#(the manga colorings were so beautiful as well ;;; )

[idrawprettyboys]

“Chivalry”

Unji Zuma has had my heart since November 28th, 2024. I can’t remember if I’ve ever been so absorbed by a character for over two months before. While I feel that my fascination has at last started to fade, I trust that I will remember how much I love him when the manga continues and when I get to see him come to life in the anime.

For this picture, I taped the paper down and did a light wash of purple and red before I started coloring him in like I normally would. I had originally thought to color this picture a lot darker, with his shirt and the background nearly black. But once I got to this point, I felt like there was no way I could risk ruining it. The end product turned out very ethereal and beautiful, and I think it suits Zuma really well. The foggy, misty quality makes it look like a dreary rainy day, and Unji Zuma is here with an umbrella, to keep us dry and safe, and a rose to uplift our spirits.

I worked on this painting from January 31st to February 4th, 2025. The tools used were Canson cold pressed watercolor paper, Copic multiliner pens, and Mei Liang watercolor paints, with a Pentel Aquash brush.

You can buy a print of this illustration on Inprnt!

Please consider supporting me on Patreon or Ko-Fi.

[ccraccz]

Hello! I'm a new follower of yours~ I may not know how much are you in the manga, so this might be a lil spoiler for you (sorry). Suo actually knows the language of flowers! Maybe this could be a req of him courting fem!reader owo

Have a nice day!

SO CUTTEE!! THANK YOU FOR BOTH THE FOLLOW AND THE REQUEST!!

Flowers for you

Suo x Fem!Reader

TW: assault, reader being used as a hostage, implied bullying? (PLease tell me if I missed a TW!!)

The first time it happens is on a random Monday. A bouquet of different colored camelias being given to you by Suo, a sly smile and unearthly attractive smile on his face as he hands them over. His uncovered eye squinting as he watches you blush at the situation.

"For you, my lady," he says, confirming the main question that was swimming in your brain.

"But... Why?" You ask, genuinely wondering about the reason of the sudden gift. Suo chuckles as you grab the flowers in your hands and hold them closer. "Well..." He starts, turning to walk beside you, hands behind his back as usual, he looks at forward, ignoring your eyes that were intensely looking at him. "They reminded me of you, and there was a special on them, so I decided to try and make your day start in a good way."

That was a lie. Well, part of it was a lie. The beautiful, multicolored camelias did remind him of you, but the bouquet was going to be a lot more expensive if he wasn't recognized by the flower shop owner for saving his daughter from some perverted gang members. Not only was the bouquet free as a payback for saving his daughter, but as a thanks for helping around the town.

"Well then..." You pout, looking away as you arrive at the bridge that connects you to the gates of your school. You genuinely didn't want to leave him there, but you had cleaning duty to go to and if you're one minute late, your class would chew you up, especially now that you had a bouquet of flowers in your hands.

That day you started your day with a smile, and ended it with that same smile.

Suo was right, these flowers did make your day start, and stay, a good way.

The second time was the day after he, and his group, fought a group of drunken, old, perverts decided to take you and your girlfriends from your class as hostages. The glare that Suo sported that day before he quickly beat up the guys that were between him and the guy holding you was still burned into the front of your memories.

His eye seemed to glow under the street lights of the town, movements swifter than a cat but stronger than a bear. The drunken man holding you faltered at the sight of his men being beaten down, quickly seeing the disadvantage he's at. Due to that, he quickly pushes you away, having you land harshly on the ground and enraging Suo further.

After the fight, Suo was silent, too silent for your comfort as he walked you home. His arms weren't behind him, now one was wrapped around your waist and the other in his pocket.

The day after, there were flowers on your door step. Another bouquet and a plush of a fluffy puppy holding it.

The flowers were in a beautiful arrangement of white gardenias, daffodils, primrose primulas, and white heather flowers, a red ribbon tied around the bottom of the stems to keep them together. Under the plush, there is a note from Suo.

His hand writing is gorgeous, letters smooth and readable, sentences arranged in such grace it was shocking to think that this was written by a teenager in a delinquent school.

The letter said: Dear [Name],

I hope this letter finds you well and recovered from what happened yesterday night. I can only imagine how hollow you might feel...

And the rest was history, as tears bubbled up in your eyes and dribbled down your cheeks, the flowers tight in your embrace as your tears soaked into the paper and the top of the plush.

The third and last time was at the end of the day, two months after the incident, and a week before your birthday. You had been talking to some girls, who were gushing and blushing about their crushes while you stayed quiet. Walking out of the school and over the bridge, you see him.

Suo was standing at the other end of the bridge, another bouquet in his hand, a small gift box in his other hand. You paused as the girls beside you start fawning over Suo, talking about how attractive he is, and wondering who those flowers were for, and what about that box?

You were internally sweating, starting to walk behind the girls again, who were giggling and bumping into each other before you.

"So?" One of the prettier girls walks forward, having the guts to confront the delinquent. "Is that for me?" she asks, bottom lip bitten seductively.

Suo smiles at her, "Definitely..." He pauses and looks around the group. "Not," his smile drops before he walks forward and breaks apart the group, until he was in front of you.

"[Name]?" Suo smiles, eye closing with a light blush on his face.

He looked ethereal, better than any mythical, historical, or fictional character you've ever seen in your life. The sun was the perfect shade, hitting his face in every attractive way it could.

"I'm here to give you these," He speaks, his voice soft and nearly musical. He holds out the flowers towards you to take as your cheeks flush a beautiful pink as the situation registers in your mind.

"For me?" You whisper in shock.

"Yes," He nods "for you gorgeous."

In her hands was a large bouquet, filled with white gardenias, red roses, white camelias, baby's breath, and a multitude of gloxinias. "Those white gardenias represent your purity and how lovely you are, the roses represent my love for you, the white camelias describe how adorable and perfect you are, the baby's breath are a symbol of-"

You cut him off, putting the flowers into one arm as you grab him by the cheek and slot your lips onto his.

The show of affection makes the girls around swear and leave, while, somewhere in the bushes, there is a sensor going off, smoking even.

That wasn't the last time he brought you flowers, and it definitely was not the last time he described them, since every time he did, it would lead to something more.

[laauranenn]

Can we talk about chapter 60? I'd like to talk about chapter 60: A Place I Belong.

I specifically want to talk about the sections with the tightrope. It's one of my favorite parts of Wind Breaker and I could praise it for ages. I know it's a kind of common metaphor for struggles and isn't anything too special, but I really do adore it.

And whoever decided to add that anime only scene to the start of the first episode? Absolute genius and I love them for it. It works beautifully without it in the manga, but I think it's going to add a little extra something to the anime!

But for the tightrope section in the manga? It's so good and so well executed!! I absolutely love the way the style changes throughout the chapter!!

We start with white lineart on a black background. The lines are messy, sketchy, and even the boxes don't have clean lines.

I also want to point out how the only clean lines we get from this section are from the adults in his life, as well as the wind chime and the sprout pushing out from the ground.

The wind chime and the sprout clearly allude to Furin and the way both Furin and the rest of the town have shown that he, too, can be loved and accepted as he is.

The wind chime is also the thing that seems to be the transition to Sakura going from walking along the tightrope to considering that there might be another path for him.

I'm going to be real here and say that I don't have a lot to say about the other adults also having clean lineart. I'm sure there's someone out there who'd have something really smart to say about it, though. If I were to say something about it, it'd be that I think it might represent his shaky sense of self, compared to other people who have it figured out.

After that we get to the middle section, with Sakura in the "real world" again and with the rest of the class. I won't focus on the dialogue itself too much, but I'd like to talk about the way we go between the tightrope and reality.

I really like how the panels with the tightrope are woven in. They show us what's going on inside his head while also showing us how it looks like in reality. We see visual representation of how this feels like to him.

It's shown in how before he speaks, as he's gathering the courage for it, we can see him changing his stance on the rope. We get shown the way this is him preparing for that leap. He also mirrors himself with the way he's clenching his hands both in reality and around the tightrope.

A little later, as he's talking, we can see him directly mirror himself in both realities.

We see the way he's holding on preparing for that leap, as well as the way his face is split in two here. It doesn't directly match up, but it doesn't have to, because it already works so well here. I'd maybe even argue that I prefer it this way around as opposed to if this was a direct split of his face.

And then we see the leap itself, the way he throws himself into the unknown.

And then he gets called out on his bullshit, gets told that he's insane for thinking they'd cast him out. That they love him as he is and that they want him around. They actually want him. For maybe the first time in his life, he's wanted, appreciated, and needed.

And it's just this "Oh." moment for him. You can see the way it just clicks for him.

And after this we get to an absolutely beautiful scene, the part that makes me love this chapter so much.

We see that it all isn't so terrible after all, that there is hope. The tightrope isn't a drop to certain death, just a drop.

The colors have changed and we're now looking at Sakura on a white background with black lineart. Though at this point Sakura himself is the only part of the scene with messy lineart. The field of flowers and grass, as well as the edges of the panels, are all cleanly lined. Except for Sakura. Even if it's still messy, I'd say it's definitely a little cleaner than it was before.

You can see the way he's a little more faint, a little less solid than the rest of the lineart.

And then we see Bofurin, the rest of his class specifically. They're all there and they're all cleanly lined. And as Sakura reaches out to grab the hand he's offered, his lineart becomes clean. His lineart is no longer messy, it's no longer a sketch. This is him finding and accepting himself.

And as he grabs that hand, his clothes also change. Before all he was wearing was a plain shirt with plain pants, nothing remarkable, just plain clothes. But as soon as he takes that hand, his clothes change to a Furin uniform.

This entire chapter is so beautiful and I cannot wait to see it animated. I really hope the anime does it justice. From the lineart to the colors swapping around to the dialogue, it's an amazing chapter overall. I know I didn't really talk about the dialogue, but it's also good :)! I don't have much to say about it, though.

Moral of the story is that I really love this chapter and just wrote around 900 words about it.

[jifloulette]

the day that i met you, i started dreaming . . .

when and where blue lock men meet you for the first time — !

pt. 1 — pt. 2 — pt. 3

જ ｡˚ itoshi rin first meets you when his parents introduced their new next-door neighbors to him.

he really didn't want to meet them, he just wanted to be in his own room doing who knows what. but after enough convincing and scolding from his parents, he gives in. the second he saw you, he was almost immediately captivated. everything about you seemed flawless, from your hair to your eyes to the way you smile. he knows he doesn't believe in love at first sight, it was just infatuation.. right? your parents introduced one-another and you soon did the same, you were lying when you said the black-haired boy with the gorgeous lashes didn't captivate you as well. you took short glances at him and when the two of you locked eyes for a quick moment, you immediately looked at the ground, embarrassed. rin thought it was cute, no, rin thought you were cute so when his parents asked the two of you to go outside and walk for a bit, he was a bit hesitant. not because he didn't want to interact with you, he was just shy. he doesn't know what to say so he started digging through his mind for conversation starters. the first few minutes of walking with him was a peaceful quiet. you notice how he was deep in his thoughts, you didn't know why but it was cute. you start the conversation by complimenting his eyes and how beautiful it looked, especially when the sun is hitting it gracefully. rin became flushed by the sudden compliment and thanks you. rin finds out that the two of you have a lot of things in common! the same love for mangas, ochazuke, and coffee, he begins to enjoy your presence by his side since then. you and rin had started hanging out more, asking him to hang out by the cherry blossom tree beside the neighborhood park. his parents thank you for adding color to his once monochromatic life. he's changed ever since, he's become much more happy yet still has that same cold and stoic personality that you can't help but laugh at.

now 7 months later, he's waiting for you by that same cherry blossom tree, hands fidgeting with one-another. he sees you walking towards him and you notice his nervous expression. something was on his mind and you knew it, you just didn't know what that was. you see how his face became pink, like really pink the second he spots you, it's only when you tuck a loose strand of his hair behind his ear and asked him why he wanted to meet up that he blurts out something that makes you smile.

"h-huh..? oh! y/n, I uh, asked you to meet me here because I.. I really really like you! so if you'd like, please be my girlfriend/boyfriend !!"

જ ｡˚ yukimiya kenyu first meets you at the library across his apartment during winter. (f/s means favorite sport !)

for some reason, he had accidentally forgot to bring back a soccer book that he borrowed that was supposed to be due yesterday. he quickly gets up and gets ready, putting on extra comfortable and warm clothes as there was a lot more snow falling down this day. the second he goes inside, he apologizes profusely to the librarian for forgetting to bring the back the book to which the librarian just lets him go with a warning due to his sincerity and kindness. for a quick second, he sees you in the corner of his eyes wearing headphones and walking leisurely. kenyu is very observant for a person with vision problems. he doesn't hesitate following you due to his confidence and straightforwardness. he sees you carefully looking for a book, muttering things under your breath with a confused look. kenyu, as the gentleman he is, asks if you need any help. you were grateful for this small action because the book you were looking for was actually way higher than you could reach. you thanked him for the assistance before leaving to look for other books that peeked your interest. he seemed like a really nice person, he didn't seem like the type to help you just because he thought you were cute and gullible. he seemed genuine with his actions and words

kenyu was bewitched by you, he accepted it. no one has ever made him feel that way before. the way you talked when you thanked him, the way your eyes glistened when you looked at him, god was he charmed. it doesn't take long before he bumps into you again in the sports section, he greets you with and smile and you do the same. you see him looking for soccer books and you look for (f/s) books, you once again notice that the book you were looking for was on the top shelf. you were to shy to ask kenyu for help so you tried reaching for it by yourself, tiptoeing in the process. kenyu sees this and thinks that it's another way for him to interact with you. just as you were about to fall, he grabs you just in time and reaches the book you tried grabbing. he think it's cute how you looked so shy with that light pink tint on your cheeks when you thank him. so you know what, fuck it, he introduces himself and you do the same. the two of you chat for a bit. in that time you talk to kenyu, you find him very gentle and alluring. you talk about your passions of (f/s) and his own passion for soccer. you could see his eyes light up whenever he talked about soccer, and you were mesmerized by his tender tone. just as you were going to leave, he says something that leaves you speechless and blushing . . .

"you know, y/n.. you're a really interesting person. i'd love to be your friend so is it okay if i ask for your number? i'd love to know more about you, you could even be a model like me with looks like that.."

જ ｡˚ reo mikage first meets you at the washroom of a fancy restaurant. (readers wears a bit of makeup, f/n means father's name)

it was just another night of reo's family eating out with their friends, he was already getting bored of their chit-chat. his father was talking about him becoming his successor but he really could care less. he just continued sipping his drink and nodding to whatever his parents were talking about. he heard them talk about.. business investments? something about how businesses and entrepreneurs do shit so he excused himself from the table to go to the washroom because of how bored he was. he could've been hanging out with nagi, talking about soccer, and playing games with him during this time but no, his parents had to drag him to this restaurant with shitty food. he asked the servers where the comfort room was and thanked them, promising to give them a hefty tip. on his way to the men's washroom, he saw the embodiment of elegancy and grace. he saw you. for once, reo was glad his parents had forced him to go here because he saw you.

there you were, retouching your makeup. putting some more foundation and highlighter, then applying lip gloss on your plump lips. reo just stood there, amazed by the sight of you. you seemed so confident and neat, he loved every single part of you. when you notice him staring via the mirror, you turn around and ask him if he needed anything. he was taken aback to be honest, he really didn't expect you to stop whatever you were doing just to talk to him. reo replied saying that he was fascinated by your figure. you surprised by his answer, it wasn't every day that you get complimented for your looks. as the kind person you are, you thank him for the sudden comment by giving him a small but soft smile before grabbing your little makeup kit and leaving. only then did reo go to the washroom to do his business but oh how he wished he had stopped you and asked for your number, fuck, just asking for your name would've done the job for him as well! but no, he was a coward, he only really expected the people who thought he was cute to make the first move. when he was going back to his parents' table, he saw them talking to you! he was shocked. how did you know them? what were you guys laughing about? his parents call out to him to introduce you, y/n l/n, the child of an old friend of his dad, the child of a famous businessman. his parents recognized your distinct facial features and knew that you were (f/n)'s child. reo finally took the chance and asked for your number, that's the most he's ever done! usually, girls and guys that liked reo were the ones flocking to him and he was used to do that so he thought, lose the chance or take the risk?

