cart and within 2 minutes he had ran into Reon with it

- Semi's not allowed to push the cart no more :(

- Shirabu stuck his tongue out at him and now the two are swatting at each other in the store

- Reon grabs them by their wrists and puts them on either side of him 💀

- Fun's over :(

- For now >:)

- They make it to the candy isle and Semi comes to a complete stop

- "I want some candy :) Please, Reon?"

- "I'm your boyfriend, not your mom. Just go grab some."

- Semi goes waddling into the candy isle with Shirabu not far behind him

- Reon sighs and just turns the cart into the isle cuz he has a feeling they might be here for a while

- Semi can't choose between the chocolate pockys or the cookies and cream pockys

- Meanwhile Shirabu's telling him how it doesn't matter between those two because the chocolate banana ones are the best

- They end up throwing all three in the cart and Reon's about to turn out of the isle

- That is before they walk back towards the damn candy

- Semi wanted lemon flavored SHIGEKIX and Shirabu wanted Noisy Soda candy

- They plopped that in the cart and they were off again

- He sends Semi off to get milk and he comes back with whole milk

- "Eita, why don't you get the 2% milk? It's better for you." "It doesn't taste as good!"

- Reon looked at Shirabu for some back up

- "He's got a point."

- SemiShira, again, get their way

- Big shocker

- The other two race off to grab something. Reon gets a breather for a good two seconds

- He remembered just who the two he just left alone were and he fast walks to go look for them

- He walks into an isle to see Shirabu, reaching for something, using Semi, who's curled up on the ground, as a stool

- "Stop moving so much, Ei!" "I'm trying...your feet are digging into my back."

- He swears he hears a child go "Mom, look!"

- Reon grabs Shirabu and pulls him off before grabbing Semi by the back of his shirt and yanking him upward

- A very pissed off Reon is dragging two trouble-making setters with him and it almost looks like an angry dad and his two bad ass little kids

- "If you two don't behave I'll handcuff you both to the cart and leave you here for someone else to deal with you." "You're gonna put handcuffs on us? 😏" "Reon please, we're in public. There are children around. 😳"

- Reon's on the verge of strangling them.

- SemiShira hold hands and skip around acting like everything is all peaches and cream while Reon's about to implode

- Reon makes them watch the cart while he goes down the isles getting things that they actually need 💀

- SemiShira start feeling a little bad cuz Reon seems so upset with them 😪

- They both throw themselves on him

- "Reo, we're sorry :(" "Yeah, we didn't wanna make you upset babe :("

- Reon's skeptical but he kisses them both and tells them that it's ok

- Reon "Local sweetheart" Ōhira

- They finally make it to the cashier, by the grace of God 😭

- The cashier is some girl who's the same age as them

- And she's giving Reon the heart eyes

- Excuse them, but ummm, that's Semi and Shirabu's boyfriend? Thank you? 🤨💅

- Shirabu is hanging onto Reon's arm the whole time he's paying 💀

- But Semi? Semi's got an idea. He sees those little claw machines. And they only take 100 yen coins. Interesting...

- "Hey, I hate to be a bother. But do you mind giving us our change in 100 yen coins?"

- Shirabu's proud. Reon's mentally rolling his eyes at the piece of shit.

- They really had to make this girl's life harder cuz she thought Reon was cute 💀 wait until they hear about the fandom.

- They play the claw machine, they gat an equal amount of turns. Reon won two stuffed animals, the others didn't win shit 💀

- Reon makes them load up the car, bring the groceries inside, AND put them away. All while he stood there and watched.

- He didn't let SemiShira come with him anymore ✋️💀

[scott-is-hyperfixating]

Songs from my simping playlist (titled “ain’t she pretty?”) as hq ships I like

Someone You Like (the girl and the dream catcher) - Kyouhaba

Would You Be So Kind (dodie) - Semishira

Lo-Fi Children (wild party) - Sakuatsu (but in a friends to lovers way, you know?)

Nothing (Bruno major) - Osasuna

I won’t say I’m in love (hercules (the movie not the person)) - matsuhana (fight me about it but I think Hanamaki would get pissed at himself for crushing on matsukawa)

Lavender (Penelope Scott) - Yakulev

Boys like you (dodie) - Teruyama

Slow Dance With You (adventure time) - kiyoyachi

[dvkv-editz]

Help me with something please

Help me name the Haikyuu ships children real quick, because I’m gonna draw what I think they’d all look like.

(Just put the ship name first then the kids name, and after a week I’ll decide what names to pick though I already have a few)

Here are the ships:

- Kagehina (Kageyama x Hinata)          - Tsukiyama (Tsukishima x Yamaguchi)

- Daisuga (Daichi x Sugawara)             - Asanoya (Asahi x Nishinoya)

- Tanakiyo (Tanaka x Kiyoko)                - Iwaoi (Iwaizumi x Oikawa)

- Kuroken (Kuroo x Kenma)                  - Levyaku (Lev x Yaku)

- Bokuaka (Bokuto x Akaashi)               - Sakuatsu (Sakusa x Atsumu)

- Osasuna (Osamu x Suna)                   - Ushiten (Ushijima x Tendo)

- Semishira (Semi x Shirabu)

[cycyno]

SEMI !!!

Thanks for the ask! He’s grown on me a lot lately

Semi Eita AKA Bad Fashion Choices

Sexuality Headcanon: 

Eita knew that he was mainly into guys basically all the time. I wouldn’t necessarely call him gay though, since it depends highly on the person. So I think he might be polysexual with a preference for men.

Gender Headcanon: 

CIS Male.

A ship I have with said character: 

SemiShira! ♥ God, I’ve come to love it more and more the past few days! It’s just super cute and I love how they both fit together.

A BROTP I have with said character:

Tendou and Semi, definitely. They’re not only roomates, but kind of the mom and dad of their group. Also, though Tendou annoys him a lot, Semi really likes him. 

 A NOTP I have with said character: 

A random headcanon: 

Alright so I have a few!As I mentioned before, he shares a room with Tendou, who is a giant anime nerd, always fangirling about stuff to Semi, even though Semi doesn’t even watch the shows. It gets so bad that Semi actually watches the animes that Tendou recommends or talks about. But in secret. Never would he admit that he stayed awake one whole night with headphones, staring at the screen of his laptop to watch Ouran High School Host Club in one sitting! One day, however, Tendou notices and so he annoys him constantly through reciting quotes from various characters or even singing the intro songs. Semi won’t admit anything though. He’s a brickwall.

Semi has 3 little siblings. He’s the oldest one and always had to help out a little at home. Not that he had minded. His father works while his mother is at home, taking care of the children while being pregnant with the fifth child. She doesn’t mind though. She can handle herself quite well. Of course Eita’s father is there for her when he’s home and takes the work off her shoulders. 

Shirabu’s and Semi’s relationship started out as a One Night Stand, which both of them considered an accident. However, the accident repeated itself and so they both decided that that’s what they were: Friends with benefits. That worked out for a while but soon they both noticed that they had fallen for each other helplessly. So they talked and got together.

Eita is also pretty sappy in a relationship. Like, actually really affectionate and lovey. But in his own way.

