#Tsuna just wants to help

[einsatzzz]

Happy Holidays!!! ft. HibaKana, YuiHiyo, TsunaRumi and ReboApp 🥰🥰🥰 I wanted to draw something for the holidays and remembered that @butterrdream sent me a wonderful set of art bases a few weeks ago, talked a bit on which of our ships suit which base. Anyway, I thought it was perfect for this bc of the cold weather setting + Christmas being more of a "couples" season in JP 👀✨

Art Base Source: aniforceus (울산 애니포스)

I'll also use this post to thank everyone who supported me and interacted with any of my works this year. And yes, even if it's just once! A lot of stressful things happened to me this year, but I'm still thankful for the year because I got to meet a whole lot of wonderful people who share the similar brainrots for OCs as me, whether ur a friend, mutual, follower, anon or any other user at all. Of course, I'm also thankful for the friends that I also already have from previous years (thank you for still being friends with me ueueueue 😭😭💖✨)

Thank you for interacting/talking with me, for sharing your OCs with me and for being patient with me whenever I'm having irl struggles. I hope ya'll have a wonderful holiday season (or a wonderful next few days if you don't celebrate!) 🥳🥳🥳 Wishing everyone even more bountiful brainrots for each of our interests hehehe

[hasarjunadoneanythingwrong]

In Tsunayoshi's valentine event he says Arjuna and Georgios stop him and Shuten from making a blood bath of each other and I thought you'd like to know cuz this immediately summoned the img of Arjuna just hanging around the simulator like a school monitor to whistle at mischievous rule breakers and it's absurdly funny to me.

*quietly adds 5 good noodle points to arjuna and georgios’ scoreboard*

[koushirouizumi]

{R.E.B.O.R.N} - T H E O R I Z I N G ~ P A R A L L E L Worlds + Y A M A M O T O & B Y A K U R A N + G E N K I S H I S Death + TYL!Y A M A M O T O

Inheritance Ceremony!Y A M A M O T O -> T.Y.L

"T H I S Will D e c i d e {It}."

B O N U S:

"{T S U N A}, Why don't you T a k e a l i t t l e B r e a k?"

"THIS will D e c i d e I t..."

"If I can get {t h e m} with {T H I S} IT'S--" "{G A M E} & {S e t}!!" A.K.A. C o n c e p t s For S t o r i e s I'll N e v e r? -- Be Able to W r i t e...?!

{Cap'd by Me} (A S K to Use)

[rebo-chan]

Something I was thinking about lately is Tsuna's daddy issues. Specifically this frame.

Like that's such a loaded thing to think about. He's got so much resentment built up. Obviously, there's no direct connection to any of Tsuna's issues made but I think a few fun things can be said from this. In general, Tsuna clearly didn't have a father figure in his life which sorta results in him leaning on Reborn pretty often. Tsuna doesn't have a very stable self-esteem with him going from confident to "Aah, Gokuderas going to become disillusioned with me now that all my flaws have been pointed out." GOKUDERA. His FIRST SUBORDINATE. The guy who literally has been LOYAL FROM DAY ONE. Not that we consider them canon, but this happens also during the filler arcs where Daemon points out that Tsuna's not worth following to Gokudera and it seems to make Tsuna a little antsy. He DOES NOT THINK THE PEOPLE HE LOVES ARE GOING TO STAY WITH HIM, THIS IS LITERALLY RUINING MY LIFE. What Daddy Issues DO TO A MF. But that's a post for another day. But okay, back to Reborn, Reborn proves himself to be immovable from Tsuna's life. The story points out that Tsuna very much has two fathers. The one who won't leave and the one who is always gone. Tsuna really leans on Reborn throughout the series. "Reborn, what do I do?" Is a common thing he says, until Reborn is literally swept away from him against his will in Future arc where he's forced to think that he's half a person in Reborns absence. Meanwhile, we have Iemitsu who Tsuna has resentment built up towards, does not respect, and is forced to acknowledge in order to win his fight. Throughout the rainbow arc battle, they try to point out that Iemitsu is trying to teach Tsuna something here and unless I'm confused (someone feel free to tell me?) it's not really clear WHAT that is. And I've always thought that was neat, because it's obviously coming from Tsuna's inability to respect Iemitsu enough to want to learn anything from him. Yet when Reborn comes in, hell he doesn't even recognize him in his Adult form, but he politely listens and takes his advice seriously. In the grand scheme of the series, Reborn is a good teacher and father figure in his life. When Tsuna is made to feel like that he can't do anything in Reborn's absence during Future, Reborn takes a step back in that arc and lets him learn to survive without his guidance. (Notice how the training almost entirely disappears after Future.) He lets him learn how to be a person without him, only stepping in to help when Tsuna really needs it. When he's unable to light his flame, with Spanner, or when he's freaking out about the Irie reveal, the list really goes on. There's a scene I recall I believe when Yuni asks to join their group, Tsuna still turns to ask Reborn what to do, and Reborn redirects him by asking him what he wants to do. That it was his call as a boss. And Tsuna ends up making the decision to help her off his own accord.

It's with Reborn's guidance that Tsuna ends up learning to be his own person, it's this guidance that allows him to make the decision and gather everyone on his own accord when it was Reborn's turn to be shaky and give up. Where Tsuna tells him that he's got this under control, without his guidance. To just watch him. "you've always knew I could win before." It's this arc where Reborn's pride in Tsuna shines. Multiple times. "Surprise me again, Tsuna." And he does. It's in Reborn's second absence where Tsuna feels himself get shaky again, feels the old feelings of poor self image crop up, that Reborn comes back. Because Reborn is not Iemitsu, and he wasn't someone who left him in that house alone forever. Because he's still young and has much to learn before he's ready to do this on his own. It's at this he feels a little embarrassed about how glad he is that Reborn came back, but then recalls the "mean words" that Reborn said before leaving. It's here that Reborn tells him it's a good thing he hasn't changed much. Another sliver of guidance that Tsuna takes in from the figure in his life that won't leave him alone in that house.

[gojoux]

𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

Previous headcanons — 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 + Safe words dictionary

◈ — WHEN YOUR SWIMSUIT BRA STRAP BREAKS

He’d look at you surprised with a slight blush on his cheeks if you broke your swimsuit bra strap right in front of him. He would stand in front of you and point at the broken strap, “Tsuna Tsuna.��� You nod as you hold onto the strap from falling off, asking him if he could help which he nods right away, “Takana.” You can also see how he’s trying so hard to not stare at your chest as he helps you. He’s being nice and all despite being a bit pervy about it afterwards. “Sujiko~”

◈ — WHEN YOU SLAP HIS ASS

This guy would be shocked if you slap his ass. He’d be stunned by the sudden hit after letting out the loudest “Ikura!” you’ve ever heard from him. He would then look back at you with wide eyes with a mix of surprise while placing his hands on his ass, giving you the ‘what was that for?’ look. He is taken back but also amused by your action. “Okaka!” He would chase you around to slap your ass in return.

