#also yes kuroro is the ex !!!!

[isaut]

𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓— f!reader x captain rex. 2.7k. ao3.

you and rex have both been through a divorce... just not with each other. your youngest daughter and his youngest son are best friends. he coaches their little league team. you have a conversation at the beach house you're at. (also, it's 2003). pls enjoy!!! this au has given me such brain rot. it's fun

It feels almost surreal, sitting on the couch with your knees tucked up under you and a glass of wine in your hands, being involved in a light conversation with other adults that isn’t small talk. You listen happily, interjecting every once in a while. The beach house is a nice one, with plenty of rooms to sleep in. You’d been invited at the end of a night on the town with Rex, where he’d driven you home because you weren’t allowed to drive when they went out, always claiming that parking was a mess. And while you had only been invited because Rex’s eldest was spending the summer at an internship, he’d been earnest about wanting you there. 

They aren’t quite your friends, not yet. Though you hear your mother’s voice telling you that they wouldn’t have invited you if they didn’t consider you a friend. And anyways, you know Echo from your youngest’s baseball practice. You know the rest of them from those nights on the town, from those barbecues Rex has. 

Rex is saying something, and you turn your gaze to the other end of the couch to listen. These are Rex’s friends, but the two of you are the only unmarried ones, the only single ones, and it’s regulated you both to the same couch again. 

Not that you mind. 

Rex laughs, eyes crinkling on the sides and thumb smoothing over the edge of the throw pillow in his lap. Then Fives interjects, and you like Fives, you like the way he raises his daughters and his wife is kind yet also shouldered with the same burden you carry of being the not-fun parent. You hate the fact his grown out hair mimics the floppy nature of your ex husband’s. 

Speak of the devil. Your phone rings, jostling you out of your thoughts. Reaching forwards, you check the caller ID. 

Your ex-husband’s name flashes across the screen. Your heart drops in your chest as you do the math. 10am in Tokyo. 

“I have to take this, sorry,” you say, leaving your wine glass on the coffee table and standing. Every horrible situation flashes through your mind. Something has happened to one of your daughters, they’ve gotten lost in the city, they’re sick, they’ve broken a bone. 

You answer the phone with a worried, “Hello?” as you open the sliding door and step outside into the cool night air, crisp from the salt water of the ocean. 

Your ex husband says your name gently. “How are you?” 

The minutes are racking up. “I’m fine. How are you? How are the girls?” You care about one more than the other. 

“I’m well, thank you for asking. The girls are alright. We’ve been keeping busy. I’m calling about Rosamond.” 

Your heart stops at the mention of your youngest, newly-six year old daughter. “Is she alright?” 

“Who’s the Tooth Man?” 

You sigh, sitting down on the bench. Maybe you should have brought your beverage. “He’s sleep paralysis. He stands in Rosamond’s room and watches her, sometimes threatening to eat her. He’s got a lot of teeth.” 

Your ex hums in interest. “I would have shared this information with you.” 

“I’m sure it’s come up and you just weren’t listening.” 

“I always listen when you speak, darling.” 

“I told you not to call me that anymore.” 

“Ah. Of course. My apologies.” There’s a pause. “Is this what she’s in therapy for?” 

You take a deep breath. “Yes.” You don’t mention the fact she’s been in therapy since you moved to the States a few months ago, that all of the girls have been in therapy. You don’t mention that the therapist thinks the Tooth Man is a manifestation of Rosamond’s fear of leaving home. 

“I see. Well, she’s been asking all morning to talk with you. Is now a good time?” 

Your heart skips in your chest. There’s a feeling of relief bubbling up in you, eyes becoming watery. “Absolutely.” 

“Just one moment.” He speaks Japanese off to the side, calling for Rosamond. In a few moments, there’s rustling, then:

“Maman?” 

Your smile is watery. “Coucou, chouchou. How are you?” 

“Good. I miss you,” Rosamond says earnestly. 

You swallow thickly. “I miss you too. What have you been up to?” 

“So many things! We went to the zoo and the aquarium and have been doing so much walking. I got new Pokémon cards!” Rosamond details the cards for you, talking about their holographic edges and rare beasts. Suddenly, you don’t care about the minutes anymore. 

“That sounds like so much fun,” you say, just as earnest. “Things here have been so boring without you.” 

Rosamond giggles. “That’s not true! It’s summertime! You can’t be bored during the summer! You have to find something to do!” 

Good parenting comes back and hits you like a truck. 

