#UmeMatsu

[danikatze]

I had chapter four practically finished for a while now but for some reason I couldn't post it. Bit of a mental block, but I've posted it now!

Chapter 4: Never Mention it Again

Summary: Matsu doesn't know how to feel about the invitation he extended toward Ume; was it a joke, or is he actually, weirdly, somehow interested?

Read it on AO3 - or read it here:

Matsu walked away from Ume, cool as a cucumber. Just as nonchalantly he started scanning for a new deserted backstreet and when he found one, slipped into it. Confirming no one was there, he clambered up on a roof.

It wasn’t uncommon for Matsu to take rooftop shortcuts - crowds weren’t his thing - although he tended to avoid doing so during the day. Especially now that he was trying to re-establish himself as a respectable craftsman, it wouldn’t do to be spotted casually taking a stroll on top of other people’s houses.

This time, however, was to be an exception. Matsu needed to get out of the busy shopping street to quiet his buzzing brain.

He was practised enough at scaling walls that he barely had to think about where to place his hands and feet, so he had plenty of room to consider the conversation he’d just had.

Pulling himself up on the roof’s edge, he snorted incredulously. Especially in hindsight, it felt like a fever dream.

Out of the Five Leaves, Ume had always been the most open and honest. In broad lines, everyone knew his background (even before the specifics were revealed against his will by his former gang members) which is more than could be said for the others. He was also the first to call for answers about Yaichi when the Five Leaves started falling apart.

Matsu had wondered to himself if Ume’s new trait was going to stick, or if it was a crisis-only kind of deal. Asking Matsu about his sex life of all things was not how he expected Ume to show that he was, in fact, embracing his inquisitive nature.

Matsu plopped down on the ridge of the roof. Looking at all the people below him placidly going about their day did help. More or less removed from the world as he currently was, he could let everything that was said sink in a bit.

He mused on why he and Ume always had to shut each other up in such roundabout ways. Whenever one wanted the other to stop talking about the topic at hand, they invariably did so by throwing around insults, or sharp remarks.

This time as well, Matsu could've just told Ume that he didn't want to talk about his habit of sleeping with strangers. Instead, he had attempted to shock Ume silent by... inviting him to participate. He had expected Ume’s response to either be roaring laughter or absolute horror. He never would’ve considered that Ume might tell him “maybe” - tentative and half-joking as it may have been.

Matsu’s own voice rang through his mind. “Not opposed to it,” he’d said. He didn’t even know for sure whether he meant it or not. His feelings kept alternating between regret for saying it and… curiosity. Of course he thought Ume - tall and muscular - was hot. Irritating as fuck, but very pleasing to the eye.

Matsu groaned, burying his face in his hands. The darkness that followed made it all the easier to see certain memories of Ume that his meddlesome mind produced. He saw flashes of Ume on a sultry summer’s day, carrying a barrel of pickled vegetables. His yukata draped around his waist, beads of sweat rolling down his strong, tanned back…

The visionary Ume put down the barrel and, (rechtop staan), stretched and flexed his muscles. Realising he was being watched, he flashed his dumb grin. Before Matsu knew it he pictured himself flat on his back with Ume on top of-

-quickly uncovering his eyes, Matsu took a deep breath. He decided that he was overthinking it. Ume was going to back out anyway - or more likely: never mention it again.

Still... it got Matsu thinking about the rules he had set for himself when he started having casual sex with people. It started with one and after he gained more experience he thought of another. Just two - although very strict - rules.

Firstly, he avoided women when on the lookout for a hook-up. This rule came about after he ended things the way he did with the woman he almost married. He followed it even more religiously when he found out she’d gotten pregnant.

Matsu really loved women, but it was far too easy for them to get into trouble. He found people too uptight about women sleeping with someone they’re not married to and should the affair be discovered, he would experience little to no consequence. Others may have not considered this a downside, but it made Matsu feel like shit.

Rule number two was the afore mentioned “deal;” the only one he made sure to remark upon every time before sleeping with someone. The deal was that he never slept with anyone more than once. Repeating the act with the same person would lead to attachment and that was not something he wanted. Not right now.

Not many people argued beforehand and even fewer did so afterwards, but the man from earlier wasn’t the first to ask for more. So far a stern reminder had worked each time. He knew very well that he was lucky never to have slept with a more aggressive or forceful person.

There had never been reason for Matsu to add “must be a (relative) stranger” to the list. It’s one of those things that was kind of a given. It had never been challenged - until now.

Well, not even now, really. The only people he did not see as strangers at that moment were the Five Leaves. As previously concluded, Ume was definitely not going to go through with it and there was no way anyone else was interested in sleeping with Matsu. The reverse was also true.

Sort of.

Before he started going down that rabbit hole, he stood up resolutely, climbed back down the same way he came, then walked home as. As a good, professional craftsman, Matsu put the matter out of his mind and went to work. Although the matter made many attempts at getting back in, Matsu fortunately was very skilled at keeping complicated things out. As long as he stayed busy.

That evening, however, on his way to dinner, inadvisable ideas sneaked into his head. One of which: to flirt with Ume. Against his better judgement, he started entertaining the thought. He was sure flirting wouldn’t lead to anything, anyway, but it could be an interesting shift in their dynamic. They already had lots of experience pushing each other's buttons, after all. Flirting is just a different kind of bickering. The two were virtually synonymous for some people Matsu had known throughout his life.

