#i'll come up with a ship name later lmao i need to go to sleep now :')

[artekai]

👀👀👀👀👀 PLEASE tell me abt the yusuke x kai x joker ot3. what are your thoughts. share with the class

OKAY OKAY BESTIE SO SO GLAD YOU ASKED :D MWAH <3

(can you SEE me vibrating right now??? cause I'm vibrating SO hard >:3)

This will probably be mostly about Kai and Yusuke tho bc they're the ones rotating in the mind right now!!! I'm very sorry Joker :')

ANYWAYS LEMME SEE IF I CAN MAKE SENSE OF MY RAMBLES

Under the cut bc this got way too long T-T

Okay so, you ever think about how Yusuke and Kai were basically roped into infiltrating their father figure's palace, forcing them to confront ugly truths about their pasts, but teaching them to see the world in shades of gray as a result...?

And what I mean by that is... Yusuke idolized Madarame because he didn't want to believe that the man who cared for him was really such an asshole, because it was easier to pretend he wasn't, while Kai vilified Takuto because he'd rather be angry than sad, because it was easier to put all of the blame on someone else instead of having to face his own issues... They're coming from diametrically opposed places, but it's about the journey. The journey is the same T-T

Remember Yusuke's confidant and all of his talk about how humans contain multitudes, good and bad? And how he had to reconcile Madarame being an abusive asshole and the worst person in Yusuke’s life with his lingering fondness for his father figure and the little moments of care that Madarame did have...?

Yusuke understands how complicated relationships are, and he specifically has experience with a father figure that has simultaneously hurt him and cared for him. Even if Takuto and Madarame are not comparable, that is EXACTLY Kai is going through during the third semester. Reconciling what he thought he knew about his dad with everything he’s seeing… reconciling the discomfort of having to see all of the good, the bad, and the ugly inside his dad’s mind with his desire for truth and justice no matter how much it hurts…. reconciling his justified anger with his justified love and craving for parental affection….

AND HEAR ME OUT. Yusuke’s insistence that he can’t earn money from his art because that’s what Madarame did? Yusuke needs to be as far away from him as possible, no matter the consequences, to avoid falling into temptation or going down the same road as Madarame. He can't be anything like Madarame, even if that means having to starve himself for art. He understands. He understands Kai’s need to separate himself from the father who hurt him, even if he’s taking it to the other extreme and hurting himself in the process. Yusuke has been through this before.

And then Kai finding out that Takuto was fully responsible for the loss of his mother figure, which results in his second awakening? It just echoes Yusuke's own storyline so, so much... :')

So I think of them in the third semester, of Kai running off, upset, and being found by Yusuke... And Kai snaps at him, going “what, are you here to tell me I should go easy on my dad because he means well or cause he’s my dad or whatever?” because he's used to people taking his dad's side, and telling him he needs to calm down and go easy on him because he's trying his best. But Yusuke frowns instead, indignant at the idea that he would say such a thing, and goes “Absolutely not. You don’t have to be lenient on your father simply because he is your guardian. If there’s anyone in our team with the right to criticize Dr. Maruki, it should be you.”

And Yusuke understands how horrible it is to have to be faced with the physical manifestation of your dad's distorted desires, leading them to bond over how grossed out they are at Madarame's and Takuto's palaces. Yusuke tells Kai about how ostentatious and vain Madarame's palace was, while Kai tells him that he's disgusted by how sterile and controlling the lab is. He tells him that life is not supposed to be bland and predictable, like Takuto wants it to be, that it's supposed to be messy and fun... Yusuke can probably make a comparison to art there. About how art isn't calculated, but it's a reflection of human feelings instead. And human feelings are messy and unpredictable. And you can't take that away from art.

On a more lighthearted note, Kai would absolutely be overjoyed to model for Yusuke. In fact. Actually. Someone should probably get in there with them and stopping Kai from taking his clothes off. That someone should be Joker, I think

Anyways! Yusuke would be happy to have a model and Kai would be happy that someone is putting in the time and effort to immortalize his image in a painting! Do you realize how flattered he would be? And sure, maybe he's restless, and Yusuke definitely gets frustrated that he moves so much sometimes, but he can probably ramble as much as he wants while Yusuke paints him. So that's great for him! Kai loves talking a lot!

