#about sougou

[trivial-writing]

I live in rare pair hell. I’m also a multishipper too. MakoSou, MakoGou, and SouGou my beloved. Why must LancexDiantha content be so sparse. @cheemken’s silkwing stuff is the only reason I haven’t jumped off. I need more lancexdiantha. At least I ship Felix with Anette from Fe3H. That’s a popular ship, and there’s plenty of fluff to go around.

[thistledropkick]

I translated the first ever interview with Young Lion Mikami Kyosuke, published on New Japan’s website, from March 8, 2010.

Hit by Hansen’s bull rope and awakened to pro wrestling! A quick interview with anticipated newcomer Mikami Kyosuke

The Act Tower Tournament was held in Hamamatsu on March 7th. There, a newcomer made his long anticipated debut against Taguchi Ryusuke.

His name is Mikami Kyosuke. Influenced by pro wrestling since childhood, he joined the prestigious Senshu University’s wrestling club in order to become a professional wrestler. We managed to catch Mikami for an interview before his match! In this first-ever interview, we talked to him about his current state of mind, his passion, and information about himself.

- Your debut match was decided rather abruptly, wasn’t it?

M: Yes. I was told five days ago. And I’m still about to b*rf (from stress.) I thought “Well, I’m debuting after Fale” (laughs) (Fale Simi Taitoko = a trainee from the same class / debuted in April)

- Mikami, please tell us about your background.

M: I did judo and amateur wrestling, and then entered Senshu University on a wrestling sports recommendation from Nigata prefecture’s Maki Agricultural High school (now Maki Sougou High School)

- That’s a famous college with a prestigious connection to pro wrestling, right?

M: Our coach was Hase Hiroshi (ex pro wrestler, current Lower House member) and Nakanishi (Manabu) would watch over our training sessions as well. Hirasawa (Mitsuhide) was a third year student there when I was a first year. But, I dropped out……

- Excuse me for asking, but why did you drop out?

M: Because I didn’t go to class. I was an economics major but I don’t have any interest in economics (laughs). I originally wanted to do pro wrestling, which is why I originally started amateur wrestling in the first place.

- So, after that?

M: I tried to enroll with New Japan Pro Wrestling, but my application didn’t make it past the initial screening. My dad scolded me, saying “What’re you gonna do about your student debt, you bastard!” and I thought “This is really bad” as I moved back to my hometown. 

I owe my dad a large amount of money to pay off my student loan. So after that, I worked construction for about a year, and then for about four years I was a freeter working at restaurants, at a beach resort, a pachinko parlor, and so on. But then in May of 2009, the (New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo) admission test rules changed, and the height restriction was removed. Hirasawa said “Hey, what’re you gonna do? You gonna go for it?” and I submitted the application one more time.

- And in June 23rd of 2009, you became a student. Were you always a pro wrestling fan?

M: Yeah. Due to my dad’s influence, I always was. When I was still in preschool, I got hit by Stan Hansen’s bull rope at an All Japan show, and my pro wrestling awakening began. All Japan, New Japan, FMW, I loved ‘em all.

- Did you tell anyone about your debut?

M: My parents and my local friends. And later I told my friends on GREE [Note from me: GREE is a gaming social media ap, so this is kind of like telling your Steam friends or something] I told them, "I'm gonna be in a match." The reactions from everyone were pretty intense. Because I hadn't told anyone I was a trainee at New Japan. I only told everyone once the company officially announced it and posted my name on the website. As you might expect, my mother is worried about me. But my grandma, who loves pro wrestling, said “YEAH, GO GET EM!” (laughs)

- What is your special move?

M: I’m just debuting right now, I don’t have a special move yet (laughs) But, since I’ve been doing amateur wrestling for so long, I think I’ll concentrate on a single leg, double leg, and tackle.

- And your “sales point” is?

M: I’ve got a stocky body type, but I’m going for “chubby yet agile.”

- And your rivals are?

M: Right now, the students in the dojo are Fale and Takahashi, and classmates are perfect as rivals. And of course I’m aware of Hirasawa as well.

- What kind of wrestler do you want to be?

M: Most of all, I want to be someone that everyone wants to cheer for. Basically, it’s stupid, but I love attention (laughs) I want to be the kind of pro wrestler that makes the fans yell “DO YOUR BEST!”

- The opponent you want to fight is?

M: There are too many to even name.

- Finally, express your enthusiasm to us in one sentence.

M: Anyway, pleased to meet you all and thank you for your support, I’ll keep working hard and doing my best. Taguchi is IWGP Jr Tag Champion so, having a person like that as my debut opponent is an incredible honor. Anyway, I plan to use the things that he has taught me. Pleased to meet you all, thank you for your support.

[roxalicious]

Do you have any more yuri recs?

sure, here's a few

love thy neighbor: about 24 year old uni student pah doyeon and her 40 year old housewife neighbor jin joo. jin joo's husband left her alone as he works to pay off his debts, and it has Not been a fun few months for her, as the loan sharks after him have been terrorizing her daily. luckily, pah doyeon is there to lend a hand and shelter!

probably my biggest recommendation as of right now, so long as you don't mind the very much not healthy nature of the whole situation. this baby's got everything in it: blasphemy, cheating, milf-hunting, obsession, self-discovery through lust, and so on. pah doyeon is great. there's a lot wrong with her. she said this shit unprompted in the latest chapter

a love yet to bloom: a sweet story about takamine, who has yet to find anything in life she enjoys, and sakura, a book-loving girl she happens to meet on the train after school. it's very cute and has a nice, chill atmosphere. i always look forward to the next update

otome no teikoku: ok so. heres the thing. if you decide to pick this up the first, idk, dozen chapters will be Bad. there's a lot of male-gazey uncomfortable stuff at the beginning, and while it doesnt take too long for it to stop feeling so offputting and start being surprisingly wholesome and earnest instead, it never stops being horny, so read it if youre in the mood for that.

as for what it's actually about... well there's this all girls school, right? and it has girls in it. and they are all gay and dating each other. its basically just a collection of short chapters about different couples within this school, and it has some of my favorite dynamics and moments in yuri. i reread it very often (and there's almost 300 chapters of this thing out, so that's a feat) and it never stops being enjoyable. stan nononon/yumimi

a monster wants to eat me: about hinako, who lost her whole family to the sea in a tragic accident and now yearns to join them in the afterlife, and shiori, a mermaid claiming she's here to eat her. the problem is, hinako being actively suicidal and depressed means her flesh won't exactly be very tasty, and shiori is a bit of a gourmet, meaning her goal is to first help her recover and regain her joie de vivre, and only then will she eat her. i highly recommend this

out of the blue!: transfer honor student x delinquent yuri. it's very short so i dont wanna yap about it too much, but it's a big big personal fave. it's only 4 chapters so check it out

sougou tovarisch: honestly anything by arata iri never fails to get at least one laugh out of me, but this one especially. if you know a kiss and a white lily by canno (and if you don't, go check it out), the premise to this one is a bit similar to the dynamic between ayaka and yurine, with hardworking MC obsessed with being number one and chill love interest who beats her without even meaning to.