He reminded himself that he was actively trying to be less impulsive, so he wasn’t going to put that plan (if it could even be called that) into action just yet. He wanted to observe Ume’s mood toward him first and - perhaps more importantly - his own mood. It was very possible that he was only getting slightly... worked up. It had been a while since the last guy, maybe he wouldn’t even want to flirt with Ume anymore if he just found someone to release that pent-up energy with.

Upon arriving at Ume’s, Matsu recognised very quickly that it would’ve been exceptionally hard to flirt with him anyway. Despite being his jovial self for the entirety of the evening, Ume never looked at Matsu directly, or even addressed him much. He didn’t even yell or glare at Matsu when Otake took her seat next to him for dinner and proceeded to talk to him specifically for most of that time; she needed to pass on some compliments that she’d gotten for wearing one of Matsu’s hairpins.

After some time Matsu noticed she was getting distracted. Judging by her occasional curious glances from Matsu to Ume and back, she realised something was going on. Matsu was glad to see that she went on pretending she didn’t. After a while, she was getting somewhat more touchy-feely than usual, though. Matsu suspected that she was trying to get a reaction out of Ume. Besides looking like he just stubbed his toe, none came.

While as good at hiding her emotions as Matsu, Otake looked visibly a little baffled this time. To avoid further suspicion, Matsu went back home early, saying he had some more work to do. This was half true; there was always work to be done, though none of it particularly urgent at this time.

Matsu did fiddle with some hairpin designs, until, after an hour of doing so, he just got too uptight to focus anymore. He was preparing to go out for a bit of fresh air (or a quick fuck, if he could locate a willing subject) when he heard a knock on his door.

“Yo, Matsu,” came Ume’s voice from outside, “can I come in?”

A little stunned, not sure if his aroused mind was imagining things, same as before, Matsu said nothing. When he opened the door, there indeed was Ume’s large silhouette, waiting for him. Matsu could only muster a “hey,” and waited for Ume to explain what he was doing there.

“Can I come in?” Ume asked again. Matsu couldn’t see Ume’s face well in the dark, but he sounded unexpectedly casual, considering his behaviour during dinner.

“..Sure,” Matsu stepped aside. As Ume removed his sandals and strode in, Matsu heard a sloshing that he could not currently see the source of.

Ume turned to Matsu, grinning. "I just wanted to say sorry 'bout all the questions earlier. I got a bit carried away."

“It’s fine,” Matsu said, a little distracted by the sound. He could see now that Ume was holding a corked bottle. Presumably (hopefully) it was filled with sake. “Sorry about the… y’know. Invitation.”

“Nah,” Ume chuckled, “it was funny. I shouldn’t have taken it seriously.”

You can, if you want to, Matsu thought, in spite of himself. Neither of them said anything, for a long, awkward second. Matsu expected Ume to explain he’d run out of sake and went and got a... a single bottle and decided to pop by his place for a sec, and was on his way now. Something along those lines - something making more sense.

Rather than offer an explanation, Ume promptly sat down. He poured himself some tea in Matsu’s abandoned cup, which must have been almost cold, seeing as Matsu had made it a while ago. He’d forgotten to keep the last bit warm.

Ume was someone who took pride in good tea as much as he did in good sake. He also had no trouble telling people he disapproved of their bad tea. Having been on the opposite end of Ume’s criticism before, Matsu thought it more likely that Ume didn’t notice the less-than-optimal temperature, than that he didn’t mind. He braced himself for whatever conversation Ume was looking to have.

“Can I ask you some more questions?” Ume then said, rotating the cup in his large calloused hands.

Only then realising he still stood by the open door, Matsu closed it and strolled over to his unexpected guest and sat down too.

“About what?” he asked cautiously, as he seated himself opposite Ume. This was going to be a continuation of their earlier exchange, he presumed.

Ume was silent for a moment. Then, sitting up a little straighter, asked: “Do you do that often?” He cleared his throat, “sleeping with strangers, I mean.”

There you go… Matsu’s knee jerk reaction was to give a very evasive answer, but given what they talked about earlier that day, he didn’t see why he would.

“It wasn't my first time, if that's what you're asking,” he said, only a little evasively.

“Always someone else?” Ume asked, without missing a beat.

“Yup.”

“How do you do it?”

“How what?”

“I mean...” Ume rubbed his face. “To put it bluntly: at this point, it's been a very long time since I’ve had sex.”

Matsu was about to joke that he wasn’t surprised Ume couldn’t get laid if he treated every woman he was interested in the same way he did Otake and expected them to be flattered. This wasn’t the time for jests, though. There was something mournful about Ume.

“How come?” Matsu asked instead.

“Hah,” Ume dismissed the question with a wave of his hand, “Long story that will bore ya to death.”

“How come?” Matsu repeated, more annoyed than he intended. He thought back to when he knocked on Ume’s door, late at night, right after Yaichi had shown Matsu an unexpectedly bad side of himself. He owed Ume for being there for him that night; let alone for everything else Ume had done for him since.

Back then Matsu couldn’t say much about the situation; he simply didn’t have the skills, nor the courage to describe what he was feeling. He could tell that Ume wanted to get something off his chest; Matsu would listen if that was how he could help.

Ume snorted at Matsu’s irritated attempt at kindness.

“Never felt right, after Kinu’s mum died,” his smirk half faded. Judging by his hands, which sort of lingered in the air in front of him in an explanatory gesture, he was trying to find the words for what he wanted to say.