"hey..! you're that cute guy/girl I saw at the washroom, can i get your number because you look like a ten out of ten!"

(yeah, you definitely cringed at that cheesy pick up line buuut since he asked so nicely, you gave it to him)

જ ｡˚ bachira meguru first meets you at the mall while buying paint supplies with his mother.

meguru really didn't want to go with his mom to the mall, not because he didn't want to but because the thought of seeing someone from his class made him sick to the stomach just by thinking about it. but he eventually surrendered to his mother's wishes and went along with her. he decided to wear a simple outfit, just some brown pants, a plain white shirt with a vest layered on it. everything was going really well for the first time in his life! he didn't see any people he was familiar with, he bought a new soccer book, and then he saw you. immediately captivated by your gentleness and purity as you were looking through the endless shelves of art supplies. he instantly wanted to talk to you but he was scared, scared of what you'd think of him. it isn't every day that someone would walk up to you as if you guys knew each other well. so, he asked his mother for advice! Yu said that if he wanted to talk with someone who he thought piqued his interest, he should just be himself! telling him to not be scared and just go with the flow. she then asked who he was so fascinated with and he pointed to you. his mom complimented your style, saying that you looked like a sincere person, so she motivated his son to go ask for your name.

for the first time in meguru's life, he wasn't scared of what others would think of him. all he cared about right now was talking to you. you flinched a bit when he tapped your shoulder. he apologized for scaring you and introduced himself. he was happy, really happy. he finally had enough courage and confidence to talk to someone, more so when you genuinely seemed like you were interested in him. you were smiling, smiling at him! he was chatting with you as if you were his best friend. you obviously introduced yourself to him after, complimenting his smile and his hairstyle. he blushed a bit when you said that, it was the first time someone, besides his mother, complimented him. he really enjoyed hearing you talk about your passion for arts and crafts, it reminded him of how Yu would tell him some tips and tricks for painting when he was painting besides her. it was like destiny that he saw you today, he thanked whatever god was out there for giving him the strength and energy to go out with his mother. so meguru finally got enough courage to build up and asked you something that squealed and hugged him in response!

"hey, y/n.. i really really think yer' a fun and interesting person like me so do ya think I could get yer' number? i would very much love to be your friend..!:

(little did you know that Yu got her phone out and recorded meguru finally making a friend)

©🇯​​🇮​​🇫​​🇱​​🇴​​🇺​​🇱​​🇪​​🇹​​🇹​​🇪​, do not steal, translate, or repost any of my writings anywhere else.

note ; omg ate i keep making fics instead of reviewing for exams !

[zoshkawrites]

Hello, can i have a hcs on how the wind breaker boys of your choice simping to an otaku reader who also is a fan of 2d boys. I hope you have a great time writing it! Thank you for writing wind breaker!

Yes, of course! Enjoy <3 I also added some other headcanons, because your idea was so fun!

wind breaker boys x otaku reader | headcanons

tw: none, reader insert, english is not my native language

↪ he was so clueless about anime and manga… i don't even know how to explain it. when he happened to see a manga on your desk at school, he thought it was a coloring book. later, you explained to him that it was a manga you had been reading for a few days. the next day he appeared next to your desk "hey l/n-san, what theory do you have for the next chapter?" since then, the topic of manga and anime has been your favorite and brought you much closer ─── sakura, sugishita

↪ he'll make you ponyo's hot honey milk and you'll watch old ghibli movies together ─── umemiya, togame, nirei, mitsuki

↪ he will order you two issues of your favorite manga with the volume that has your favorite character. one for him and one for you. he is going to simp together with you ─── mitsuki, nirei

↪ he'll give you weird looks as you walk around the house in your favorite character's clothes you ordered online. you cook with these clothes, you go out shopping with these clothes. "damn, are they comfortable at all?" once while you were in the bathroom he secretly decided to try on these clothes and he really liked it. well, since then you like to cosplay together ─── choji, sugishita

↪ loves to watch anime together, especially older ones. there are nights when you do a nostalgia marathon and start commenting about your favorite characters, characters you hated, theories, etc. for several days after this nostalgic marathon, you've been sending each other anime memes ─── SUO, CHOJI, togame, umemiya

↪ one day while you were watching the new episode of your favorite anime, you stopped at the scene where your favorite character appeared. you started looking at him carefully, enjoying and admiring his beauty. however your boyfriend noticed you. "hmm" he said and looked at the male figure, secretly comparing himself to your favorite character. in the morning when you woke up, you found that your boyfriend dyed his hair the same color as your anime crush. "why?" you asked him and played with his new hairstyle and giving him puppy eyes. "what? you don't like my new hairstyle? i-i just wanted a change! thats all." only if he could admit that he actually was jealous ─── SAKURA, hiragi

↪ when someone says they think you're weird because you like anime, your bf is going to scream out loud to them: "your opinions are fan theories" ─── SUO, mitsuki, togame

↪ will buy you a keychain with your favorite character on it for your birthday ─── umemiya, togame, nirei

↪ you like doing anime hairstyles and you often watch tutorial tiktok videos. he helps you with your hairstyle, and then he does a whole photo shoot/session for you ─── choji, umemiya

[oargasm]

Prev!

syp ; the school’s popular pretty girl is also an otaku

“That’s it?” And he nods in return “You make this so easy for me, I’ll be the bestest friend you’ve ever had!” You smile “One thing though, I can’t be seen talking to you in school. Not that I’m embarrassed of you..” you trail off “Then what are you embarrassed of?” He retorts - offended “Being apart of the occult..” you mutter with your head hung low

“You’re such a poser, a true fan would never be ashamed!” “Well if you were as popular as me you would understand!” “Pish posh” he exasperates “You’re really bratty” you huff earning an eye roll from him

“Nevermind that though, give me your number!” You ask as Takakura fights back the flush from his cheeks - he knew what you were implying. It was the fact that a pretty girl was asking for his number. He slowly nods his head pulling his phone out for the exchange.

You put your contact name as 'Y/N :p' seeing this Ken decided to put his as 'Takakura :)' “Awesome! I’ll text you to plan our first hang out!” You wave as you depart

“Hang out?” He mutters to himself

There stood Ken Takakura outside a manga cafe, Takakura reminisces your previous words ‘It’s perfect! We can eat and read, what’s not to like!’

He sighs before walking in and sees you already enjoying a pastry as you discreetly try to read a magazine about the fake moon landing.

You look up seeing your new found friend and smile at him “Hi! I got you something!” You say as you dig in your tote bag while Takakura pulls out the chair across from where you’re sitting

You pull a book out from your bag and push it towards him “What’s this?” He asks “Turn it around!” You chirp doing what you say his eyes widen “WHAT?!” He shouts making the cafe look at him “Ah, sorry…” he says embarrassed "How’d you get a book signed by the author?! No one has ever been able to see him!”

“One of the perks of having money!” You flaunt “That’s my prized possession ya hear? Take good care of it!” “Well why are you giving it to me?!” He says as he tries pushing the book back towards you

“Think of it as a thank you for keeping my secret!” You explain as you wink at him

A few days later you catch him lost at a beauty store “Hiya Takakura!” You wave he looks at you startled at pushes his glasses up “Oh hello Y/N..” “Whatcha doing here?” “My mom’s birthday is soon and I’m hoping to find her a gift.” He looks over your appearance and a lightbulb appears above his head “You know a lot about makeup right? Could you help me?” “Of course!” You grab his hand dragging him to the aisle you came here for

You grab a lip gloss tester off the shelf and apply it on yourself “Hmm I can’t tell since I already have something on..” you say looking into the mirror “Cmere, you try it on!” You inch the applicator closer to him “No way you just used that!” “So what? Stay still.” You scold

You grab the strings of his hoodie bringing him down as you apply the gloss onto him, both of your lips inches from touching. Takakura can hear his own heartbeat from his ears, it was as if there was no one else in the busy store “Ooh this is a nice color!” You admire leaning away from Okarun’s red face then dragging him to the mirror you were at before grabbing his face making himself look at the mirror “How bout it?” “Huh?” “Do you wanna get it for your mom? If not I’m happy to keep looking with you!”

“This is fine..” he stutters out grabbing the tester from your hand and setting it back into the display and grabs a new product “Uhm which way is it..” he mutters nervously

🛸༄␥⋆｡°✩

You were walking back home from comic book run when you’re hit in the head by something blunt. Irritated you look up seeing a big flash ‘the hell?’

On the floor you pick up the golden ball that had hit you “I’m selling this!” You say out loud as you skip home

After Takakura missed one day of school he appeared the next day with a perm - it was kind of a look for him however you did like his bowl cut

Y/N :p : I’m digging the perm!

You hit send and giggle internally but as class went on he didn’t bother responding- it’s okay maybe he’s just focusing in class!

During lunch you caught him locking lips with Momo Ayase - the gyaru from class B. Oh! He has a girlfriend now! Very weird for this to happen after his absence yesterday..

At the end of the day you decide to tease him - the hallways are crowded no one’s going to see u talking to him anyways

“Takakura!” “Eh? Y/N? You’re talking to me.. now?” “Seen you have a girlfriend now!” You tease “No I don’t!” He’s quick to deny “Then is it a girl you like?” You wiggle your eyebrows as he looks away

Suddenly you feel your arm getting dragged and see your friend drag you along leaving Takakura behind “Say Y/N why were you talking to that otaku?” “I had a question about class that’s all!” “Oh he’s lucky for even being in the same presence as you!” “Bet he’s never had a conversation with a cute girl!” “Yeah, he’s totes head over heels over you!” “Y/N you player!”

“Woah don’t talk about him like that.” A big metal bang echoes in the hallway as you’re on the floor startling Takakura but is unable to check on you as Miss Ayase is wrapped around his arm obnoxiously shouting praises about him

“Some girls deserve washtubs falling on em instead of guys falling for em!” She says as she makes eye contact with you a giant translucent hand following behind almost as if it was waving goodbye

As the week goes on Takakura continues to ghost you, ignoring the messages of you wanting to hang out or just you simply checking up on him. Not only that but you’ve been seeing a woman in a red dress lately and it’s starting to drive you crazy to the point where you are now sliding down the hallway walls crying as your friends stare worried

You meet their gaze and quickly wipe your eyes “Hiya guys!” You quickly put a facade on “You okay Y/N? Is something bothering you?” “I’m fine just some personal issues..” “Are you sure?” This was the final straw for you “No! I’m not fine! At all! There’s a freaking ghost lady - I don’t know if you guys can even see her, she just gets closer and closer!” You shout as people start peeking their heads out of their classroom

“Ahem, um I’m just going to go to the nurses office..” you quickly stand up speed walking away

Not sure if you can tell but I plan on having Y/N replace Aira ++ I don’t know if I should make this a full on fic which would be published on wattpad 🤔

[im-so-tired-sorry]

you were in bakugou’s dorm, laying together and reading. he had one arm wrapped around you, holding you close, while the other was holding the book he was reading. you were snuggled up to him while reading the latest volume of your favorite manga. it was late fall, with the temperature dropping as soon as the sun did, and your bf was your personal heater.

bakugo paused from his reading and looked at you. you couldn’t notice; his body was slightly leaning against the pillow while your head was on it, so you couldn’t necessarily see him without looking up from the book you were entranced by.

it was late, well, late for him at least. dinner was at 6:30 at the dorms, and you both joined the class in the common room for a joined meal. reading was one of the ways you two spent time together to recharge from all of the social interactions, but now it was 7:45. normal curfew was at 9 since it was the weekend, but bakugo always stuck to a schedule, and now would be the time for him to start getting ready for bed. but then he met you, and he would grow the habit of “staying up late” to hang out or even talk to you. he calls you a bad influence, but he wouldn’t change anything about you.

he loved everything about you; how much color was packed into your irises, how your skin felt against his hands, the smile you would give him during any occasion, the voice that would tease him and the laugh that followed. he loved how you weren’t ever afraid to grab his hands, how you worried over every scratch and scar. how you took the time to know him; know his interests, what he despises, every emotion he does/doesn’t express, every overthinking thought. he loves how you don’t judge him when he’s at his most vulnerable, how you try to understand him when there’s a disagreement. he loves how you accepted him for his strength and weakness, his beautiful and his ugly.

he loves how you don’t just make his heart skip a beat, but also calm it down.

he places a bookmark between the pages of his book and sets it on the nightstand. you take notice of the movement, immediately wondering why he would have to get up. but then he grabs your book mark and places it in your book, then sets it on top of his.

it was convenient for him, since you were still laying down, to get on top of you. your cheeks blush, but you can’t help but smile(the smile he loved) while wrapping your arms around his neck. he looks at you and doesn’t wait to kiss you.

his kisses were always filled with passion, care, emotion. even on your first kiss with him, in that empty classroom during lunch, it felt just as it felt now. sure, he didn’t bump your heads together at first try this time, but the passion, the fire, was still there.

his kisses were rough, but you could feel his mental note to not go too hard. at a steady pace, slow enough to be romantic, fast enough to have you both out of breath by the time he pulls away. his nose is barely up to yours, and you tilt your head up for them to touch.

he chuckles, and places a hand at your jawline, caressing it with his thumb.

“i love you.”

it wasn’t the first time he said it, but it still surprised you every time he did.

it surprised you when you heard him say it after your third date, cleaning up a scratch on his head after he fought a guy for making you uncomfortable. your eyes widened as you looked at him, still holding the bandage. “i mean it, baby.” and he really did; he would go on to prove it.

it still surprised you now, catching your breath under him while he looked at you. someone so closed off, guarded in public, saying the most vulnerable phrase. to you.

you melted. your smile returned; the smile he loved. “i love you too kats.”

he chuckled again, showing off a grin. “good.”

he laid on top of you, ear to your chest, to your heart. “you’re staying the night by the way.” though you were worried of aizawa catching you, you chuckled and brushed your hands through his hair.

at one point, he raised himself to better his angle from his lips to your head and you fell asleep together. no matter how he manages to make your heart race, he always calms it down too.

[sunfl0werlevi]

HOME

ʚ✩ɞ ratings: sfw, angst to fluff, comfort

ʚ✩ɞ cw/tw: jjk manga chapter 221 spoilers! slight angst and depressive tones. slight sexual tones hehe.

