#i'd pick him up and spin him when he grew up

[tails-is-cool]

dont you think some people your age are stupid. gen alpha isn't special. we're all just born at different times but we're all people and the product of our times. we all have nonsense slang that pop up from time to time. we all get cringe a little. we all make mistakes- but we shouldn't? belittle an entire generation??? even if a few people seem a bit dumb????

everyday i see people forget what it was like to be a child and the thing is, I think we've been getting better at being compassionate to kids because they don't get choices, they feel helpless, we've felt helpless and that's just something human I think, but we need to make things better for them. there's all this generational beef but what's the difference between me and someone born ten years earlier?

i was fourteen and reading undertale au fanfiction and drawing and I may have been cringe for liking it but I was happy and for other generations, shouldn't that be what matters? it's not dangerous for people to like "weird" stuff. nothing is justified by a feeling of disgust rather than actual logic. those feelings drive forward hate in a place of unreason.

break the fucking generational cycle.

i agree with you. cringe culture needs to die.

watching gen z and millennials make fun of gen alpha has been torturous. "But they're actually stupid" 1. theyre middle schoolers 2. isn't that what older gens said about us? don't you remember being 11?

it truly is just "impulse reaction to cringe <- has not yet unlearned shame"

the cycle continues let me out of here

guys. guys I think we should kill cringe culture

[ultimate-shipper-trash-blog]

The Epilogue

It starts off on a simple hot sunny day at the lake.

The kids are giggling and splashing water in each other's faces.

Dustin and Steve are off to the side getting the sandwiches ready. Steve is watching Eddie flip the boys into the water.

"I'm so glad we're all like this together. I never thought I'd even get you an Eddie into the same room."

"Well he's really changed a lot. Definitely since we were kids. I like being his friend, I think we're better for it." He finishes wrapping up the sandwich he's working on and ignores Dustin's eyes piercing into his skull. Behind him he hears another splash and some screaming.

"What."

"I didn't know you used to be friends."

"Friends? It's been a long time since I've been regarded as one of those."

"Be for real I didn't know you and Eddie used to hang out."

"Yeah we used to hang out all the time." Steve looks off into the distance wistfully.

"So what happened?"

"Well, we grew up. I grew up and Eddie grew up and we both grew into different people and Eddie didn't like how different we ended up being. It happens all the time. We didn't have monsters to bond us like you guys."

"Well that sucks, maybe you guys will reconnect as strong as you used to be."

Steve rustles Dustin's hair much to his complaint.

"We'll be fine champ, we're doing well now aren't we?"

"Yeah Stevie we are." They both spin around at the sound of Eddie's voice. He's giving them a confused look. Squinting his eyes at Steve like he doesn't know how to feel.

---

A long time ago

"Do you want to be friends?"

"Why?"

"I think you're cool."

"No you don't you just think I'm cool cause I'm in 4th grade and you're only in the baby 3rd grade class."

"Am not!"

"You are!"

"UGH...I'm Steve by the way."

"Eddie."

Middle school

"Steve there's something wrong with me."

"Don't be ridiculous Eddie, whatever it is we'll fix it."

"This can't be fixed."

"Dude just spit it out I won't get mad!"

"Ok...I have a crush...on a boy."

Eddie's eyes are welling up with tears.

"Hey it's ok Eds." Steve walks closer to him, slowly, like approaching a wounded animal.

"I won't judge you."

"Really?"

"Yeah! So what if you like boys I'll kick anyone's ass who says anything bad. You're still my best friend that's never going to change." He wraps Eddie up in the tightest hug he can muster.

"I love you Steve."

"I love you too Eds."

Before high school

"I just don't know why you're being like this!"

"What Steve? You can't believe I'm mad at you for blowing me off for your other friends?!"

"I wasn't blowing you off! I had basketball practice! Tommy's mom just drove me home dude it's not as crazy as you think it is."

"Oh really?!"

"Yeah! If anything you're being crazy!"

"Oh! If that's how it's gonna be then we don't need to be friends anymore."

Eddie's stomps off. So angry he doesn't hear Steve calling back out to him. The next time they interact, Tommy is pushing Eddie into a locker.

When Steve called Jonathan Byers a queer he remembers the promise he made to Eddie and promptly throws up afterwards.

When Robin comes out to Steve on the bathroom floor he thinks he has a second chance to prove himself. When she ends up being better than he imagines he is so thankful.

God he misses Eddie.

---

"Me and Stevie boy can pack up the car don't worry munchkins."

The two try to pick everything up but Eddie gets progressively angrier by the second. Steve is trying to figure out why he has personal beef with a cooler.

When they reach the car Eddie tries to shove everything in the trunk but it all falls apart.

"What's wrong."

"Me? Nothing, why?" he hastily folds the towels again, shoving them back in.

"Well...you're all huffy."

He spins around, his face getting closer, red with anger.

"You wanna know what my problem is?! I can't believe you told him that like I was the one to break things off, like you ever missed me, like you never hated me!"

"That's ridiculous! I've never hated you! You hated me!"

"No! You're the one who changed. You made the final decision!"

"Yeah because you pushed me away."

"You didn't fight me on it."

"I fought you everyday. Everyday I thought of you. Everyday with the name calling and the lockers, I was trying to get your attention."

"You think I wasn't? You think I stand on tables for fun?!"

"...it's all been a misunderstanding?"

The two stare at each other not even daring to blink.

"We wasted so much time, we could fix that, that is if you still want me"

"I never went a day without thinking of you."

he gets shy, his face darker than his sunburn.

"I know you've changed, I've dealt with that but a part of me still thinks you hate me. For what I am. What you'll hold against me. I don't know if I can handle being friends with you with that fear in my heart."

"I'd never. Ever. Do anything. Besides," Steve flicks his hair back. "Birds of a feather and all that." The blush on his cheeks is high and getting darker by the second.

"The what?"

"I'm uh kind of bisexual."

"Kind of?"

"Definitely. Definitely bisexual."

"Oh."

"Right um...so you won't have any problems from me. I hope that won't be a problem for you."

"No! Never! I'm just...surprised."

"Yeah you would be," Steve grumbles.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

----

Steve is sleeping in his bed when he feels something wrong. His eyes shoot open and he spots a figure standing over his body.

"Jesus Christ!" He shoots out of bed and is ready to grab his weapon when he registers who's in front of him.

"Eddie?" He says softly. "What're you doing here? You had a gig tonight, how did you get in my house? Why are you in my room-"

"Steve." Eddie's face is golden. The moon is reflecting into his eyes, shining so bright. He looks so happy, like he's going to cry. His smile is so bright.

"Steve. I got it."

"You go it?"

"The record deal. I got it."

Steve runs at him and Eddie catches him. Of course he did. He always will.

"Oh my god oh my god," he mutters into his shoulder. Eddie's arms are squeezing his waist tighter. "I'm so proud of you oh my god."

"Steve. I have to tell you something, that's what I came here to say."

"What's going on Eds? You never sound this serious." Eddie lets go of him and sits him down on the edge of the bed. Eddie lingers closer to the door like he's ready to make an exit.

"The recording studio is in Chicago."

"Oh."

"I leave in a week."

"Oh."

"I want you to go with me."

"What?"

Steve feels confusion run through him but he's not complaining. He'd follow Eddie anywhere.

"Yes! Ok! Let's go!"

Eddie smiles but it looks like it's causing him pain.

"There's a condition to you coming with me." He comes closer to Steve but still keeps his distance. "You need to know the truth before you agree to leave everything behind."

"What's going on Eds?"

"Ever since we were kids I've been in love with you. Big. Gay. Feelings. I want to hold you and kiss you and start a life with you. I know you're bi but that doesn't mean you'd be into me, especially considering our history. I was going to keep it a secret, never tell you, but it's not fair for you to be with me and not know my true intentions. I understand if you don't want to speak to me anymore but I'll do anything to keep our friendship. I've tried to forget you but have you met you? You're unforgettable. You're too damn loveable." He chuckles at that, eyes darting at every corner of the room.

"Eddie..."

"I understand-"

"Come here please."

"Um...no."

"Edddiiie," Steve whines. He stands and grabs Eddie's hands and drags him back to his bed laying him down. He crawls on top of him and tucks his head into Eddie's neck.

"I am very confused right now Steve."

"Thank you for telling me, I understand how scary that can be to share your feelings. The only thing is I can't believe you don't see how I feel!" He props his head up until their noses are touching. "I love you you idiot. I've been in love with you since forever. Of course I want to start a life with you and whatever else you wanted-"

"Kissing. I wanted kissing."

"And you'll get it."

Steve giggles into his mouth and the two kiss for what feels like forever. They finally break apart and keep their foreheads touching.

"So...Chicago?"

"Chicago."

-----

Eddie's suit jacket is grabbed and he's thrown into a bathroom stall.

"Oh my god I can't believe you did that."

"Steve how did you even get back here? Bribed a guard. He knew who I was anyway, congratulated me on having such a loving partner." He ends the sentence smashing their lips together shoving Eddie against the wall.

"Mmm well," Eddie pulls away. "I didn't know the next time I'd win a Grammy I wanted to make it count."

"Eddie you confessed your love for me and came out in your speech that was something...something so special. God all I wanted was to see you, be near you. I couldn't go another second not being by your side."

"A bathroom stall was the closest you could get huh?" He smirks.

Steve smirks, sinking to his knees. "What? It's not good enough for you?"

"Nope! It's perfect! Absolutely perfect sweetheart no complaints here.

----

"You want to marry...me?"

"Yeah baby why wouldn't I?"

"I- I...yes! Ok! Yes!"

----

It ends on a simple hot sunny day

seventy years later

"Hello everyone, my husband lived a long successful life. You may know him as the lead guitarist for the many bands he's been apart of during his long career. You knew him as Eddie Munson rockstar but I knew him as much more. I knew him as my love. My husband. An uncle to our little gremlins little gremlins. A friend to all. A supporter of all. He passed away yesterday from natural causes. I was asked by his Manger how I wanted to handle this and I knew I had to do it."

There are tears in his eyes as he stares down the camera but a small smile on his lips.

"He lives on through our friends and family. Through those who have watched him grow. Through his awards and his fans. Through his charity work. Most importantly he lives through his love. He loved so much. So hard. Everthing had meaning to him. Everything had purpose." He wipes a stray tear away.

"I'll see you soon my love."

The final epilougue is the next day, for the sweethearts could not live long without the other. They had already been making up for the time they did not know each other, for they time they spent ignoring each other. They couldn't spend another minute apart.

[twstfanblog]

!*~Valentine's Times~*! pt 3

A/N: Here's the last half of the dorms! More world-building! Hope you enjoy it! The final part will be uploaded later on tonight, Happy Valentine's Day! Word Count: 7.9 (The Brick) Warnings: She/They Pronouns OC, Gets mildly spicy, swearing (Ortho gets ONE SWEAR) Pairings: Established poly (Yuu/Azul/Jamil/Malleus), Alluded Rook/Vil, Fake past relationship Rook/Yuu, Alluded Cater/Idia L (NRC Staff ft OCs). O (Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, Octavinelle). V (Here). E (Crack)

V is very, very extraordinary...

~SCARABIA~

The desert dorm was hot. But compared to the still nippy weather of the campus, Yuu welcomed the hot sun. Walking into the dorm's lounge area, Yuu looked at what could only be called ‘Craft Heaven’ or ‘Neat-Freak Hell’.

Construction paper, hot glue, and glitter were everywhere. No surface was seemingly uncovered by either paper scraps or stray blobs of paint. They just barely avoid stepping into the path of splattered yellow paint, eyes glaring at the half-apologetic student.

Things had nearly escalated before a pair of arms wrapped around their waist, picking them up and spinning them around as a joyful voice rang out.

“Yuu! I didn't know you were coming over!” Kalim laughs, taking care to place his friend in a cleaner area after taking note of their pretty white boots, “If I had known you were coming I'd have your Valentine ready to give to you! I just finished it so it's still wet…”

Yuu smiles, “Aw! You made me a Valentine? Kalim, you know I'm a taken harlot~.”

He laughs, hands proudly on his hips, “And you know I'm not looking! But! You are one of my dearest friends. It'd be wrong to not give you something on the day of love!”

Sniffling, Yuu wipes an imaginary tear from their cheek, “Kalim, you are my shining star.” 

Once the two had calmed their respective vibes, Yuu gestured around the dorm, “So, is this like a side hustle Scarabia has or is there a holiday tradition I'm missing?”

Kalim makes a questioning noise, then looks around the dorm before shaking his head and laughing, “OH! Naw. Lilia was pouting the other day about how he doesn't get ‘adorable’ homemade Valentine's Day cards anymore. So I had planned on gifting one to him and Cater at the exchange tonight. But then I wanted to make one for Jamil, then I couldn't leave you out of course, and then I had to make one for Azul, Malleus. The list just kinda grew!”

He gestures around to the other Scarabia members, only now did Yuu realize some weren't actually Scarabia students, “Everyone else saw me making them and wanted to join. So, we're having a last-minute craft party!” They both wince at seeing a spray of paint and glitter go flying through the air, “Yeah…Jamil’s in the kitchen making lunch for everyone. I'm in charge of cleaning this up before we leave for the exchange.”

“Well, Kalim I'm gonna make that harder for you, while also giving you a little treat.”

“Oh!?...” Kalim squints his eyes, brain catching the first part of Yuu's statement, “Wait, make this harder how? I'm happy for the treat but I don't want to make this even harder to clean up!”

“Gonna ignore the concern in your voice and give you the treat first. It's chocolate!”

Yuu pulls out a bag tied closed with white and burgundy ribbons. Inside were multiple colored gems, each glittering in the light through the plastic. He takes the bag, eyeing the gems with a focused stare. Only when he brought the bag closer did he fully see the ‘gems’ were simply chocolates luster-dusted in bright colors. He laughs, pulling a chocolate out to hold in the light.

“Ah! Clarity is bad, but the cut is very pleasing…”

“You are not evaluating my chocolate right now.”

“The colors are also pretty! Good saturation, a very pure hue…” Kalim brings the sweet to his mouth, eyes widening when he bites down to discover they were filled, “Oh! Coconut cream! Forget the grading, these are perfect!”

Yuu folded their arms, a smile winning the fight they put up to frown, “Okay, so with the grade they were bad, huh? You know what? Here.” They reach into their bag, pulling out a purple velvet bag with golden drawstrings, “That's for you.”

Kalim looked at the bag, opening it and raising an eyebrow as he stuck his hand inside, “What'd you get me-...” he pulled out his completely gold-coated hand, staring at it before he realized what he had in his possession,  “Yuu, did you give me a bag of gold dust?”

“Ye.”

“...” Kalim giggles, lightly bouncing on his heels as his eyes searched around the dorm, “Midas! Miiiiiiiidas~!” With his target seemingly found, Kalim raced off into the crowd of people, bag of luster dust and chocolates in firm hand.

Yuu wipes their hands of imaginary dust, turning on their heel and heading toward the kitchen. A part of them almost felt bad, the area near the kitchen was completely empty. Jamil must have been in Heaven, cooking in blissful solitude…

Jamil jumps hearing the doors of the kitchen swing open and slam against the wall, shoulders moving up to his ears only to feel every ounce of strength to tense leave his body at his date-mate's voice.

“Hi, Jamil~.”

They both stand in silence, Jamil still facing the stove before he sighed. Looking at them from the corner of his eye he mumbled out, untrusting that they appeared for a simple visit, “Hello.”

“Wow, Jamil. I can feel the love we share for one another pouring out of your fucking pores from here.”

Jamil sighs again, rolling his eyes so hard his head followed the movement, “Alright, let me try again…” He turns to Yuu fully, fluttering his eyelashes as he copied their earlier tone, “Hi, Yuu~.” he drops the flirty tone, raising an eyebrow, “Was that better?”

Yuu smiles, wrapping their arms around Jamil’s neck as they press against him, “Very.” A kiss, short and sweet as they let Jamil gently nudge them away from the stove.

Jamil subtly licked his lips, shoving Yuu lightly to one of the stools at the massive island, “Don't stand too close. You're in light colors and it'd do no good to get oil on yourself.” He goes back to tending the dish, flipping the meat by simply flicking his wrist, “If you came for lunch, it'll be at max an hour to wait.”

“What if I came to give you Valentine’s Day gifts instead?”

The look Jamil threw over his shoulder was disrespectful to the point Yuu hoped their future children would call Jamil out on it. They gasped, offended and miming they closed a coat around their body as they put on a thick accent, “Why I never! I came in here, alone, without a care in the world to give my loving boyfriend some chocolate I slaved over! And this is the thanks I get? Suspected of crimes that I would totally commit, but didn't?

“...” Jamil turned off the burner, grabbing a dishrag and cleaning off his hands in silence. He walks toward Yuu, hands quickly grabbing their hips when they try to step away from him. With a tired smile, he simply tilted his head to the side, “I love you. Have I ever told you that?”

“Don't sound so defeated when you say it. God, you make it sound like I wore you down!” They could barely contain their laughter, arms wrapping around his waist in a hug.

“That's because you did, you beat every ounce of fight out of me. Now, what did you bring me?”

Yuu had a hybrid of a pout and a smile on their face. Looking at Jamil’s tired expression before pulling out his bag of sweets, “I brought you chocolates. And they’re spicy, because I thought you would like that.”

Jamil holds the bag in his hand eyeing it passively. Tied off with burgundy and black ribbons, the chocolates inside were dark and shaped like gems. The edges of the chocolates painted with gold luster dust, burgundy and gold chocolate pearls scattered within the bag. The promised flavorings of dark chocolate and the Sriracha paste he had helped them make was a welcomed retreat he looked forward to.

He smiles, placing the chocolates on the counter and pulling Yuu fully into his embrace, “Thank you. Now sit down and do nothing.”

“I have another gift!”

The sigh Jamil let out was loud, giving his smiling date-mate a playful glare, “Yuu. My love. My hayati…I will not tolerate your bullshit today. If you cause trouble when my plate's full as it is, I will spank you.”

“Don't threaten me with a good time. But, no. You'll like this present, I swear.” They reach into their tote, pulling out what looked like a thick checkbook and holding it out to Jamil.

He raises an eyebrow, taking the booklet in hand and reading the dull red cover. “Jamil’s Cheat Checks” was on the front in gold script, flipping it open showed what seemed to be legitimate checks. The illusion was broken as the amount was pre-written as ‘Shut up and do as I say.’ He chuckles, checking each ticket to confirm they all said the same thing, “What is this?”

“Checks that when handed to me will make me stop all manner of shenanigans, hijinks, and/or funny hahas.”

“Wow. Even your funny hahas? The power you've bestowed upon me.” Jamil tucks the checkbook into the waist of his apron and presses another kiss to Yuu's lips, nodding his head toward the island before turning back to the stove, “Now sit. Food will be done in about 45 minutes and you can help me bring it out.”

“Yeah, yeah. I will do as asked and not spread my joyous presence to the masses.” Yuu sat on the other side of the island, resting their cheek on their hand as they smiled dreamily at Jamil, “I'll just sit here and daydream~.”

Jamil raises an eyebrow but goes back to prepping the food. But, the silence was short-lived, Yuu lasting at most a minute before they started to mimic the sound of a phone ringing. Jamil paid them no mind, focusing on getting another dish prepared for its final roast in one of the dorm's many ovens. He does look from the corner of his eyes as Yuu started to speak out loud,  just to see if they actually were on the phone.

Yuu's phone screen was black. Held in a way that it looked like they were talking, but made it easy to see the blank screen, “Yeah? No, I'm with Jamil. Yeah…I know.” They smiled at him, clearly catching him glancing at them, “He's so cute right?”

His eyes quickly turned back to the pan, a blush slowly growing worse and worse the longer Yuu ‘talked on the phone’

“I know right? Like, dude, how are you so handsome, talented, and intelligent? Can you be any more perfect?” Yuu internally cooed, watching Jamil’s shoulders raise higher and higher as the tips of his ears darkened with his blush.

“I can not wait to male wife him the fuck up.” The sound of Jamil’s accessories jingling as his head snapped around to glare at them was almost enough to make Yuu break, but they kept going. 

Jamil knew they were doing this because he was focused on cooking. He could see their phone, they weren't even holding it right. Yuu was simply waxing poetic behind his back because there was a whole island between them. His mind drifts to the tickets tucked against his hips and a part of him huffed in mild annoyance. They would make him use his present the second they gifted it to him.

Yuu watches Jamil grow more and more fidgety, listing off all the things they ‘had planned’ for when they were bound in holy matrimony. Romantic dates, quiet nights at home in each other's embrace, moments of passion. It was hard keeping the laugh out of their voice watching Jamil’s steadily quickening movements to place the crafted dish into the oven.