“I did look for someone,” Ume placed his teacup free hand on his thigh and moved it toward his knees and back again, as though he meant to soothe a sore muscle - or an anxious mind. “almost right after I lost her.”

He stared at the floor for a moment. It's one thing to ask personal questions, and quite another to tell someone your personal feelings, isn’t it? Matsu thought to himself with some (well-concealed) satisfaction.

“I didn’t really have anyone to help me,” Ume said slowly, but apparently more sure of what he wanted to say, “so I was having a very hard time. With the grief and Kinu’s bad health and all. Figured things would be solved if I found a new mum for my kid.”

A familiar pang of guilt shot through Matsu’s chest. He involuntarily flashed back to her. To the one he put in that exact situation. Ume thankfully took no notice of Matsu’s anxiety.

“I couldn’t do it,” he continued, shaking his head. “I kinda panicked every time I got close to someone, especially at first. All I wanted was my wife back.”

Matsu glanced at Ume as he said this. While his smile was melancholy, it lacked the heartbreak Matsu expected to see.

“I tried a couple of times over the years. It never really clicked with anyone, so I sort of gave up.” He lifted his hands and shoulders in a resigned gesture.

“Otake’s the first who made me wanna try again. Just my luck that she doesn’t want me,” he laughed, though admitting this made him visibly deflate. He looked suddenly exhausted.

“And you never slept with anyone all that time?” Matsu asked after a short pause. He tried very hard to conceal the horror he felt.

“No, I did,” Ume said quickly, “went to a brothel a couple of times. I hated it.”

Matsu had a hard time processing this statement - it had been years since he visited a brothel himself, but it had always been a good time. They specialised in good times there.

The puzzlement he felt must’ve been visible on his face because Ume couldn’t repress a loud bout of laughter that was probably amplified by nerves.

“They were nice girls and all,” he snickered, “very good at their job. Physically it felt alright - I just didn't like it.

“That’s.. unfortunate,” Matsu muttered politely and Ume started howling again. Matsu’s annoyed eyeroll didn’t help diminish the laugher.

When he managed to hush his wheezing, he said “It sounds like you'd sleep with anyone at all though. How do you do it?”

What a question. To Matsu, it was almost as natural - certainly as necessary - as going out for a bite to eat; as going to a bathhouse for a soak, even if he needed it less frequently. He knew roughly where to go, he knew what to look for in people, how to signal what he wanted. And he rarely failed.

“Dunno, I just do. If you want it bad enough, just about everyone looks pretty fuckable.”

“Even me, apparently,” Ume laughed.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re hot.”

“Fuck off,” Ume looked surprised like he really didn't know that he had a good face and was huge and buff and just.. ngh. Matsu turned away from Ume and leaned back on his hands.

“You fuck off.” He was getting impatient. Ume obviously had no idea how horny Matsu had been even before he waltzed in. And it was all fine when Ume talked about his own sex life - or lack thereof, but the way the conversation was going, it became hard for Matsu to ignore how much he wanted Ume right now.

“You’re serious?” Ume said, ignoring Matsu’s annoyance, “Wouldn’t that get weird?”

“Only if you make it weird,” Matsu said pointedly. “It’s just sex.”

He needed a drink. “What’s with that anyway?” he said, eying the bottle standing next to Ume. Ume followed his gaze.

“Oh, yeah,” he picked the bottle up and considered it for a moment. “You skipped your after-dinner drink. Thought I’d bring some sake as a peace offering.”

Matsu was already grabbing two clean cups and placing them in front of Ume. “Offering accepted.”

Ume grinned and poured the drinks. They didn’t say another word until their cups were filled a second time.

“I’m… kinda curious,” Ume broke the silence, staring into his cup.

That’s it, Matsu thought, no more beating around the bush.

"Then let's do it."

Ume just grinned and shook his head. “I don’t know..”

Matsu stood up and staring down at Ume, said "Get up."

Technically Matsu could've just thrown himself at Ume - and part of him really longed to - but he wanted Ume to actively and willingly participate in the opening move, not just be overwhelmed by it. Matsu had never found real pleasure in getting what he wanted by force.

"What, now?" Ume started looking a bit bewildered, especially considering the way he had to tilt back his head to be able to make eye contact with Matsu. If a bit of discomfort would help Ume to finally make a decision, Matsu was absolutely fine with that. Fuck me or get out, he thought frantically, stop thinking about it and just fucking do something. He so desperately wanted to say this out loud.

"Got somewhere to be?" Matsu said, with all the charm he could muster.

"Well," Ume glanced at the door as if assessing his options for escape. “Kinu’s at home, y’know and…”

He trailed off and continued protesting noiselessly while apparently looking for more arguments, grinning hesitantly all the while, before shutting up fully. He looked back up at Matsu with an expression that was hard to read, then chugged his drink and rose to his feet.

The way Ume towered over him, even standing at least an arm’s length away, made Matsu’s heart beat a little faster.

Ume rubbed his neck and chuckled.

"So..” he said with a sheepish grin. “where do we start?"

[missmyloko]

Hi Missloko. Am I wrong for assuming that the three Kanoya minarai are going to have a triple misedashi? Has there ever been a triple misedashi before? Seems like Kanoya has the wardrobe but it's just the matter of costs... Also there is another minarai in GH now. Not only that but she's going to be imoto of Hinayu - debuting from Sakaemasa?