the focus here is less on romance and more on comedy, and i love it. kanna is amazing. she wins a chess match by punching her opponent so hard she passes out. its only 13 chapters + assorted extras, very fun easy read

now some stuff that doesnt really have yuri as focus but ive really enjoyed regardless and want to shout out and this is my blog so whatever

liar satsuki can see death: satsuki can see dead people. specifically, she can see the future corpses of people up to 24 hours before they actually die. she always zealously warns the future victims of the imminent danger, and she has been branded a weirdo and a liar for it as no one has ever actually died before. in truth, she is actually literally incapable of lying, and the only reason everyone survived so far is that she will go to frankly insane lengths to save them. she's a great protagonist and her autistic swag has captivated me and many others

mieruko-chan: miko can see... Things. that no one else can. but she has to pretend she cant, especially to the Things themselves. she doesnt know exactly what will happen if they realize she can see them, but she's certainly not about to find out.

this started as a twitter short that quickly gained popularity, so the premise of many early chapters is basically "miko sees something terrifying and has to ignore it, hilarity ensues", but the initially one-off characters introduced over time are eventually explored and given quite a lot of spotlight and im having a lot of fun with it. stan michiru

there's always more but here's what ive got so far- wait. read shuukura. ive talked about it before it's in my pinned please read shuukura i love those weirdos to an insane degree

[adorafics]

The Snake Goddess

Free! | SG/SR/RG | Drabble | M-rated Summary: Of missing buttons and things Sousuke knows not... (It's been gnawing at me to write something about my SouGou ever since I restarted writing Free! stories and, ofc, I had to include Rin... The fandom is not very active anymore, so I sort of doubt there's anyone interested in these ships, but if you are, please reach out to me. Anyway, it is only a drabble, of literally 100 words, but it's a start?)

[miyakuli]

Hi Lola ^^ what about Free! for the fandom thingy :3

Hi Mary cutie <3 hehe of course you had to send me this fandom xD thank youuuu!!

Send me a fandom/ship/character/2 fandoms, and I'll tell you...

Favorite character: Makoto I mean, our divine Makogod of course;)

Least Favorite character: (don't hate me) Momotarou///

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Makoharu, Reigisa, Rintori, Sougou, Asakisu~

Character I find most attractive: gonna say Rin (except for those damn teeth) and also bcs he has the most beautiful voice (Mamoru sexy voice//////)

Character I would marry: Makoto but I'm ready to sacrifice myself and leave him to Haru ;DD

Character I would be best friends with: Kisumi for sure

a random thought: Makoharu.png guys never forget

An unpopular opinion: idk if it's unpopular but I'm not super fan of the latest season/movies...I wish they could have stopped after s2 tbh xD

my canon OTP: MH is so canon it hurts that it's not yet x'O

Non-canon OTP: Makoharu here then x)

most badass character: Sousuke

pairing I am not a fan of: Rin & Haru, only see them as friends and best rivals

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Haru...........YES I SAID IT///// I'm still in denial that he became a pro swimmer, he doesn't fit him at all imo

favourite friendship: Rin & Haru or Rin & Nagisa :))

character I want to adopt or be adopted by: Rei is my spiritual son x'D

[gloop898]

2023 Media Thread - Master Post

Anime / TV

X - Witch From Mercury Season One

X - Akiba Maid War

X - Bocchi the Rock!

X - Chainsaw Man

X - The Legend of Vox Machina Season One & Two

X - Symphogear

X - Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

X - Yuru Camp

X - Symphogear G

X - Kill la Kill

X - Onimai: I’m Now Your Sister!

X - The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady

X - The Muppets Mayhem

X - the muppets. (2015 tv series)

X - Yuri is My Job!

X - Witch From Mercury Season Two

X - Loki

X - Adventure Time

X - Adventure Time: Distant Lands

X - Fionna and Cake Season One

Games

X - Lonely Mountains Downhill

X - Splatoon 3

X - Hi-Fi Rush

X - Tunic

X - Prey (2017)

X - The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

X - Cruelty Squad

X - Kirby’s Dream Land

X - VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

X - Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

X - Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

X - Carrion

X - Metroid Prime Remastered

X - Star Wars: Episode 1 - Racer

X - Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk...

X - Pikmin 4

X - Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

X - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

X - Lethal Company

Movies

X - Puss In Boots The Last Wish

X - The Shape of Water

X - Nope

X - The Super Mario Bros. Movie

X - Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

X - Get Out

X - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

X - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

X - Sunshine (2007)

X - The Grand Budapest Hotel

X - American Psycho

X - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 + Vol 3

X - Godzilla Minus One

X - Jingle All the Way

Yuri Manga

X - Onimai: I’m Now Your Sister! Ch1-Ch70

X - Eyeshield 21

X - New Game!

X - Futari Escape

X - Slow Start

X - Don’t Become An Otaku, Shinozaki!

X - 2DK, G-pen, Alarm Clock

X - Ohana Holoholo

X - Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon

X - Kami Eshi JK to OL Fujoshi

X - I want to be a cute anime girl Ch1-Ch314

X - Ouji-sama Nante Iranai

X - Sougou Tovarisch

X - Mimi Mix

X - Poor Poor Lips

X - Tonari no Robot

X - Opapagoto

X - A Timid Woman Longing For Her Delivery Girl

X - Let’s Love Girlfriends and Secrets

X - Hana and Hina After School

X - Adachi to Shimamura (2016 Manga)

X - Blue Friend

X - Skip and Loafer Ch1-Ch53

X - YuruYuri Ch1-Ch198

X - Yoru to Umi

X - An Easy Introduction to Love Triangles (To Pass the Exam!)

X - The Witch’s Marriage

X - Hino-san no Baka

X - There’s Weird Voices Coming from the Room Next Door!

X - What Does the Fox Say?

X - Shoujo Manga Protagonist X Rival-San

X - The Sheep Princess in Wolf’s Clothing

X - I Won 300 Million Yen, so I Started Raising a Freeloader Pretty Girl

X - About a College Girl Who Gets Picked Up at a Mixer by an Older Girl

X - Gabriel DropOut Ch1-Ch97

X - Vampeerz

X - Oshi V ga Oshiego de Watashi ga Mama de!?

X - Uta-kata, and Minus Literacy

X - Yume Miru Prima Girl!

X - Yuunagi Marbled, and Ami-chan’s Diary

X - I Wanna Quit Being a Hitman!

X - Love/Death, and Nicochuu

X - Goblin Is Very Strong

X - Soulmate

X - Sakura Trick

X - Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru

X - I Love Amy

X - Senpai, Does It Taste Good?

X - Ms. Vampire Who Lives In my Neighborhood

X - Sekai de Ichiban Oppai ga Suki!

X - Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-senpai ni Koishiteru

X - The Model & The Plain Manager

X - Haru Tsuzuru, Sakura Saku Kono Heya de

X - Catulus Syndrome

X - The Nuisance Daily Life of Robot-dependent Girl

X - KiLa KiLa, Steps, and Game;

X - Omoino-Kakera, Itoshi Koishi, and An Absurd Relationship

X - Kashimashi ~Girl Meets Girl~

X - Netsuzou Trap - NTR

X - All of Humanity Is Yuri Except for Me

X - Our Teachers are Dating!

