#if this goes in that direction i will be so happy

[firehose118]

in sickness

for @bucktommypositivityweek - predict the future

Buck is rooting through their sock drawer when he finds it.

He’s looking for a particular pair of socks: wool, blue and grey striped, soft and warm. They’re the ones that Tommy likes to wear when he’s sick, and right now he is sick. It’s nothing life-threatening, but Tommy is miserable. He hasn’t been able to breathe out of his nose for two days now, his nostrils have been rubbed raw by tissue after tissue, and he’s still shivering under three blankets.

When Buck shoves aside several identical pairs of white socks and sees the little box, he’s confused; almost a little panicked. This isn’t where he hid it. He could have sworn it was still in his locker at work. How did it get here? How did it get to the house, first of all, and how did it end up on Tommy’s side of their sock drawer? Oh god, did Tommy already see it? There goes the surprise.

And then Buck realizes that this is a different box than the one that houses the ring he bought for Tommy. It’s a different color, texture, and it’s from a different store. That means Tommy bought this. Tommy bought a ring. Tommy bought a ring.

Tommy wants to get married. Tommy wants to keep Buck forever. It’s not a surprise—they’ve talked about it, and Tommy has been more than clear that he’s in this relationship for the longhaul; more than clear that he’s deeply in love with Buck and their life together—but it makes Buck’s heart flutter just the same. Tommy is ready to make the commitment.

Buck must have been still and silent for too long, because Tommy raises his head from where he’d been buried under the covers and looks in Buck’s direction.

“Did you find them?” Tommy asks, his voice scratchy and stuffy.

There’s no point in pretending like he didn’t find the ring. This is all he’s going to be able to think about now, and he’s terrible at hiding his thoughts. Tommy would sniff it out in a moment, even this sick.

“Uh,” Buck says, a massive smile taking over his face. “I- I found something.” He holds up the little box.

Tommy looks confused for a moment and then his eyes go wide. “Oh. You weren’t supposed to- I had a plan.” His head hits the pillow with a groan.

Buck walks over to the bed, still smiling, and kneels on the floor by Tommy. “Oh, you had a plan, huh?”

“Yeah,” Tommy sighs. His frown is earnest and adorable. “Big romantic thing. Helicopter and a picnic at sunset. You were gonna love it.”

That does sound like something Buck would love. It’s thoughtful, sweet, intimate—fun. It’s so much better than anything Buck has been able to come up with. Buck has been making and scrapping plans for two months now because they weren’t perfect. Tommy’s plan was perfect.

Still, Buck can’t let Tommy think he was the only one ready for the next step. Who knows how long Tommy has had that ring. Has he been waiting for a sign that Buck was ready? He’s been so good about letting Buck set the pace of this relationship. This would have been the first step that Tommy asked Buck to take since their first kiss, first date. Buck wants Tommy to know he’s ready. They’re moving at the same pace, and Buck thinks that’s a beautiful thing. Well worth ruining the surprise over.

“And what if I told you I bought a ring too?” Buck bites his lip.

“Yeah?” Tommy asks, his face lighting up. He tries to sit up but Buck stops him with a hand on his chest, rubbing it back and forth soothingly.

“Yeah. But I hid it somewhere you wouldn’t find it. Not in one of our shared spaces,” Buck teases. “Babe, I wear your clothes all the time.”

Tommy’s eyebrows pull together stubbornly. “Never my socks, though. You hate my socks.”

Buck has never said that out loud but it’s true. He’s a little overwhelmed by the casual intimacy that knowledge betrays. Tommy knows him so well. Tommy pays attention to him so well, and he seems happy to. It’s all Buck has ever wanted. Finally, Buck has the kind of love he’s spent his entire life searching for. He’s never been more sure that Tommy is it for him.

“I do,” Buck says. He sounds utterly besotted even to his own ears. “Your socks are terrible. The toe seams are too thick.”

“I’ve never once noticed the toe seam,” Tommy laughs, equally as besotted. Like the way Buck sees the world is charming and beautiful to him instead of frustrating and in need of correction.

“I have a hard time believing that.” Buck hands Tommy the ring box. “I’ll put this back and wait for your big romantic proposal if you want. The answer will be the same.”

Before he can respond, Tommy sneezes. Buck hands him a fresh tissue from the box on the nightstand. Tommy takes it and looks at Buck consideringly. He smiles fondly and shakes his head.

“No need to wait. Honestly, I think this might be more romantic.” Tommy gestures with the tissue. “In sickness and in health, right?”

The wet sound of him blowing his nose makes it very clear which side of that dichotomy he’s on at the moment.

“That’s right,” Buck smiles.

Tommy smiles back. He’s glassy-eyed and red-nosed, his hair is wild, and his stubble is scruffier than he usually lets it get. Still, in this moment, he’s the most handsome man Buck has ever seen.

Tommy’s hands shake a little as he opens the box. The ring is beautiful: simple gold, wide and rounded, understated and elegant. Timeless. It’s perfect.

“Evan Buckley,” Tommy starts, voice scratchy and congested. He gives Buck a pained look and sighs. “I had a whole speech planned for this, but my brain is so fucking foggy right now I can’t remember it all.” They both laugh. “But I know why I love you, so I’ll start there. You’re kind, and brave, and smart. You keep me on my toes and you make me laugh. You make me feel safe. I don’t think I’ve ever felt held the way I do with your arms around me. You love with your whole heart, and I feel so lucky that someone as incredible as you chose me. You’re the best partner anyone could ask for. Every day with you is better than the last. There were so many times over the years when we almost met that it’s kind of insane we didn’t, but I’m glad it took us so long. You know I don’t really believe in this stuff most of the time, but I think we met when we did for a reason. We weren’t ready for each other before that hurricane. But I’m ready for you now, and I hope you’re ready for me, too. I love you more than I could ever hope to put into words. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

“Please,” Buck says breathlessly. Tommy’s laugh is filled with affection as Buck hurries to correct himself. “I- I mean of course, yes. Yes, I- I will marry you.”

The tears are coming now. Even through the brainfog that comes with a cold like this, Tommy was able to pull that off. If that wasn’t the rehearsed speech, Buck doesn’t think he would have survived the real one. It makes Buck’s general you flipped my life rightside-up and now I see the world in color and I’ll love you forever feel a little inadequate. He needs to organize his thoughts a little better before he can present them to Tommy.

“I- I have a speech too,” Buck assures him, “but it’s not ready yet.”

“That’s okay,” Tommy says easily. He’s looking at Buck with such naked adoration that it makes Buck’s heart soar. “Neither of us were expecting this today. Give it to me when you give me my ring.”

Buck nods and sniffles. “I will.”

Tommy reaches for him. “Can I have your hand, sweetheart?”

Buck gives Tommy his hand and Tommy slides the ring onto his finger. It fits perfectly. It looks like it’s always been there.