Yes, they will be having a triple misedashi on October 3rd! There have been triple misedashi before, but they're quite rare. The last one occurred in 2001 in Kamishichiken with the debuts of Umetomo, Umesono, and Umematsu of Ichi. It's quite the statement for Kanoya to be debuting three girls at once, so they must have the resources to be able to do so. This is a good sign as it shows that business is returning to normal after the pandemic!

[ourxguidingxkey]

//Remade the playlist in SCM Player

DJ Khaled - All I Do Is Win (from Ducktales 2017)

Yoko Shimomura - Aqua (from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Final Mix HD)

Skrillex - Bug Hunt [Noisia Remix] (from Wreck-It Ralph)

Christina Milian - Call Me, Beep Me! (from Kim Possible)

Post Malone - Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers Theme (from Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2022)

Eden Espinosa & Mandy Moore - Crossing the Line (from Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure)

Yoko Shimomura - Dearly Beloved (from Kingdom Hearts III)

Yoko Shimomura - Dearly Beloved [Swing Version] (from Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory)

Hikaru Utada - Don't Think Twice (from Kingdom Hearts III)

John Williams - Duel of the Fates (from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace)

Skrillex & Hikaru Utada - Face My Fears [English Version] (from Kingdom Hearts III)

John Williams - The Force Suite (from Star Wars)

Robin Williams - Friend Like Me (from Aladdin 1992)

Keith David - Friends On The Other Side (from The Princess and the Frog)

Party Ben - Galvanize the Empire (Mashup of The Imperial March with Galvanize by The Chemical Brothers)

The Musical Ghost - Gravity Falls Theme [Electro Swing Version] (Gravity Falls fan song)

Brad Breeck - Gravity Falls/Made Me Realize Mashup (Gravity Falls/MTV's Awkward mashup)

Hans Zimmer - He's A Pirate (from Pirates of the Caribbean)

Tony Jay - Hellfire (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi - I See The Light (from Tangled)

Louis Prima - I Wanna Be Like You [Sim Gretina Remix] (from The Jungle Book 1967)

Donny Osmond - I'll Make A Man Out Of You (from Mulan 1998)

Fall Out Boy - Immortals (from Big Hero 6)

Idina Menzel - Into the Unknown (from Frozen II)

KoRn - Kidnap the Sandy Claws (from Nightmare Revisited)

Yoko Shimomura - Lazy Afternoons (from Kingdom Hearts II.5 Final Mix HD)

Idina Menzel - Let It Go (from Frozen)

Rascal Flatts - Life is a Highway (from Cars)

Danielle Brooks - Listen Up (from Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure)

John Williams - Main Title (from Star Wars: A New Hope)

Rise Against - Making Christmas (from Nightmare Revisited)

Ludwig Göransson - The Mandalorian (from The Mandalorian)

Yoko Shimomura - Memória! (from Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days)

Jake Kaufman - Moon Theme (from DuckTales: Remastered)

Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up) (from Big Hero 6)

Niko - Night of Fire (from Dance Dance Revolution Disney Mix)

Nobuo Umematsu & Yoko Shimomura - One-Winged Angel (from Kingdom Hearts II.5 Final Mix HD)

Brad Breeck - The Owl House Theme [Extended Version] (from The Owl House)

Madeon - Pop Culture (from the Fan.tasia AMV)

CarboHydroMusic - Rising Sun (Kingdom Hearts fan song)

Amy Lee - Sally's Song (from Nightmare Revisited)

Hikaru Utada - Sanctuary [Opening Version] (from Kingdom Hearts II)

Hikaru Utada - Simple and Clean (from Kingdom Hearts)

New Japan Philharmonic - Simple and Clean [Orchestral Version] (from Kingdom Hearts)

Green Day - The Simpsons Theme (from The Simpsons Movie)

Parry Gripp - Space Unicorn (from Star vs the Forces of Evil)

Ken Ashcorp - Supernatural [Glaze Remix] (Gravity Falls fan song)

Jessica Darrow - Surface Pressure (from Encanto)

Danny Elfman - This Is Halloween (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Yoko Shimomura - Traverse Town (from Kingdom Hearts I.5 Final Mix HD)

Shakira - Try Everything (from Zootopia)

Samuel E. Wright - Under the Sea (from The Little Mermaid 1989)

Starship - We Built This City (from The Muppets 2011)

Lin-Manuel Miranda - We Don't Talk About Bruno (from Encanto)

Danny Elfman - What's This (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Owl City - When Can I See You Again? (from Wreck-It Ralph)

Mandy Moore - When Will My Life Begin? (from Tangled)

Buckner & Garcia - Wreck-It, Wreck-It Ralph (from Wreck-It Ralph)

Imagine Dragons - Zero (from Ralph Breaks The Internet)

Alan Menken - Zero to Hero (from Hercules)

[leonida-tokyo]

2020/11/25(水)

umezawa pre UMEMATSU

ADV / DOOR ¥2000 / ¥2500 OPEN / START 19:00 / 19:30 リアルタイム無料配信 アーカイブ配信¥1,000

レオニダ JUANAFUN CLUB

無料配信URL

https://youtu.be/ucY4CGsUcWQ

[unescapablebias]

Digimon Universe - Episode 33

Rei's interaction with Dantemon is so surreal, but also kind of sweet.

Personally I found it hilarious that Rei was 'irrelevant' until Hackmon added him in and becoming 'relevant' is how he could gain access.

