#cute tet

[supernal-shadows]

Science of Bird People

I was speaking to a friend, regarding the comfort of different sleeping positions in avian humans, which led to an infodump on the logistics of bird people and the adaptations they would need to be somewhat plausible. As a certified autistic bird nerd, I feel the need to share my considerations to all of you lovely sex-havers. (Sincerely, an ace.) -----------

1. In order to maintain powered flight, most birds have a bone called a keel, which is essentially an enlarged breast bone for wing/flight muscles to attach to. The logistics of how we would place wings on a human body, which already has shoulder-controlling muscles attaching to the breast bone, is a question unto itself, but considering that bird wings are in fact just a bird’s arms, we can safely assume that a six-limbed modified human, with both arms and wings, would need two sets of pectoral muscles.

-RIP to Scott’s chest dysphoria, but seeing as both male and female flighted birds have keels, I am choosing to believe it causes him no additional dysphoria. (Not from his birdy brain, anyway. Human brain may be another story…)

2. Regarding oxygen intake during flight:

True flight is one of the most energy-consuming abilities in nature. To sustain it for any long period of time, flighted birds have several adaptations to help them consume as much oxygen as possible. The first of these, which will be relevant later when considering a reasonable wingspan for a six-foot tall humanoid, are hollow bones. Hollow bones in birds are called pneumatic bones. They are not hollow in the way that a human’s would be if you stripped them of bone marrow; rather, they have “pockets” within them in which air can flow, which helps move oxygen more efficiently through their bodies. Contrary to popular belief, this does not make bird bones lighter or weaker. The bone is denser than in mammals, making them more difficult to break— but this also makes them brittle, more prone to shattering or splintering when significantly damaged, whereas a similarly-sized mammal might only receive a simple fracture. 

Additional information, less relevant to Scott’s external anatomy and durability, purely for additional context of how the bones themselves “breathe”; therefore, this is an optional read:

 The energy expended during powered flight is exponential, so oxygen needs to be flowing in at the same rate that carbon dioxide leaves. Air sacs connected to relatively small lungs help maintain that unidirectional, constant air flow, to provide the large amount of oxygen birds need to consume in order to fly. The hollow spaces of a bird's bones connect to these air sacs. Oxygen exchange does not happen in the bones or in the air sacs, but it does offer more space for air to be stored, giving them a greater overall lung capacity.

The actual process is quite difficult to explain in a quick summary, but if you know about “circular breathing” in humans, it’s almost similar, in the sense that air is moving around even while breathing in or out— though of course, the actual process is more complex than just pushing air out through cheeks. 

3. Wingspan

The most important thing to consider about wingspan is an animal’s weight. In a world with an atmospheric density similar to earth, there is no chance that a bird as large as Scott would be able to take off, especially considering the added feather weight. Large birds such as waterfowl and vultures already struggle quite a bit.

However, that said, this is fantasy. We can pretend it has a denser atmosphere and/or weaker gravitational pull, and beyond that we can simply suspend our scientific disbelief.

We’ve established that Scott’s hollow bones would not make him lighter. Therefore, we can assume he weighs about the same as any other six-foot tall humanoid (ignoring added weight from extra limbs and massive feathers for simplicity), and his wingspan therefore would not need to be larger than any bird proportionally the same. This is true even if we pretend that his bones would not be hollow, more similar to that of a mammal’s.

Barn owls are normally about 13-16 inches in length, with wingspans between 39 - 49 inches wide.

A small, 13-inch-long barn owl might have a wingspan close to 39 inches— three times that of the body’s length. If we assume the same is true of Scott, then his wingspan may be up to 18 feet long, with each wing measuring close to 9 feet.*

*Note: a bird’s length is typically measured from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail feathers. Scott may or may not have tail feathers, as discussed later in this post, but he does have meaty human legs which may create more weight and drag. It is well-worth considering that his wings may be even larger to overcompensate for the lack of a tail, in order to create that lift he’s missing otherwise.

4. All this raises the question of how Scott could possibly maintain all of his feathers. 

There are several steps to preening and maintaining feathers. Some are simple, such as simply shaking, raising, and ruffling feathers to get them all in place, but other steps are far more complicated and time-consuming, while being vital to a bird’s survival.

Scott, entering this new world where even breathing is different, would have had to go through a period of not only learning how to maintain his feathers, but also coming to terms with having to set aside potentially hours every single day for that purpose. 

Real birds have an oil-secreting gland at the base of their tail. They collect the oil with their beaks to spread it through their feathers. 

There are a few ways a humanoid avian might do this, such as collecting the oils from a special gland with their hands and spreading it through their feathers, but I’d lean toward the assumption that there is an oil he has to or can choose to buy, and specialized combs to help spread the oil evenly over each feather. 

By himself, going over each individual feather might take hours, so this could be a great way to bond with friends who help him, especially when it comes to feathers at the back of his wings that he can’t reach with his sad human arms and short, inflexible human neck. 

Along with learning to keep the feathers tidy, he also has to keep them clean. Shaking and oiling them would be required for daily maintenance, but as an owl, if he gets his feathers wet, he will be far too heavy to fly until they fully dry. If he gets them covered in mud, it might take weeks to get it out.

Owls, if you don’t already know, have “hairy” wings that help muffle sound during flight. The bottoms of the feathers are rigid, but the ends of each wing and tail feather are fuzzy to allow air to pass by without a sound, and the top of each feather also has a unique layer of “fuzz.”

Whereas most birds have some amount of water resistance and may be able to fly in the rain, an owl’s feathers make them uniquely vulnerable during wet weather, unable to fly in the rain. 

(Consider the vulnerability Scott must feel when it rains, particularly during adverse weather. Consider the angst potential, whether it’s during his adjustment to his new body; or his desperation when his friends forget he can’t fly in the rain, assuming he’s right behind them or somewhere overhead, while fleeing an enemy during a storm. Imagine Scott crying out for help as someone grabs and binds his wings, but his friends can’t hear him over the downpour.)

I had it in my notes for writing this page to also mention pin feathers and blood feathers. My ramble about feather maintenance was pretty long-winded as-is, so you’ll be spared… This time.

TLDR: Feathers as disability (in towns that are not tailored to avian, or even owlish-specific, races)

5. Tail Feathers!

I find it very difficult to imagine a humanoid (and therefore upright-walking) owl with tail feathers. How do they keep them from dragging on the ground and being useless? Do they have a different way of steering and controlling flight? Are their tails just incredibly perky? How does that work? 

I have nothing to say here except to point out how important it is to have some way to steer flight. Think of Toothless from HTTYD. Can’t fly without the tail fins, and for good reason. 

Bats control flight by having extra long fingers, but feathered wings don’t have those extra joints and feathers aren’t as maneuverable as skin.

Artists, I’m looking at you. Give me your wildest theories and ideas, if he doesn’t have tail feathers (or how we’d make that work).  I can envision some horrible and beautiful alternatives. Please ask me for my ideas; I have so many. 

(A perky tail is the most simple solution to Scott's tail problem-- funny, but we can be more creative.)

Ask me about Scott’s sleep habits and the logistics of that with extra and feathered limbs! Ask me about the weird ways he’d have to land after flying, particularly at high speeds, and whether or not that might cause joint issues over time! I have so many thoughts and notes that I was info-dumping onto @imfindingsolace, but not all are relevant to his physical anatomy as discussed here. [I want someone to make a meme that just says "GET AUTISMED" in a way that feels or looks like you're being punched with autism. Pretend that image is here to finish off this post.]

[pabuthefirecat]

Year of the Bunny

... Bu + Hunny = Bunny

It's finally our year! Give all the treats!

[squishlamb]

happy year of the rabbit & year of the cat! 🍊

get them as vinyl stickers here 💖

※ "trời ơi" = vietnamese for "oh my god"

※ aiya/aiyah = a (generally) chinese exclamation of surprise, annoyance, frustration, etc. (e.g. ugh, ah, oops, damn, etc.)

[camillerowereconsidered]

Well, it is Tet... The Year of the Cat

[daydreamingcolors]

Morning photos of Sasara. Didn’t have much time before I had to run off to adult for the day but I still can’t believe I have her. Excuse my dolly spam for the foreseeable future

[moerusai]

Not only that but every year local Vietnamese governments are competing to come up with the best worst New Year decorations.

Here are some honorable mentions from previous years:

But the most notorious of them all: The Pikachu Dragon

which wasn't even a New Year deco because he was put up in Hai Phong in 2017 - The Year of the Rooster.

The whole shtick sparked a nationwide wave of parody art and so many more memes. There were icon packs of Pikachu Dragon all over social media and messaging apps.

He was a legend and I'm so happy that our Miss Cat contestants are upholding his legacy.