And he could tell Yusuke about other forms of art too. Like, you know, music! ^^ I think he would LOVE to learn about drawing or painting too, he just has never started because he's convinced he's terrible at it :')

In terms of pre-thirdsem, I think Kai would be more at ease around Yusuke than around other Phantom Thieves because he's not from Shujin, and he doesn't know Takuto as well. And if they meet before the school festival, it gives Kai a chance to make an impression that's not just "Takuto's son," you know? Just thought that was worth mentioning ^^

Also! A little detail I like is that Yusuke tends to interpret things literally, while Kai tends to make self-aggrandizing jokes... So that opens up a lot of chances for Kai to be doing his usual self-aggrandizing bit, not expecting anyone to take it seriously, and Yusuke just… looks at him… scrutinizing his body… and goes “hmm. You do have quite an impressive form…” and Kai INSTANTLY switches from cocky to a flustered, babbling mess :)

Joker can get roped into that too. Maybe Kai and Joker are playing around with each other and Yusuke then cuts in for honest flattery time, hehe.

I always say that Kai values honesty a lot, so Yusuke's bluntness and transparency would help him feel more relaxed and keep him from overthinking their relationship too much, as he does :') Meanwhile, Yusuke, who isn't the best at reading people or social interactions, might appreciate how expressive and open Kai is.

And! They're both kind of social outcasts at their schools, categorized only as "Madarame's weird pupil" and "Dr. Maruki's weird son" respectively... They've really been through a lot of similar experiences ;-;

(Call me weak, but I think it's sweet that Kai is small while Yusuke and Joker are tall lmao. Kai and his two tall boyfriends... <3)

All in all, I think Kai, Yusuke, and Joker do a lot of things for The Aesthetic(tm) but all approach it in different ways and I think that is very very cool of them :)

I basically think the OT3 would be like:

Kai: Looks unhinged, is unhinged

Yusuke: Looks like the rational one, is unhinged

Joker: Looks unhinged, is the enabler

And I was right, this was A LOT more about Yusuke and Kai than about the OT3 LMAO, I'm so sorry T-T

But... let's be real, you already know about Shukita, haha. I'm just adding Kai for a little more flavor :3

[reality-maybe]

A, B, D, K, R, and X for the self ship prompt please. ❤ (And I'm sorry... I had to ask about the shower one. 😳💓)

Hi Joy! 😁Thank's for sending in the ask, and thank you so so much for being patient with this one and the other ones you sent in! ❤️ I promise I'll get to them soon, life is..life. But I enjoy answering these so much and it's even more special coming from you! ����Have a good day ✌️(ehehehehh i was so glad you asked for the shower one lmao)

A - Does your f/o make you breakfast in bed or vice versa?