Illness be damned, Buck has to kiss him. They’re long past the point of caring about getting each other’s germs. Tommy’s lips are chapped from days of breathing through his mouth, he tastes stale, and his skin is hot and clammy. It’s one of the best kisses Buck has ever had.

They pull back when Tommy needs to breathe. Buck doesn’t go far. He runs a hand through Tommy’s hair and just admires him. Even like this, he’s gorgeous. Buck is so lucky. This is the person who looked at Buck and saw him for who he is—who looked at Buck and saw Evan. This is the person who has had a front-row seat to all of his flaws and insecurities and bad habits and found something to love about all of them. This is the person who doesn’t love him anyway but loves him because—who loves his jealousy because it makes him feel wanted, loves his clinginess because it makes him feel held, loves his tendency to speak without thinking because it’s honest. This is the person who never makes him feel insecure about wanting or needing anything; about who he is. This is the person he’s going to spend the rest of his life with. His fiancé. His soon-to-be husband. His-

“Baby, can I please have my socks?” Tommy asks in a small voice.

“Oh!” Buck had gotten so sidetracked by the whole proposal thing that he forgot why he was looking through Tommy’s side of the sock drawer in the first place. Buck presses a quick kiss to Tommy’s forehead and jumps up. “Of course, I’m sorry.”

Buck goes back to their dresser. The wool socks are right on top. He doesn’t know how he missed them before. It feels like a sign, like he was supposed to find the ring first.

It feels like the universe saw how stressed he’s been about getting the proposal exactly perfect and decided this was the right way for them to get engaged. No big plans, no rehearsed speeches, no theatrics. Just love and care and the simple intimacy of this life they’ve made together: messy and raw and gross. It’s so imperfect that it’s kind of perfect. It’s them.

This is why none of Buck’s plans had felt right. He’d been so focused on making things perfect and exciting for Tommy that he’d lost sight of what really mattered. The strength of their relationship isn’t in the big, dramatic moments. Sure, they met during a hurricane, but they built their relationship in the quiet, imperfect, domestic moments as they learned how to take care of each other. Their relationship isn’t a fantasy: it’s reality. It works precisely because it’s imperfect and they both want it anyway—because they are imperfect and they both still want each other.

Buck puts the socks on Tommy’s feet for him, then he lays under the covers next to him. He pulls Tommy to snuggle into his chest. Tommy is still sniffly and clammy and, objectively, pretty disgusting. Buck pulls him closer.

Soon, Tommy drifts off. He snores in the loud, startling way he only does when he’s congested. Buck feels lucky to hear it. He runs his hand through Tommy’s hair and feels his ring catch on the strands. Happy, content, at ease; Buck settles in.

{give me kudos!}

[whetstonefires]

Thinking about the parallels set up between Wei Wuxian and Mo Xuanyu, and how actually most of them are oddly specious.

The sketch of the backstory lines up, but on close examination they're mirror images.

Wei Wuxian wasn't kicked out of his sect, he left it. Wei Wuxian didn't hate the house he grew up in, he loved it, and getting the people there killed was the absolute last purpose for which his dark powers were ever intended.

Jiang Cheng was no Mo Ziyuan--his jealousy was a complicated thing all twisted up with love, and while he would lash out at Wei Wuxian both as a casual means of shit communication and more damagingly in moments of high tension, he had neither the desire nor the ability to bully him, and in general respected his boundaries almost too well.

When Wei Wuxian destroyed himself about Jiang Cheng, it was to give him cultivation, and protect his life and happiness. He would never have killed him.

Madam Yu was a domineering aunt-like figure, who hated Wei Wuxian for reasons of reputation, and because she had resented his dead mother, but she crucially did not have the power to actually disrupt his lifestyle to any significant extent.

Mo Xuanyu was shut up in a small room to rot; Wei Wuxian didn't even attend classes unless he wanted to. Mo Xuanyu was weak and disliked; Wei Wuxian was brilliant and popular.

Mo Xuanyu's uncle is a cipher of a figure, without character or agency, a nonentity who is resented to death apparently mostly for what he didn't do; in theory he is the master of the house, but he certainly never protected his wife and son's punching bag from them.

And this is what got me thinking along this track: because people keep interpreting Jiang Fengmian as this, as exactly like Mo Xuanyu's nameless uncle, a nonentity who lets his wife make all the decisions, and is contemptible therefore.

He shows up in fic characterized this way all the time, handled narratively as a gap rather than a person, an absence where there should have been a parent, and it's...totally inaccurate? The man only has a few scenes but the things that are most firmly established about him are:

he regularly goes out of his way to protect Wei Wuxian

he's extremely fond of Wei Wuxian

he cares a lot about ethical behavior

he's conflict-avoidant and gentle

he can and will overrule Yu Ziyuan when he's made up his mind, and there's nothing she can do about it

his communication skills are mediocre at best

he doesn't understand jiang cheng

he has a dumb sense of humor

Now almost none of this made it into cql besides point 4 and maybe 6, 5 is technically there but buried by the cinematic framing, so I totally get why the fandom on the whole struggles to characterize him well, and it's easier to write him off.

But it keeps bugging me to see him and Yu Ziyuan squashed into the mold of the Mo, because not only is that boring and reductive and kind-of-missing-the-point, it's like. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng's characterization suffers a lot when you alter the environment and take away the influence exerted by their shared father figure.

Jiang Fengmian was Wei Wuxian's primary adult role model and it shows.

Jiang Cheng's relationship to his own sense of ethics is fraught because 'teaching him good ethics' was his dad's number one parenting goal, but they misunderstood each other so badly (partly because Yu Ziyuan kept loudly misinterpreting them to each other, which is so realistic I can't get over it, that's exactly how it works good lord) that Jiang Cheng has a direct association between the concept of 'doing the right thing even when it's hard' and a feeling of personal inadequacy.

The fact that Wei Wuxian got their dad-person's approval for being exactly himself and Jiang Cheng not only couldn't do that, he couldn't even get that same level of approval when he really pushed himself to rise to expectations, because Jiang Fengmian did not intend that warmth as a 'reward,' and so never realized he was withholding it, and therefore misunderstood Jiang Cheng's visible jealousy as a dangerous sense of personal entitlement that had to be carefully restrained, which reinforced his distrust of Jiang-Cheng-the-person and fed into a shitty loop where they were less and less able to relate to one another--that's fantastic. That's so human! I love it so much.

Both their failures are their own but at the same time it would never have gotten so bad if Yu Ziyuan hadn't been interjecting herself in there, in the middle of their relationship, fucking it up. That's family, baby.

I would ofc like if there was more fic engaging with the subtleties of all this because it's so good, mxtx did such elegant work here and it is not sufficiently appreciated. But it's the kind of thing that's hard to write good fic about; I am struggling with it myself.

So mostly I wish there was just more fic that didn't impose Mo Xuanyu's cliche angst backstory on Wei Wuxian, who has a whole different thing going on.