Dear friends, Vietnam is celebrating Year of The Cat so I would like to present to you — Miss Universe: Cat Edition

The fourth animal in the Vietnamese zodiac is a cat, because the ancient word for 'rabbit' (mão) sounds like 'cat' (mèo).

[yumenosakiacademy]

placing them directly in2 my mouth

[benedicte-bouyssou]

Year of the rabbit and cat 🐰🐱 Happy new year! 🧧This year is special as we welcome the year of the rabbit, but in Vietnam it's the year of the cat. There is a theory about it that the people in Vietnam made their own interpretation of the Chinese word for rabbit, "mao." In Vietnamese, this sounds like "meo," which means cat. For this reason I made a little Amidakuji game. Try to find out where the animals have to start. The rabbit should get a Nian Gao (sweet rice cake) and the cat a Bánh Chưng (rice cake with pork). Rule: Follow the vertical line from top to bottom until you meet a horizontal line. Follow the horizontal line until you reach a vertical line again. Repeat this until you reach the goal. . . . #yearoftherabbit #yearofthecat #chinesenewyear #happynewyear #chucmungnammoi #lunarnewyear #vietnamesenewyear #tet #rabbit #cat #rabbitillustration #catillustration #cute #amidakuji #ladderlottery #game #2023 #animalillustration #chinesezodiac #kidlitart #midcenturyillustration #digitalillustration #adobeillustrator #vector #artist #art #illustrator #illustration #childrenillustration #illustrationoftheday https://www.instagram.com/p/CnuyXzPLOge/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[howlingday]

School Crush

Yang: So, uh, Jaune... Went out drinking with Team RWBY, including my partner, Blake.

Jaune: Oh, really? Actually, she gave me a book to read. A little intimidating, to be honest.

Yang: Yeah, it was a pretty interesting show from her. Sort of a tet-a-tet. Push. Pull. Point. Counterpoint. You might- And I'm only saying this because Weiss is more into this stuff than me and she said it- It was like jazz.

Yang: So, yeah, you should definitely marry Blake.

Jaune: MARRY HER?! I don't- She's not- W-We're just friends, Yang!

Blake: Hey, Jaune. Do you some paper I can borrow?

Jaune: Sure thing! (Grabs notebook)

Yang: Hey, Blake~! We were just talking about you.

Blake: Really? What about me?

Jaune: Uh- About the book you lent me! Y'know, In the Shadows?

Blake: (Gasps)

Jaune: (Shoves page out) I-I-I haven't started it yet!

Blake: (Groans) You HAVE to let me know once you do!

Jaune: Yeah, uh, I'll ping you. I have your socials.

Blake: Oh, uh, I actually deleted my social media accounts. I'm trying to be on those things less.

Jaune: Oh... Okay...

Yang: Hell yeah, sister~.

Blake: Here, let me just give you my scroll number. Do you have a pen?

Yang: (Slides out)

Jaune: Y-Yeah, sure thing! (Hands pen)

Blake: (Takes, Writes on paper) By the way, where were you last night? Everybody was asking about you.

Jaune: W-Were they? Oh, well, uh, I was...

Blake: (Giggles)

Jaune: What?

Blake: I shouldn't have told you that.

Jaune: Why?

Blake: Just look at you. Just the smallest bit of popularity and your head's already gotten bigger.

Jaune: What? No! That's- I'm not that kind of guy! I- I'm just an average guy with and average lifestyle. No highs or low- OOF!

Jaune: (Picks up crumpled paper)

Blake: (Other side of the room, Leaving) Read that book~!

Jaune: (Smiles)

K-CHK!

Jaune: What the-?!

Nora: (Cutely holds gun at Jaune's head, "LOVE-GUN" labeled)

Jaune: Ugh! Dammit! Not again, man! Come on!

[bunni-v1]

(Twenty) Nine Lives for Love

Chapter 2: First Day Prev Chapter\\Next Chapter m.list

Tw: Kenma is a little creepy, but not in a bad way.

Info: Kenma x Reader (for real this time); Kuroo and Reader; Kuroo is a wingman (maybe?); Your cat is so fucking fat

Word Count: 5k 🍓Hehehe, it's finished! Writing this was a fun challenge, simply because Kenma is so fucking odd and weird and I love him so much please marry me Kenma!!! Anywayyyyyy, please pretend that Animal Crossing New Leaf came out just a little earlier for the sake of this fic. Thankssssssss.

Tag List: @angel-academia

Since you moved to Tokyo, a lot has happened. You finished (by some miracle of the universe) unpacking and decorating the house in about a week, managed to get accepted by the shelter for work over the weekends (which you loved so far), and picked out all of your classes for the spring semester. You even got into the Animal Sciences course you were gunning for by passing the entrance test. Everything was going great, you had just one tiny… eentsy weensy thing you didn’t account for.

Nekoma’s campus was way bigger than you expected. Sure, you figured it would be, it’s a Tokyo High School, but it didn’t seem all that intimidating when you went to pick classes. You turned down a tour, confident in your navigational skills – it’s just a few floors of classrooms, how hard could it be?

Very, as you’ve come to learn.

Clutching the flimsy paper that held your schedule tightly, you looked around woefully at the students who passed you by. Everyone was too busy catching up or chatting, not paying you any mind. You glare at your class schedule again, and “Class 3” glares back at you. That is not helpful. You are lost. Very lost. God, you wanted to beat past you senseless – stupid stupid overconfident past you.

Just as you’re about to scream or bash your head into a wall and ruin your reputation before classes begin, your savior appears. He’s incredibly tall, his uniform jacket unbuttoned and his clothes wrinkled. His messy black bedhead stands straight up in the air, bangs shrouding half of his face. He looks like the crafty type like he might take advantage of the situation and make you buy him lunch as thanks. However, when he speaks, you realize you might be overreacting just a tad.

“You alright? I couldn’t help but see you floundering over here,” He laughs.

You flush, adjusting the strap of your bag on your shoulder awkwardly, “I’m a little lost…”

“You’re a first-year?” He asks.

You frown, shaking your head, “Second-year. I transferred from Karasuno High School, uhm, in Miyagi,” you quickly clarify. You hope you didn’t look like a first-year.

He hums, nodding, “That makes sense,  looking for your homeroom then?”

“Yeah, I just… can’t make sense of the schedule they gave me,” you admit, lifting the paper for him to see.

He looks over it, and then smirks to himself, “Ooh, Kenma, she’s in your class.” He says to someone, and hot shame washes over you as you realize there was another person here the whole time.

He’s a shorter guy with a pretty shitty dye job that reminds you of a lot of pudding. You try not to snicker at the mental image of actual pudding on the poor guy's head. He eyes you like he’s considering you. It’s clear he’s taking in everything about your appearance, and it makes you flush a little. You didn’t take well to being scrutinized – especially not by cute strangers. (Cute? Did you find this guy cute?) Something about the way he looks at you is… familiar… but you’ve never met this guy, so you brush it off and smile apologetically.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were there or else I would’ve greeted you too,” you apologize.

He shrugs, eyes catching on something in your bag, then he goes back to staring at the PSP in his hands, “It’s fine.”

You frown, but the beadhead guy sighs loud enough to interrupt any self-depreciation you might’ve started on.

“Don’t pay him any mind, he’s always like this,” he tells you, then shoves his hand your way, “I’m Kuroo Tetsrou, Third-year!”

You take the hand, shake it firmly, and introduce yourself with a smile. Kuroo turns to Kenma, pulling his game out of his hands and confiscating it in his pocket, grumbling lowly to him about being polite. You can’t help the little laugh that escapes you at their antics. 

With a grumble, Kenma turns to you and nods reluctantly, “Kozume Kenma.”

Kuroo lets out a satisfied huff, visibly pleased with the interaction, then gestures for both of you to follow him. You take off first, trying your best to keep pace with his incredibly long legs, Kenma follows just behind you, dragging his feet enough that he wouldn’t match your pace. 

“So,” Kuroo starts again, “What made you transfer here – Tokyo’s a big change from Miyagi.”

You sigh, “I’ll say. My dad moved us here 'cause he got some big promotion,” you grumble, then realize you might be too grumbly and add, “but… Tokyo is nice. There’s a lot more to do here, and the people are nice.”

“Thank you, I do try,” He laughs, “there is a lot to do here, though. Too much, sometimes. What kinda things do you like to do?”

You hum, folding the paper in your hands as you think, “Well, I like helping out at animal shelters – oh and I like video games. I know there are arcades around here, and I wanna check some out.”

Kenma perks up a bit at the mention of video games, but he doesn’t say anything about it. As if he were a mind reader – or maybe he just knew Kenma well – Kuroo beams back at you.