X - An Aside Told to You

X - Mononoke Sharing

X - Chasing After Aoi Koshiba

X - Yurigurashi

X - Inside Mari

X - Sexual Education 120%

X - Hana to Hoshi

X - Todo no Tsumari no Uchouten & Ame Demo Hare Demo

X - Holy Girl Paradigm

X - Sorairo Girlfriend

X - Iono the Fanatics

X - The Girls' Arcadia

X - Stella☆Record

X - Bad Thinking Diary

X - Ibara no Namida

X - Fragtime

X - Ghosts of Greywoods

X - Sadistic Beauty: Side Story A

X - Oddman 11

X - Atashi no Senpai

X - Blooming Sequence

X - Girl in the Birdcage

X - The Ends of a Dream

X - Rock it, GiRL!!

X - Kitanai Kimi ga Ichiban Kawaii

X - Shino to Ren

X - Asumi-chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels

X - Yuri is My Job

Other Manga

X - Chainsaw Man Ch1-Ch97

X - Musuko ga Kawaikute Shikataganai Mazoku no Hahaoya

X - Kimi to Pico-Pico

X - Welcome Back, Alice

X - Dungeon Meshi

X - Himegoto - Juukyuusai no Seifuku

X - So I'm a Spider, So What? Ch1 - Ch66.1

X - Jahy-sama wa Kujikenai! Ch1 - Ch85

X - My childhood friend MUST become a girl!

Other

X - Infect Your Friends And Loved Ones

X - I'm Glad My Mom Died

[silentcolorswithin]

[ Sougou’s Relationship Page ]

*** Note: Due to the nature of there being multiple portrayals of the same muse, ships with similar muses are specified in parentheses on their relationship-verse tag. Everyone has a different portrayal of a muse, so we can still get close with yours! *** Note: UA High Students can only be shipped with Sougou if they are 18 and older.

Outside the Workplace

Rokku Akimoto (@lowkeyunhinged)

Relations: Pupil / UA High 1-A Student

Other Muses:

Kari Himura (@karikitdemonrp)

Relations: Fictive-kin (niece)

[kirisaki-daichi-scenarios]

haizaki shougo: job (+ future) hcs

honestly i struggled with this, cause haizaki’s the kind of person to graduate high school with absolutely no plans for life

he doesn’t have anything he particularly cares about; he doesn’t have any role models who might have inspired him

his father has been out of his life since he was young; his older brother is just a worse version of shougo (i hc that he’s been in and out of prison since he was a teen); and, judging by how he treated alex, haizaki and his mother have a very poor relationship

haizaki needs a whole lotta therapy and some love pass it on

anyway

he never even considered going to university, so upon graduation, he’s just unemployed, relying on his mother to support him as he spends his days either wandering around the town aimlessly, fruitlessly trying to pick up girls, or slumped across the coach, with beer in one hand, the tv remote in the other, yelling at the basketball players on the screen

(cause sure he “doesn’t like basketball”, but it’s pretty much all he knows - it’s the only thing he’s ever committed to)

(also haizaki’s the type of mf to convince himself that he hates basketball, as an excuse for why he doesn’t check out the local street ball park, to prevent anything that might make him happier from entering his life)

his mother tries to convince him to look for employment, but all it results in is his getting aggressive with her so she leaves him be

he only starts to look for a job when he gets bored

the problem is he’s not got any proper qualifications and most people that meet him don’t like him, so he’s restricted to finding ‘low skilled’ temp jobs that need people with some muscle

we’re talking mostly construction work, dock loading/off loading, possibly the occasional gig as a bouncer/security guard (only if he doesn’t have a criminal record by now though, and these jobs never last cause he gets into fights even when he’s just supposed to be escorting people out)

yeah it ends up being *gig* *long period of unemployment* *gig* *even longer period of unemployment* etc

he just has no interest in anything that he does, and he’s not disciplined enough to work for the sake of working

plus he doesn’t get along with most of his colleagues

he tried working as a factory worker once and quit on his first day cause it was just so boring for him (he really needs work that uses his body)

managed as a delivery guy a little longer until he got very aggressive with someone after they started getting at him for being a little late

he ends up with three potential paths

if he gets his shit together, he might manage as a bouncer, or police officer, or potentially (depending on how desperate the prison system is in japan) a prison guard

if he stays as he is, his best bet is getting more regular and higher paying construction gigs

if he gets worse (likely if his brother gets more involved in his life),

his only option will be prison

[innovativestruggles]

Do you just hate gays? You take all these fan service anime that are clearly designed to cater to shippers and make it about het

Let me spell this out to you so it gets through your thick head (and anyone out there who may have the same affliction).

You sound like someone who finds every reason to dislike het shippers, then frame it in a manner that accuses het shippers of being homophobic. As someone who identifies with the LGBT community, I find your behaviour and assumptions repulsive. Instead of thinking in such a closed minded manner, why don’t you just self reflect on the fact that people do enjoy the heterosexual shipping aspect of fanservice anime? Fanservice anime is not strictly of a BL/GL genre, so there are all sorts of shipping that can occur from them.

And it also sounds to me like you may have been ruffled by either my SouGou post or my post on Free and toxic masculinity. The former has numerous canonical evidence used which many people have discussed about. The latter is a true representation of what is happening in society re; toxic masculinity. That post is not about making things het - rather it signifies a deeply ingrained issue in our society that pertains to the condoning of violence and sexual assault against women and girls, which have spilled over into film and fiction (anime or not). Toxic masculinity forms part of this issue, and if you were unable to see past what that post was trying to convey, I suggest you go and re-educate yourself on film, fiction and toxic patriarchy.

[nanasses]

someone pls tell me if there’s like 0.00001g of sh content in the drama cds because I don’t really want to bother trying to listen to them.......fhsjfgd

[pillow-anime-talk]

missed shot.

synopsis: Boys lose a point when they unexpectedly see you.

# tags: headcanons; current relationships & crush culture; comedy; fluff; a little bit of romance; boys are simps for you and you are a huge fan of them!; sfw

includes: female reader ft. taiga kagami, ryouta kise, tatsuya himuro, kotarou hayama, shouichi imayoshi & midorima shintarou {knb}

— TAIGA

↘ You are a bit late, but you arrived at the Seirin vs. Josei game safe and sound! You also took a seat upstairs to get a better view of the all players.

↘ You arrived just as Kiyoshi knocked the ball from his opponent’s hand and passed it to Izuki. You immediately crossed your fingers when the ball was passed to Kuroko and then to Kagami. You grinned when the tall basketball player jumped high to dunk.

↘ “Kagami-kun! Win it!” You screamed as loud as you could, waving your arms to cheer for him even better.

↘ Anyway, because of your voice echoing around the gym, Taiga lost his concentration for a moment and at the same time found you at the stands.

↘ His heart was beating much faster than it should, and a big smile appeared on his face, seeing that the girl with he is in love with came to support him.

↘ Unfortunately, his inattention resulted in hitting the hoop and losing the ball. Also a bit of laughter from you spread around the gym, making his cheeks as red as his hair and eyes.

↘ “S-Sorry!” He shouted to the rest of the team, then looked back at you. “The next throw will be successful! I p-promise!”

— RYOUTA

↘ You came on Kise’s matches almost always as his best and only female friend. Unfortunately, you had to go to the dentist that day, so you came a bit late for the Winter Cup match between Kaijou High and Fukuda Sougou Academy.