ʚ✩ɞ wc: 10.5k

ʚ✩ɞ tags: gojo satoru x fem!reader, husband gojo and wife reader are teachers

ʚ✩ɞ an: hi! yes, this is the first time ill be sharing one of the many works i have in my drafts (that im confidently not sharing ever). idek how it got this long. gojo being unsealed triggered something in me so i hope u enjoy. ( ˘ ³˘)♥

italicized texts are past dialogues! FEEDBACKS are highly appreciated.

you stared at the golden band around your ring finger, toying it around. your bed seemed to stretch twice its size and grow colder every morning that you wake up.

every morning, you trace the outline of the dips on his side of the bed. you left it dismantled the way he did, since 19 days ago. you could still see a few strands of silver hair on his pillow glowing under the daylight.

"satoru, please."

"you know there's a lot of souvenir shops in shibuya! maybe i'll take you to some if you're a good little wifey."

"you told me we're working together on this. just let me fight alongside with you-" you pouted and so he gives you a wet smack on the cheek and booped your nose.

"babe, my honey, sweetiepie, you're on children duties!"

"no fair!"

"don't worry, ijichi will take you there. toodles!" and then he warped out.

fools. you didn't even know half of the shit that was about to set loose.

the wooden sliding door of your shared room slammed open, startling you out of your thoughts. there stood an out of breath yuuji with both his hands clinging on to either side of the door frame.

"sensei," he looked at you with determination, a sense of sparkle behind his eyes.

no. no.

you can't have this right now. not right now. you were not ready--not when what you've been preparing yourself for was the worst. but this? this wasn't in your plan.

any indication of hope from him has all been but failure. you were under the high of false hope but now...now, you don't even know how to respond with this pressing matter in front of you.

what kind of wife are you to even think that way? will he even understand if you feel this way?

but you are here now and he is here now.

his frame stood patiently behind your student, waiting for you to say anything. but only the sound of your shallow, shuddering breaths filled the room.

the pink-haired boy staggered backwards to leave, as to give room to your man.

doors were always never tall enough for satoru so he has to duck down in order to grace the room with his presence. his presence that is so invigorating, with his own hint of charisma.

and there he is. he is still so beautiful. his alabaster hair unreasonably still glimmering. your eyes were met with the color of the sky--lustrous and comforting, anticipating you.

but beneath this façade, they were chagrin and desolated, designed with heavy lids and undereye bags that loitered his skin.

the man that came to face you is not your satoru. although indulging with the fact that he looks bigger, more rugged, with his toned arms filling up the sleeves of his shirt--this satoru is only the shell of the man that you used to know.

he scratched his neck, his eyes crinkling into a smile as he gave you a small assuring grin. he opened his arms, wide and warm, welcoming you into a zone you knew all too well.

"c'mere."

though against your will, your body seemed to have a mind of its own--lunging forward to the sense of familiarity that is in front of you. amidst the unconvinced and confused face you held, your body knew how much you ached for this moment and alas your feet brought you towards him.

he gripped your waist so tightly, so much that he could break you in half like--like there were no tomorrow.

words could not even begin to detail this feeling. missing him is an understatement. no--you yearned for him--for his touch, for his smell, for his warmth. for this moment.

you sank deeper into his broad chest. the feeling and the sound of his heartbeat confirming that this is all true and not just a pigment of your imagination, or not you going insane.

he stuck his nose on top of your head, breathing in your smell. god, he could cry. he missed you so much and he was going insane because he was beginning to forget what his favorite shampoo you use smells like.

the silence was both so comforting yet so delicate. there are both no words yet too many words to tell. one pin drop could make or break the atmosphere. a paradox in the flesh. just in character for your husband.

but just in time, he spoke up, breaking the tension. you had imagined this moment, him apologizing or saying i love you, over and over. but no, he yet again breaks the record.

"thank you."

the last thing you wanted was to ever forget him. so, you listened to every voice messages, voice mails, and videos that he sent you every day like it was a routine and a lullaby before you sleep.

you would not forgive yourself if you forgot what he sounds like.

with the sound of his voice triggering the turmoil in you, your chin quivered and your throat burned in an agonizing pain. all of the weeping and mourning you've suppressed poured out onto his shirt.

he brushed your hair and cooed you into silent hushes.

"i'm sorry."

"satoru, she never cried," shoko said.

gojo sat silently on shoko's loveseat chair with both his arms resting on its armrest. he is finally relaxed which unfortunately meant that he has the time to think.

all of the guilt is finally blossoming inside of him.

for the longest time, he wished that he'd be rid of all the burdens that are pushed onto his shoulders. he wanted to run away. with you.

but he knew that his being makes everything complicated and you'd be in greater danger beside him than staying with everybody else.

so, him being in that damned box? his wish came true. was he selfish to somehow feel relieved while being isolated, knowing everything he left behind and all the chaos that ensued?

his colleague and good friend, nanami, who all but strayed away from jujutsu, was pushed towards it again by gojo. and now he's gone.

his teacher and a parent that he considered, principal yaga, lost his life fighting for everyone--especially for the children that gojo was supposed to protect.

his students--tiny but fighter nobara, with half of her head barely even of any shape and unresponsive on a pale hospital bed. yuuji who always graced a smile, now looked like he aged a dozen. and megumi--his son, who always quietly rooted and stood for everyone, lost his hope and is now a vessel to sukuna.

and you. he could not even begin to think how much of a toll it took on you.

"she kept everyone glued together, you know. when everything was falling apart after you...you were gone, she held all of their hands."

shoko blew a smoke out of her office window then tapped her cigarette onto an ashtray. "every day, she cleans nobara's body with a wet towel. when the students would come back with all unimaginable injuries, she tended to them with all of her reversal."

"satoru, i had to clinically force her, just so i could tend to her own injuries for a day. she did not want to stop working as if..."

"as if she will lose it, if she stopped," he finished the sentence, holding a firm gaze with shoko.

she and him knew what it was like to grieve for someone but still having all the responsibilities demanded at every second.

gojo, whether everybody admits or not, was their source of hope. the students gravitated towards him, and even curses do not fail to see the light that he shines--attracting them like moths to a flame.

he tended to everyone's troubles, to the bullshit of the higher-ups that even led to him killing his own bestfriend.

but you-you are the damned closest thing to him. you were his half. you are his half. and everybody knew you are a gojo too.

so they all went to you. for 19 whole days, you shared, albeit, owned his responsibilities. and you had to keep it together.

you should not fall apart. you cannot fall apart. the children relied on you for their strength and you kept them all stuck together like a little patched-up family of your own.

you became him. a true gojo. although it sounds gratifying, it was the last thing that he wanted for you to ever encounter.

he never wanted to share his pain and bare all of his weaknesses to you. but you unconditionally took them all, without any words nor complaints.

"she-she wasn't there."

"she didn't want to be disheartened and defeated if it had failed. you were gone and she is here. still here. you know where to find her, so go."

it wasn't just you. he also does not have the heart to see your face yet--he never really had a say on when he was getting released, anyway.

but he went to you.

your palms cupped his face, searching every inch of his skin like it is something foreign. his large hands held onto them, rubbing slow and soft circles on it.

"i've missed you...so much." you mumbled, risking a hiccup and another bout of tears to pour out of you. he dried your cheeks with both his thumbs.

"i know. i know, sweetheart," his voice was soft, barely a whisper, as he brought his lips towards your eyes.

he kissed your eyes tenderly, as if commanding for them to close for a minute. satoru knew how much you needed to crack--he wanted you to fall apart on him and he can pick up all of the pieces. he can make you whole again.

he can hold you together with his warm hands, thawing and melting you into a puddle of your own unresolved emotions. molding you exactly, to fit perfectly right where you belong.

right here. right next to him.

to him, you are the apple of his six eyes. the immeasurable devotion of his limitless. and the bottomless beloved of his infinity.

he could never leave you again. not like that. not ever.

he pressed his forehead against yours, his proximity tickling you with his breath and his pillowy lips brushing against yours. he rubbed his nose on yours and his eyelashes feather on your cheek.

"i love you," he rubbed his thumbs on both your cheeks while holding your gaze, accessing all of your senses with his presence.

he wants you to know, he's here.

he tentatively leans closer, only kissing you daintly. "kiss me. kiss me, satoru."

and so he planted his hand at the small of your back, leaning forward, obliging to your words. he kisses you--deeply and passionately. your mouth presses eagerly, gliding with his lips fervently without any lapses, like your life depended on it.

you put your arms around his neck, deepening the kiss even more. he gripped your hips tightly, pulling you impossibly closer to him.

satoru is trying his best to not tear your clothes off, on behalf of his student waiting outside.

"god-" he retracted, staring at your eyes.

"i-" he kisses your neck "-missed you-" your chin "-so-" your nose "-much."

there is no reason for the both of you to be separated at all. not anymore.

and so he interlocks your pinkies together like he always did. you giggled and he grins widely.

"i'm here. i'm home."

[spaceottery]

Petals and Flames // Rengoku x reader // Pt. 1

pairing: Rengoku Kyojuro x female!reader word count: 4600k (i´m sorry) a/n.: here goes my first real post and fanfic! I´m so nervous lmao but I hope you can enjoy this story! I´m already thinking about a pt 2, so hopefully, this will reach as many Rengoku simps as possible! Also: I got the picture from @mamikozzz on Tumblr! I do not know if this is a fanart of theirs or actually a manga panel, but nonetheless, it does not belong to me! c: plot: you and rengoku meet for the first time! i´m sure there is no demon you need to be saved from! warnings: small mentions of blood (regular Demon Slayer-esque injuries, nothing wild)

─━━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━─

You strolled through the marketplace, a basket hanging from your arm filled with various vegetables and fruits. The sun was high in the sky, casting a gentle warmth over everything. You admired the vibrant colors of the produce and the cheerful chatter of the townsfolk. It was a peaceful day, one that felt like a small respite from the more challenging aspects of life.

Earlier today, you had left your sister Naoko in charge of your family's stall, where you sold various kinds of flowers, arrangements and bouquets. Usually, despite her only being thirteen years of age, she was able to handle herself quite well, so you thought nothing of it. It’s how you two managed life every other week as well. 

But as you approached your stall, you noticed that an unusually large crowd gathered around it today. While some people pointed fingers and tried to maintain their laughter, others had a mix of curiosity and concern written on their faces.  

Pushing through the crowd, you finally reached the front and saw what the commotion was about: Your sister was standing on a crate, trying to manage a small, unruly group of children who seemed fascinated by the colorful flower arrangements. Eyes wide, they were tugging at the ribbons and petals, much to her frustration. It seemed like every time she tried to get a word in, there was yet another vase to be caught or another arrangement to be put out of reach for damage control. 

You had to admit, the sight amused you. Still, you had to do something and help her. Trying to regain control of the situation, you stepped forward, but just as you did, someone else beat you to it. A tall figure with bright, fiery hair stepped into the throng, his presence commanding immediate attention.

Rengoku Kyojuro, the Flame Hashira, stood there with a gentle smile on his face. Despite the chaos, his demeanor was calm and reassuring. He knelt down to the children's level, his voice warm and friendly as he spoke to them.

"Hello there, little ones," he said, his tone soft yet carrying a sense of authority. "It looks like you're all very interested in these beautiful flowers."

The children looked up at him with wide eyes, momentarily forgetting about the flowers as they took in his impressive presence. Rengoku’s smile never faltered as he began to gently redirect their attention, helping your sister regain control.

When the immediate commotion settled, you approached him with a mix of relief and curiosity. "Thank you so much for your help," you said, smiling gratefully.

The tall man turned to face you, his eyes warm and kind. "It was my pleasure. I couldn’t stand by and watch such a lovely display of flowers being damaged like that."

After the crowd had finally dispersed and your sister had regained her composure, you took a moment to thank the man once again, bowing down a bit. He had a striking figure; clothed in a white haori with a distinctive flame motif, a sword tugged to his side, golden hair which seemed to catch the sunlight, giving him an almost ethereal appearance, standing tall and proud, with a wide, friendly smile on his face - he was a hard one to miss, and quite handsome on top of that. But, who exactly was he? Curiosity finally got the better of you, and you decided to ask, "If you don’t mind me asking, who are you? What brings you to our market today?"

He smiled warmly, turning towards your much smaller figure. "I am Rengoku Kyojuro, a Demon Slayer. Normally, as the name suggests, I would be searching for demons, but right now, I find myself in need of a more mundane pursuit - finding some good food!"

You were taken aback by his unexpected revelation. "A Demon Slayer? That sounds intense. But if you’re looking for food, you’ve come to the right place. There are some fantastic stalls around here. Is there anything in particular you’d like?"

Rengoku’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "I’ve heard this market has some of the best local cuisine. I’d love to try whatever is most recommended!"

You thought for a moment; your hand drifted up to your mouth, finger resting lightly on your lips. Then, you gestured towards a few of the nearby stalls. "The dumpling stall over there has a great reputation. And if you’re interested in something sweet, the bakery at the end of the street is exceptional - oh, but a bit pricey maybe..."

Rengoku nodded appreciatively. "Thank you for the recommendations. It’s not often I get to enjoy a peaceful day like this. By the way, I don’t believe I caught your names. May I ask what they are?”

You smiled and replied, “I’m y/n. And this is my little  sister, Naoko. Our family has been selling flowers in this town for ages. The both of us run this stall while the rest works at home.”

Naoko gave a polite bow. “Nice to meet you, Rengoku-san.”

Rengoku’s eyes twinkled with genuine warmth. “A pleasure to meet you both. Thank you again for your recommendations.” 

As he prepared to head towards the food stalls, he paused and looked back at you. "Say, I have gotten word that a few people went missing over the last three days. Do you happen to know anything about it?" 

You and your sister looked at each other curiously before you shook your head. "Sorry, we haven’t heard anything about people going missing. You could ask the other vendors though?"

Rengoku nodded thoughtfully, his expression remaining calm and composed. "I see. Thank you for your help and for the recommendations. I’ll be sure to enjoy the food and continue my search for information elsewhere. Please, stay safe and take care."

You and your sister returned his smile. "Thank you, Rengoku. We hope you find what you’re looking for and have a pleasant day." With a final bow, Rengoku turned and made his way towards the dumpling stall you told him about.

As you and your sister resumed your duties, you couldn’t help but feel a bit of worry about what Rengoku said. The realization that a Demon Slayer was searching for missing people suggested there might be a demon nearby. The peaceful day suddenly felt more ominous, and you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. 

Quickly noticing your distress, Naoko glanced up from where she was fixing the flower arrangements the kids had touched. "Hey Sis, you seem a bit worried. Is everything okay?"

You hesitated before replying, "I just can’t help but think that if a Demon Slayer is looking for missing people, you know, there might be real danger close by…"

She gave you a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry too much. If there really is a demon nearby, and it’s not just some misunderstanding, we have a Demon Slayer right in town now anyway, so what's the worst that could happen? I‘m sure he’ll find that bitch!"

You laughed at her tone. Her words were comforting, but your anxiety didn’t vanish completely just yet. "I suppose you’re right. I guess I just need to focus on something else."

"Why don’t you help me with rearranging these flowers?" she suggested. "It might be a good distraction and, it will help get things back in order after the kids’ visit."

You nodded, making your way towards her. As you helped her rework the damaged arrangements, the rhythmic tasks of arranging flowers and preparing new bouquets began to calm your nerves. The act of focusing on something familiar and productive helped shift your thoughts away from the unsettling news.