“Yeah. I just can't wait to be barefoot and pregnant-” they hear the hasty sound of an oven door slamming shut and ripping paper, “Hold on. I think Jamil wants something.” They place their phone down, turning to smile at Jamil, “Yeah, babes?”

Jamil held out one of the checks, glaring across the island with his cheeks flared, “You say that shit behind closed bedroom doors, not in the kitchen where anyone can hear it!”

Yuu sat patiently, blinking once before they pointed to the ticket, “You know you have to hand that to me right?”

…

His eyes narrow, moving to walk around the island only to stop as he watches Yuu mirror his movements. Every step he took toward them, they would move away. Jamil glared over the counter, the two of them now on opposite sides from where they started, “Really?” He couldn't fight the smirk on his face.

“Yeah, you really have to hand me the ticket, Jamil.” Yuu wiggled their eyebrows, a challenge ringing clear that even with the tickets they would never go down without a struggle.

Jamil clicks his tongue, untying his apron and slapping it on the counter. They stood still, eyes locked in a stalemate before he quickly faked left and then darted to the right of the island.

Yuu barely kept themselves from falling as they fled, the distance between them kept steady as Yuu yelled out, “Jamil! You're in sandals, I'm in heels! This isn't good for either of our ankles!”

“Take the damn ticket!”

“You have to hand it to me!”

They made a few complete circles around the island before Jamil threw caution and ‘playing fair’ to the sands. He braced his hands onto the counter, jumping and quickly scrambling across the island and managing to grip a screaming Yuu by the back of their overalls. They both fall to the ground, the sounds of Yuu's panicked scream laughter bouncing off the walls. The sound of a heavy ‘SMACK’ turning their laughter soon into breathless moans and the sounds of heavy kissing.

The door clicks open. Kalim walked in, a handprint of gold smeared across his face and more dust coating his hair and clothing, “Hey, Yuu. Is this stuff edible? I think I-Ah! AAAAH!” He quickly turned back to the door, trying to flee after catching a glimpse of Yuu and Jamil lip locked and fully grinding against each other on the floor, “STOP DOING THIS IN THE KITCHEN!”

~POMEFIORE~

Vil looked at the mess before him, glaring with his eyeliner brush hanging almost limp in his hand. Yuu stood in his doorway, sheepishly tugging at their shirt edge to hide the various bite marks along their collar. He could tell their hair was curled, but the state it was in now left it nothing more than a fizzy manhandled mess. By the Seven, their makeup. Smeared and blotchy, nothing more than an utter sabotage of the beauty community. 

Sighing, Vil sat down his eyeliner brush. Motioning them into the room as he opened his drawer to gather makeup closer to Yuu’s skin tone, “You were either mauled or you went to one of your lovers before walking in here looking so unkempt. Which one was it?”

“Jamil…” Yuu drags the ottoman closer to his vanity, sitting down and placing their tote on the ground, “And all I can say is that he actually looks more fucked up than I do.”

The third year reaches out to hold a frizzled tassel of Yuu's hair with two of his fingers, face pinched, “I highly doubt that…though I will commend him for still leaving bites and hickeys with that choker you have on.”

“Can you fix it?”

“I shouldn’t, in the hope that this will teach you a lesson in restraint,” He grounds out, already pulling Yuu’s hair out of its half ponytail gently and taking a brush to it, “But, I’d feel worse letting you walk around like this. I have very little authority over you as your club leader but I expect all under my care to look their best at all times.”

Yuu smiles, letting Vil do his favorite activity of priming others, “Thank you, big brother.” They will agree the laugh they let out was ‘gremlin’ adjacent, closing their eyes on Vil’s command as he poured his mineral water onto a towel.

Vil grumbles but takes care to remove the smeared pigment from Yuu’s face, “Honestly. I don’t know what’s worse. You spreading rumors that we’re family or the fact my own father sent you a Valentine’s basket along with mine…”

“One of those is mine!?” Yuu looks away from Vil, eyes glittering to the two large red and pink-toned baskets sitting on Vil’s bed, “Aw~! That’s nice.”

Vil quickly moved Yuu’s face back to him, frowning at the fact he nearly poked the younger student in the eye when they moved. “Stop moving…” His glare intensifies, staring at reddish spots dotted along their cheeks, “Are you breaking out? Why are you breaking out? Honestly, I make you a personal blend of skincare and you don’t even use it.”

 Yuu waves his words off, rolling their eyes, “I’ve been stressed! I spent the last few weeks trying to perfect chocolate molds and fruit fillings. Also, pretty sure standing over a pot of boiling sugar wasn’t good for my skin…”

Vil snaps his fingers, pointing upward, “Look up.” He ignores Yuu groaning, applying a few drops of his handmade blemish eraser serum, “Honestly, why are you so stressed about it? I understand you have three lovers but that shouldn’t be too much for you to handle.”

“Oh. Naw, I made chocolate for all my favs, not just them.” They rubbed the serum into their cheeks, humming lightly at the scent of lavender.

“...” When Yuu doesn’t say anything more, he frowns. Turning to his gathered makeup he mumbles while applying their foundation, “Well, I see how it is…”

“I don’t wanna give you your chocolates now. You’re way more of a bitch to me when it’s just the two of us.”

“Oh, so you did make me chocolate? Color me surprised, I would think you’d leave me out from ‘sibling spite’...”

Yuu groans, reaching into their tote but not pulling the bag out, “You can’t be mean to me about these, okay? I worked really hard on them.”

Vil rolls his eyes, turning his full attention to them with a raised brow, “Fine. If they’re horrible I will simply remain silent.”

“...” Yuu pulls out a bag tied off with purple and gold ribbons, the bow multiple loops and grand. The chocolates inside were dark chocolate and shaped like crowns, half of them luster-dusted with gold and purple chocolate pearls scattered inside, “I filled them with raspberry. Like, the saddest raspberry filling. I didn’t add sugar past what was needed to help keep it edible after thickening it.”

Vil takes the bag, eyeing it silently before he places it on a free shelf of his vanity. He gives a brief yet fond look to the chocolates before making sure their foundation was properly blended, “They look very nice. Where did you learn to tie a knot that intricate?”

Yuu breathed a sigh of relief, “Tulip did the bows, mine weren’t good enough it seems…”  They already knew getting Vil chocolates would be a gamble. The star was hyper-aware of nearly every calorie he took in. They had honestly entertained the idea of getting him a celery bouquet instead, “I’m glad you like them though.”

“Ah…Tulip…” Vil did his best to not pull a face at the mention of the over zealous fairy. “The chocolates are cute. I’ll try them later tonight and give my full review.” He smiles, holding up two eye shadow palettes. One was centered around reds and darker tones, the other had more pink options and various glitters, “Now pick your eyeshadow.”

“Oo~! I want a glittery smokey eye.”

Vil worked fast, redoing Yuu’s makeup faster than they had done it themselves. Taking the time to paint small hearts along their cheeks, over where their tiny red spots would be. Saving their eyeliner for last, he hums at his project and gestures for them to look into the mirror, “There we go. Two fat little wings, just as you like.”

Yuu lets out an ‘Ooo’, fluttering their eyelashes and winking just to watch the glitter on their lids, “I love it! And don’t hate on my ‘fat wing’ liner style. I say nothing about you staining your skin with the darkest eyeshadow every day.”

“Get out of my room.”

“No, give me my gift basket.”

Vil turns back to the mirror, eyeliner brush back in hand as he applies his own wings to a ‘proper’ length, “No, it’s mine now since you want to be rude to me.”

Yuu frowns, crossing their arms and intentionally making their voice whiney, “But you said dad got it for meeeeeee.”

“We aren’t siblings-”

The door bursts open, making both of them jump at the loud cry of “BONJOUR~!”

“Hi, Rook~!”

“Mon vieille amor~!” The Florian quickly walks into the room, dropping to one knee in front of Yuu and presenting them with a small bouquet of roses, “For the brightest flame of my past! Roses as bloomed as your wedding bouquet, pink as the twilight from the night sky of our first dance.”

Yuu gasps, taking the gathering of pink flowers into their arms, “Oh, Rook! Just like our 20th anniversary~! I’m so glad you remembered!” they reach into their tote bag, pulling out a mason jar filled with pink and gold chocolate pearls. The bag was tied off with purple and black ribbons, plastic keeping the chocolate sculpted roses safe, “Chocolate roses, for the man who taught me how to love.”

Rook takes the jar gently, smiling as he opens it immediately. He takes a petal from one of the roses, placing it in his mouth, “They love me…” He takes another petal into his mouth, “They love me not~ Beauté! 1000 points for this gift of love, mon vieille amor!” with the jar in one hand, he wrapped the other around Yuu’s waist to pull them closer to place them in a faux dip. He makes loud, borderline obnoxious kissing sounds as he mimes pecking along a giggling Yuu’s face.

Vil glared at them, a jagged line of black from the corner of his eye and down his cheek. He turns back to the mirror, pouring more mineral water onto a towel, “Both of you get out of my room…”

“Vil, stop being so jealous. Me and Rook are so in the past, but we were married for 40 years. It’d feel weird to not get each other something for Valentine’s Day.”

“You two. Never dated…”

Rook stood, placing Yuu up right beside him with a hand over his heart, “Oh, mon roi. My and Yuu’s love was true and deep. 40 years of affection, a son, and a lifelong companionship to stand the test of time.”

“You’re both under 20, your ‘son’ is a bird, and you didn’t meet until this year. The joke is old.”

Yuu clicks their tongue, shaking their head before resting it on Rook’s chest, “You just don’t get it, Vil…”

“Oh, no. I get it. My boyfriend and my little sister are both infected with the same brain-eating virus-”

“HA!” Yuu pulls away from Rook, pointing at Vil’s frowning face, “You called me your sister! Sibling bond, you BITCH!”

“I WILL-”

“Why is everybody yellin’ in here?” Epel stood in the open doorway, looking at the scene in front of him. He raises an eyebrow at Vil’s appearance, the third-year with one side of his face completely bare, “You…you doing something new and stupid with your face?”

Vil scowls, “Epel, I will make you sit at my and Rook’s table the whole party.”

Epel looks to the side, beads of sweat forming on his temple as he internally panics, “Never mind. I love it.” He turns and waves, eyes pleading for Yuu to help take Vil’s glare off of him, “Hey, Yuu! What are you doing here? Let’s talk about it!”

“Actually, I’m leaving. But here you go!” They reach into their tote, pulling out a bag tied closed with purple and red ribbons. 

Throwing it to Epel, the other first-year had to rush forward to keep it from falling to the ground. He holds the bag to his face, tilting his head at the red luster-dusted and milk chocolates in the shape of apples. Green beads of chocolate scattered in the bag, “Oh! You even made them apple-shaped. Thanks, Yuu.”

“Thank you for the apple cider. I used it to make the caramel I filled your chocolates with.”

Epels eyes widened, quickly opening the bag to grab a chocolate to try, “Hot damn! That sounds fuckin’ sweet-”

Vil glares at Epel through the mirror, finally painting his second wing properly, “Epel…”

“Thank you, I’m very excited to try it…”

Yuu snickers, “Did you forget he was in the room? Anyway. Pomefiore boys, thank you for hosting me, but I still got a few stops to make before I gotta head back to Ramshackle and get ready for the party.”

“...” Vil sighs, pointing to the gift baskets on his bed, “The red one is yours. You can take one thing from it.”

The squeal Yuu lets out is giddy, bordering on ear-splitting. They rushed toward the bag and made sure to open it as carefully as possible. Opening the basket to see a plethora of nail polishes and beauty products, “Aw! Mr. Shoenhiet really doesn’t do anything in half does he?” Yuu pulls out a dark red lip gloss, opening it to apply to their lips.

Vil smirks, seeing Yuu had picked the lipgloss he had personally advised his father to get for them when the man had asked what Yuu would like in their basket, “Of course he doesn’t. He’s my father after all.”

~IGNIHYDE~

Ignihyde didn't even bother decorating, nothing past the holographic screens showing a loop of hearts. Even then, they were the basic dorm blue, nothing even red. Though Yuu did see the tables were adorned by fresh flowers and pomegranates. They looked around the empty lounge, walking closer to a table to pick a fruit for themselves. Only to jump at seeing multiple bright dots appear on their hand and a disembodied voice ring out.

“Prefect Yuu, do not take the fruit. I repeat. Do not take the fruit.”

“Ortho, what the fuck my guy?” They pull their hand away, both hands placed beside their head as they looked around the room in panic.

Ortho appeared from a hallway, at least looking mildly sheepish as he floated closer, “Sorry! I forget at times you're not from here and don't know traditions.”

“It's tradition to try to shoot a bitch getting some fruit?”

“...” Ortho looks to the side, “Well…the shooting is more so my choice. But still! Taking the fruit is bad!”

Yuu sighed, throwing their head back but waving a hand as if to say ‘Go on’.

“The fruit and flowers are offerings. Hades was one of the longer lived Great Seven, so there's a number of stories about him. One of which was about his wife.”

“Ah. Persephone right?”

“Yes!” Ortho closes his eyes to show he was smiling, “Hades loved his wife dearly even though they were separated multiple times in their marriage. The offerings started out in the warmer months when Persephone and Hades were separated. The flowers to keep Hades in good spirits and the pomegranates to remind Persephone of her husband. But once the Queen's Marriage Anniversary was adapted outside of the Queendom of Roses, it also became tradition to offer both! As a way of gifting the lovers on this day of love and appreciation.”

“Aw…that's actually really cute…”

“I agree.” Ortho narrows his eyes, wagging his finger at Yuu in mock scolding, “So no taking any fruit or flowers! It's very rude to steal from a God.”

Yuu giggles, nodding their head, “Noted. Also…” They take a step forward, wrapping their arms around Ortho's body and pressing a kiss right below his eye before pulling away, “Happy Valentine's Day!”

Ortho stood still for a moment before he rocketed back into Yuu's arms, nearly lifting them off their feet from the force of his hug, “Happy Valentine's Day, Prefect Yuu! Thank you for the kiss! I've now collected three kisses!”

“Three?”

“Yes! Nii-San, Cater Diamond, and now Prefect Yuu! I feel very loved!”

“Aw. Well you're gonna feel a lot more love, baby boy.” Yuu reaches into their tote bag, pulling out a heart printed wrapped gift tied with white and blue ribbons, “A gift for you. Since you can't eat…”

Ortho's eyes were so bright Yuu was afraid they'd burn a hole through the box. The android took the package with care, “Thank you so much! May I open it now?”

“Go ahead!”

With almost surgical precision, Ortho unwrapped the gift and gently placed the folded paper and ribbons to the side. His eyes scan the box; a children's ‘make your own candy’ science kit. He flips the box over, reading the list of ingredients included in the kit. Once he was done, he looked into Yuu's eyes, “Prefect Yuu, may I swear?”

Yuu chokes on their laugh, but smiles and nods, “Yeah…yeah let it rip, buddy…”

“Prefect Yuu, this kit is shit.”

“I know…I know…” Yuu laughs at the bewildered look Ortho gives them, his eyes going from reading over the kit to squinting at them, “Look. I got it because while the candy is…barely edible, the kits are fun! You've got access to actual chemicals and stuff that you could use to make them taste better anyway.”

Ortho looks at the kit, calculating the few things he'd need to gather to make the potential candies in a greater quality, “That's true.”

“Plus! You can make fun gummies for Idia to try and like…slip a multivitamin or something in them.”

“I love it, thank you so much.” Ortho hugs the box to his chest, already coming up with numerous candies his brother would like. He perks up, eyes glittering when he realized Yuu hadn’t left, “Do you…Did you bring chocolates for Nii-San?”

Yuu nodded, patting their tote, “I did.”

The halls passed by in a blur, Ortho had picked Yuu up and flown as fast as he safely could to the housewarden’s door. Yuu had barely realized where they were before Ortho was knocking on the door at a rapid pace, “Nii-san, may we come in!?”

A quiet voice calls out from inside the room, “We…?”

Yuu smiles, calling out so that Idia knew who was with Ortho, “Are you decent?”

The voice calls out again, louder and with an edge of panic, “YOU CAN’T COME IN!”

Yuu nods at Ortho, “I think he’s decent.” 

They reach and swing the door open, smiling at seeing Cater look up from Idia’s bed and remove one of his earphones, “Sup?”

“No…Ortho why do you do this to me…?” Idia curled into his gaming chair, pulling his hood over his head as though if he could hide from Yuu’s sight they would have forgotten he was even there, “It was a good day…I got a free day from classes…Cater brought me candy…I didn’t see that fucking thing…”

“This ‘fucking thing’ has ears and the power to beat your ass.” Yuu smiles, reaching into their tote, “But I’m gonna let you get back to your day and just give you your chocolates. Catch!” They threw the bag, purposefully making it land against Idia’s keyboard.

Idia looks at the baggie, bright blue and black ribbons tying it closed with milk and white chocolate skulls inside with multi-colored gummies that looked like the buttons of a game controller. He brings the bag closer, eyes roaming to see if he saw anything truly hazardous in the bag. Like…a carrot…or broken glass…or a scorpion. But seeing nothing, he brought the bag closer to his chest and looked over at Yuu.

“I don’t know if this item drop showing our friendship…makes me fear you less or more…”

“Pick whichever one makes you feel safest.”

“...” Idia opens the bag, digging through the bag for one of the bright blue buttons, “It makes me fear you more.”

“That was the right answer. Ok! I gotta GO! Love you guys, see you at the party. Bye~...” Their ‘bye’ was heard as they ran down the hall, only ending at the sound of the dorms front doors slamming shut.

Idia turned to Ortho, frowning mildly at his beaming brother, “Why do you keep letting her into my room…?”

“Well, Nii-san. You refuse to leave your room. So I have to bring people to your room.”

Cater speaks up from the bed, placing his ear phones back as he nodded, “You gotta get that enrichment babe…”

“...” Idia turned to his computer, typing into the search bar, ‘How to tell if you are being bullied’.

~DIASOMNIA~

“I'm sorry, run that by me one more time?”

The diasomnia student sneered down his nose at them, sword held out to clash with the other student guarding the rope bridge to the dorm, “You heard me you harlot. You are no longer welcome in the grand Noble dorm of Diasomnia. Take your swill and be off!”

“...” Yuu nods their head, raising their eyebrows and pursing their lips, “Okay.” They turn on their heel walking away from the stunned students.

As Yuu was a good distance away yet still in the dorm, the more spiteful student smiled at his fellow guard, “S-see!? I told you. There was never a need to fear that wench, she only got away with everything she did because Lord Malleus favored her. Now that he doesn’t, she’s powerless!”

He continued on, boasting about how their dorm leader had finally seen that a magicless human wasn’t worthy of his affections. But during his speech, the silent guard kept his eyes on Yuu. The Ramshackle prefect didn't even walk toward the mirror when they left, only a few paces off to the side of the path. He watched silently as they knelt down, pulling festive bags from their massive tote and even a bouquet of flowers.

Then he felt a shiver go down his spine as he watched them fill the now empty tote with rocks.

Silver looks up hearing the doors open, blinking in mild confusion at who walked through them, “Yuu?”

Yuu was smiling, pulling a sizable rock out of their tote bag and dropping it outside the door, “Hey Silver! Um. If you think you see two unconscious bodies over by the bridge, no you don't.”

“What?”

“Happy Valentine's day!” Yuu was quick to pull out a plastic bag tied close with silver and bright green ribbons.

He takes it slowly, eyeing the dark chocolate shapes of swords and Z's with green and light purple chocolate pearls scattered in the bag. Opening it, he was greeted with the strong scent of espresso, “Oh. Coffee flavored?”

“Espresso cream filled. Thought you could put them in your coffee for an extra boost!” They look around the dorm lounge, eyes roaming, “While I adore you Silver, where is Malleus?”

Silver remained silent, putting a small sword into his mouth and chewing, “...It's good…”

“...Okay. You enjoy your chocolate, I'm gonna go hunt my boyfriend down.”

A nod was all Silver gave, stepping to the side to show he wasn't going to stop them, “Bye, Yuu.”

The dorm was filled with distrusting eyes, more so than normally. Yuu didn't bother asking any of them where Malleus was since they probably would have the same response as the guards. And sadly they don't have any more rocks in their bag. They sigh in a hallway, hands on their hips and looking around the room one last time.

“Beastie!”

Yuu felt a tap on their left shoulder, turning to the right as they knew Lilia's tricks. But, instead of seeing Lilia they see open air. They sigh, turning back around only to jump back as Lilia's face suddenly dropped into view, “AH! FUCK LILIA!” They braced themselves against the wall, catching their breath as Lilia giggled behind them, “Stop doing that…”

Lilia floats closer, smiling as he pats Yuu’s head, “Stop having such adorable reactions. What brings you to Diasomnia, dearie?”