↘ Luckily, your friend kept you a free seat in the first stand until then, so you could watch the last quarter.

↘ “Ryouta! Don’t give up, you can win this game with the team!” Your scream reverberated between the quieter conversations that commented on the point difference between the players.

↘ Your happy and supporting voice immediately reached the blonde boy who was copying Aomine’s moves.

↘ However, as it is easy to guess, instead of dunk the ball, he withdrew his hands and once again he stopped on the floor looking for your figure.

↘ As soon as he found you, he waved his hand at you and then spun the ball on his finger, smiling widely. “This point is dedicated to you, Y/Ncchi! Just look at me and only me!”

↘ This time, Kise didn’t flinch from the perfect dunk that you cheered loudly at.

— TATSUYA

↘ Your super popular boyfriend has a basketball training with the rest of the Yosen team, and you, as a good girlfriend, came to support him and take him to sushi after training.

↘ You entered the gym very quietly, immediately walking up to trainer Araka and greeting her with soft smile. The woman nodded at you and asked if you finished class and if you came for Himuro. Of course, you confirmed her questions right away, laughing under your breath and saying that you would take him on a date after training. (Yosen coach had a relationship with you like a big sister and a little sister, so she was very eager to talk with you about random things.)

↘ “... Tatsuya!” You shouted to the jumping boy who was just taking his ‘mirage shot’ above another player. The seventeen-year-old glanced in your direction and you waved to him softly. “We’ll go on a date after your training, so you’d better kick everyone’s ass, Tatsu!” You added in an amused tone to which even Masako reacted with laughter.

↘ Of course, your presence, noticed by the black-haired student, made him throw the ball very imprecise so the consequence was didn’t score the desired three points.

↘ “Muro-chin, focus, please...” Murasakibara muttered at his friend and the other snorted under his breath.

↘ “I’ll get another one. Pass me the next ball.” He replied low, then looked at you again, waving you back.

— KOTAROU

↘ You just arrived at the sports hall to support your boyfriend during the match between Rakuzan and Shuutoku. Of course you had with you a cute banner in your boyfriend’s team colors and with his name, which you quickly took out of your black, leather bag.

↘ A few minutes passed before a foreign voice announced a ten-minute warm-up for both teams. You smiled warmly seeing your man bursting with energy.

↘ “Hey, Kotarou-kun!” You screamed, immediately meeting his insane gaze. “Give your best, baby!”

↘ “Of course, I will!” He answered you just as loudly. “Look at this, Y/N-chan!” He added with a big smile, preparing to throw...

↘ ... which he missed. Oof.

↘ Akashi looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The rest of the team and you too.

↘ “OHHHH, YES. I GET IT, BOYS. LOOK THIS TIME, Y/N-CHAN! IT’S FOR YOU. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!”

↘ This time he hit perfectly, which is why you held your banner high, laughing happily.

— SHOUICHI

↘ Imayoshi decided to stay a bit longer on training and practice the three-point shooting. The gym was empty, so he had time to himself.

↘ You, on the other hand, passed Ryou in the school corridor, whom you warmly greeted and asked where Shouichi was. The shy sixteen-year-old immediately squeaked that the shooter decided to stay in the hall longer than everyone else.

↘ That’s why you went to the mentioned place as quickly as possible and very quietly you entered the big building, watching the tall basketball player aim at the hoop.

↘ During the throw you coughed softly and smiled. “Shou-kun when you will done with practice, maybe we’ll come to our houses together?” You spoke tenderly, catching the brunet’s attention.

↘ A second later, the ball bounced off the ring after a while and fell to the ground without scoring a point. The captain hissed and looked at your figure again, sighing.

↘ “Y/N.” He grumble with a smile and you walk slowly towards him, adjusting the bag full of books. “Yes, I’d love to come back with you. Sit down and don’t bother me for another half hour, thanks.” He added gently, looking away from your cute, pouty face.

↘ “Are you blushing?” You asked, smiling. “Don’t worry Shouichi, I won’t tell anyone about this missed shot, I promise.” You added, showing thumbs up.

↘ The problem is that the boy didn’t blush because of a missed throw, but because you, his crush, saw it.

— SHINTAROU

↘ Your boyfriend was just during in the first match of the Winter Cup final, and of course you wanted to surprise him, although the green head forbade you to come.

↘ You took one of the few free seats in the nearest stand and starts looked for Midorima. The boy was just aiming for a basket from halfway the court, and you smiled at it.

↘ You rarely saw your boyfriend play the basketball, so you were counting on a good and fair game.

↘ Nevertheless, you wanted to let Shintarou know that you are here for him.

↘ “Honey! Win it! I love you so much!” You screamed out loud, in the middle of a throw who...

↘ ... barely fell into the basket, making the entire Shuutoku team inhale loudly into their lungs. Midorima felt a unpleasant chills run down his spine as he looked in your direction. You waved at him and he adjusted his glasses, sighing under his nose.

↘ The corner of his mouth twitched in a smile, and he nodded, taking the lead of 40 points for his team (and for you, cute) during the game.

↘ Then, of course, he scolded you, telling you not to come on his matches again because you distracted him, but you couldn’t promise that.

[byneddiedingo]

Atlantics (Mati Diop, 2019)

Cast: Mame Bineta Sane, Amadou Mbow, Traore, Nicole Sougou, Aminata Kane, Coumba Dieng, Ibrahim Mbaye, Diankou Sembene, Abdou Balde, Babacar Sylla. Screenplay: Mati Diop, Olivier Demangel. Cinematography: Claire Mathon. Art direction: Yves Capell (concept artist), Laura Bücher (assistant art director). Film editing: Aël Dallier Vega. Music: Fatima Al Qadiri. Atlantics is a fascinating mixture of social commentary about contemporary Senegal and a ghost story with touches of vampire lore. It centers on a love story: Ada (Mame Bineta Sane) loves Souleiman (Traore) but is being forced to marry the wealthy Omar (Babacar Sylla). Souleiman is a construction worker on a huge project: a towering building that looms improbably (and in fact digitally) over the low-rising city of Dakar. He and his co-workers are fighting for the back pay that is owed them, and when that is once again denied, they decide to set sail for Spain in search of better work. When they have been gone for a while, Ada reluctantly gives in to the pressure to marry Omar, and after the wedding shows her friends through her new home. The young women particularly admire the fancy white marriage bed, but while they're out of the room the bed catches fire. A young detective named Issa (Amadou Mbow) is called in to investigate the suspected case of arson, and because there have been rumors that Souleiman has returned to Dakar, he becomes the chief suspect and Ada is grilled by Issa on whether she has seen him. Meanwhile, several of Ada's friends come down with a mysterious illness -- as does Issa, who begins feeling its symptoms at sunset. When Western medicine fails, shamans and imams are called in to try to cure the young women, but the illness persists. This is the start of the film's striking shift into fantasy, with a romantic resolution that doesn't vitiate but rather reinforces writer-director Mati Diop's view of the post-colonial world.

[rinharu-purple]

Can we please talk about SouGou for a sec?

It lands often under the radar, but SouGou has a lot of canon potential. I mean...I don’t see SouMako happening , besides I think both Makoto and Sousuke are rather into women than men and Haru and Rin belong together so no MakoHaru or SouRin for me. Sousuke and Gou are quite close to each other and spend lots of time à deux while Rin is away. So just a couple of observations right off the bat.