Anyway, doesn't it look like Rei knows about Yuujin, with the way he was glaring at him? I wonder how much he knows, if he does.

Everything about the new twist is hilarious, but especially the secretary lady who seems to get a new personality when she takes her glasses off and starts introducing those Appmon like a commentator.

In conclusion, Umematsu Takeo lol his replacement does seem to know more about Leviathon and L Corp's true aim, but how much does he know is the question.

[eswel]

About Appmon Timeline

I know there’s been some debate about that line in the intro that talks about 2045.

But we have new information. First, let’s go back to episode 16. Timemon says that Leviathan appeared in 2006. Later, in episode 33 we are presented to the L-Corp CEO who is 70 years old. We can see that he met Leviathan in his youth, so this is at some point after the 2006 incident.

Depending of how much time happened between Leviathan’s birth and his meeting with Umematsu and how old he was, we get how many years has Leviathan been building his empire, which could be even 50 years (if he was in his 20s). In that case we surpass the 2045 mark.

What do you think? Let’s figure it out.

[kamishichiken]

Maiko from the Kitano Odori 2003 program: Umematsu, Umewaka, Umechika, Katsuka and Umefuku (source). 

[okiya]

Maiko Umematsu and Maiko Umechika

[danikatze]

Muddle

a multi-chapter Saraiya Goyou fic

[ID in alt text]

Chapter 1: What the Hell was the Hurry

Summary: The Five Leaves decide to leave Edo with Masa and Yaichi. Ume and Okinu are the first to arrive in their new home town, soon followed by Matsu. While Ume wants to give "opening up" a try, Matsu struggles with Feelings more than ever. An unexpected relationship develops between the two.

Read it on AO3 - or read it here:

Matsu arrived in town much, much sooner than Ume expected.

At the moment he and Okinu left Edo, heading for the place the Five Leaves had decided to try and make their new home, Matsu was still frantically running around (that is to say, walking everywhere much faster than a short guy like him should realistically be able to do) trying to get things done before his own departure.

The news that Matsu was closing up shop and moving someplace else must've spread like wildfire. The day after the Five Leaves agreed to leave Edo with Masa and Yaichi, there was a small, but undeniable queue of servants from rich families in front of his row house. Some he could please with the few hairpins or pipes that were still lying around and wanted to get rid of before moving anyway. The others placed more specific orders.

Otake, Ginta and Matsu still hung out at Ume's place while Ume and Okinu were preparing to leave, and every time Matsu was there he heartily complained about the orders. He hadn't declined any that Ume was aware of. Matsu was not good at refusing clientele.

Ume and Okinu were the first to start their trek to their potential new hometown, and, predictably, they were also the first to reach their destination. The two were planning to stay at an inn and explore the town from there. Miraculously, they found a vacant row house within mere hours of their arrival.

On her trip to the market the next day, at the end of the afternoon, Okinu spotted Matsu in the crowd. She was shocked to see him: not only did she not expect him to be there yet, he looked exhausted. As usual Matsu insisted that he was fine and asked her directions to the nearest inn. Okinu didn't believe it for one second, and dragged him home with her without completing her shopping.

As soon as Matsu stepped into the row house he collapsed. He was burning up and slept for nearly a full twenty-four hours.

Ume managed to get water and tiny amounts of porridge into Matsu in moments of sort of consciousness. Still, when Matsu finally woke up fully, he was craving food. His fever had gone down, but he looked pretty worse for wear still: he was very pale, his eyes were puffy and the fact that he hadn't shaved for almost two days didn't really help him. He was usually so presentable, which made this sight all the more concerning. It actually reminded Ume of the time Masa just rescued Matsu, after being held in the storage room of that candle maker for a few days. At the very least he didn't have any injuries this time.

Ume made him an elaborate meal, with a little help from his neighbours. They were already quite friendly to Ume, thanks to Okinu. He always let her introduce herself first, and made sure she mentioned he raised her on his own. Ume wasn't really comfortable taking the credit for that. She'd done so much of it herself, somehow. It was a really good ice-breaker, though. People were always much less scared of him when they knew that he'd single-handedly raised such a lovely girl.

"So hey," Ume stepped into the row house with a pot of tea that his elderly neighbour on the right made for them. Ume waited a moment for a sign of acknowledgement from Matsu. It did not come because he was too busy scarfing down the contents of one of many bowls Ume put in front of him ten minutes prior. It went in so fast Ume was unable to discern what exactly it was. Ume continued anyway: "did you do the impossible and say 'no' to your customers?"

Matsu put the empty bowl away and grabbed a grilled fish with his chopsticks. Before he himself seemed to realize it, he'd taken a big bite. He held up a hand, asking for Ume's patience. After a moment it appeared that he didn't have any patience himself, because he just moved the fish inside his cheeks so he could reply.

"Nah," Matsu said, then, realising his cheeks could not contain all the fish while talking, attempted to swallow a portion of his large bite and seemingly hurt himself in the process. With a strained expression he thumped his chest a few times, as if that would make the food go down easier, and continued with a tight voice, "I just kinda hid from people at some point, so I could finish everything in time."

"In time?" Ume placed two cups on the floor, and started to pour out the tea, but paused to squint suspiciously at Matsu. "For what?"

"Didn't wanna take longer than a week, or -- ow," Matsu now attempted to swallow a chunk of rice that apparently did not fit down his throat. Ume waited calmly - and judgmentally - for Matsu to get it down and start breathing normally again.