The whole “Friends With Benefits” thing was much to his liking at first tho. He had two relationships already, one of them suddenly growing “sick” of him and breaking up via phone a few years back and the other, only a year back, cheating on him while he basically caught them doing it. Or at least close to it. That’s why he was pretty “sick of relationships” but he wants to give the relationship with Kenjirou a chance and it’s worth it in the end.

Worst fashion choices ever! Not as bad as Tendou’s but already bad enough. So the team kind of tries to get him a better sense of fashion, dragging him shopping and what not.

General Opinion over said character:

At first I didn’t think much about him. I liked his design and his hair but that was it. He was nothing more than a background character but OH MY. I’VE GROWN TO LOVE HIM SO MUCH. LIKE. HE’S GREAT. He’s feisty, sassy, super done and just really cute somehow? I lvoe how he fits into the team, and I also kinda love how they just ‘replaced’ him like that? Making him a little salty as well? And I alos like how he’s pictured in Fanfictions! He’s just a really interesting character and there’s probably so much you can do with him!! GDHJKLFJSDH I LOVE HIM!! HE’S LIKE MY CHILD!!!

(Semi is a little bit annoyed but somehow glad that people are interested in him still)

[musicprincess655]

Since we're on the subject of the swan children anyway, how about SemiShira for the ultimate ship ask~

You come to my house and you bring my favorite rarepair. Hired. 

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - forever if they can work out their communication issues

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Semi nursed a crush for a long time before Shirabu started nursing a crush. Nothing moved very fast with these two and it wasn’t until Adulthood that they really got together

How was their first kiss? - honestly? Bad. Shirabu had no idea what he was doing. Semi was very nice about it

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Shirabu, out of spite, because someone told him he wouldn’t

Who is the best man/men? - Tendou for Semi, Kawanishi for Shirabu but he’s been fired and rehired at least 20 times before the actual wedding

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? -

Who did the most planning? - Semi, with Shirabu’s mom, because Shirabu was under the impression they would be going to a courthouse and getting out in an hour. He was Wrong

Who stressed the most? - Semi

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Shirabu got himself temporarily uninvited for not helping with planning

Sex:

Who is on top? - Whoever feels like it but a slight advantage to Semi

Who is the one to instigate things? - Semi in the beginning, and Shirabu once he gets comfortable. Semi isn’t always sure what to do with the monster he’s created

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - they’re both athletes so it’s nothing to sniff at

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Semi Eita is a courteous and equitable lover

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - None

How many children will they adopt? - One. Shirabu’s cousin had a baby she couldn’t take care of and through family channels they ended up taking care of the kid

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - they do a good job of splitting it evenly

Who is the stricter parent? - Semi. Their son walks all over Shirabu

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Semi

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Semi, usually, because Shirabu Cannot Cook

Who is the more loved parent? - They’re loved equally

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Shirabu. He’s never been more at home than with the PTA moms. Square the fuck up Helen the fuck you just say about my kid?

Who cried the most at graduation? - Shirabu absolutely sobbed and refuses to admit it

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Shirabu. He’s a rich boy and he has the funds

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Semi, because as aforementioned, Shirabu can burn water

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Slight advantage to Shirabu but they’ll both eat just about anything

Who does the grocery shopping? - They go together because if Semi goes alone he gets rice and the cheapest bargain stuff and if Shirabu goes along he gets way too much fancy expensive stuff

How often do they bake desserts? - Often. Semi is a stress baker, which works out well because Shirabu is a stress eater

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Meat

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Shirabu. He’s weirdly affectionate with big romantic gestures. It always comes accompanied with a drag though because can’t have Semi thinking he cares too much

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Shirabu, and it’s usually to somewhere that requires a suit

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - Shirabu is not allowed in the kitchen unsupervised after the Incident

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Both

Who is really against chores? - neither is super against chores but Shirabu has Strong Opinions about dishes and why he shouldn’t have to do them

Who cleans up after the pets? - Semi. He loves his asshole cat

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Shirabu

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - They’re about equal but neither of them stresses that much

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Semi

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Shirabu

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - They walk together

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - They both enjoy holidays so fairly regularly

What are their goals for the relationship? - to communicate well so they don’t blow up at each other (and curb Shirabu’s starbucks habit because seriously they don’t have the budget for this yes they do but it’s still an ungodly amount of starbucks)

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Shirabu, but Semi is happy to stay in bed with him so neither of them are actually up

Who plays the most pranks? - Semi, because Shirabu falls for them easily and the mind games are real

Ultimate Ship Meme

[ideks-on-mars]

My SemiShira love children cuz yes.

Raiden (Oldest)

Eiko (Triplet 1/3)

Osiris (Triplet 2/3)

Nokoribi (Triplet 3/3)

Ayame (Twin 1/2)

Seth (Twin 2/2)

Feel free to ask any questions about these little fuckers

Edit: I posted some headcannons for the little shits right here 😌👌

[musicprincess655]

Knight and Bishop, Ch. 31

COMPLETE

Pairing: Semishira

Rating: T

Tags: a/b/o, royalty au

read on ao3

“The game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess” - Benjamin Franklin

*

Seventeen years later

“You read too fast.”

“You read too slow.”

“I can just leave.”

“No, stay,” Kenjirou complained. “You’re comfortable. I’ll read slower.”

Eita settled back down where Kenjirou was leaning against his chest, sitting between his legs. Eita rested his head on Kenjirou’s shoulder, reading along with him. Kenjirou sighed, feeling the peace of sitting with his mate settle back over him.

“Are you still upset that you couldn’t go on the expedition?” Eita asked. Kenjirou shrugged.

“Why do you ask?” he asked lightly.

“Because you keep tapping your feet, and you keep reading stuff about the legends of the lands across the sea.”

Even after this many years of marriage, Eita still knew him better than he knew himself. Kenjirou blew his bangs out of his face. He would have to cut them soon, but he hadn’t wanted to do much of anything lately.

“They wouldn’t have let a pregnant omega go,” he said diplomatically. Eita rubbed a hand over his stomach, still moving back into the shape it had been before he’d had a baby. Kenjirou didn’t really like how long it was taking, but he was too tired to really worry about it.

A tap at their door made them both look up. Satori was poking his head in.

“The girls want to see the baby,” he said. “Is that okay?”

Kenjirou felt Eita looking at the side of his head. Up to him. He nodded.

The two princesses, Rina and Takara, walked into the room. Rina, the older at twelve, walked like a king, but then again, that’s what her father had been training her to be. Takara was a lot more like her mother, with a mischievous streak a mile long. They looked so similar, auburn hair and red eyes, olive skinned and tall for their ages, but their personalities couldn’t be more different.

“May I hold him?” Rina asked politely. Kenjirou felt his gut clench, but he looked at Satori a little desperately, and Satori bailed him out.

“Sit down,” he instructed his daughter, pointing her to a chair. Rina settled herself carefully, Takara hot on her heels, as Satori carefully lifted Takumi from his cradle. He set the infant down in Rina’s carefully formed arms while Takara looked on excitedly.