◈ — YOU WIPE OFF HIS KISS

He would be so confused and offended if you wiped his kiss away. “Okaka?” He’d look at you with a mix of shock and annoyance as he held your wrist to wipe the kisses more. His eyebrows would be furrowed and he’d sigh in frustration before kissing you again. When you wipe off the kiss once more, he’s looking at you in disapproval before typing aggressively on his phone and showing it right in front of your face. Why are you wiping my kiss? Is it too sloppy?? Don’t do that!!!

◈ — WHEN YOU SAY “LET’S MAKE OUT” TO HIM

His face would light up with joy and surprise when you ask him to make out. “Shake.” He nods quickly, grabs you by the waist and kisses you eagerly. Making out is his favorite intimate moment with you to show his love and appreciation that he couldn’t through words. He’s also sneaky and would slip in a word of command now and then to spice up the kiss. He’s gotten so good at it, you won’t be surprised that you’ll be left breathless after.

◈ — WHEN YOU FALL ASLEEP WAITING FOR HIS RETURN

He would be a little worried if you fell asleep while waiting for him to come home. When he walks in and sees you sleeping on the couch still sitting against the backrest, he immediately goes to your room to grab a blanket and put it over you, slowly and carefully moving your body to lay on your back. He’ll be so attentive at tucking you in and he’ll sleep next to you, hugging your body from over the blanket.

◈ — WHEN HE IS JEALOUS

You could feel his jealousy if you talk to another person and compliment them just from the slight change of his expression to the other person. He’d cross his arms with furrowed eyebrows when you start to take too long, making him feel like he’s ignored on the sideline. He’ll pull the hem of your clothes to get your attention back, “Tsuna,” and point at himself, showing his sulky face to you. You’d get the signal and give him his attention back, he’s not the overbearing type for a few reasons. He’s all happy again after as he holds your hand tight.

◈ — WHEN YOU SAY “I'M SLEEPING ON THE COUCH” TO HIM

He would immediately shake his head and his arms shaping an X with complaining noises. “Okaka.” He furrows his eyebrows at you. When you walk towards the living room, he’ll block your way, quickly standing in front of you with his arms stretched. “Okaka.” He shakes his head again, placing a hand facing you to stop you. “Takana?” He’d be worried why you don’t want to sleep with him but on the couch instead. If you keep denying him, he’ll probably pull your arm in a childish manner so you won’t walk any further away from him.

◈ — BREAK UP PRANK ON HIM

His arms would fall onto his side along with his smile. He’d feel so betrayed, like, why would you say that? “Okaka.” He shakes his head frantically and holds onto your hands tightly. “Okaka.” He says again with more firmness. If you insist on your act, he’ll pull you with him to sit down, quickly using his phone to express himself since he has so many things to say at this moment and if he doesn’t let it out soon, he’ll end up grumbling gibberish at you with his hands thrown on the air with different gestures. His hands are sweating and shaking with his heart beating fast against his chest as he tries to type as fast as he can, clearly seen from the many amounts of typos and slipped words, but you understand him anyway. When you tell him it was just a prank, he’ll look at you with wide eyes and drop his phone on the couch, “Ikura!” He sulks before throwing himself onto you, embracing you tightly and nuzzling your cheek aggressively with his nose.

For Inumaki stans, here you go~

[rayshippouuchiha]

Ray, more of the Assassination Classroom Fem!Tsuna hit. This is entirely your fault, so you get to deal with it.

Tsuna has a sinking feeling in her gut the first day of middle school. She gets turned around and mixed up, and somehow she ends up on a bus, and she’s racing through the woods and into a classroom full of strangers. She’s too embarrassed to say anything so she slinks into a seat in a corner. She’s in the wrong school, the senpai at Namimori Middle have her in entirely the wrong town. Even a dame like her can recognize Kunugigaoka uniforms. Hibari-senpai is going to be so angry with her.

Nothing could have prepared her for Koro-sensei. — Tsuna is petrified. She’s too young for this. After all the ruckus, everyone’s attempts, that’s all that rings in her head. She’s too young for this. She’s not even supposed to be here. — Tsuna is stuck. She can’t afford to take the bus, or the time to take the bus, from Namimori everyday. In retrospect, she really does have to hand it to her old senpai. They’d gotten up early to ‘walk her to school’ and paid to get her on the bus. But it’s coming close to the end of the day, they’ve come no closer to assassinating Koro-sensei, and she doesn’t have bus fare home anyway. She’s not even sure Mama would be able to keep it together long enough to come get her.

Everyone in Namimori knows her Mama needs, help sometimes. Everyone is glad to give it to her. Tsuna just doesn’t trust that anyone would think helping her Mama help Tsuna would be a good thing. — Trembling, Tsuna stays in her seat at the end of the day. What should she do? What can she do? She’s just Dame-Tsuna, in the wrong grade, in the wrong class, in the wrong school, in the wrong town. She keeps her head tilted down to allow everyone to ignore her tears.

A gentle touch to her shoulder makes her flinch. She tilts her head up to see Koro-sensei standing at her shoulder. — Calling Mama was useless, just like Tsuna knew it would be. She’s just thrilled that her “Dame-Tsuna” managed to get into the prestigious Kunugigao despite her, everything. Tsuna loves her mama, she does. But sometimes Tsuna thinks she could hate her a little too. Karasuma-sensei and Koro-sensei are both very angry.

Tsuna wants to cry that it’s not her fault. Mama tries to love her and pay attention to her, but Mama is sick. Something doesn’t work right in Mama’s head, like something doesn’t work right in Tsuna’s. But while whatever went wrong in Mama’s head means that she has a hard time remembering things if she doesn’t see them, whatever’s wrong with Tsuna is just everything. — They get her an apartment. It’s close to the school and a market. It’s basic and bare and empty and tiny, but Tsuna supposes she’s tiny so that makes sense. Karasuma-sensei is her neighbor, but she’s left to basically make it on her own. She gets a small stipend, the only one in class to do so. It’s not much, but it should be enough for groceries.

She doesn’t know how to cook. She never learned how to do what her homework is asking her to do. At least she can tell herself it’s because it’s work two grades above her and not just because she’s dame. — Karasuma-sensei is kind enough to get her to school the next day. He’s also nice enough not to say anything about her still red eyes, or how long she sobbed last night. He just handed her a handkerchief.