"- or I would've been stuck in Edo forever," Matsu finally finished his sentence.

Ume tried doing the maths in his head - this just obviously didn't add up. Admittedly, he and Okinu hadn't exactly rushed their journey, but they didn't make a leisurely trip of it either. The whole thing had taken them over two weeks.

If Matsu really did leave a week after them, that meant he'd done it in a week and a half.

Ume looked at Matsu, just woken up from sleeping pretty much twenty-four hours straight. He saw the bags under Matsu's eyes and the amount of food that he was currently consuming, and suddenly started to get very annoyed indeed. He sat up straight and crossed his arms. If Matsu noticed, he didn't show it: he only had eyes for the food before him.

"And you made the deadline?" Ume asked, hoping Matsu would say he finished everything sooner than he thought.

"By a hair," Matsu said, casually.

"What the hell was the hurry, you idiot?!" Ume failed miserably at staying calm. It was the indifference that really pissed him off. "Did you even sleep or eat?"

"Of course I did," Matsu's glower would almost be endearing if it hadn't been preceded by one of those infuriating eye rolls. To make matters worse Matsu decided to add, "I just didn't waste time on a bunch of hour long breaks in between, like you guys probably did."

"I'll have ya know that I didn't practically drop dead at our doorstep when we got here," Ume fumed, "and neither did my kid!"

"Good for you," grumbled Matsu, while stuffing some more rice in his face. "Anyway its none of your business how I travel."

"Oh yeah?" Ume laughed incredulously, "well then, in that case feeding you is none of my business either, lemme clear everything away for you."

"Don't --" Matsu practicality threw himself over the food that surrounded him, to shield it from Ume, "- touch anything."

His pale face flushed with embarrassment, although it didn't stop him from grabbing a bowl of miso and slurping it down as soon as Ume turned away in a huff.

Ume's blood was boiling, but he was really not in the mood for any of the bickering that he and Matsu normally liked to engage in. He was pretty tired from the trip himself, despite taking all the necessary rest stops at the roadside, in addition to the longer breaks they took for food and sleep. The first night they spent in their new place, it knocked both him and Okinu out for about two hours longer than usual.

Ume looked over at Matsu and narrowly avoided snorting at him. Matsu scowled so hard that his eyes almost vanished in his frown. A smile formed on Ume's face before he remembered that he was, in fact, still angry.

Well.. no, he wasn't in the mood for that either. And maybe it wasn't really fair to go all parental on a grown man who managed to run a successful business for a good while back in Edo.

He's so bad at taking care of himself though!

His anger subsided, but got the urge to make Matsu feel a bit self-conscious with a fun little snarky remark. Y'know, a little reward for not arguing.

"I'm impressed you still manage to get food in there, the way you're scrunching up your face," he said, with a self-satisfied grin.

"I'm impressed you- you're..," Matsu faltered, "Shut up, I'm exhausted.."

Ume's grin broadened. Matsu turned into such a pubescent teenager whenever Ume went into dad mode. He looked at the few signs of age on Matsu's face, and wondered how old he could be. In his thirties probably? None of the Five Leaves knew any of the other's ages, and they never asked. Ume didn't ask this time either. Instead, he collected some empty bowls to wash up, and left Matsu to simmer down a bit as well.

When Ume returned Matsu had cleared out all the dishes and was stretched out on the floor with his hands on his stuffed belly. At the sound of the door sliding open and Ume stepping in, Matsu lazily looked over, his head lolling to the side. After following Ume with his gaze for a bit, and Ume pretending he didn't notice while collecting more bowls, Matsu sighed.

"Thanks, Ume," he said.

"My pleasure. I like cooking," Ume presented the empty bowls, "and seeing people enjoy my food."

"I didn't mean the food," Matsu stared at the ceiling, and patted his belly, "although, thanks for that as well."

"Then what?" "Dunno,"

Matsu shrugged, "for worrying, I guess."

"Oh," this took Ume by surprise. He hadn't expected Matsu to cool down this much, "yeah, no problem. I have years of worrying experience, raising a sickly kid by myself and all." He laughed a bit and then added in a quasi stern tone, "She was never as damned reckless as you were, thank fuck."

"Hah," Matsu covered his eyes with his hands, groaning, "Masa used the same word to describe me ages ago. I should really do something about that."

-

It took Matsu a few more days to really get back on his feet again. If it were up to him he would've set out to find a place to stay for himself the very same day he woke up. Ume wouldn't hear of it, and made Matsu rest until he felt fit for at least one full day.

He didn't trust Matsu to be honest about that, but he was fairly good at evaluating someone's well-being. He'd been through too many instances of Okinu claiming she was better, and her falling ill again the next day. Once he started implementing his a-full-day-fit rule, she experienced much fewer relapses.

Matsu grumbled about it a lot and then, to Ume's great surprise and suspicion, put up a lot less resistance than he had prepared for. Ume kept an eye on Matsu as much as he could, and the only way to achieve that was to have Matsu take part in Ume's chores and other activities. As time went on it seemed that Ume didn't need to be distrustful of Matsu's compliance. In fact, if Ume hadn't known any better, he would have said Matsu enjoyed being forced into slowing down.

