#a platonic love letter

[slowly-unspooling]

Let’s talk representation. Why it’s important to see characters like you in media.

I grew up in a religious household. Mormon to be exact. Not the best environment for a queer teen to live in.

Until about 14 all I had heard about lgbtqia+ was that “we love them, but not their sin” and at this time I didn’t have words to describe how I felt. I had scrambled to try to fit the mold of perfect cishet daughter I was meant to fit. (As anyone who knows me can tell you, I wasn’t successful).

But even dating and going to church and filling that role, I knew there was something “wrong” with me. I hated my deadname because it was “too feminine” and didn’t fit (the exact words I was using as early as I can remember). I didn’t encounter my first queer character in media until I was about 14 when my sister and I snuck Rent on in the middle of the night. And finally I had seen someone and realized what I was feeling wasn’t wrong and most importantly, I wasn’t alone.

After that, I began looking for characters that were like me. They were far and few in between unfortunately. But I still found them.

My journey of self realization has taken nearly 10 years to find people who felt like I do, and I could finally put words to it. I finally had found myself.

When I started writing, I decided to write characters I wish I had seen growing up. A deviation from the typical queer characters. Ones who didn’t know who they were. Ones that confused others because it’s harder for them to define what they are.

Then I got my first comments that made me cry, that showed I wasn’t doing this is vain. (And yes I know this is tumblr and y’all will recognize this screenshot. I am not ashamed)

And so began my journey to provide representation that is severely lacking. Of characters who don’t want to find love. Who are best defined by their inability to be defined.

And most importantly, a platonic love letter to all those who have never felt seen or understood. Because I do see you. And I do understand.

-Aspen 💚🖤🤍

[deerspherestudios]

AAAA I’m always too shy to come off anon, but because I don’t have to for the moment, I just wanted to say that I love Mushroom Oasis so much!!!! Mycheal is just such a well fleshed out character - he isn’t the embodiment of a trope or presented as solely good or evil, but is both consistent and contradictory in a way that feels (ironically) very human. He is shown to act in accordance with a deeper set of core values rather than just the surface level opinions or feelings which might present themselves more obviously. He also has multiple of these core values that inform his decisions, which is shown very well in how he fights with himself and comes to conclusions in order to remedy those internal (and external) conflicts. He lies, he’s aware and unaware of certain aspects of himself, and he responds differently based on his current state but is always loyal to his underlying motivations and character traits. He’s good at certain things and bad at others, even within the same field, but has core strengths that inform these proficiencies. It’s hard to describe in words what all I’m referring to, but if I had to summarize it: Mycheal has a set of core, largely static values and capabilities shaped by his experiences that inform all of his decisions and behaviors. He also has temporary states of being, informed by his interpretations of past experiences and core values. You are able to keep these core values stable (while changing them, which is even harder to accomplish convincingly) as he responds differently to different situations, which is something I don’t think I see often in most characters. Mycheal is just so layered and his complexity is written beautifully!

Hopefully at least some of that made sense akdjdjs - ultimately, I just wanted to share the sentiment that your writing is phenomenal and that I explode every time I think of your mushroom man! He is beautiful both as a specimen for character study and as an individual to simp for, so thank you for sharing him with the world!

A shorter, but no less earnest, comment on Astronought: I ADORE how subversive it is! I never thought I’d see a VN where the love interest turned out to be multiple entities. Well. Kind of?They’re a Hivemind, so they’re only multiple entities in a sense. Gah, Atom is so cool! I can’t wait to hear more about them, even if only in asks every once in a while.

Genuinely, thank you so much for sharing your games with the community - I think I speak for all of us when I say that I really, really enjoy them. Have a wonderful rest of your day :)

Anon where are yuo anon come off anon so i can hold ur hand and thank you peersonally anon

Also, as I double check the queue I just realized today (22nd Feb) is the 2nd year anniversary for Mushroom Oasis!! So it's only fitting that it's my turn to thank the community alongside this person, for being here as I continue working on this project!