Tsunami can’t remember the last time someone was so kind to her. She waits for the ridicule to start, but it never comes. — After a few days, when it becomes obvious and impossible to ignore that she’s just as stuck here as the rest of them, Nagisa-senpai gives her a girl’s uniform. It’s big on her, but at least she doesn’t stand out this way. As much.

Tsuna pricks her fingers bloody, and her stitches are crooked, and the seams are bulky, but at least it kind of fits her a little better now.

[jubburb]

✮⋆˙Toge Inumaki

Safe words Toge uses (All not used)

NOT PROOFREAD, JUST ONE SEXUAL JOKE, EVERYTHING IS ALL FLUFF. I think.

----Salmon (shake), fish flakes (okaka), kelp (konbu), mustard leaf (takana), Salmon roe (Sujiko), caviar (ikura), spicy cod roe (Mentaiko), tuna (tsuna), tuna mayo (tsuna mayo)

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

It would've been better if someone as lively as you weren't in Toge's life. It's been so hard on him ever since you went on that 3 week mission, leaving him all alone, with no one to talk to.

Of course that's an exaggeration. Yuuta and Panda were there talking to him, but it's not the same when the love of his life talks to him.

It's quite the predicament, really. He thinks that you don't know about his crush on you, but you know that he has a crush on you and he doesn't know that you know. (Good lord-) Toge didn't really hide it well, making it obvious with how much more eye contact he made with you. Who wouldn't pick up on the hints?

As the reasonable person you are, you decided to wait. If he doesn't say anything, you won't say anything about it either. Yuji says otherwise, he wants you to blast Toge's love life on speaker. He's just a little excited, that's all.

Though it also helps you, since you're not too sure how you can reciprocate the feeling back, when you haven't done that much romance in your life yet. It's an odd feeling, you being the target of someone's love, and not it being the other way around. It's hard to think about it when you yourself haven't experienced romantic love. (But it's not hard to know when someone likes you, given they act all weird around the said person)

---

"Ikura." He grumbled, expressing his sadness, kicking a pebble while walking.

It's been 2 and a half weeks, your mission coming to an end in a few days. Toge doesn't know what to do for the rest of those few days, he doesn't even know how he survived the past 2 weeks.

He walked back to his respective room, mind blank as he threw himself onto his bed. Toge didn't have that many missions this morning, but he did feel a little drowsy.

He tried to fight off the sleepiness, he doesn't know why, but he did so.

Toge- slept. He failed the battle against his eyes, sleep weighing down on his eyelids. Although, Toge found it weird when it felt like the best nap he had gotten when he woke up. His hair was oddly well brushed too.

At first, his vision was a little blurry, but as he rubbed it, he saw a silhouette of a face, looking at him.

He jolted up, lowering his scarf as he was ready to use his curse technique, but then he saw your face. Toge lit up to the sight of you, immediately hugging you.

"Toge! Surprised to see me? I got back a little early from the mission!"

Toge nodded and rubbed your back, “Konbu” he whispered, feeling your shoulder blades. He's an odd guy, really. He might've done that to try and tickle you.

"Hello to you too. I know you definitely missed me. I actually thought my mission would end a week early but the curse kept on duplicating and it was..tiring. Anyway, you doing good?”

“Shake,” he nodded from your shoulder. Toge hugged you more tightly, but what can you do? You were away for so long, it's understandable for him to get touchy feely.

"I got us some snacks from my mission, you wanna eat it?" You patted his back, trying to pull away from him. Toge kept his hands wrapped around you, only to release the hug and type out something.

“U owe me. You left me here for too long :(“

You patted his shoulder, smiling at his response, “Of course, what do you want?”

Toge pondered for a second, before immediately typing on his phone.

“Gibe me s kuss”

“Huh?” You squinted, looking at his phone.

Toge pulled his phone back and corrected his mistakes.

“Give me a kiss”

You stopped, looking him in the eyes. He’s become bolder, hasn’t he? First it was hugs, then cuddles, now kisses. At this point, who wouldn’t think that you guys aren’t dating?

"Who's the submissive one now?" You snickered, shaking him from his shoulder. Toge rolled his eyes, typing again as he grunts from your shakes.

"You can dominate me..in bed ;)"

He smiled, you can see it even if his scarf was up.

"Please, I do not want to see you type that out again. You're so cringe Toge."

The both of you were silent, then a sudden burst of laughter cut the silence. It was fun. The comfort both of you got from each other was evident. You shook Toge as the giggles and snorts continued, but Toge was somewhat serious about the previous text before that.

He loved the way you laugh. It was a wonderful sound to him. He always appreciates that he could get a good laugh out of you.

When it started getting silent, he grabbed your hand, still smiling widely.

"Tuna tuna."

"Yeah?" You asked also smiling, reciprocating the gesture. Toge hesitantly intertwined his fingers with yours, lifting up his scarf and looking away.

You giggled a little, getting closer to his face. You noticed his ears turning into a soft pink. "He's so adorable."

Toge dragged his eyes to look at you, trying to maintain eye contact. He made a little finger heart to you, still being a little shy.

"I love you too Toge," you bumped foreheads with him gently, leaning in to his cheek to give a kiss.

Toge felt it. It was warm. He wished it was planted on his lips instead, but he could only hope for more.

"Shake," he purses, but you couldn't see it, his scarf was in the way. He hadn't noticed that you told him a genuine I love you yet, so you repeated it.

"Toge, I love you. Would you do me an honor of being my boyfriend?"

His eyes widened, face snapped to look at you more clearly. Toge hugged you again, this time pushing you into the bed and wrapping his legs around you. He didn't stop hugging you, still surprised from the sudden confession. But he should've expected it.

You laid there for a while, Toge hugging you from beside. Who would've known? He then pulled out his phone in the hug, typing them deleting, as if he were unsure of what to say. He finally managed to make a sentence.

"Can you do the thing again where you focused your cursed energy in your ears to deflect commands from me? Just this once please?"

He showed you the typed out sentence, you wondered why he had to hesitate a little.

"Sure, give me a moment.."

As cursed energy flowed to your ear, you were ready.

Toge took a deep breath, looking at you in the eyes once again and saying,

"I love you"

Your breath hitched, you never expected it to be this emotional. Toge is never this serious before. And he just showed how much he liked you.

You were about to cry, but you pulled into his hug. Finding more comfort and warmth in his arms.

"I always loved your hugs Toge. I hope we can continue hugging for as long as we are able to."

Toge Inumaki nodded, shifting his position to get a better cuddle from you as he big spooned you.