[beforetimes]

telepathy kink is always talked about but i loveee the way erik's relationship with charles' mutation is dependant on how much he trusts charles + how willing he would be to submit to charles should he ever use it. like in first class charles spends time flicking in and out of erik's head no issue because erik trusts charles and also when charles was in erik's head, he brought out a piece of happiness that erik no longer thought he had. so he's more willing to submit to charles' telepathy. and he puts the helmet on because he's more vulnerable directly after killing the man who was such a direct source of violence in his life and realizing that it wasn't enough—which probably shook erik to his core, because his whole life he's been hunting this one guy just to find that it's not over yet?

and then in days of future past, erik once again goes back to saying 'i don't have my helmet i couldn't disobey you if i wanted' which some people read as a taunt, some people read as him not accepting charles' mutation (which like? i don't think erik has ever not accepted him, but whatever) but i personally read it as erik once more trying to find his footing with charles after a decade apart.

anyway now that i talked about canon stuff i think specifically in the context of a sexual relationship, the telepathy stuff would be a way for erik to give up control over the situation and put his full trust in charles. which is important because a) erik is someone who thrives on being in control and finds it very important because so much of his agency was robbed of him and choosing to submit to a higher power than his own is something that insinuates a great deal of trust in the other party and b) charles is the only one who he could do this with because charles proved that he had the capacity to invade erik's mind and know him wholly and didn't take advantage of that and has shown time and time again he will help erik no matter what.

its also the fact that erik repeatedly implies that charles' telepathy will be used to control him when its a much more surface-level/baseline understanding that telepathy is the reading of minds rather than outright taking control of them. it's even in the definition of telepathy. but knowing charles can take control of him and constantly inviting him to (in an assumed sexual context, in this case) highlights how erik sort of longs to have responsibility for his actions taken away from him. which again can only be done by charles. not just because of his powers but because so many of his actions have directly hurt charles and he's the only one who can both metaphorically and physically relieve him of the culpability behind the consequences of what he's done when in complete control of himself. so again erik is someone who wants to relieve himself of his overly-controlling nature, his responsibilities, be completely vulnerable to someone who's seen him at his worst and loved him anyway.

and the only way erik can be all these things at once is by being under charles' control. (under the control of someone stronger than erik who has proven he will never hurt him with the power charles can exert over him).

so like sexually yes it's fun to say haha erik telepathy kink but also i think it is something much more tender which encapsulates the fact that erik is only this vulnerable with someone he has so much trust in and that person can only ever be charles because its only around charles he can truly be wholly himself. and so submissive erik is real to me #tbh

hope this makes sense i am kind of just rambling

[stinkyturd]

Ground Level

Rui Mizuki/Reader

Comments: Rui gets a happy ending, woooooooooo!

"The curse of Antaeus...?"

You're currently seated on a rolling chair in the research lab with Yuri and Jiro of Mortkranken. Just the previous night you had returned from a mission with Haru and Towa. The Chancellor had assigned the three of you to deal with a golem type anomaly that had been frequently spotted in a forest outside of Darkwick. Preferably, Cornelius wanted the creature detained or slain, but it became clear to all of you that there was no way you'd be able to capture it due to its size. And once Towa began communicating with it, he was very quick in his refusal to kill it. 

Apparently, the anomaly Darkwick wanted rid of so badly was actually one that served to protect the forest. 

"Yes, I'd recognize that marking on your wrist anywhere. It is a pseudo blessing that supposedly originates from an earth goddess," Yuri insists. He's sitting in a chair across from you, examining your forearm with gloved hands. 

Right below the inside of your palm is a symbol etched into your skin that looks like an upside-down triangle with a slash through the tip. You recognize it vaguely as an alchemical symbol for earth.

"I thought the golem took a liking to us," You admit in exasperation. "How the hell did I end up with a double curse? I thought Towa said the golem told him that he wanted to give me a blessing!"

"To the anomaly, he very well may believe you have been given a blessing," Yuri comments nonchalantly. Glancing over his shoulder, the doctor snaps his fingers impatiently. "Jiro, scalpel!"

"Uh... scalpel?" You mutter with a nervous laugh. 

Jiro reaches for the bladed instrument on a nearby steel table and hands it to Yuri. 

Yuri's gaze hardens at you as he takes the tool from the Mortkranken vice-captain. "Do not question me! You came here for help-- did you not?"

You gulp, nodding reluctantly. "...Okay, okay."

Yuri brings the blade of the scalpel to your index finger and grazes it. To your surprise, you feel nothing. And you see nothing. The Mortkranken Captain furrows his brows.

"Uh... is that dull?" You ask skeptically. 

"Of course not," Yuri snaps. "What good does a dull scalpel do?"

Before you can make any further comment, the captain grazes the tool against your skin again, this time choosing your middle finger.

 

No cut, no blood, nothing. 

"...It's as I suspected," Yuri affirms as he releases your hand for the time being. His teal gaze meets yours. "You have acquired invincibility with limits."

"Huh...?" You tent your eyebrows in confusion. "How's that a curse?"

"This is a very uncommon occurrence, but if memory serves me correct-- and I know it does," Yuri starts, gassing himself up. "You have invincibility if and only if you're at ground level. The unpleasant aspect of this pseudo blessing is that in the event that you do become injured, it is far more laborious for your body to recover from it. In other words, serious injuries are now easily fatal for you."

Your jaw goes slack at the news. "Deadass?" 

"Deadass? What are you even saying?" Yuri retorts irritably. 

"I believe it is modern slang for questioning the validity of something," Jiro chimes in coolly. "I.E. 'Are you serious?'"

Yuri clicks his tongue impatiently, not bothering to turn in his vice-captain's direction. "I do not need your input; I can deduce these things for myself...! Anyway, speak clearly, Honor Student! How can you hope to ever integrate yourself into a professional setting using such primitive language?"

"How do we break it?" You ask, instead of acknowledging his reprimanding. 

Yuri presses his lips into a thin line as he averts his gaze. "I... I have yet to personally handle such a case, so that will require further research," The Captain reluctantly admits. 

"You said that the Jabberwock vice-captain is able to communicate with the golem?" Jiro asks, standing somewhere behind Yuri. 

You nod. 

"What will be done with it? The anomaly," Jiro clarifies.

"Uhm... Haru said he's going to try to communicate with the chancellor about using a method to draw humans away from the area, rather than trying to kill it. I'm not sure what that entails, but Towa decided the golem is very important to the forest."

"Hah! Good luck changing their mind," Yuri interjects derisively. 

"What do you recall of the anomaly granting you their 'blessing'?" Jiro asks, his ruby eyes regarding you lifelessly.

"It just came up to me and placed its hand on my head. Towa said that the golem claimed the blessing would help with my ‘fragility’. Then it went back into its cave," You explain. 

"And you did not think to move?!" Yuri near shouts. "Now you've given me double the work. How long until your other curse turns you into an anomaly? Five months?"

"Well, I didn't think it would curse me," You argue. 

"I think for the time being, as long as you're careful, this may actually be beneficial to you," Jiro remarks. "So long as you keep a foot on the ground, you will be invulnerable."