By the time you finished rearranging, the stall looked as vibrant and inviting as before. The day continued with its usual flow, and while the sense of unease lingered in the back of your mind, the reassurance that someone was on the case helped keep your worries at bay.

—————

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the marketplace began to wind down. You and Naoko finished packing up your stall, securing the last of the flower arrangements and putting away the remaining products. As you started your way home, you exchanged waves and goodbyes with the other vendors, who offered friendly smiles and well-wishes. The evening air was crisp, and the streets were bathed in the soft glow of lanterns. 

“So,” Naoko began with a teasing tone, “Rengoku-san - he was quite handsome, wasn’t he?” She glanced at you with a mischievous grin.

You blinked, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

Naoko laughed softly. “Oh, come on. I saw the way you were looking at him. I think you were a bit smitten.”

You felt your cheeks warm slightly, but you couldn't help but laugh along. “Well, he did have a certain charm. But I was mostly focused on the fact that he was a Demon Slayer and all, you know?”

Naoko winked at you. “Sure, sure. Anyway, it’s not every day we get to meet someone like him. It was kind of exciting, don’t you think??”

You nodded, your mood lifting as you shared a laugh. “Yes, I suppose it was.”

As you continued down the familiar path towards home, the street grew darker. The light from the lanterns cast long shadows, and the sounds of the market gradually faded into the background. Unbeknownst to you and Naoko, a pair of glowing green eyes watched from the darkness, hidden just beyond the reach of the light.

The demon observed your departure with a chilling gaze, its presence concealed in the shadows. It lingered, waiting for the right moment to strike. The peaceful facade of the evening belied the danger lurking just out of sight.

Laughing and chatting, you and Naoko remained blissfully unaware of the threat looming over you. As you reached the doorstep of your home, the feeling of unease from earlier had mostly dissipated, replaced by the comfort of familiarity.

You locked the door behind you and settled in for the evening, unaware that Rengoku’s search might soon become a matter of urgency.

—————

As you and Naoko entered the cozy warmth of your home, you were greeted with excited chatter and the joyful sounds of your three younger siblings. They ran up to you both, their faces lighting up with smiles.

“Welcome back!” exclaimed your youngest sibling, a little girl with a cheerful grin. “How was your day?”

Naoko bent down to their level, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Oh, you won’t believe what happened today! We met a real Demon Slayer - his name was Rengoku Kyojuro!”

Your siblings' eyes widened in amazement. “A Demon Slayer? Really?” they asked in unison.

Naoko nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! He was so kind and tall, with the most amazing golden hair, a really cool haori with flames on it and a big sword! It was like something out of a story!”

Their mother, who had been preparing dinner in the kitchen, emerged with a warm smile. “That sounds very exciting. I’m glad you had such an interesting day.” While your siblings went on, you turned to face your mother, who was just about to ask you something. “Y/n, could you please help me set the table for dinner?”

You nodded and went over to assist your mother, setting out plates and utensils as she began to serve the meal. Naoko continued to share details about your encounter with Rengoku, capturing the kids' imagination with her animated storytelling. Your parents listened with interest, enjoying the lively atmosphere.

—————

After the meal, you and Naoko helped clear the table, laughing and chatting with your siblings. The dishes were soon washed and put away, and the evening's bustle settled into a peaceful quiet.

With the chores done, you and Naoko headed upstairs to your shared room. Your three younger siblings, already tired from their day, settled into their own room for the night. The soft sounds of their whispers and giggles faded as they drifted off to sleep.

In your room, you and Naoko changed into your nightclothes and sat down on your futons, the events of the day still fresh in your minds. But for you specifically, it was a certain someone's bright smile which remained most prominent in your thoughts. You couldn't help it - the way he spoke to the children, his positive demeanor, his eyes… Your cheeks felt a little hot. 

“This day was unusual, but in a good way,” you said, a smile playing on your lips. “Meeting a Demon Slayer without having to be rescued doesn't happen every day.”

Naoko grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I know! Rengoku-san seemed so kind and brave. I wonder what he’s doing now. Do you think he found any clues about the missing people?”

You shrugged, sitting down on your futon while you undid your hair. “I hope so. It’s a bit unsettling, thinking there might be a demon nearby. But I guess he’s probably doing everything he can to protect the civilians of this town.”

Naoko nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, and it’s a good thing we’re safe here. From tomorrow, we should focus on preparing for the flower festival. It’ll be nice to have something positive to look forward to. There is a lot to do for it anyways.”

You talked on and on about the plans for tomorrow, discussing arrangements and preparations. You thought to yourself that if you were lucky enough to meet Rengoku-san again, you'd ask him to stay for the festival. Soon, your conversation dwindled, and you both settled into your futons, the soft rustling of the bedding a gentle lullaby.

The room grew quiet as you and Naoko drifted off to sleep. As the moonlight filtered through the window, casting pale shadows on the walls, a tall figure watched from the darkness outside.

The demon observed the peaceful house with an unsettling grin. He had been tracking the area, searching for a vulnerable target. The sight of Naoko, so full of life and innocence, made it clear: She would be the next to fall.

The demon’s smile widened as he contemplated his next move. The night was still young, and he would wait patiently for the right moment to strike. For now, he relished the thought of the chaos he would soon bring to your lives.

As the night continued, the shadows outside grew deeper, and the demon's sinister plans began to take shape.

—————

The night was quiet, the only sounds being the gentle rustling of the wind outside and the soft breathing of you and Naoko as you slept. But the silence was abruptly shattered by a chilling sound - the creak of a door slowly opening. 

You jolted awake, heart pounding. The dim light from the moon cast eerie shadows across the room, and in that fleeting moment of clarity, you saw it: a monstrous figure, its eyes glowing with an unnatural green light, towering over Naoko.

A demon. Is this a nightmare? Or reality?

A gasp escaped your lips as you saw the demon's clawed hand wrapped tightly around Naoko’s neck. She was struggling, her face flushed with fear and desperation. Terror paralyzed you for a heartbeat, but then instinct took over. 

With shaking hands, you grabbed two hairpins from your bedside table. Summoning every ounce of courage you had, you lunged at the demon. The pins found their mark, stabbing into the demon’s eyes.

He howled in agony, a guttural, ear-splitting scream that echoed through the room. The demon released Naoko momentarily, frantically clawing at his eyes to remove the painful objects. Seizing the opportunity, you grabbed Naoko by the arm and swung her to the other side of the room, away from the demon’s reach.

“Naoko, get out of here!” you shouted, your voice trembling with fear. 

From the hallway, you heard the sound of lights being turned on and your parents’ worried voices calling out for you both. The demon, his eyes still burning with rage and pain, turned towards the door. He could sense that his time was running short; he had already been here for quite a few days, so he didn't want to take risks concerning Demon Slayers.

Enraged by the failed attack and the noise, the demon let out a roar of fury. He fixed his gaze on you, eyes still filled with hatred, then charging towards you.

Naoko, now safe but shaking uncontrollably, screamed in despair as she saw the demon’s intentions. “No! Don’t take her!”

Ignoring her cries, the demon advanced on you, his movements swift and deadly. In the chaos of the moment, you could hear the distant sound of approaching footsteps and the rising shouts of your parents. You needed to act quickly. You needed to think of something. Tears started running down your face when it hit you - if this really was a demon, if this really was no nightmare, there was close to nothing you could do. He would outrun and overpower you any time.

The demon lunged at you, and in a final act of desperation, you braced yourself and jumped back. But the demon was too fast. His claws reached out to grab you as he began to retreat through the door, dragging you towards the opening.

Your last sight was of Naoko, her face a mask of horror and tears, as she reached out helplessly. The world outside grew darker as the demon pulled you away, the night swallowing your cries and the frantic shouts of your parents. 

—————

The demon tore through the forest, his grip on you unyielding and merciless. His green eyes gleamed with malevolent satisfaction as he laughed on, clearly amused by your futile struggles. The trees blurred past in a nightmarish rush of darkness and shadows.  

“Why resist?” the demon hissed, his voice a chilling rasp. “There is nothing you can do anyway. Be happy that I took you instead - you saved your sister tonight! You’re a hero! As a thanks, I'll make sure to send her off soon to meet you in the afterlife!”

You could barely see through the tears streaming down your face, the terror clouding your vision. Every attempt to break free was met with the demon’s fierce grip. Despair gnawed at you as you struggled to think of any way to escape.

“Please, let me go!” you cried out, your voice breaking. “You don’t have to do this!”

The demon’s laughter was loud and mocking. “There’s no escaping me woman. I want to do this!”

You could feel your strength waning. So that's it? You will be brutally murdered by a demon? You didn't even get to say goodbye to everyone. You didn't even get to see your siblings come of age. Heck, you didn't even enter adulthood fully yourself. That’s hoe your life ends?

The forest was a blur, each moment dragging on endlessly as the creature’s grip tightened.

—————

“Naoko! "Where's y/n?” her mother cried out, her voice laced with fear. “What happened?”

Naoko, standing in stunned silence, could only stare at the empty space where you had been. Her body trembled with silent sobs, her eyes wide with disbelief and horror. Her parents’ frantic questions seemed to wash over her without registering.

“Naoko? Please talk to us Naoko!”

Naoko couldn’t respond. She needed to pull herself together immediately. What should she do now? What should she do now?

It striked her then: Rengoku. He was the only one who could possibly help.

Ignoring her parents’ calls, she turned and ran out of the house, driven by a mix of fear and determination.

The streets were eerily quiet as Naoko sprinted through the town, her heart pounding with urgency. The cold night air bit at her as she searched desperately for Rengoku, shouting out his name as loud as she could. He was her only hope to save you from that demon.

—————

Rengoku was patrolling the now quiet streets of the town, breathing in the cold air. The tranquility of the evening had provided him a brief respite from his duties. He thought about today, mind wandering without a real destination. Food, crow, people, flowers, you, children, food, sword, lanterns- wait, you? He stood still for a minute. This isn’t the first time you crossed his mind today.

But why?

It isn’t just because you are someone he talked to today. He talks to all different kinds of people all the time. Was there anything off about you? No, thats not it… Could it be that…

But before he got to that thought, his moment of peace was abruptly shattered by a piercing cry that cut through the night air.

"Rengoku-san! Rengoku-san!” The voice was filled with desperation and fear, drawing his attention immediately.

He turned towards the sound and saw Naoko, the young girl from earlier this day, running towards him. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes wide with a mixture of terror and adrenaline. She was panting heavily, her breaths coming in short, frantic gasps.

Without hesitation, Rengoku approached her, his sharp gaze assessing her distress. “Naoko, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Naoko’s voice trembled as she struggled to catch her breath. “It’s y/n. A demon broke into our home. He... he took her away. I didn’t know who else to turn to, so I came to find you.You said you were a Demon Slayer, right? Please, you have to help!”

Rengoku’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing with concern and resolve. “Where did the demon go? Do you know?”

Naoko nodded vigorously. “Yes, I saw him running into the forest. It was moving fast. I don't know if it might be too late...”

Rengoku placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You did the right thing. I’ll find y/n and ensure her safety.”

He turned swiftly, his mind already shifting into action. The thought of a demon threatening innocent lives spurred him into immediate motion. Rengoku sprinted towards the edge of town, his mind focused on locating the demon and rescuing you. The forest loomed ahead, dark and foreboding, but he didn’t hesitate.

As he entered the forest, Rengoku’s senses sharpened, tuning into the subtle sounds of the night. His resolve was unshakeable. He had promised to protect those in need, and he would not fail.

With each step, he quickened his pace, his heart set on finding the demon and saving you from its clutches. The night air was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the sound of Rengoku’s determined strides as he plunged deeper into the forest, heading towards the direction Naoko had indicated.

He raced through the forest, his breaths coming in quick bursts as he pushed himself faster, guided by the desperate cry he’d heard earlier. The darkness of the woods seemed to close in around him, but he focused solely on the task at hand - finding and rescuing you.

Suddenly, a scream cut through the silence. It was your voice. Rengoku’s heart skipped a beat, fueling his determination as he followed the sound.

He burst into a small clearing and saw the horrifying scene unfold before him. The demon stood tall and menacing, his fangs bared and claws dripping with your blood. You were clutched in his grip, struggling weakly against his hold. Your face was contorted in pain and terror, tears streaming down your cheeks as the demon scratched at your arms, savoring your fear.

The sight of you suffering sparked a fierce anger within Rengoku. He stepped forward, his eyes blazing with resolve. “Release her, demon!”

The demon turned, his gaze shifting to Rengoku with a sneer. “Shit, a Demon Slayer. How inconvenient. Sorry, but I think I’ll enjoy this little game a bit longer.”

With a swift motion, Rengoku drew his sword, the red blade gleaming in the dim light. The battle began with a swirl of strikes. Rengoku’s movements were precise and fluid, each swing of his sword aimed at driving the demon back. The demon retaliated with his own feral attacks, claws slashing and snapping as he tried to maintain his hold on you.

Despite Rengoku’s skillful attacks, the demon used you as a shield, his claws digging deeper into your arms to taunt and provoke him. You cried out in pain with each scratch, your voice a chilling reminder of the demon’s cruelty. The sight of you suffering, your blood staining the ground, ignited a fury within Rengoku that burned hotter than ever before. He wasn’t sure why, but the sight of your pain spurred him to fight harder, his strikes becoming more intense and focused.

The demon’s taunts only fueled Rengoku’s rage. He redoubled his efforts, pushing the demon back with a series of powerful blows. You, in your agony, managed to wiggle slightly, creating just enough of an opening for Rengoku to make a decisive move. With a burst of strength, Rengoku executed a precise strike, slicing through the demon’s neck. The head fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

As the demon’s body slumped lifelessly to the ground, Rengoku rushed to your side. You lay there, wounded and in pain, your body trembling. He carefully cradled you in his arms, his eyes filled with concern as he examined your injuries. The scratches on your arms were deep and bloody, but thankfully not life-threatening.

“You’re safe now,” Rengoku said softly, his voice soothing despite the urgency of the situation. “I’m here. Try to breathe with me.”

Your eyes fluttered open, meeting his gaze with relief. You gave him a small nod.

You felt so warm.

Rengoku’s heart ached at the sight of your wounds, and he gently lifted you, preparing to carry you to your home. He moved swiftly, his priority now to get you back to your family and ensure you receive the medical attention you need.

As he carried you through the forest, he couldn’t shake the feeling of protectiveness he felt towards you. The sight of your pain had awakened something within him, a deep, unspoken connection that he would come to understand in time.

Back at your home, Naoko had already alerted your parents and they were anxiously waiting for your return. As Rengoku emerged from the forest with you in his arms, they rushed to you, their faces a mix of shock, relief, and concern.

Rengoku carefully handed you over to them, his duty now complete. He glanced back at Naoko, who was standing nearby, her eyes filled with gratitude and worry. “She’ll need medical attention immediately. Make sure she’s taken care of.”

Naoko nodded, tears still in her eyes. “Thank you, Rengoku-san. I don’t know how to repay you.”

Rengoku’s gaze softened. “You don’t need to. Just make sure she recovers. It's my job to protect you, so I have to apologize for not finding the demon earlier. I am terribly sorry!” He bowed down deep, eyes closed.

Naoko shook her head. "Don't apologize. If it wasn't for you, it would have been much worse." 