In the meantime Okinu used her charms to find a place for Matsu to live. In no time at all she managed to get half of her neighbourhood either keeping an eye out, or actively searching for a vacant row house. By the time Ume allowed Matsu to go free, he could move into one that was only a fifteen minute walk away from Ume's - or probably ten minutes at Matsu's pace.

Ume started looking for a building that would be suitable for an izakaya, because his little row house of course wouldn't do. That didn't stop him from providing his neighbours with home cooked snacks and (side) dishes. A bit of advertisement for his as of yet non-existent izakaya. He didn't have much luck yet though. Not that he expected to find something after being there for only a week or so, but he was a bit jealous of Matsu, as unlike him, he would easily be able to set up his business from a row house.

[danikatze]

I've been writing an UmeMatsu fic on and off for six months and I've gotten nowhere near the actual shippy stuff lmao, but I'm actually pretty happy with what I've written so far. Should I just post it?

Here's a preview:

"I can take care of myself," he meant it to sound reassuring, but it came out more gruff than anything else. He half turned to Okinu, looking at the grains of dirt on her white socks, rather than at her, and added in a softer tone: "I promise." "Matsu-san..." Like her dad Okinu wasn't exactly shy about letting people know she didn't agree with things. Entirely on the other spectrum than Ume, but equally easy to shrug off, she'd smile fondly and call them silly. This was different. "I'm a bit worried about you too," she sounded almost mournful and it felt like a punch in Matsu's gut. He didn't say anything and for a moment, neither did she. "I didn't tell dad," when Okinu spoke again there was a bit of mischief in her voice, "because knowing I'm on his side would convince him that he's right, and when he's absolutely sure of himself, he's unbearable." "Even more so?" "hehe, yes." Matsu smiled, in spite of himself, then he sighed. Let's have this conversation. Why not.

[danikatze]

I drew this in 2018 (omg it's been ages) and I love it sm still so I wrote a little (700 word) story to go along with it now <3

[ID in alt text]

Public Displays of Allopreening

Matsu did not approve of public displays of affection, naturally, but damn did he crave it sometimes. Despite being big and strong, Masa had that puppy kind of quality, where people (who liked him) often just wanted grab hold of him and squeeze. Generally, said people respected him enough to restrain themselves, but ever since he and and Masa had gotten more.. a thing, Matsu found that increasingly difficult.

His solution was to invent an inky, greasy or muddy smudge on Masa’s face, which he could then rub off. Not too often, of course; it was about as common for Masa to have dirt on his face as it was for anyone else.

Matsu found the idea really clever, though, because there were two reasons this particular scheme worked perfectly. Firstly, people did often think Masa was much clumsier than he actually was, so Matsu could get away with enough to soothe his urges.

And secondly, Masa tended to get flustered and thus unable to process any directions to the smudge in question. The quickest way for his friends to help him was to just remove it themselves. By now, whenever someone said Masa had something on his face, he would just automatically move a little closer and ask: “where?”

Matsu always removed the imaginary blemish with great care. The warmth of Masa's skin, the way Masa subconsciously leaned into his touch, Masa's closeness in general made Matsu’s chest swell with affection every time.

“You can’t walk around like that, Masa,” he sometimes complained, “people’ll think you’re a slob.”

This was a mistake. The others - usually Otake, Ginta or Okinu - would insure Masa that they hadn’t noticed at all. Apparently, the more often Matsu removed a smudge that no one else had seen, the more Masa suspected that there had been nothing there to begin with, because one day he confronted Matsu about it. As was Masa’s habit, he was quite direct and Matsu felt obliged to confess to his deceit.

“If you do it any more frequently, people will actually think I have poor hygiene,” Masa said. Matsu could tell he tried to look stern, but there was a smile in Masa’s eyes that betrayed excitement. He still often expressed amazement that people liked being around him, nowadays, so perhaps the idea that someone even had a hard time keeping his hands off him was extra novel.

Matsu didn’t reply. He felt annoyed that he’d forgotten about Masa’s perceptiveness. He should really stop underestimating Masa.

“I could do it to you every now and again,” Masa said, “if you like?”

Matsu could think of a number of reasons why his plan would not work in reverse, but the thought made his insides flutter and he wanted to entertain it a bit longer, before he had to start being rational.

A little mischievous smile appeared around Masa’s mouth. Matsu figured he was already mentally practicing, finding the phrases he might use, the spots on Matsu’s face he might like to touch in public.

“What’s that?” Masa said, just when Matsu wanted to respond to the proposal. He pointed at Matsu’s chest. When he looked down, Masa quickly and precisely flicked Matsu’s nose.

Gone were the gentle butterflies.

A nervous chuckle escaped Masa’s lips. “Sorry,” he said, hastily, “it's been done to me so many times and I was curious if it would be funny, should I be the perpetrator.”

Matsu appreciated the gravity of that word: “perpetrator.” Made that stupid joke feel like the crime that it should be. Nobody had dared subject Matsu to it since he was a child, but he could definitely see Masa being fooled by it as a grown man. In his mind’s eye he saw Masa, pouting amidst a crowd roaring with laughter. And he felt himself soften with empathy.

“Hm,” he hummed, “it is kinda funny coming from you.”

Masa sighed with relief.

“Do it again, though, and I'll bite your finger off,” Matsu said.

After a moment of silence, Masa started giggling.

“I mean it,” Matsu couldn't help but smile.

“I believe you,” Masa snickered, “lucky for us both, I still don't understand the appeal, so I won't be tempted to repeat it.”