"Do not make such assertions so easily!" Yuri reprimands. "We must do a few experiments to test the validity of that claim."

Based on personal experience and word of mouth, very little good came from Yuri's experiments.

"What do the experiments entail, exactly...?" You ask, eyeing the Mortkranken Captain dubiously. 

"We will test your invulnerability with a scalpel on multiple types of surfaces, and on the second story of the building. It will determine your limits and just how useful this ability will be," Yuri replies, getting to his feet. 

Jiro nods at you encouragingly.

"...Okay. Let's do it then," You agree. 

Yuri performed the experiment as initially described, testing your durability on different surfaces. By the end of it all, it was determined that your skin is impenetrable on wood floors, stone, and soil. Metal was a no go, as well as the second story of the research lab. The Mortkranken Captain made two miniscule cuts on your fingertips that he made sure to immediately sew up, as it would be far more difficult to heal now.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, like Jiro said. But you still had plenty of questions. 

Once you are finished with everything and back on ground level in preparation to leave, Yuri hands you a small first aid kit.

"You were watching how I stitched your finger, correct? Be sure to ingrain it into your memory, as it may be necessary should you be far away."

"Yeah, I did! Thank you so much, Yuri," You reply earnestly as you take the box from him. "You're a real sweetie sometimes."

Crimson creeps up Yuri's neck and instantly bleeds into his face. The Mortkranken Captain yanks his hands away, taking a step back. "S-SWEETIE...?! HAVE YOU L-LOST YOUR MIND? WHO CALLS SOMEONE THAT?!"

A laugh escapes you. "Oh, sorry. I think Rui's rolodex of pet names is rubbing off on me."

"W-WELL...!" Yuri huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "Do not say that to me! You do not have my permission to address me as such!"

You smile a bit at that. "Sure, I'll keep that in mind." 

Yuri's endearing behavior mildly lightens your mood. And speaking of Rui... there was something that had been scratching your brain since the experiment had started. "Hey, Yuri..."

"What...?" The captain bites out, his flush receding as he begins to regain his composure.

"Do you think that I am also invincible to Rui's curse?" 

"...The reaper curse?" Yuri places a hand on his chin in deliberation. "It would be foolhardy to test that theory, but if any curse could combat that one... one would think it would be a ‘blessing’ from a goddess. Who is better suited to cheating death than a god?"

The thought was tempting. You had spent a lot of your time at Darkwick hanging out with Rui, and if you could touch him... that would be far more convenient for a lot of reasons. Some of those reasons being ones you haven't quite come to terms with. 

"Should I try it out?" You offer recklessly. 

Yuri wrinkles his face at the idea. "Knowing the outcome of such a risky endeavor would be incredibly beneficial to my research. However, if it doesn't work... who knows if you'd lose a limb? Worst case scenario-- you die."

"Yeah, that would suck, huh?"

"Should you choose to do it, be sure that I am in the area. And video call me so I can witness the results," Yuri requests, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. 

"Yeah… sounds good."

–

A few days pass, and you find yourself at the Obscuary bar after attending your classes for the day. You had initially come to spend time with Lyca and Rui, but when you arrive you find Haru seated at the bar as well. A few seats away from him sat Lyca and Edward. Rui is behind the bar preparing a cocktail, and his pink eyes catch yours the second you come into view.

“If it isn't my favorite cutie! Did you come all this way to see me?” Rui greets you with a wink. “It's been ages! I was worried you had forgotten about me!”

You smirk at his banter as you approach the bar. “Don't be so dramatic. It's been like three days max. And I've been texting you.” 

Of all the ghouls in the academy, Rui is among your favorites. You messaged each other frequently, just to catch up. Even when you didn't have time to come visit in person.

“(Y/N)...!” Haru calls out your name, stretching out all the syllables exuberantly. When you stop right next to the Jabberwock Captain, he sits up and slings an arm around your shoulder, patting your arm in an awkward side hug. You notice the scent of booze on his breath almost immediately, and not the anomalous plant kind. The Jabberwock Captain is absolutely sloshed. “How ya been? I talked to the Chancellor about… hic! Y'know.”

You return the hug by patting Haru's back with your left arm. “Really? What's the verdict?”

“Told ‘em bout… y'know. And they said…hic! Golem will live… and prototype was put in forest to keep…hic! Away humans,” Haru explains near unintelligibly. 

“And what about Towa talking to the Golem about… y'know?” You ask. You're not sure why Haru's insisting on calling the curse ‘y'know’, but you decide to go along with it. Though, you really hadn't told many people about it– not even the Obscuary students. 

“Hic…! In due time…” Haru replies vaguely, shooting you a cheesy grin as he gives you a thumbs up with his free hand. 

The goofy behavior from the inebriated captain elicits a snort out of you.

“Say, don't you think you've held on long enough Haru? You're gonna make a guy jealous over here,” Rui says, inserting himself into the conversation. The wry smile on his delicate features betrays his seemingly playful words.

“I think the gigolo is right for once. Let go of (Y/N)!” Lyca protests from your right, his brows creased.

“Haaah…? What'd I do?” Haru babbles in drunken confusion. 

“He's just drunk, Lyca,” You assure as you gently coax the Jabberwock Captain back into his seat. “You should seriously pace yourself Haru. This happens nearly every weekend.”

“Naaah! ‘M good! Feelin’ good,” Haru insists with a giggle. 

“What's this ‘y'know’ talk about? Keeping secrets from me, Cutie?” Rui pries in a lighthearted tone. The way he's holding your gaze as he fills the glass in front of him makes you think he's fishing for a legitimate answer. 

“Oh, uh… I'll tell you here soon,” You say instead. 

If you were being honest, you didn't want to reveal your new curse problem to Rui just yet. In the event that you decide you're going to touch him, it's better he didn't know. The Obscuary vice-captain was far too perceptive of your thought process sometimes for his own good.

Rui's smile falters for a moment at your dismissive reply. “Yeah… Sure, no problem.” He sets the cocktail shaker to the side and passes the drink your way. The liquid inside the martini glass is purple, with a viola flower accenting the rim of the cup. 

You beam at him. “For me?”

Rui smiles half-heartedly back, rather than replying verbally. You watch the pretty blond move around the countertop. “I better get down to the basement and prep for customers before we actually open.”

You turn towards him. “I can help you.”

“No, that's okay! Rest your pretty little head,” Rui counters hastily. 

You open your mouth to protest, but the Obscuary vice-captain is already making his way down the hatch in the cellar. “I have new recipes that you wouldn't remember, it would take longer explaining it all.”

This was Rui's move lately. You couldn't quite pinpoint when or why, but something changed between the two of you within the last few weeks. Before, the vice-captain would welcome your company for a task– even if he didn't ask you to do much of anything. Now it seemed like he was avoiding spending too much alone time with you altogether. And Rui is still flirty, but it's not as excessive as it used to be. 