Rengoku-san, you’ve done so much for us tonight," your mother said, her voice trembling with gratitude. "Please, stay and rest. You can’t continue on without some proper sleep. It's the least we can offer."

Rengoku, though eager to continue his duty, was touched by their kindness. He nodded, accepting their offer with a warm smile. "Thank you. I’ll gladly stay for the night."

—————

As Rengoku settled into a corner of the room, he kept a vigilant watch over you, who was now lying in a bed, bandaged and resting. Despite the pain, you were slowly drifting into sleep, comforted by the presence of those around you and the sense of safety that Rengoku's protection had brought.

As he watched you, he couldn’t help but feel a swell of emotion - something he hadn’t quite felt before. There was a soft tenderness in his heart as he saw you resting peacefully, safe from harm. The more he watched you, the more he realized that his concern for you went beyond mere duty. He admired your bravery and resilience and found himself thinking about you with a newfound fondness as he saw you finally relax and fall into a serene sleep.

•.°——❀——°.•

a/n.: Like I said, there might be more coming! This feels like a build up to be explored even more, but while that is in work, I hope you can enjoy this story for now!

[ultra-violet-heart]

The story of a (soon-to-be) Princess Consort who uses her cruel husband's hands holding the sword to relieve the heat on her cheeks

(Image taken from manga illustrator Hinoki Kino's IG. It's kinda related to this short story.)

This is a bonus short story written by Touko Amekawa for the 7th Time Loop anime! I got the title from this post by Amekawa. It’s set on Rishe's 7th loop, and it's all about Arnold and Rishe... flirting in winter. Hehe.

Disclaimer: This translation is made by me for fandom purposes only. This unofficial translation is not affiliated with the official 7th Time Loop franchise. All rights reserved for 7th Time Loop to its respective committees, committee members, staff, author and rights holders.

The bonus short story can be found in Touko Amekawa's Notes blog, but as the entry is now deleted, she also reposted it in her Twitter/X account!

I’m posting my Ko-Fi here as currently, I’ve been having financial troubles, so if anyone can donate, I would be much grateful for the help, thank you very much.

"So in Galkhein, during the first month, a festival is held during the harsh winter in order to implore spring to come, isn't it?" As Rishe spoke in that manner, the pleasant sound of a writing pen then stopped.

As Arnold was busy on his desk with his official duties, he stared at Rishe, who was now seated on the chaise longue across him. This was where Rishe sat every time Arnold was at his office working on his official tasks.

(Images from the 7th Time Loop anime opening. Rishe isn't asleep in this story, though.)

"What are you reading, a book about official events being held in this country?"

"Yes! I borrowed it for my studies, and I find this book well-written and very interesting!"

Arnold's attendant, Oliver, was very quick at his duties, and whenever he saw Rishe showing even a hint of concern [on something], he would immediately make prompt arrangements.

When she thanked him for giving her the book, Oliver smiled naturally and said, "My Lord ordered me to immediately give you anything you want, Lady Rishe."

"When a country can hold a large-scale festival like this in winter, it's evidence of how prosperous this country is. It's fantastic."

The sound of cicadas and the summer breeze blowing through open windows. The view seen through the window would was really beautiful, even in spring and summer.

Just imagining the view in Galkhein's autumn and winter was enough to make one's heart leap in anticipation.

Though before that, there were things she needed to check, it seemed.

"During the festival, are there any public duties you, Your Highness, and I need to perform?"

"Don't worry, there isn't any need for that. ―――――And if there is, we don't need to participate."

"Great! It's a relief we won't be doing any exhausting work there." Relief now gave way to increasing anticipation. "Then, Prince Arnold! What kind of food stalls would you like for us to go to?"

"……?"

Arnold then wore a slightly suspicious look, so she continued to add. "If we don't think carefully the order of the food stalls we're visiting, we might get too full in no time. I want to check out all the stores you might think of visiting, Prince Arnold, so I must plan this efficiently!"

"........."

"Since we're going there in secret, why don't we buy new cloaks for the festival? It will be fun if you and I get cloaks of matching design, Your Highness!"

While the color of Arnold's eyes and hair were very distinct, the opposite went for Rishe, [with her eye and hair colors] being pale. Them already standing side by side made them quite a pair, so if they wore matching garments, it would be interesting to see.

"It's written on this book that many restaurants offer special menus during the festival! Like that restaurant you and I went to on our secret trip the other day, Your Highness. The food there was so delicious, by all means, I want to go there again during the festival!"

"......Well, if you don't mind."

"Thank you very much! Is there any place you want to go to, Your Highness? I'm happy to accompany you there, together......"

"........."

"Prince Arnold?"

As he expressionlessly stared at her, Rishe tilted her head, puzzled. Arnold then said something.

"You really don't have hesitation."

"Hesitation?"

Arnold stood, walked to the chaise longue where Rishe sat, then sat down besides her.

"―――Within you."

Arnold's sea-blue eyes focused on Rishe.

Rishe's face was reflected on his eyes as he blinked.

Arnold gave her a soft gaze, his fingers playfully running through her coral hair.

"You spending time with me like this will be a natural future."

"~~~~…...?!"

As he pointed it out, she felt her cheeks warm immediately. "B-b-but, that is...!"

"'That is'?"

As she tried to object, she became embarrassed of her unconscious assumption.

Of course, it was natural Arnold was there with her in the festival scene she imagined.

(Simply put, I want to be with him there, but if this continues, His Highness might find that out......!)

Averting herself from Arnold's gaze, Rishe managed to reply.

".....By the first month, when winter arrives, we will be an officially married couple......"

Why did she feel too much embarrassed after saying such an obvious thing?

(I-I don't think I can fool him at all......!)

To cool her flushed cheeks, she took Arnold's hands while he was still caressing her hair gently.

Pressing his hands against her cheeks felt cool and comfortable.

".....Rishe."

"Ugh......"

Believing that Arnold's cold hands would cool her burning cheeks somewhat, she barely manged to utter an excuse.

"From now, I-I'm looking forward to winter! Festivals... I love festivals!"

"......I see."

Would Arnold's hands get colder in the winter?

She was worried now that his fingers might get frozen while he was holding a sword.

Rishe hoped to give Arnold a pair of gloves way before the winter festival arrived.

As she got distracted by such thoughts, it took her a few seconds to realize how embarassing it was for Arnold's hands to be pressed on her cheeks.

[lilac-5ky]

Roommates from Hell, pt.1 (Toji x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 1: Stolen Fries taste best

(pic from loving yamada at lvl999, adorable manga, recommend)

Chapter 2 | Story Masterlist | Masterlist

Plot: Out of all the women that come and go in Toji's life, you're the only one he calls his friend. But when he suddenly forces his way into your apartment, the feelings you've kept from him are put to the test.

Setting: Pre Hidden Inventory Arc. Toji and reader are both in their late twenties, no Megumi in picture... yet :p

Themes: Cohabitation, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers

Warning: Slight sexual content minus the actual smut.

A/N at the bottom

“You’re late. Again.”

The small silver bell at the top of the glass door notified you of a man’s arrival, his heavy steps refusing to wipe themselves upon entry, spreading mud all over the now-blotted checkered tiles of the dimly lit diner. You’d been expecting the owner of those shoes for the past six hours, his untimely arrival coming as a bitter aftertaste to an afternoon full of childish joy and mayhem— popped balloons, colorful confetti, and half-eaten pieces of cakes swept into one big pile at the room’s southernmost corner by yours truly.

“I never said I was coming,” the voice retorted, its defiant sound overshadowed by the gruesome screech of a metallic chair. “Not interested in celebrating some brat’s b-day, ‘specially if it ain’t mine.”

“How many helpless children must have spent their birthdays without their no-good father, I wonder,” you wiped your hands against your cherry-red apron, pushing the broom back into place. “If your goal is to repopulate Japan, I’m certain you’ll succeed.”

Hefty fingers mindlessly combed through a head of obsidian black, little spikes forming and then settling back down. “None, as far as I’m concerned,” sarcasm dripped from his tongue.

“Well, I find that hard to believe,” you mumbled under your breath, circling through the room to ensure everything was dealt with: leftovers in the fridge, gift wrappings in the bin, and the large aforementioned pile of garbage waiting to be scooped up. “You’ve known Kenzo since birth. Even if this ain’t your thing, the least you could’ve done was make an appearance. He kept asking about his favorite uncle all night long.”

“Except I’m not his uncle. Don’t mix me in with your sister’s family, I ride solo.”

Sigh.

“My sister’s family might as well be your family, Toji. You know how much Hinata and her kids adore you.”

“Good for them, I suppose.”

Another sigh.

“Can you at least tell me what was so important for you to not even pick the goddamn phone up?”

As if the device had grown sentient, a generic tune began tooting from the back pocket of his sweatpants, eradicating your final hope that it’d simply run out of battery.

Without budging from his seat, Toji twisted an arm around his back to pull his flip-phone out, the silver-tinted lid slamming shut as soon as he’d peered at the caller’s number, his next immediate move being to drown the sound in a glass of leftover Coke, fizzy bubbles playing the device’s final requiem.

You didn’t need to ask to know it was a woman, and he didn’t need to answer that she, whatever the name of his latest conquest was, happened to also be the reason for his being unfashionably late.

It was always like that. He was always like that. He went out with one girl after the other; from women of extreme beauty and poise to mindless bimbos who couldn’t tell tea leaves and coffee beans apart. He’d spend some cash to butter them up with expensive meals at overpriced restaurants, or VIP entrance at the hottest club, or even pay for the name tag on their designer clothes, but come next morning, he was either caught stealing straight out of their pockets or checking whether the tag was still attached to the dress for him to return it to the store—at which point, the vast majority gave up, except for those few poor souls who earnestly believed they could fix him, though they never would.

If there were two things in this world that remained unfaltering and resolute throughout the eons, then that was the earth’s orbiting the sun, and Zen’in Toji’s being the bastard of a man you knew and loved— special intonation of that last part.

It was quite the oxymoron. To know him as an irredeemable scumbag with no intention of changing, and to love him for all he was; a sentence as contradictory and controversial as the man before you. What was there to love? He never gave two shits about the people around him dying, and if he could encourage or partake in their deaths then he certainly would. He gambled every cent of cash in his hands away, and his every attachment ended with the disposal of his used-up condom. He was vulgar, cynical, and brass, and he possessed a great charisma of making people dislike him at first glance. His only saving grace was his good looks and even those he managed to scrape on a daily basis.

So, really, what was there to love about a man whose place fitted best among the pile of garbage in the corner? What was the point in all that?

He never answered your question, and when you realized he wasn’t planning to, you dragged a second chair to his side, propping your elbows first and then your chin over the vinyl backrest, feet landing at each side. You took in his expression— sour and undeniably agitated, with a frown tugging at the scarred corner of his lower lip, and a glare too icy to be meant for the wall of American-styled neon billboards he mercilessly studied. Something definitely bothered him, and as a huff stiffened his chin, the reason became evident enough for you to point at it.

“Woman or work?” you gestured at the blood that dribbled below his ear and down his neck.

He followed your forefinger with his eyes, thumb scrubbing where the gush began. He seemed oblivious to his injury, though it wasn’t as if his becoming aware changed a thing.

“So it is a woman,” you gladly seized the chance to rub salt into his wound, drawing a frustrated grumble from him.“What did you do this time? Stole her car and crashed it into a tree? Blew all her savings on cockfight betting?”

“Horse races,” he had the nerve to correct.

“Or… did you by any chance bring an uncalled ménage à trois to her bed?”

“What kind of man you take me for?” Toji protested.

“A very, very, veeeery bad man,” you smirked, and he returned it. You knew him like the back of your hand. There was no need to pretend otherwise after well over a decade’s worth of friendship.

“If a very bad man is what I am, then why’d ya let me in?” he asked. “A young unprotected woman all by herself in the middle of the night letting such scum in never ends well. Thought you were smarter than this.”

“If I was smarter, then I wouldn’t be calling you my friend, would I?”

His grimace turned into a full-blown devilish grin, the kind that secretly had your heart buzzing against the frail set of bones of your chest. He always looked so dazzling when he smiled, that sometimes you couldn’t find fault in those women wanting to believe in his pretty lies, because you, too, wanted to. You hoped that whatever the price for those smiles was, you would one day be able to afford it and gain ownership of his heart, no matter how wretched or blackened it was.

“You are a real idiot to mix it up with me,” he conceded. “Though, you are a greater idiot for letting that term define us. I bet your nights serving meals at some kiddie place get rather lonely. But I could help. I could make you feel really good, Y/N. So good that you’d risk some prick getting in, lest he is me.”

His tongue poked out his mouth, giving his bottom lip a brief lick while he peered at you through half-lidded eyes. He had this way of turning things sexual in the blink of an eye, selling himself so well that your refusal to buy seemed commendable— despite the unmistakable affection you held for his face. Little did he know how much you longed to push that chair to the side and rip his cocky expression along his black-sleeved shirt off his body, making it so that neither of you had a place to hide from the other.

Now, that’d feel good.

“My nights are fine as they are, thank you very much,” you countered your instincts much to his disappointment. “And if I ever needed myself a helping hand, know that you’d be the last I’d call!” Not as if you’d pick up, anyway, you mentally added.

His gust of interest fizzled out as soon as it surged, your rejection forcing him to rock back and forth between the chair’s legs. He wasn’t interested in continuing this. It was enough for him to take in the dusty pink shading of your ears and smile to himself, knowing you were still the kind of woman affected by his charms. Yes, that certainly was enough, for now.

“I’ll clean you up,” you declared, getting off your spot in haste and strolling through the bar in search of a clean towel.

Once you found it, you let it soak under the faucet and brought it back to him, rubbing against his skin regardless of his petty attempt at gritting his teeth. You placed one hand on his shoulder and another at his jaw, pushing them apart to no avail. Every muscle in his body was stronger than your entire bodily force combined, and he was awfully willing to flex that difference between you, just as he was at letting you straddle his hips and climb all over his body like some sort of feral monkey in heat.

A string of profanities that ranged from “bastard” to “shit-eating-asshole-shithead” poured out your mouth while Toji smirked, and smiled, and grinned, and didn’t even try to stop you from knocking the two of you onto the ground, palms barely managing to stable your head over his face. Your pleated skirt had risen, or rather flipped, over your panties, revealing the strawberry pattern panties you were wearing to his greedy hands as they hiked up your flesh without an ounce of shame.

“Wh-What are you doing?!”

“What do you think I’m doing?” he cooed, burying his calloused fingers under the elastic waistband of your underwear.

You felt him trace the inward of your thighs in languid strokes, the fabric stretching the further his hand dipped— closer, and closer to your now-pulsing core, but never so close as to make actual contact. His hot breath tingled your lips, smelling of nothing in particular, but a sweaty tang of a woman’s deodorant that still lingered in his clothes. Had he fucked her before making it here, you wondered, heart tightening at the thought.

Your legs wiggled shut, unable to fully repel his hand, and for a brief moment, you considered letting him go through with this— whatever this was. Even if you came to be another conquest won, you didn’t care. All you needed was for him to hush all logic from your brain, and fuck you senselessly against the checkered tile floor of the “kiddie food place” you served meals at.

“Toji…” you begged, uncertain what you were begging him for until you felt the warmth in your thighs subside.

“Makin’ sure to preserve your maiden’s dignity,” he said as he fixed your skirt in place. “Wouldn’t want some perv catching sight of your cute little ass, would we?”