“I’m passing out chocolates to my favorites and looking for Malleus.”

Lilia's eyes widen, humming loudly as he looks to the side, “Well, I can accept the chocolate and give you Malleus's location. But, you'll have to deal with him and Sebek alone…”

“Oh, Sebek is never an issue for me. While I have you, can you tell me what the fuck is wrong with Malleus?”

“...” Lilia smiles, tilting his head so far it made his whole body start to slowly spin in the air, “You said you brought chocolate?”

Yuu groans, but still reaches into their tote to pull out a baggie tied off with bright green and pink ribbons. Dark chocolate in the shape of bats and green chocolate pearls filling the bag.

Lilia squeals out in delight, taking the bag and opening it, “Oh, Beastie! I didn't think you'd actually bring little old me chocolate.” He coos lightly at the bat between his fingers, biting into it and nearly choking, “...Did you fill this with tomato paste?”

“More so a tomato jam…but basically…” they raise an eyebrow, “Are you going to tell me what's going on with Malleus?”

“Hmmm…” Lilia grabbed another chocolate, eating it whole and chewing, “Such an interesting flavor combination…I quite like it!”

“Okay, fuck you guys. But seriously. I've been so busy running around all day and I only, like…noticed that Malleus hasn't talked to me all day? Is he sick?”

“Hmmm. These chocolates are so good!”

Yuu frowns, reaching into their tote and pulling out another bag, “Just because I'm annoyed. Here.” They shove the bag into Lilia's chest, walking away as the older fae looks in confusion.

When he realizes what's in the bag, he frowns. Pastel colored shapes of a bat, a sword, a crocodile, and a dragon all cut out from marshmallow. He sticks his tongue out and turns around to yell after Yuu, “These are cute but you know I dislike marshmallows!”

Looking over their shoulder, Yuu yells back, “That's not my problem!” They continued walking, ignoring Lilia muttering under his breath if he'd be able to regift the marshmallows to Silver.

As expected, Sebek stood at attention in front of Malleus's door. They make eye contact, Sebek's eyes narrowing instantly upon seeing them.

“Yuu.”

“Sebek.” Yuu folded their arms, raising an eyebrow at the half-fae, “So…move.”

Sebek sniffs, turning his head to look away from them, “I don't take orders from you.”

“I know you don't. But, real quick, how are your kidneys doing? They doing ok?”

“If you're trying to start a fight-”

“I would bust your kidneys a second time. But, no, I'm not here for that. Lilia told me to come find you.”

“...” Sebek tilted his head, a sneer lifting one side of his lip, “Do you truly think I'm that stupid?”

“I do think you're dumb, but Lilia seriously asked me to come find you. He needs help finding his phone.”

Sebek simply sniffed again, turning his nose up at them. He even widened his stance and remained unmoved in front of Malleus's door.

“...” Yuu shrugs, turning around and walking away with a wave over their shoulder, “Fine. I'll just make sure Lilia knows you don't care about his problems.” They counted in their head, smirking when they heard Sebek groan.

“Fine! But, you’re coming with me-” The moment Sebek had walked beside Yuu, he choked, feeling them yank the back of his collar harshly. The kick to the back of his knee sent him down, aheap on the floor and then being blinded by being hit in the face with a plastic bag.

He only looked at the bag for a few moments, tied off with green and yellow ribbons. Milk chocolate lightning bolts, what looked to be gummy green crocodiles, and green chocolate pearls. That ingrate had assaulted him with festive chocolates. He tried to roll to his feet quickly, glaring up at the human running back down the hall toward Malleus’s room, “YUU!”

“Caught you lackin’!” Yuu had already reached Malleus’s door, smiling and holding up their fingers to form a heart, “Love you, bitch~.” They open the door, managing to slam and lock it just before Sebek had reached them. Smiling with a wicked glee seeing the door shake from the force of Sebek slamming against it.

The room was dim, but it normally was. Having night vision apparently made the goth aesthetic too easy to fall into. Lucky for Yuu, Malleus was always easy to find. The pair of glowing eyes in the corner at his desk giving away his location. 

“Hi Malleus. I haven't heard from you today, I was getting worried. You feeling okay?”

Strangely, Malleus doesn't respond. His only reply was to deepen his frown, eyes looking to the side in dismissal.

“...” Yuu blinked, placing their hands on their hips as they looked around the room in confusion, “Why…are you pouting? What happened?”

“...” Malleus sniffs, frown turning into a mild scowl as he fully turns his body away from them. Though Yuu was able to tell he was still watching them from the mirror with his eyes.

“...Are you ignoring me!?” Yuu couldn't stop the half-offended guffaw they let out that nearly caused them to choke. Malleus had responded by flipping a tassel of his hair over his shoulder. “The fuck did I do!?”

Was he pouting because they wouldn't let him come to Ramshackle the past week? Or maybe there was a certain fae etiquette that they hadn't done and now he was upset by it. They walked up to the pouting mage, trying to catch his eyes though he kept turning away from them. Soon they had straddled him in the chair, forcing eye contact.

“Ok. Talk to me. I can't make it up to you if I don't know what I did babes…”

He scoffs, “Oh, it's so trivial that you've forgotten what you did? Timothy surely hasn't…”

Yuu snorts, looking away when Malleus snaps his head to glare at them. It takes them a good few moments to compose themselves, but when they do they place their hands on Malleus’s cheeks. Squishing the cool flesh to make his pout even cuter, “You’re jealous…of Timothy?”

“You kissed him…” Malleus’s glare softened, turning his expression more into a kicked puppy than the annoyed dragon he was, “How could you bestow a kiss to him before me? It’s a grave error at worst and a slight at best…”

“...” Yuu’s hands left Malleus’s cheeks, not saying anything to his expression becoming even sadder. Instead they looked around their tote, pulling out a single item and placing it in Malleus’s hand.

Malleus looks into his palm, a drop wrapped in shiny aluminum with a paper tail sticking out of the top. He blinks, looking at Yuu in confusion as they leaned against his shoulder with a mischievous smile, “What is this?”

“A kiss.” Yuu’s smile widens as Malleus seemed to realize his mistake, turning away with a small blush rising to his cheeks. But they simply kissed along his neck, a hand moving up to scratch at the small patch of scales just behind his ear, “I gave each of the fairies a kiss as payment for helping me make chocolate for all my loved ones.”

“...I see…” The dragon would only be flustered for so long. He turned back to Yuu, a hand under their chin to hold them still as he gently kissed their lips. Pulling away, there was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he smiled, “Well, do you have an offering of love for me?”

Yuu smiled back, just as mischievous. They lean back, holding up the final bag of chocolate in their possession. Tied off with green and black ribbons, filled with dark chocolate shapes of ferocious faces and bright green chocolate pearls. They smile, gesturing to the bag with an excited look, “Open and try one!”

Malleus chuckles but does as asked. He pulls a single chocolate from the bag and looks at it with a keen eye. The shape confused him at first, not knowing why they’d make his chocolates in such a form until he realized he had seen it before. The smile on his face was what Lilia had once described as ‘Lovestruck’. Yuu had taken the time and effort to make his chocolates in the shape of gargoyle faces. Placing it in his mouth, he only bit down for a moment before a shock went through his body at the flash of cold.

The laugh Yuu let was high and almost mocking if he wasn’t so familiar with it, “I’m guessing it worked then?”

“Did you…how did you fill these with ice cream?” He took another chocolate from the bag happily eating it and purring at the feeling of chilled and unmelted ice cream mixing with the bitter chocolate.

“The fairies helped me. The frost fairies were super excited to make an ice cream that wouldn’t melt in the chocolate.”

“Well, I’m glad you succeeded in your culinary endeavors.” Malleus smiles, placing the chocolate on his desk to wrap his arms around them, placing his chin on their shoulder.

Yuu hums, snuggling into Malleus's warming body with a teasing smirk, “And that I didn’t kiss Timmy?”

“Don’t refer to him by a nickname…”

They snicker, knowing Malleus had regained his pouting expression, “Anyway.” Yuu leans back, squishing his cheeks in their hands again and smiling lovingly, “You wanna be my date tonight for the party?”

Malleus’s eyes glitter at the invite, only to dim a bit as he thought, “Would that be…fair to the others? We all are your lovers, isn’t it unfair to have only one of us as your date?”

“Jamil’s gift to Azul is to formally invite him as his date for tonight.” Yuu wished she would have been there to watch Azul try to keep his cool at Jamil’s invitation, “It's just an unspoken truth that you guys are all my dates anyway…”

“Ah, an unspoken truth, you say?” Malleus reaches up, holding Yuu's hands in his own before kissing their knuckles gently, “I shall accept your invitation, both spoken and unspoken.”

Yuu giggles, pulling their hands away to weave them through Malleus’s hair. Pressed against him as they lightly scratched at the base of his horns, feeling the purr he let out, “You charmer…Oh!” They could barely pull away from Malleus's embrace, ignoring the whiney growl that the dragon let out. 

They reach into the tote, pulling out a single slip of paper. Handing it to the confused dragon, they placed their head on his shoulder as he read it over. 

When he was done, Malleus's smile widens. He carefully tucks the ticket into his desk drawer, his free hand moving to trace along their collar bone, “May I leave a mark as well?”

“Not even gonna ask me about the ticket?” Yuu raises an eyebrow, eyeing the closed drawer with a mildly concerned eye. The ticket was labeled with ‘24 Hour Free Trial Breeding Pass’. A simple ‘Get out of contract consequences’ offering since Malleus seemed so keen on trying to change their agreement at every slight inconvenience. How getting pregnant will help them pass their algebra class, they weren’t sure…

“What is there to ask? I read it and know what it offers.” Malleus kissed along their jaw, chuckling under his breath  as he picked his spot to leave a mark, “I will collect my prize when I see fit.”

…

Well, that was only mildly concerning~♡

[scribblestatic]

Okay, we are so back on my amputee!SY train.

Also, for Cai Minyue, which you'll read below, it's spelled and pronounced 蔡 珉月 (Cài Mínyuè).

Prev: Part 4

---

The day of the crowning ceremony is one most of the remaining wives had come to expect. Sure, none of them were going to be empress, but honestly? Good for Shen Yuan. As much as the man called himself lazy, they knew of people with limbs substantially less dedicated to ecological maintenance, foreign diplomacy, and proper record-keeping.

Sure, he'd had to have a servant write for him at first, but he very much preferred writing through qi control, especially since, once he got the hang of it, he was much faster at getting his own words on paper. And boy does he have a lot to say.

His efficiency at the position aside, he also genuinely loves Luo Binghe.

In lieu of hands, he'll press his forehead against Luo Binghe's when he suspects that the latter's qi is unsettled. Although Binghe acts like he's an open book, Shen Yuan picks up on his moods easier, even the minute things. He's also very, very indulgent of him, but nobody's perfect.

But, perhaps it's that indulgence that has helped Binghe heal into the better person he's becoming.

Fantastic. Good for them, honestly.

Though, that didn't mean Shen Yuan wasn't, somehow, inexplicably still unsure as to why Luo Binghe wanted to make him empress despite having been married to him for several months by this point.

"He could do better," he insists as the servants dry his hair.

"Like, on the chance I really am Shen Jiu somehow, this really isn't something I deserve—" he pauses, voice wavering slightly as the Sha Hualing huffs at him to be still and puts the liner more cleanly around his eyes.

"Seriously, he has you and Liu Mingyan and Ning Yingying and Cai Minyue—"

"Are you complimenting the Little Palace Mistress right now?" Liu Mingyan asks, pinning his hair crown in place.

"She's rough around the edges, yes, but she's not a bad person."

"She hates you, though," Sha Hualing reminds him.

"And that's fair! If I expected to become empress at some point since he grew his empire on the remains of Huan Hua Palace, only to have my husband do some spells on his abusive shizun, marry him, then make him empress when he'd been imprisoned in the Water Prison for the crimes said shizun did against said husband, I'd hate me, too!"

At Sha Hualing's sigh and roll of her eyes, Liu Mingyan leaned from behind him toward his left side, where his remaining eye was.

"Do you love Binghe?"

"Of course I do," he says easily.

"And you trust him to make his own decisions?"

"Yes, he's a grown demon emperor. But—"

"And you trust that he loves you?"

"I...well..." He glances away, his thin face already starting to redden. "I don't get why, but—"

"But you trust that he loves you, yes?"

A simple but elegant fan rises up from the nearby table and opens in front of his face, hiding his nose and mouth from view.

"...Yes."

"Then, that's all the reason needed for him to make you his empress, is it not?"

"Well...it's just..." He starts fanning himself. "...from a political standpoint—"

"You can just say you're nervous, idiot," Sha Hualing snarls heatlessly, pinning another flower near his crown.

He keeps complaining and trying to reason with why he shouldn't be empress despite being perfectly suitable and wanted for the position, but it's not like he actually fights the process. By this point, the remaining wives closest to him knows he avoids and extrapolates and spins his own mind in place, but his actions often say more than his words do.

More than once, he's huffed and griped at them without any harmful intent. He's called Binghe "shameless" while allowing him to do as he pleased. Whenever the demon emperor would call him "wife," he'd huff and hide his face behind his fan and say "Who's your wife?" while turning away, only to lean in when his husband went to kiss him.

He only really said "No" when he truly thought or meant it, giving weak and petulant excuses when he seemed to not want to verbally agree in an almost coquettish display. And, when flustered, he rarely gave his agreement in simple language. If one didn't read between the lines, they could call him a hot-and-cold sort of spouse, but anyone who knew his language could tell he was almost always, unfathomably, full of warmth.

Even on quiet days—when his qi feels jagged and he seems overstimulated by the smallest things, strung tight and unfocused, his words coming out with more bite than intended—he was still warm underneath it.

Sha Hualing and Liu Mingyan watched as that warmth faltered upon the interruption of Cang Qiong Sect, their qi rolling and swords unsheathed as they protested his crowning, arriving right before it was set to add to the one already in his hair as a representation of his elevating status.

Yue Qingyuan's immense qi bowled some of the guards over, guests falling to their knees with others scrambling to get out of the way. Several other peak lords were also in attendance. Liu Mingyan's eyes narrowed upon seeing her shifu, Qi Qingqi giving her a look like a betrayed mother.

"Luo Binghe, you have long gone too far!" the sect leader bellowed, his voice commanding attention.

But Binghe himself just smiled, his eyes crinkling despite the light not reaching them.

"My, Sect Leader Yue. If this lord recalls, he did not invite you to this occasion. In fact, I explicitly remember banning you and the rest of Cang Qiong Sect from attendance."

"Shen Qingqiu was a member of our sect and your shizun. Yet, after debasing him to such a degree, you dare make a mockery of him in this manner? Your idea of just punishment has strayed too far. Cease this humiliation immediately!"

"This lord doesn't understand what you mean by 'humiliation.' I am not so wasteful as to pay such attention and money for an empress crowning ceremony as a paltry joke."

"So you intend to make a mind-broken man the empress to your throne? Hah. It seems you truly are more of a blasphemous fool than even I expected," Qi Qingqi said, her eyes ablaze.

As the two groups continued fighting, Liu Mingyan looked to Shen Yuan, who was mysteriously quiet, his shoulders hunched. From the way he was turned, seated to face Luo Binghe as he placed the crown in his hair, his blind side was to the sect now proclaiming their grievances in his stead.

Yu Qingyuan's pressure increased, and Luo Binghe spread his qi to match. The air churned and coiled with it, some guests having fainted while others hid beneath their seats and nearby tables or other such places. The ones who could somewhat withstand it armed themselves against the sect members, considering most attendees were demonic in nature. That said, the ones more sensitive to qi were looking pale and ill.

"Binghe."

Immediately, Luo Binghe reined in his pressure, turning toward Shen Yuan, adoration plain in his eyes. As though the others weren't there, he returned to his side and got to his knee before him as he often did so Shen Yuan did not have to crane his neck to look up at him.

Whatever look was on his face caused Binghe's expression to sour with concern.

"Yes, this lord is here."

A moment, then Shen Yuan sat up, his shoulders lowering as he straightened his posture. A fan laid still on Shen Yuan's lap. Liu Mingyan could almost imagine how he'd be sitting: his hands politely still, legs tucked slightly under the chair.

The very image of an ethereal, untouchable immortal.

"Our guests are suffering. Perhaps we should have this discussion elsewhere."

"But, your crowning..."

"It can wait until tomorrow. It can't be helped as it is."

"...If it's what you wish."

"Thank you."

Binghe's smile returned, though it was one of his softer, more genuine ones.

"You need not thank me, my beloved."

He lightly held Shen Yuan's chin, and he kissed his forehead, right where his huadian dyed his skin red. Some of the sect members choked in outrage, and Yue Qingyuan's pressure strengthened even further.

"Sect Leader Yue, restrain yourself," Luo Binghe called out. "You invade my palace and harm my guests by throwing your weight around. Have you no shame as a righteous cultivator?"

"You—"

"My beloved requests your acquiescence."

"You dare to call him as such after what you sent to me... After what you've done to him—"

The fan on Shen Yuan's lap raised up, opening slowly before snapping shut. The sound echoed in the area, powered by qi. After all, as the former Qing Jing Peak lord, the arts, and sound, were something he studied immensely, if he was indeed some incarnation of Shen Jiu.

"Yue Qingyuan, cease."

And, as though flipping a switch, the sect leader's qi calmed, pulling back in as though he never let it out. Though, perhaps it was less out of obedience toward him and more out of shock for the irritation in his voice. After all, he sounded...quite sane.

Shen Yuan turned toward them, finally looking at them with his eye, the fan opening back as it hid the lower half of his face. From Liu Mingyan's angle, she could see the unhappy frown on his balmed and lightly painted lips.

"...It seems you wish to protest."

"What?" Qi Qingqi murmured.

"If you want to do so, we can at an appropriate setting. However, here is not it. We've invited these people here for a celebration, not to be harmed."

Wei Qingwei looked firmly at Shen Yuan, likely thinking him possessed by some spirit...and wouldn't he be able to tell? If only Hong Jing could leave the mountain. Maybe Shen Yuan's confusion could also be resolved. Meanwhile, the murmurs and whispers from the sect were already referring to him as brainwashed and incapable of making judgements.

Luo Binghe quickly silenced the whispers by calling out orders, directing servants to tend to their crowning guests as the meeting would occur in the court hall.

Binghe shot a look toward Liu Mingyan, and she nodded back, leaving to find two people they needed for this.

Well...she hoped it wouldn't happen, as did Luo Binghe to a certain extent. However, since the sect did indeed come, they might as well use what they'd prepared.

---

It clicked to Shen Yuan as he was set in his seat beside Binghe's throne that, perhaps, this was all something that Binghe planned.

The court hall was already prepared, and the curtains hanging from the walls were more luxurious than usual. Maybe he could've put it off as simple decorating changes, but there was a nagging feeling in his gut that this had been carefully staged. Not in a fake or false sense, but in a sense that it had been carefully prepared.

He looked up toward Binghe as he placed him on the cushion, his husband carefully settling his clothes before gazing at him with dark eyes full of a profound regard that made him almost feel like crying.

"Hmm?"

Shen Yuan opened his fan, floating it in front of his face as he turned away.

"Nothing."

When his eye slid back over to Binghe's face, he saw the demon emperor's grin as he leaned in and kissed him on his cheek. If his fan lowered to allow him to do so, no it didn't.

"My A-Yuan is so magnanimous. Don't worry, we will certainly have you crowned by tomorrow, if not tonight."

"Who's telling you to rush, ah? Sit, Binghe. People are entering."

The chuckle that rumbled low in Binghe's chest thrummed in his own. After the demon emperor placed one more kiss on his cheek, this time closer to his ear—despite knowing they had become more sensitive since his other senses were muted, you menace—he sat on his throne and, once their guests settled, directed that the sect be allowed to enter.

The doors opened, and they were allowed to enter, but Shen Yuan found it difficult to keep looking at them.

The memory—dream—of them standing in the central crowd overlapped with the current situation. Though, they were a bit displaced. Back then, in the dream, he'd been lower down, bound in immortal binding cables and forced to kneel on knees he no longer had, coughing from continued exposure with the acidic air of the lowest depths of the Water Prison.

This time, though, outside of the dream, he was sitting on a throne of his own. One soon to be completely his in an official sense.

Yue Qingyuan sent him an imploring look, as though he hadn't failed to show up for him again.