“You’re right,” you say. “What should I do?” 

Rosamond hums as she thinks, just like her father. “Maybe you can play with my toys! I bet my Littlest Pet Shops want to see you.” 

“That’s a good idea. I’ll make sure to give them some love.” 

“I brought Lady and Dressy with me, though,” Rosamond continues. “So you won’t find them.” 

“Are they also having fun with you?” 

You can hear Rosamond nod through the phone. “Papa bought me a purse to put them in.” 

“What else do you keep in there?” You know Rosamond loves bags, loves putting things in bags. Loves carrying your lip products around in her little one when you go out. 

With her gone, it feels quite strange that your lip balms and glosses and sticks are all in your own purse. 

“Uh… lip balm and some yen,” Rosamond says. “Because I’m a little lady and need to be prepared!” 

You smile softly. Little lady is not your doing, it’s her baseball coach’s doing. Rex’s doing. 

“I bet you are the most prepared lady out there,” you say. 

There’s Kuroro’s voice on the other end. Rosamond responds to him in Japanese with an, “Okay, papa,” before returning to the call. She continues to speak in Japanese. “Papa says it’s time to go.”

You return the language. “Okay, chouchou. I’ll talk to you later. Take lots of pictures for me.” 

“I will!” Rosamond promises. “Bye bye, mama!” 

“Bye bye, Rosa. I love you.” 

Rosamond returns her love and includes a big kiss before the phone is passed back to her father. You let out an exhale. 

“How are Dorothea and Celia?” You ask, inquiring after the twin nine year olds. 

“They’re doing great,” your ex replies. “They’re happy to be doing all the things they used to do.” 

“That’s good.” 

There’s a moment of pause on the phone. 

“Perhaps for their winter break you should come here instead of me coming there,” he suggests. “I think the girls might prefer that.” 

“We can talk about it later,” you say. “Can I talk to Dorothea and Celia?” 

“They’re with a friend,” he says. You feel tears start to well up. 

“I’d love to talk to them, when they come back.” 

There’s an interested hum through the receiver. “Would you?” 

Everytime you’ve told him the girls couldn’t talk because they were with a friend flashes through your mind. 

“Yes,” you breathe. 

“I’ll let them know. Take care.” He finishes with your name, and you barely have a chance to say goodbye before the line goes dead.  

You should head back inside now. Instead, your waterline grows heavy. With a shaky exhale, you blink rapidly. Press your fingers against your closed eyes, willing the tears to go away. 

Instead, they begin to slip out. 

You suppose the healthiest thing is to let them slip. Better now than when you’re inside around everyone, moved by the white wine in your cup. 

The only problem is that once they start, they don’t stop. Your sleeve wets more and more with every pass as you wipe under your eyes. 

“What a fucking asshole,” you whisper under breath, speaking about your ex. 

Taking a deep breath of the salty air, you try to calm yourself back down. Your face feels warm from crying, a little puffy too. Part of you wishes you were still in your bathing suit— Swimming at night is dangerous but a quick dip would shock your body back to normalcy you think. 

The door behind you slides open, with it chatter follows, then it closes off as the door itself is shut. 

“Hey,” Rex’s drawl is smooth against the warm night. “Everything okay?” 

You nod, but don’t turn to look at him. The lights from the house will shine upon your face. “Yeah, ‘m fine.” 

“Brought you something,” he says, coming around and offering you a refilled glass of wine. Gratefully, you accept it. “You sure everything’s okay?” 

“Yeah,” you say, unaware of how watery your face is. You take a sip of your wine. “Just miss my kids.” 

“I’m sorry,” Rex says. He is, he truly is. “It’s rough.” It is. Truthfully, he can’t imagine going so long without seeing his own. When he had first heard about your custody agreement, he’d felt bad for the father. Only seeing his kids for twelve weeks seems brutal. Then, he figured that it was only twelve weeks for a reason. 

You nod. 

“Want some company?” 

No. But you’ll take Rex’s. You shift over on the gliding bench you’re sitting on. Rex takes a seat, beer bottle resting on his knee. He rocks the bench once before stilling. 

It’s quiet. The stars are brighter here than they are in the city, but still drowned out. The ocean crashes just beyond, in the inky darkness of night. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Rex asks. 

You sigh. There’s a knot in your throat. “I don’t know what I’d say.” 

“That’s okay,” Rex says. 

You take a deep, shuddering breath. “We should go back inside.” 