You're all wonderful people and I can't express enough how much the support means to me! ❤️🍄🎉

[eddith]

After watching the fan letter i kept thinking how one piece is a masterclass of showing how a story doesn't need to be driven by romantic love to explore the beautiful romanticism of relationships in a real and heartfelt way.

Fiction is so oversaturated with romance that relationships between characters are most often than not so superficial and goddamn repetitive, I swear if it were another author writing marineford I would 100% expect the the plot to revolve around the main character saving their romantic interest.

I feel like writters dont really give platonic bonds this type of love and attention, and I do believe a part of it revolves around a societal context to what we as a society considers beautiful, romantic and worthwhile telling a story about.

And also the epidemic of loliness, the lack of connection and the isolation are all factors to why we see romantic love stories being pushed this much, this attachment of the idea of romance that most people seems to have.

And this is why i dont like the narrative of “separating the artist from their art” because I think this it is such a poor way of analyzing art. You can’t create a story like one piece, who explores platonic bonds and prioritizes them again and again and intentionally puts them at the forefront of your story if you, the writer, don't view those bonds as something special and worthwhile writting about.

Because after being caught up with one piece I kept asking myself why did this story had such an impact on me? The backstories, the bonds, they all shock me to my core.

Me being a older sister who wasn't ever that close to my little sister and who always felt this disparaging loliness since i was a child, watching mariford hurted me in a way that no story ever could, I can't imagine the impact one piece would have on me if i watched this when i was younger.

And I believe it's all because of Oda's view on relationships, how he seems to have a deeper understanding of people and how they work.

One piece transforms the “ordinary” bonds that most of us have in our lifes into something so extraordinary.

This why I not only respect Oda as a writer, but also as a person.

A person who could so beautifully show us the true beauty of life, that is, the people around us who love and support us.

[haveihitanerve]

Tom's genuine distress in this scene because of the grammatical errors Sam was committing is the most real thing that I, as a writer and literacy nerd, have ever witnessed.

you can almost *see* the English degrees trying to off themselves from his head

[dostoevskya]

アルミン — STUCK IN THE MIDDLE.

꩜ [ attack on titan ] armin arlert x reader (ft. eren and mikasa)

wc: 800+

-> third person pov; crack and fluff; established relationship; heavy eremika themes; breakups and getting back together; being supportive for your newly-separated friends 👍

now playing… i don’t love you by my chemical romance

“WHEN YOU GO, AND WOULD YOU SAY, ‘I DON’T LOVE YOU LIKE I DID YESTERDAAAAY’?”

armin cringed at the cacophony that was eren’s heartbroken voice. he watched on pitifully as his best friend hunched over a cheeseburger and inharmoniously cried out to a my chemical romance song.

it was a bit past 11pm, and they were parked outside the downtown wendy’s. the parking lot was deserted save for armin’s blue mini cooper, but the fast food chain’s neon “open 24/7” sign still flickered underneath the february stars. the highway was silent, aside from the occasional speeding SUVs.

between the chorus and the next verse, eren’s voice cracked, and he choked on a french fry. armin punched his back and successfully dislodged the offensive potato wedge from eren’s throat.

eren sniffed, giving up on attempting to (unsuccessfully and painfully) duet gerard way. his red-rimmed eyes flickered to armin, tears threatening to spill over his waterline again. “why couldn’t she just admit it?” his voice shook, thick with snot and emotion. “why-“ he didn’t finish his sentence, and instead turned to the window and held his fist up to his trembling lips.

it was the second time this year, and it was barely even march yet. armin sighed, deeming it best not to reply. as he reached out to turn up the heater, his smartwatch buzzed. a notification came in from his girlfriend.

[ 1 new message! ]

from: (username)

hi hon. you doing ok?

“i’m gonna step outside for a while, eren, i’ll give you some... space,” armin murmured awkwardly, hurriedly stepping out of the stuffy car before eren could reply.

the crisp air of the dying winter sent a small chill through his body, and he pulled his jacket tighter around him. he took out his phone and pressed call.

“(name)?” he said weakly into the phone.

“yeah, hi,” she replied. the sound of something being moved around echoed from the other line, but armin sighed in relief upon hearing her voice, sagging against the mini’s door. “how’s it going?”