...Why hadn't he showed up for him? The book never explained it. Hell, it never explained why Shen Qingqiu had hated Luo Binghe, nor had it explained why Shen Qingqiu felt so betrayed and snappy toward Yue Qingyuan. So many blasted plot holes.

At least now, through the dreams, he was able to get some context.

But Yue Qingyuan was always there, wasn't he? And Shen Qingqiu...he'd definitely asked why he didn't come save him. Yue Qingyuan would always just give him that same, imploring, apologetic look.

He was beginning to understand why the original goods had been so disgusted by it. Having it directed at him now felt similarly irritating.

"Now that we've uprooted our plans for these righteous cultivators, this lord would love to hear why you all have come to a crowning you were not invited to," Binghe sneered, seeming to also dislike the look Yue Qingyuan was sending him.

Or, well, maybe he had a personal reason to dislike him...

Ah. That was very possible, wasn't it? After all, he despised Qing Jing Peak, but he hated Cang Qiong entirely, with some sort of incident having interrupted his plans to raze it to the ground.

Yue Qingyuan, as the sect leader and someone personally involved in his life, had to have known what Shen Qingqiu was doing to Luo Binghe. And he did nothing.

Hmm.

"—to defile your shizun in this manner. We already gave you justice during his trial years back. What more do you want from him?"

"To become my empress, clearly," Binghe humored.

Many in the witnessing crowd laughed, while others tried to conceal their discomfort, perhaps swayed by whatever Yue Qingyuan said. Or maybe they'd always felt a bit uncomfortable about the idea of him as empress. Who knew?

"If we're to speak of justice, then Cang Qiong should consider their judgement overdue... And Shen Qingqiu's justice long ignored."

Eh?

Wait, Binghe, what's this??

"As uninvited as you all are, this lord is grateful for your impudence. Before the crowning of my empress, shall we have a retrial?"

Ehhh??

----

Binghe: Trap card activated.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5: here Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

Part 11+: links on Part 10

AO3

[aphroditestempleimagines]

Mortal - Chapter 1

A Suguru Geto x fem!Reader fanfiction -16+

Words: 1983

Warnings: Blood, Mentions of Death, Violence, wounds, hospital, heavy angst

Summary: Mimico and Nanako get into a horrible car accident after a drunk night with their friends. Geto is called to the hospital where he discovers you, a human plagued by cursed spirits and a cursed life, who saved his two precious daughters' lives from the fire.

It was quite late at night when Suguru closed the door to his private apartments in the temple. He crawled onto his futon, his eyes barely kept open. He rubbed his temples as he drained the pitcher of water his subordinates left by his bed.

"What a day", his rough voice murmured.

He tapped on the screen of his phone. It was quite late indeed. Nanako and Mimiko had still not returned from their party. He slid his finger down the screen to unlock it and dialled Nanako's phone number; she was bound to pick up. A few moments later the rhythmic beats of the dial were replaced by the loud background of techno music.

"I promise we're going", Nanako's voice said before Sigiri could even ask a question.

"It's already quite late young miss. And you didn't even call"

"I know I know", she whined.

Geto let out a short chuckle. "Are you girls having fun?"

"Lots!", Nanako beamed.

"Alright. You are excused", Suguru said, "But it's time to come home now."

The girl let out a gruff. "Yeeeess we will"

"I'll be waiting for you", Suguru warned, "I won't go to sleep until you come back"

"Ok Geto-san, we're coming", she said before giving him her goodbyes and hanging up.

Geto shook his head. He had been fearful of the time the girls reached this age and now he was experiencing it first-hand. He lay on his side, scrolling down his phone as he read through their messages. He checked on their Instagrams and smiled at the various stories they had uploaded from their night at the party. He knew the kids were from good sorcerer families, even though they themselves did not know his relation to the two girls. He tried to stay awake, but his exhaustion weighed down on his eyelids more than he could lift.

The next thing he remembers is a loud banging on his door. He shook his head awake. He checked his phone; an hour had passed. The girls should had been home by now. The banging continued. He rubbed his eyes as he pulled himself onto his feet.

"Miguel?", he frowned as he slid the door open, "What the-"

"There's been an accident!"

Miguel's words almost stopped Suguru's heart. His eyes grew wide. "What...did you say?", he stuttered.

"We have to go to the hospital! NOW!"

Miguel left to wake up the rest of their little family. Suguru stood there, on the doorstep of his bedroom, unable to move anywhere else but down. He clung to the doorframe, his body trembling in fear.

It was happening again. It was all happening again. The world around him was spinning like a roller coaster. His fingers dug on his chest as if trying to reach his breaking heart. He barely registered Miguel's voice as he returned.

"SUGURU!", Miguel shook Geto's shoulders. Suguru was finally able to focus his gaze. "Get yourself together. They're not dead"

A sliver of hope brightened Suguru's eyes. It gave him the strength to summon one of his curses and carry his family to the roof of the human hospitals the girls had been taken to. Geto ran down the flights of stairs. When he finally found a staff locker room he quickly sneaked inside.

"What are you doing?", Larue followed him, "The twins are bound to be in the emergency room"

Suguru was already half-way into changing from his Buddhist robes into doctor attire. "I'd be damned if I let their primitive medicine touch them", he spat as he gathered his long hair under a blue plastic hat. "What if...what if they...", he could not say that forbidden word, "We can do something! Reverse curse energy can heal them even if they are on the verge...on..."

Larue grabbed a spare shirt and coat and put them on. He covered his square jaw with a mask and nodded his head to Satoru. He'd follow him in whatever he did.

They ran to the emergency room. The others were already sitting outside. Geto used one of his curse spirits to make some of the staff start coughing uncontrollably. Then he and Larue appeared as saviours out of nowhere. He stood over the bed where his girls lay. His hand petted Nanako's hair in sorrow. Her bright eyes which used to be full of life were firmly closed as she breathed through a tube. He lifted the thin blue cover the monkeys had placed over her body to operate. She had a lot of cuts and even more bruises. A few burns were even imprinted on the left side of her body. Her sister was a little bit better. She must had protected her; she always did.

He had never wished Shoko to have followed him more than he did on that moment. He concentrated with all his might to heal the two girls, at least enough to get them out of death's reach. He managed to fix Nanako's internal bleeding and restored Mimiko's ribs to their rightful place before the nurses took notice.

"Did you take proper scans?", Larue asked the nurses, "Cause they don't look to be in need of an operation"

The humans did not believe them until they saw the new scans with their own eyes. Geto was amused by their astonished gaze as they tried to understand the great difference between what they were seeing and their original diagnosis.

"To err is human", said Geto as the girls were transferred into a recovery wing, "We should be glad our colleague spotted the mistake before we endangered the lives of two young girls with an unsanctioned operation".

His charm was enough to win them over. He thanked the mask he wore on his face at the emergency room for saving him from complications when he went to visit the girls as himself. He sat by their bed as they slept soundly. He would try to heal them again when he recovered his strength.

"Are you a monk, sir?", one of the nurses asked, to which Geto nodded. "I see...I suppose it makes sense, they really had luck on their side, didn't they?"

Suguru frowned. "What do you mean?", he turned his gaze to the woman.

"Oh...well..I thought you knew sir...", she fidgeted with the folder she held in her hands, "T'was a drunk driver...I'm afraid their friends died instantly upon collision"

A chill ran through Geto's spine. He looked at the two daughters he had raised, the two daughters that could had been taken aw from him so easily. "They...died?", his voice trembled.

"I'm sorry to say sir", the nurse whined, "Were you taking care of them as well at the temple?"

Suguru shook his head. Damn monkeys. More sorcerers' lives were taken away, this time directly by the hand of those vermin. "What about the driver?", he asked.

"The police are looking for him, sir. His car fell of the bridge as it ricocheted"

Geto clenched his fists. He was almost certainly dead. There was nothing for him to do to make him suffer for hurting his girls.

"Honestly I don't know if I could have done it", the nurse's voice broke through Geto's buzzing thoughts.

He turned to look at her again. "What did you say?"

"That woman sir", the nurse responded, "She called the fire department, then went and carried the girls outside. Lucky thing she did the car was completely enveloped by fire when the trucks got there"

"A woman? What woman?"

"I don't know sir. She's at the other end of the hall. She suffered quite a few burns so we had her treated too"

Suguru frowned. He held his daughters' hands in his as he sat between the two beds. Was that woman another one of their friends? Did she see the accident and ran to help?

"Geto-san", Nanako stirred as soon as the nurse left the room.

Suguru hushed her. "Stay still for now, we'll make you all better in a bit"

"What...happened?", she struggled to say.

"You were in an accident", Geto cupped her hair, "The bastard who hurt you is already dea-"

"Mimiko", Nanako tried to get up, "How's Mimiko?"

"Shhhh", Suguru laid her back down, "She's fine, she's asleep. Look"

Mimiko's gaze turned to her sister but her heart did not settle. "Is she...is she alright?"

"She's fine darling", Suguru reassured, "You're both fine. I made sure"

A few tears of relief pricked her eyes as she settled back in her pillow.

"Suguru", Miguel called from the door. He gestured to the corridor. Suguru left a kiss on each of his daughters' foreheads before following Miguel. He pointed at the smoking area. There, an old friend waited for him.

"If it isn't the wanted criminal", Shoko joked but there was no joy in her voice.

"Shoko...what..."

She put out her cigarette and tossed the bud in the closest bin. "No one knows I'm here. Not even Satoru", she cut him off before he could ask, "One of your new acquaintances came into my lab and let me know what happened"

Shoko walked up to him and pulled him into her arms. Suguru had not realised how much he had needed that.

"So...you're here to help?"

Suguru felt her nod behind him. "Of course", she said, "Just give me an hour and they'll be discharged. Your friend...Laure? He told me you already put in a lot of cursed energy to get them to their current level."

"Thank you, Shoko"

She let him go, her gaze turning serious. "You better disappear as soon as I'm finished. I'd rather if I didn't lose any more friends"

She gave him a kind smile and a pat on his shoulder before going to the girls' room. Suguru felt warmth overcome him. Sorcerers helping sorcerers; That was his one true dream.

As he got out into the hallway he peeked through the open door of the room on the side. He did not mean to, yet as the deed was done the nurse's words came back to him. He saw a young woman. Her hands wrapped in bandages, she sat on the hospital bed with a book on her lap and her gaze turned towards the falling snowflakes outside her window. He stood at the doorstep before he could properly think. There was some curse energy coming from her even though it was not all that strong. He lowered his head. How disappointing.

"Hello", she called to him as he turned to leave, "May I help you?"

He turned to meet her gaze. That's when he spotted the small curse spirit that clung to her body, weighing on her soul like leeches.

"Are you lost?", she asked again. Her gaze was soft and kind like an April cloud watering the fields.

"Ah...eh...no", Suguru said, "Were you the one that helped the girls at room 214?"

"Are they ok?", her eyes widened in fear, "Did something happen? The nurse told me they were stable!"

"They're fine!", Suguru waved his palms at her, "They...uh....They're my daughters. I just wanted to...uhh"

What was he doing? Was he about to thank one of those monkeys? Seriously? Her eyes were confused at his lack of response. After a moment her face relaxed into a kind smile.

"I'm so glad at least they're alright", she said before lowering her gaze, "I wasn't able to get anyone else out"

The old Suguru would had comforted her. He would had gone to her side and placed his hand on her shoulder, letting her know she had done more than enough with the strength she was given at birth. But...he was not the old Suguru anymore. No matter how much his old self screamed at him, he gave her a nod and returned to his family.

[teddyeyeseddie]

The Draft

Part of the ❤️‍🩹🏒🦇Steddie Hockey AU!🦇🏒❤️‍🩹

A series by Teddyeyeswinchester x @lfaewrites

2.2k of tooth rotting fluff and smut

(A/N: I have slaved over this for days and days trying to get it perfect! Thank you to my lovely best friend @lfaewrites for writing this series with me and encouraging me while I wrote this. Hope you all enjoy this glimpse into the life of Bijou and Eddie!)

CW: fluff, nicknames (bonehead, bijou, sweets), eddie's missing teeth, oral ( fem & male rec), p in v, breeding kink, daddy!kink vibes, minors dni

I'd be so good to Ya- By @lfaewrites

You’re with him when he gets the call, the call that changed his life and set him off into a whirlwind of ice and pucks. 

It sets a fire in his veins, and everything he has worked for is placed in front of him. His hard work all paid off when he heard the first ring. He answers the unknown call on your home phone with trembling fingers, your heart stops when you hear his voice croak out a soft, scared “Hello”. 

Your heart picks up speed, and beats out of your chest when you see his mouth turn up into a huge Cheshire grin, his missing teeth on full display as a passionate “YES!” echoes off the walls and rings in your ears. 

Shortly after he sees his picture displayed on your TV screen, fake teeth in, a smile on full display. 

“And the first draft pick for the Hawkins Tigers…#69 Eddie ”The Monster” Munson!” 

Wayne cries when he sees his picture, his Hoosier senior hockey picture bright on the screen. 

Eddie hangs up the phone in enough time to see himself on the screen in your small house, he runs to you and picks you up off your feet, swinging you around with his forehead pressed against yours. 

He's still swinging you around when he hears, “And the first draft pick for the Chicago TImberwolves #17 Steve “Le Loup Bleu Du Québec” Harrington!” 

The next thing he can hear is the blood rushing in his ears, the squealing and jumping you are doing left to the back burner as his gaze is caught by the TV screen, a boy with perfect hair and the pinkest lips. He snaps out of it as fast as he fed into it, a familiar feeling of guilt and shame settling low in his belly when he looks at you, smiling up at him and smiling at the screen. 

“That’s my Stevie! We grew up together, oh I’m so proud of him Eds!” He quickly settles down on the couch, nursing a beer as you skip to the kitchen to grab more wine for yourself.

In between wine and beer and soft kisses, you manage to squeeze Eddie into an old Hawkins Tigers jersey he had laying in his closet, polaroid out to take pictures of the boy. His smile is so bright it makes your heart bloom. He was so into the moment, he didn’t even bother to put in his fake teeth.

The two of you continue to sip your drinks, knotted up together on the couch and stealing kisses as he watches the rest of the draft. Wayne heads out halfway through, bidding you both a small “Goodnight” and jetting home. 

As the draft bleeds into reruns of wheel-of-fortune, Eddie is distracted enough that he doesn’t even notice you slipping off the couch and into your shared bedroom. 

You clear your throat, arms crossed as you look down at Eddie, his head shoots up, a smile cracking at his face as he realizes what you have on. 

He lets out a goofy giggle, standing to grab your hand and place a kiss to it. 

“Got one of my old Hawkin’s Tigers jerseys? Don’t even gotta worry about that old thing anymore, s’ from my fan days. Daddy’s on the team now- gonna have you decked out in all kinds of stuff, sweets,” 

You shake your head, gripping his hand as you do a little twirl so your back is facing Eddie. 

Hopper, being like a second dad to you and coach for the Hawkin’s Tigers, gave you the inside scoop on just who he was aiming for in his first draft pick. You immediately take this information and march to Joyce’s office, begging her to order you a jersey for a “special occasion”. 

MUNSON 

69 

“Oh we’re so gonna sixty-nine..” He wolf whistles and spins you around, the oversized jersey skimming against your bare legs. 

“Got another little surprise for you, bonehead,” You grab the edge of the jersey, lifting it just enough, pretty white lace thinly covering your center making Eddie’s legs go weak.

“S’ for me Bijou?” He questions, skin burning bright red on his cheeks. 

“S’ always for you, Eds, My mean ol’ hockey player,” he grins at your words, hands gently extending to rest against your hips. 

He whimpers at your words, his teddy bear eyes begging you to show him something more. 

“Cmon’ now big boy, don’t get all shy on me…” You grab his hand, pulling him behind you as you guide him into the bedroom. You lead him to the bed, forcing him to sit down before you slot yourself between his legs and play with the hem of his jersey. 

“M’ so proud of you baby,” 

You pull at his top, striping it from his body before you lean down to kiss his full lips. You push at his chest, Eddie dramatically falling back with a little “oof”. Your hands rake down his sides, drinking in the ripples in his muscles, fingers tracing at scars, lips pressing into them softly which only makes him writhe.

“Please Bijou, need you so bad,” he gasps from above you, hips bucking off the mattress to chase some sort of friction. Your hands dip into his sweatpants pulling out his cock. It’s always been one of your favorite parts of him. So soft, thick and long. 

You place kisses down his shaft, moaning loudly at how perfect he feels in your hand. You slowly move your hand up and down, his precum doing an ample job at reducing the friction that comes from tugging on his cock. 

You lean down a little, taking one of his balls into your mouth, chin tickling against his hole. A moment flashes behind his eyes of the pretty little thing on his TV screen, slotted between his legs with you. He shoos the thought away, feeling guilty at the idea that he’d want two people in the bedroom. You’ve always been enough, why is he thinking about someone else in the equation, especially a man. 

After he wills away the thought, bucking his hips up, cock hitting the back of your throat causing you to gag. You pull away from him and he takes advantage of the little distance between the two of you, sitting up and grabbing you under your arms. He lifts you, with ease, and plants you back onto the bed where it's his turn to kneel between your legs. 

He licks a fat stripe from your hole to your clit, cherry red lips suckling around the hardened nub. Your hands card through his hair, tugging softly at his curly locks to which he offers the neediest moan. Eddie, if one thing, is a whore for having his hair pulled. Once you tugged on the hair at the base of his neck when locked in a kiss and a new door slowly opened for the two of you to explore. It was after one of the most important college games of the year, you had a whole “celebration” planned for when you got home but Eddie couldn’t make it there. He took you in the back of his truck, you riding him as you tugged at the same hairs adorning the nape of his neck. He never came as hard as he did that night. 

Eddie continues sucking on your clit, calloused hands teasing their way up to your hole, fingers swiping through your mess before pushing one finger in. His college championship ring cold against you as he slowly fucks the digit in and out. Upon realizing his ring is still on he takes it off, leaning up to take your ring finger in his hand before sliding the band onto your left hand. 

“One day you’re gonna have a rock on that hand, sweets. Gonna buy you the biggest diamond, gonna be able to flash that thing at me while I’m on the ice, you’d like that huh? A little symbol showing everyone you’re mine?”

You nod dumbly, the tables turning as you let Eddie take the reigns in order to take care of you. He slots himself back between your thighs, pressing kisses from your knee back to your center. His fingers find their way back inside you, this time there are two petting at your velvety walls. He draws circles on your clit, fingers fucking into you at a consistent pace bringing you closer to the edge. You come with his name on your lips like a prayer, soft whimpers of “Daddy” coursing through the air and into Eddie’s mushy brain. 

He pulls up once he's content with how much your thighs are shaking, little shocks running through them as you try to come down from your high. His hand raises to wipe at the bit of slick that had dripped down onto his chin, his stubble catching most of it and soaking the hair. 

“Gonna fuck you now, flip you over and come all over this pretty little number you got on.”

You whimper at his words, flipping over willingly and pushing back against his groin. 

“Or would you want me to come inside? Get you all round with my babies?  Jus’ another way to let everyone know what's mine.”

He discards your underwear, the tip of his cock bumping against your hole, his large hand gripping the base and guiding it into you. He bottoms out, pistoning in slowly as to let you adjust to his size. No matter how may times Eddie fucked you, you always needed time to adjust to his size. 

“You can move faster, bonehead,” you moan out, a little bite to your words causing Eddie to harshly snap his hips into you. 

“Mm nope. Gonna take it slow tonight. Want you to feel how much I love you. Gonna take my time,” He picks up the pace just a tiny bit, the new speed still slow and sensual but doing the job. 

You’re a blubbering mess by the time he has you on the edge, whimpers being muffled by the crumpled up bed spread. Sweat beads at the dip of your back, Eddie’s hand leaving your hip to wipe at his forehead. It’s been what feels like hours of Eddie pushing and pulling you toward and away from your orgasm. 

“Think I’ve teased you enough, sweets? Gonna let you come now, come on baby come all over Daddy’s cock, you can do it Bijou,” His hips snap into yours at a much faster, relentless pace. It finally puts you over the edge, fire igniting and rushing through your belly as you clench around him. The pressure that's built up in Eddie’s admoned is about to snap. He pulls out briefly before little begs of “Inside, please Daddy inside,” come from your lips. 

He places himself back inside you , hips moving at a consistent pace before he starts to stutter. 

“Fuck Bijou, gonna come,” he keens before emptying himself inside you. He stills for a moment, his breath ragged as he tries to regain some composure and energy. Eddie finally pulls out a few moments later, his fingers coming to collect some of his cum and your release, pushing it back inside you. 