While both Knuckle and Rae usually opt to grab a quick simple bite to eat in the morning for themselves, there are some occasions where they’ll take the time to make breakfast for the other. Knuckle is usually the first to rise, and he keeps Rae in check most of the time to make sure she gets up at a decent hour too. He’s definitely more of a morning person compared to her and finds it cute when she finally gets up only to sleepily walk over to him, rest her head against him, and ask him for hug. But they’ll let the other sleep in as long as they want to if it’s the morning after one (or both) of them comes back from a grueling assignment from work, or if one of them had a really bad or extremely sleepless night. They’ll notice the other snoozing or snoring and they, Knuckle especially, take utmost effort in not making any sudden movements to wake their sleeping partner. If they have them at the time, they’ll let the dogs out, and start making something for the both of them to eat. If it’s later in the morning, they’ll make a good lunch for the other instead. They don’t make the same thing every time for each other, but every so often, namely after the nights where one of them was more worse for wear, they’ll make the other’s favorite breakfast and eat it with them. For Knuckle it’s a hot bowl of miso ramen and a side of rice or veggies, and for Rae it’s avocado toast with an egg and bacon. They always make sure to add a drink of coffee or orange juice. When they’re done cooking, they’ll go back to their bedroom or do some quiet chores to wait for the other to wake up. Knuckle is a very deep sleeper, and Rae can be quite cranked up when she’s woken on the wrong side of the bed, so each of them puts their efforts into waking the other. Rae lays either beside or on top of Knuckle and gently kisses his cheeks and jaw while talking softly to him. She’ll rub his ears and stroke his hair too. Just to stimulate him a little. If it’s a morning when she doesn’t feel the need to be so delicate with him, she’ll flop on top of him and wedge herself under his chin, peppering kisses all over his face and body. He’ll wake, shift and groan, but when he feels her he wraps his arms around her and rolls over with her, effectively pinning her against him. Knuckle is much more gentle when it comes to waking Rae, snuggling up to her, nuzzling and kissing her while whispering his good mornings to her. Sometimes he’ll get lucky and she’ll say it back and sometimes she’ll snuggle further into the blankets, trying to get back into her dreamscape. Knuckle wouldn’t let that happen, wrapping his arms around and following her under the covers, giving her more kisses and cuddles until she relents and gets up or gives in and presses back against him, just more awake this time. They’ll both stay in bed with each other for a little, pillow talking and making sure the other is truly awake before revealing that they made food for the other. Knuckle perks up immediately at the mention of food, and Rae gives an earnest thank you to him, grateful she doesn’t have to make anything. They’ll bring the food into their room and sit in bed together, eating, talking or scrolling on their phones. Sometimes the dogs come in and try to get closer to them, sniffing and begging for a treat, and sometimes they relent and give them a bite depending on if it’s dog friendly or not. but by the end of their meal their tummies are full of good food and hearts are filled with love and gratitude.

B - Does your f/o prefer pancakes waffles or French toast?

Honestly, I see Knuckle preferring pancakes the most. I think he’d like the fluffy texture of them, and how they can absorb syrup or toppings on them if he chooses to dress his stack. I feel like he’d also enjoy the experience of cooking them, especially with Rae. They would make whatever flavor the other wanted and then some. I can see him liking funfetti or chocolate chip pancakes. And they would make way too many, but they’ll eat them as snacks throughout the day. They get playful with it, Knuckle would definitely ask Rae to “watch this” and with the pan in his hand attempt to flip the pancake as high as he could. it would work maybe 1 out of 3 times, she’d be teasingly over the top about it regardless of the outcome, but they’d both end up smiling and laughing no matter what. They’d get creative at times too, making tiny pancake dots and putting them in a bowl with some toppings as pancake cereal, or making bacon pancakes (yes I sang that in my head as I typed it lol) but Knuckle cherishes the fun and food he gets to enjoy with Rae every time 🥞❤️

D - Has your f/o ever walked in on you showering? If so did they stare?

Oh. Oh he has. The first time was when Rae was showering when she was presumably home alone. Knuckle had gone out for the day with Morel, and he texted her earlier that he wouldn’t be home until pretty late and that Morel was treating him to dinner, so she didn’t need to make anything for him that night. She thought nothing of it and went to take a shower. She usually plays music as she’s showering, and that night she turned it up louder, as she had no one to disturb at home. she was tired, and with her lack of awareness and loud music, didn’t hear the door open. she finished up turned off the music and and threw the curtain open only to yell and get scared shitless at the unexpected sight of Knuckle frantically combing up his pompadour, softly grumbling to himself, not even acknowledging her outburst. she just stared at him a couple of seconds as she processed what was going on, and to see if he would say something. He didn’t, and kept on with his hair. The mirrors were fogged up, he couldn’t see her clearly, but he’s done up his hair enough that he could literally do it blindfolded. Rae’s bared first hand witness to it, it’s pretty impressive. Eventually she just cleared her throat and said hi, to which he said hi back. she didn’t even think to grab a towel, too confused as to what he was doing home so early, so that’s what she asked him. He sighed and said there was an unexpected downpour that came out of nowhere, and it messed up his hair, so he “had to” run back home to change and fix it before he left again. Rae was still processing it and just let out an “uh huh” in acknowledgement. He was done after a couple of seconds, hair and mood back up again, and turned around to face her, only to have his eyes widen and his face flush at her naked body, really only just registering what he walked in on. “Oh, you’re naked” was all he said. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her like that before, and she didn’t even try to hide herself from him and just told him that that tends to happen when someone takes a shower. He noticed she was shivering a little and reached over for a towel before wrapping it around her shoulders and drying her off a little. It wasn’t awkward, and she found it frustratingly cute that he took the time to dry her off even though he scared her and seemed to be in a rush just seconds before. He grinned big at her and she rolled her eyes but blushed, taking over and drying herself off more. she just couldn’t be mad at that face. He watched her fondly for a few more seconds before realizing again that he had to meet up with his master once more, kissed her forehead and mumbled a “see you later” before briskly walking out the door. Rae just sighed and chuckled. Every day seems to be an adventure with that man.