____

Wasn't it nice to know your crush had also liked you too?

____

A convo with the other creator of this account

"You can dominate me in bed💀" 💀💀💀 - signed by c

Its so sigma skibidi toilet rizz🤧 EAWWW not doing that again👹

-Jღ

[hopeswriting]

tsuna and gokudera’s dynamic is “no one’s ever found me worth standing by my side no matter what to the very end” and “no one’s ever found me worth accepting me just the way i am, and as i am now in spite of my many flaws and shortcomings”

tsuna and yamamoto’s dynamic is “everyone always makes me pay the price for every single one of my mistake, no matter how little and insignificant” and “everyone always expects me to be perfect at being who they want me to be, and i’m afraid they’ll find me worthless if i mess up even once”

tsuna and lambo’s dynamic is “no one ever cares that i’m just a child” and “everyone always punishes and rejects me for acting like the child i am”

tsuna and ryohei’s dynamic is “no one’s ever found me worth taking under their wing, looking after, paving the way for me and making sure it’s safe for me to follow after them” and “as the one who needs to be relied on, as the protector, the example, the older one, no one’s ever looked after me and took care of me on the same grounds as i do for them”

tsuna and hibari’s dynamic is “i’ve never had anything to put my faith in, knowing that it wouldn’t so much as shake and would never fail me even in the face of the end of the world” and “i’ve never had to learn that even my strength can fail me, but there can be strength in weakness too, in letting others help me make up for that weakness, and i can grow even stronger for it”

tsuna and mukuro’s dynamic is “no one’s ever thought me worth allowing me my childhood and made me grow up too soon” and “no one ever cared that i was never allowed to be a child, and i’ll never stand for that fate to be allowed to go on unpunished any longer”

tsuna and chrome’s dynamic is “i’ve always been less than what people want me to be, have always been not enough to meet their expectations of me” and “i’ve always been so worthless in everyone’s eyes, no one’s ever expected anything of me”

(tsuna and reborn’s dynamic is “no one’s ever put faith in what i can become, in what i can be right now, and in me in spite of my many flaws and shortcomings” and “i’m never going to let anyone inside my heart ever again, and no one will bother trying to get inside anyway being the way i am now”)

do you get it?

[milky-fixx]

Suits

They looked way too good in suits.

feat. adult!reborn, adult!skull, tyl!tsuna, tyl!xanxus, tyl!yamamoto

implied not sfw. afab reader. this is a repost of my old work

Reborn

He always looked sinfully carnal, but tonight he was especially so. He knew you were watching him, if the amused glint he directed your way was anything to go by. That’s why he wasn’t surprised when you led him outside the gala and into a private restroom.

Before you could blink, he spun you around, hands gripped your waist as he pinned you against the wall with his hips. He nuzzled into your neck, chuckling.

“What’s gotten you all riled up, amore mio?”

When you responded by smashing your lips against his, clutching his face desperately, his lips tugged up into a smirk. You gasped when you felt him bite into your lower lip, and when you pulled away, his eyes were dark. 

“I think I have an idea,” he purred. “Why don’t I take care of you?”

Skull

You were…surprised by how well Skull cleaned up, considering his default outfit consisted of his motorcycle suit. Even so, it took you awhile of gawking at him in the entrance to your shared bedroom before he became flustered.

“W-What?” He rubbed his arm. “Do I look bad? I knew I should’ve taken out my lip piercing, dammit, your parents wouldn’t like that…” he mumbled, turning to walk away.

He was interrputed by your arms wrapping around his middle, holding him in place. He called out your name, flustered, before you answered. 

“You look amazing.” He shivered at the lust weighing down your words, how riled up you suddenly sounded. “So sexy, in fact, I might have to cancel plans with them….” 

Tsuna

Even though he was the boss of a mafia family, he still struggled with things like putting on his tie. You smiled as you offered your help and he sheepishly agreed.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he admitted, as you looped his tie around into a knot.

You rolled your eyes, smiling. “Well,” you said, stepping back to survey your work, and discreetly, the rest of him. Tsuna was always a cutie, but he had matured into such a… fine specimen. Especially in that suit. “I think you look… capable without me. Very capable. Boss.” You winked.

His eyes darkened, his hand shooting out to grasp your wrist before spinning you towards him. You landed in his arms with a squeak, his breath warm against your face, his gaze molten. 

“Boss, huh. I wonder what other names you’ll be calling me tonight.”

Xanxus

If he wasn’t so sexy in that suit, you would say he was an arrogant asshole. As it was, he was still both.

Some lackey from a small family had been chatting you up a little too friendly at the gala, and once Xanxus took notice, you can damn well be sure he told that trash to get a fucking life. But not before groping your ass in front of him, before declaring you were his woman.

And now you were in the bathroom, your legs wrapped around his frame, while he held you propped against the wall. His hand groped your breast roughy.

“Stupid. Why the hell are you entertaining loser trash?” He grunted. The sleeves of his jacket were shoved down, revealing his white button up.

You knew you shouldn’t incite him even further, but at the same… the sex was so much hotter when he was. 

“Maybe I just wanted to see you when riled up.”

No one came into the bathroom that night, deterred by the sounds the two of you made.

Yamamoto

Takeshi was trying on the suit the Vongola tailor had made for him, and he asked for your opinion. You were surprised when you walked into the dressing room, and he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Takeshi?” You called out, before nearly screaming when you felt a hand wrap around your eyes. 

“Shh, it’s me.” You would recognize that playful voice anywhere.

“God, you scared me,” you said, swatting his hand away, before turning to face him…. Oh. Before ogling the way his slacks clung to his thighs, the way his shoulders looked so broad in that suit.

Yamamato, ever-observant, noticed your stare. You missed the wicked grin that stretched his face.

“Like what you see?” His voice was husky, and sent shivers down your spine.

You were already locking the door. “Very much so.”

[katzkinder]

I just thought about how Tsuna would have to learn how to put his “seal” on official documents. The guy who still hasn’t figured out “not ending up in his underwear” and only remains clothed thanks to some very generous handmade clothing from Reborn and Leon.

Which at least tells me he’s got some subconscious idea of how to not turn his clothes to ashes

Using test papers doesn’t work, and using identical duplicates of actual important items doesn’t work because of Tsuna’s stupid intuition, and using real important papers is out of the question

So Reborn asks the kids to draw something for Tsuna

It’s fine if it’s burned but Tsuna really will not want to. There aren’t any “real” consequences if he fails… Except for the ones Tsuna gives to himself

“You’re so evil…” Tsuna mutters, staring hard at the crayon drawings in front of him. Out of all three, I-pin shows the most talent, though Lambo has the most. Interesting. Interpretations. Is that supposed to be a grasshopper or the couch?