“terribly.” his blue eyes darted to eren, who had reclined the passenger seat and had taken to staring up into the car’s ceiling in a dissociative state. “eren has been belting MCR songs for the past hour and choked on his food more times than i can count. he’s, uh... dissociating right now, i’m pretty sure.”

(name) snorted at that, then he felt the phone vibrate against his ear. he quickly accepted the FaceTime invite and was greeted by her exhausted face.

“tell me about it,” she remarked exasperatedly. armin could hear familiar music playing faintly in the background and it got louder as (name) continued to walk to the living room.

“is that mitski?” he asked incredulously, carefully walking away from the car so eren wouldn’t see that he was on video call.

she said nothing, instead sending him a deadpan look before flipping the camera.

lo and behold, there lay mikasa ackerman, draped unceremoniously over the armrest of the couch. the lower half of her body was spread limply across the seats, but her abdomen and head hung suspended over the leather Lawson arm. ‘i bet on losing dogs’ played on repeat for the umpteenth time.

“oh.”

“yep,” (name) flipped the camera again and offered a perplexed smile. “she’s been like that all night. i’m not sure if she’s still breathing.”

“that’s dark,” armin chuckled nervously.

“no, seriously,” she retreated back into the hallway, then slid down against the wall to sit on the carpeted floor. “the position she’s in really gets the blood rushing to your head and makes it super hard to respirate because of the angle your stomach is held at.”

armin blinked. “i don’t think i even want to know why you know that.”

“eh, i’ve been through some stuff,” she shrugged. “anyways. do you think you’ll be home tonight?”

he glanced at the car. “sorry, hon, i don’t think so,” armin replied apologetically. “eren shouldn’t be left alone right now. the jaegers are out of town for the weekend and zeke’s been working the night shifts at the hospital. if i don’t go with him, he’ll be home alone.”

(name) winced. “ooh, yeah, that’s tough.” she ran a hand over her face and exhaled wearily. “well, doesn’t look like mikasa’s moving anytime soon either, so...”

armin smiled ruefully, sighing in half-amusement. “yeah, no, i get it.”

“yeah...” she echoed, chewing on her lip. “so... i’ll see you tomorrow?”

“hopefully. i have a feeling they’ll be back together by then.”

(name) scoffed, though a corner of her lips turned up. “when do they not?”

armin laughed. “good luck, honey. i love you.”

“same to you, arlert. stay strong. sending thoughts and prayers,” she joked, then smiled at him softly. “i love you too.”

—

and, well, true enough, eren and mikasa made up two days later. just like they always did.

꩜ a/n: wow i finally wrote a fic for the actual loml !! (・□・；) about time, it only took me nearly half a decade LMAOO. here’s my first work of the year! yay!

i thought of this silly idea while talking to my best friend. thank you, moses <3

꩜ taglist: @snowthatareblack , @circeee

———

© dostoevskya 2025. all rights reserved.

please do not copy, edit, or repost any of my works. plagiarism is strictly prohibited.

[estrellami-1]

Lavender Letters

To those of you who celebrate, who have something worth celebrating… happy Thanksgiving. To everyone else, happy random Thursday!

Part 8

“S-something else?” Steve parrots.

“That’s right. I’m going to put my hand on your body.” He grabs Steve’s wrist, grins at the gasp that gets him. “And you tell me if you like it there. Okay?”

“O-okay.”

“So how about here?” He tightens his grip, smiles at the whine Steve lets out.

“Y-yeah.”

“Oh, I know you do, sweet boy. You’re so expressive.”

“Eddie-”

“Mhm?” He pulls back a little, enough to see Steve’s face. Steve just gasps, little breaths in and out. “You like sayin’ my name, sweet thing?” He pulls Steve’s hand behind his back and nudges forward, causing them to brush together. He inhales shakily as Steve moans quietly. “You got an upstairs we can go to, sweetheart? Somewhere I can take you apart?”

Steve sways forward, catching himself just before their lips brush. “I’ve- I’ve got a room upstairs,” he says. “But I’m not- I can’t-”

Eddie pulls his hand to his side again, locks their fingers together. “You can’t?”