“Sorry, I know it’s a little hard to let them go in the first few months,” Satori said, coming to sit beside them on the bed. “They’ll be gentle, I promise.”

Kenjirou couldn’t quite take his eyes off the two girls holding his son, no matter how much he trusted Satori. The queen leaned his head into Eita’s shoulder. Years ago, that would have made Kenjirou jealous, but he’d had a long time to get used to the idea of Eita loving him and just him.

He’d been a little jealous when Satori had first showed up and Eita had taken to him immediately, but he could hardly blame his husband when Satori had gotten close to him too in such a short period of time.

“I think we’ll hear news about the expedition soon,” Satori said, and Kenjirou knew it was for his benefit. “Riders came from the south. They should be arriving at Karasuno soon.”

“Good,” Kenjirou said absently, still watching the children. Takumi started fussing, and he made to get up.

“I’ve got him,” Eita said, sliding out from behind him. Kenjirou gratefully watched his mate cross the room, pick up their son, and gently rock him. Eita had a habit of babbling nonsense under his breath to calm Takumi down, and it was unbearably cute.

“How are you doing?” Satori asked Kenjirou. “It’s only been a few months. How are you healing up?”

“I feel better,” Kenjirou said. “I’m not as tired as I was a few weeks ago. And he sleeps through the night some of the time, so I get to sleep through the night some of the time.”

“That’s good,” Satori smiled. He was perpetually smiling, mouth turned up at the corners. “These two were troublemakers. They weren’t sleeping through the night consistently until at least a year old. I was so sure I was doing something wrong, but Mom said I was the same way. You’re lucky he’s so calm.”

“I think he wants you,” Eita said, walking over to them with Takumi. Kenjirou was already reaching out to take him. Sure enough, Takumi was nuzzling the front of his shirt. Kenjirou sighed, undoing the laces at the top.

It was nice, despite the slight embarrassment at doing this in front of everyone. Rina and Takara were soon bored with them, playing among themselves. Eita and Satori both felt safe around him.

Kenjirou had been worried when he’d gotten pregnant. He’d never really had a mother to look up to. He wasn’t sure how well he could fill the role, especially when he looked at Satori, who had taken to motherhood so easily and had even mothered people around him. Satori had mothered him, despite being younger, and Kenjirou wasn’t sure how he was supposed to compete with that.

He always felt like he was messing up this whole being a parent thing, although pretty much everyone assured him that all new parents felt that way. He would never stop questioning whether he was doing things right, and he wouldn’t be able to do it without messing up anything, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a good mother.

Now, though, with Takumi safe in his arms, he felt like he was doing at least something right.

It had seemed like an almost cruel irony at first, the expedition. He’d finally admitted to Eita, and to himself, that he wanted children, about three years ago. He’d gone off the tea he used to control his heats, but it had taken him and Eita two years after that to finally get him pregnant, probably a side effect of having taken the tea for so long.

And then, not even a month after he’d found out he was pregnant, a meeting between Karasuno and Seijoh and Shiratorizawa had revealed the planned expedition, to find faraway lands that Kenjirou had read about and had spent at least a few years burning with curiosity about.

He didn’t resent staying here, though. He had his son now, and that was what really mattered to him right now. He’d hear all the news about faraway lands soon. He didn’t have to go see them himself.

Even if part of him still wanted to see them.

“Does Rina still want to be king?” Eita asked Satori.

“She’s still learning from Wakatoshi,” Satori confirmed. “An omega king. She’ll have her work cut out for her, but she’s learning well.”

Personally, Kenjirou thought Rina, of the two girls, was more like Ushijima. She was quiet, reserved in a way her sister and mother weren’t, but there was steel in her. She was good with a sword, and good at listening. She wasn’t queen material, the way Kenjirou never would have been queen material, but she might have what it takes to be a good king.

Kenjirou looked around at his family. Eita and Takumi, obviously, but Satori and Takara and Rina too, and Ushijima, off doing whatever it was he had to do to take care of the kingdom.

This was his family, and he wouldn’t trade them for the world.

[musicprincess655]

Knight and Bishop, Ch. 2

Pairing: Semishira

Rating: T

Tags: royalty au, a/b/o

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“I have added these principles to the law: get the Knights into action before both Bishops are developed” – Emanuel Lasker

“You’re cocky,” the king commented. Kenjirou hid his smile, not that he was sure it would do him much good. The king already knew he was confident, but he didn’t have to let on why. “Only someone overconfident goes into a frontal assault with a smaller force.”

Kenjirou just hummed, his eyes focused on the field. They were standing at the top of a tower, watching their troops move on the edge of a forest. The exercise was meant to simulate a situation where a strategist would give orders to a general without being able to change on the fly. This was more for Kenjirou’s benefit than the king’s, as there were few situations he wouldn’t be among his men in battle.

It had been an interesting experience to give orders to a general. His status hadn’t been nearly the barrier he’d been expecting, but his age was a barrier. He’d heard the whispers as he’d left, the idea of someone so young giving orders something these older soldiers weren’t too fond of. Still, it was better they learned to listen to him now. It would be inconvenient to have to argue his points in the middle of an actual war.

Omegas weren’t often soldiers or military advisors, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be. Kenjirou had gotten a few looks from his team, but nothing that questioned his right to be there. The appraising looks…well, he could have done without them. He was beyond not interested. But no one had actually made him feel uncomfortable, so he let it slide. He was young, and he was pretty. He couldn’t fault them for looking.

He was busy being proud of himself for working his way up to squaring off with the king, anyway. He and Ushijima had been playing these exercises against each other for a few years, but Ushijima wasn’t enough of a challenge anymore. Kenjirou had started to overtake his friend in his lessons, and that combined with a mind set up for puzzles had led to him winning far more often in the exercises.

His side advanced on the king’s entrenched forces. It was thrilling to watch, especially because with the blunted weapons each side was using, the chance of death or even serious injury was low. This exercise offered all the thrill of battle with none of the danger, and Kenjirou loved it.

“See, they’ll never be able to win in a direct assault,” the king said, pointing to where his shield wall stretched, enough to surround Kenjirou’s side if they pressed the middle too hard. By all appearances, Kenjirou had led his men directly into a trap.

He turned to the king, his best “demure omega” face in place, one that usually fooled everyone but Taichi.

“Who said I was attacking from the front?” he asked innocently. The king’s eyes widened as he turned back to the field. From the trees, the other half of Kenjirou’s forces charged, disrupting the shield line and tearing it to shreds. The two sides of Kenjirou’s team squeezed together, and when the dust cleared, the king’s men were entirely subdued.

The king started laughing.

“I underestimated you,” he said, clapping Kenjirou on the shoulder. “I can see why my son speaks so highly of you.”

Kenjirou preened under the praise. After all, the king himself was acknowledging his skills. Anyone would be proud.

“I think he’s proven himself enough,” the queen said quietly, stepping forward. Kenjirou hadn’t exchanged more than a few words with her in his life, but lately, he’d felt her eyes trained on him more and more. She’d been watching him, he was sure, and he thought he had an idea why. “I’ve been saying this for weeks. We should be grooming him for a place on the council. He should be shadowing Saitou-san in addition to his lessons.”