“I could have made you use your birth certificate y’know.” Reborn says it so casually Tsuna almost doesn’t register it at first. “That’s what I did to Dino”

Tsuna gapes at him, “You’re really super evil?! That’s dangerous!”

Reborn shrugs. “It also failed.”

“HUH”

“So I tried it with Romario’s next. Perfect score.”

A long, drawn out sigh. Really… Reborn’s methods always produced so much misery. “I really don’t want to burn this…”

“And why not?”

“Because the kids made it for me!”

“Don’t you think they’d be happy to have your mark on it?”

Tsuna blinks, lips parting slightly in question. “My…?”

“The flame seal is something that cannot be copied, replicated, or forged.” It’s easy to tell, now that they’ve known each other for long enough, that Reborn is just the slightest bit relieved by Tsuna’s interest. “It’s more unique than even a fingerprint. A truly, one of a kind signature.”

Tsuna mulls those words over, and his eyes slide sideways. Contemplative, and just a little bit shifty. Something about it is reminiscent of Gokudera. “Can I see yours? Like. Really look at it. You showed me but I didn’t get to observe it much…”

“Observing isn’t going to do you much good.”

“Please?” Tsuna’s voice pitches with the plea, verging on whining. “Just… One more time. Let me look at how your Flame acts when you do it.”

Reborn sighs. “Sun and Sky—“

“I know! I know they behave differently. Still… I think I’ll get something out of it!”

“… Fine.” Lately, it feels like Reborn has been giving in to Tsuna more and more. It makes him happy. It also gives him the courage to reach out and stop Reborn before he can apply the seal to a random scrap of paper, instead looking carefully at the way his Flame appears when still on his finger, face pinched with concentration.

He knows what sun flames look like usually, but this is a tighter control than that. Even if they're different, he's noticed that Sky and Sun are the most similar when it comes to their "resting" states. So, logically, this should help give him an idea of how his own should look when it’s ready. Shouldn’t it?

“What happens if you try and apply it to a person…?”

Reborn stares at him. And stares. And stares. "Tsuna,” he starts, slow, incredulous. “You happen.”

Tsuna blinks back at him. “I was born?”

“The seal, you idiot. The one from when you were a toddler.”

“They’re the same thing?!”

“I dearly wish I could have started with you earlier. Much, much earlier.”

Despite the earlier acid, Reborn sounds fond when he speaks of the prospect. Tsuna thinks that’s worth something.

“Now that you’ve had your fill of looking.”

“Uuuugh.”

He manages not to turn the drawings he’s been given to cinders.

It really is all about having the right material to work with.

[einsatzzz]

will be on hiatus for more or less a month, but my queue has lots of stuff so the acct itself won't be inactive 👍 can't say the same for twt, since tweetdeck is dead, rip (it's already dying anyway). i'll try to reply to dms from time to time! see ya!

[stormsthatrage]

Have an angsty KHR AU (Playing fast and loose with flame lore and characterization. Also, I haven't figured out what the 10th Gen Guardians are doing during all this, but whatever it is, it involves So Many miscommunications.)

The AU:

Tsuna doesn't want to be a mafia boss. He hates the violence, he hates the danger, he hates knowing that if he messes up, it can get people killed.

But no one really listens to him. Not even Reborn, who just sees Tsuna's whole "I don't want to be a mafia boss" thing as a sort of juvenile rebellion phase.

(But it's not. Every time one of Tsuna's people comes home hurt, every time Tsuna has to inflict harm on the battlefield, every time Tsuna is exposed to the casual cruelty of the underworld, it damages something inside of him. It scars his soul. He hates it. He does not want to be a mafia boss.)

And then Timoteo's health declines. (These next two paragraphs were heavily inspired by Break These Chains on Me by Luki on AO3.) Tsuna, knowing his time is running out and absolutely desperate, tries to make plans to get tf out. Maybe he signs up for civilian university. Maybe he makes plans to travel. Maybe he tries to create a fake identity to just run. And Tsuna, who has learned to rely on and trust Reborn -- after everything, how could he not -- confides in him about these plans.

And Reborn -- who has never really understood why Tsuna hates the mafia -- thinks this is one last (highly irritating) attempt at a teenage rebellion. It's not entirely unexpected, what with the weight of being Don Vongola looming over Tsuna's shoulders. And so, in a true Disappointed Reborn fashion, he responds with a harsh but effective lesson. He plays along with Tsuna's escape plans for a bit, and then. And then. It's the day Tsuna plans to vanish, and Reborn sits Tsuna down at the table, with Xanxus and Timoteo, and tells Tsuna if he doesn't fall in line Bad Things are gonna happen to his people.

(Reborn does not intend this to be an actual threat. It's supposed to be a slap on the wrist. A sort of, "Yeah, you're a teenager, but you need to start conducting yourself more seriously, knock it off before I actually get mad." Sure, Vongola is threatening to kidnap Tsuna's mom, but the kidnappers are just going to take her out for tea and cake and a spa night, and when Tsuna shows up to rescue her she'll be fine. The real punishment will be the physical path to go get her -- Reborn has an Embarrassing Obstacle Course TM planned.

And so on, for all of Tsuna's precious ones.

Reborn does not consider that Tsuna might actually believe the severity of the threats. After all they've been through, after all they've done for each other, Reborn knows Tsuna would never believe that Reborn could actually hurt Tsuna's people.)

But Tsuna. Well, Tsuna's on a different page. This life is killing him, slowly, and when Reborn tells him that he never intended to help Tsuna escape, it hits Tsuna like a full-on betrayal. And while mere minutes before, Tsuna knew that Reborn would never even dream of harming Tsuna's people, Tsuna no longer can trust this. Tsuna fully and absolutely believes that Reborn's threats are real, and that there will be permanent consequences if he doesn't comply.

It gets worse.

Tsuna thought Reborn actually cared about him. Reborn had, slowly but inevitably, become something like a father to Tsuna. But in that moment, Tsuna realizes that he actually was just a job all along.

And Xanxus. Tsuna also thought Xanxus cared about him. He thought they had come to an understanding. He thought they were starting to become brothers, of a sort -- bonded by battle and trauma and shared responsibilities, by nights complaining to each other over dinner or over the phone. And as Tsuna sits across from them, hearing his people threatened and knowing he is, in fact, going to be forced to Italy, he comes to believe that none of that new brotherhood was real.

And Tsuna realizes he has no choice. He never had a choice. He will end up in Italy, as Don Vongola, no matter how much it is going to kill him inside.