First of all Sousuke is very attentive of Gou. He is watching after her and staying in close contact with her. Sure it could be because he feels himself responsible for taking care of his best friend’s sister while he is away, but it could also be because he is kinda fond of her. If he’s brotherly sisterly with her, than why should he show some kind of embarrassment when he lends her his jacket during Samezuka festival? It would be only natural for a brother to do that, but Sousuke is not only deranged  by the fact that Ai soaked Gou in water but also very tender in his handling of her. But love is not a one sided thing right? Gou is also different around Sousuke.

Gou, as a full fledged muscle enthusiast, who literally swoons over any sort of trained muscle, appears to be oblivious to Sousuke’s olympic level abs and treps and pecks and co. You cannot tell me that she is not drooling her ovaries out dry for this:

There could be two explanations for her ignorance to Sousuke’s perfectly trained muscles: 1) She sees him as a brother, but we all know that she has no problem with going crazy about Rin’s muscles, so this cannot be it or 2) She is not only enthusiastic about him but also has a more serious perception of him as well. 

Momo is also aware of this closeness, since he shows a certain level of jealousy about Sousuke and we also see Sousuke drawing Momo away from Gou a couple of times. So this sparkly potential doesn’t go unnoticed in the Free! universe.

So what do you think? Is SouGou a thing? Could it get somewhere? Don’t you think they look good together? 

The last edit is from @adorafics​

[pillow-anime-infos]

knb masterlist {other players ver.}

SHUUZOU NIJIMURA | FORMER TEIKOU

his fav spots {headcanon ; nsfw}

blowjob {scenario | 1068 words ; nsfw}

his s/o has amnesia {headcanon ; sfw}

drugged his lover {headcanon + scenario | 933 words ; nsfw}

his girlfriend likes to wear hot clothes, but she doesn’t like weird comments about herself {headcanon ; sfw}

SHOUGO HAIZAKI | FUKUDA SOUGOU ACADEMY

king and queen of vile {headcanon ; sfw}

improves your bad mood {scenario | 440 words ; sfw}

SHIGEHIRO OGIWARA | FORMER MEIKOU

soon

NASH GOLD JR. | TAEM JABBERWOCK

“big tiddy goth girl” – he’s into it or nah? {headcanon ; sfw}

JASON SILVER | TAEM JABBERWOCK

kindly s/o {headcanon ; sfw}

reader versus nasty bitches {headcanon ; sfw}

size kink {headcanon ; nsfw}

protects you from the dog {scenario | 558 words ; sfw}

‘kisses intended to distract a partner who is cooking, playing games, watching something on tv or something else’ {kiss prompt number 25 + scenario | 248 words ; sfw}

[everyonedeservesamiracle]

Lay Down Your Shield

a one-shot character study of murasakibara focusing on his relationship with basketball and his friendship with kuroko

AN: thank you to 1Attaetion on Ao3

link to the fic on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30833963

this takes places in the same 'verse as "Exception," but since it takes place before "Exception" and is canon-compliant, you don't have to read that

any constructive criticism or feedback would be lovely!

AN: any dialogue in italics isn't originally mine and is from the crunchyroll subtitles of knb text in italics and bold means a text message

Winter Cup, January, the Generation of Miracle’s First Year of High School

Murasakibara couldn’t help the frown that crawled onto his face when Kiyoshi approached him with his stupid smile on his face. He looked away from him, glaring at the air as Kiyoshi said, “Let’s play again sometime!”

Angered by his words for some reason he could put a finger on, he directed his glare back at Kiyoshi instead. “What? No way,” he growled, undoing his hair from the ponytail he’d tied it in. “I’m quitting basketball.” He turned his glare away from Kiyoshi’s face as it fell, ignoring the pang of guilt in his chest when he thought of leaving Himuro behind. “I played until the end because Muro-chin was so desperate, but it wasn’t fun.” His tongue felt awkward in his mouth for some reason. He could feel Kuroko’s gaze on him from the other end of the court, but he ignored it. “It’s already a boring enough sport. There’s no reason to keep playing after I’ve lost.”

He turned away, heading for his bench, when Kiyoshi spoke up. He paused--not because he wanted to hear what Kiyoshi had to say! Mostly because he was pretty sure that Kiyoshi would follow him around to make him hear it. He was a persistent idiot. “I see. I guess it can’t be helped, then." He paused, but Murasakibara could feel that he wanted to say more. “If that’s how you really feel.” Murasakibara could hear the stupid smile in his voice, so he just walked away from Kiyoshi before Kiyoshi’s awful attitude made him do something stupid.

When he reached the bench, he grabbed his towel, throwing it over his head to hide his face. He could feel his eyes burn slightly, but he wasn’t sure why. Huh. Weird.

Himuro came over to him, still full of determination in that way Murasakibara could never understand. Himuro was never going to be talented like Murasakibara--or even Kagami. Why did he try so hard? “We’ll win next time, Atsushi!” He proclaimed proudly. He was sad, but his voice didn’t have the bitterness that Murasakibara could feel growing in his own chest.

“What?” Murasakibara couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice. “I told you, I’m quitting!”

“You sure?” Himuro asked, and Murasakibara hated him, just a little, for how gentle his voice sounded. “It doesn’t seem that way to me.”

Tears fell on his hand where he was trying to zip up his bag, and he realized, with a start, that he was crying. Huh? When did that--

Oh. The burning in his eyes. He screwed up his face, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to rip their way out of his chest.

Okamura’s hand landed on his head. “You’re just getting started. Keep at it!” he told Murasakibara, and Murasakibara wasn’t sure if that was a threat or a promise. He knocked Okamura’s hand off his head, shoving it away with a waving arm.

“You did well, guys.” He heard Coach Araki say to the team. “Let’s go home.”

“Yes ma’am!” The team replied in unison, Murasakibara excluded. When the team respectfully ignored the tears that continued to fall down his face as they headed for the locker room to get changed and when someone shared some sweet snacks with everyone in the locker room--well, he thought that they might not be such a bad group after all.

Even if they were stingy. One snack wasn’t nearly enough for him!

~

Kuroko couldn’t help the feeling of ecstasy that rolled through him every time he thought back to the match earlier that day. They’d won! Against Murasakibara! Against Yosen, the Shield of Aegis! They’d made it to the semi-finals! He honestly couldn’t believe it. It felt more like a dream than reality . . .

But as he watched Kaijo play against Fukuda Sougou, it became more and more real to him. Kise was down there, battling against Haizaki for the sake of Kise’s team. For the chance to face Seirin. It was enough to make him want to cry, though he refused to actually do so.

However, the more time that passed, the more he itched with the need to find Murasakibara. He’d never expected that Murasakibara could go into the Zone, and so it had completely blind-sided him when it happened. But it was a shred of proof, finally, that Murasakibara loved basketball!

Kuroko wanted to tell him--

Well, he didn’t know what he wanted to say. But he could figure it out on the way . . . hopefully, it would be some time before the words actually came out of his mouth. It would be quite embarrassing if he tried to speak but no words came out.