When Rui disappears from your line of sight, with the hatch closing behind him, Edward speaks from his spot at the bar.

“Oh, to be young…” The vampire drawls.

You narrow your eyes in his direction as you wrap your fingers around the martini glass in front of you. “What are you on about, old man?”

“Don't mind me, my dear. I'm simply enjoying the show,” Edward assures as he rests his cheek against his palm, sporting a languid smile. 

“The gigolo seems kinda down in the dumps lately,” Lyca comments, looking up from the open book on the counter in front of him. “Been sighing a lot. This book says it could be ‘cause he's anx-teeous.”

Suppressing a smile, you walk over to Lyca and peer over his shoulder at the text in front of him. By the looks of it, the werewolf was reading a psychology book. 

“It's pronounced more like ‘ang-shuhs’. The ‘t’ is meant to be silent,” You explain. “And that is a possibility. Has anything bad happened recently to warrant that?”

“Erm…” Lyca flits his gaze to the text in front of him, seemingly in a state of concentration. “Don't think so.”

“Perhaps our sweet Rui is feeling a little lovelorn…?” Edward suggests, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Lovelorn?” You echo, eyeing him skeptically. 

Ed nods. “For someone that is untouchable, it must be rather difficult to have such a pretty young student consistently present. A student with such a tender heart to boot.”

You take a sip of the drink in your hand. It tastes floral, sweet, and a bit citrusy. And as usual, it's delicious. Your eyes meet Ed's ruby ones, belatedly acknowledging his babbling. “And just who are you referring to?”

“I don't know any other pretty young students that are brave enough to trek through Obscuary's forest all by themselves,” Edward counters, amusement lacing his voice.

You scoff at the implication. “What, you're saying he's getting all soft on me? You know, it's not nice to spread information without finding out the validity first.”

“Not to worry. This conversation won't leave the room, my dear. Anywho, why don't you take a seat by me? Your scent is particularly fetching today.” The vampire pats the stool next to him encouragingly.

Lyca growls at that, grabbing your wrist. “Don't listen to that moth-eaten Casanova. Sit right here.”

You snicker, plopping down in the seat to the left of Lyca. Your eyes shift to the side to check on Haru a few seats away. The Jabberwock captain is resting his head in his arms snoozing peacefully against the countertop. 

“Good for him. He needs a break.” You take another sip from the glass in your hand. Warmth begins to buzz in your stomach from the anomalous plant cocktail. You tilt your head to the book in front of Lyca. “Are you studying for school?”

Lyca nods as he flips a page. “Uh huh. But I'm reading ahead of the course.”

Your lips curl into a smile as you watch him. “That interesting?” 

“It's helping me get why some people don't like talking to me much…So it bothers me less now,” Lyca explains slowly.

You frown at that. “They're just assholes, Lyca. You always have me and Ed here. Rui and Suba, too!” From the corner of your eye, you catch Ed smiling in approval at your assertion. 

Lyca shakes his head. “It's not just that. Says here sometimes people are closed off ‘cause of the ‘unknown’. I get that, I think. I wasn't so nice when I first met you too, (Y/N). ‘Cause the only nice person I met here was Suba. Being ‘vul-ner-aable’ when you don't know what will happen. It's scary, right?”

You involuntarily pucker your bottom lip out and stare at Lyca in adoration. “Yes… you're right Lyca. That's a very mature way to think about it! Can I squish you?”

Lyca's looks to you in confusion. “Squish?”

You lean forward and throw your arms around him anyway, pressing your cheek against the top of his head. “SOOO, CUUUUTE!”

“H-Hey…!” Lyca goes stiff at the contact as he flushes in embarrassment. “W-What's that got to do with what I said?”

“Tons and tons!” You nuzzle Lyca's head vigorously a few times before pulling away and sitting back down. 

Lyca tents his eyebrows and smooths down his now ruffled hair. “You don't make any sense…”

“Sorry, Lyca, had to. My hands were tied.” You grin wide as you hold your palms up.

“...Intriguing. When did that mark on your wrist get there?” Edward interjects as he sits forward slightly to get a better look from Lyca's right side. 

Oops, caught earlier than you had anticipated. 

Should you just tell him? Judging by that knowing look on his face, you'd guess the Obscuary Captain already has an idea of the symbol. And its Ed. Ed somehow knows everything. 

You decide to give in and explain everything while Rui is out of the room.

As your retelling of the mission's events comes to a close, you add the most recent bit of information. “Towa is supposed to ask the golem about breaking the curse, too.”

“Break it? Now why on earth would you want to do that?” Ed asks, regarding you with awe. 

“Uhm… ‘cause I'm technically more at risk if I'm not careful? Is it a bad idea?”

“Yes. It is,” Edward insists. “In fact, that blessing may just extend the time in which your curse from Kyklos takes over.”

“What, you mean it might take longer to turn into an anomaly? Didn't you say my curse is like… extra malignant, though?” You press, your expression puzzled.

“There are minor setbacks, but a sacred blessing is nothing to bat an eye at. Until you know that you can break your previous curse, you should not attempt to remove the new one,” The vampire says with conviction. “Be sure you're always at ground level when you're at your most vulnerable. Perhaps even opt to sleep in a traditional futon for the time being.”

Well, that's an unexpected development. But if what Ed is saying is true, this really is a sort of blessing. There is only one other unanswered question that has been eating at you. 

“Um… do you think touching Rui would still kill me?”

The question seems to thoroughly amuse Ed, because he fans his fingertips over his lips like he's trying to hide it. “Oh…? You're interested in touching Rui?”

Lyca speaks up for the first time since you've begun your explanation. The werewolf's face appears startled from the suggestion. “Touching the gigolo? That's dangerous, you can't!”

“Well… only if Ed thinks it might not kill me,” You admit sheepishly.

“Might…?!” Lyca bites out, his voice raising marginally.

“Touching Rui very well may not kill you. Though, there is the possibility of severe injury on the off chance it does not work. Might I suggest touching him with just your fingers first?” Ed offers, his tone lackadaisical. 

Lyca nearly stands in alarm. “What?! No! She just said it will be way more difficult for her to heal! That could kill her!”

You press your lips into a thin line as you deliberate the idea. “Yuri also seemed interested in seeing the results if I decide to do it. I would feel kinda bad for Rui if anything happened, though. He'd probably feel guilty even if it's my fault…”

Edward laughs airly. “Humans truly have such an endearing way of thinking. Regardless of how Rui may feel, the choice is yours. If you feel it's worth the risk, it would be selfish of me to discourage you.” 

Lyca grits his teeth, narrowing his gold eyes at the vampire. “Old man…”

“In the event that this endeavor is successful, I have a feeling Rui will be thrilled in time,” Ed adds. 

“Right…” You digest the information, considering your options. “Thanks, Ed. You're kinda insightful sometimes.”

Edwards lips curl into a coy smile. “I know nothing, my dear. When you've lived as long as I have… I can only offer a unique perspective.”