[danikatze]

I wrote a little fragment for the UmeMatsu fic that has to do with Matsu and Otake's friendship.. Just jotted this down half an hour ago, so it's very slightly edited first draft and I'm not sure if it's gonna fit in the fic yet (this is from Otake's pov, while the rest of the fic switches between Matsu and Ume each chapter) but I like it, so I'm sharing it. Also because some of you are so nice about my hofl hc's!

It started not long after she and Matsu had first met. One night she spotted him, from behind, accompanied by a young man she didn’t know. It couldn’t be more obvious to Otake’s experienced eyes what was happening. Matsu’s hand was placed on the small of the man’s back and he smiled the way he only did when he was trying to charm someone. It looked so sincere. Maybe it was. Either way, it was working. Something made him look over his shoulder, directly at Otake. They locked eyes for a moment. Otake didn’t know what made her acknowledge the situation. It was none of her business, after all, and she’d only just met him. But she just liked him very much and she got the feeling the connection was mutual, so she nodded at the man as she raised her eyebrows, to ask if this situation was indeed what she thought it was. Matsu glanced at the man and back at Otake, then briefly raised his eyebrows in confirmation. It happened a few more times, while they were in Edo. Whenever they saw one another at night and he was accompanied by yet a different man, she asked and he confirmed from a distance. They never talked about it afterwards. Not verbally anyway. The day after at breakfast Otake would usually smile at Matsu in approval, and he’d flash the barest hint of a smile, and shrug his shoulders the tiniest bit. Sometimes, when he’d had a particularly good night, and he hadn’t bumped into Otake with his catch, he would do the eyebrow thing at breakfast, and she’d do the approving smile, and he’d do the shrug.. It was a little thing they did that made them feel like they were the closest of friends.

[danikatze]

Hey question: I've gotten to a sexy time part of the UmeMatsu fic and I'm a bit torn about how to describe items of clothing?

The thing is that Matsu wears pretty specific garments and I kinda want to use the right words for them. But on the other hand it would be annoying for a reader who doesn't know those terms to have to look them up, even if I use footnotes.

What I could do is to use the correct word and in the same/next sentence use the word for a better known equivalent? Like "Underneath, as ever, was Matsu’s black haragake. Ume had always found the apron a very attractive garment."

What also makes me hesitate is that I'm not an expert whatsoever. I've seen multiple names for the same garment and I can't figure out if it's wrong/inappropriate to use certain names.

Does anyone have thoughts that could help me? 😅

[danikatze]

I've continued writing the UmeMatsu fic (on and off for two weeks now) and I completely understand why I took a break from it. It's so hard to write someone who's not great at articulating feelings and difficult events in their life, but then is actually trying to articulate feelings and difficult events in their life.

[danikatze]

I was tagged by @tj-dragonblade 💖

current time: 11:20 AM

current mood: kinda nervous. My dad's getting the results of a scan that will tell if the medication he's taking is still working. It seems like everything's good, but appearances can be deceptive.

current activity: I'm at work (at the graphic studio) and cutting a sort of template to help line up multiple woodblocks. Hoping I get to print them later today.

currently thinking about: my to-do list for today

current favourite song: hmm can't say that I have one right now. Got a fun song stuck in my head though: Uh-huh by Jade Bird. She screams nice :3

currently reading: Sense and Sensibility, sort of. Averaging two pages a week, maybe. I'm not in the mood to read new things and this particular book is literally pocket-sized, so I just take it with me anywhere in case I feel like reading.

currently watching: a lot of Drawfee vids. I discovered their yt channel 3 years ago and then sort of forgot about them. It's fun to catch up! I'm not really interested in watching a proper series at the moment. There's a lot coming up that I'm looking forward to though :)

current favourite character: many, but I'm thinking about Matsu even more than usual, because of the fic I'm writing.

current wips: I have an endless list of wips, but let's stick to the things I'm actually actively working on:

I'm designing and carving a few woodblocks for a sort of festival that my graphic studio is involved in. I have two carved out and two more ready to carve. I've test-printed one, which is also going to be a submission for an exhibit later this month about my town;

I started sketching a 3 panel comic for Nimona yesterday;

And I'm working on chapter 4 of my UmeMatsu fic!

[danikatze]

[ID in alt text]

Came across a Kissing meme thing and just turned it into a Matsu Kisses Everyone meme hehe. Plus two Everyone Kisses Each Other drawings :3

HCs and og prompts for the meme below the cut

Cheek and nose. BFF Matsu and Otake of course! I've had the B99 "aren't you forgetting something?" bit in my head with them in my head for years. Both would be the one to walk away without paying their bill - although Matsu would more often walk off in a rush.

Back for more and throat. I've said it before when posting wips for this, and I'll say it again: post-canon non-romantic UmeMatsu ftw! I'm actually trying to write a fic about how that happened in my head, but who knows if that'll ever see the light of day lol

Belly and from behind. Post-canon Masa deserves to relax so much that he grows a nice soft and round belly. Matsu will be very fond of it <3

Corner of the mouth and lower arm. IchiMatsu will take years and years to become a thing, and before they do I imagine they'll have a lot of tentative conversations about their individual pasts and what happened between them after Masa joined the Five Leaves. Like an exchange about the wound Matsu had the night they met.

Knuckles and forehead. No HCs about these two pairs regarding these particular drawings really

There were three prompts that I didn't really feel like doing, so I left two out and changed one to something else. :3