~

Kuroko was apprehensive of the outcome of Shuutoku and Rakuzan’s match. Shuutoku and Seirin had tied in their last official game. The two teams were relatively well-matched and had played many practice matches together over the summer. And to be honest, he knew Shuutoku on a personal level better than he knew almost any other team.

But he had no idea how Shuutoku (and, by extension, Seirin) would match up to Akashi and Rakuzan.

He was as hopeful as he was nervous.

When he started to head down to his seats with the rest of his team, he spotted Murasakibara and Himuro arriving out of the corner of his eye. He frowned, confused, wondering how Himuro could have possibly convinced Murasakibara to willingly come to watch the match, but quickly realized that he’d probably been bribed with junk food.

Kuroko grimaced at the thought of all the junk food Murasakibara constantly ate. Sure, Kuroko liked the occasional (dozen) vanilla shakes, but Murasakibara was just too excessive for him.

Impulsively, he decided to approach them.

When he was finally close enough, he reached up and tapped on Murasakibara’s shoulder, causing the other boy to jolt in shock. He looked around wildly for a moment before looking down and meeting Kuroko’s eyes. Murasakibara’s eyes narrowed. “Kuro-chin,” he said in acknowledgement.

“Hello Murasakibara-kun, Himuro-san.” He gave them both polite nods as Himuro jumped and then blinked at him in surprise.

Himuro smiled at him politely and warmly enough. Though Kuroko could see his slight bitterness (though it was well-hidden, he might add) towards one of the players that had defeated his team yesterday in his eyes. “Ah, hello! Have you come to talk to Atsushi?” When Kuroko nodded, Himuro responded quickly, cutting off the complaint Murasakibara had been about to voice. “The match won’t start for another few minutes. I’m sure you guys will be done by then, yes?” Himuro turned his smile on Murasakibara.

After a few seconds of wavering, Murasakibara crumbled. As he reluctantly followed Kuroko back towards the hallways and away from the overwhelming noise of the crowd around them, Kuroko couldn’t help but feel an amused smile slip over his lips. Himuro was a sneaky one. And probably a good influence on Murasakibara.

When he turned around, Murasakibara was eyeballing him with reluctance (and a bit of thinly-veiled hostility). “Whaddaya want, Kuro-chin?”

As Kuroko stood there, he realized that he didn’t know what he wanted from Murasakibara. And that as much as he disapproved of Muraskaibara’s attitude, he couldn’t help but feel so proud of the fact that he’d gone into the Zone. That he’d found a friend like Himuro.

But he couldn’t say any of that. Murasakibara would just walk away from such “sentimental garbage.” And so when he opened his mouth, he honestly wasn’t sure what would come out. Which was why he was as surprised as Murasakibara when what did come out was: “Himuro-san and Kagami-kun.”

Murasakibara stared at him like he didn’t know why Kuroko was saying something like this before grunting. “What about them?”

“I told Kagami-kun that he and Himuro-san could be rivals and brothers. That he should stop being an idiot.” Kuroko was surprised by the amused snort from Muraskaibara.

“Sounds like you,” he grumbled, and Kuroko decided to take that as a compliment.

“It’s something that I realized when I was playing Midorima-kun in the Tokyo Championship League. Aomine-kun and Kise-kun reminded me of it recently. That we were friends and rivals. Midorima-kun even gave Kagami-kun advice that helped him play better this summer. Without that advice, he likely would have won against us the second time. But he doesn’t seem to regret it at all. And after yesterday. . . Kise-kun will be my next opponent today. And yet, I rooted for him all throughout that match. I was proud when he won. And--”

“Is this going somewhere?” Murasakibara drawled lazily, and Kuroko narrowed his eyes at him.

“And Aomine-kun helped me learn how to shoot in a way suited for me.” Kuroko paused for a second, thinking over all the words that had just come tumbling out of his mouth. They were truer than he had realized. “Maybe wanting to have it all makes me selfish, however, I can’t help bu--” Kuroko shook his head, stopping that train of thought. “I suppose what I’m trying to say is--” Kuroko dug around in his pocket. “Put your new cell phone number in my phone,” he demanded, sticking his phone out to Murasakibara.

Murasakibara glared down at Kuroko, and Kuroko felt so silly. He didn’t know what he was doing here, there was no way Murasakibara would--

“Yeah, okay, Kuro-chin,” he said, taking the phone and plugging his number into the ‘new contact’ option. Kuroko stood there, staring in shock at nothing but air all the while. When Murasakibara plopped the phone back in his still-outstretched hand a minute later, he blinked, returning to reality. He looked up and met Murasakibara’s gaze just in time for his large hand to land on his head. Kuroko scowled at the hand patting his head, before watching, still in disbelief, as Murasakibara strode away back to Himuro.

“Good luck, Kuro-chin,” he called. “You’re going to need it,” he muttered.

~

The fact that Akashi was terrifying wasn’t new information.

Murasakibara had experienced that terror first-hand during their one-on-one in third year of middle school.

But the fact that he had won the match against Shuutoku by so much even after Midorima had improved immensely? That had made even Murasakibara shiver a little in his seat when he had seen the final score.

And now, watching him play against Kuroko and the rest of Seirin, Murasakibara wasn’t sure how to feel. He respected Akashi more than almost anyone he knew, and he couldn’t help but feel bitter towards Seirin, the team that had defeated him and his team. So why . . .

Why did he feel the urge to stand up and cheer Kuroko on too when the rest of their middle school teammates had chosen to scream their support?

Loyalty and laziness kept him trapped in his seat, but as the end of the match approached, he couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward in his seat, tracking the action occurring in the game below him with intent eyes. He felt his palms and his feet itch--like he wanted to move--and scowled, flopping back in his seat to be contrary.

Despite the fact that all of his team had come to watch the match, he was pretty sure only Himuro had noticed the way that (even if it was only for a few moments) he had felt the urge, the want, to play basketball too.

When the cards fell and all was said and done, Seirin stood victorious. Murasakibara felt a strange tinge of unwanted pride. He had lost to the victors of this tournament, and no one less.

As he watched Kuroko’s team tackle him in hugs, the tiny figures dancing across the big, empty court, he felt that itch to play again. And when he watched Akashi shake Kuroko’s hand (his other self was clearly there to stay), he felt a warmth in his chest that almost overwhelmed that itch.

So he scowled and ignored both feelings, reaching into his bag for another snack to eat. Wanting to play basketball and loving basketball the way that Kuroko did was stupid.

~

Later that night, as he lay awake and stared at the ceiling above him, Murasakibara couldn’t stop thinking. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way that all of his teammates, even Akashi, had been changed by their matches against Kuroko and his team. He couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with them!

(What was wrong with him, for not changing too.)

And he couldn’t stop thinking about what it was like to go into the Zone.

The way his focus had narrowed to him, tha players, the ball, and the court--as if nothing else mattered, as if the rest of the world had been drowned out . . . the way he felt like he’d been sinking down beneath the waves of the Zone had been . . . wonderful.

It had been wonderful for every moment that it had happened. It felt like the moment of euphoria that came when he took his first bite of something delicious, a feeling all the following bites could never capture as well as the first. And yet this version of that euphoria had been constant .

It felt like coming home.

And he hated himself for feeling that in the bone-deep way he felt it.