And worse: the people he has come to love clearly do not love him back. If they did, they would not be doing this to him. And sitting at that kitchen table, seeing the disappointment in Reborn and Xanxus' eyes, he knows that he is never going to be enough.

But he knows, he knows, that he isn't going to survive Italy without having them in his life supporting him. Because even if they don't love him, he does, truly, love them.

And he comes to the conclusion that if he remains as he is -- weak, useless Tsuna -- not only will he inevitably lose them, but he just flat out won't survive the life stretching out (long, so long, and so so desolate) before him.

So he uses his flames.

He images the mafia boss that they want him to be (as he perceives it). He thinks about all the characteristics they must want him to have, all the things they expect him to want, and he conjures an image of this better Tsuna in his mind. And then he harmonizes with it, becomes one with this false image of himself.

But it doesn't work, not all the way. There are still bits of him, the original, weak, disappointing Tsuna left. He can feel it, in the dread at the thought of the life before him. In the shocked-hurt he feels at this betrayal. In the agony of knowing that they don't care about him, they never cared about him, they only care about his title.

So he puts those bits of himself in ice.

And suddenly, the years ahead don't seem so bad. Suddenly, the betrayal seems reasonable -- after all, wasn't he acting so silly, so juvenile, trying to escape like that. Suddenly, it doesn't matter that they don't love him back -- of course they don't, why would they love him? -- all that matters is he loves them. As long as he keeps himself in check, and matches their expectations, nothing is wrong.

Tsuna looks at them, sitting across the table, and complies with their demands.

Reborn does, for a moment, think that it happens a bit too easily. There's none of the usual screeching, no dragging of the heels, no protests. Right then, Reborn fully expects it to boil over at some point in the future. (He thinks, maybe, that Tsuna is playing along now, but will have a teenagery-protest again as it gets closer to the time they leave for Italy.)

(It never happens.)

Reborn thinks, merely, that Tsuna has put on the mantle of maturity. It's a little ahead of schedule of what he was expecting, but then again, Tsuna has always exceeded expectations.

Time passes. Timoteo's health declines. He dies. Tsuna goes to Italy, and becomes a mafia boss.

(It's a golden age. Tsuna is just as compassionate and selfless and determined as Reborn always knew he would be. There is a peace, unlike anything the underworld has ever seen, because of his rule.

This peace is a result of the core of Tsuna peeking out. It always would have happened.)

It's five years into Tsuna's reign before people begin to realize that something is really, really wrong with Tsuna.

They do figure it out, eventually. And when they do, when they realize what happened and what caused it, it breaks them, just as much as they broke Tsuna all those years ago.

[luckhound]

vongola family + casual intimacy.

↻ pairings ✦ tsuna/reader, gokudera/reader, yamamoto/reader, hibari/reader, ryohei/reader, mukuro/reader, chrome/reader, reborn/reader

↻ summary ✦ nothing too deep or complex, just a few ways the vongola members would be casually intimate if in a relationship.

↻ warnings ✦ the sappiest of fluff, potentially ooc

author's note: thank you to this post's op for sparking the idea. if it weren't for them, i probably wouldn't have written anything else for weeks lmao.

Tsuna: Lets you fuss over his clothing, whether that entails you knotting his tie, straightening his collar, or fixing the lapel of his suit jacket for him. You probably used to do it often when he was younger and more slovenly than he is now, but it's become soothing for the both of you; a ritual of sorts. He'll murmur a thank you after, gaze soft and smile fond, or just press a silent kiss to your brow

Gokudera: Sits in the same room with you while the both of you work on different things. You could be flipping the pages of a book, he could be tinkering with his Sistema C.A.I., peaceful silence broken occasionally by you reading a particularly amusing passage aloud or him complaining about whatever maintenance work he's attempting. Just knowing that you're close by, safe and content, with him, puts him at ease

Yamamoto: Enjoys the simple act of cooking with you. He doesn't mind if you aren't that skilled at it, just watching as you chop the vegetables or stir the pot is enough to give him the warm fuzzies. Often he holds the spatula out to you so you can sample the dish and give your opinion on what it needs, a free hand cupped under your chin to catch any stray drops. No matter the end result, he considers the evening a success; it's time spent with you

Hibari: Meets your gaze from across a busy room, the two of you able to converse without words. The tilt of his chin, arch of his brow, thinning of his lips can all be easily deciphered by you after the many years you've spent by his side. Usually this will be his way of telling you that he wants to leave; it's a signal for you to say your goodbyes. He's tired of being around so many people, he'd rather spend whatever free time he has with you, at home

Ryohei: Feels the need to touch you all the time, often without him even realizing it. It could be an arm around your waist when you're at an event together. A squeeze to your elbow before he leaves your side, as if offering a wordless apology. A hand on the small of your back nudging you forward, so he can slip past you. Every touch reminding you of his presence, constant and steadfast. Just like the man himself

Mukuro: Traces designs on your skin when you're lying down together. Should you find it ticklish, it only serves to amuse him into doing it more. Now and then you'll concentrate on the path his finger takes, trying to figure out if he's drawing or writing something specific, only to give up. Asking is pointless because he won't give a straight answer. The truth is it's totally random. But on the rare occasion, he'll sketch jagged lines not unlike his hair, or just his name, over and over again

Chrome: Combs your hair for you after a bath or shower, insists on doing it even. The repetitive motion calms her, though she isn't quite sure why. All she knows is that she could detangle and smooth out knots in your hair for hours on end without growing tired. If it's possible to, she'll run her fingers through your locks after, smiling at the fruits of her labour. Might even press a kiss to them like some kind of shoujo prince

Reborn: Helps you out of your clothing after an event or long day. It's not a sexual thing for him, if he's being honest. Getting the opportunity to unzip your dress or unbutton your shirt for you feels like a privilege that you bestow upon him; a small way you let your guard down around a renowned hitman who could hurt you so easily, in theory. In practice, he can't imagine ever doing such a thing

[rebo-chan]

ALRIGHT SKJHN LAST POST EVERYONE I PROMISE

So, if you know me at all, have spoken to me anytime in the last year. You know, how unbelievably annoying I am about the last frame of the manga. The "My teacher, my partner, my angel without wings.. or maybe that's giving him too much credit." OAGH.

Now, Amano absolutely is just letting that be a homage to the beloved anime that brought so many fans to their series. BUT, because I'm delusional, that immediately made me go look at the english lyrics of Drawing Days and make me draw conclusions about the characters because thats what I DO. I MAKE SHIT UP. <3 I just wanted to drag you all into this Drawing Days hell with me, because these lyrics are HURTFUL. In general though, when it came to the lyrics, they were so clearly about Tsuna but with Amano labeling REBORN the angel without wings, clearly I HAVE TO LOOK AT IT FROM BOTH PERSPECTIVES AND SEE THE LYRICAL PARALLELS THESE TWO HAVE.