“We don’t have to,” Rex says. 

You’re too much of a mess to go back in. You take a sip of wine. 

“But they get it,” Rex says. “They watched me go through mine.” 

His divorce. You’ve never breached this topic with him. Instead, the two of you have always danced around it. 

You’re quiet for a moment. Take another sip. “I thought I’d be glad for a break. It was nice the first two days. But now…” another sip. “They should be here, y’know?” Here, with their friends, who were all sound asleep in their twin beds and bunks.

“Yeah,” Rex murmurs. “But I’m sure they’re having loads of fun in Tokyo.” 

You sniffle and swallow heavily. “Yeah, they are. I just… I wish it had worked out.” 

Rex nods. “Yeah. But everything happens for a reason, right?” 

“I suppose so.” 

“You don’t seem convinced.” 

Even your laugh is watery. “I’m not.”

“I think one day it’ll click,” Rex says. “Something’ll happen and you’ll realize everything’s how it’s meant to be.” 

You suppose it’s already turning out that way for you. There’s no more constant gaslighting, no more unwanted touches, no more manipulation. It’s almost suffocating how much you can breathe now. 

“Yeah. I think I just miss them.” 

“I’m sure they miss you,” Rex says. 

“I don’t know if they do,” you admit, voice cracking. Tears begin to well up. 

“Oh, Ophie,” Rex says, “I know they do. You’re their mom. You’re there for them everyday.” 

“I know,” you mumble. “But…” 

“But nothing,” Rex says. “Those girls adore you. My kids adore you. All of their kids do too. You’re just at the shortest stick of the draw right now. But you’ll be back to being the luckiest in just a few weeks.” 

A tear slips from your eye and you’re quick to wipe it away. “I’m sorry.” 

“What are you apologizing for?” 

You shake your head. “It’s just– I just– It’s very unbecoming of me.” Your laugh is watery, and you wipe at your eyes again. 

Rex balks at you. “You think crying about missing your kids is unbecoming?” 

You sniffle. “Yeah, ‘cause I’m crying.” 

Rex wants to take your face in his hands, wipe away your tears and tell you that you’re experiencing one of the purest emotions in the world. That it would be weird if you weren’t crying. 

Instead, you take a sip of your wine, then pass the glass off to Rex. “I think I need to drink some water.” 

“You don’t need to blame your emotions on the alcohol,” Rex says, but takes the glass anyways. “Really.” 

A shaky sigh escapes you. Rex’s brows furrow. His voice is soft. “Want me to get you some water?” 

“No, that’s embarrassing.” You sniffle again. “I’ll be okay in a few minutes.” 

“Do you want to tell me how the girls are doing?” Rex asks. 

You don’t have any good news to report. “I don’t know. I’ll have to wait for him to send me the stupid email.” 

Rex furrows his brow. “What was he calling about, then?” 

“Oh.” You let out an exasperated sound. “Rosamond is having those nightmares still.” 

Those nightmares still. Rex knows about them– One day after practice, on a gentle Saturday in April, Rex had come up to you. His normal compliment about how well Rosamond is doing, how much she’s improving, had followed up with a: “She’s been really tired these past few practices. Is everything okay?” And you’d given him a flippant: “She’s having nightmares.” Then, you’d detailed them in brief: “There’s a man who has lots of teeth who threatens to take her away and eat her. We’re working on it. Practice is the highlight of her week, though.” 

“Really?” 

You nod. “So I’m a bad mother because of it.” Before Rex can interject, you speak, “He didn’t say that. But I felt it in his tone.” 

“Are you going to let him ruin your night?” Rex asks. 

That gives you pause. 

“What?”

The advice Rex has had has been given to him– One night Rex had gotten up from the Dungeons and Dragons table to answer a phone call from his ex when they were freshly divorced, and come back in shambles. This wasn’t the first time. Nor the fifth. Fives had placed his hand on Rex’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes: “You going to let her ruin your night?” 

If they were still in the military, Fives would have called her a bitch. But he has daughters now. 

“Are you going to let him ruin your night?” Rex repeats. “You can’t.” 

Rex has met your ex, met him at an end of season baseball party. He was in town to fly back to Tokyo with his daughters, and wanted to come experience everything. And Rex gets it– he was smooth and suave, shaking hands and proudly introducing himself as Rosamond’s father. Charismatic’s definition. Rex only exchanged a few sentences with him. 

He can’t imagine the phone calls you must have with him. Can’t even fathom the fights. He knows, from brief discussion, you’d been trying to divorce him for years before he agreed. 