He knew that the other Miracles said you said to love basketball to go into the Zone--but that wasn’t true! It couldn’t be true . . . because he hated basketball.

He was quitting basketball!

He would just as soon as the season was over. After all, he didn’t want to let Himuro down.

But there was always a reason to keep playing, wasn’t there? At first he was just playing to join a club, any club! And then it was because he didn’t want to lose. Then it was because he was good at it. Because he didn’t want to let Akashi down. Because he didn’t want to fall behind all the rest of his teammates. Because he wanted to prove himself to be the best of them all, to beat Kuroko, to not let Himuro down--

There was always something.

But when this year was over . . . there was nothing.

There was no reason for him to keep playing, no reason for him to experience the Zone again.

He didn’t want to experience the Zone again--!

And yet he also did.

He wanted to play with Himuro next year.

He wanted to play against Kuroko, Akashi, and all his middle school teammates.

He wanted to go into the Zone again.

And he didn’t know why.

Groaning, Murasakibara threw an arm over his eyes, closing them and trying to block out the world. He heard his phone buzz. He threw out his other arm, groping around to find his phone. Squinting at the bright screen, he realized it was a text--

A text from Kuroko.

Did you come to the match today Murasakibara-kun?

Debating with himself for a few moments, Murasakibara shook his head at himself when he realized he wanted to reply.

yeah. congrats or whatever

He waited, tensely, for a reply.

Thank you. I was very proud of my team.

Murasakibara rolled his eyes at the response. “Typical Kuro-chin,” he grumbled to himself. But before he could tell Kuroko to leave him alone if that’s all he wanted to say, Kuroko sent another text.

Did you see that they were selling limited-edition sweets there today? I got some for you because I was not certain if you were there.

Murasakibara’s eyes gleamed. This. This was the reason he was friends with Kuroko.

And without realizing that he had started to think of Kuroko as a friend once more, he rapidly texted back, forgetting any reluctance and annoyance he’d previously had in a single moment.

Deep thoughts about annoying things could be saved for another time. Limited-edition sweets were far more important.

~

Kuroko's Birthday, January 31st, First Year of High School

Kuroko was thankful that Akashi had arranged a practice match between Rakuzan and Yosen in Tokyo yesterday, otherwise he doubted Murasakibara would have showed up at all. It was wonderful to see everyone again, but it was especially wonderful that they were all there for his birthday.

As they played match after match on the street court, he couldn’t help the small grin that he constantly wore on his face. He remembered playing in these various teams of three all the time in middle school, memories that were quite fond in the early days. While they had become tainted with the awful things that happened later on, it now felt like all the pain, anger, and guilt had been excised from those memories.

Kuroko was sure that the others had those memories too, but now all that was left was the enjoyment of the game that they all shared.

He could even see a smile on Murasakibara’s face as they played. Despite the complaints he muttered about them all being fanatics and the way he was constantly saying that he was exhausted from the practice matches between Rakuzan and Yosen the day before, he still kept playing until the rest of them decided to stop too.

After they took a group photo and Kuroko invited them all to the party that Kagami was hosting for his birthday, they all walked towards Kagami’s apartment. Momoi (he wasn’t sure he wanted to know why she knew everyone’s addresses) was leading the way with Akashi while Midorima, Kise, and Aomine argued. But Murasakibara was being quiet enough that he wasn’t dragged into their arguing (for once).

Kuroko fell back to walk next to him.

“Did you have a good day, Murasakibara-kun?”

Murasakibara jumped slightly, before giving him a bored look. “Ehh. It was annoying, but fine, I guess.”

Kuroko smiled, because (for Murasakibara) that was basically admitting that he’d had fun. “Are you excited to--”

“Don’t think that just because I went into the Zone you know how I feel,” Murasakibara snapped, cutting him off and clearly misunderstanding what his question had been about. Kuroko had been planning to ask if he was excited to eat, but well, they might as well have this conversation.

“I don’t know how you feel,” Kuroko agreed easily enough. And Murasakibara was surprised enough by this acknowledgement that he fell silent beside him. “I don’t know what the Zone is like, and I doubt I will ever know, no matter how much I love basketball. So I will only say to you what I have said many times before. And this time, I hope that you will actually hear me: Don’t squander the gifts you have been given. Please play your hardest, Murasakibara-kun.” Kuroko turned to look at Murasakibara as he walked, before nodding and speeding up to leave Murasakibara behind.

He had so much more he wanted to say. But somehow, he didn’t think Murasakibara was quite ready to talk about any of this. That’s why he was so surprised when Murasakibara said, quietly, “I’m not gonna quit my team.”

Kuroko’s pace stuttered with surprise, unsure if maybe he should slow back down to talk more or simply walk in silence. Or if Murasakibara would take that as Kuroko returning to say that he’d been right all along. So instead, he just murmured, “I’m glad,” and poked Aomine in the back to startle him.

He was easily swept up in his other friends’ conversation, but he kept an eye on Murasakibara all evening long. He tried not to be pleased about the fact that he was pretty sure that playing with them today had been a big part of Muraskibara’s reason for deciding to keep playing. But he failed, miserably.

Especially given the fact that he was watching all his friends celebrate his birthday with him, both on the court and off. In truth, he couldn’t stop smiling all day.

~

Vorpal Sword vs Jabberwock , Post-Interhigh, Second Year of High School

Getting benched with a hurt wrist in the middle of the game against Team Jabberwock sucked.

Because being able to play his hardest with a team that could keep up with him? Honestly, it was one of the best feelings Murasakibara had ever felt. And even if he had refused to admit it to anyone else aloud, he had finally become comfortable with the fact that he liked basketball at least a little after he had decided to keep playing basketball.

But even though he was missing out on playing, the feeling that came when their team won the game was . . .

Indescribable.

It made him want to play a thousand more games with the Miracles and Yosen and all of his friends.

~

It was one thing to hear that Kagami was leaving. It was another for Kagami to actually leave. Sitting outside the airport on a bench with his middle school teammates surrounding him, he watched the planes take off and rise through the sky, above the clouds. He knew that Kagami was in one of those planes . . . and he actually felt somewhat sad about it.

“Huh, he’s really gone,” Kise realized with a downcast look on his face.

“Now we’ll never play with him again,” Murasakibara frowned, pausing in rummaging around in his bag of chips. “Not that I care,” he added.

“That’s not true,” Midorima asserted, turning to look at him.

“Huh?” Muraskibara asked.

Aomine, glaring angrily at the road, grumbled. “I’m going to America.”

“What?” Kise asked. “To see Kagamicchi?”

“Of course not, idiot! I’m obviously going to play in the NBA.” Aomine declared loudly.

Kise jumped, turning to stare at him with surprise. “What? When?”

“I don’t know yet,” Aomine dismissed him, as if blustering could cover up the fact that he definitely didn’t actually have any concrete plans, “but I’m definitely going soon.”

Murasakibara decided to ignore them. They were both idiots anyway. At least Midorima was a little less stupid (and a lot more mean). “Mido-chin, what are you talking about?”

Midorima’s gaze had returned to the sky and planes above them. “I could ask you the same thing.  A slight smile curved over his face. “Aren’t we going to keep playing basketball?”

He looked back at the rest of them, but Murasakibara didn’t want to say “yes,” even if it was true.