“I can see what you’ve been talking about,” the king agreed. “He’s got a talent for this.”

Kenjirou watched the king and queen interact. Their relationship was a kind of quiet friendship, not much overt love, though they got along well. Like most royal marriages, it had been forged out of political reasons, not love, but it worked well for both of them.

It was probably a lot like what his relationship with Ushijima would look like.

He wasn’t opposed to it. If the king and queen could make it work for this long, he could do it too. It was looking more and more likely that he would be married off to his friend, though he had a little over a year until he turned eighteen, so he could look forward to at least that much longer of being single.

As if being summoned by his thoughts, Ushijima appeared at his side.

“That was well done,” Ushijima told him simply. Kenjirou searched his face, but as always, there was no hint of anger or jealousy at his statement. He was simply acknowledging that Kenjirou had done well, and even seemed happy for him. Kenjirou wasn’t sure he had a jealous bone in his body, which made arguments with him boring. He rarely fought back, instead either shutting Kenjirou down with cool logic or accepting that Kenjirou was right, if rude, without complaint.

Well, that was fine. If Kenjirou really needed to pick a fight, Taichi was usually more than happy to indulge him, even if that meant he lost sometimes. Taichi was one of the few who was willing and capable of matching him blow for verbal blow. It was a good thing they were friends, because something told Kenjirou that Taichi would be the last enemy he ever made if he was stupid enough to do that.

Kenjirou thanked Ushijima and followed the queen. She would introduce him to Saitou, who would take on the role of showing him how to be chief strategist to the king.

“How did you know he wouldn’t send out scouts to the forest?” she asked. “In most situations, he would.”

“He underestimated me, like he said,” Kenjirou replied. “And he probably didn’t think I would go this far for a simple training exercise. I won’t be able to pull a trick like that again against him. He knows I’m not just a young omega with no idea what I’m doing anymore.”

“That he does,” she agreed. “Your tutor speaks highly of you. My son speaks highly of you. Now everyone can see why. You’re only sixteen now, correct?” Kenjirou nodded. “If you continue on this path, you could easily surpass Saitou-san. He’ll like you; he’s been begging for a good student to train as his successor.”

Saitou was nice enough, if surprisingly frail for a strategist. Even though Kenjirou knew he was small, Saitou was delicate in a way he was not. He was clearly not a soldier. A man getting up in years, it was no wonder he was looking for a student to train to replace him. He was probably hoping to retire soon. He probably had children, and maybe even the hint of grandchildren. Kenjirou might expect to take his place sooner than even he had dreamed.

Saitou took him through the library, hands down Kenjirou’s favorite place in the castle, pointing out the section with maps, telling Kenjirou he was more than welcome to use the table with the map of the kingdoms carved into it whenever he’d like.

Kenjirou’s life was changing, and every part of the plan was starting to fall into place. Tomorrow, he would start shadowing Saitou after his lessons were done, and he would start sitting in on council meetings from now on. He was, effectively, a member of the king’s inner circle at sixteen.

His father was overjoyed when Kenjirou told him the news. He’d pulled Kenjirou into a hug, and Kenjirou had reciprocated. His father was the one person allowed to be this affectionate with him. Kenjirou held everyone else, even Taichi, at an arm’s length. However, he’d grown close to his father in the years after his mother’s death, a mother he barely remembered.

“I’m proud of you, son,” his father said into his shoulder, still holding him in a hug. Kenjirou hadn’t even noticed that he was nearly as tall as his father, a man who had always seemed larger than life to him.

“Thank you, Papa,” Kenjirou replied.

Tomorrow, his life would start to change a bit, though for the better he was sure. For now, he could enjoy being held by his father like he was still a child. Change would be good, but it was still a little scary, and sometimes being spoiled like this was nice. He had the rest of his life to be an adult.

[musicprincess655]

Knight and Bishop, Ch. 1

Pairing: Semishira 

Rating: T for now

Tags: a/b/o, royalty au

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“The chessboard is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the Universe, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature and the player on the other side is hidden from us” – Thomas Huxley

The events of Shirabu Kenjirou’s life were as carefully calculated as the moves on a chessboard. Everything was planned in advance to give him the best shot later in life.

The only son of a widower who turned his grief into spoiling his child, Kenjirou had had nothing but the best growing up. His father planned for him to have a comfortable and happy life, no matter the turns it might take. With the influence he’d grown in the court, he managed to get Kenjirou into lessons with the best tutor the kingdom had to offer.

This tutor just happened to be assigned to the crown prince as well, a boy four years Kenjirou’s senior. Ushijima Wakatoshi-sama was a quiet, if a bit dull boy. Kenjirou didn’t mind his company. Ushijima never interrupted him when he was reading, and he didn’t hold their lessons back by being too slow. Kenjirou liked him well enough.

Ushijima, because he would someday be king, focused in his lessons on warfare, and therefore so did Kenjirou. They had lessons together in swordsmanship, which Kenjirou wasn’t the biggest fan of, but he refused to fall behind Ushijima. Together, they studied the great battles in history, both of their kingdom and of others. It was here Kenjirou truly began to shine. Their tutor said he had a mind for strategy, and it was for the best that he was learning with Ushijima. One day, he could serve well as a strategist.

Kenjirou preened under his praise, and so did his father when Kenjirou brought home his tutor’s words. Shirabu Takeshi knew his son was destined for greatness, and this only proved what he was already certain of. Kenjirou didn’t stay idle, but instead worked ever harder. His father assured him that following this path would bring him happiness, and he had no reason to believe otherwise. Ushijima was kind enough to him, and he liked their tutor, even if he much preferred their lessons on literature to warfare.

After all, he still had plenty of time to read on his own. Lessons were for warfare, free time was for reading. Kenjirou learned early on to separate the two sides of his interests.

It wasn’t until he was twelve that he found someone to be his best friend. Ushijima was nice, and by default they were each other’s closest friends as the only children in proximity to each other, but it was a close friendship without much shared interest.

However, when Kenjirou was twelve, a new person their age was brought in. Up until now, Ushijima – and by extension Kenjirou, who spent most of his time with the young prince – had been protected by an older, seasoned guard at all times. Now, however, a much younger boy was brought in to learn from the older guard, with the intention that as they aged, he would grow into a companion for Ushijima.

His name was Kawanishi Taichi, and Kenjirou insulted him on sight.

“You’re too skinny to be a guard,” he’d said. Taichi had turned to him, tongue just as sharp as Kenjirou’s, and fired back.

“You’re too skinny to beat me in a fight.”

Kenjirou’s jaw had dropped. No one ever talked back to him. Not that he was usually rude enough to insult people, at least out loud, but if he did he was usually ignored. He was passed off as “just a child” and left at that.

Kenjirou would never admit it, but Taichi was a good influence on him. Having someone to match wits with was fun, and having someone call him on his rudeness saved him from several sticky situations. Taichi taught him all the best curse words, which he now had to be careful to not say in the presence of anyone important.