Suddenly, the hatch from the cellar flies open, effectively ceasing further conversation between the two of you. A head of blond hair emerges, and then Rui's pretty face.

“Everything's prepped!” Rui lifts himself fully out of the cellar and closes the door behind him. He’s cradling a basket filled with herbs and bottles. “Lyca, if you would be a doll and run the bar for a little bit? I wanna get started on dinner before it gets too busy. We may get some customers in a few minutes. More specifically Romi.”

Lyca huffs with downturned lips, seemingly ready to protest. But after a few beats, his expression relaxes. “...Fine.”

Rui grins appreciatively and sets the basket on the countertop several feet away from you before turning heel. “Thanks a million! I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me!” 

Before you can even think of saying anything, the vice-captain is already on his way out. You sigh and decide to give him a bit of space before checking on him. 

Lyca stands up and makes his way around the counter. The Obscuary student pulls a notepad from a drawer that's just out of sight. “Guess I'll reread recipes,” He grumbles.

After about twenty minutes of chatting idly with the three of them, Romeo makes an appearance. When you catch him in the corner of your eye, you lift your head to greet him. “Oh, it's Romeo! Hey!”

“It's you, BB. Why am I not surprised? Come to live here now?”

You open your mouth to reply. 

“Nevermind, don't answer that– I don't care.” The vice-captain comes up behind Haru and immediately smacks him on the shoulder a few times, effectively disturbing the slumbering captain.

“Hnn…?” Haru lifts his head from the counter to look at Romeo, with remnants of drool on his face. The poor guy looks entirely disoriented. 

“Wake up! You are not falling asleep now that I am here,” Romeo tilts his head in Lyca's direction, and slides a couple of bills towards him from across the countertop. “Two Vieux Carre.”

The Obscuary student wordlessly pockets the yen before getting work. It takes several minutes, but Lyca eventually slides two filled rocks glasses Romeo's way. 

The Sinostra vice-captain flits his gaze to the drinks. Almost immediately, he scoffs. “This is not what I asked for. These are Old-Fashioned cocktails!”

Lyca lifts an eyebrow and glances down at the notepad in front of him, turning a few pages. His eyes scan the scribbles in front of him, and a moment later he speaks. “Hrm… sorry. I'll make it again.” 

“Don't worry about it Lyca! These look great,” You reassure him as you stand and take the glasses. “I'll just bring one to Rui, and I'll take one. I'll put it on a tab and give you a tip at the end of the night!”

Lyca smiles a bit as he begins preparing the drinks Romeo ordered. “You don't have to.”

“I insist! Be back soon!” With that, you head to the kitchen to finally get some alone time with the Obscuary vice-captain. 

When you walk into the kitchen, you find Rui leaning against a large wooden island in the center of the room. There are a variety of ingredients laid out on the flat surface and he seems to be preoccupied with reading a sheet of paper laying in front of him. You can't help but notice the apron wrapped around his waist. He totally looks cute as hell. 

It isn't until you set the glasses down across from him that he looks up, appearing a little startled. 

“O-Oh, (Y/N)!” The blonde chuckles nervously, as he rakes his bare fingers through his hair. His eyes land on the drinks. “Whatchya got there?”

“Lyca accidentally made Romeo the wrong cocktails. So, I told him I'd take one of them for you. And one for me.” You lean against the other side of the island, subconsciously mirroring his posture.

“Ah… an Old-Fashioned? Those are pretty strong. And I'm about to start cutting stuff. Alcohol and knives don't really mix for me, ya know!” Rui explains clumsily. Based on the rigid expression on his face, you have a feeling like he's not really saying all that he needs to. 

“Oh? I'll handle the cutting then. I actually have been getting some practice in recently!” It was true. After finding out about the new curse, you went home and practiced cutting vegetables super fast when you were bored one evening. 

Rui looks like he wants to argue further, but he's likely running out of things to say without revealing a little more than he's comfortable with. Cautiously, he reaches for one of the glasses and pulls it closer to him. The vice-captain smiles at you. 

It's so pretty it's almost blinding.

“Thanks for thinking of me, Cutie! You really know how to make a guy's heart melt.”

“I'm glad to help. I like doing things for you, you know,” You admit easily as you roll up the sleeves of your shirt in preparation to assist. 

The comment seems to catch him mildly off guard by the way his expression falters, almost imperceptibly. Distracting himself, Rui reaches for the skewered cherries on top of the rim. He brings the steel pick to his lips and pulls the fruit into his mouth with his teeth. The reaper chews a few times before swallowing. 

“That's good news for me then, huh? I don't want you to sully those pretty hands for my sake, but if that's what will keep me company for the evening… I guess I can't just pass that up,” Rui flirts with his signature wink. 

You snicker at his lame recovery. Tucking your hair behind your ears, you approach the sink and begin washing your hands thoroughly. “My hands will be just fine. I'll impress you with my sick knife skills.”

“And I'll enjoy the show,” Rui teases.

Once you come back to the island, the Obscuary vice-captain sets out a board in front of you. Apparently, Rui had been in the process of making a hearty beef and cabbage stew. You slice the stem off of the napa cabbage with the knife provided to you and then move to the sink to rinse the vegetable off thoroughly. By the time you make your way back to the island, you spot some… unique looking ingredients in front of you. Rice, white wine, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, sour pickles, jalapenos, and bean sprouts?

You must have looked bewildered because Rui laughs. It sounds like a string of harmonies reverberating against your ear drums. 

“Looks weird, right? There's actually supposed to be onions and garlic, but Yuri said it's not good for Lyca. I promise, it's delish! This is one of those ‘trust the process’ type deals!” The vice-captain insists. 

You smirk and begin cutting the cabbage leaves into more reasonable chunks as you prepare to julienne them. “I've had your cooking before, so I believe you. Has Lyca tried this, yet?”

“Nooope. He will like it no matter what though, since there's beef!” Rui finally lifts his cocktail to his lips and takes a small sip. “Hmm… this is well mixed. Lyca really is doing a good job. A liiittle on the strong side.”

“Too strong?” You ask, glancing up to look at him. His captivating eyes lock with yours for a moment before you divert your attention back to the board. 

“Enough to not want to drink it fast,” Rui replies. 

“Hmm… maybe we can play a little drinking game then,” You suggest.

“Drinking game? Couldn't that like, do the opposite though?” Rui counters skeptically.

You hum. “Not if you're better at asking burning questions.”

“Questions? Is this one of those college party games? Gotta say, you don't strike me as the type to attend those, Cutie.” 

You shake your head. “Puh-lease. It's a juvenile game as old as time. I played it without the drinking as a kid.”

“The suspense is killing me! Let's hear it,” Rui quips playfully. 

“Never have I ever,” You announce as you begin stacking squares of cabbage somewhat evenly on the board.

“Oh, I've definitely heard of that. Remind me of the rules?” 

“Simple. I ask a question by adding it to the end of ‘Never have I ever’. If it’s something you've done, you drink. If it's not, I have to drink. Vice versa. Any objections?” You ask.