“They’re gonna hear.”

“How do you feel about gags?”

Steve shakes his head. Even the thought seems to clear his head some. “No gags. Or- or blindfolds. Or restraints.”

“But my hand around your wrist?”

“That’s fine. You’re touching me. But- but no restraints that aren’t you. Or, um. I could try? If you want me to grab the headboard and not move. I could try.”

Eddie hums. “Nah, I think I like you touching me too much. But we’re out of luck until the party’s over, huh?”

Steve turns sad eyes up at him, nods.

Eddie smiles, touches his finger to Steve’s chin. “That’s alright. We can take it slow for a couple of hours. Get to know each other even better.”

Steve smiles. “Like what?”

Eddie hums exaggeratedly, tapping his finger on his chin. “Favorite sound?”

Steve laughs. “I have two. First is rain. I love hearing rain, especially as I’m falling asleep.”

“Nothing better,” Eddie agrees. “And your second?”

Steve colors. “When Robin sleeps over she talks in her sleep sometimes, and I’ll wake up to hear it. And it reminds me that I’m safe.”

Eddie smiles. “My favorite sound is Wayne’s snoring. It’s not overly loud, but sometimes I’ll sit just behind my door and listen to him sleep until I’m close enough to get back into bed and drift off. I think it’s sweet that Robin’s yours.”

Steve looks down. “Would it bother you if I could never listen to your music? Or never learned how to play DnD?”

“Would you let me rant to you about it? You wouldn’t even have to pay attention, really, or remember anything. Just let me talk at you about it, and don’t get annoyed when I want to talk about it.”

“Of course.”

Eddie grabs his hands, smiles. “Then I promise to do the same about whatever you want.”

Steve grins. “Even if it’s sports?”

“I’ll even watch it with you,” Eddie promises.

“You will?”

“I mean, I’ll at least sit in the same room. No promises that I’ll remember anything.”

“That’s okay. Robin’s the same way. Lucas—did I tell you about him? L?”

Eddie hums. “I think so… most polite? Wicked sharp tongue? Is that him?”

Steve beams. “Yeah, exactly! He likes sports, basketball, and sometimes we’ll play together.” He angles a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve got a hoop in the back. He’s getting really good.”

“I should hope so, if he’s playing with you. How about football?”

Steve hums. “I like watching it, but playing it wouldn’t be a good idea. Not with the concussions I have.”

“Wayne likes watching it, too. Maybe you could come over, watch a game with him. I know he’d appreciate it.”

Steve’s eyes shine. “Really?”

“Mhm.” He leans sideways against the counter, facing Steve. “Can I ask about the concussions? Or NDAs?”

Steve deflates. “I want to tell you.”

“So what’s stopping you?”

“Besides the fact that I fully believe the government’s got ears here? I don’t think you’ll believe me.”

Eddie hums, leans closer. “Well either way, I’d like to take you out one day in my van. Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, where you can be as loud as you want.” He leans in and whispers, “or say whatever you want.” He pulls back with a smirk. “What do you think?”

Steve takes a shaky breath. “I think I want to kick everyone out,” he murmurs, “but I also think Robin would never let me live it down if I did.”

Eddie chuckles, pulls away. “Drink your water,” he suggests. “Let’s take some time, dance a little. Socialize. Let Robin know I’m here for a good time and a long time.”

Steve takes a few big gulps of water. “I think you’re going to ruin me,” he says slowly. “In the best way possible.”

Eddie grins sharply at him. “That’s the plan, big boy.”

He winks.

Steve gulps.

This is going to be fun.

[aviiarie]

AHHH I just saw your letter asks !!! They're so cute! Is a familial Freminet one alright with you? Be sure to take lots of breaks and drink water! If you see this ask, this is your posture check <3 Keep up the wonderful work!

At first glance, there isn't anything particularly notable about the letter. White envelope, white paper, neat handwriting printed across the back. But when you lean closer, you can catch the faint scent of sea salt clinging to the letter, one that marks it as distinctly Freminet's.