The three of them were good friends, though it was clear to anyone who bothered to look that Taichi and Kenjirou were closer to each other than either was to Ushijima. Sometimes, in his brief moments of kindness, Kenjirou wondered if it bothered Ushijima to not have someone to call a best friend. Maybe it was lonely, though Kenjirou had gotten along just fine before Taichi had shown up.

These moments didn’t last long.

The original plan was for Kenjirou to continue being friends with Ushijima and proving himself in their lessons and eventually work his way into the inner circle as a battle strategist. This plan shifted slightly when Kenjirou presented as an omega at age thirteen.

It wasn’t derailed, though. It only changed to building Kenjirou up as a potential mate in addition to a good member to have on a war council. As an alpha or a beta, the most he could have hoped for was to be an advisor to Ushijima, but as an omega, he was now a candidate for queen.

Kenjirou knew the change was there without his father having to discuss it with him. He could see it in the way his father directed conversations, in the way he took more care in how Kenjirou should appear around the castle.

Kenjirou didn’t have any explicit objections to this change in plans. He didn’t love Ushijima, and probably never would, but they were good friends. They knew how to talk to each other, and how to get along. He could do a lot worse that Ushijima, especially considering that marrying his friend would make him queen. No matter what happened to his father or his life, he would be comfortable as queen.

A small part of him pointed out that he wasn’t exactly queen material, being more versed at warfare than at running a kingdom, but he shoved that part down. It wasn’t like that would be so hard to learn, and besides, he could do anything he put his mind to. He’d already proven he was a quick learner, taking to both warfare and swordsmanship when he really preferred reading.

It wasn’t until he was nearly fourteen, when his father must have figured that he knew the plan anyway, that they finally talked about it.

“Are you alright with this plan?” his father had asked. “This is for your happiness. If this isn’t what you want, you don’t have to aim for Ushijima-sama to marry you.”

Kenjirou had just shrugged. He had no reason to refuse, and his father thought this would make him happy. Just because warfare bored him a little and he knew he would never love Ushijima like his father loved his mother didn’t mean he couldn’t be happy in this path.

“I can do this,” he’d assured his father.

Taichi might have had other thoughts, but he kept them to himself. He had enough on his plate trying to learn to be a personal guard without also trying to deal with Kenjirou’s life.

Soon, his tutor said, he and Ushijima could start planning mock battles against each other for practice. Kenjirou couldn’t wait.

He wouldn’t lose.

[musicprincess655]

Queen of His People, Ch. 12

Pairing: Ushiten, Semishira

Rating: T

Tags: a/b/o, royalty au

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Dear Satori,

It’s still weird that you’re not here. You’d think a month would be enough time to get used to it, but I guess we’ve had longer to get used to having you here. Hajime says to tell you that he and Maiya are still ready to come beat someone up if you need them to. He’s been spending a lot of time practicing with Tobio. He’s going to be a soldier someday, wait and see. I don’t think he’s forgiven me yet, but it’s better. We’re getting there.

Tobio wants to write something for you on the back. I hope everything’s going well for you up there. It’ll be nice to deal with you when we’re both rulers.

Tooru

Satori turned the paper over, seeing the childish scrawl that he doubted Tobio would ever have the patience to fashion into a flowing script like his older brother’s.

I miss you. I’ve been practicing with Hajime more. He says I’m getting good. What’s the castle up there like? I want to come visit you soon. Tooru is being nicer to me. Being an omega isn’t so bad, I guess. Matsukawa-san says I can still be a soldier if I want.

Satori smirked at the disjointed flow of words, no structure. It was good to hear that the brothers were getting along better.

He scrawled a quick reply, telling them he was fine and that he missed them too. He told them about the library and how different the citadel was from Seijoh’s capital city.

Then he turned to the letter that he’d been saving for last, the one that bore the seal of Rowanwood. He was trying not to get his hopes up too high. It wasn’t certain that his mother had sent it.

He felt something in his chest unclamp when he unsealed the letter and saw his mother’s handwriting.

My dearest Satori,

I was so glad to hear that someone finally came to court you properly, and a prince, no less! You sound happy. He sounds like a good man. He’ll make you a good husband, but more importantly, he’ll make you happy.

I already know you won’t make the same mistakes I did, because you chose your path without any force from anyone else. That is all I could have asked of life for you. Knowing that you are happy is all I need.

I wish you luck in your courtship and marriage. May he always treat you well and may he give you children to love. You will be a magnificent queen, I can already tell. Never doubt that I believe in you, and that I love you.

Take care of yourself, darling. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to come visit you someday. Perhaps you’ll invite me up for your wedding? I’d understand if you don’t want to see me, so you don’t have to if you don’t want to.

With love,

Mama

He couldn’t write back fast enough, assuring her that he would love nothing more than to see her again, that she was welcome here any time. He wished he could see her reaction when the letter arrived with an eagle.

It was time to begin his lessons with the queen for the day. While she wasn’t any warmer towards him, they had come to some kind of stasis. He worked hard and she did what she needed to do. They got through it.

She was still taking him through the finer points of finances, which he was doing his best to bite his tongue and deal with. He wasn’t good at math like he was good at reading, and it was a lot of work. He did it without complaint, though. That was the price of the queen’s grudging approval.

The best part of his day was still when he was let free to wander the castle. He’d had fun for a few weeks exploring all the nooks and crannies of the place. Sometimes he ran into the people of the castle, and they were friendly enough if they weren’t in the middle of something.

The first person he ran into was Ai, and when he did, she was practicing with a sword. Satori watched her with interest until she noticed him. While it was completely normal to have omega soldiers down in Seijoh, he knew not every kingdom had such complete equality. Ai was so much smaller and older than the soldiers he was used to; he hadn’t expected her to be a fighter.

“You look like you’re thinking something unflattering,” she said when she finally noticed him, though she didn’t look mad.

“You just don’t seem the kind to fight,” he told her honestly. She grinned at him.

“What makes you say that?”

Satori considered her. There really wasn’t a way to answer that without being offensive, was there?

“Has it occurred to you that the ones of us who stay behind aren’t necessarily held back because we’re unable to fight?” she asked. “I was born here in the castle. I’ve lived here all my life. There’s probably not a person alive who knows her better than I do, and no one else is better suited to her defense. I’m here because I’m the captain of the guard. That’s why I don’t join my mate in battle.”

Satori had found a healthy new respect, and maybe a little fear, for the tiny omega woman. She raised her sword to him then.

“Do you know how to fight?”

Satori held up his hands.

“Not really,” he admitted. “I know how to use a knife, but not a sword. I’m better with a bow and arrow, though.”

“You really were trained with a crown prince who was never meant to see battle, weren’t you?” she asked. “A knife is the weapon of someone who stays off the battlefield.”

Satori shrugged. He’d never felt much of an inclination to be a soldier, though the king had offered to have him trained for it. He preferred his life in relative safety.

“If you want to learn, I’m usually in this part of the castle,” she offered. “My mate is the best sparring partner, but if he’s gone, you should do just fine. Oh, and if you see my daughters getting into mischief, let me know. Kanon and Mamiko can be real troublemakers.”

“Will do,” Satori promised.