Also this tweet was basically the inspiration for this I can absolutely see this scenario happening to them

K - How often does your f/o kiss you and where?

This one was already answered here!

R - Do they try to be romantic and fail? Is it cute or funny?

When Knuckle and Rae first started dating Knuckle was basically a nervous wreck though he would never admit to it. But it was pretty obvious in hindsight. He just wanted to be the perfect boyfriend to her, he couldn’t bare the thought of messing anything up in fear of Rae casting a different opinion of him and turning away from him. During the very early stages of their relationship, Knuckle was just so nervous about messing anything up that he really repressed himself in front of Rae, coming off as just a bit cold sometimes. He was pretty quiet, a little overly cautious, just being more polite and curt than anything. Rae could tell that he wasn't himself and that something was off about him, they considered each other their best friends, she knew him better than that. Knuckle however, can be quite dense and oblivious at times, especially when it came to how he handles himself in situations. Rae learned that soon after it all became clear one night. She and Knuckle were just lounging on the couch at Knuckle's place, watching one of their favorite shows. It was one where they both liked even before they were in a relationship, but watching it together was an experience. They would make comments, exclamations, and talk about the characters or plot. They both enjoyed it. But this time, when Rae tried to strike up a conversation about it, and point out something dumb that one of the characters did, he would really only just give a slightly forced chuckle or comment a word or two on it. Whenever he had his arm around her, he was quite tense. It got to the point where Rae had fleeting worries that he did not think of her as a romantic partner anymore, but those thoughts were pushed away soon enough. In reality, Knuckle was so captivated by Rae, he couldn't stop stealing glances at her face, her eyes, and her plush lips. For the entirety of when they were together that day, and into the night, his mind was flooded with thoughts and urges to make his move and kiss her. He was just...so...shy. He didn't want to mess it up! It was his first kiss with RAE, damn it! That first kiss had to be perfect! But it had to be that night, he just couldn't wait anymore! He spent a generous amount of time that day directing, rehearsing, and redirecting the perfect scene and setup for their kiss in his mind, and it was coming to plan quite well to him, despite him not knowing Rae's worries and assumptions of his behavior. He was the one who suggested watching their show together of course! But wait.. they were watching their show now...wait, he remembered he had his arm around her...oh shit, according to his plan... he should be kissing her, right about now?! He thought it was too soon, he could feel himself getting tenser, warmer. His clothes felt stuffy and his mind was racing. Rae felt his shift in posture and demeanor, and looked up at him with those cutely concerned brown eyes. Knuckle felt his heart stop when she looked at him. Kiss her, you idiot, just do it! He kept screaming to himself. And he did. Kind of. Rae was turning her head and just in mid sentence of asking if he was okay, before her eyes blew wide as she was ambushed by his mouth all but crashing into hers. Knuckle smacked his forehead into hers as they both turned in an awkward angle at the same time, and his timing was a little off, cutting her off with his mouth, but not without his teeth accidentally clacking against hers. She accidentally bit his lip just a little bit out of surprise, but he keeps that to himself. Eventually, their lips were able to mold against each other for a brief moment, before they both pulled back, equally shocked and speechless. It took Knuckle a few seconds for the dread of his failed kiss to sink in, but when it did it hit him HARD. His whole face flushed red, he was stammering, and he couldn't look her in the eyes and tried to hide his face in his arms. He blew it, he really blew it. He was a terrible lover, how could he have timed that so poorly, he fucking headbutted her, he's so stupid, she would be disgusted with him, turn and leave him.