To [Name]. Hi. Lyney told me to make sure you were coming to family dinner, since you were too busy to make it last week. He's pretty upset about that, he was moping around the hotel foyer mumbling under his breath. I think I heard him say 'family dinner isn't family dinner when you're missing family.' He was being a little dramatic, but you should let him know in advance next time. I don't know if I can deal with him sulking again. That's... not the only reason I'm writing. I've been meaning to talk to you for a while now, I just never could put my thoughts into words properly. I've been writing more lately, though. It's making it a little easier to... understand what I'm feeling, when I have it down on paper. Anyway. I wanted to speak to you last week, but you were busy so I didn't see you. Do you think we can talk after dinner tomorrow? It's nothing urgent, I promise... there has been just a lot on my mind, and you told me that you didn't like it when I bottled up my emotions. So... if it's not too much of a trouble, I'll meet you after dinner. From Freminet. P.S. Lynette told me to tell you that if you're not at dinner, she will be very disappointed. She was very serious when she said it, too. Please don't disappoint her, I can't deal with both twins being gloomy.

(ask game!)

[lil-astral-dreamer]

I want a lover|relationship even if I am aroace.

I want to write cute poems to someone,

I want to write cute letters to someone,

I want to hug someone and never letting them go,

I want to kiss someone,

I want to give my love to someone even if platonic.

A QPR or not, just having someone to love too would be amazing.

[gayofthefae]

Sometimes I have these moments where I'm like. I just nerd out about how neat the execution is, ya know?

In 2019, The Duffers posted a blocked out letter signed "love" with the date Will went missing.

On May 26, 2022, signing a letter "love" was just an affectionate signature.

On May 27, 2022, signing a letter "love" was inherently romantic when done, only by Mike Wheeler.

The entire letter plotline is so satisfyingly simple in structure. When Mike loves someone platonically but not romantically, he does not sign his letters to them "love". Mike did not write letters to Will. On November 6, 1983, Will Byers went missing and the upside down froze in time.

I LOVE seemingly disconnected facts. And so, naturally, I love when 5 year old tweets say "they're connected...Figure it out."

[igtotb]

Seeming that there is no romantic interest in my life to send secret letters to on valentine's this year, imma write sappy poems to all my friends like we're forbidden lovers separated by the war.

[smaeemo]

Not much, just a bro making a super emotional post about his bro on social media for his birthday

[da-birb-writes-sometimes]

Hello! how you doing?? may i request for your event , epel with a fluffy platonic ''long distance relationship" ?

and as my backup i thought of riddle with ''farmer's market'' , like a funny romantic outing

and i think you said 2 backups ... if you then stargazing with azul , romantic hurt/comfort

i'm not used to requesting so if i did anything wrong sorry oopsie i didn't mean too 😅

Long-Distance Relationship; Epel Felmier

Content; Fluff, gender-neutral reader, platonic

Word Count; 650+

AN; Everything looks great, no need to worry! I hope you enjoy this, and the friendship with Epel! As a reminder, do not put my work — or others for that matter — into AI as it steals. Link to Masterlist

This summer had been quiet, with Professor Trein basically threatening Crowley to let you stay with him. But it was nice. You had a nice room with overstuffed pillows and old quilts. And an actually nice bed that didn’t have any springs poking out of it. After the chaos that had been the school-year, it was nice having a stable home environment. Also Trein gave you the freedom you needed, and didn’t hover, but was there when you needed him.

“Another letter arrived for you,” the older man said while waiting for his morning cup of tea to cool down. “From Felmier.”

Epel couldn’t come to visit as often as the others, as he was busy at the farm and doing promotional work to help bring Felmier Farms into the public’s eye. But he sent a letter every week, each with an apple stamp.

You opened the letter, curbing your excitement. There was rarely anything super exciting in them, but it was still nice to read what Epel got into.

Meemaw says I should be able to visit next week! So be prepared for a lot of stuff; could ‘have sworn you’re her grandkid an’ not me. Hope you like kitschy apple-themed clothes.

Epel is coming. Epel is coming! You hadn’t seen him in over a month, and the last time you did he was working the family stand at the farmer’s market. You couldn’t really catch up then, but now, now you could. You could finally catch up with your best friend. “Is it okay if Epel comes over?”