The next person he ran into was Kenjirou. It wasn’t like the other omega was hard to find. Kenjirou was always in the library, pouring over the information that eagles carried him from the battlefield, drawing up plans, and looking over his maps. He wasn’t very talkative, but it was kind of nice to sit with someone while he was reading.

Kenjirou had a remarkable amount of awareness, despite how little attention he seemed to be paying. Satori only figured this out after Kenjirou started addressing him.

“Sit,” he’d said, not looking up from his work. Satori froze, his search for a place to sit close enough to Kenjirou for comfort but far enough away that he wasn’t bothering the other forgotten. “You’ve been wandering around for ten minutes. Just sit here if you want to sit here.”

Satori approached slowly. Kenjirou seemed like the type who got annoyed easily, which normally would make Satori want to poke at him, but he didn’t want to start annoying people before he really got settled in. He settled next to Kenjirou on the couch, pulling his feet up and putting his book on his lap. He didn’t open it, though.

“What are you doing?” he asked instead.

“Planning,” Kenjirou said absently, moving his pen around listlessly. He seemed to have hit a block. “I want this over as soon as possible. The sooner it’s done, the sooner everything can go back to normal.”

“I thought you already had a plan,” Satori said.

“We do, but things change pretty quickly when you’re fighting,” Kenjirou told him. “There’s things I just can’t know about every single aspect of a battle without being there. I mostly talk back and forth with Eita. He sends me information about the area so I can refine the plan, and sometimes he has crazy ideas that he pitches, which occasionally have to potential to work. I can’t see those kinds of things from here, but I need to be here to stay objective. It’s hard to see the entire picture if I’m too close.”

“And when was the last time you ate anything?” Satori asked. He didn’t think he’d seen the other leave the library…ever, actually. Kenjirou gave him an unimpressed look.

“You sound just like Eita,” he complained. “I’m fine.”

His stomach chose that moment to growl. Satori raised an eyebrow as Kenjirou scowled.

“You have a few minutes to come get a bite to eat, don’t you?” Satori cajoled, trying to make the offer sound good. In truth, he was starting to worry about Kenjirou, considering he never saw the other omega outside of the library.

“I’m busy.” Kenjirou tried to brush him off, but Satori was stubborn.

“So busy that you can’t take five minutes to eat?”

Kenjirou looked like he wanted to keep arguing even though he wasn’t going to win. Satori just grinned at him. He was good at getting what he wanted through being stubborn.

Kenjirou shoveled his food down in the kitchen, trying to eat and be done as fast as possible. Satori laughed at him and earned himself another scowl and an insult. They went back to the library together, and this time Satori didn’t hesitate to sit next to Kenjirou on the couch by his work.

Kenjirou leaned into his side.

“Don’t say anything,” he threatened, before Satori even had a chance to open his mouth. “I’m just tired, and you’re warm.”

“Is it hard being away from your mate?” Satori asked quietly. Kenjirou was silent for long enough that Satori thought he wasn’t going to answer.

“I worry,” he finally responded, voice a whisper. “I know I shouldn’t. It’s not like he’s never gone off to fight. It’s kind of his job. I should be used to this by now, but…”

“You miss him.”

“Tell anyone and they’ll never find your body.”

Satori snorted, but wrapped an arm around Kenjirou’s shoulders. Kenjirou let his head rest on Satori’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Tendou-san,” he said stiffly. He probably wasn’t used to being comforted.

“Satori,” Satori corrected. “If I’m calling you Kenjirou, you should call me Satori.”

“Satori,” Kenjirou repeated. “You don’t have to worry so much about Ushijima-sama. He knows what he’s doing. It’s not the first time he’s gone to war either.”

“What makes you think I’m worried?”

“Aren’t you?” Kenjirou sounded unsure. “I thought that was why you were hanging around. I don’t know exactly what’s between you two, but you wouldn’t have come here if you didn’t care about him, right?”

Satori was quiet. He was worried, though he was doing his best to hide it. War was scary. He was perfectly reasonable, being worried. Even Kenjirou was worried, and he’d seen his mate through battles before this.

Everything would be alright.

“Do you want to send him a message?” Kenjirou offered. “I’m about to send an eagle out. There’s a little room at the bottom of the scroll, if you want to use it.”

Satori accepted the pen offered to him gratefully, carefully writing a message in his best handwriting. He didn’t have much space, and he wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to say in this kind of thing. He wasn’t brave enough to try something like a love poem on battle plans everyone would see.

Come home soon. ~Satori

That was fine, wasn’t it? It was what he felt, and the best he could do with the space he’d been given. Kenjirou tied the scroll to an eagle’s leg, letting it fly out the window. He turned back to Satori.

“You can…keep coming back here, if you want,” he offered haltingly. “Most people aren’t good at sitting still and being quiet, but it’s kind of nice to have the company as long as you don’t bother me.”

“Sure thing, Kenjirou!” Satori promised with a grin. Kenjirou blushed a bit, but turned back to his work. “Oh no. You’ve sent off your eagle. You need to sleep.”

“You’re not my mother.”

“What would your mother say if she saw you staying up all hours of the night?”

Kenjirou glared at him, but let his head drop.

“Fine. Fine!” he snapped. “I’ll go to bed. But just for a few hours!”

He stalked off, muttering under his breath about “overbearing mother hens”. From what Satori had gathered, Kenjirou needed a lot of mothering from his mate, which was even funnier because Kenjirou was the omega and Eita was the alpha.

He looked out the window after the path of the eagle. Wakatoshi would come home soon, wouldn’t he? Satori felt his chest squeeze a little. He wanted the alpha back here sooner rather than later. He missed his…courtmate. And fiancé. He guessed Wakatoshi was his fiancé too.

He just wanted everyone to come home safe already.

[musicprincess655]

Knight and Bishop, Ch. 28

Pairing: Semishira

Rating: T

Tags: a/b/o, royalty au

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“When the Chess game is over, the Pawn and the King go back to the same box” - Irish saying

Courting turned out to be not that different from their regular friendship. They’d already been spending a lot of time together, and how they liked to pass that time hadn’t changed just because they were courtmates instead of just friends now.

Really, the only difference was how much more Semi touched him now. It could be holding his hand as they walked somewhere, or a brush of his shoulder when Semi wanted his attention, or, less commonly, a hug.

Kenjirou thought that he’d been hugged more in the past year than in the rest of his life.

Still, the augmented normalcy was nice. It was good. It gave Kenjirou time to adjust to the new parts while falling back on the parts he was used to. His attention was focused more closely on Semi now than it had been before, and because of that, he was starting to notice things about Semi that he hadn’t before.

Specifically, he noticed how the queen spoke to Semi. They were preparing in case Itachiyama tried to attack them again, and it involved a lot of moving parts, from actual army tactics to food store plans. Kenjirou and Semi were leading the army part of that, and working together, while not always easy, was good for them. They balanced each other out and pointed out things the other missed. Even with the arguments that were more playful than angry now, they were doing good work together.

Not that the queen seemed to think so. Kenjirou was starting to understand the dislike Semi held for her. She didn’t exactly treat him with a lot of respect.