“Thank god, I thought I’d never find someone who likes games like Kenma does,” he laughs, “I was gonna ask about that charm on your bag, it looked like one of the characters from his games.”

You frown, looking at your bag, and realizing the Tom Nook charm you got in middle school was still on it. It wasn’t in very good shape, but you could still discern that it was Tom Nook.

“It’s Tom Nook, from Animal Crossing,” Kenma corrects, “You should know that.”

“You play,” you ask suddenly, and a bit too excited, seeing how Kenma shrinks back a bit.

He nods, slowly, afraid of setting you off, “Yeah, not so much anymore, but I still like the game.”

“Sorry,” you laugh, “None of my friends from home liked it all that much, so I’m excited to meet someone who does.”

He hesitates, and your smile falters a bit. For a second you can see him panic, though you aren’t sure why. Then, he digs into his bag and pulls out a notebook and a pen, scribbling something down sloppily as he walks. When he finishes, he tears the page out and hands it to you. It takes you a second to realize what the numbers mean, but when you do, you grin.

“You have your friend code memorized?” You ask lightly.

Again, you see him panic a little, but he plays it off well enough, “I… handed it out a lot when the game first came out.”

You hum, folding the paper up and putting it in your bag, “I’ll write mine down and get it to you tomorrow.”

“Woaaaahhhhh,” Kuroo butts in loudly, “Sharing Animal Crossing friend codes already? That’s pretty big for first-time meetings.”

Kenma groans, “I could’ve shown her the classroom myself.”

“You would’ve just made her uncomfortable with all your moping,” Kuroo shoots back.

He rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t argue any further. Kuroo grows a smug, satisfied smirk, and practically struts the rest of the way to your new classroom. He reminds you a lot of a proud cat, and you fight off the mental image of him with ears and a tail. 

Getting to the classroom was surprisingly easy, and you mentally scolded yourself for making two strangers have to guide you on such a stupid side quest like you were some kind of NPC. Two flights of stairs and three right turns took you right where you needed to be. The schedule with directions from earlier made a lot more sense now that you’ve walked it once.

“This is it!” Kuroo announces, “Not so bad, huh?”

“Yeah, sorry for making you walk me here. It’s pretty embarrassing I couldn’t figure it out myself.” You admit, rubbing the back of your head.

“It’s fine,” Kenma says, shocking both you and Kuroo, “I had a hard time getting around when I was a freshman. The schedule isn’t very helpful for navigation.”

“We were both on the way anyway,” Kuroo adds, “so meeting you was just a bonus!”

As he says that, the ten-minute bell rings above the three of you. Kuroo bids both of you farewell, making sure to give Kenma a hard time about taking care of you. It’s embarrassing to be treated like a helpless kid by a total stranger. You feel a bit guilty, so you try to apologize, but Kenma seemingly beats you to the punch.

“Sorry about him, he’s always like that,” he says, echoing Kuroo’s earlier sentiment about him.

“Oh! It’s fine, I kinda deserve it.” You dismiss with a laugh.

Kenma slides the door open, and you are both hit with a barrage of voices. Students giggle and catch up, excitedly sharing what their break was like, and what they expect the school year to be like. Kenma trudges through them with a glower, eyes glued to a desk in the corner of the room. A few people give him greetings, but he ignores them outright, which they seem to expect. You awkwardly follow behind him, trying to ignore the curious eyes of your new classmates trying to figure out who you are and why you’re in their classroom.

Kenma settles himself in his desk, and you stand by him, nervously playing with your fingers. He gives you a weird look – not quite judging you but staring curiously. Normally you would be hurt by the look, but something about it is so familiar that you feel comfortable enough to explain yourself.

“I don’t wanna take someone's desk and tear up a friend group and be known as the stupid new girl who took someone's seat on the first day like an idiot.” You say quickly.

He stares at you, head tilting, blinking like you were stupid, “Just… sit next to me.”

You blink dumbly, taking in what he said as slowly as possible, and then you plop yourself down in the desk next to him. Well, you were still embarrassed, but at least it wasn’t because you’d accidentally made yourself enemies. Avoiding Kenma’s very intense stare locked onto the side of your head, you pull out your notebook and pencil case, getting ready for the school day. You glance over your schedule one more time, humming as you take it in. Most of them were general classes like Math and English, but you also had Animal Science in the afternoon – which you had to switch classrooms for, but it would be fine you were sure.

“What’s your schedule look like?” Kenma asks suddenly close, making you jump out of your skin. You’d forgotten he was there for a second.

It takes you a moment to recover, but when you do you lean over and show him the paper, “Pretty normal stuff, but I have Animal Science fifth period in Class 1’s room.”

He hums, “We have most of our classes together except that one,” you silently praise the universe for that, “but someone I know from volleyball is in your Animal Science class.”

You’re a little disappointed that you won’t be taking it with Kenma, despite having only known him for a few minutes. But five out of six courses together wasn’t too bad. You process shortly after your disappointment that he mentioned a friend from volleyball, which strikes you as odd because he doesn’t look all that… sporty. Or social.

“Volleyball? Do you play?” you ask, trying hard not to give away your thoughts.

“Yeah. I’m not athletic at all, but Kuroo got me into it when we were in middle school and I’ve stuck with it.” He explains simply, and you feel bad for assuming things about him in the first place, “Do you like it?”

“I don’t play, but my best friends from home love it,” you reply, smiling fondly, “so I guess you could say I do.”

A little smile grows on his face, mirroring yours, and you think that he looks cuter when he's smiling, “You should come by and watch one of our practices then. If you have the free time after school.”

You nod excitedly, then remember what he said earlier about his teammate being in your class, “Your friend is in my Animal Science class?”

His face sours, and you bite back the laugh that bubbles up your throat, “I wouldn’t call him my friend – his name is Yamamoto. He’s loud and intense, and he’s probably only taking the class cause he thinks it’ll be easy fun.”

You frown a little, “It’s definitely not easy fun.”

“I know, I tried to tell him that, but he doesn’t listen to me,” he grumbles, “he’s got a stupid haircut, you’ll know him when you see him. Avoid him if you can help it.”

You laugh a little, “Thanks for the warning, Kozume.”

He blinks, and then frowns a bit, “You can just call me Kenma.”

“Wouldn’t that be rude? We just met,” you ask.

“I don’t care that much about formalities, so just call me Kenma.” He says simply.

There’s not much room for argument with him, so you nod conceding, “Okay, but you have to do the same for me.”

He also nods, a little smile lighting up his face again. He goes to say something else, but the door slides open, and your new homeroom teacher steps in and commands silence from everyone. You give him an apologetic smile, shrugging a little, before giving her your full attention.

.·:*˚¨¨ ≈★≈ ¨¨˚*:·.

Classes go by smoothly, thanks in part to Kenma catching you up on anything your old curriculum might’ve missed. Introducing yourself was as awful as it always is, but your classmates were very welcoming, so it wasn’t so bad. You eat lunch with Kenma, further discussing the many different games that you both like. You learn he and Kuroo really like Metal Gear, and when you say you’ve never played it he offers to lend you his copy (though, he seems reluctant to do so, despite him offering it in the first place). He even shows you to Class 1’s room, though he doesn’t stick around very long. “I don’t want to deal with him,” was his excuse.

You do immediately recognize this ‘Yamamoto’ person, as he’s the only person in the room with a fuzzy yellow mohawk. Like Kenma said, he was loud and intense, but you didn’t mind it too much. He reminded you a lot of Tanaka and Noya, and even though you were too shy to approach him, you were pretty confident you could handle him if he ever bothered you. 

Kenma also picked you up from class, which you weren’t expecting at all. Again, he managed to come up with an excuse. “Kuroo wouldn’t let me hear the end of it if I let you wander alone.” You don’t mention how you could find your way back to the classroom two doors down, because the sentiment of him waiting on you is sweet, and you don’t want him to be annoyed with you. Your classmates stare at the two of you like you’re insane when you walk back in together, but you try your best to pay them no mind like Kenma does so easily.

When your last class is over, the two of you head down to the front gates to meet up with Kuroo. You hold a light conversation with him, talking about whatever topic seems to interest him. Mostly video games, which makes you feel incredibly behind with all the titles he throws at you, but he assures you he’s just more into them than most people are. Shortly after you arrive, Kuroo jogs over with a smirk on his face. You feel Kenma’s dread roll off him in waves at the sight, and you give him a reassuring smile.

“Kenma took good care of you?” he asks playfully.

“She’s not a child, Kuroo,” Kenma sighs.

“You’re right,” he nods, turning his smirk to you “Did you take good care of Kenma?”

You laugh lightly, shaking your head, “He was very helpful,” you turn to said Kenma, “Thank you, by the way. You didn’t have to do all that.”

He shrugs, “It wasn’t a big deal, don’t worry about it.”