“Midorima’s right,” Akashi spoke up, his hands elegantly folded together in his lap. “Kagami’s just playing somewhere else now.” He turned his whole face up to the heavens. “As long as we keep playing basketball, we’ll fight him again.”

See you again soon, Kagami, Murasakibara thought, strengthening his resolve and pushing any sadness he might have felt away. He reached for a handful of chips and turned his gaze at the planes overhead like the rest of his friends had.

When they met up with Seirin at the front of the airport to take the bus back together, it felt like it was on purpose that Kuroko chose to sit down in the seat next to him.

Aomine and Kise battled for Kuroko’s attention as much as they did anything else. Midorima’s scoldings just added more noise to the mess. Murasakibara decided that ignoring Midorima was his best bet to avoid being scolded by Akashi--a terrifying prospect. In truth, only Akashi’s iron-clad control over the worst of all of their behavior stopped them from being kicked-off the bus all together. Seirin was surprisingly noisy too, but Murasakibara supposed that made sense. Kuroko wouldn’t know what to do with a peaceful, calm team.

He and Kuroko sat together for most of the ride, not often interacting with each other given all the chaos that was around them. When they finally got close to their stop, he offered some of his sugary snacks to Kuroko. Kuroko took a vanilla wafer with a small smile.

Staring directly at the seat in front of him as he spoke, Murasakibara finally said. “I like playing basketball.”

It was something he wasn’t sure he’d admit to anyone else in the world besides Kuroko--except probably Himuro and maybe Akashi.

Kuroko simply said: “I know.”

He scowled. “Ugh, you’re so self-righteous, Kuro-chin. I still don’t think that liking basketball makes me, or anyone else, a better player or anything!”

“I know.” Kuroko didn’t push the point, like Murasakibara had feared he would.

So he heaved a sigh and changed the subject. “I wish you’d just shut up sometimes.”

“I know,” Kuroko said, but he was smiling.

Murasakibara couldn’t stop the smile that was growing on his own face, thankful that Kuroko wasn’t making a big deal out of this. He was simply letting this moment happen between just them, without the scrutiny of their ex-teammates or Kuroko’s current teammates.

This time, when he felt that warmth in his chest he associated with friendship, that itch in his soul to play, he chose to smile instead of frown.

For once, he chose to lay down his shield, his walls, and let those feelings in.

He wanted to play. He loved to play. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, he may have to say goodbye to friends over the years, but one thing he wanted to hold on tight to was basketball. As long as he kept playing, he would see friends he’d thought were long gone, friends like Kuroko, again.

And that was why he would never stop playing basketball.

[ereans]

"I'm personally offended that you didn't get me to be your fake date" - not sure which pairing tbh maybe sourin? Or sougou?

klgsnna i went with sougou because i’m extra weak to them

“I really don’t think I’m following your logic, here,” Gou says, without taking her eyes off of the screen. It is late but they haven’t been playing long, were studying for much longer, and through the haze of his character dying Sousuke registers Gou’s curious glance across the room.

“There’s nothing to follow, really. I’m not trying to gain anything from it.”

“Exactly.”

Sousuke snorts. “Gou,” he says. “This isn’t a fake proposal at a restaurant to get a free dessert or whatever internet shit you find hilarious. I don’t want to do this to gain anything. I’m just trying to get my parents off my back for once, you know? Save me the grief of not bringing a nice girl home yet.”

“Since going back to school?”

“Since ever, Gou. I don’t even want to think about how many late-bloomer conversations my dad tried to have with me in high school.”

Gou starts laughing, and it takes a bit for her to stop. “They can’t be that bad, can they?”

“You’re only able to say that,” he begins, pauses to watch his character die on-screen, again, “because you don’t know my parents.”

Gou makes a low, intrigued noise. “When you say things like that it just makes me want to get to know them, you know.”

“I could do without your masochism in my life, thanks. Especially when it involves my parents.”

“Too bad you chose to live with me, then.” 

“Chose,” Sousuke deadpans, thinking back to the several lease agreement copies he found tucked into every corner of his old studio apartment. He narrowly manages to block the pillow that’s hurled towards his head.

“So, what? You take this girl you barely know out to dinner with them and they’re just convinced?”

Sousuke shrugs. “We have a few classes with each other, so once the dinner’s over we’ll just pile up on photos together to send to them. They’re not on social media or anything, so it’s not like I gotta make it a thing.”

“And what if this poor girl actually starts to like you?”

“Please don’t jinx me into having to deal with unrequited love.”

“You jerk,” Gou says, and this time it’s her that shoots Sousuke’s character dead—though the humor in her voice keeps him from being too annoyed. “You aren’t even considering liking her back!”

“It’s a fake date for a reason, Gou. You know I’m not looking for that shit.”

“Well, Jesus, Sousuke, if you’re so scared of that and you needed someone convenient, you could have just asked me.”

The sentence hits him in increments, and in the time it takes for him to understand he looks at her, for the first time since the beginning of this conversation. She is looking back at him, her expression halfway towards defiance and halfway towards something that looks vaguely horrified.

He blinks, and gravely says, “Can I get that in writing?”

Gou’s expression relaxes into something exhausted, which is fitting with the rest of her—newly cut hair a mess around her ears and neck, too-large sweats hanging off of her every angle. “It’d be more believable, don’t you think? We live together, after all.”

“Are you jealous?”

In case he wasn’t already aware that saying it was about the equivalent of shoving an entire leg in his mouth, Gou glowers, face heating, and chucks a remote at him this time—he doesn’t dodge it in time, and it ricochets off of his chest. “I’m not jealous! I am personally offended, though. A little.”

“A little,” Sousuke echoes, aware of the silence now that says that Gou has paused the game. The controller weighs a little too heavy in his palms. “Sorry, never thought you’d actually agree to it.”

He makes sure to leave the implication there—he’d thought of her first. If the flush had been dying down it flares back up again now, painting the tips of her ears a bright, glowing red. 

“You’re my best friend. I don’t mind doing stupid things every now and then for you.”

“So if I tell this girl she doesn’t have to worry about it anymore,” Sousuke says, “you’ll sit through an entire fucking dinner with my parents?”

“Don’t make it sound like death row.”

“I would never. That’d be sugar-coating it.”

Gou scoffs, extends every limb out to her sides like her body is giving under the frustration. “Whatever! Yes, I’ll go to dinner with them. And you. You’re paying, aren’t you?”

“What kind of date would I be if I didn’t?”

“No less a real one than you’re going to be,” Gou says, then unpauses the game without warning. Sousuke makes a startled noise, but they settle back into the background noise easily.

Easily. Everything’s always been easy with Gou, Sousuke thinks. 

“One thing,” he says, a few minutes later, and waits for Gou’s permissive grunt. “What happens if you start to actually like me?”

“You mean other than hell freezing over?”

“That one almost stung.”

“Sousuke,” Gou says, tiredly. “If I actually fall for you while we’re doing this, I will literally personally write your thesis essay.”

“Appreciate the confidence, but I’ve seen your writing skill. I’m good.”

“As long as we understand each other,” Gou says, and they’re granted another ten seconds of peace before she sits straight up. “Wait, what the hell’s wrong with my writing?”

And to that, Sousuke couldn’t help the laughter even if he’d tried.