He pulls his fingers out, flipping you back over and raising your leg to press a soft kiss to your ankle. He retreats to the bathroom , returning with a warm cloth. Slowly and gently, he wipes at your center, the warmth doing little to nothing to soothe the ache between your legs. 

He’s quiet as he gathers clothes for the two of you. He offers you a pair of his boxers and an old Hoosier’s tee before climbing into bed beside you. 

“How’d you know I was gonna get drafted by the Tigers?” He finally asks as he props himself up on his elbow and smiles down at you.

“A little birdie told me, duh Eds,” You quip back with a small giggle. 

“A little birdie named Hopper?” he questions, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead before turning over and cutting off the lamp on his bedside table. 

“Yes bonehead, a little birdie named Hopper,” 

That night he dreams, dreams of ice and pucks. Dreams of you in white. Dreams of you and your kids happily playing in a big backyard. But, what throws him for a loop the next morning, is the pink lipped stranger that weaseled his way into every dream he had that night.

[winterandwords]

Writer interview tag

Thanks to @deanwax and @sergeantnarwhalwrites for the tags!

This is a loooong one, so I'm going to leave it as an open tag for anyone who wants to do it. Remember to @ me so I can see your answers. Blank template is under the cut 💜

📝 About you

When did you first start writing?

Forfuckingever ago. Seriously. My childhood was littered with 'books' written on folded and stapled sheets of printer paper.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

I read pretty widely and definitely enjoy reading the genres and themes that show up in my writing, among many others.

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you’re often compared?

I don't try to emulate anyone, but I'm sure I'm influenced by what I read as much as anyone else is. Someone once described my writing as "if Anne Rice wrote a Bret Easton Ellis book" and I chose to take that as a compliment.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)?

I have a desk in front of a window with a view that I'm in love with. Rolling farmland reaching to mountains in the distance. I've looked at it daily for almost three years and the novelty still hasn't worn off.

What’s your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Absorbing stories from other places. Books, TV shows, films, the persistent horrors of existence.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Yes, but not intentionally. And the when is as significant as the where. I didn't notice this until someone else pointed it out and now I can't stop seeing it.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

Drugs, violence, organised crime, fuck the system, weather symbolism, nice coats. No surprise at all tbh.

📝 Your characters

Would you please tell me about your current favourite character?

I can't choose between my children.

Which of your characters do you think you’d be friends with in real life?

Most of them, honestly. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Brett from November Breaks and Spin Cylinder because he's the one with the most of me in him, but it would be a total disaster because the parts of me I dumped on him aren't exactly the best parts.

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

I don't know that I'd dislike any of them, but things would get frosty and weird pretty fast if I was in a room with Gillen from Bridge From Ashes and Name From Nowhere.

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

There is no process. They just arrive in my head and I write about them to stop them yelling at me.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

Obsessive tendencies, rejection of authority, masochism, recklessness, enthusiasm for recreational drugs.

📝 Your writing

What’s your reason for writing?

It makes me happy. I wish it was deeper than that, but it isn't.

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

When someone notices some tiny detail I put in there and didn't expect anyone to pick up on. When someone connects with my characters. When someone feels seen because of something I wrote.

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who “gets” the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc)

I've never really thought about it. Maybe if reading my writing gave someone else the courage to write what they wanted instead of what they've been told they should write? I struggled with that a lot so it would be cool to help someone else through it.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Character voice, I think? Dialogue? I don't know.

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

See previous answer 🙈

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question)

It's cheaper than therapy.

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

Yeah. If I was the last person on earth, at least my characters would keep me company while I lost my mind.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

I write what I enjoy and I assume that if I enjoy it, someone else will too. No matter what you do, there's going to be someone else out there who'll get a kick out of it.

About you When did you first start writing? Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write? Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you’re often compared? Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? What’s your most effective way to muster up some muse? Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about? Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

Your characters Would you please tell me about your current favourite character? Which of your characters do you think you’d be friends with in real life? Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them? Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters. Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

Your writing What’s your reason for writing? Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers? How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who “gets” the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc) What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer? What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others? How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question) If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write? When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

[theywantedplayer]

celebrating with svechy for his fastest skater win last night ? <3

“There he is” you smiled with open arms “The fastest of the night” Andrei made his way over to you picking you up and spinning you around. You laughed as he did, wrapping your legs around his waist and our arms around his neck.

He stopped spinning and held you in his arms and looked up at you with a childish smile spread across his face.

“Whats that look for” you smiled 

“I'm just happy you're here,” he admitted. You were too when Andrei invited you to come down to Florida for the All Stars. You were excited. He's been on the road so much you haven't been able to travel with him in a long time, so this was perfect.

“Im happy im here do” you told

Andrei’s smile only grew bigger at your words as he leaned in to place a soft kiss on your lips before he put you back down on the ground.

“Lets go do something just you and I tonight, what do you say?” he asked

“I'd love that’

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Sariel’s Melody of Return Translation

*Light and Night Masterlist | Sariel’s Personal Masterlist *Join my Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *Sariel’s tag will be #For Night, For Causation *T/N: If you want me to translate something feel free to send in Recordings/Screenshots!

"The bright sunlight shines through the wide glass windows, shimmering down upon the familiar area of the airport. The anticipation and joy of being reunited with him added a spring to my step as my spirits began to soar..

I’d taken such a long trip that I couldn’t help picking up the pace as I headed towards the exit.

The long-awaited Guangqi City awaited behind the exit alongside the person I love.

The hustle and bustle of the airport grew clearer in my ears as I looked around, searching for his familiar silhouette within the airport crowd.

Who is he?"

❖☆————— ⊹ For Night, For Causation⊹ —————★❖

The airport’s arrival pick-up point was crowded with people. Everyone eagerly looked around, anticipating the joy of reunion.

I glanced at the screen of my phone. Sariel’s avatar was still as familiar as ever, but the red dot I was expecting on the upper right corner of it never appeared.

I’d sent him my flight information a couple of hours ago, but before I could get his reply, I was made to quickly switch my phone’s flight mode on at the flight attendant’s insistence.

And I never got his message even after the plane took off.

MC: Is he mad at me?

I scrolled through the messages that we’d exchanged during the time I’d been gone. My replies had been sparser than usual, which was a given since I’d been a little busy as of late. And adding on the fact that I had been in an unfamiliar place… It’s no wonder that he’d been left on read a couple odd times.

The uneasiness in my heart only grew as time passed, so I opened up our chat once more.

My message: What are you doing?

After sending it, I remembered that I’d once joked to him about how “What are you doing?” could be read as “I’m thinking of you.” He’d been confused about it at first, and I even made fun of him for being unable to understand romantic hints.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Locking my phone, I walked out of the airport.

There were lots of people in front of me, but a large bouquet caught my attention. It was a bouquet of pure white flowers dotted with a few sparse leaves, reminiscent of green trees that had been blanketed by powder snow from the sky— romantic and dreamy.

The grand bouquet drew a lot of attention, and the silver-haired man who held it had long since turned his attention towards me.

MC: Sariel!

I immediately ran towards him. I didn’t know where to start after seeing his familiar face after being gone for such a long period, so I just shouted his name in a rather aimless manner.

MC: Sariel…

Sariel: The dumb bird went out for a whole spin and came back, yet why is she still fond of wearing such a stupid smile?

MC: Were you waiting long?

Sariel: Not really, just 20 minutes.

Sariel places a bouquet into my arms.

Sariel: For you.

I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped me when I thought of him waiting in a crowded area for 20 minutes while holding such an extravagantly large bouquet and ignoring the stares of passers-by.

MC: When did you learn such an extravagant way of picking someone up from the airport?

Sariel: Someone watched a French movie the day before yesterday and sent me a video of the male and female lead’s airport pick-up scene. Was it not a hint?

It was a French romance film named “Reunion” where the male and female leads finally managed to overcome all obstacles and embrace each other at the airport at the very end. The scene was so moving that I recorded it and sent it to Sariel.

I had only wanted to share it with him, but it looks like he’d misunderstood that I’d also wanted to have such a romantic pick-up.

Peeking at his face, I imagined him silently trying to guess what I'd intended when I sent that to him, and how he’d secretly prepared a surprise for me. I suddenly felt that this misunderstanding, although unfortunate, was actually quite romantic of him.

MC: The male and female leads in the movie hugged each other too. So why aren’t I getting one as well?

I pouted and looked up at him.

There was a smile reflected in his eyes as he took a step closer, opened his arms, and wrapped me in an embrace.

The familiar fragrance of white sandalwood lingered in my nose. It was this moment that truly cemented the feeling that I was well and truly back.

I stood on tiptoes as I silently reached up to his ear.

MC: They kissed too, you know. A French kiss…

Sariel: …

I couldn’t help but snicker from the way his ears turned pink. Stepping away from his arms, I looked up at him.

MC: If you're doing it, then you might as well do it till the end, right?

The airport had just reached its peak hour. I knew that he wasn’t very good at being intimate with me in such a crowded place, but his reaction was so cute that it made you want to incessantly tease him about it.

As I was waiting for Sariel to speak up and turn down the suggestion, he surprised me by leaning down and drawing closer….

My heart seemed to be beating to the wrong beat as it thumped wildly in my chest. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

A moment passed before a soft and warm kiss fell on my lips, but it was fleeting, leaving as soon as it came. My cheeks burned when I looked at the people all around us.

Sariel: Not all movie scenes have to be copied 1:1.

Yet you kissed me in public? I inwardly cursed.

Sariel: But that is something I do want to do.

The corners of his mouth lifted as he held my hand.

MC: It’s only been a while since we last saw each other, but your ability to surprise me has grown by leaps and bounds since the last time I saw you.

MC: Did you secretly read a love guide or something?

Sariel: …You really are one dumb bird.

Now that I think about it, I’d been so worried that I might have given him the cold shoulder earlier, but it looks like I’d just been worrying too much.

MC: So you deliberately left me on read just to surprise me?

Sariel then showed me his cell phone. The last line he’d sent to me wrote “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

MC: Funny, I never received it.

MC: And why don’t I see the text message I just sent you?

I unlocked my phone and pulled up the messenger app. The circle beside the message was still spinning.

It was only then that I realized that there was a reminder attached to the message: Your phone has no credit.

MC: Oh, I was out of prepaid credit. I thought you…

Sariel: You thought, what?

MC: I thought you were ignoring me because you were mad.

I replied, and Sariel only watched me quietly, looking into my eyes.

Sariel: I won’t ignore you, let alone leave you without prior warning.

Sariel: I will be by your side for as long as you're willing to have me.

Those two sentences instantly put me at ease. He’d said that he’d wait for me and that he wouldn’t leave me of his own accord.

A ding sounded from Sariel’s phone.

He tapped on the screen and saw the prior message I sent.

It had been successfully sent to his phone after a few minutes, probably having automatically connected to the airport’s wi-fi.

Sariel thought over it for a moment before lowering his head, his long fingers tapping against the screen. A few seconds later, I received a message from Sariel.

Sariel’s message: I’m thinking of you too.

[winterdeepelegy]

Prompt #1 - Steer

Ciel sat upright from where she worked in her garden, and turned her eyes skyward at the echo of a terrible rumble. She had at first wondered if the weather was taking a turn but the fact that the sound failed to subside and only grew louder confirmed that it wasn't thunder. The source of the racket came closer, and a little brown rabbit that basked nearby in the grass fled for cover. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand, a motion which also forced the brim of her straw hat upward a couple of ilms and opened her view to the path in front of her house. Ah, there it was... one of those two-wheeled contraptions which were becoming more popular modes of transportation in recent turns. The odd metal beast rolled to a stop and fell silent just outside of her gate and its rider, decked out in dark leathers and a helm, swing a leg over and stretched as soon as he had both feet on the cobbles. There was only one person it could be, to have such a thing and arrive with no forewarning. "Glace," she lifted a soil-smudged hand to greet him. "Why are you bringing such a thing to my doorstep? And in the middle of the Twelveswood..." Surely the Elementals had opinions of such things and the noise they made. His helm, removed, was left on the motorcycle's seat and he passed a hand over his hair to smooth out any misplaced strands. "Hello to you, too, Plum. Happened to be nearby and thought I'd check in." He looked around, "Frankly, I'm surprised you're here. I thought for sure you'd be following the droves headed for western shores." "Not quite yet, but soon enough." The mostly-Wildwood stood and brushed bits of grass from her knees. "You look well," she noted on approach. "I take it everything is well in Understone?" "As right as it could be. The others have settled in well enough, or most of them anyroad. A few have moved on to find their own way." The coalskinned fellow tipped his head toward the bike, "Care to have a go at it?" "What? No, I'm quite content with my path in life as it stands..." He clicked his tongue against his teeth, "The motorcycle, I mean. Have you ever ridden one?" She glanced from him to the machine, and back again, nervously. "No, I don't think I'd like it. It's so... metallic." Glace couldn't help but snort a laugh at her reasoning, after all, she was somewhat of an old fashioned Elezen in a woodsy kind of way. Oil and ceruleum machines had little or no place in her small corner of the world, seldom welcome and more often reviled than viewed with so much as a shred of curiosity. "Come on," he prodded. "At least sit on it." "Your pick-up lines are getting worse." "What pick-up line? Just go sit on the bloody bike." He gestured beyond the gate, stepping to one side to clear her way. With a huff of defeat, Ciel passed by him and approached the thing. She eyed it as carefully as any unfamiliar steed which might show its cantankerous side if she tried to climb on, and doing exactly that felt every bit as awkward as she expected it to. Her view of the world suddenly felt darker and confined, and it smelled like Glace. His helmet was on her head now, and the motorcycle bounced slightly with his added weight so close behind her. Just as quickly, she found that her breath escaped her when he grabbed both of her hands and wrapped them around the handles with his palms over her knuckles. "There, that's not so bad, is it?" She heard the question but couldn't muster an answer or a breath until the bike roared to life again. "Wait, what are you doing?" A broad hand patted on top of the helmet, "Trust me. We're just going for a quick spin around Lavender Beds... I'll teach you how to steer an' all." "No, no no no no, I don't --" The bike sped forward and her protest crescendoed into a short scream. This was neither a chocobo, nor a coeurl, nor was it a horse. This was something altogether different, lifeless and unnatural and she didn't like it one bit, but there was no escaping the lanky prison of the Duskwight's frame around her.

[clumsycapn]

Magical Mermoon Meteor

The captain carefully picks up the Mighty Aquamarine Crystal, and keeps it in a small protective case, so that the PAW Patrol was able to examine it's properties later. He plans to store the meteorite as well, but his curiosity got the best of him.

"I wonder what type of superpower I'd get?" Cap'n Turbot thought to himself.

"The Mighty Meteor gave the pups powers, and so do people as well! I'm sure it doesn't hurt to try..."

Out of curiosity and impulse, he took the meteor, that glows as bright as the magical mermoon, and held it it as hard as he could.

As he held the meteor, the meteor glows brighter, and brighter. He was startled by the meteor's reaction, but he kept holding it. The light from the meteor gradually engulfs his entire body, and the cap'n began to float. "Woooaaaaahhh~ What's going on!?" The captain's last words before he is spun around and transformed by the celestial powers of the Mighty Meteor. Out of fear, he closed his eyes until he stopped spinning, where he was left afloat in the air for a while before gravity pulls him down to the shores. "Oof!"

A loud thud was heard when he fell face first on the sandy shores of Seal Island. As he tried to get up, he felt something was off. He feels out of breath, and he couldn't feel his legs. "Oh- Oh, goodness me..." Panic slowly builds up as he struggles to get up. Before he could expect the worst, he sees what used to be his legs, is now a fish's tail, covered in beautiful, blue scales. His fins are as blue as the ocean, and his tail is as mighty, and majestic as a Marlin.

Horatio realised his whole body has completely changed! Parts of his body is covered by blue scales, and he has grew a set of gills on his abdomen. Not only that, his body feels moist, as if he is constantly sweating buckets! Overwhelmed by the transformation, the cap'n crawled to get his phone, and called the PAW Patrol for help. "HELP HELP HELP!!!!!!!!!! The Mighty Meteor has made me metamorphose into a mer-man!"

As he cried, he started to feel more out of breath, and struggles to continue to call. He realised, his new physique could not last long on land! Before the PAW Patrol could respond, he put his phone away, and use his remaining energy to throw himself to the waters of Seal Island...

@paw-patrol-pack-leader @diy-fire-water-pups

[just-a-little-cellist]

Hi! How are you? I saw that your requests were open and I wanted to ask for a..

Pippin x GN reader, (Or fem reader if you are ok with that)

Ideas; pippin helping reader when reader gets really stressed when reader has to cook (not by cutting things but when a pan with water needs to boil.)

Or that pippin catches reader dancing by herself and reader is very embarrased

Or pippin going on a picnick with reader and bees come hang around as well, but reader is afraid of bees.

Or if you have any ideas you can write them 😅I am just very happy with any story haha.

Have a nice day and sorry this ask is very long to read.😅

(ah thank you so much! I love all those ideas, I'm just gonna pick one for now but I might end up doing the others in future - I'll see :) hope you enjoy!)

May I have this dance? (Pippin x gn!human!reader)

It had been such a relief for Pippin, returning to the Shire, the ring now gone, and with you now by his side. You may have been a human and not normally invited into the Shire, but he loved you miles more than he hated the glares from other hobbits. He had wholehearted approval from Merry, so who else's opinion did he really need?

Speaking of Merry, Pippin had just been out with him and Sam - one the first times that they'd been able to spend time with one another without any kind of looming threat - while you insisted on staying at home to prepare dinner and bake if you got a spare moment. The afternoon had been wonderful, but he couldn't wait to return and have you all to himself for the evening.

The second he opened the front door - to the hobbit hole he now shared with you, he reminded himself giddily - a grin crossed Pippin's face, hearing the gentle sound of your humming echoing through the hall. He always enjoyed hearing the songs you knew, and he also realized that it meant you wouldn't have heard him come in just yet...

Slowly padding over to the kitchen, he peeked round the doorway to find you with a mixing bowl in front of you, swaying your hips to the tune you were half-humming, half-singing. Pippin's smile grew as he leaned on the doorway and watched. You continued baking... whatever it was you were making, he was too distracted to tell, and your singing grew louder, and your dancing became more enthusiastic, and you spun around and-

"Pip!" You exclaimed. "You scared me!" You laughed nervously, a blush dusting your cheeks, as you moved forward to kiss him. "I didn't realize you'd be back so soon."

"Hard not to come back when it's you waiting for me," he said with a grin, noticing the air of embarrassment you held since being caught. You smiled at him before returning to your baking, noticeably quieter than he would've liked.

"Why's the show stopped, sunshine? I was enjoying it."

Your blush grew darker at the question and you glanced back at him. "Why, how long were you watching?"

"Not nearly as long as I wanted to." He took your hand and leant against the counter. "Keep going?" he asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.

You shifted on your feet. "I don't know, I don't normally dance in front of people..."

Pippin thought for a second, then seemed to leap up and grabbed both of your hands. "Maybe if it's both of us..?" At the slightly skeptical look on your face, he bowed exaggeratedly and looked up at you, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "May I have this dance, my love?"

You chuckled and rolled your eyes, then curtsied exaggeratedly in return. "I'd be honored."

He pulled you into the middle of the room and started singing the same song you were humming earlier, then you joined in and started swaying with him - Pippin always did make it feel easier to let loose. His enthusiasm was contagious, and soon you were spinning around the room, the sound of your singing interrupted by the both of you laughing. When the song (regrettably, Pippin thought) came to an end, you let out a sigh and smiled.

"That was... actually really nice."

"What can I say?" He grinned. "I have the best ideas."

And the next time he caught you dancing in the kitchen, sunlight shining through the window and making you glow, you smiled and offered your hand. Pippin was convinced he'd somehow found an angel.

[ultimateissuessimp]

Teach me

One shot

Word count: 900

Warnings: None

Notes: I used Slovak as Sokovian, because I've read somewhere that Sokovian was a mix of Slovak and something else. I also used google translate, sooo. Yeah.

He knew that Zemo was Sokovian, he wasn't stupid, but hearing him speak his native language always put him in awe. It sounded so beautiful, like a comforting melody his mother used to quietly sing to him so he could fall asleep. So when he heard the baron conversing with Oeznik in Sokovian, he couldn't help but listen in and marvel at how smoothly the words flew out of his lips. When they stopped, Y/N approached Zemo with the intent of asking the man to teach him some Sokovian.

-It might sound like a strange request, but could you teach me some Sokovian? Your language fascinates me and I'd love to learn it - he said, his heart skipping a beat at the look the baron gave him at his question. His palms grew slightly sweaty as nerves started to appear. Did he overstep? Was it invasive to ask a man who lost his country and everyone he cared about to teach him his native language?