His condescending tone made you want to throw a slap across his face and then yours; for thinking that maybe this wasn’t a mistake, that you could really move past the pretense of friendship and aim at what you really sought. But he’d been right once before. You were stupid, stupider than all those girls combined, considering you knew and still wouldn’t mind being dragged down with him one bit.

“Fucking asshole,” you blurted as you pushed yourself off him, dumping the cloth on his smug face.

Your lip quivered as you stepped onto your feet, unable to quite shake the feeling of incompletion from your core, walls pathetically clenching around nothingness. You refused to look at him, lest you caved in a second time, and thus you paced around the booths, stopping before the one window whose blinds didn’t block the magnificent parking lot view. Only a black SUV was left— most likely his newest rental.

Following a beep, you watched the lights flicker white, his reflection in the window lifting the chair back up. You crossed your arms over your chest and waited, your impatience and frustration churning into a dangerous mix within your guts, as the asshole whose name wasn’t worth saying moved past you and walked straight to the door, not a single word or goodbye said.

“What about your phone?” you asked, at last paying him a look of spite.

“I’ll text ya my new number.”

“We both know you won’t.”

He glanced over his shoulder and showed you his pearly white canines, his expression not polished enough to be called a smile. You rolled your eyes in the opposite direction, spotting his old device blinking a variety of different lights, refusing to die just like its bastard of an owner.

“What should I do with this?”

“How the hell should I know?” Toji shrugged. “Get rid of it, or toss it in some burger. I’m sure no one will be able to tell the difference. Later,” the bell chimed as the door collided with the frame, chiming a second time as his head popped in a moment later. “Loved the raspberries.”

“They were strawberries, you scatterbrained swine,” you cursed, but he’d heard none of it. The car was gone, and so was he, and it was for the best that he didn’t get to witness the strawberry-colored shadow that loomed over both your cheeks.

Fanning some of that heat away, you returned to the table, surprised to find a white envelope with the name Kenzo hastily written on the front. Cash. Lots of cash. Enough cash to keep a low-end apartment afloat for at least a couple of months. An excuse and simultaneously the answer to all your previous questions.

“You fucking bastard,” you hummed, the term switching to one of utter endearment.

When the first instance of a wintry breeze came charging at the semi-exposed features of your face—a scarf’s fluff tucked right below your nose— you knew that walking all the way to the location where the unknown ID claiming to be Zen’in Toji ordered you to meet up was probably a bad idea.

For starters, you’d turn into an icicle long before making it back to your workplace. Not to mention you had no foolproof way of guaranteeing the person you were about to meet wasn’t some random impersonating psychopath. But when you finally spotted the yellow curvy “M” upon the rectangular red sign that spelled the fast food chain’s name, you narrowed down the psychopaths to that one cheapskate you happened to know.

Walking into the nearly vacant dining area —only the first two booths near the door occupying a family of four each— you detected him almost immediately. He was the only one seated in his wing. Head slightly tilted to look past the window, golden highlights showering the curve of a nose as it arched into thin eyebrows, calm eyes glinting with subtle emerald, and fingers that absentmindedly tapped away onto one of the two paper-covered trays. He had the decency to wait for you before getting into his food, though that didn’t stop him from munching on the occasional fry.

You tugged the handbag off your shoulder and slowly approached him, hesitating to enter his field of view, if just for a moment. He seemed so peaceful and serene, that if you had the guts, you’d snap a picture of him right then and there and make it into your phone’s wallpaper. But you didn’t. You’d never be able to explain it to him in a non-humiliating way, should he catch you in the act, and so, you shook the notion off and marched in his direction, his eyes lighting up in recognition.

“What’s the point of calling me out here for lunch if we are gonna have burgers?” you dropped your bag at the far end of the table. “Why not eat at our place?”

“I like the fries here better,” he bit onto one as if to affirm his claim, licking the salty essence off his fingers. “You should be glad I got you some, too,” he nodded toward the closed dome-shaped box that lay in front of you. “Nuggets over burgers, right? Didn’t know what toy ya wanted though. Cashier girl told me bunnies are quite popular with girls your age, so I went with that.”

Ignoring, or rather postponing your answer to his outrageous suggestion, you peered through the contents of your meal’s box, spotting the wrapped-in-plastic purple-colored bunny key chain right at the bottom between the small portion of deluxe potatoes and even smaller portion of chicken nuggets that still steamed hot air. You were surprised he remembered everything about your order, down to your preference for milkshake over other beverages, and perhaps you would have shown your gratitude if it wasn’t for that last comment of his gnawing at your pride.

“How old did you tell the cashier I was, again?” you gritted, trying to suppress the toy’s cuteness within your fist.

“Didn’t. Just said it’s for some kid I know. Probably thought it was for my daughter or something.”

A pair of googly eyes popped out from their sockets, the bunny’s head in serious danger of coming right off.

“Stop acting like an old man,” you muttered in embarrassment. “A nine-month head start in life doesn’t make you old enough to be my father.”

“Still older than you, kid,” said Toji, his fingers latching onto his wrapped-up burger. “Now eat up. Didn’t pay ya lunch for it to go cold.”

Annoyed by his remarks, but oh-so terribly starved, you decided to let things slide, the two of you lunching in a period of temporal truce. He went through his burger in big bites, clearing it out before you even finished your portion of nuggets. You mildly wondered why he’d held off if he was this hungry, but didn’t press on the reason behind his invitation until after his tray was half-emptied.

“So… why’d you wanna meet up? Got something to tell me?”

“Mhm, I actually do. How would you like us to be room—Nah, that doesn’t sound too right,” Toji shook his head off, dusting the excess salt off his fingers. “I decided I’m moving in with you.”

“You, what?!?” You shrieked, eyes wide with shock, resembling those of your newly acquired key chain.

“What I just said. I’m moving in,” he repeated as if you hadn’t heard him the first time around. “Got everything right here. I’ll pop by later so you can show me my room.”

You glanced down at what he tapped as “here”, spotting a large black duffel bag that rested on his feet. He wasn’t joking, you panicked. He was being 100% serious about this. Directing your milkshake to your mouth, you took a nervous sip, nearly choking on the plastic straw between your teeth, while Toji kept staring at you, awaiting no answer in particular. After all, he wasn’t asking. He was proclaiming.

“Why would you want that?” you asked once you regained the ability to think rationally. “Weren’t you the one who said you ride solo?”

“Numerous reasons,” he stated, drawing his forefinger forth as if to recount. “For starters, rental prices going up, gas too. Inflation in the market and all that crap. Your place is also closer to work, and” he leaned closer, “wasn’t your neighborhood the one on the news recently? You know, those serial break-and-enter cases? As far as I’m aware, the culprit’s still running loose, could be a cursed spirit or something. You can’t see ‘em, but I can. I’ll keep ya safe. Wouldn’t you want that? Sounds like a fair deal to me, at least.”

The repetitive pattern of a catchy pop song blasting from the speakers served as a backdrop to your thoughts, eyes flickering between the table and his face. He wasn’t exactly wrong about what he said. The girl next door was the robber’s last victim, and from what you’d gathered, it seemed like the ones targeted were exclusively single women in their twenties. Curse or not, that was the intruder’s type, and you just so happened to tick both of those boxes.

From a standpoint of reason, his suggestion sounded fair alright, but this was Toji we were talking about. The man whose name was your first thought in the morning and the final afterthought in the night. The man you were coincidentally in love with.

Living with him would entail being around him a lot more than you could handle. Waking and sleeping and eating in the same house as him, spending your days off together, bickering about bills, take-out, and the TV remote’s ownership, doing things that only couples got to do, and of course, sharing a bathroom, which on its own meant seeing him parade through the cramped little space of your apartment in nothing but a soggy towel, hair slick and teeth beaming as he’d be asking if you’d like to join him in the shower—

You hit the break on these thoughts and pressed your forehead flat against both palms, feeling the heat exuding through your fingers. You were only able to keep this relationship platonic because of the distance he put between you. If he were to suddenly close it, what would come of you? How on earth would you be able to hold back?

“Don’t you want me?”

“Huh?” you bit at the straw again, snapping it in half.

“I said, you hate the idea of living with me that much?”

Toji certainly didn’t mince his words, but the way he was looking at you, brows furrowing and lips quivering into a frown despite the edge in his tone, almost made it seem as if hearing your rejection out loud would hurt him, and because of that, you had no choice, but to shake your head in denial. You wanted this. More than words could express, you wanted to be with him like that, even if you refrained from disclosing that truth.

You wanted him.

“What about your girlfriends? Wouldn’t they be against you living with some woman?”

“Nah, I’m done with that. Done with all of ‘em.”

“But my apartment is too small. I don’t think it’d suit you—”

“I’ll manage,” he cut you off.

“I don’t even have a second bed-”

“We can always share,” he smirked, letting out a light-hearted chuckle as he watched color paint your cheeks. “Couch is fine, too. So, whaddya say, roomie?”

“…Fine,” you conceded, very well knowing you’d come to regret this decision. “But we need to set some ground rules! No trashing the apartment, no throwing your ‘work tools’ all over the place, no smoking, no drinking, no loud music, and no bringing in random women. No starting fights either! You’ll help around and pay half of what’s needed, so no gambling your money away. Those are my terms.”

“You drive a hard bargain, roomie,” Toji said, balancing his chin atop his elbow. “Fine by me. Told you I’m done with half those things anyway, and I don’t mind helping you with anything. I mean that.”

But I could help. I could make you feel really good, Y/N.

His words from that night still lingered in your mind like an unfulfilled promise, and when he phrased it like that, you couldn’t help but be reminded of how good his hands felt that night, creeping all over your skin as if he owned it— as if he owned you.

“G-good!” you said, picking up a fry off his tray and tossing it in your mouth, lest you said something stupid.

“No one taught you stealing other people’s food is rude?” Toji shot you a glare unequal to your crime.

“It’s not stealing if you are done with it!” you protested. “You haven’t touched your fries in over ten minutes now.”

His tongue clicked against his mouth’s roof, producing a series of “tsk” sounds while he shook his head in disapproval. “Didn’t take ya for such a brat, Y/N. Disrespecting me in my face right after we came to an agreement? That’s some bad business ethics.”

You rolled your eyes at his comment, barely keeping yourself from groaning. “I’m so terribly sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have stolen your esteemed fries, sir. Won’t ever happen again, sir. Please allow me to express my profound remorse, sir.”

Although Toji knew you only addressed him as such to get on his nerves, he was still pleased enough to grace with you an unsuspecting smile, seconds before you shoved a ketchup-covered potato against his mouth, smudging the left corner of his lips in a way akin to that of his right corner scar. He blinked, clouds of fury gathering in the bleakness of his eyes and cheeks puffing up, painting the most adorable expression you’d ever seen him wear.

“So cute,” you gushed, unable to suppress a hearty laughter that agitated him even more, red blooming across his cheeks— most likely by the lack of oxygen, you interpreted.

“Fucking brat,” he hissed, dipping the last of his fries in ketchup and then stuffing your mouth with it before you could even react. “I’ll show ya how it’s done!” he declared, your lips puckering against his fingers, condiment spreading all over like lipstick. His other hand forced your head in place, stilling your chin for him to work on his masterpiece, making a much bigger mess out of you than you had made of him.

“Hmphmmph!” you hummed while Toji laughed, a deep sound that reverberated straight from his guts, his eyes glinting along with his teeth in sheer joy that convinced you to give up so as to not spoil his fun. It was rare to see him genuinely happy.

“That should teach ya to behave,” he spat, smugness in every aspect of his features as he pressed his thumb onto his mouth, cleaning the ketchup off with a lick. “But you did address me properly, so you’ve earned the right to choose. Napkin or my lips? Which one?”

Stupefied as you were, you didn’t understand the full context of his question until you felt the sudden warmth of his mouth flutter over your skin, the tip of his tongue sloppily gathering the leftover ketchup off your right cheek. Your jaw popped open, a small gasp escaping as a result of his action.

“Too slow,” Toji whispered, hooded green eyes peering right into yours. “I’ll ask again. Napkin or my lips? What’s it gonna be, doll?”

“N-n-n-napkin!” you must have stuttered at least a thousand times before forming a comprehensible answer. He was so close that if he tilted his head any closer your lips were sure to touch. “P-please get me a napkin.”

“Please?” he chuckled, acting as if was really going to kiss you and then pulling away. “Be right back.”

Even after Toji let go, you could still feel the weight of his thumb holding you down, your eyes zeroing in on his black sweater as he set off for the other side of the room where the napkin and condiments stand was located. You heard a few whispers coming from beside your table, catching three pairs of eyes shooting daggers right at your back.

“Don’t they have a home?” a woman’s voice echoed first.

“Kids these days…” a man added.

“Honey, don’t look at their sinfulness, it’s the devil’s work.” A second woman concluded.

You were on the verge of experiencing a cardiac arrest, and you were pretty darn sure you would have if Toji hadn’t returned with the napkins in time, his hand snatched by yours as you forcefully dragged him out of the place, spelling frantic apologies at whoever was listening.

Once you’d made it outside, you sighed in relief, winter’s viciousness coming as a much-needed slap across your face. You took in a few breaths, letting go of his hand and padding a few steps away from the store’s windows, afraid you were still the focus of their attention. Toji followed, one hand stuffed inside his jeans pocket, while the other held the duffel bag over his shoulder in a lazy manner.

“Can you give me a lift to work?” you managed to ask, dodging his stare even as he stepped to the front.

“I would, but I can’t. Gave the car away.”

“You did what?”

Nothing about your reaction was funny in any shape or form, but he seemed amused enough to break into a soft chuckle, his eyes, too, softening ever so slightly.

“Planning to walk around town like a bloodsucker?” he asked, bringing a napkin to wipe your lips with greater care than you’d think. “How dirty,” he cooed, gently tapping at the center. “Next time, I won’t ask for permission to kiss you, roomie. Let’s go.”

“W-Where?” your voice came out so frail that you doubted he’d heard your question, his bag bouncing over his taut body with every step he took outside the parking lot.

“You asked for a ride, didn’t ya? Come.”

A/N: Launching a new series because I have so many feelings bottled up that I'm in danger of farting hearts and rainbows and shit. Decided to take the time off and write this fic for myself cause I needed it, but then I thought why not share it with the world? First time writing for Jujutsu Kaisen and Toji in particular, so hopefully it's received well!

[neversetyoufree]

I think Luna, Queen Faustina(naenia) and the shapeless one are wayyy too similar in the way they are drawn, the lines, the eyes. Shapeless one has one red eye and another blue eye, like naenia and the vampire of the blue moon..... am i missing smt or?

You're absolutely right! A lot of this actually gets pointed out by characters in the manga as well, so we know it's all intentional on Mochijun's part.

When Noé sees Luna in Misha's memories, he remarks in confusion that Luna looks extremely similar to Faustina:

Then, when Jeanne sees The Shapeless One for the first time in the amusement park, she observes that his left eye is the exact same color as Vanitas's eyes (and therefore the same color as Luna's eyes).

Teacher's right eye is violet, not crimson like Faustina's, so he's not a perfect combination of the other two, but there's definitely something going on here. Even without the visual link, we know they're connected, as Ruthven says Teacher was the first vampire to serve her (and the one to do so for the longest). He's extremely old, the oldest vampire we know of besides the queen, so he may even have some connection to Babel and Faustina's origins. (I'm personally a fan of the Teacher is Paracelsus theory, but that should really be a separate post).