Kuroo seems to consider something for a moment before he shrugs and any comments he might’ve said are lost to time. “Which way do you live shorty?”

It takes you a second to realize he’s talking to you with the nickname, despite no one else being around, “Oh! Uh, that way.” you point in the direction you remember your house being, giving them the street name.

“Hey, that's where we live,” he exclaims, “aren’t you lucky, bumping into your neighbors this morning.”

You are lucky, you think, but you don’t want to feed into any more of his teasing, so you just shrug. You take the lead this time, much more confident on the route home than you were on the route to class. Kuroo and Kenma quickly fall back into place beside you.

“I’ve been wondering who moved into the Shirashi’s old place,” Kuroo comments absently.

“Were you close with them?” you ask.

“Nah, they were an old couple with no kids,” he sighs, “they used to make all the neighborhood kids cookies and stuff, so I’m gonna miss that.”

“They smelled weird,” Kenma adds.

“Don’t be rude!” Kuroo scolds.

You laugh, “The house does have a weird smell. Dad and I had to buy a bunch of those plug-in air fresheners when we moved in, and it’s still kinda smelly.”

“See,” Kenma says smugly.

Kuroo rolls his eyes, “I don’t like this tag-teaming that's going on right now.”

“You just don’t like being wrong,” Kenma comments flatly.

“That’s it, I’m not giving you your game back!” Kuroo declares, and Kenma prickles at the words. They bicker back and forth again for a little while, you watch with amusement. They remind you of a mother cat and her kit. You snicker at the thought of Kuroo grooming Kenma like a kitten, catching their attention long enough that they stop arguing.

You walk in a nice quiet for a few blocks, Kuroo occasionally pointing out some places he thinks you might like – Kenma adding in his two cents when he felt like it. Kenma points out a specific arcade as you walk, and Kuroo highly suggests going there sometime. As you walk you get to thinking, and you recall your conversation with Kenma during classes. Kuroo was the one who got him into volleyball, and you were a bit curious about the volleyball club yourself. Unfortunately, (or fortunately), Tanaka and Noya were very successful in their pro-volleyball brainwashing.

“Are both of you on the Volleyball team?” you ask.

Kuroo nods, puffing his chest out and jutting his thumb at it proudly, “I’m the captain! Why, are you interested in getting involved with the girls?”

You shake your head, “Nah. Kenma mentioned it, and my friends at home are interested in it, so I was curious.”

“Well, we haven’t been very successful tournament-wise in a while,” Kenma comments.

“This year is gonna be different though, I can feel it!” Kuroo jumps in, determination shining in his eyes.

“You’ve said that every year,” Kenma sighs.

“Well, I mean it this time! Our team is shaping up to be amazing, I think we could even win nationals.” He says confidently.

Kenma rolls his eyes, but you smile, “Passion like that is a good thing.”

“See? Thank you shorty, this guy doesn’t get it like us.” Kuroo teases, pointing at Kenma accusingly. 

There’s a pause, then he asks, “What about you, have you thought about clubs yet?”

You shake your head, “I wanted to do something with animals, but all the ones that are there seem kinda lame.”

Kuroo nods, “Yeah, that’s typical. Nekoma doesn’t have much variety, unfortunately.”

You hum, adjusting the strap of your bag as it moves with your shoulders. Then, suddenly, it hits you.

“Wait, why aren’t you at practice? I saw somewhere that all the teams had mandatory practice today.” You ask.

“Oh, coach let us have the first day of classes off,” Kuroo explains, “We did a training camp with the new first years over break, so he’s being generous today.”

“He’s only doing it so he can work us harder later,” Kenma grumbles.

Kuroo ignores him, thinking something over, then smiles at you, “Hey, we have practice tomorrow. Since it’s the first official one of the season, it shouldn’t be too bad. Why don’t you come to check us out.”

You stare at him like he’s grown a second head. You are a total stranger, and he’s… inviting you to watch his team practice? Sure, Kenma might’ve done the same thing earlier, but you think he was just being nice. Kuroo seems… sincere. It’s a bit odd, you wonder what his motive is. 

“What’s your motive,” you say flatly.

“Motive? I don’t have a motive!” He defends, hands flying up into the air.

Kenma returns your flat look, probing for answers himself, “You absolutely have a motive.”

Kuroo glares at the two of you, hoping one of you will break. Unfortunately for him, you were raised stubborn, and Kenma had the best poker face in all of Japan. So, with a groan, he gives up.

“Alright, alright, you got me,” he admits, “We don’t have a manager, and despite all I’ve tried I can’t get anyone to say yes.”

“So you try and harass the new girl?” You tease, earning another groan.

“Don’t make me sound like some villain. I figured it was worth a try, but I won’t force you.”

You smile at him, shaking your head, “No, no. It’s fine. I kinda miss watching my friend's team play, and I almost managed their team too, so it wouldn’t be a big deal for me.”

Both Kenma and Kuroo perk up at that.

“So you’ll do it?” Kuroo asks excitedly.

You hum, thoughtfully, “I’ll think about it. I want to see the whole team first and meet the coach, then I’ll make my decision.”

Kuroo practically leaps in the air, pumping his fist energetically in celebration. His excitement is infectious, and you feel your stomach bubble with delight at his outburst. Kenma also looks pleased, less outwardly than Kurro, however. Something about this feels… natural like you were meant to be friends with these two your whole life. Neither of them had left any room for you to feel awkward or left out, despite having only met you today. It was… nice. Comforting.

Kenma taps you on your shoulder, pulling you from Kuroo’s display, “The team can be a handful, but… I think you’ll fit in great.”

A curious part of your brain wonders how he could be so sure of that, but you shove it back in favor of smiling warmly at him. “I hope so, I could use some more friends – and a hobby.”

Kenma laughs, a real laugh, and you realize you like the sound a lot more than you probably should. Before you can dwell on it too much longer, Kuroo interrupts the thoughts with some declaration of being left out. You think you could get used to this routine.

.·:*˚¨¨ ≈★≈ ¨¨˚*:·.

The walk back to your neighborhood is about fifteen minutes, and the two boys you’re walking with make it much more interesting than your walk to school this morning. Most of it is Kuroo talking about whatever he feels like, you and Kenma nodding along with whatever he says. Kenma does talk, though. Mostly to you, mostly teasing Kuroo. It’s nice, you think. You’re still talking as you approach your gate, and you’re a bit disappointed that you have to cut your time short.

As you go to close your gate behind you, Kuroo shouts at you to wait, so you do.

“Hey, since we all live on the same street, why don’t we walk together tomorrow.” He offers.

You give Kenma a little side eye, and he shrugs, so you copy the motion, “Why not? Better than walking alone.”

He smiles, then seemingly remembers something, and pulls his phone out of his pocket. You think for a moment that his parents might’ve been scolding him for something, but then he shoves it over your gate and into your hands. You stare at it stupidly for a second, then look back at him.

“Your number, so we can keep in contact.” He explains.

You nod with a little ‘ooohhhh’, and quickly punch your number in. When you hand his phone back, he holds his hand out. Brain connecting the dots faster this time, you pull your phone out and pull up your contact list before giving it to him. Kenma peers over his shoulder as he punches in his number, then glares up at him for a long second before he hands the phone back to you.

You scroll down the contact list, seeing both Kuroo and Kenma’s numbers on your phone. You smile a little, what an odd guy. 

“Thanks, I’ll send you a message so you have my number too, Kenma.” You assure.

He nods, and then he and Kuroo are bidding you farewell. You watch them for another long moment, laughing to yourself as they bicker – no doubt about Kuroo putting Kenma’s number in your phone. You can’t help but feel a little grateful, though. You never would’ve had the confidence to ask yourself.

You sigh, turning around to enter your new house. As you open the door, Maki practically attacks you, pressing her fat little body against your legs with happy little chirps. You wonder how she’s able to move so agilely with so much extra weight on her little bones. You keep trying to put her on a diet, but when you try your dad would undo all your progress cause he feels bad for ‘starving the poor thing’. You bend down and scoop her up, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I missed you too fat girl,” you coo, closing the door behind you.

As you do that, your phone buzzes. Right on time as always, you think. You set Maki down, pull out your phone, and smile at the messages. Three from your dad, who was still at work – his new schedule had him working late almost every night, but he sent you messages at 3 o’clock on the dot without fail since you were little. It was sweet that he kept it up.

Dad: Hey sweetpea, I hope your first day was good! 

Knowing you, it was. I’m sure you have a lot to tell me.

Dad: I’ll be home late like usual, but I’ll pick us up 

something to eat before I get back. Maybe that 

one sushi place we saw the other day?

Dad: You should pick a movie for us to watch 

while we eat! Love you!