-Why? - such a simple question left Zemo's mouth, yet it only made more questions swirl inside Y/N's head.

-I just… I wanted to give you more opportunity to speak it, I know you have Oeznik who you can talk in Sokovian with, but the thought of having more people to speak to in your native language sounds… Nice, in my opinion it wouldn't feel as lonely, as… Alienated, I guess - he explained his thought process, articulating what he meant with his hands and awaited with bated breath Zemo's response. At that moment something in Helmut moved, his heart picking up pace.

The man he grew so fond of in such a short amount of time wanted to give him some normalcy. It felt too good to be truth, he wanted to believe that there was some ulterior motive, his mind screaming at him that there was no way Y/N wanted just that. There had to be something hidden underneath those words. Yet his heart begged him to have some trust in the man and it was what made him nod his head, agreeing to Y/N's proposal.

A large smile appeared on the man's face when he got an approval from the baron. Zemo took them to a different room, an office to be more specific, telling him to sit down as he himself sat on the opposite side of the desk. He gave him a piece of paper and a pen so he could note everything he was about to learn. A good half an hour passed and Y/N already learned some words in Sokovian, how to create a sentence and one sentence on it's own, but he didn't know the meaning of it quite yet since Zemo kept it to himself, almost like a secret.

-Say it once more, slowly - Zemo instructed the man seating in front of him, gesturing towards the seemingly easily spelled two words on the paper.

-Zbož-… Zbožňujem ťa. Was that good? Did I say it right? - Y/N asked, unsure about his pronounciation, not wanting to make a fool out of himself by being overly confident and failing at saying something.

-Again - the baron told him, as if he didn't hear the rest of what Y/N had said except those two words, looking right at the man's lips.

-Zbožňujem ťa - Y/N repeated himself, eyes holding a bit of confusion as he stared at Zemo, waiting for what to do next.

-Again… - Helmut said once more, seemingly in a trance as he not even for a second took his eyes away from the movement of Y/N's lips.

-I-… Okay… Zbožňujem ťa - Y/N said for what felt like a hundredth time, but he didn't really seem to mind.

-Just… One more time, please - he requested for Y/N to repeat his words. He couldn't get enough of how pretty those two words sounded out of the man, their meaning making his head spin and his heart increase in speed.

-Zbožňujem ťa - the E/C man said again, staring at Zemo as if he was a painting hang in an art gallery. Yet the moment he stopped speaking, Zemo quickly leaned over the desk, cupping his face into his hands and pressing his lips against Y/N's in a gentle kiss. Y/N let out a soft sound of surprise and contentment into Zemo's mouth before closing his eyes and letting himself get lost in the motion of their lips. When they separated, he couldn't help but smile and look into the baron's eyes.

-Aj ja ťa zbožňujem - Zemo replied, a soft look taking over his features as he looked back at Y/N, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs and pressing his forehead to the man's.

-Okay, but what does that mean? - Y/N asked, still confused as to what potentially could the words mean to put Helmut in such a state and spring him up to action. He only got a chuckle in response and he immediately set his goal to hear that sweet sound more often. - Oh come on, what do they mean! Zemo, tell meee! - he whined comedicaly when he saw the man move away and stand up to leave the office, a way of teasing Y/N with an answer which made the man himself spring up and chase after him, demanding an answer while they both giggled like idiots.

[icegirl2772]

My iPod Shuffle Challenge Response

@partiallypearl and @myloveforhergoeson Saw you guys do this, so I thought I'd (finally) do my own.

To the surprise of no one, my list is Jaelyn (James/Kaelyn - yeah, I gave them a ship name). I am cheating a bit, though, and using Spotify. Specifically, my playlist that's created from my Top Songs from 2023 (I'm more likely to get songs that won't make me go WTF). (Considering I don't have an iPod anymore.)

But down below are the rules for anyone who wants to do it:

IPod Shuffle Challenge Rules: Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle. Write a ficlet related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards! No editing! Do ten of these, and then post them.

Song One: The Thing About You by Chloe Agnew

The thing about Kaelyn was how happy she made James.

It was something he had noticed when they were kids. Even when they were five years old, he was always so excited to see her. He was excited to see all of his friends, but there was something different about Kaelyn (aside from the obvious of her being his only female friend). And it was something that only grew as they did.

Eventually, they weren't children anymore. They were teenagers. And James was able to name that thing about Kaelyn.

That thing was love.

It still took him a long time to say that thing. For so many reasons. But when he did and he walked into her arms, he decided he had come home.

--

Song Two: I Won't Let You Go by Switchfoot and Lauren Daigle

Kaelyn was one of the few who saw first hand just how much James struggled with his parents' divorce. She was one of the few he would let his guard down around. Drop the façade he had worked so hard to perfect.

Both of his parents were strong-willed. Career-driven. Never willing to back down. Many would say it was amazing his parents lasted as long as they had. But at least he could say his mother loved him in her own way. James' father seemed eager to replace his family with his quick remarriage. (He's waiting for the day his father announces his wife's pregnancy to really solidify that feeling.)

The night the divorce papers came through, James was on the phone to Kaelyn in tears. Because that was also the day his dad decided to tell him he was remarrying to a woman fifteen years younger than his mother. He was barely waiting for the ink to dry.

The next time Kaelyn saw James after that phone call, she held him. Comforted him through those fears that only she knew about. They were only 13. Too young to deal with this.

But old enough for Kaelyn to understand the gravity of the promise she was making to herself:

I won't let you go.

--

Song Three: Livin on a Prayer by Bon Jovi

When all the members of Big Time Rush got their open license, they all started taking turns taking their Big Time Rush Mobile out for a spin. Really relishing in the freedom that came with having an open license rather than a leaner's permit.

Admittedly - especially since they all embarked on romantic relationships - most of those drives involved dates.

And that was where James and Kaelyn were. They were driving through Los Angeles with the top down. Taking in the ocean breeze it afforded them. Sunglasses covering their twinkling eyes. Smiles as bright as the sun that shone down on them. Hair blowing in the wind. Kaelyn had her hands reaching up to the sky in jubilation every once in a while.

It was a beautiful piece of freedom.

But the best part of what they were doing was singing along to the radio. Between the two of them, the teens had a rather eclectic music taste. So, one of their favourite pastimes while driving was finding a radio station, turning the volume up and singing along at the top of their lungs. (Okay. Maybe exchanging a quick kiss when it was safe somewhat topped that.)

But right now, they were singing along to a classic that had to be sung at the top of their lungs.

Oh, we're halfway there! Oh! Livin' on a prayer!

--

Song Four: Gotta Be Somebody by Bucky Covington

When Big Time Rush did eventually go on hiatus (they never wanted to say parted ways - because they always knew they would come back together), it felt like the natural decision. Nobody told them it would happen.

They both just came to the natural conclusion that they wanted to take some time to pursue solo opportunities away from Big Time Rush.

It did not surprise anyone that James immediately went to work on a solo album. Kaelyn and Gustavo were right him every step of the way. Like they were with the other three when they said they wanted to release solo music.

James' solo album was a massive success. His songs were all over the radio. He was being nominated for all of these awards (even winning a few of them). It did not surprise him when Griffin immediately had him go on an international tour to really capitalize on this success.

And it was on this last night of the tour that Kaelyn - her belly rounded as she entered her fifth month of pregnancy - approached James with a big smile and a scrap of paper he had written as a child.

I'm gonna be somebody.

--

Song Five: Time of Our Life by Big Time Rush

Kaelyn laughed as she twirled the dance floor in her white dress. Her groom, her husband - it felt so natural to say - dancing alongside her in his tuxedo.

Their wedding day was beautiful. Gustavo officiated. Jennifer walked her down the aisle. Kelly was the wedding planner. The boys collectively shared the role of best men (because there was no way James was choosing between them - although, Kendall was the witness who signed the marriage license with them) while Katie served as maid of honour.

It all led to the reception. After the food and the speeches, the couple shared their first dance. And once that was over, the dance floor was open for everyone else, with James and Kaelyn opting to not have spotlight parent/child dances.

Unsurprisingly, Big Time Rush somehow made its way onto the DJ's playlist. It was something that amused everyone to no end. But nobody complained. In fact, it made the night even more perfect.

Especially as the chorus of a certain song played that highlighted a promise:

We're gonna party all night Have the time of our lives, girl

--

Song Six: Stay the Night - Zedd and Hayley Williams

It really was a bad idea. Starting out like this. They had to know.

But James and Kaelyn couldn't stop themselves. They didn't want to catch each other as they fell onto the bed. They didn't want to end the kiss that seemed endless. They didn't want to stop their hands from wandering. They didn't want to stop their bodies from acting on feeling and instinct.

And they didn't want to stop everything they did next.

That included laying there. Skin to skin. Arms wrapped around their flushed bodies. Saying everything and saying nothing.

"I probably shouldn't stay," James stated.

And deep down, Kaelyn knew he was right. He really shouldn't stay. It increased the risk of them getting caught. It complicated things.

But they had broken so many rules that it made her wonder if breaking one more would really matter.

"I know," Kaelyn sighed. "But I want you to stay."

And at the end of it, James wanted to stay too.

So he did. He stayed the night.

--

Song Seven: Rhythm of the Night by DeBarge

Mr. X was a peculiar character, but he was arguably one of the best choreographers in Hollywood. And someone who could put up with Big Time Rush's antics.

In fact, he knew how to use them in his favour and deliver great results.

But today was an off day. For all of them.

No matter how hard they all tried, the choreography did not want to sink in. Their muscles refused to commit it to memory. In fact, some would say their bodies would outright refuse to cooperate.

So, Mr. X suggested they call it a day. They were getting nowhere fast.

James may have been aching by the time he returned home after the rehearsal, but those aches seemed to be forgotten when he saw Kaelyn. She was cooking dinner, having finished her work with Gustavo early. She had the radio on in the kitchen and was dancing to whatever song came on.

Despite the aches in his body - despite the source of his frustration being dance - James found himself joining her.

He let loose. Laughing and smiling as he twirled her around the kitchen. Kissing her smile as his hands rested on her abdomen (he really couldn't wait for the twelve-week mark) before moving on to do his skincare regimen before dinner.

Sometimes, he needed to be carried away by the rhythm of the night.

--

Song Eight: How I Go by Yellowcard

It was their impending parenthood that made James and Kaelyn really reflect on their parents.

Mama Knight was the type of parent they aspired to be. She wasn't perfect, but she was the best they had.

Mrs. Diamond... she definitely loved her son. She didn't go about things the best way, but James had to admit. The love was there. And she wanted the best for him (even if she was misguided in what that best was).

Their dads weren't worth talking about, both men seem to be more interested in shirking their responsibilities in parenthood than stepping up.

The words did not need to be spoken between the couple. They both knew they were making the same promise to their unborn child. (For a brief moment, they regretted deciding to wait until the birth to find out what they're having.)

That would not be how they go. They would be as good as the best parent, and better than the bad.

--

Song Nine: We Are by Big Time Rush

When the teenagers graduated from the Palm Woods school, there were celebrations all round. Kaelyn and Logan had put in the hard yards to make sure that everyone got to pass and graduate with their friends.

And the graduation party was much better organised than the school dance they had put together at the last minute during their first year in Los Angeles. Gustavo went all out for his dogs.

Kaelyn stood amongst the sea of graduates - cap and gown and a proud smile - watching Big Time Rush perform the song that had been chosen by the cohort. Apparently, there was only one song that was perfect for graduating teenagers.

It was We Are.

And it worked perfectly for them.

--

Song Ten (the author breathes a sigh in relief at finally having made it here): Crash and Burn by Savage Garden

Kaelyn sniffled as she buried her face into the pillow. She and Neil were never meant to be. They were too different. Some would say their relationship was doomed from the start.

But that didn't ease the pain of dealing with her first heartbreak any easier.

"Bunny?"

Kaelyn lifted her tear-stained face from the pillow when she heard the nickname she loved so much. The nickname only one person used on her.

She saw James standing there.

She chose to ignore the scraped knuckles and the bruises on his body. She chose to ignore what she knew James had done to Neil. She did not want to deal with that right now.

She just needed her best friend. She needed to crash and burn.

And James sensed that. He laid down on the bed next to her (above the covers, for the sake of everyone's sanity) and opened his arms to Kaelyn. She immediately nestled herself into his chest, her tears staining the fabric.

He promised her several things. She deserved better than Neil (anybody who tried to force a woman into doing anything she didn't want to made James' blood boil). She would find better (he didn't say that better was right there waiting for her).

Instead, he stayed true to a silent promise he had made to her.

If she crashed and burned, she would never be alone.

[hisuiofthegreen]

snippet of my bokuaka fic wip to motivate me to write more

i have been working on this fic since 2020... im 20k words in and not even halfway done yet...

Obvious Blasé

Blasé [blä-ˈzā] adjective; indifferent to or bored with life; unimpressed, as or as if from an excess of worldly pleasures. "Can we start over? Akaashi Keiji, pleased to meet you." Tokyo feels a world and a half away, especially when Koutarou is punching Keiji's phone number into the keypad of a hospital payphone. The whole island of Honshu may as well be spinning out of the Milky Way, his husband with it, when he's met with a full voicemail box and another wet flower petal. "I'd love to. Miya Osamu, at your service."

8808 words (just the beginning) ; bokuaka / osuaka ; tw : drinking + cheating

Keiji loved few things; one was gardening. He spent hours upon hours in the summer with dirt on his knees and under his nails, weeding and digging and planting. Koutarou bought him expensive gardening gloves as a one-year anniversary gift years ago, but Keiji loved using his bare hands, feeling life at his fingertips. Keiji always had the window boxes full, filled with vibrant colors and lush green leaves, even in the dead of winter. Whenever they had guests over, there was always at least one conversation about just how Keiji keeps his begonias coming back every year and keeps them so lush (apparently the neighbors’ begonias are really kicking their asses).

Koutarou learned that Keiji loved gardening by accident. It was summer break—June, to be specific—during Keiji’s second year at Fukurodani. Koutarou had gotten bored at home with nothing to do and attempted to call his friend to ask if they could hang out; when he got a voicemail message in response, he decided to head to Keiji’s home anyway. He knew the way there by heart and could walk it backward and blindfolded.

Outside, Keiji was knee-deep in fertilizer, a bucket of ripped up weeds beside him, as he pruned his camellias. He nearly knocked the bucket over into an adjacent fern when Koutarou yelled his name from behind—he was not expecting any interruptions, not in the middle of summer vacation, and certainly not from a boy in a different year.

Keiji sat back on his haunches and tossed his head over his shoulder to look at his upperclassman. Koutarou stood in the middle of the street, holding his volleyball high above his head and smiling like a fool. Keiji couldn’t help it when a small smile began to tug at his lips; he sighed in defeat and stood up and began to walk towards his friend.

“Akaashi!” Koutarou exclaimed again, bouncing from foot to foot as the other grew closer. “I tried to call, but you didn’t pick up!”

“That’s because I was out here,” Keiji replied, a quarter of Koutarou’s volume. It always struck him how the two were as different as night and day, even down to the way they talked.

“I got bored at home all alone,” Koutarou continued. “I wanted to see if you would hang out with me today!”

“Bokuto-san, I’m very busy,” Keiji sighed, and gestured back to his abandoned gardening tools. “I just bought some—”

“Please, ‘Kaashi? Pretty please?”

Keiji still didn’t know, to this day, if Koutarou was aware of how powerless he was to his pleas. A simple puppy dog look from the third year was enough to melt Keiji’s resolve. A pout would be enough to force Keiji’s hand, no prodding words necessary.

“Fine.”

The local park was only a few blocks away from Keiji’s house, so they set off down the road. It wasn’t a vocal decision; once Keiji agreed to entertain Koutarou for the day, they both just began walking.

“So… what were you so busy with?” Koutarou asked, giving Keiji a lopsided grin as he tilted his head. He was currently tossing the ball back and forth between his hands, catching it with the pads of his fingers.

“Gardening.”

“I didn’t know you were into that!”

A smile cracked across Keiji’s lips. “I was pruning my camellias, actually.” He held up his hand to show Koutarou the dirt on it, stuck in every little wrinkle and crevice. “And weeding, before that.”

“I can’t quite explain it…” Koutarou laughed in his pause, returning his eyes to the road ahead. “It’s very suiting of you, I think. Being a gardener.”

Keiji just looked down, smiling to himself.

“Are camellias your favorite?”

“Yes, I think so. I like the bright color.” Keiji threaded his fingers together behind his back, rubbing at his knuckles. “What’s yours, Bokuto-san?”

Koutarou hummed in thought. He had now taken to tossing the ball in the air to himself, catching it flat in his palms before tossing it high overhead. “Probably hydrangeas.”

And Keiji never forgot it. He learned later on that the man was particular to the blue hydrangeas—another opposite, this time to Keiji’s blush pink camellias.

Because of this fact, Keiji made sure to have hydrangeas included in the centerpieces at the wedding. Neither of them would have a bouquet, and the flower was too big for boutonnieres, so he had the florist put deep sea blue hydrangeas as the central flower on the tables at the reception. It was a little splash of color that only meant something to the newlyweds, a secret only they were in on.

Koutarou didn’t know about the special centerpieces until they arrived at the banquet hall. He spotted the petals amongst the bursts of baby’s breath and ranunculi and delphiniums, encased in glittering silver vases, which all seemed to deepen the color of the hydrangeas. He immediately shot Keiji a look, both accusing and amused, and the raven head held a hand to his mouth to contain his laughter.

“What’s the matter, Bokuto-san?” he asked, trying to stay level, but the words stumbled out of his mouth like a baby deer around his laughter.

“Hey, you can’t call me that now,” Koutarou cooed, hand curling around Keiji’s thin waist. “It’s Akaashi-san, now.”

Keiji’s cheeks burned, accompanied by a warm feeling in his gut, which reappeared at every mention of ‘Akaashi Koutarou.’ While the blush fell out of practice over time, he still felt that rush of giddiness whenever he heard the name, even all these six months later. It felt like yesterday that Koutarou’s name in Keiji’s phone was ‘Bokuto-san.’

The best music to Keiji’s ears, though, was hearing ‘the Akaashi’s.’

And he felt that warmth again at the florist checkout counter, when the lady handed Koutarou back his card with a chipper, “Enjoy your day, Akaashi-san!”

Keiji held an orchid in one hand and a pothos plant in the other, while Koutarou hefted a bag of fertilizer over his shoulder. The plants were for their bedroom, since the snake plant Koutarou had picked out months ago finally kicked the bucket after a week-long vacation. Keiji gently set his plants on the floorboard of the truck, waiting until after the bed stopped shaking from the toss of the fertilizer into it. Soon after, Koutarou slid in behind the wheel and stuffed the key in the ignition, listening as the engine roared to life. They sped out of the parking lot, Koutarou’s hand settling onto Keiji’s thigh after reaching a straight stretch of road.

“I’m pretty hungry,” Koutarou mumbled, rubbing circles into Keiji’s knee as they slowly came to a stop at a red light. “Want to grab something before we head home?”

“Sure, what’s the harm?”

The light flicked to green, and Koutarou lifted his hand away to spin the wheel as he turned left onto a side road. The truck jumped and rattled with the potholes and pebbles, but after only a short moment, they appeared behind a string of small shops. He parked the truck next to a small compact car and flashed a smile at his husband, then turned to hop out.

The gravel crunched under Keiji’s shoes as they rounded the building, coming face to face with a glowing storefront lighting up the dark street. A glowing neon sign depicted an onigiri jumping side to side, with “welcome!” written out below it. A bell chimed over their heads as they walked in, and a capped head popped out from the kitchen at the sound.

“Oi, Bokuto-san!” the man called with a smile, dusting his hands off as he walked up behind the counter. “Back again?”

“You keep forgetting,” Koutarou chided as he held up his left hand, “that it’s Akaashi-san now.” He spared a glance at Keiji, who was studying his hands to try and hide the cherry red blush that spread across his cheeks to the tips of his ears.

“Right, right.” The storekeeper tossed his hand back and forth in the air. He looked over to Keiji, who was now rereading the specials on a blackboard instead of looking at either of the two men.

“Oh, right! You still haven’t met Keiji, have you?” Koutarou wrapped his arm around Keiji’s shoulders and tugged him into his side, smiling when Keiji’s glasses were knocked sideways. “This beauty here is Keiji. Keiji, this is Miya Osamu.”

Keiji raised his hand in a simple greeting, and Osamu did the same. Keiji looked up at his husband with fake annoyance, chiding him with, “It’s rude to introduce me like that, Koutarou.” Koutarou just laughed, and squeezed Keiji closer to his side, knocking the latter’s glasses askew again.