As for your confusion, I honestly think you're right to be confused! We have all these extremely conspicuous connections and similarities, but no explanations yet. It's all just hints and gestures toward Big Reveals that are yet to come.

That said, I do have theories.

Luna and Faustina are similar-looking enough that I think they have to be related in some way. They could be normal relatives, one could have been artificially made in the image of the other, or it could be something even weirder that I haven't thought of yet, but there's no way their origins aren't connected somehow.

I know some people theorize they're twins, but that would require discounting all of the fairytale version of Luna's story, so I'm not ready to commit to that one quite yet. Faustina is supposed to be the first ever crimson vampire, created during or right after Babel, while Luna was supposedly born under a blue moon and born late enough that there were other vampires around to resent and reject them. Some of that mythos could be wrong! I'm absolutely not trusting that the fairy tale is telling the truth about Luna (or Faustina). But it's enough for now to make me suspect that their connection is something more complex than their simply being twins and/or both born from Babel.

Meanwhile, with Teacher, it seems like Mochijun is hinting to us that Teacher took Luna's left eye. Teacher has a left eye that we're specifically told is Blue Moon blue, and Luna's left eye is constantly hidden from our view under their hair. We also know from the above "most beautiful creature in the world" line, his involvement with both Misha and Noé/Vanitas, and his shapeshifting into them that Teacher seems to have some kind of fixation on Luna. If that fixation didn't drive him to take their actual left eye, then Mr. Shapeshifter may well be turning his own left eye blue on purpose in Luna's image.

I'm not discounting the possibility that the obvious explanation of "eye theft" could be a red herring, but Teacher's left eye's connection to Luna definitely strikes me as something affected rather than a sign of actual relation to the Blue Moon. After all, in that panel I included above, he discusses the beauty of "Blue" in a way that makes it sound like something external he's fascinated with, rather than something he possesses or is part of.

Overall, all three of these characters are obviously interconnected, and they all have equally mysterious origins, but with the information we have now, it's impossible to solve those mysteries. For now all we can do is theorize and wait to see what future chapters might clarify.

[schrodingers-romy]

Lemon Blueberry [Suzuri Shuhei x Reader]

Pairing: Suzuri Shuhei x GN!Reader Word Count: ~2300 [Ao3 Link]

Summary: Shuhei bakes for the first time, with you

Warnings: Spoilers for the manga (suzuri's backstory and current occupation); also warning for light mentions of Stuff Pertinent to his backstory as well; no gendered pronouns or terms are used for the reader; kissing; feeding each other food with your hands idk; written with aged up suzuri in mind

Notes: wrote this a while ago and it's barely edited but I haven't seen any suzuri fics so I have to make my own food <3

The light of the setting sun bathed the kitchen in its soft honey glow. Your focus shifted for just a second, away from the finicky stand mixer in front of you to the window, no doubt admiring the clouds cast in their colorful glow. And as cliché as it sounds, Shuhei thought that you are undoubtedly more beautiful than any sunset could ever be.

And to think he used to mock those who loved…

It still seemed like a dream sometimes. Partially the idea of making an honest living, enough for the rent on an apartment and a healthy three meals a day without stretching it; things he fought bloody tooth and nail for in the past were now within his grasp. And even more than that, he was fulfilled emotionally and mentally in a way that he never was before. He had pride in himself now, not the false, vindictively bitter and caustic ‘pride’ he had before, but true pride. The sort that came from improving, and learning, and going to sleep every night feeling content in himself and his actions.

(In his darker moments, he feared going to sleep, just in case when he woke, he was back There and all of this was the machinations of his starved mind.)

If it was all a dream, Shuhei thought, you were certainly the cruelest part of it. You, who befriended him back when he was still the starved, bruised wraith who first started working in the kitchen of a fancy red light restaurant, scrubbing plates until his hands peeled. You, who knew his dirty past from Tsubaki, but never looked down on him for it. You, who treated him like a person, and who made him feel more real than he had in years. You, who through soft smiles and gentle teasing and homecooked meals gave him his first taste of what falling in love must feel like. He never really believed in any sort of benevolent god (what sort of good god would let him suffer as he once did, anyway); yet he prayed every night that this (that you) were real.

Seemingly oblivious to his thoughts, you broke the silence by giving the mixer a theatrical slap on its side, like you were patting the flank of a beloved horse. “Are you ready?” you asked.

He nodded a little stiffly, hoping you hadn’t noticed him staring. (Although, you were a bit oblivious, he thought, because he is horrible at hiding his infatuation with you).

Shuhei had been over to your house a handful of times, mostly to hang out, or for dinner. This is the first time he would be helping in your kitchen. Despite the fact that he had been learning all that he could about cooking from his job, he had never baked something in his life. And that’s where you came in.

After hearing that, the first thing you suggested was for him to come over so the two of you could bake something together, and he had jumped at the golden opportunity to not only learn a new skill, but also to spend time with you (and also to eat good food, but that was a given).

“I hope you don’t mind, I had something picked out already,” you said, as you adjusted the colorful containers of ingredients situated on the counter in front of you. “Cookies are kind of the obvious thing to bake for your first time, but I have a recipe I think you’ll really like.”

“And what’s that?”

You turn the full force of your smile to him, and he squints a bit. “Lemon blueberry bread! I know you like the taste of fresh fruit, so I thought this would be perfect. And it’s not a very difficult recipe anyway.”

You were right…as you usually were about him. He had never told you, but he did gravitate towards fruit when he had the chance. Fruit was a luxury he could never really partake in where he used to live; it spoiled quickly and couldn’t be kept down when it was bad. Even the thought of fresh lemons and blueberries had him salivating, and you laughed at his eager expression.

“You know me so well,” he said, careful to keep his voice from being too sappy.

You flashed him another smile, and presented him with a measuring cup. “Can you measure out the sugar for me?”

-

Shuhei was a fast learner, and it was no different with baking. He had a lot of questions, and you answered them to the best of your ability.

“Why do you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients instead of the other way around?”

“I’m sure there’s probably a scientific reason for it that I don’t know…but it is less messy than dumping a bunch of powder, and when you pour the liquid, it mixes a bit instead of just floating on top.”

“How do you know it’s done mixing?”

“Depends on what you’re making. Here it should look uniform and smooth…see how there’s still some little lumps in there? It needs to go for longer. Some recipes need to be mixed for a long time, so they get more air in them…doesn’t really matter for this though.”

“Why are you putting flour on the blueberries?”

“It keeps them from sinking when it bakes, so you get blueberries all the way through the bread instead of just at the bottom.”

“Can I eat some of it now?”

You hesitated for a second. “Well…you’re not really supposed to eat stuff with raw egg in it, but we should have a little taste, so we know if we need to add anything.” You pulled a spoon out of seemingly nowhere and dipped the tip of it in the yellow batter. Shuhei expected you to hand the spoon to him, but instead you held it up towards his mouth, and looked at him expectantly.

He could feel his face heating up at the fact that you’re feeding him; and he panicked a little bit. He ended up biting down hard on the spoon when he tried to taste the batter, making an audible click.

The two of you winced in unison, his from pain and yours from sympathy.

“I’d give that a zero out of ten for gracefulness,” you commented, “But anyway how does it taste?”

Shuhei felt even more red than he was before, but through his embarrassment and the pain in his teeth, he can still taste the bright citrus flavor. “It’s good.”

“Knew it!” you crowed, and then you gave him a heart attack by using the spoon to take your own sampling of the batter. “Mmmm. Yeah. We did good.”

You used the same spoon that he had just had in his mouth. That was essentially an indirect kiss.

You were going to be the death of him.

-

After the bread was placed in the oven, and all the dishes were washed and put away, the two of you sat down on the couch to await the ding of the timer.

“So, how do you feel after your first time baking?” you asked, looking at him hopefully.

Shuhei knew you wanted him to enjoy it, and he privately thought it was cute of you to be so invested in his happiness. Luckily for you, Shuhei loved making food (and he loved spending time with you). “I feel good. It was fun, I just hope it turns out good.”

Your laughter leaned more into a cackle than a giggle, but he still thought you were adorable. “I thought you’d like it! And I’m sure it will be delicious, especially since you helped me.” You shuffled a bit closer to him on the couch to give him a teasing poke, your eyes sparkling.

He raised an eyebrow at you, trying to keep the corner of his mouth from twitching up in amusement. “Oh, does my help make it better?”

“Hmmm…I don’t know…didn’t your boss tell you you had ‘the magic touch’ with food last week?” you said, smirking at him. “Maybe you added some of your magic to this bread.”

He scoffed, turning away from you to hide his blush. “My boss is too nice. I just pick things up quickly, that’s all. ‘S nothing special.”

You poked at him again, repeatedly with your finger until he turned back towards you to smack your hand away (gently, because he didn’t want to hurt you). Your face had dropped its previous joking expression, replaced with a painfully open one. His heart caught in his throat at the soft curve of your mouth and the warmth in your eyes.

“I think you’re pretty special,” you said earnestly; your eyes shine with something he can now recognize looks a lot like love.

The timer sounded at that moment, and you sprung up from your spot to go check the bread. You moved suspiciously quickly, like you were embarrassed at your admission.

Shuhei remained sitting on the couch, frozen. He felt more dazed than when Tsubaki had cleaned his clock with a kick to his head. He barely dared to hope…but maybe, just maybe, you also felt for him what he felt for you.

-

The bread was already out of the oven and cooling when Shuhei pulled himself together and entered the kitchen. The two of you stared at the cooling bread in silence for a moment. The kitchen is filled with the warm scent of baked bread and sweet lemon. Shuhei felt the urge to lick the bread so he could finally taste it. His stomach growled, breaking the silence.

“I’m so fucking hungry,” he finally said.

“Oh my gosh, same,” you said. “It smells so good I think I’m drooling.”

“How long do we have to wait to eat?”

“I mean…really we should wait until it fully cools so we can put the glaze on…”

He turned to give you his best starving puppy dog face (a face he has created and perfected in the time he has known you).

You hesitated, glancing between him, the bread, and the unused glass of lemon glaze. He could see the conflict in your eyes, until you finally gave in, shoulders slumping as you sigh.

“Y’know what, it’s cool enough. You wanna do the honors?”

He was a little clumsy with the glaze, and most of it is absorbed into the warm bread, but you applauded him when he was done anyways. “Okay now, you’re officially done with your first bake!”

“Time to eat?” he asked eagerly.

You broke out an oversized bread knife, which glinted in the light. (If you weren’t so cute, Shuhei thought, it would look threatening). “Yup!”

-

You sit next to each other on the hard kitchen floor, each holding a thick, warm slice of bread in your bare hands, because you were both too hungry to grab plates and utensils and move to a table.

You gave him a nod, and he took his first bite.

If Shuhei thought the batter was good, the finished bread was heavenly. It was soft, but still packed a powerful burst of tart lemon flavor, and the blueberries had cooked down into an almost jam-like consistency that gave the perfect sweetness to the rest of the bread. Before he knew it, he had devoured the entire slice ravenously.

When he looked back up, you were still holding your own slice, forgotten as you stared at him.

He felt a burst of self-consciousness. He knew he still ate like a rabid animal sometimes; his mind and body still remembered what it was like to starve, even when his stomach was full.

But you don’t look like you’re judging him. Instead, you have that same shine in your eyes again.

“It’s good,” he said lamely, to break the tension.

You simply smiled at this and broke off a piece of your own slice of bread, holding it out to him, towards his mouth (once again).

Shuhei was careful to be gentle this time. He tried to keep from touching you, but your fingers brush against his lips anyway. His skin burned where you touched, and he burned even more under your unmoving gaze.

He reached out for your bread, breaking off a piece himself. It’s clear you expected him to eat it, but it’s his turn to surprise you. He held out the chunk of bread to you, fingers trembling minutely with his nervousness. He resolutely kept his eyes on you, even though he could feel his face radiating heat, so he didn’t miss seeing the shock on your face, and the light glaze to your eyes as you take the piece from his hand.

Your lips were soft when they touched his calloused fingers, and his heart stuttered when he felt the lightest touch of your tongue.

You finished the slice off that way, feeding each other pieces without speaking a word. When it’s finally gone, he reached out one more time, to grab your hands and cradle them in his own.

Shuhei knew how he felt about you; he never really thought you felt anything more than friendship for him, but this night had opened his eyes. Even if he was wrong, after all of this, he finally had the courage to find out what you really felt.

He waited to see if you pulled away, but instead you edged closer to him.

“Hey Shuhei,” you murmured.

“Yeah?” he asked, breathless.

The way you looked at him was so filled with tenderness; it almost made his eyes water. “I like you,” you said. “I like you, so much. I might love you.”

He didn’t even realize he was holding his breath until he let out a shuddering exhale at your words.

“I’ve never felt like this about anyone before,” he confessed. “But I think it’s love.”

Your answer came in the form of a kiss.

Your lips were even softer when they were pressed against his own, and the flavor of lemon and blueberry was even sweeter when he licked it from inside your mouth.

[danceofthephilos]

Hanakotoba and the Meanings of Flowers in SK8 the Infinity

Ranging from very overt allusions in the text to single pieces of official art, almost every main character in SK8 has been associated with a flower. Hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers, is something that the creators were attentive to, evidenced by its mention both in the show itself and by staff in discussion about the episodes, and considering how hanakotoba might have been taken into account in the other examples of flower imagery can add an interesting layer of symbolism to speculate on.

The hanakotoba columns on GreenSnap were my primary source for this post, but I've crosschecked the meanings on multiple websites as much as possible to ensure the factual information here is accurate to the best of my ability. This is quite a long post, so bear with me.

🌹 Roses 🌹

Naturally, the first flower to start with is the one that is directly mentioned in the show itself:

As Adam says, red roses do mean "passionate love", though his particular wording (jounetsu no ai) is slightly paraphrased from how that meaning is typically worded. (If you look up the meaning of roses in hanakotoba, you may see netsuretsu na koi (熱烈な恋) instead.) They can also simply mean "love" and "passion" (ai and jounetsu, as Adam uses in this line), as well as "beauty" and "I'm in love with you."

In Japanese as in English, red roses are a very classically romantic gift, so in the finale and the Blu-ray box art, it seems Adam's passionate love hasn't waned.

There are also specific meanings for certain numbers of flowers in a bouquet of roses, and while it's never stated how many roses are in the first bouquet Adam brings Langa, extrapolating from how many flowers are visible in the shots and how many are hidden, as well as the bouquet at Adam's birthday display at the 2022 NAMJATOWN collaboration containing 50 flowers (as I was able to confirm from some fans' photos from better angles, that I won't be reposting here as they were personal photos on Twitter) I believe that the bouquet in the show also contains 50, which means "eternity."

Adam's bouquets to Langa are also not the only times roses appear in relation to him, nor is red the only color they appear in. Several flashback shots of Ainosuke and Tadashi as children feature red roses, which has quite clear subtextual implications, especially alongside the comparison between Tadashi and Langa made in the show itself.

But one prominent flashback also includes pink roses, meaning "deep impression."

In Ainosuke and Tadashi's last scene together in the finale, there's a vase of purple roses behind them, meaning "pride" or "respect."