This will likely be another long post so fkjhgnsh heres the cut:

Our beautiful english lyrics.

So, the narrator depicts themselves as having met an angel who doesn't have the map to go home. For their sake, they pick up a paintbrush and start drawing it for them. They talk about how a cat laughs at the narrator, as they stumble through life without purpose but through this angel, they've found a purpose in drawing this map for this angel and how they'll keep drawing out this map no matter what they lose throughout because they care that much. (Dying will much? The resolve to do something even as your body is being destroyed?) No, but its clear that Tsuna is the narrator here, who stumbled through life without purpose until he found one in his family, and the angel without wings that brought those opportunities for him.Everything about feeling powerless but picking up a paintbrush anyway to help someone. Isn't that just him?

With Amano pointing out that Reborn is the angel without wings, that made me want to become a little ball and explode. Because the angel without wings had said they had lost the map to go home, implying a sort of lostness to the angel too and needing help from someone else to make its way home. And that's just what we learn about Reborn in rainbow arc!! He lived a life where he was overly cautious and trusted no one, and was mostly alone if him coming home to an empty house with no one but his chameleon seemed to imply. Only for his life to seem to 'freeze' at the moment he was cursed, and he believed he would just die without meaning in this world. How he had everything about his old life erased, and wandered himself into exile. It's through becoming a mentor that he finds a purpose for himself, and finds someone to draw that map for him to go home. And isn't it just so special that the map that he was drawn to go home gave him the freedom to choose where he'd go next? That his purpose was to live, and he chose to whirl back around and come back to the person who drew him a map? ISNT THAT JUST SPECIAL? SHAKES THEM BOTH VIOLENTLY.

Leaning on each other, as the cat laughed at them both struggling to live, they painted together a prayer that encompasses every wish.

[gojoux]

Hi can I request. What will jjk men do when you are sad? Thank you

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐃

Gojo. Geto. Sukuna. Nanami. Choso. Toji. Megumi. Itadori. Yuta. Inumaki.

◈ — 𝐆𝐎𝐉𝐎

His smile drops slowly when he notices you’re looking down. “You sad? Why?” He sits down next to you, wrapping an arm around your body to pull you to his side, his head resting on top of yours. “Let’s fix that, shall we? That’s why I’m here.” He tries to cheer you up with short praises and snuggles onto your side for as long as you want him to.

◈ — 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐎

He’d notice right away even when you’re trying to hide it. “Now, now, what’s making you sad?” He asks with that gentle, soothing voice. He caresses your head, staying close by your side, “Anything you want to do to distract your mind?” He’d ask what you want to do and he’s more than willing to oblige just to make you happy again.

◈ — 𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐔𝐍𝐀

Despite selfish traits, he genuinely cares about you and only you in his own way. “What’s gotten you all down, hm? Do I need to beat up someone today? You look miserable.” He’d tease you for a bit. “I’ll make you feel better.” He urges you to come to him, placing an arm over your shoulder so casually as he listens to your worries.

◈ — 𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐈

He’d have no problem pointing out how down you look after observing you in silence, noting the change of speaking and behavior from you. “You look uneasy, dear.” He opens the conversation, wanting to know if you want to discuss your problem more with him. “You can tell me when you’re ready.” He rubs his thumb on your wrist.

◈ — 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐎

He may look unbothered and distant from the outside, but he has a caring heart. He’ll pull you into a tight hug, “It hurts to see you sad. What happened?” He kisses your forehead and your temple while his hands rub your back up and down to ease your tense self. He doesn’t talk much, but he’s trying for you.

◈ — 𝐓𝐎𝐉𝐈

He remains unbothered, but his eyes keep looking at you. “What’s gotten you all worked up, darling? You’ve been frowning since this morning. You look better when you smile, y’know?” He asks casually about it since he doesn’t want to worsen the tension. He then pats his lap, “Come and tell me. Let’s get this over with and relax together.”

◈ — 𝐌𝐄𝐆𝐔𝐌𝐈

“You look sad. Did something happen?” He’s quite unsure how to lift someone’s mood, he doesn’t talk much but he’s good at finding words to support you even though he’ll just stay quiet beside you for a while, giving you comfort from his presence alone. “I’m here whenever you want to talk, okay?” He’ll rather bashfully hold your hand tight on his.

◈ — 𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐈

He’ll get worried seeing you sad, thinking that something must have happened. “Are you okay?” He asks the obvious, but he just wants to make sure how you’re feeling. He’d hug you tight, tucking your face in the crook of his neck, and caress your head. “Let’s make you happy again, ‘kay? How about movies? Cuddles?” Anything and he’ll try to provide it for you.

◈ — 𝐘𝐔𝐓𝐀

He is someone who has a lot of sympathy and empathy, seeing you sad will get to him. “Why do you look so unhappy? Did something bad happen today? I may not be the best person to cheer you up, but can I do something for you?” He’s trying his best to cheer you up with encouraging words, hugging you close to him, and agreeing to whatever you want to do.

◈ — 𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈 🍙

“Takana?” He’ll sit down next to you, trying to stay as close as possible to you to show his support and provide his comfort as he can. “Tsuna Mayo?” He’d listen to your worries and what made you upset. He’ll try his best to cheer you up, like watching videos on his phone with him close to your side to help you forget the problem at the moment.

Hope everyone out there who's feeling sad will get better soon 🫶

[rayshippouuchiha]

The Lone Wolf Dies

End-Class Princess: the Other Assassin

In which Takeshi looses the plot, Kurokawa Hana ends up dragging him along with it anyway, and a dog starts to revert to a wolf.

—

The first day of middle school, Takeshi hears some classmates sniggering about a prank they played on Sawada-Chan. They seem so pleased with themselves, at the reaction that Hibari-Senpai will have when she makes it to school tomorrow. Takeshi frowns slightly. Sawada-Chan is nice. She didn’t deserve that. He resolved to try and be extra nice to her when she came back.

—

Takeshi is restless. Sawada-Chan hasn’t been at school all week. They’d had a test already, and everyone had laughed about his low scores, saying that at least he had baseball. It stung worse than usual, turning his head slightly and not seeing a distressed pair of brown eyes and wringing hands. He hadn’t realized that he kept an eye out for her, or noticed that she worried about his grades. It’s been a week, surely she’s not sick? Hibari-Senpai has been rougher than usual too.