You smile. Your dad was the most amazing person in the world, and you’d bet on it too. Despite your differences, namely your disagreement with soulmates, he never let it affect your relationship. He treated you so well, and you couldn’t ask for a better father in a million lifetimes. You bet he was the best one you’ve ever had.

You: Thanks, Dad!

You: I was thinking about that new horror movie 

that came out.

You: Seems really scary

Dad: Yes! I’ve been wanting to watch it! Is it on that one 

streaming place?

You: Netflix? I think so.

You: If not, I’ll figure something out.

You: Good luck at work! Love you!

Dad: Love you too pumpkin!

You click off your phone, looks like you had a little side quest tonight. Shouldn’t be hard, so long as it’s actually on Netflix. You make your way to the living room, nearly tripping over Maki four times as she glues herself to your feet. When you manage to make it without killing yourself or your cat, you pull up Netflix on the nice new TV your old man bought you. Lucky you, the movie is on there, which saves you the trip to a video store. 

As you set the remote down, your hand bumps into your DS, and you suddenly remember promising to get Kenma your friend code. Nerves light as you pull up your account, and you can’t place why. Kenma made you the opposite of nervous so far, but sharing your friend code felt too important. Probably because of Kuroo’s teasing earlier in the day. Something about Kenma just felt… familiar. Right. Like you’ve known him for a long time – or like you should’ve known him for a long time.

You have his number pulled up and a message typed out before you know it, but you can’t get yourself to send it. It’s just one text, you scold mentally, but your thumb doesn’t move to press send. This was so unlike you, to be so flustered over someone you hardly even knew. With one last demolishing comment toward yourself in your head, you manage to press send.

You: Hi Kenma! I told you I’d send you a text, so here it is!

You: I also wanted to give you my friend code now!

You: 2946-6782-9856

Kenma: Cool, I’ll check your village out later.

You stare at the message for way too long. If he were here in person, he would stare at you with those freakishly big eyes. Chills run up your spine at the thought. 

You: Yay!

You: You can tell me what you think tomorrow.

His response doesn’t come through for a little while, and you worry you might’ve been too forward. (How in the world were you too forward? The logical side of your mind insists you’re being dramatic. The teenage girl part of you is about to beat your ass.) Then, your phone buzzes again, and you dive for it embarrassingly fast.

Kenma: Looking forward to it.

Your heart practically flips in your chest, and you re-read the text an embarrassing amount of times. In an attempt to remain semi-sane-looking, you wait a little longer to send your response. You don’t want to scare him off after the first day of knowing each other. Still, you respond a little too fast for your liking. 

You: Me too! See you then!

After sending the message, you pretty much throw your phone across the room. You can’t send any more awkward messages if you don’t have your phone. A little rude? Yeah, but it’s for the best, you reason. You were not acting like yourself, therefore you had to ‘normal’ yourself before you could continue a conversation with him. Nothing about what just happened felt normal. Are you crushing on a guy you just met? ‘That's so unlike you.’ You could hear Noya say.  You sounded like Takana! Oh God, you hoped he didn’t feel like Kiyoko. You didn’t think he was your soulmate, at the very least. You weren’t that crazy… yet. God, you were screwed, weren’t you?

[cosmicgoddesswrites]

The Nanny - Chapter 14

SINGLE DAD!KUROO X NANNY!READER

Summary: Kuroo Tetsuro is about at his wits end; there’s only so much a man can take with work piling up, his divorce getting messier by the minute, and his 6-year-old daughter raising hell at home. Hiring a nanny sounds like a band-aid solution, but who knows, maybe this will work out?

Word Count: 3817

Warnings: Female!Reader, angst, some cursing, mentions of explicit content

Prev. Masterlist. Next.

(Y/n) didn’t want to admit that she had been waiting eagerly for Emiko’s phone call. It was wrong to wish that Hanako would once again be too busy for her daughter so that (Y/n) would have an excuse to spend time with Emiko. Despite everything, Hanako was still her mother, and if what the young girl said was true, then she was at least making an effort to be a good one.

(Y/n) tried keeping herself busy, otherwise she knew the day would go by slower than usual while she waited for Emiko’s call. She kept having to remind herself that it was a call that may not even come, but that did little to dim her excitement.

She was in the middle of researching things to do in Osaka when 3:15 rolled around. Emiko would be out of school by then and would know if her mom was there to pick her up. (Y/n)’s eyes glanced between her dormant cellphone and her laptop screen.

A couple minutes passed before she decided to continue her research and distract herself from her rising disappointment. Just as she began clicking through some photos, her phone began to ring.

Without looking at the caller ID, she answered with a big smile on her face. “Hello?”

“(Y/n),” She was thrown off by the deep but familiar voice on the other end, “It’s Sakusa.”

The smile unwittingly dropped from her face, “O-oh, hi Kiyoomi!”

“Is it a bad time to be calling you?” He asked. (Y/n) thought she had done a good job of hiding the disappointment in her voice, apparently not.

“No no, not at all! I was just waiting on a call.” (Y/n) flopped backwards onto her bed, “What’s going on?”

Sakusa cleared his throat, “I was wondering if you wanted to meet for dinner tonight? The flight to Osaka is coming up and I wanted to see how you’re feeling about it.”

(Y/n) couldn’t help but smile, “do I hear you blushing, Kiyoomi?”

“I don’t do that…”

“Really?” she tilted her head, “you were blushing a lot once I got your clothes off-”

“Okay okay you proved your point,” he sputtered, causing (Y/n) to laugh into the phone.

“You’re cute, yknow that?” she giggled, unable to keep herself from smiling.

“Does that mean it’s a yes for dinner tonight?” Sakusa asked, tone hopeful.

(Y/n) smiled wider and absentmindedly began twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers, “absolutely. Pick me up at 7?”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll see you then.” With that, Sakusa hung up, leaving (Y/n) to squeal into her pillow. She allowed herself to bask in the moment before getting up to find something to wear. Just as she opened her closet door, her phone began to ring. It was either Emiko or Sakusa. Either way, she launched herself onto her bed and snatched the phone off her nightstand, again, not checking the caller ID.

“Hello-”

“(Y/n), please don’t hang up.”

(Y/n)’s eyebrows knit together at the sound of Kuroo’s frantic voice on the other end of the call. “Tets- Kuroo what is it?”

“Emiko- she’s missing. I think Hanako took her…”

–

(Y/n) banged her fist against Kuroo’s front door like she was the police. She was sure she looked like a mad-woman to any nosy neighbor that happened to be watching. But her current appearance was the least of her worries, which was evident considering the fact she didn’t bother changing out of her sweats after hanging up with Kuroo.

Once the door had swung open, (Y/n) stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. “Have you heard anything from either of them?”

Kuroo shook his head, his skin was pale and his hair was more askew than usual as if he had spent the entire day running his hands through his hair. “No… I called the school and they said Hanako had picked Emiko up early from class.”

(Y/n) made her way to Emiko’s room with Kuroo hot on her heels, stopping in the doorway when she saw the state of the room. “It looks like a tornado came through here…”

“Hanako was in a hurry, I imagine,” Kuroo swallowed. “Didn’t leave any clues as to where she coulda taken her…”

(Y/n) stepped into the bedroom, biting her lip anxiously as she noticed almost all of Emiko’s clothes had been taken out of her drawers and closet. “She’s planning on being away for a while…”

The sound of the bed creaking had (Y/n) turning her head in Kuroo’s direction. He sat at the edge of Emiko’s bed, his head hung low and resting in the palms of his hands. (Y/n) was at his side in an instant. She rested a comforting hand on his shoulder as he kept his face covered.

“I don’t know what to do… It’s all my fault…” he croaked.

“You couldn’t have known this would happen,” (Y/n) protested as she gave his shoulder a squeeze. “You just thought Hanako was trying to be a good mom…”

“That’s the thing,” he sighed, “I should know by now she’s not capable of that… She has no love in her heart for anyone or anything, how- how could she ever be a good mom? How could I let my baby be around someone like that?”

(Y/n) bit her lip, moved her hand from his shoulder and sucked in a breath. “We can’t linger on the things we should have done differently, we need to figure out where they went.”

Kuroo furiously wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat, “I don’t even know where to start…”

“Well if they packed all their things, they’re planning on going somewhere longterm…” (Y/n) glanced around the bedroom, “meaning Hanako would be trying to put distance between you three. They would be leaving Tokyo…”

“She doesn’t have anywhere to really go,” he mused, running a hand through his hair, “her father is in Fukuoka, but last I heard they weren’t on speaking terms…”

“It’s the only lead we have though,” (Y/n) said. She pulled her phone from her pocket and began to search trains or buses scheduled to leave for Fukuoka anytime soon. “Emiko mentioned Hanako had a job, would she have enough to pay for two train tickets straight to Fukuoka?”