And his graffiti tag from the 2022 Infinity Week art features blue roses, which, along with being in Langa's image color, mean "dream come true", "impossible" or "miracle."

Roses also have a lengthy history of associations with gay men, both in real-life Japanese gay culture and in the boys' love genre, and how this relates to the use of rose imagery in SK8 could (and likely eventually will) be its own post, but it's an extra aspect to take into consideration with Adam especially.

As a bonus, the mangaka for the official manga adaptation also drew Langa and Reki with red and blue roses (respectively) to celebrate the season finale:

And while Reki is never associated with roses in any more official capacity, Langa does have red roses in his house that are visible in a few scenes:

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🌷 Tulips 🌷

This is another one that's directly confirmed, this time regarding Shadow's bouquet in the ending montage.

For love bouquets, Adam uses roses, so Hiromi-chan's was tulips and white baby's breath. In hanakotoba, red tulips mean "confession of love." Pink means "sincere love." Orange means "shyness", so we went with these three. Plus, white tulips are "new love" or "unrequited love" so we stopped there… (lol) By the way, in hanakotoba, baby's breath means "innocent love" and "gratitude."

(Episode 12 Director Masatoyo Takada, Skater's Backstage)

Tulips in general mean "charity" and "thoughtfulness", and Shadow is frequently associated with them outside of just this scene, whether on his clothes or in official merchandise. "Tulip" is also the name of the flower shop where he works!

He's holding another bouquet of tulips on the Blu-ray box art, as well, with the same colors as in the finale - but with the addition of the mentioned white tulips for "unrequited love", and yellow tulips, which can mean "honesty", but can mean "unrequited love" (or "hopeless love") too... Sorry, Shadow.

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🌺 Hibiscus 🌺

Moving away from directly stated connections into slightly more obscure ones, Reki is nevertheless visually associated with hibiscus in several places, both in shots in the show and in his 2021 birthday art.

Hibiscus flowers generally can mean "new love", "trust" and "I believe in you" (a meaning thought to originate from Hinduism), while red hibiscus specifically (as Reki is depicted with) mean "bravery."

Hibiscus flowers are also considered as symbol of Okinawa as a whole, making them an especially fitting flower for Reki, who's implied to be of indigenous Ryukyuan descent and is the character who could be considered the most representative of Okinawa (and Langa's new life there) in the show,

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🌸 Cherry Blossoms 🌸

This one is fairly self-explanatory; Kaoru's surname is Sakurayashiki (sakura being the Japanese word for cherry blossoms), his S name is Cherry Blossom, cherry blossoms feature on his costume and heavily in the decor in his calligraphy studio, et cetera. As one of the most well-known and famously Japanese flowers, they're well suited to Cherry's traditional Japanese image, and the whole aesthetic of his character is themed around them. Even his birthday is on March 27th, Sakura Day in Japan.

In hanakotoba, cherry blossoms' most well-known meaning is "moral beauty", a phrase referring to the beauty of someone's personality or character. They can also mean "graceful woman" or "pure-blooded", and the specific species of cherry blossom that the ones in Cherry's design resemble (somei-yoshino cherry blossoms) can additionally mean "noble" or "innocent." The fact that the same flower with such elegant meanings is related to both his public and S personas adds to the characteristic duality between his outward appearance and private personality.

While not specifically hanakotoba, the French meaning of cherry blossoms also appears to be well-known in Japan - "ne m'oubliez pas", or "don't forget me", associated with ending relationships.

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💮 Chrysanthemums 💮

Another flower associated with a character through their surname, chrysanthemums are the "kiku" (菊) in Kikuchi. A chrysanthemum also features prominently in the design on Adam's skateboard.

Chrysanthemums also appear on both Adam and Tadashi's clothes in a few pieces of official art.

Chrysanthemums' meanings in hanakotoba are all variations of "nobility" and "purity." They're a flower with great cultural significance in Japan, being the crest of the Imperial family, and often appear as a symbol of Japanese society itself - including on the badges worn by both Diet members such as Ainosuke and even certain ones worn by their secretaries, making this flower one that's representative of a very important aspect of both their lives.

While there's no particular history to this meaning, due to the romantic color, red chrysanthemums such as the one on Adam's board can also mean "I love you."

According to director Utsumi in the 2022 Infinity Week livestream, the chrysanthemum on Adam's board was a happy accident, as Thomas Romain, the artist who designed the board, didn't know Tadashi's name or anything about his history with Adam when creating it. The double layer of symbolism is an incredible coincidence!

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🌻 Sunflowers 🌻

Joe doesn't have any particular connection with flowers in the show himself, but there is one piece of official art featuring him with sunflowers, which complement the strong association he does have with the sun.

In hanakotoba, sunflowers mean "admiration", "longing" or "I'm only looking at you" - originating from the way sunflowers will always turn to face the sun. As this particular piece of official art was for a magazine feature for White Day (a Japanese holiday where men receive gifts from women they gave gifts to on Valentine's Day), perhaps they're meant to be a gift to him. As Joe's stronger association is with the sun itself (his tattoo is of the sun, his board has the word "sole" - sun in Italian - written on it and a sun incorporated into the design, his restaurant's name (Sia la Luce) translates to "let there be light") he could be seen as the sun that the sunflowers (his admirers) would look towards.

Along with the hibiscus in the image, Reki's birthday event in 2021 also featured sunflowers as part of the display, fitting his yellow image color.

~

❄️ Snowdrops ❄️

And finally, one more case with only a single piece of official art - but one with a very interesting history behind its meanings. In Langa's 2022 birthday art, he's shown holding snowdrops - a natural association with his S name and the fact that he's a former snowboarder.

In hanakotoba, snowdrops mean "hope" and "comfort." These meanings are said, as you will find on any Japanese hanakotoba site, to originate from a story about Adam and Eve dating back to at least 1925, if not earlier (with 1925 being the earliest version of the story the Japanese Wikipedia page on snowdrops is able to cite.) As the story goes, after Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, an angel took pity on them suffering in the winter cold and turned the falling snowflakes into snowdrops, to console them and give them courage. In that 1925 version of the story, the first snowdrop was specifically a gift to Eve:

The Snowdrop Legend When the first winter lay white upon the earth, Eve sorely missed the beautiful things of the field. An angel who pitied her seized a snowflake and, breathing upon it, bade it live, for her delight. It fell to the earth a flower, which Eve caught to her breast with gladness, for not only did it break the spell of winter, but it carried assurance of divine mercy. Hence the flower means consolation and promise.

With both the superficial connections of being winter flowers named after snow and their connection to SK8's intentional biblical themes (as producer Mari Suzuki described the show as a whole as "the story of Adam searching for Eve" in Animedia March 2021), these have some of the deepest meanings of any of the flowers depicted, despite only appearing in a single piece of art.

The flower imagery SK8 uses is fascinating and surprisingly layered, especially knowing the deliberate attention to hanakotoba that was paid in certain cases, and it'll be interesting to see how it might continue to feature in the future.

[slowcatsisland]

Some physical headcanons for Zoro 🥰🙏

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Roronoa Zoro; Physical Characteristics Headcanons

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A/N: yes

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His pre timeskip color palette was PERFECT

His hair genuinely looks like a mint chocolate chip green and it’s because of the sun. The more sunlight he receives the lighter it makes his hair look (it got really dark during the timeskip because of Muggy Island’s climate but is progressively getting lighter currently)

When he was young his hair was more of a grassy color

His hair is really thick and surprisingly soft despite how spiky it can look, Luffy likes messing with it when he’s bored (yk when a guy gets a buzz and when you run your hand over it one way it’s soft and then the other it’s prickly? That’s kinda like Zoro’s hair no matter how long he grows it-he also doesn’t ever grow it that long)

His hair takes a long time to grow in general he cut it all off once, never again

(Yosaku, Johnny, and himself all shaved their heads together once when they were growing up. Prolly something to do with touching their mental fortitude and trying to become with the sword or smth. Zoro found out that he has a weird, rectangle head shape without hair to frame it and refuses to lose all his hair ever again)

His hair can’t hold a curl for shit

He smells like steel and iron. He also probably had a strong natural musk bc of his hygiene (bro needs to shower more)

His facial features are so sharp. From his defined temples, the bald patches of forehead along his hair line, his jaw, nose, even his eyebrows and cheek bones all collectively make his face full of sharp lines and cuts

(I’m so not a fan of how rounded he looks post timeskip, especially in Egghead and I mean u could argue that it makes him resemble a tiger more but just guyss)

He actually has more Asian facial features than shown in the manga/anime imo

His eyebrows are either the same light mint green his hair is or they’re a green so dark they look black from afar I just can’t tell which it would be

He has serious threaded eyebrows. Law might have 90s eyebrows to an extent but Zoro is on a whole other level. He never does anything to them either, he’s actually had a whole conversation about this with Nami (she’s envious)

Zoro has a slight concern about accidentally getting his eyebrow hair shaven off somehow and them never growing back

YALL THE HAIR ON HIS EYEBROW PART OF THE SCAR STILL HASNT GROWN BACK-

He has long eyelashes but they’re straight so you don’t see them from the front (his side profile is beautiful-)

His eyes look like they turn upwards but it’s subtle

His eyes are a shade of gold I tell you!! It fits with his whole ‘tiger’ as his animal thing so well

Also also yk how guys in One Piece don’t rlly get their eye color shown unless it’s a specific frame in the anime at least? That happens with Zoro during his fight with King I’m like 90% sure

They’re a type of gold that matches the darkest shade of his earrings

I’ll forever believe his eyes were meant to be gold

He’s got that epicanthal folds trust

He under eye also has that slight puffiness to it too trust trust trust

I heard a theory abt how in his closed eye post timeskip is another soul (one of his swords) and if/when he opens it it’ll be ringed I feel like that’s worth putting here

His scar along his eye is actually a really clean cut with minimal texture differences I guess? If you run your finger across it you feel the ridge of the scarring but it isn’t messy like how Luffy’s under eye scar is

His nose is like, idk sturdy I guess? Yk his live action Mackenyu’s nose is a perfect reference imo

His lips downturn so it looks like he’s frowning or brooding a lot even when he’s not (Sanji’s threatened to fix his face countless times)

He has a scar on his bottom lip going to the end of his chin from getting cut by Kuina when they were using real blades against each other (one time Franky thought Zoro was really messy when they were eating a type of pasta that Sanji made and told him to wipe his chin..nothing came off)

He also has a cheek scar from Kuina on his right cheek going from the center of it to just below his ear (it’s really faint)

His neck has uneven flexibility because of his lack of visibility on his left side (he can turn it around like an owl to the left)

He’s naturally tan but he also soaks up sunlight like a sponge and almost never burns

Pre timeskip Zoro was obviously more lean but he was still the most jacked person on the crew. His muscles were probably more noticeable pre timeskip due to his tighter clothing than they are post timeskip even though they’re bigger now

He’s pretty well proportioned torso and leg wise, not like some of the other characters such as Sanji, Law, or Nami that are mainly legs.

Yk bros back is a holy sight

Pre timeskip he had defined abs but post timeskip he has a healthy layer of fat covering them slightly (Sanji has him on a meal plan, Zoro’s unaware he’s on said meal plan)

Bro lowkey everything about Zoro is just big post timeskip

He’s still the same height, but pre timeskip Zoro looks taller than post time skip Zoro (the muscles and baggy clothing make him look more blocky)

I feel like comparing him to 2000 Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in Marvel’s X Men or Mackenyu for pre timeskip 👌

Then post timeskip Zoro is more comparable to say 2014 Dave Bautista’s Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy

His stomach scar is actually rough like Luffy’s under eye scar because of how it was healed and it’s probably pretty sensitive I’d assume

Bros legs are built so sturdy. If Sanji’s legs are like pillars of steel then Zoro’s legs would be bricks of iron if that makes sense

His hands are plenty calloused along his palms

He also has a good amount of smaller slash-esque scars from training with real blades along his hands, arms, and quads

It was easier for him to move around quieter pre timeskip but he’s still considerably quiet when he’s walking around

I feel like he’d be ticklish or skittish, mainly around his sides just cause he doesn’t receive physical affection that much

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I feel like I could talk abt him forever

Mwah 😽

[affluent-havoc]

Time for Hiro! Spoilers up ahead!

I'll be honest. These designs were so easy. Just came naturally. Therefore, I kinda don't really have much to say. Regardless though, first design, I gave him a tie die shirt, either something he got from a dingy flea market that costed way too much money or perhaps something he made himself. Baggy pants for both outfits were a given though I made sure. Additionally, he keeps the sandals but I gave him socks with this design solely off of vibes. Hiro just gives me socks and sandals energy. For the second design, his work attire, I'll be honest again. It's a bit lazy in some ways, which both works with Hiro's nature while also just being like, a design I guess. Basically a combo meal of his original design and outfit in the anime. A bit of a snazzier shirt that looks similar to what he wore in his og design, an ill-fitting overcoat in line more with his anime appearance (after all his og coat was from a school uniform), and of course sandals. Ya can't go wrong with sandals. Also I feel Hiro just doesn't wear standard shoes. Man is destined to have the dogs out and no one can stop him unfortunately. I also gave him a little pouch. dunno what he's got in there. Maybe some snacks on the go or literally all he owns. Probably a coin flip depending on the day... In regards to the outfit in context of his work, I see him helping his mom still at this age. Hiro will never not be a mommas boy. Additionally, I see him having his own little clairvoyant shop of his own though I do see him also popping in and helping out with the others and their work in their own way. Maybe he helps fill out Komaru and her little shop while she works on her manga on the side. Perhaps he might pop in at Makoto's school and help out. Not sure how but he could get it done... maybe. I dunno though. I just like the idea of Hiro being there for the others and being that older friend in that Hiro kind of way. Not exactly one of sage advice but just being that guy B]

As for some of his other features, I gave him the small glasses in line with his appearance in the Danganronpa 3 anime. I dunno. They just work for me. I also changed up his hair a bit by having it a mix of both up and spread out like in his original design. It's also still a bit funky though. I genuinely have no idea what to call this. It's weird and unique and I guess Hiro's rocking it so that's gotta count for something! Additionally, I styled his facial hair a bit differently though it's literally just his mustache being slightly more hairy and defined and him having the stubble/sole patch combo. Now Makoto and him can be stubble buddies!! (also chest hair buddies which I say now cus my gosh I should have given Makoto chest hair before but I'm realizing that now so screw it! just going to say that now. right here. cus why not) Also, yeah. Hiro's got the chest hair. I had to. Probably should have drawn it a bit curlier but shhhh. Just imagine the chest curls cus I am both too lazy and too tried to go and edit him now -_- One other thing of note I wish to mention is the tattoo he's got on one of his legs. I thought it'd be very dumb if he had one and it happened to be a really shitty tattoo of his mom. Don't have any specific lore for it but I think the beauty of the tattoo is that any story can work. This is Hiro after all. Maybe he got some crappy tattoo artist to do it for him off of a doodle he drew on the spot of his mom by memory. Maybe he tried needle-poking the dang thing himself even! Maybe even Syo did it for him cus he happened to be a bit out of it and happened to ask help from the local fiend of all people. Sky's the limit on what could have happened and I love it!

For the most part, I think he turned out decently well. Also it was just so fun drawing and coloring that tie-dye shirt. I gotta admit that. (1) | (8)