—

It’s a month into the new school year, and it feels like he’s the only one who’s noticed that Sawada-Chan hasn’t shown up. Everyone else seems to be forgetting about her altogether, except Kurokawa-San. She occasionally glances at a particular empty desk and frowns.

—

Takeshi squints his eyes shut to hide his irritation, flashing a toothy grin. To be honest, it feels more like he’s baring his teeth. The baseball team is getting on his nerves. Before, he’d been able to work it out on the diamond, the sheer physicality and camaraderie of the team pulling together soothing him. But as the weeks drag on, it works less and less. The team favors him as a star player, but they seem to be pulling less of their own weight.

He tells himself he’s just being overly sensitive. This year has just been unusually stressful. Once he adjusts to middle school, it’ll get better.

(He glances at an empty desk, than away. He accidentally locks eyes with Kurokawa-San doing the same. Maybe he should see if she wants to talk.)

—-

Kurokawa-San seems to be the only other person who’s noticed that Sawada-Chan hasn’t been to school once. Even Sasagawa-Chan just brushes it off with a vague, “who? Oh, Dame-Tsuna! Do you think she had to go to another school for extra tutoring?” She’s nice about it, at least.

Kurokawa-San is surprised when he points out no one has seen her in town either.

“I didn’t think you paid her that much attention,” she stated. “Huh. I suppose even a monkey like you can tell what would happen if you asked her out.”

It’s not that. It’s just. He didn’t realize how much the glimpses of her had settled him down before. Right now it just feels someone is rubbing sandpaper on the inside of his skin. It’s not an unfamiliar feeling, it always happens over the summer. Usually it goes away when school starts up and he can play baseball. But baseball isn’t working like it usually does. Sawada-chan’s mysterious disappearance gives him something to focus on so he doesn’t use his bat like a shinai and makes the second string players run faster.

His dad would be upset if he did that.

—-

Takeshi realizes intellectually that he should be proud to be playing an away game in his first year of middle school, even with his less than stellar grades. He’s more distracted by imaging all the ways he could really hurt people. Kurokawa is helping, a little, ever since she noticed his struggle to keep his smile up.

“Stop pushing yourself around me, like some sort of stupid monkey,” she said bluntly. “I know you’re a wolf, try not to go rabid.”

He’s pretty sure people are starting to think they’re dating, the way he seeks her out. She mostly doesn’t care, and uses it as an excuse to get away with physically grounding him. The desperate rasping inside him is growing worse.

If this keeps up, they’re both worried he’s going to kill someone. And not even Hibari-senpai is paying enough attention to notice.

(She would have.)

—-

Takeshi whips his head around as they’re escorted to the sports field. Had that been, Sawada-Chan? What would she be doing here?

—

After the game, the coach lets them wander around the market a bit, as a reward for winning. Takeshi takes him up on it, managing to shed the usual hangers-on that he has after a game. The sandpaper and chisels that have been steadily working away inside his skin are joined by anxious jangling bells. He can’t figure out what’s wrong with him.

“Yamamoto-kun?” A familiar voice rings out, puzzled.

He turns and the bells go silent, the chisels drop away from his bones, and the sandpaper pauses. Sawada-Chan is staring at him, pale amber eyes meeting his properly for once, a cloth bag slung over her shoulder. Takeshi beams at her. Oh. So this is why Kurokawa called him a wolf.

“Sawada-Chan! How have you been? Kurokawa and I have missed you,” he comes up to talk to her without hesitation. He’s almost dizzy as whatever has been clawing at him finally quiets down.

—

Eventually, he manages to convince her invite him back her place. She leads him to an apartment, tossing him concerned looks from the corner of her eye. Takeshi feels something in him preen in pleasure. He’d never noticed her do that before, but the feeling is very familiar. She has worried about him, and not because of his baseball skills.

She looks good, her shoulders held back and her gaze steady. He had never noticed her eyes were so light before, almost the same shade as fossilized amber. She’d always had her head down before. Takeshi likes it.

“I texted Rika-Chan, she said it was alright to lend you her slippers,” Sawada-Chan pulled out a pair of guest shoes for him.

They were still a little stiff, but he was too distracted by how many pairs of shoes were tidily tucked into the shelves of cubbies by the door. While she’d been gone, she’d become close enough to a lot of people, close enough to have guest slippers. He ruthlessly suppressed the urge to mess them up. What if she got mad at him and threw him out? He wasn’t ready to face the noise yet.

—

Her apartment was small, but cozy. There was a beat up old kotatsu where she was putting some tea for him, and a faded couch. There were little touches everywhere that called to mind comfort. (He liked the amateur ink painting of a puppy of some kind, tripping over its paws chasing a ball.) Takeshi was seized by the desire to roll around the whole place and never leave. A plate of dumplings, lopsided and mismatched, found themselves next to the tea.

—

Eventually, he has to go, but he managed to spend several hours talking to Sawada-Chan. She’s bolder than she used to be, but still doesn’t say much. Takeshi is pleased with himself when he manages to get her to forget to be wary and snark back at him. She even let him take a nap on her couch while she did homework leaning against it.

No wonder she’s in Kunugigaoka now. He doesn’t even know where to start, and she’s flying through the worksheets.

—-

There’s a slim hand nudging his shoulder. It’s not Kurokawa, and it’s not his otusan. His hand snaps up, snake quick, to latch onto the wrist. He misses. It’s so unusual, that he actually pauses before remembering where he was.

“Oh, sorry, Sawada-Chan!” He grins desperately. “I didn’t recognize you!” Please don’t send him away. He doesn’t want to have her shrink away from him again. He doesn’t know what he’d do if she flinched from him. Kurokawa is getting better at genuinely not flinching, even when she gets cut by the edges he can’t hide anymore.

“It’s fine,” he almost collapses as she waves it off. “But the buses are going to stop running for the night, your otousan has already called you.”

—

He gets her number before he lets himself be ushered out the door, nearly running into her neighbor who eyes him suspiciously. Not even Takeshi’s best sheepish grin erases the unfriendly look in the man’s eyes. It, probably didn’t help that he was disheveled, and still smelled a bit sweaty from the baseball game earlier. It didn’t look good, a teenage boy walking out of girl’s apartment looking like that.

Takeshi avoided his gaze and hurried to the bus depot. His otousan had been pleased that the reason he’d gone missing was running into a friend and loosing track of time, and not something, else. But he’s heard the warning to make it back tonight, and so had Sawada-Chan. She’d all but thrown him out the door, tugging on a worn pair of running shoes to lead him to the bus depot in time to catch the last bus to Namimori.

As the bus tumbled into the night, he wonders when he can make time to come back again, and how many times it will take before his shoes have a space in her entrance.