“That seems like it'd be a cute first date idea. Any boundaries with the questions?” Rui asks, resting his cheek against his knuckles as he looks back at you. 

“No. You're free to know anything you want about me! But if I cross a line, let me know.” 

Rui's posture stiffens and he shifts his gaze absently to the glass in his hand. “Haha, that seems totally unfair, doesn't it…? I'll answer as best as I can.”

You begin thinly slicing the cabbage, drawing your eyes back to the board. “You start.” 

Rui lets out a low whistle. “Me first? That's a lot of pressure. Hold on… let me think about it.”

The sound of the back of the knife in your hand rapidly thudding against the wooden board becomes the only noise in the room for a good fifteen seconds. 

“Never have I ever…cheated on a final exam?” Rui asks, his tone indecisive.

The anticlimactic question evokes a giggle out of you. You deliberate for a moment but end up not sipping your drink. “Sorry, but you should have specified. I've probably cheated on a regular test, but finals are much harder to do that with.”

“Daaang,” Rui clicks his tongue, playing up a disappointed expression as he takes a drink. “I'll do better next round.”

You think for a moment before deciding the next question and glancing up. “...Never have I ever… learned to swim?”

“You did that on purpose,” He accuses, puckering his soft pink bottom lip before taking a sip. “Can't most people swim? Plus, haven't I mentioned I used to surf?”

“Mmm… Must have totally slipped my mind,” You say nonchalantly. It didn't. “Go on. Your turn again.”

“Never have I ever been to Tokyo?” Rui wears an impish smirk as the words leave his mouth. 

You snort, rolling your eyes. “We are in Tokyo, basically.”

“No, this is Darkwick! We totally have our own area code and everything. Who knows? You could have been shipped here from France or something!” Rui counters, feigning innocence. 

Rui definitely knew that much about you. You stick your tongue at him childishly and pause your knife work. Reaching forward you pick up your glass and take your first sip. You were pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the drink. Rui was right. For a strong cocktail it was pretty well mixed. 

“I'll have to give Lyca praise later. Anyway, next question…” 

The two of you ask several more rounds of impersonal and benign questions as you continue to work. You're not sure if it's just the alcohol or a product of being in good company, but you begin to feel warm all over. It had been a while since you’ve had an exclusive in-person conversation with Rui. And right now, the cadence of his voice, and his charming witticism seems to have an amplified effect on you. Every time you lock eyes when one of you takes a drink, you swear you feel your heart skip a bit.

When you're on your last bunch of cabbage and your glasses are almost evenly a quarter of the way filled, the vice-captain asks something else.

“Never have I ever gone on a date with a Darkwick student that isn't Rui.”

When your head snaps up in surprise the vice-captain just watches you expectantly, cheeks flushed and a self-assured smirk. 

“Nosey, aren't we?” You retort. 

“Isn't that the nature of the game? Being nosey? It's about time I ask something juicy,” Rui quips back. 

Taking an opportunity to mess with him and gauge his reaction, you lift the alcoholic beverage to your lips.

Rui sits up marginally as if he's taken aback. You watch his pretty pink lips part and his eyebrows tent with worry. 

It almost makes you feel bad.

You set the glass down, not actually taking a sip. “What's that look for, you jelly?”

“Obviously!” Rui admits without hesitation. He forces a smile anyway. “C'mon, you know you have me wrapped around your finger, Cutie.”

You do?

You swear you feel your heart in your throat as he throws the comment at you. 

Rui narrows his eyes sharply. “Who's the lucky fella?”

A lopsided grin forms on your features. “...I didn't actually take a drink. That's all you.”

The Obscuary vice-captain’s expression turns meek. A look of relief quickly follows, and he sighs. “You so tricked me! I didn't think you could be so cruel.”

“Go on, drink,” You urge, your grin now bordering on sadistic. 

Rui complies, taking a sip. “Guess this is better than the alternative. I thought for sure you and Haru had something going on for a second.”

The alcohol must be causing the blonde man in front of you to be a little loose lipped with his words. Sure, Rui's joked about being jealous before, but specifying in this instance felt a bit different. 

You tilt your head curiously. “Haru? Of course not. He's just my friend.”

Rui averts his gaze as he sets his glass down. The direct reply to his worry seems to embarrass him because his cheeks redden past the point where booze could be used as an excuse. “...Ignore me. That was out of line.”

You wave your hands placatingly at his unexpected behavior. “Hey, no! It's definitely not. I think it's cute you're worried about that.”

Rui doesn't return his gaze to you for the moment. He opens his mouth like he's going to say something else, but closes it again like he just changed his mind. A nervous chuckle slips past his lips a moment later. “...Okay, next question. If you stare at me like that any longer I might think you've finally fallen for me.”

You roll your eyes. “Fine, fine. Let's see…” 

Maybe this time you'll ask something more personal? For your own self-indulgence and to make him feel better about his own shyness. It's basically a win-win, you have to do it. Right?

You draw your gaze back to the board and curl your knuckles over a stack of cabbage, resuming your slicing as you deliver the next prompt. “Never have I ever kissed anyone.”

The room becomes silent once more, aside from the ambience of your task at hand. 

You almost glance back up when you don't see him reach for his drink, but then he speaks up.

“I don't kiss and tell you know! Plus, you really wanna know that? I wouldn't want to make you jealous too, Cutie.”

“Why? Is it like a ton of people? Maybe I'd be a bit jealous then,” You counter teasingly.

“...Wait, seriously? That was a joke!” 

You glance back up with a deadpan look on your face as you toss more cut cabbage into a steel bowl next to you. 

The vice-captain now appears mildly panicked. “Look, it wasn't like a lot! Honest! And it was forever ago, no need to be jealous, seriously!”

Thoroughly enjoying his reaction, you pretend to be annoyed and hum suspiciously. “I dunno, I've witnessed you being a little flirty with girls coming onto you before…” Pausing for dramatic effect, you sigh. “I bet you even call them ‘Cutie’ too. Is that why you stopped inviting me to your room? You got a new Cutie to fawn over?”

“So NOT true!” Rui exclaims, his expression shifting into a horrified one. “Look, if you've ever caught me saying anything remotely like that to anyone before, I swear I haven't done it in like– ages! I can't do that. Not anymore.”

Not being able to keep up the act anymore, a smile splits your features. “Oh? What changed?”

Rui stares back at you, the question leaving him completely despondent. He shakes his head guardedly, picking up his glass and downing the rest of his drink.

Your lips downturn as you realize you may have gone too far with your teasing. “Sorry, too far?”

Rui clears his throat as he sets his glass down, his gaze softening as he regards you. “No, it's not that.” He laughs a little in spite of himself. “You're the last person I want to be a witness to how pitiful I can really be. And the truth is, I can't answer that question.”

You try not to look expectant. As much as you want to know, it would be selfish to pry any farther.