Trein looked up from the book he was reading and gave you a curt nod before going back to his book and morning cup of tea

Places to go with Epel; 

You had started to make a list, but nothing was really coming to you. You didn’t know many other places save for Night Raven College, and the small village where Trein, and now you, resided. Sighing, you spun in your chair, thinking. Epel was arriving tomorrow and you had jack-all planned. And sure, just catching up and hanging inside the home or out in the yard was nice and all, but you wanted to do something. “Come on brain, be smart,” you sighed, plopping down on the bed and groaning. Maybe some sleep would hel- “Epel?”

And standing outside your window was none other than Epel Felmier, carrying a backpack and an amusingly large box. He was moving his mouth, but you couldn’t make out what he was saying. Getting up, you moved towards the window and pushed it up.

“-et me in, these damn skeeters are eatin’ me alive,” is what you heard upon opening the window. And there were indeed a few mosquitoes trying their hardest to make a midnight snack out of your friend. “Long time no see, huh?”

You moved aside so he could let himself in. he was early, in the letter he said he’d be arriving tomorrow right after lunch. But Epel was here, in the middle of the night, hauling a large wooden crate into your room. “Yeah, but what are you doing here Epel?”

He let out a grunt as the wood crate finally got through the threshold of the window. “Visiting, like I said… Pa dropped me off early but I had some runnin’ around to do.” He reached into his pocket and handed you a small bee keychain. “Gotcha this in town, since you’re a busy bee.”

You lightly punched his shoulder, as you knew Trein would give the both of you a questioning look, but you were happy to see Epel. “So, what horrors did Marja send?” You peaked into the wooden crate.

Epel grabbed out a cardigan made of granny squares with apples and apple blossoms instead of daisies. “Matching sweaters,” he said with mock fear in his voice.

The two of you laughed though, as it was a sweet action, and once it started to cool off, the both of you would wear them together; like the cheesy matching outfits parents put siblings in.

[estrellami-1]

Lavender Letters

Part 11

Eddie finds the letter folded on Steve’s pillow, next to his head when he wakes up. “The hell,” he mutters, sitting up blearily and looking around the room.

He’s alone.

His heart gives a nervous thump, and a part of him thinks this is it; this is the last time he gets Steve.

He takes a breath. Opens the letter. Begins to read.

Reaches for a pen and paper after.

[https-furina]

"your order is complete!" this order is for @nervocat:

"Thought I'd put in something for your event hehe :33 What about Neuvillette with a small latte and foam? I'm curious to see what you come up with.. 👀 (Sorry if I did anything wrong.. this is actually my first request for anyone 😭😭. I'll also probably read this when I'm back if you're done with it by then, but take your time!!)"

neuvillette + gn!reader | platonic, modern!au | 1.1k words notes. uuuuu nervo... this man would give the best hugs convince me otherwise... this is actually the second time i’ve ever wrote for him <3

thirsty? see our café menu before you order! | order receipts

throughout your whole life, there has always been only one man by your side. you never seemed to have any qualms with each other, fitting together like slotted puzzle pieces and sometimes your friendship even stood against the tides that was your families bombarding you with "you'd look so good together!" that you would both simply groan and roll your eyes in response to; his older sister furina was exceptionally good at bring this up every time you came over for dinner when you was kids.

as you grew older however the two of you grew in distance, finally entering that adult world you dreamt so much about when you hid together in forts made of blankets and pillows, snacking on your stash of sugar. neuvillette got into law school, making him much busier than you and you'd opted for art school, much more interested in the creation of theatrical props and stages. going to two completely different schools put a halt on how much time you could spend with each other.

it's the middle of winter and finally your schedules have cleared up enough to allow you both to meet under the roof of a local café, the large glass windows slightly steamed due to the temperature difference outside but the warm, golden lights creating the most comforting environment that you would never need to gaze beyond what is around you. the smell of coffee and freshly baked treats is strong and slightly overpowering but nonetheless a welcoming difference from the paints and glue you suffered with daily.