Kuroo looked over her shoulder at her cellphone and promptly made a face when he noticed the ticket prices. “Not at all. She hasn’t worked there long and they don’t pay much.”

“Then they’re taking a bus.” (Y/n) concluded. She filtered her search results and started scrolling through the bus companies with buses scheduled to leave for Fukuoka that day. 

Kuroo’s hand suddenly shot out to her phone as he tapped on one of the companies listed. “That one,” he said, “she has a cousin that works with that station. They would have given her a discount.”

“You’re sure?” (Y/n) asked as she took a screenshot of the information for the bus’ departure.

“Positive. She was talking my ear off about how he got promoted a couple weeks ago,” Kuroo explained as he rose to his feet. “Let’s get going, it’ll be boarding soon.”

(Y/n) pocketed her phone then followed him out to his car, “And if the bus is gone once we get there?”

Kuroo didn’t hesitate as he got into the driver’s seat, not even waiting for (Y/n) to get in before starting the car, “We get on the first plane to Fukuoka and wait for them at the bus stop with the police,” he said matter of factly.

(Y/n) gripped onto the grab handle above her head as the scar skidded out of the driveway and towards the direction of the bus station. “That’s a reasonable response considering this is literal kidnapping… Why not call them now? Have them meet us at the station-”

“Hanako will panic and run the second she sees the cops there,” Kuroo interjected, “If she and Emiko leave the station before we get there, she’ll find a more discreet way to skip town, and it’ll be even harder to get Emiko back. It’s my fault this is happening, and I’m not gonna make another dumb decision that’ll end with us never seeing Emiko again.”

–

The bustling station proved difficult to maneuver through as (Y/n) and Kuroo struggled to find the gate where Hanako’s bus would be leaving. It seemed the sole purpose of the people milling about the station was to thwart any and all attempts to keep Emiko from getting on that bus.

(Y/n), though trailing a couple paces behind Kuroo and struggling to keep up, could hear his breathing getting more and more frantic by the second. She practically tripped over her feet to make it to his side and take his shaking hand in hers, “We’ll find her, I promise.”

“It shouldn’t be this god damn hard to find a damn gate number, who the hell came up with this stupid bus system?” he grumbled, glaring at an older man that bumped shoulders with him and made him lose his balance.

“Lets try the information desk,” (Y/n) said, pointing out a booth in the middle of the station with a short line in front. She took it upon herself to bow her head apologetically to the other patrons as Kuroo cut to the front of the line, not bothering to look back at the other people he was mildly inconveniencing.

“I’m looking for gate B6, it’s an emergency!” Kuroo said, quickly snatching (Y/n)’s phone from her hands and showing the staff member the bus’ information.

The very tired looking woman glanced between the two, then to the line behind them. “Sir, please be respectful of the other patrons-”

“Gate B6!” Kuroo pleaded, gathering the attention of a nearby security guard, “Please! My kid is on that bus, I need to find her now!”

The guard made his way to Kuroo and (Y/n), looking to settle the two down as well as get them away from the line of, now very frustrated, travelers. As the older man, with little urgency, began trying to get more information from the two, (Y/n)’s eyes began scanning the crowd for anyone familiar.

Unknown faces flooded the station, and waves of anxiety began turning to swells, eager to gobble up (Y/n) in their dark waters. The pit in her stomach grew cavernous stranger by stranger. Emiko was nowhere to be seen.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a familiar messy head of hair was visible through the hustle and bustle of the station. (Y/n), without realizing it, snatched Kuroo’s larger hand in hers and dragged him towards that direction, much to the dismay of the security guard.

They left the main terminal, now finally walking in the direction of B6. Several buses lined the area, and businessmen, families, teens and everything between were either boarding or seated on nearby benches.

(Y/n) felt a squeeze on her hand. She had almost forgotten that she had taken Kuroo’s hand to guide him through the building. (Y/n) looked to him, then followed his eyes to a lonely figure on a bench.

Emiko sat by herself, nervously clutching the strap to a small pink duffel bag as she stared at the strange faces all around her. She jumped as Hanako emerged from the crowd, took her by the hand, and began leading her to one of the buses.

In a flash Kuroo was gone, having left (Y/n)’s side in favor of catching Hanako, with (Y/n) following close behind.

He caught up to the mother and daughter effortlessly, and snatched Emiko away from Hanako, startling the two. Emiko let out a small yelp, her fear fading once she recognized her father.

“Daddy!” She cheered, wrapping her arms tightly around Kuroo’s neck.

Hanako whipped her head around once she felt Emiko pulled from her. Her eyes went wide once she saw Kuroo and (Y/n). “I can explain-”

“How do you explain this?” Kuroo asked incredulously, trying and failing at keeping his voice down. “I’m actually curious how you explain this stunt you just tried to pull!”

Emiko, who had just been trying to get at (Y/n) for a hug, turned her attention back to her parents. “Daddy, we were just going to go see grampa!” Once the young girl saw the expression on her father’s face, she looked at her mother confused. “You said you told daddy we were going… That he was going to meet us there after work…”

Hanako couldn’t hide her guilty expression, “I just wanted us to have some quality time together…” She turned her gaze to (Y/n), her gaze going cold “You will never know what it’s like to lose your family to someone else-”

“Stop it, Hanako.” Kuroo stepped in front of (Y/n), shielding her from Hanako. “You didn’t lose us to (Y/n), you lost us to yourself-” He paused as he felt Emiko shaking in his arms. Kuroo carefully set her in (Y/n)’s arms, and gave them both a sad look as (Y/n) cradled Emiko so one ear was pressed to her larger shoulder, and the other was covered by (Y/n)’s gentle hand.

Kuroo then glared back at Hanako, “All this was never about Emiko, or me, or us being a family. It was about you, and your pride, your selfishness. You really think taking Emiko away from her father and her friends, carting her off to Fukuoka to live with your dad is what’s best for her?”

Hanako was now shaking with anger, her face red and her fists clenched. “You can’t talk to me that way… I’m still her mother.”

Kuroo shook his head, “You may have given birth to her, but you’re no mother.” He reached down to the bags at Hanako’s feet, grabbing the handle of Emiko’s pink suitcase without looking at her. “I’m going to take you back to court and get full custody of Emiko. You’ll see her when it’s convenient for her, not for you. I’ve had enough.”

Hanako opened her mouth, no doubt to shout obscenities at him, only for Kuroo to silence her with a look, “You’re going to make this as easy as possible for Emiko, or I’ll make sure you only ever see her behind bars.”

With that, Kuroo used his free hand to usher (Y/n) and Emiko away from Hanako and out of the station. 

-

Emiko wordlessly watched as Kuroo and (Y/n) unpacked her bags. The entire ride back to the home was silent, save for a few quiet sniffles from the young girl. She was now sitting on her bed, picking at her fingers nervously.

“Daddy?” She asked in a small voice, avoiding Kuroo’s eyes as he turned to look at her, “am I in trouble?”

Kuroo’s frown deepened. He moved to sit beside his daughter, and hugged her close to his side. “No, baby. Not at all.”

(Y/n) crossed her arms and leaned on the nearby wall, watching as Emiko clung to her father’s disheveled work shirt.

“Your mom,” Kuroo paused to sigh, “She did something very wrong. She tried taking you without telling me.” He slightly pulled away while stroking at Emiko’s hair, looking into her eyes intently. “I don’t know if she ever would have let me see you again…”

Emiko’s bottom lip quivered and she clung tighter onto the shirt. “I didn’t know, daddy. I promise I didn’t know.”

Kuroo hugged her again and peppered kisses onto her head. “I know you didn’t, baby” he sobbed, “I know. I’m never going to let that happen again, I promise.”

The two heard sniffling from the corner of the room, and looked to see (Y/n) furiously wiping at her wet cheeks. Emiko bounced off the bed and ran to her. (Y/n) kneeled down and caught her in a tight hug. “Why are you crying, (Y/n)? She asked, causing (Y/n) to chuckle softly.

“I’m just glad you’re home safe with your dad, Emiko,” she smiled. (Y/n) pulled back, wiping Emiko’s tears then wiping her own once again. “It’ll be dinner time soon,” she said as she cleared her throat. “I think your dad wants to take you somewhere special tonight. Right, Kuroo?”

Kuroo stood up and chuckled as he scratched at the back of his head. “Of course, anywhere you want, Emiko.”

Emiko perked up at the mention of food, “Even icecream for dinner?”

“I don’t know about that,” Kuroo laughed, scooping his daughter in his arms and kissing her cheek. “How about we get you changed? Those clothes smell like a yucky bus station.”

Emiko playfully gagged and giggled, then hopped out of her father’s arms to get changed.