“Well,” Osamu said, clapping his gloved hands together, “what can I getcha?”

“Whatever it is that your brother always gets,” Koutarou beamed, staring down into the glass case of onigiris. Every day before practice, Atsumu brought onigiri from his twin brother’s shop to eat. Koutarou bugged him for weeks to let him try it (“Just a little piece!”) until eventually Atsumu broke the rice ball in half and handed part of it to Koutarou in defeat. Koutarou made Atsumu give him the address to the infamous ‘Onigiri Miya,’ and he found himself passing by it on the way to practice almost every week. It eventually became a little tradition: before games, Koutarou would accompany Atsumu and Kiyoomi to the store and eat there to calm their pre-match nerves.

The game that weekend was no different. This time, though, Keiji accompanied Koutarou to the stop.

Osamu was busy wiping down the counter when the four entered. “Welcome to Onigiri Miya,” he called in his monotone voice, eyes stuck to the tabletop as he made one more wipe across the epoxy. He tossed the rag into a bucket in the corner and looked up, the corner of his mouth poking upward when he saw the ragtag bunch in the doorway.

“I almost forgot that it was game day,” he chuckled, eyelids staying low in amusement, as if he was truly emotionless to the whole ordeal. Osamu was the opposite of Koutarou and Keiji, down to the way they dealt comedy. In ways unlike his husband, though, Keiji felt very similar to Osamu, so when he spotted the cook in the crowd of MSBY fans, it was natural to squirm through the hoard of people to his side.

“Miya-san, was it?” Keiji asked from behind, leveling his glasses to busy his hands.

Osamu looked over his shoulder and was met with sharp blue eyes. His mouth twitched with a half-smile like earlier that day, and he stuck his hands deep in his pockets as he turned to face Keiji.

“Hey, hey,” Osamu replied. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“My husband is playing, after all.”

“As is my idiot brother.”

Keiji didn’t respond, and instead looked out over the crowd. “The seats are probably filling up fast…” he mumbled, looking up at the televisions on the walls that displayed the court just beyond the few sets of double doors. Currently, the teams were warming up on their respective sides. Keiji’s face softened when he saw Koutarou’s stark white hair among the black uniforms, presently chatting with a little redhead near the wall.

Keiji excused himself and wound his way through the throngs of fans, making his way to the front of the stands above his husband. “Ko!” he called, cupping his hand around his mouth in an attempt not to draw too much attention. The last thing he wanted was to be put on the big screen and become the topic of mindless banter of strangers.

Star MSBY Ace Visited By… Husband? Yep, the last thing he wanted.

Koutarou looked up, instantly beaming when he saw Keiji. He waved up at Keiji, arm swinging so wildly that his whole body shook. Keiji folded his hands into a heart and Koutarou mimicked him (although Koutarou’s was much larger), and Keiji mouthed the words “Win for me.”

It was his way of motivating the lump of mood swings since he was no longer by his side on the court to do so. He was used to being very serious and aloof with his teammate in high school, but the years of living together made him like putty in Koutarou’s hands, soft and pliable to his every (usually unconscious) whim. The idea for the hand hearts came to him after Koutarou had enough meltdown at a scrimmage and thought of the words at the training camp in his second year.

“I kept getting shut out!” Koutarou whined, pouting at himself in the mirror. Keiji tried his hardest to ignore him, instead focusing on scrubbing his hands in the sink.

“Everyone gets blocked sometimes, Bokuto-san.”

“Yeah, but it’s still irritating!”

“Please just dry off and go to bed.”

“I’m not tired!”

“You need to keep up your strength. We still have three days of camp left.”

Koutarou whined, swiveling his head to watch Keiji shut off the water and reach for the roll of paper towels. “How do you stay so calm all the time?” he asked, taking a step closer to his kohai. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you be any more emotional than a small smile or cheering me on for morale.”

Keiji swung his head around, gaping at Koutarou. “I have emotions!” He waded up the paper towel in his hand and stuffed it into an overflowing trash can. “I’m just not as vocal as you are.”

When Keiji turned around, his nose nearly collided with Koutarou’s. He hadn’t realized how close his captain had gotten, and now Keiji stood incredibly too close to him, closer than a school trip warranted. He stared into Koutarou’s gold eyes, which were wide and bright, accentuated by the pink that lit up the bridge of his nose until it resembled camellias.

Keiji licked his lips, suddenly aware of how dry his mouth had become. “Bokuto-san—”

The door squeaked open, and Koutarou jumped halfway across the room, spinning on his heels to face the open door instead of Keiji’s wide eyes.

“Hey, Konoha!” Koutarou greeted, grinning as if he wasn’t in Keiji’s bubble not even thirty seconds earlier.

“There you guys are!” their teammate said, sounding exasperated. “We’ve been looking for you two everywhere. Do you know what time it is? We have a match at the crack of dawn!”

Keiji and Koutarou were quickly ushered back to Fukurodani’s quarters, where they slept on opposite sides of the room. When he woke up, Keiji was still reeling from having his spiker so close he could almost smell the sweat Koutarou tried to scrub off in the shower.

When the team was stretching to prepare for the beginning of day three, a game against Ubugawa, Keiji approached Koutarou. His back was to the second year, stretching his arms high overhead to pop his back. Keiji lightly tapped him on the shoulder, accompanying it with a small “Bokuto-san.”

“Akaashi!” Koutarou replied as he turned around, eyebrows shooting up like exclamation points.

“Are you still worried about getting past the blockers?” Keiji had noticed the uncharacteristic stiffness of Koutarou’s muscles, his short sentences, and, most notably, his solitary warmup. Keiji knew all too well that what others dubbed Koutarou’s “emo mode” was more than flopped hair and a pout during a game.

Koutarou looked down, then began to crack his knuckles one by one. “Yeah,” he nearly whispered, “I guess I am.”

Keiji felt his heart pang but kept his face stoic. “That was yesterday, this is a whole new game.”

“What’s an ace that can’t power through?” he sighed. He had cracked each of his knuckles and his wrists, then finally looked Keiji in the eyes. His normal puppy dog face was taut and drooped, more so than during a mood swing. It was a look of pure emotionality that he only showed to his vice-captain. “Isn’t rule two to break through any wall?”

Keiji’s face dropped in annoyance. “Are you quoting your t-shirt?”

Koutarou ghosted a smile. “Maybe,” he chuckled.

“Anyway,” Keiji continued, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I came over here to cheer you up.” He peered up at Koutarou through the fingers on his face. “Just one thing, and then I’ll leave you be.”

Taken aback, Koutarou quickly dropped his smile and stared intently.

“Win today. Win for me.”

Koutarou’s ears reddened. He coughed into his fist a few times and rapidly blinked his eyes, like Keiji had dumped a bucket of dust on his head.

“What?” Koutarou coughed out, voice scratched and squeaky.

Keiji squared his shoulders, looking at his elder down the length of his nose. “You heard me.”

Koutarou, clad in his all-black MSBY uniform, mouthed back the words “I will.” As Keiji began to lower his hands, the redhead from earlier shook his husband’s shoulder and they walked towards the rest of the team, who was huddled together by the coach’s bench.

“A pre-game ritual, I see?”

Keiji spun around in surprise, eyes landing on Osamu’s smirking face. “Oh, it’s only you,” Keiji mumbled, then turned to walk towards the seats.

He heard the slapping of shoes against the wooden floor, then Osamu’s face appeared next to him in his peripheral. “Mind if I sit with you?”

“I don’t care what you do.”

Osamu fell back, following Keiji up towards the top of the stands. Keiji didn’t like being bumped into by the other fans, and the top let him see more of the court at once. Shoes squeaked on the floorboards as the players shuffled towards the net, captains leaving the group to shake. Keiji wrung his hands, the all-too-familiar feel of having to shake hands creeping along his nerve endings; he had hated being captain, and he hated it even more after watching Koutarou be captain. The worst hand to shake was Kenma’s, after all the conversations they had about hating succeeding their eccentric best friends as captain of powerhouses.

~~~~~~~~~

Keiji waited patiently outside of the locker room, watching the fans slowly make their way out the doors and to their cars. He mindlessly fiddled with his hands as he quickly became one of only a handful of people left in the lobby. It was dark outside, the sun having set during the tournament, and he could see a couple of stars through the large glass doors. Taking a glance at the locker room door and deciding that Koutarou wasn’t coming out any time soon, Keiji hesitantly walked towards the doors. The light from the building spilled onto the pavement outside, lighting up the concrete while fireflies took to the air like wild Christmas lights. The stars twinkled above, but all the pollution made it hard to see their light. On the far right, the moon peaked out from behind a dark cloud, like a toddler behind its blanket, ready to sleep.

“Pretty night.”

Keiji looked up to see none other than Miya Osamu, staring at him. The right half of his face, nearly pressed to the glass door, was darkened and reminded Keiji of the moon. His nose sat almost directly on the line between light and dark, like a spaceman wandering a little too close to the dead zone that was the shadow of the moon.

“Hello again, Miya-san.”

“Everyone calls my brother that,” he whined. “Just call me Osamu.”

Keiji looked back outside, eyes fixated on the twinkling fireflies. “Alright then, Osamu-san.”

“Are you waiting for Boku- I mean, Koutarou?”

Keiji nodded. “We rode here together, after all.” Keiji spared a glance at Osamu, who was now gazing at the stars above. “Are you waiting for your brother?”

Osamu snorted. “Hell, no,” he laughed. “That idiot can drive his own ass home, or even walk, for all I care.”

“Then what are you still here for?”

Keiji turned to look at Osamu once more and found him looking back again.

“Well,” he started, voice low, “I’m currently talking with you.”

Keiji quickly looked away. His hand reached for his opposite wrist out of pure habit, massaging the skin there like it may fall off if he let go. “I should start the truck,” Keiji mumbled, beginning to push the door open with his shoulder. “It’s getting cold, and there’s nothing worse than cold leather.”

“I’ll come with,” Osamu chirped, slipping outside in Keiji’s wake. “Keep you company.”

The last thing I want is your company, Keiji thought to himself, but all that came out of his mouth was “okay.” Dear God, he thought, where is Koutarou when you need him?

The truck was towards the back of the lot, alone and away from most of the cars. A single streetlight flickered overhead, with mayflies and moths and other miscellaneous creatures flying around it, as if it wouldn’t burn them when they touched. As if the light was a real, tangible thing, rather than something they could only dream of, something they could never have.

Keiji fumbled with the keys, trying to grab that one with the ugly Toyota symbol on it, and he almost had it, almost, almost, almost… then the keyring slipped between his fingers like ice and dropped onto the cement with a clang.

“God fucking hell,” Keiji mumbled, stooping to pick it up. As his fingers reached out to pick up his mess, another hand appeared by his, bumping against his fingertips, only millimeters above the glinting metal.

Keiji shot his eyes forward, meeting with a dark grey set. His nose nearly collided with the sharp end of Osamu’s, utterly oblivious to the body so close to him. So incredibly close, closer than waiting for his husband warranted. Keiji couldn’t help but think that, under that child-like moon, Osamu's eyes looked as deep blue as hydrangeas.

Keiji shot himself backward, feet flying out from under him. He landed on his hands and butt, rocks digging into the soft skin of his palms, as he used his feet to kick himself away from Osamu—who, for the record, was staring at Keiji like he had spoken to him in Latin.

Osamu blinked, then looped his index finger through the keyring and held it out to Keiji. The gold key with the ugly Toyota symbol swung back and forth, glinting in the starlight, right next to his owl keychain that matched the one on Koutarou’s keyring. Osamu offered a small smile, as if to say something simple like “sorry I bumped into you.”

Keiji reached forward and wrapped his fingers around that smiling plastic owl and yanked the keyring off of Osamu’s hand, and with it, his smile. Keiji pulled himself to his feet, back to the driver’s door, and stuffed his keys into his jacket pocket. “It’s cold,” Keiji said, breaking the silence that felt like a thousand years, although it had only been five minutes at most. “You should head back inside before you get sick.”

“Oh, yeah, probably,” Osamu mumbled. “I’ll, uh, see you around.”

Keiji didn’t respond. He watched Osamu walk away, peering over the bed of the truck. The head of grey hair bounced down the aisle, almost out of Keiji’s sight. He screwed his mouth up, internally begging Osamu to walk a little faster, get in his car, and hopefully drive far, far, far away. He had Koutarou—Osamu knew that—and he was happy. He certainly did not need this man trying to make a move on him. What if one day, Koutarou saw it? What would Keiji do then?

A hand landed on Keiji’s arm, and he jumped almost high enough to climb into the truck bed. His head whipped around to see that familiar, sharp face of his husband, staring at him in wild confusion.

“Koutarou!” Keiji nearly moaned and threw his arms around the athlete’s neck. “I thought you’d never come out.”

Koutarou hesitantly wrapped his arms around Keiji’s waist. “Why are you out here?” he chuckled. “It’s freezing.”

“I was going to warm up the truck for you,” Keiji mumbled into Koutarou’s shirt. “I didn’t want you climbing into a frigid car after your game.”

Koutarou’s whole body rattled and grumbled as he laughed, deep and low, squeezing Keiji in the ribs. “The truck doesn’t look very warmed up to me.”

“Doesn’t matter now. You’re warmer than the truck would ever be, anyway.” Keiji nuzzled his face into Koutarou’s neck, inhaling the scent of sport deodorant and that distinct smell of Koutarou that Keiji could never place. It was almost like pinecones, like a dry autumn forest. He’d gotten much better at scrubbing out the scent of sweat.

Koutarou laid a hand on Keiji’s cheek and pulled him back, far enough away he could see the black glasses frames but close enough their noses touched. He planted a light kiss on Keiji’s forehead, pushing away the tousled hair with the tip of his nose. Keiji closed his eyes at the innocent touch, leaning into Koutarou’s soft lips.

“Let’s go home,” Koutarou hummed against Keiji’s skin. So Keiji let Koutarou unwrap their arms and he settled into the passenger seat, watching the lights of the city blink and flash overhead as Koutarou drove them home. He felt his eyelids grow heavy, soothed by the constant sounds of the city and Koutarou’s hand, intertwined with his on top of the shifter, lightly squeezing Keiji’s fingers.

~~~~~~~~~

Keiji awoke to the smell of bacon, fruit, and… eggs Benedict.

He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand as he sat up, comforter stuck on his shoulder and draping across him like a toga. He picked up his glasses with a yawn, settling them on his ears as the smell grew thicker and thicker. His stomach grumbled under Koutarou’s old shirt, awoken by the smell of breakfast that was definitely not made by Koutarou.

Koutarou was a terrible cook. When he had moved into his apartment in the city for college, Keiji had come to visit, as all good boyfriends do. He hadn’t even stepped into the genkan when the smell of burnt food assaulted his nose.

“Koutarou, what is that stench?” Keiji called as he bent to take off his shoes, pulling the collar of his shirt over his nose in a poor attempt to save his nose hairs.

“Breakfast!” Koutarou popped his head around the corner, a smile plastered across his face as if he wasn’t balancing brown eggs on a spatula. “I wanted to surprise you!”

“I’m certainly surprised,” Keiji mumbled as he stepped into the apartment.

He followed Koutarou into the small kitchen, hand flying to his nose when his eyes landed on the plate of crisped eggs and watery oatmeal. Koutarou stood beside them, mouth scrunched to the side from Keiji’s reaction.

“I fucked it up again, didn’t I?”

“How long did you cook those eggs for?” Keiji asked, words muffled from the hand on his mouth. “Are you eating like this every day?”

When Koutarou gave a slow nod, Keiji nearly fell over with how hard he rolled his eyes back. He took a step forward and snatched the spatula from Koutarou’s hand, giving a muffled “Let me show you how to make edible food.”

Keiji stepped out of their shared bedroom and into the living room, bracing his nose for a similar smell of burnt food. Instead, he was greeted by Koutarou’s always overly enthusiastic good morning.

“You’re finally awake!” Koutarou bounced over to where Keiji stood in the doorway, nearly spilling coffee out of the takeout cup in his hand. He planted a kiss against Keiji’s temple, simultaneously wrapping his arm around the raven’s slim waist.

“Good morning to you too, Ko,” Keiji mumbled with a smile, pinching the other’s arm. “What’s that smell—”

A head popped into his view, a golden-haired undercut framed by the collar of a MSBY jacket. A second and third head appeared soon after, a smiling redhead and an emotionless twin.

“We got takeout from that egg place you like!” Shouyou sang, holding up his omelet. “You were still asleep, or we would’ve taken you with.”

Koutarou placed a takeout box in Keiji’s hands. “I know your order, don’t worry,” he chuckled. “You only ever get the same thing.”

Keiji lightly bumped Koutarou’s shoulder with his own, a small bit of PDA that Koutarou always reveled in. “You should have told me you were bringing people over,” he chided. “I’m wearing your ratty shirt.”

"At least you’re wearing some pants this morning,” Koutarou laughed. “You know, usually you just wear my bo—”

“Koutarou!” Keiji hissed and reached up and pinched Koutarou again. Unlike before, this pinch was hard, cutting Koutarou off before he embarrassed both of them. No one else needed to know that Keiji could never tell whose briefs were whose.

They all communed in the kitchen, Shouyou sitting on the counter with Atsumu seated on the floor below him while the other three sat at the cramped table. Keiji decided to make coffee, but the only taker was Osamu, so now, as the three airheads chowed down on various egg dishes, Keiji and Osamu blew at the steam from their mugs. Osamu liked his coffee black. Keiji thought that was gross but said nothing.

“So, why did everyone come over all of a sudden?” Keiji asked once the conversation lulled.

“Your big tool of a husband didn’t know the way to the cafe,” Atsumu laughed. “He called me and asked if I would drive him over.”

“I was already at Atsumu’s place, so I made them take me,” Shouyou added.

“I was trying to have a peaceful breakfast at that godforsaken cafe,” Osamu groaned from beside Keiji. “They saw me and begged me to come along.”

“The more, the merrier!” Koutarou boasted, and Atsumu and Shouyou agreed with him from behind.

“Koutarou was practically crying on the phone,” Atsumu laughed again, tapping on Shouyou’s shoe by his head. “He was blubbering, ‘I can’t cook, ‘Tsumu, I can’t cook! I gotta get Keiji take-out! Where’s that egg place he likes?’”

“Don’t be so mean, ‘Tsumu,” Osamu muttered, but the only person who heard was Keiji.

“Shut up!” Koutarou exclaimed. “I did not!” He attempted to look angry, but the blush that engulfed his whole face betrayed him.

“You did!” Shouyou cackled.

“Oh, oh, and,” Atsumu continued, “when I got here, to pick him up, he was tiptoeing around like he’d accidentally wake you up!”

“Aw,” Keiji whispered to his husband, setting his feet on top of Koutarou’s. “You’re so cute.”

“I just want to spend as much time as possible together before I leave,” Koutarou admitted. He looked up at Keiji with his trademark kicked puppy look.

“We’ll take care of Koutarou for you,” Atsumu said with a smile, clapping a hand onto the aforementioned’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about him, man.”

“He should definitely worry if you’re gonna be around,” Osamu interjected. “You’re the walking personification of trouble.” Atsumu smacked the back of Osamu’s head, but the latter only smirked.

“Hey, isn’t that drama you like airing soon?” Shouyou asked, looking down at his watch.

“Oh my God, yeah!” Koutarou jumped out of his seat and planted a haste kiss on Keiji’s lips. “I’ll be back soon, Kei! I’m gonna watch it at Atsumu’s!”

Keiji wrapped his hand behind Koutarou’s neck and pulled him back down for a proper goodbye kiss. “I’ll see you later, then?”

“Of course!” Koutarou exclaimed, grabbing his track jacket off the back of a chair as he ran to the door, where Shouyou was hanging off Atsumu’s shoulders as they waited for their friend.

“Hey, wait for—”

Koutarou waved at Keiji before walking out, adding a quick, “Don’t miss me too much!” before he was gone.

“—me.”

Keiji looked over to see Osamu with his head in his hand, mouth screwed up to the side. He spared a glance at Keiji.

“He was my ride home.”

“Oh, uh,” Keiji stuttered, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I could drive you home, of course. Your brother drove, right?”

Osamu’s eyebrows shot upwards. “Oh, right, the old Toyota. That you were trying to warm up, unsuccessfully.”