you've always claimed you wasn't heavily attached to your childhood best friend but the moment your eyes catch sight of the tall male entering the building, his long silvery hair tied back in a loose ponytail because it gets in his way - but heaven forbid you suggest he cuts it - and a pair of slim glasses perched on his nose, you raise to your feet so quick you go dizzy for a few seconds. the static wears off to reveal him stood before you, undoing the buttons of his trench coat and unwrapping that familiar scarf from around his neck; ah yes, it's the one you brought him last christmas.

his violet eyes glance at you, a pleasant smile decorating his pale face as he hangs his coat on the back of his chair before wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you into the fluff of his sweater. he's warm, dressed appropriately for the weather as always and you relax under his touch, your arms looped around his waist and you rest your head against his chest. this hug was very much overdue and with the stress of exams, it's exactly what you both needed.

"have you ordered yet?" his deep voice rumbles suddenly over the sounds of cups clinking and idle chatter. you shake your head in response, reluctantly pulling away from the broad-shouldered male and he lets out a content hum, pulling his wallet out of his coat pocket, "what do you want? my treat today."

a slither of a smile creeps onto your face as you settle back into your chair, unwilling to argue against the male as you tell him your preferred order. there's a mild grin on his face, your order hasn't changed at all since you were younger and you almost wish you could retort sarcastically but he says nothing, leaving to go to the counter. part of you feels willed to follow him, unhappy with the concept of him paying but you knew just how stubborn neuvillette could be, a small sigh escaping your lips as you take the moment to admire the dark oak aesthetic inside the café.

neuvillette returns shortly after holding a tray in his black leather gloved hands, placing it on the table as you flash him a thankful smile. he settles opposite you, unstrapping his aforementioned gloves as you focus on your drink, taking a sip of it happily and closing your eyes for a split second.

"how's law school been treating you?" you find yourself asking him the dreaded question first, your eyes watching how his minorly calloused hands open his bottle of water and you can't help but think he really hasn't changed a bit since you were kids, always much preferring water to any other drink people tried to shove his way. neuvillette almost groans, raising the bottle to his lips as he takes a small sip.

"i have so much material to revise at all times, this is the first time i've been out of my accommodation in a while," he admits with a taut frown pulled onto his face. he was always one to prefer the outdoors, granted the weather had to be nice, "and it is as ever dull outside as some of my lecturers are to listen to."

you can't help but laugh at his words, picturing just how boring law professors must be. perhaps you would fall asleep if you had to listen to their drawl but neuvillette was extremely academic so you imagine that despite this complaint of his, he listens intently in every class just like he did in high school. you have faith he'll pass law school with flying colours.

"what about art school?" it's his turn to ask about your academics, tilting his head in curiosity as he looks over at you and you wonder if this setting seems a little too formal for you both, "i've seen some of your works on instagram."

"the local high school's drama class is doing romeo and juliet for their annual play and they've hired us to design the set. we're being graded on it but people in my class keep re-enacting scenes whenever we finish a prop." you groan, resting your chin in your hand as you attempt to look outside through the window to your left, it's still fogged up but it was an attempt nonetheless. neuvillette lets out a deep chuckle.

"think of it as quality control," he comments playfully with a small smile etched onto his otherwise sincere face, it draws a smile onto your face too at your best friend's words, "they're just checking the authenticity of your works before they're used for the real thing."

despite months of not seeing each other after years of being inseparable, everything seems just the way the pair of you had left it, leaving you content and fuzzy inside at finally being able to spend time together again. even though the two of you have definitely matured a little, those two toddlers cuddled up and sharing a beanbag in the library are still very much present and as the stress of exams, revision and all nighters designing stage sets wash away, you both come to realise just how much you needed to see each other again.

© https-furina 2023 | please do not copy, re-upload or translate my works on any form of media. heart banner by @/cafekitsune.

[aviiarie]

......crazy ask, but zenitsu familial? also congrats on finishing your letters!

There's a small spark across the envelope when you open the letter, a strange static running across your fingers. The words are scrawled hastily across the paper, with a large ink blot staining the middle.