“Fuck,” you breathe. Reaching over, you take the wine glass back. “You’re so right. Fuck him.” You take a long sip, then press the cold glass against your puffy eyebags. “Lord, he’s such a douche.” 

“He seems like a piece of work,” Rex admits. 

You chuckle dryly. “Yeah, he is. But then again, I guess I am too.” 

You are, but Rex doesn’t mind. He doesn’t look inside to confirm his next statement, instead focused on you and the parts illuminated by the house lights. “I think we’re going to play poker soon or something.” 

“Let me get myself together first,” you say. “I’m not very good at poker.” That’s a lie. 

“I’ll teach you,” Rex says, just as you hoped for. “You seem like you’ll pick up on it quickly.”

Inside, with a can of sparkling water instead of wine, you sit side by side with Rex at the coffee table. Everyone is on the floor around it, Fives is dealing cards out, and your knee almost touches Rex’s thigh. The fabric of both of your sweatpants dusts against each other. 

“We’ll play a practice round,” Fives says, handing everybody chips. 

Rex explains the amount of every chip to you, reaching over you to point at every stack. He looks at your cards, too, and advises you on when to bet and when to fold. Perhaps you lean a little too close to show him your cards, a little too close when you whisper to him for advice. 

But he’s happy to help. Anything to keep you from crying again. Anything to keep you close.

[umihoshi]

God, that was so much more difficult than I thought it would;;; but here's my anime 3x3!

shows that formed me to be the person I am, the type of writer, the type of artist, the type of thinker. I am as surprised as you that JoJo didn't make the cut ???? but these are the core series from my life and JoJo has been..... very very recent...

They're not in any particular order, just ended up random cuz I kept accidently forgetting to click an empty box, lol

Nobody's boy Remi - I used to cry when I missed an episode on tv TAT I was like 4 or 5 years old, hahah... no clue what anime was yet, but it stuck so strongly with me. the beautiful art, the emotional storytelling. my very first step towards being a fucking weeb =v=

Prince of Tennis - I've done so much art, so much writing, so much meta for Prince of Tennis x_x nothing to awaken the analytical mind than a sport anime. also, the first thing I really got to enjoy without my toxic ex-bestie

Ashita no Nadja - I originally only found like 3 episodes on a German website with no subtitles;; it's so horribly cringy and disney princess vibe, but it brings such warm feelings and memories in my heart. the classic 'orphan girl meets a mysterious masked man who is actually a prince', masked balls, traveling circus, history and culture. these are the type of corny things I want in my oc stories, yes, thank you.

Good witch of the West - a bit overlapping with Ashita no Nadja, but this one strikes a very special cord with me. It's probably the most obscure anime I have in my entire list and I've watched it so so many times.

Hunter x Hunter - it's from a period where I met a lot of my first non-school friends. having cosplayed Leorio and Kuroro more than I can count, and I am very normal about Illumi. I just feel very comfortable and nostalgic with it. and on like the day where I finished the original, the remake was announced, hohohoh~ Also, Hisoka helped along to reel in this clownfucker bestie of mine~~ ;))

D. Gray-Man - this show was an experience for me, man. I've spend like 5 years stuck in OC hell, but I'm still very fond of my little arrogant idiot noah oc, Chrome =3= the Noahs are the best villains in the entire wide world and I will not take criticism.

Glass Mask - relatively less old than the other 8, but it was there in a very important moment of my life. Glass Mask will forever mark the period where I started living on my own. I was so proud of myself how well I was doing without having my parents around all the time. watching a complete anime on full screen in the living room for the first time, what a blessing.

DNAngel - I still see certain resemblances in my artstyle to where I started drawing anime with DNAngel. the soft eyes and the shading is still one of my favorites. and Hiwatari Satoshi is my very first Megane boy~<3

Magic Knight Rayearth - not so much the anime, but the SNES game changed my life forever. My oldest brother had installed an emulator and some roms and MKR was among it. It was my first introduction with 'anime' where I actually learned what anime was, that it was Japanese and that there were MORE series like this wooooow! Until this very day, even after 25 years, I still listen to the name Umi.

series that JUST didn't make the cut: JoJo - Golden Wind Ouran Highschool Host Club Detective Conan Final Fantasy Unlimited Dangan Ronpa Interstella 5555 Pretear

make your own 3x3 here: https://gqgs.github.io/3x3-generator/