Keiji shot him a glare and Osamu backed down. He walked over to the door, snatching his keys off the counter and grabbing a jacket off the coat rack. “Let’s go, then.”

~~~~~~~~~

“Turn here.”

“You live on the same street as your shop?” Keiji spun the wheel to make a sharp right turn, speeding past Onigiri Miya. “Why didn’t you say so? There’s a much shorter way.”

“I enjoy being navigator, I guess,” Osamu chuckled, staring out at the houses. Without warning, he pointed at an apartment building barely a hundred feet ahead. “There.”

Keiji irritatingly slammed on the brakes, trying to contain his smile as Osamu threw his hands onto the dash to keep from bashing his forehead against it.

The apartment building was right on the street front. He and Koutarou considered renting from a complex like this, but ended up going with a skyscraper in the city. Osamu’s building looked like the ones in movies, where the bad boy love interest lived. And probably did heroin, on the couch. He pulled into the lot behind the building, right next to a little compact car.

Keiji pressed the unlock button, and the pin in the door sank down with a click. He gave Osamu an expectant look, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. Why can’t this guy get out of the car, Keiji thought, and hopefully out of my life altogether?

“Do you want to come in?” Osamu asked, flashing a bright eye towards Keiji. “Koutarou will be gone all afternoon, knowing ‘Tsumu… you’ll be bored, Keiji-kun.”

Keiji prickled at the name. “I can entertain myself just fine, thank you.”

“Naw, come on,” Osamu prodded. “Don’t you believe in a little fate? Obviously, I was meant to entertain you while he’s gone.”

“What are you even talking about?” Keiji mumbled, but found himself pulling the keys out of the ignition anyway. He slid out of the truck and followed Osamu to the back door, with a sun-bleached sign that said, “Tenants Only.”

He lived on the ground floor, number 012. It had an almost maroon look; the carpet was off white, but the light coming through the dark red curtains made it appear pink. The tiles in the genkan were white, but the steps into the apartment were painted the same dark blush from the colored light. The walls were paneled like it was built in the seventies, but it only reminded Keiji of the soundproof rooms from crime shows.

“Want something to drink?” Osamu asked, peeking his head around the corner at Keiji, who was just beginning to step into the apartment, holding his hands tightly to his chest.

“What do you have?”

Osamu turned around and stuck his head in the fridge. “Orange juice, some soda, half a bottle of white wine—”

“That,” Keiji interrupted, pulling a surprised look from Osamu. “Please,” he added softly.

Keiji set his jacket over the back of an armchair, folding it neatly against the cushion, then took a seat at the island. He watched as Osamu pulled a crystal glass from the cupboard for the wine, a simple glass that had a dull gleam to it, like it was used often. After he slid the alcohol to his guest, he opened a can of cherry Pepsi for himself.

“I wouldn’t have thought you a soda fan,” Keiji chuckled. “Wasn’t that trained out of you at Inarizaki?”

“Kita would love to think so,” Osamu laughed. “He really shaped us up.” Osamu chuckled, smiling into his drink.

They sat in silence, Keiji taking frequent sips of his wine. He wasn’t a big fan of alcohol but did tend to overdrink when provided. Koutarou was always there for him, though, even at his first sip, ready to pull the glass away and rub his back on the way home.

“So… what are you going to do when Koutarou leaves?” Osamu asked, staring down at his drink like it was his muse for the night. “Sounded this morning like you weren’t going with.”

“I’m not,” Keiji responded, taking another swig of wine. “I’ve got too much work to do, I can’t be gone for that long.”

He wanted to go, though, he wanted to so badly. He had never been away from Koutarou that long before, even when they went to university. He wanted to watch his husband play every game, he wanted to follow him around the world like in a cat and mouse game, spectator and athlete. But he was reaching thirty (God, thirty…) and he had artists relying on him, and publishers, and he couldn’t leave for a month to chase Koutarou down to Kyushu for volleyball scrimmages.

“You’re just going to be home alone for all that time, then?” Osamu asked, one eyebrow raised in confusion.

“I was hoping to hang out with some friends,” Keiji said, bristling. “What does it matter to you, anyway? Didn’t think you would know they were leaving.”

“Of course, I would know!” Osamu said with fake offense. “Atsumu is on the team, after all!”

“Oh, right, Mr. My-Brother-Can-Walk-Home-For-All-I-Care?”

Osamu rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to make conversation, Mr. Overly-Aggressive.”

Keiji’s phone buzzed. He fished it out of his pocket and looked at the screen, one new message from Koutarou. He swiped it open.

Koutarou: hey Kei, I’m gonna be at Atsumu’s place for a little while longer. Hinata brought out a super cool card game!! I’m currently stuck in a round :( see you tonight still?

Keiji sighed, hand pushing under his glasses as he massaged the bridge of his nose. Just more reason for Osamu to convince him to stay.

Keiji: have fun! i’ll see you tonight <3

“What’s going on?”

“Koutarou is staying at your brother’s for the evening.” Keiji raised his glass to his lips, only to get a single drop. He set the glass down with a huff.

“Want some more?” Osamu asked, already standing up and reaching for the fridge.

“Yes,” Keiji groaned. “Might as well, nothing better to do at home.”

So, Keiji drank another glass. And another. And another. Before he knew it, he had drunk the entire bottle, then Osamu—ever the stoker of the fire—brought out a second bottle, which they downed together. Somewhere in the mess, they had migrated to Osamu’s couch, a ratty brown thing that smelled like mothballs.

“Stop making fun of it,” Osamu laughed, patting the cushions lovingly, “I got it from family.” He, unlike Keiji, was still mostly sober, albeit a little tipsy, and held his liquor well.

Keiji was a giggling mess. Yes, he was a giggly drunk.

“I feel like I’m in a closet!” Keiji exclaimed, dropping his head back onto the arm. “Smells like those little… little red balls, you know?” Keiji held up his hand to make a sphere shape, as if Osamu didn’t know what a mothball was.

Keiji shot upright, leaning across the couch towards Osamu. “At least my shirts won’t get holes in them then, right? Miya-san?”

“I thought I told you not to call me that?” Osamu chuckled, deep and grumbling, similar to another laugh Keiji knew like the back of his hand.

“Oh, right, right,” Keiji blabbered, closing his eyes, and tossing his hand through the air. “Last night at the game. After the game, I mean.”

“Yeah, then.”

Keiji pushed closer. “What should I call you, then?”

Osamu coughed into his fist. “Just, uh… My given name, that’s fine. Osamu.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little intimate?” Keiji cocked his head to the side. “We barely know each other.”

“There’s two Miya’s in your life, so it’s not that intimate,” Osamu replied. “It makes sense, so that whenever you’re with both of us—like last night, at games—it doesn’t get confusing.”

Keiji looked as if deep in thought.

“It was awkward last night.”

“You made it awkward! I was simply trying to give you your keys.”

“Yes, but you got too close.”

“You seem fine with closeness now.”

Keiji blinked. Somewhere in the conversation, Keiji had pushed Osamu back, and now the other man’s head was leaning against the arm of the couch. Keiji’s hands were placed on either side of his head, the heels of his hands brushing the collar of Osamu’s thin t-shirt.

He realized then how similar Koutarou and Osamu looked. Both had heart-shaped faces, and upon closer inspection, Osamu’s eyes held a glint of gold—although not nearly as bright as Koutarou’s. The inspection included the blush on Osamu’s face, which was pink like Keiji’s garden.

“You remind me of flowers.”

“How so?”

“Your face.” Keiji reached up with a single finger and touched down onto Osamu’s cheekbone, which made the blush flare brighter. “It’s like camellias.”

He ran his fingertip along Osamu’s warm skin, up towards the hollow beside his eye, almost to his ear before Keiji removed his hand altogether. Osamu let out a breath, shaky and barely controlled, landing right on Keiji’s Adam’s apple. It bobbed as Keiji swallowed harshly, although his mouth was so dry that he nearly swallowed his tongue.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was Keiji missing Koutarou, or maybe it was Osamu’s blush that looked like camellias. Not a second more passed before Keiji’s hands were wrapped around Osamu’s cheeks, mouth crashing down. Osamu’s lips were chapped, like he noticed last night—a stark difference to Keiji, who took chapstick very seriously. But right now, Keiji felt that if he let go of Osamu’s mouth, his lips would crinkle and dry up from dehydration.

Osamu ran his hand through Keiji’s short hair, pulling his head closer, closer, infinitely closer, until he thought their teeth may clash. They kept their tongues to themselves, much to Keiji’s dismay as he continually tried to work his way into Osamu’s mouth. The latter kept his lips tight, conscious enough of the gold band on Keiji’s finger to keep from going further, but not enough to pull away. Conscious enough to realize this was his brother’s teammate’s husband, but not enough to contain his attraction.

Keiji ran his hands down Osamu’s jaw to his shoulders, clenching his fingers in Osamu’s shirt. “Kou,” he groaned, making Osamu’s eyes pop open.

“Nope, nope, you’re drunk,” he replied, pushing Keiji away. “Gotta get you home. Now.”

“But I’m having fun,” Keiji whined, holding onto the hand pressed into his shoulders.

“God, I can’t drive you home like this, you think I’m Bokuto,” Osamu muttered to himself. He looked around. “Where’s your phone? Is there someone who can take you home?”

“Mm… Kenma can. He should be home.”

Osamu worked his way out from under Keiji, leaving him in a pile on the couch cushions. He searched around on the kitchen counter, moving dishware and tossing aside papers like the world was ending.

Which, in a way, it was. He wanted to forget this ever happened. He wanted to pass Keiji onto someone else for the night and hope that as the alcohol washed out of Keiji’s liver that tonight would wash out of Osamu’s memories, and they could go back to Keiji being annoyed by his mere presence.

He did not want to remember kissing a married man.

“Aha!” Osamu snatched up the phone from where it sat, tittering on the edge of the tabletop. The lock screen lit up with a picture of Koutarou kissing Keiji’s cheek, which made Osamu’s gut twist.

He searched through the contacts until he got to the K’s and hit the green phone icon under a Kozume Kenma. He lifted the ringing phone to his ear, hand running over his lips repeatedly in anxiety.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

“Goddammit, I thought you said this guy was home?” Osamu grumbled.

“He should be,” Keiji called back, still laying on the couch. “I’m pretty sure he was streaming tonight.”

A click came from the phone, followed by, “Hey, Keiji! How’s it going?”

“Not Keiji here… Is this Kozume Kenma?”

“... Depends on who’s asking.”

Osamu slumped down onto one of the barstools. “This is Miya Osamu, a…” He paused, taking a glance back at Keiji. “... A sort of friend of the Akaashis’. Uh, could you possibly come pick him up?”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing. He’s just, ah, drunk.”

Kenma sighed on the other end. “Yeah, I will. What’s your address?”

Osamu gave it to him a little too quickly and had to repeat it over again twice. Kenma arrived in a timely fashion, and Osamu attempted to drag Keiji outside without any more adulterous acts; that proved quite hard, as Keiji was attempting to kiss his neck, and would have succeeded if it weren’t for his stumbling.

“There he is!” Keiji cried when Kenma got out of his car. “The famous Kodzuken, my best friend!”

“God, he’s wasted,” Kenma sighed. “Where’s Koutarou? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Keiji drink without him.”

“My brother’s house,” Osamu replied. “Hanging out with that little redhead… Hinata, I think?”

A smile perked at Kenma’s lips. “Probably dragged them into some card game,” he laughed. “Shouyou has a habit of doing that.”

Kenma reached over and took Keiji, wrapping his arm around the other man’s waist. Keiji’s head fell against the top of Kenma’s, and his arm dangled over the other’s thin shoulders.

It didn’t take long to pack Keiji into Kenma’s car, since he still had enough sense to buckle himself in. Kenma began to pull out and caught Keiji, in the corner of his eye, blowing a kiss to Osamu. Kenma nearly slammed on the brakes then and there, but attempted to keep his cool for the drive back.

It wasn’t the first time Kenma had seen Keiji so drunk he’d probably end up aiming at the wall instead of the toilet bowl. It was always embarrassing, and they had a secret pact not to speak about Keiji when he was drunk.  Usually, Koutarou was there to rub Keiji’s shoulders as he threw up at one in the morning, but that night he threw up alone.

It was oddly reminiscent, in Kenma’s bathroom. It looked exactly like the bathroom at the Nekoma grad party, all those years ago, that he and Koutarou went to. Tetsurou called them not long after the sun had set, obviously drunk, yakking about someone being “the cutest drunk I’ve ever seen!” and trying to commentate an Uno game.

“Man, this isn’t as fun without you!” Tetsurou said, punctuating the compliment with a gargle of a laugh. “I’ll send you the address. You gotta come, Bo. Consider it my going-away gift.”

So, of course, Koutarou went—he was never one to turn down social interaction, especially with his best friend, especially when it’s a party. Keiji went too because, well, what the hell?

By the time they arrived, not long before midnight, Kenma was already passed out and drooling on Tetsurou’s shoulder, and the two other Nekoma grads were playing the infamous Uno game… but, seemingly backward. Before Keiji could take off his coat, the rival ace was up against his side and shoving a Bud Light can into his hand, with the dumbest and most self-indulgent smile he’d ever seen.

After getting sufficiently drunk off of one and a half cans of the cheapest beer a group of high schoolers could get, Koutarou joined in on the Uno game and Keiji curled up in an armchair, chatting with Tetsurou (who still had Kenma laying across his lap like a cat).

“What are you going to do when Bokuto goes off to college?”

Keiji paused. “Same as I always do, right?” he replied hesitantly, as if touching his toes to a stream. “I’ll still see him.”

Tetsurou paused. “Do you ever think about heaven?” he asked, absently running his hand down Kenma’s thin back.

“Not really.”

“What about that past lives stuff, or soulmates?”

“I don’t think about it,” Keiji replied simply. “What, do you? I didn’t think someone from class five would waste thought on it.”

“The idea is so romantic, though!” Tetsurou pouted. “Someone who you’re meant for, a love that literally goes beyond the world… Isn’t that romantic?”

“Hopelessly romantic.”

“Aw, don’t be so depressing,” Tetsurou said as he stuck his tongue out. “You just say that because you’re not still waiting on your soulmate.”

Keiji’s cheeks reddened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Tetsurou laughed, the jostle of his hips making Kenma stir slightly. Tetsurou spared a glance at Koutarou, who was yelling as he slapped a card down with his eyebrows drawn in concentration. “It’s so obvious,” Tetsurou said, hushed, with his hand cupping his mouth to keep Koutarou from overhearing. “You and Bo are nearly conjoined twins! You never go anywhere without the other, even though you’re in different years, and you seem to talk in a special language to each other… Akaashi, you have a memorized list of his weaknesses and how to combat every one.”

Keiji huffed. “It’s what comes with being his vice-captain,” he snapped. “I’m more of a babysitter than anything else.”

“You guys are two sides of the same coin,” Tetsurou said. “You know I’m right.”

Keiji woke up, halfway to a decade later, with the same raging headache, one that permeated to the back of his neck and pulsated. He groaned as he rolled over, nearly throwing himself off the loveseat. He blinked to clear the haze from his vision and was met with Kenma staring at him from across the room with an unreadable expression.

“The hell was that last night?” Kenma nearly growled, tapping his fingers on his crossed biceps.

“What do you mean?” Keiji turned to face his friend, trying to put on a look of innocence but instead giving something between pain and confusion. “I got a little drunk, that’s all.”

“You blew a kiss to that Miya dude!” Kenma yelled, throwing his hand in the air. “What the fuck did you do in there that made him call me, a total stranger?”

Keiji blinked. He stared at the wall for a few moments, before rolling onto his back and throwing his hands to his face. “Oh my God,” he muttered. “Oh my God, Kenma, what did I do?”

“You’re married, Kei,” Kenma said, oddly low and measured. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“I don’t know,” Keiji groaned. He dropped his hands away to stare at the ceiling. “I barely remember what happened.”

“You need to call him,” Kenma tossed Keiji's phone to him, nearly knocking him in the nose. “Find out what the hell happened to you.”

Against his friend’s judgment, Keiji did not call Osamu. Instead, he convinced Kenma to drive him to his truck. When he got to Osamu’s apartment building, he did not go in. He simply got in his truck and drove home. He was hoping Koutarou would be home, to distract him from the guilt eating at his intestines, but he came back to an empty apartment. On the table was a note saying, “went on to practice. I’m sad I missed you. let’s get lunch today– 1:30 sharp! I’m expecting you :) -Kou”

“I don’t have a reason not to now, huh?” Keiji sighed. He looked at the clock on the stove. Not even noon.

Osamu picked up after two rings. “Better Miya brother here, what’s cooking?”

“Do you start every phone call with that?”

He heard some scuffling on the other line. “Keiji? Why are you calling?” The playful tone was dropped from Osamu’s voice.

Keiji sighed and took off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes with his finger. “I don’t remember what I did last night.”

Osamu paused.

“Hello?”

“You seriously don’t remember?”

“No.” Keiji sighed again as he started to get irritated. “Look, this is stupid, if you’re not going to—”

“You, uh, kissed me.”

The glasses slipped from Keiji’s fingers, clanging on the kitchen tile like an exploding bomb. His head was reeling, headache suddenly returning in full force, and he dropped down to his elbows on the counter below him. “What do you mean, I kissed you?”

“What else is there to mean? You kissed me.” Osamu paused, but Keiji stayed silent as a corpse. “I reminded you not to call me Miya-san, you got closer, said I looked like a flower, and then kissed me.”

Keiji groaned. His head dropped like a dead weight onto the counter, shaking every pot and knife and making Koutarou’s note float to the floor.

“If it makes you feel better,” Osamu rushed, “you didn’t say my name. You said Koutarou’s.”

“It doesn’t make me feel better.”

“Oh.”

“I’m going to hang up. Please don’t save my number.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Goodbye, Miya-san.”

“...Goodbye, Akaashi-san.”

[a-new-nobody]

[Diamond woke up to two people entering their room wearing something that looked to be beyond the normal medical masks. But who were- shit, wait. Fuck they should have expected this, they knew they were playing with fire by giving their legal name to the doctors, they just got so used to being here they didn't think and-]

"There you are Cole! You ran off on your own for a year and wound yourself in a hospital."

[Diamond didn't respond to their grandmother.]

"Oh don't go silent on us now."

I was right. I have a brother I've met him.

"I'm sure you have sweetie."

[There was a condescending tone in their grandfather's voice.]

Just because the nurses think I'm insane doesn't mean I made him up. I sat and watched shows with him for a whole day last week.

"We'll lets not talk about him now. We were worried about you you know, you can't just go running off."

Uh-huh so worried about me that you probably didn't even call my parents to find out I ran back all the way to New York.

"Of course we didn't want to worry them as well."

Pft. We all know they wouldn't actually be worried or they would have come to visit. Did you know they were informed that I was here at the start of this month? Not one visit, bet you guys didn't even find out until recently.

"You know how busy they can be with work, dear."

That's a shitty fucking excuse, but fine! Let's pretend that's the issue, then what about when I ran all the way back home and they refused to let me stay with them, have you guys come and pick me up or some shit. Not that I'd want to live in that hell hole again.

"Language."

Oh fuck you! That's the main issue you have with what I just said?!

"Just because it was the first thing we said doesn't mean it's our only concern, Cole. You're grandmother and I are also going to see about getting you transferred to a hospital near our house."

No. No you- you can't-

[Fear stuck Diamond at the idea. They couldn't take Diamond way from the only good family member they had. They couldn't lose Sneeg. They couldn’t lose Addy either now that they knew the other cared enough to do the same stupid shit. Addy was family too, more then these assholes ever were.]

[were they getting a spin off show or something?]

"We're you're legal guardians, and we're much too old to be driving 20 hours both ways to come visit you."

"Yes, not to mention there's some outbreak here? It's very unsafe."

Then don't fucking visit. I don't want you in my life! I'm fucking turning 18 next month I don't need you to watch over me! Besides Sneeg will do a much better job then you ever did!

"Isn't that the- of course you imagined the actor."

I didn't imagine shit! I'm not insane! Sneeg is real and he's really my fucking brother. There's no way in hell you two didn't know that and lie to me my whole fucking life about it! Now fucking leave my room before I call a nurse in here and say you're distressing me.

"Cole, we aren't leaving with out you, no matter how much you try to manipulate the situation."

Stop calling me that!!

"Look we're staying until we talk this out and figure out arrangements for you."

"We definitely need to get you out before you catch that mysterious virus though."

[Like always they completely ignored Diamond's rising panic and distress, dismissing it as an over reaction. They sat down and talked to Diamond like they were a child, even though they didn't even "regress" or whatever Sneeg called it. Sneeg and Mario treated them with more dignity and respect even when they were actually acting like a child. They insisted that they knew best for Diamond and that Diamond didn't know any of what was good for them. They were stupid, incompetent, and useless. And slowly as the conversation went on they grew more quite, less argumentative, and just went along with what their grandparents wanted. It was easier. Besides this was all a part of a show, it's not like they ever had a choice.]