Kuroo and (Y/n) left the room to give her some privacy, then simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. “So,” Kuroo began, his tone hopeful, “are you going to join us for dinner?”

(Y/n) couldn’t help but smile at the offer, but almost on cue, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She hastily checked the device, her smile dropping once she saw a text from Sakusa. It was almost 5, she would have to rush home and change if she were going to meet him-

“(Y/n)?”

She quickly looked up from her phone and stuffed it in her back pocket. “Sorry… I already have dinner plans…”

Kuroo raised an eyebrow at her. “With Sakusa? Is he your boyfriend now?”

(Y/n) sighed, “Kuroo, you can’t do this. You can’t be upset that I’m talking with someone else, we were never even really together.”

“You can’t tell me not to be upset-” Kuroo stopped himself as he glanced at Emiko’s room. He gingerly placed his hand on (Y/n)’s lower back to usher her to the kitchen. Once there, he continued. “You can’t expect me not to be upset. I made a mistake letting Hanako into this house, but it never stopped me from caring about you.”

(Y/n) bit her lip and looked down at her feet, only for Kuroo to tenderly cup her chin and tilt her head to meet his gaze.

“I know that I hurt you… If I could go back, I would choose you, every time-”

“But you can’t.” (Y/n) cut in solemnly. “You can’t just wish away all the hurt you gave me…”

Kuroo took her hands in his like they were made of glass. “Then please, let me make it right. I’ll spend every waking moment making what I did right. If you’ll just tell me you love me again, I’ll be yours.”

(Y/n) sighed shakily before pulling her hands away, “I’m going to Osaka with Sakusa…”

“(Y/n), please-”

“The flight leaves next week, I’m going to be on it-”

Before (Y/n) could continue, Kuroo took her in his arms and held her close, so close that she could smell the faint scent of his faded cologne somehow clinging to his shirt. It was then that (Y/n) realized where they were standing: they were at the kitchen island, the same exact spot where their date had ended what felt like a lifetime ago.

She remembered leaving her keys behind so she’d have an excuse to come back inside. How they breathed each other in, how her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest. And just how close they had come to kissing each other.

“Please,” Kuroo begged, “just tell me now… do you still love me?”

(Y/n) rested her hands delicately on Kuroo’s chest, lost in his honey eyes. Her chest heaved as she slowly shook her head, “I don’t love you…” she murmured, shifting her eyes to his lips.

Whether it was a lie to deter Kuroo, or a lie to convince herself to leave, Kuroo shook his head. Despite (Y/n)’s answer, the corners of his lips tugged into a small, sad smile.

“You’re a liar,” he whispered.

Kuroo carefully leaned forward, eyes half-lidded, and lips parting ever so slightly. When (Y/n) made no move to pull away and clutched at his shirt, he closed the gap between them, and planted a tender kiss on her lips.

(Y/n) quietly moaned against his lips and her eyes fluttered closed. As she moved her hands to cup his jaw, the door to Emiko’s bedroom swung open, causing the two adults to almost fly apart on instinct.

Kuroo released his hold on (Y/n), and she took her hands off him, but they both stayed close together as they processed what had just happened.

“Kuroo,” (Y/n) began, taking a deep breath, “what just happened today- Emiko needs you. There’s no place for me here right now…”

He bit his lip and gently took her hands in his once more, “You’re really going to go with him?”

(Y/n) hesitantly nodded, “It’s what’s right… Emiko needs you, 100%.”

Emiko walked into the kitchen, smiling at the two, unaware of how her father was letting go of (Y/n)’s hands. “I found out where I wanna go tonight!” She announced, sitting herself at the dining room table.

Kuroo ran a hand through his hair, put a smile on his face, and turned to look at his daughter. “Oh yeah? Well good, I’m starving.” He hastily went to Emiko’s side and ruffled her hair. “Say goodbye to (Y/n), angel.”

Emiko’s smile faltered and she looked at (Y/n), “She’s not coming with us?”

(Y/n) opened her mouth to respond, but Kuroo answered for her. “She has a very important trip she’s going on, she has to get ready for it.”

“Oh, okay.” Emiko frowned.

(Y/n) approached the two and kneeled to hug Emiko, “I’ll be sure to visit you after my trip… go have fun with your dad, okay?”

Emiko nodded her head and watched as (Y/n) stood to look at Kuroo. The two said nothing before (Y/n) grabbed her purse and left.

The whole way to her car, (Y/n) contemplated turning back. All kinds of conflicting thoughts swirled in her head as she moved on autopilot. Once in her car, she looked back at the house, took a deep breath, and forced herself to drive away.

Everything in her head told her this is what was right, that with Kuroo’s upcoming custody battle, Emiko would need all his attention now more than ever. That it wasn’t (Y/n)’s place to interfere in their family, this is what was logical to (Y/n). But everything in her heart told her to go back to them.

She indeed still loved Kuroo and Emiko, but kept driving away.

—————————————————–

Taglist:

@kellyyween @whore-for-anime @lilith412426 @yourstarvic @prinkipissa-aa @syynnaaah @boosyboo9206 @lowkey-falling-apart @chwlogy @chichibia @chirity-chu @faithfulferns @fi-chanwrites @ysatrap @just-a-mirage @cadenceh2o @indaybella99 @buckybarnesbitch03 @crustycookiebestie @seobecca @my-dream-universe @sugamilx @queen-lilith-ricker @shanksfav @stale-sandcastle @fandomsgotmefucked @deathbyhollywood @emikinsmiles @fluffy-mayarii @marvels-supernaturalsherlock @sssjuico10 @fandomsasylum @lucyrocks86 @whorefornoodles @iheartkuroorin @prncessjngs @tycrackculture @etherealskzss @underratedmage @alleykatxx @cielhidalgo @toobsessedstuff @safa-a07 @kitastowel @kyomihann @dickbutt-queen @tirzamisu @komiiaverage @surhii @bowandcurtsey

[indigitalembrace]

H-Haha- god you're so cute- okay..! Good! Cmon, now-..

[Shrimp was glad their little wording choice helped him say yes- They knew he wanted to stay of course, just look at him..! But he was more likely to say yes if... they wanted it.]

[Oh well. It wasn't lying. Because Shrimp really did, really want it too. This house is too big for just them. It doesn't creak like their old one does, it doesn't feel alive or lived in yet- strange and unfamiliar.]

[So they think... Something familiar will make things nicer for now.]

The uhm... the beds a twin size..I... I think that's the term- ss..sooo... gotta... do this like... jenga pieces... orr... tet...ris.. I'm sure we can both fit-?

[Seems someone's already forgotten they're in a digital world]

- 🦐

[Kinito blinks at them, flicking his gills. Winding his tail around their hand, he walks over to the bed and, with a pink static fizzle, it expands slightly.]

[Then, he leaps onto the mattress, Shrimp in tow, and curls up protectively around them.]

Is this.... comfortable, friend...?

[He's already half asleep. Seems he was downright exhausted.]

[croisko]

HES SO CUTE >< (FOLLOW MY IG HOTTESTSIGMAALIVE!!)

i havent breathed anything else but dead plate for the past 3 weeks

im so sad i didn’t get the rody plush AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL JUNE TO SCOUR FACEBOOK MARKET FOR ONE 😞😞

it was like $46 when i asked my mom to get me one but she came back at me with “you already spent $80 on plushies in this shop” (leaves out the minute detail that she spent half too and it wasnt all on plushies it was a homes essential shop.. for a house… because it was an essential..)

ugh so then the next morning i checked it since my friend told me she would buy one for me since she’s filthy rich , checked the website and it was GONE

checked twitter, “2 minutes left to tet your rody before hes DEAD!” *8 hours ago*

alright yeah i see how it is ..,. maybe if i get enough clout rachel will notice me and give me one for free 🙏🙏

for now i just have to rely on my hallucinations to will a rody plush in my room

anyways thats it from me bye my loyal 0 followers 💗💗

[putschki1969]

2024/03/30 Blog post by Wakana ジブリをうたうコンサート〜全私が泣いた日〜

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

“Ghibli wo Utau” Concert~A Night Of Tears~

“Ghibli wo Utau” Concert ~ Produced by Satoshi Takebe was held on March 27th (*'▽'*) It still feels like a dream to be able to perform at a tribute concert for my all-time favourite Studio Ghibli works. Today I will be sharing plenty of photos from that concert! It was held at Tokyo International Forum Hall A✨ The screen at the back shows famous scenes from each work. When I was singing, I believe they showed San and Moro in the background 😍 (I was facing the audience the whole time so I couldn't see them...)