[Name] — I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. Soon, in fact. Consider this letter my final will and testament: I leave everything I own to you, and maybe to Gramps if he wants anything. My honour, I'm afraid, will die with me. I can just hear the eyeroll from all the way here, but I can promise you that I am dead serious! You don't understand the pain, the anguish... I passed final selection, I'm a demon slayer now, but I'm not cut out for this at all! Everything we fight is so strong, so terrifying. I'm gonna die. Oh god, I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die without getting married or learning the next form of Thunder Breathing or visiting you again or— Sorry for the ink stain there. Inosuke—one of the Demon Slayers I've been travelling with—stole the pen right out of my hand and spilled it over the paper before I could finish my sentence. He's such a pain sometimes! Tanjiro—the other one I'm travelling with—is alright, though. He's an easy person to get along with, a sort of peacekeeper I suppose. I don't want to just talk about them, though. What's it been like back home? I heard from Gramps that you were staying with him for a little while. That's probably for the best, I think he's been lonely since... well. You know. Kaigaku. I gotta visit him too sometime... maybe if I manage to survive the next few weeks... If I don't end up being brutally slaughtered by a demon before you get this letter, then I'll talk to you soon, okay? — Zenitsu

(ask game!)

[kingstarkingslay]

Platonic Moonwater Headcannon

Remus was the first friend Regulus made when he joined Hogwarts. Remus knew Sirius and Regulus weren’t on speaking terms ever since Sirius got sorted into Gryffindor and about the abuse the both of them experience at home so he takes the first chance he can get to befriend Regulus. The both of them get along really easily cause they both have a lot of common interests, majorly in books but Regulus only knows wizarding books so Remus starts introducing him to muggle books - literature and poetry. Regulus absolutely falls in love with them and they spend hours talking about them. They’d share notes on them.By now Sirius knows that the reason why Remus spends so much time in the library is cause he’s hanging out with his brother and he loves it cause now he knows his brother is in safe hands. Plus this gives him the chance to keep tabs on his brother through Remus.

Remus and Regulus start confiding in each other. In fact Regulus was the first one to know about Remus’s crush on Sirius. Remus finds out that Regulus loves playing the piano even though it was something his parents forced him to learn and that they actually have a Grand Piano back at Grimmauld Place but Regulus only knows Wizarding Piano Compositions cause that’s what his tutors taught him and you know what his family thinks about muggles….. so Remus then starts researching everything he can about Muggle composers- Beethoven and Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Bach , and he tells Regulus all about them. Once during the holidays Remus found a book called “ The Greatest Pianists ” at a bookstore so he buys it and brings it back with him to Hogwarts and lends Regulus the book, promising him that next time he’d look for a book with piano pieces ( or music sheets ) in them so that Regulus could maybe learn Muggle compositions.

But Regulus never got to return The Greatest Pianists because that was the year Sirius ran away and after that Regulus closed up completely. He stopped hanging out with Remus because of his anger at Sirius, even though he really missed his time with Remus. Remus knew Regulus was avoiding him but he didn’t push it cause he knew the younger Black brother was in pain.

So whenever Regulus was back at Grimmauld Place , he’d lock his bedroom door, take the book out of the little secret compartment he had on the floor under his bed and read it and cry cause he missed Remus. He missed being able to talk to him and spend his time with him. So he’d cry over all the people he pushed outta his life.

But then the letters started coming.

Letters written in a familiar handwriting.

Remus’s handwriting.

In the envelope were two pieces of paper.

One was a small piece of paper with the words “ I thought you’d find these interesting ” written in Remus’s handwriting.

And the other- A music sheet to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata

Regulus immediately runs to the Grand Piano , rests the music sheet on the piano rack and starts playing the piece. By the time he’s done with it he’s in tears.

The letters don’t stop. Everyday during the holidays he wakes up to an owl dropping a different music sheet on his table and he’s rush to his piano and start playing them. By the end of the day he’d have learnt the piece by heart and could play it without looking at the music sheet.

His parents never found out about the letters cause Remus never signed his name on any of them.

More importantly, the letters were hidden in that secret compartment under his bed, folded neatly in between the pages of The Greatest Pianists.