He's shaken out of his thoughts when he heard Rae giggling softly. Her giggles got louder, turning into laughter, which made Knuckle even more embarrassed. He had to almost literally bite his tongue to keep himself from instinctively lashing out and telling her to shut it, but he did whine at her for laughing. She slowed herself down, looking sheepish that she made him feel more embarrassed, her poor guy. She apologized to him and told him that that was one of the cutest things she's ever experienced, and Knuckle had to keep himself from going slack jawed at her unexpected reaction. He let out a confused and slightly judgemental "huhhhhh?!" and piped up that if he was in her position he would have run for the hills and never see him again at how badly he kissed her. She giggled and asked if she should've just given her a worse reaction and rejected him instead, to which he quickly pedals back what he says, fumbling over his words a little. Rae was telling the truth, despite their kiss being a little fumble, she could tell now that he was just trying to muster up the courage to kiss her, and she was fond of the thought, regardless of the outcome. She was also pleased to notice that he seemed to have returned more to his normal bold and slightly brash, but very kind and affectionate attitude. Her thoughts and eyes lingered on his lips as he continued his stammering monologue, before she said his name, effectively shutting him up immediately. Her eyes flickered from his lips to his own eyes, before asking if they'd like to try again. "Consider it practice, just take it slow, baby" she said flirtatiously, leaning in closer to him. Knuckle's eyes widened before they softened, gravitating and leaning in towards her again. All he could do was whisper an "uh huh" before their noses touched, lips following sweetly after. No teeth this time.

X - Does your f/o let you take their jacket/other clothing items?

Knuckle has the habit of undoing and throwing off his white overcoat when he’s riled up or just before he marches off to fight someone. Part of it is because his body heats up quite a bit and it gets stuffy in his coat, and he also doesn’t want to damage it (again) or get it dirty. He’s very proud of his clothing style, despite how others may claim that it looks outdated, and his overcoat is what brings it all together in his opinion. He loves the way it makes him look, clean and tidy, warm and comfortable, and it brings out the definitions of his muscles as well! It’s actually one of his favorite possessions…and ones of Rae’s favorites too. She knows how much it means to him, and she also likes wearing it, so she started to offer to hold his overcoat whenever he felt the need to throw it off of him. He gratefully accepted without knowing her full intentions, thinking she was only wanting to help him, which she was. But after a few times, he notices she wouldn’t give it back to him right away, only doing so when he asked her for it. She was always a little hesitant before giving it back to him, but would of course. He saw how his coat reached past her arms, how her hands would just barely pop out of the arm holes, and how sometimes she would wrap his coat around her a little tighter, ever so slightly nuzzling and burying her face in the collar of it. He thought it was adorable. He has two white coats actually, the one he usually wears with gold rings and another slightly less comfortable, Victorian looking white overcoat with large black buttons on the side. That one was more formal. There was one night where Knuckle came back grumpy from a small 3 day solo mission. He was very rushed when he left for it, and grabbed his formal overcoat instead of his normal one. It bothered him, but he was shirtless of course for when he confronted his enemies, so it could have been worse. It was very late at night and he just went to his and Rae’s room to see if she was sleeping, since she didn’t come out to greet him like she always did. His bad mood instantly vanished and heart ached and melted at the same time when he saw Rae fast asleep all snuggled up in his signature white overcoat that he left behind. Her arms weren’t in the sleeves, but the sleeves were wrapped around her, almost as if his coat itself was cradling and hugging her, a little stand in for him. It pained him just a touch to think she missed him so much when he was away, but was glad that she found comfort in his beloved clothing to help her and keep her warm and loved until he could make up for it himself. Since then, he kept “forgetting” his normal overcoat whenever he went on solo missions, opting for his other, less comfortable wear for her sake. At least he didn’t have to worry about his favorite coat getting messed up, he knew Rae would take care of it ♡

Here’s the prompt!