“That should be enough for the day,” she said. “Shirabu-kun, if you would stay a minute? I need to discuss these plans with you.”

Kenjirou watched Semi grit his teeth. It couldn’t be a more obvious ploy to prioritize Kenjirou over Semi, and Kenjirou was surprised to find that he was annoyed when he would have been proud a few months ago. He would have been pleased for recognition he got by beating Semi, but Semi had had a more productive day today than him.

“Shouldn’t Semi stay as well, then?” Kenjirou asked tentatively. “He’s working on them just as much as I am.”

“No, no, I just need you,” the queen waved him off. “Semi-san, you’re free to leave.”

Semi made a motion that was probably a barely concealed eye roll, but he stood to leave anyway.

“Actually, highness?” Kenjirou said, reaching out to stop Semi in his tracks. “Semi’s my partner in this. We’re working on this together. If you want to work on it more, you need both of us.”

The queen looked at their joined hands, probably putting the pieces of their relationship together for the first time. Her face broke in a sad smile.

“Oh, Shirabu-kun,” she sighed. “I’m sure your first real courtship is a very exciting time for you, but there’s no use in throwing away your talent for a man who’ll discard you when he gets bored. Your reputation precedes you, Semi-san.”

Kenjirou tried not to focus on the reputation part.

“Highness, he is my courtmate and my partner in this,” he said firmly. “If we’re working on this more, I do have to insist on him being here. He deserves it just as much as me.”

The queen once again gave him a look that was almost like pity.

“Men are abundant,” she told him. “You can take your pick of them. Love is for children.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m still not legally an adult, isn’t it?” Kenjirou said, standing up. He’d had enough of this. He used Semi’s hand to tug them both from the room.

He didn’t stop walking until Semi pulled him to a stop in an alcove.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Semi said, in his space but not up in his face. “She’s not going to keep giving you slack now. I can deal with her, I’ve been dealing with nobles for a long time.”

“I don’t like the way she talks to you,” Kenjirou said stubbornly. “If she praises me, I want it to be because I actually am better than you, not because she doesn’t like you for some reason.”

“I’m not sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult.”

“Don’t hurt yourself thinking about it.”

“Brat.”

“Asshole.”

“I’m going to kiss you.”

And then Semi was in his face, hands on Kenjirou’s hips, but Kenjirou didn’t back away. Instead, he rested his hands on Semi’s shoulders, leaning in to press their lips together. They were nearly the same height, and Kenjirou barely had to lean up for the kiss to work.

Semi pulled him closer, using his thumbs to draw patterns in Kenjirou’s hip bones. He sucked Kenjirou’s lower lip into his mouth, running his tongue along it and making Kenjirou shiver.

It was nice to be kissed like this, warm and wet, and if Kenjirou were more coherent he would put it as a solid positive to courtship.

Semi did a good job of holding him close without crowding him, leaving Kenjirou his own space if he wanted it and not forcing the lead. Kenjirou was getting better at the whole kissing thing, especially when it involved tongue.

They broke apart, both flushed and short of breath. Kenjirou’s lips felt tingly. They were probably visibly swollen from the kiss, and because he was a full body blusher, his entire face and neck and ears were probably red.

“Want to get something to eat?” Semi asked. Kenjirou snorted. It was well past sundown, so likely all they’d manage to find in the kitchen was some day-old bread and cheese.

Still, his stomach was growling, so they left the alcove to go in search of food. No one was in the kitchen at all when they got there, so they helped themselves to whatever food they could find, rejoicing when in addition to the bread and cheese, they found some strips of dried meat. It felt almost childish, kneeling on the kitchen floor in front of the fire that never really went out, eating and talking and laughing, but it was good.

Having Semi as a courtmate was good.

[musicprincess655]

Knight and Bishop, Ch. 5

Pairing: Semishira

Rating: T

Tags: a/b/o, royalty au

read on ao3

“Half the variations which are calculated in a tournament game turn out to be completely superfluous. Unfortunately, no one knows in advance which half” - Jan Tinman

Eita refused to describe what he was doing as sulking. He was merely removing himself from a situation where he was obviously not wanted. That was an adult, mature reaction. He was just outside, enjoying the sunset. He was not sulking.

“Is that pretty lad of yours givin’ you trouble?” Kaito asked.

“He’s not mine,” Eita argued back. “Besides, it’s the Ice Queen that’s botherin’ me the most.”

“She still holdin’ a grudge because you’re lowborn?” Mari asked, leaning around Kaito to address him. Eita took comfort in the familiar accent of the village around the castle, a relief after a week of clipped accents of the nobles.

“I don’t think she likes me as a person, on top of not likin’ me because I’m lowborn,” Eita shrugged. “Her son doesn’t seem to know what to do with me. I guess he likes me, but he’s not so great for conversation. His guard is fun, though. He’s the only one that bitches Shirabu out like he deserves.”

“Ooooo, pretty boy again,” Mari teased, and Eita resisted the urge to groan. It was never fun when the two of them tag teamed him. He loved them both, but they could be relentless, and he really wasn’t in the mood right now. “Maybe you should pursue him. I hear hate is a special kind o’ passion.”

“Pass,” Eita said, waving his hand. “He’d never let me close enough to try, and besides, I’m not in the business of beddin’ children.”

“Isn’t he seventeen?” Kaito asked.

“A child,” Eita said, nodding as if Kaito had proven his point.

“Please. As if any o’ us were children at seventeen,” Mari scoffed. “We were all fightin’ by then.”

“He hasn’t,” Eita protested. “I don’t think he’s ever left this citadel. Maybe we weren’t children at seventeen, but he is.”

“You like a challenge,” Kaito argued.

“A challenge. Not a virginal child with a stick up his ass,” Eita said firmly. “I came out here to forget about all of them for a while. Play a game with me instead.”

“What kind of game?” Mari asked, teasing desisted but not forgotten.

“Make up the story of whoever we see walkin’ through,” Eita suggested. “Look at that boy,” he nodded to a black haired boy with straight bangs practicing swordsmanship. “He’s young. Probably joined the castle guards as soon as they would take him. He’s probably nobility, but I’d guess his family are merchants. He grew up rich. He probably wants to join the army and work his way up.”

“Nice,” Kaito said. “Cute, isn’t he?”

“Not my type,” Eita dismissed. “Too earnest. Too eager to please. There’s no challenge there.”

“I’d expect nothin’ less,” Mari said. “My turn. That woman.”

Kaito and Eita turned to the short woman with black hair, hurrying about, pausing to say a word to the boy Eita had looked at before hurrying on.

“She’s in charge of a lot here, but not domestic chores,” Mari mused. “She’s dressed like she’s prepared for a fight. I bet she’s the captain of the guard. Definitely married, definitely has kids.”

Eita didn’t miss the way Mari clutched at her belly when she said that. Surely she and Kaito would be having their own soon. They’d been married for a few years; it was time for them to settle down with their family.

“Okay. Her.” Kaito pointed out a pretty blonde woman. Eita whistled under his breath, and Mari nodded approvingly. “Lowborn, definitely. She’s fetchin’ water, so she’s prob’ly a maid or a kitchen worker. I bet she’s single, but she has suitors chasing her everywhere she goes.”