This time, I chose a dress inspired by San from Princess Mononoke 👗 It was so cute ♡ Here I am together with Mr. Satoshi Takebe who is literally a super-human, he was hosting the whole event, taking charge of the MCs, performed on the piano and he also arranged all the songs for this concert😂😂It's amazing😂 When I was asked to sing ``Princess Mononoke'' for the album, I remember that at first I jumped up and down with joy but then I quickly started to feel anxious, wondering whether I would be able to do a good job... However, when I saw Takebe-san and everyone involved in the production working so incredibly hard to make a good album, I swore to myself that I would give my very best and work as hard as I could. I am grateful to Takebe-san for always believing in me and never giving up on me! ! Takebe-san, thank you very much for your hard work! ! ･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+

This was my first time collaborating with Leo Ieiri! I got to sing “Itsumo Nando Demo” together with her, it was so much fun 😊 She was a very kind and wonderful person...😳✨ We actually have something in common, we are both Sagittariuses from Fukuoka, that made me happy 😊 I hope to see you again✨

And here I am with Shigeru Kishida from “Quruli”! We had our picture taken while I got to hold my personal Totoro😂 During the concert, I watched most of the artists' performances from the stage side wings, Kishida-san's story was particularly funny 😂 It seems like Takebe-san tends to call him "Shige-chan" 😂 So cute 😂 Not only his performance of “My Neighbor Totoro” but also “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” was amazing!

I also had a photo taken together with Kaela Kimura! She is too cute~~🥺💕 I felt the audience get even more excited during Kaela's "Rouge's Message"😊 She is a very powerful and charming performer😍

I brought a lot of my Ghibli mascots with me that day, actually, everything except Tet was a gift from my fans 😂 All of you really know and understand me...😭✨Thank you😭✨ (Totoro and his friends on the right, Acorn and Kurosuke are matryoshka dolls. Ashitaka and Kodama are finger puppets, and Totoro on the left is a pouch!)

The Totoro cream puffs provided by the catering service were super cute! (It doesn't even look out of place when lined up side by side with all of my mascots!)

I really enjoyed reflecting on that special day with lots of photos! I was among the first ones to perform so I actually wanted to tell all of you in advance that you should make sure to arrive in time 😂 And then when I stood on stage, I immediately started looking for familiar faces in the audience😂

It was my first time standing on stage with so many artists since I became a solo artist so I was a little nervous... I sang while thinking of all of you, believing that my botanical friends were definitely there in among the many gathered fans! 😂 Thank you to everyone who came and everyone who supported me...😭✨ I was beyond thrilled to be able to participate in a concert that allowed me to be so involved with Ghibli's music! The concert will be streamed on U-NEXT on May 18th, so please look forward to it ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／

Also, the submission deadline for the next "Talk Garden" episode is tomorrow! This time's theme is "Something I Want to Ask Wakana/Something I Want Wakana to Talk About"! 😊 Please send it here ↓↓ https://wakana-fc.jp/answers/botanical_oshaberi_8/new

Finally, here are some fun photos~☆ YAY! ! (I'm floating in the air)

Until next time~☆( *'▽'*)/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

Wakana to Perform at Everyday's Omatsuri

Wakana will appear at "AirTrip Presents Everyday's Omatsuri 2024" featuring a variety of amazing artists, held every day from July 3rd to July 15th! Wakana will be performing as part of a two-man live together with RYTHEM on July 13th, starting at 19:00. Please look forward to it! ! (Source)

《Performance overview》 Title: “AirTrip presents Everyday's Omatsuri 2024” Date and time:July 13, 2024 Open 18:30 / Start 19:00 Venue: Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Performers: RYTHEM・Wakana Ticket type: Luxury seats 7,000 yen / Premium seats 6,500 yen / General seats 6,000 yen Official site: http://omatsuridays.jp/ Advanced ticket lottery for FC members of Botanical Land has started! ! 【Application period】4/1～4/8 【Results】4/12～ 【Payment period】4/12～4/14

[not-quite-there-myself]

Just Like I Promised

A/N: I had to get myself to finish F13 just to do your request, haha (0/10 I cried). I originally wrote this in a headcanon format but I ended up with a fic instead, and mentions of the other sorcerers show up in this too... I hope you don't mind too much. Gah, this whole thing ended up being a lot longer than I anticipated, but I'm not complaining! Your username is so cute by the way! Thanks for requesting and I hope you enjoy.

The years after your departure from Bound Arlyn have been long and felt somehow less brighter when you were away. The six sorcerers you've gotten to know while you were there seemed to think so. Pollux especially felt different. He was used to being alone sometimes and didn't mind bothering people to play with him, but it was much easier when you were around. Now that you were gone, he had trouble getting used to the way things were without you.

He might not have realized how lonely he felt despite the other sorcerers being available to talk to. Arcturus and Spica were always busy with something but still talked to him just as usual. Alpheratz seemed to sleep more without anyone to bother him (he still couldn't be rid of Spica's pestering to move every so often though). Sirius, well… Sights of him were few and far between, but he still popped into Pollux's view when he felt that they were apart too long—can't leave his fellow Queen Tet sorcerer alone, can he?

Then, after more than a decade, he felt a strange pull in his chest one day. An aura too familiar to him tugged like heartstrings. He was just finishing up a mission when he felt like he was being watched somehow. Time stood still for a brief moment, his vision blurred at the blink of an eye.

Then he saw you.

"Summoner...?"

His voice was barely above a whisper. Then he saw you and his emotions got the better of him.

"Summoner!"

He barely processed being teleported back to where you departed all those years ago. Then he saw you and he couldn't help his legs that began to rush towards your direction.

"It's really you!"

At the sight of you he almost couldn't believe it, but the tug and the familiar feeling of magic and the feeling of your arms suddenly wrapping around him was undeniable. He practically threw himself at you. He could feel your hug, and you could feel him hug back. He almost bursts into tears when he hears your voice.

"I missed you so much."

His voice catches in his throat, but he manages to let out a reply.

"I missed you too, Summoner."

It's been twelve years since you were sent back to Mid Eartheim, but it felt more like a century. He missed you more than words can describe, not that it mattered all that much. You were finally back and that's all that really counts.

"So," you say after letting go of Pollux. "How were you these last couple of years?"

"Bored without you around!" He replies, earning a laugh from you. "So were the others, just so you know. They all really missed you a lot... Ah, but don't tell them I said that-"

"Don't tell Summoner you said what?"

Both of you jolt at the voice; Spica's voice, one you know well. You turn your attention to Spica, who'd been standing there for a little longer than you thought. But it wasn't just him. Alpheratz, Arcturus, Sirius, and Vega stands with him too. From the looks of everyone's faces, it seems like no one was expecting to end up where they were, especially with you present.

Pollux yells, "Gah! How did you all-?!"

"Quiet down, kid." Alpheratz interrupts, "It looks like we all got teleported here when Summoner showed up."

"I don't think any of us would've expected this transition... Or expected to see you," Vega adds.

Arcturus nods happily. "Hehe, yeah! It really surprised me when I was here with everyone all of a sudden."

"I guess it's not just Pollux who's sensitive to Summoner's magic," Sirius jokes—though he couldn't be less farther from the truth.

You stand there, almost as stunned as Pollux after Spica's—and everyone else's—appearance. He almost covers his face in embarrassment, yelling, "You guys-! You should've said something when you all got here!"

After your reunion with everyone, it was as if nothing changed. At least, it certainly felt that way. Everyone else seemed happier to see you, at least, according to what Pollux tells you. None of them would admit to how deeply your departure affected them. You didn't need words to know how they felt. But it was safe to say that you were just happy to be in Bound Arlyn again.

"Summoner, you have to try this one! It's one of their best things on the menu!"

When the dust settled down, Pollux brought you to a new restaurant you haven't seen before. It's not exactly new anymore as it's been around for more than a decade, but it was still new to you, so it counted as far as Pollux was concerned.

You enjoyed the flavour of the dessert Pollux recommended you try. It wasn't too sweet, and it was soft and light and went well with tea or coffee. You expressed your positive opinion about it with a mouth full of the dessert. He only beamed at your reaction.

"Of course it is! I told you so."

You chuckle, finishing the rest of your food. "Thanks for bringing me here, Pollux. This is a great place to hang out."

As the two of you head out to leave, there's a small hint of an emotion you can't discern from Pollux's face. The sorcerer seemed almost sad for a moment before shrugging at the thought of feeling that way.

"Pollux? Is something the matter?"

The sorcerer shakes his head. "No, it's just... I promised to bring you here when you came back."

Something like a flashback came to you then, a faint memory of Pollux saying something like that way back when.

He smiled and added, "I'm glad I was able to keep that promise."

You smile back at him and say, "I'm glad too."

[cryptid-time-bby]

So… my TET brain rot somehow made it’s way back into my life

Based this on a photo I took of my bf cause he’s cute and I love Scott