“She’s pretty enough for it,” Eita agreed. “She’s gorgeous. She can’t be from the village. She’s not much younger than us, and I would remember someone with beauty like her’s.”

“Well look who’s speakin’ all proper like,” Mari teased.

“Don’t remind me,” Eita groaned. “I’ve had enough of these nobles. The Ice Queen scowls at me when I talk normal, and I have enough to deal with here without her glarin’ daggers into me. Ushijima-sama isn’t so bad, but Shirabu acts like he knows everythin’. I bet no one’s ever had to tell him he’s wrong about somethin’.”

“Spoiled?” Kaito asked.

“Probably, but I will admit he’s smart,” Eita conceded. “He’s not here for nuthin’.”

“He’s stuck in your head,” Mari pointed out.

“I’d much rather have that girl stuck in my head,” Eita said, nodding with his chin. “She’s pretty, and she doesn’t spend all her time snapping at me.”

“Semi-san,” a voice interrupted. They all turned to see Shirabu standing there, face carefully blank. “We hardly have time to be staring at every woman that crosses our path. There’s a war going on, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“We’re not gonna lose because I spent two minutes outside with my friends,” Eita argued, but he stood up anyway, schooling his voice back out of its village accent. He followed Shirabu without further complaint.

Shirabu held his head high, trying his best to look down his nose at Eita from his position of being shorter. Eita tried not to grin. Maybe Shirabu was annoying, but he was pretty obviously trying to compensate for feeling out of his depth. No matter how smart he was, he was still a seventeen year old surrounded by people older and more experienced than him. He deserved a little bit of slack.

“Ah. Good of you to join us, Semi-san,” the queen said coolly when he walked in. She, however, deserved far less slack. He’d done nothing to earn her treatment of him except being born to two poor bakers in the village instead of in some castle.

“What would you like to discuss?” he asked politely anyway, because she was still the queen, and he didn’t feel like being thrown in the dungeon or something.

“Contingency plans,” she replied. “Just in case what we’ve worked out already falls through.”

“There’s not much else we can do,” Eita sighed. “I know it’s not the answer you want, but we’ve done all we can with the information we have right now. We have to wait until we have more news from the Wall.”

“That’s not good enough,” she scoffed. Eita could feel the tension forming in his head. He’d had just about enough of these nobles.

“Highness, have you ever seen a battle?” Her silence told him all he needed to know. “I have. I’ve been fighting for this kingdom since I was sixteen. One of the first things you learn is that things don’t always go as planned, and the side that wins is the side that can adapt to the changes. We’ve done all we can do. You’re welcome to sit here beating your head against a wall trying to come up with something else, but I won’t stay to watch you.”

He turned to leave, not missing the horrified look Shirabu was aiming at him.

“You have not been dismissed.” The queen’s voice was frozen steel. Eita tried not to let his anger show on his face as he wheeled back around.

“Mother, that’s enough,” Ushijima broke in. “He’s right. There’s little else we can do. Everyone is tired and tense waiting for news. We shouldn’t fight among ourselves.”

The queen looked like she still wanted to rage, but logic won out.

“Very well,” she said. “You are all dismissed for the night. Shirabu-kun, if you don’t mind staying, I’d like your opinion on this.”

Eita and Ushijima left the library, Taichi trailing at a safe but still respectful distance.

“I’m sorry about her,” Ushijima apologized. “She’s just worried. We lost a lot last time Itachiyama invaded.”

“I remember,” Eita replied, thinking about the people who had died around them fourteen years ago. He and his younger brother Kenta had gotten the plague, along with their parents. Because they were bakers, they’d had enough to eat, which was probably why they all survived. The same couldn’t be said for the rest of their neighborhood.

“She’s overstepping, and Kenjirou is letting her because he doesn’t want to lose the position he’s gotten to,” Taichi explained. “I don’t know what Saitou-san still isn’t back. The rider should have been able to get to his home and back by now.”

“So instead we’re letting a seventeen year old run everything,” Eita sighed. Taichi gave him a strange look.

“Did Kenjirou tell you he was seventeen?” Taichi asked. Eita nodded. “That little shit. He’s not seventeen for a few weeks. He probably wanted to sound like less of a child.”

“He’s only sixteen?”

“Yep.”

“How did he end up here?”

“He’s smart,” Ushijima broke in. “He always outsmarted me in our lessons. Still, that doesn’t mean my mother needs to act the way she does with him. He’s not the only one that’s right.”

Eita had never heard such a long string of words from the prince before. He was a lot less boring when he actually talked.

“Anyway. Thanks for sticking up for me,” he said, nodding his head. “I’m heading to bed. I’ll see you two tomorrow when we discuss a variation on the same plan we’ve been beating to death for a week.”

Taichi offered him a smirk in response to that as he followed Ushijima away. He walked to his room, stark and bare and lacking in any kind of personalization. He probably wouldn’t be here much longer, if things kept going as they were going, so there was no point in trying to make it a home.

He was left alone with his thoughts for less than hour before a knock at his door roused him. He opened his door to reveal Shirabu.

“Can I help you?” he asked. “Done talking about the same thing with the queen?”

“We’ve done enough planning for one night,” Shirabu waved his hand dismissively, which Eita took as a yes. “You don’t have to be so rude about your opinion.”

Eita snorted.

“I don’t really want a lecture on rudeness from a sixteen year old brat,” he shot back.

“How did you know I was…? Taichi,” Shirabu grumbled. “Just because I’m young doesn’t mean you have to dismiss me.”

“I’m not trying to,” Eita sighed. “Look. A piece of advice. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to plan for everything and you won’t have control over every aspect of a battle. The sooner you learn to let that go, the sooner you’ll calm down about this.”

“I don’t need your advice,” Shirabu said coolly, face impassive. “I know what I’m doing.”

“In theory, but not in practice,” Eita argued. “You’re being too hard on yourself. There’s a chance we might not be able to use anything we’ve planned so far. Until we get new information, there’s no reason to burn yourself out.”

“I’m fine,” Shirabu insisted. Eita let himself roll his eyes. Shirabu didn’t have nearly the same power as the queen and Eita had no reason to fear him.

“Whatever you say,” he said, trying to be diplomatic, because he was going to have to work with Shirabu for a while. He hoped this war wouldn’t be too long. “Did you come here for something specific?”

“I…”

“You just came here because you wanted to bitch, didn’t you?”

“You’re so vulgar,” Shirabu complained.

“Please, as if you don’t have a worse mouth than me,” Eita laughed. “I’ve heard you talking to Taichi. You could make a village barmaid blush with some of the shit that comes out of your mouth.”

“Good night, Semi-san,” Shirabu said shortly. Eita watching him walk away stiffly, all self-righteous fury. He really did get ugly when he was arguing.

Kaito was right about one thing. Shirabu was a challenge, and he was too damn stubborn to make anything. Eita smirked to himself. He’d show this spoiled little rich boy what it was like to try and win an argument with stubbornness when he faced the oldest of four siblings.

Shirabu may have thought he was good, but he had nothing on Tomoko, and she was six.