“Maybe in another life,” Rui hesitates as he picks up the steel skewer that once held cherries, twirling it idly between his fingertips. “I wish I could meet you again as a regular guy. I doubt you would give me the time of day, though. You're too good for me.”

You're left breathless at his confession. 

Your hairs stand on end as you drop the knife in your hands. Just when you're dead set on making your way to his side of the island, a voice sounds from your right.

“Hello, Rui. I came here to collect some herbs for potions at the medical facility. Have I come at a bad time?”

You look over to find Jiro who noiselessly slipped into the room. He nods stiffly in your direction while holding his phone in his hand. 

“Oh, nope!” Rui separates himself from the counter. “I can go grab those for you. Is it the same list you sent last time via text?”

Jiro nods. “Yes, that would be greatly appreciated.”

“No problemo! Give me a few!” With that, the Obscuary vice-captain makes a hasty retreat.

Jiro approaches the island slowly as he stares at you. “...You decide if you're gonna do it?”

“I am,” You say definitively. “Wish me luck, hahaha. If I die, text my boss from my old job in the real world ‘Your Momma’s a hoe’, okay?”

“‘Your Momma's a hoe’,” Jiro repeats impassively. “...Yeah, I can do that.”

“Thank you, you're the best!”

By the time Rui comes back with bundled herbs, you finish cutting what's needed for the stew. You watch the Obscuary vice-captain set the clear package on the island in front of Jiro. 

“Here ya go! I put a little extra in there to save you some running around. Go wild!” Rui exclaims exuberantly. 

“Thank you. This will be very useful,” Jiro responds as he picks up the package.

You move around the island to Rui's side nonchalantly with the steel bowl of cut vegetables in your hand. While the vice-captain is distracted, you set it next to the stovetop. 

“I have a few hybrid plants in budding stages that will probably interest you guys. I'll let you know when they're ready.” Rui peels off his gardening gloves and stuffs them in his pocket as he talks. He must have put them on in the cellar and is likely planning to wash his hands again.

Now is as good a time as any, right?

You creep forward a bit closer, your eyes locked on his naked right hand hanging loosely at his side for the moment.

“Really? Are they a blend of any of these?” Jiro asks. 

Holding your breath you mentally apologize to Rui in advance. If your impulsivities result in disaster, you hope he will blame you. You outstretch your arm, fingertips just centimeters away.

“Yeah, actually! Here let me show you a photo…”

Shit! 

“YOLO,” You whisper under your breath.

Just as Rui's hand reaches for his pocket and he starts to turn around, you shut your eyes tight and wrap your fingers around his.

The room goes dead silent. Your hand is warm. You're not dead are you?

“What, did it work? Move your camera closer, I can't see!” 

The sound of Yuri's voice causes you to snap your eyes open. Your eyes instantly meet Rui's. He understandably looks completely horrified as he gawks at your linked hands.

“(Y/N)... What did you do?” Rui manages, his voice uncharacteristically fragile. 

Feeling the aftereffects of an adrenaline rush, you take it a step farther and bring his hand to your lips, placing a kiss on the back of it. You smirk at him, bathing in a sense of victory. “Um, the Gods just think we would be mega cute together, duh!”

Heat crawls up Rui's neck as he stands there, jaw slack and at a loss for words.

“AAAGH! W-WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT WHEN I AM ON VIDEO CALL…?!” Yuri screeches.

You lower Rui's hand and turn your gaze to Jiro holding up his phone. 

“You told me not to let them know you're here. That would probably be part of it,” Jiro replies monotonously.

“IRRELEVANT! W-WHO DOES THAT WITH COMPANY PRESENT?!” Yuri yells back indignantly. 

Jiro scratches his head, staring at the screen in front of him. “(Y/N) does…?” 

Yuri huffs on the other end. After a brief pause his voice comes, far less elevated this time. “Obviously, that was rhetorical! Tch…! A-Anyway… Honor Student, can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” You reply back. 

“Good! I would like to run some tests, so go with Jiro back to Mortkranken, if you know what's good for you!”

“But I was helping Rui with cooking,” You protest.

“It's fine, you should go,” Rui interjects a little too quickly, his voice cracking. 

You look at him, puckering your lips into a pout. “Huh? But…”

Rui turns his head towards Jiro. “If you could wait at the bar I'll send her to follow you out. I want to talk with her for a sec… alone.”

Jiro nods. “Okay, then it's settled. Ending the call now.”

It sounds as if Yuri is about to protest, but the Mortkranken vice-captain abruptly hangs up on him. Jiro bows slightly. “I'll be seeing you momentarily, (Y/N). Thank you again for the herbs, Rui. Text me those photos of the hybrids when you have a chance.”

“Yup, yup! No problem,” Rui replies.

You watch Jiro exit the room before diverting your attention back to Rui. He is staring at your still linked hands. You hadn't noticed it until now, but he appears to be trembling a bit. The urge to wrap your arms around him overwhelms you, but you wait.

“Do you want me to let go?” You ask carefully.

“This feels different,” Rui murmurs with an unreadable expression as he rubs his thumb soothingly over the back of your hand. “Something is protecting your energy. I can’t drain it. What changed?”

You explain the situation and the details of the curse, not leaving out any information. It's obvious by the way his expression hardens when you explain the negative aspects that he's not completely on board with this.

“(Y/N)... this isn't a solution.” Rui breaks away from your touch, settling himself against the side of the island.

“Huh? Well, I mean… It kind of is,” You argue. “As long as I'm careful…!”

The vice-captain creases his brow, giving you the most stern look you've probably ever seen him wear. “One wrong move and this could totally go south. What if I was standing on the second floor and you just forget? Or what if I do?”

“Then, we just… don't?” You suggest lamely. “Trust me, I wouldn't want you to deal with that if something bad happened, so I'll do my best.”

“Do you hear yourself right now?” Rui's tone comes out exasperated. “Why the hell is that your first thought? This isn't something inconsequential– it's your life on the line!” 

“You don't think I don't know that?” You keep your tone steady as you attempt to explain your case. “I touched you because I was willing to take that risk.”

“That's what's worse! You could have died just a few minutes ago, you weren't even sure!”

You shift your eyes to the side. “Well… Ed was pretty sure.”

“Pretty sure isn't sure, (Y/N)!” Rui snaps, his voice elevated.

Any reply you may have catches in your throat. You don't have an excuse for yourself. This was a possible outcome, you knew it, but actually seeing Rui angry and raising his voice over this left you with mixed emotions. Maybe this was a little selfish on your part. Should you have asked?

But if you did, Rui would have never allowed you to touch him. You're certain of that much.

You're not sure the kind of expression you were making, but the vice-captain appears contrite in a matter of seconds. 

“Sorry… I didn't mean to yell,” Rui flits his gaze to the floor. “Look, you should go for now, okay? We can talk about this later. Once I've had time to think.”

“...Yeah, I'll do that.” You give Rui a brief once over before walking towards the door. Just before you're about to exit, you turn your head one last time. The vice-captain still has his eyes trained on the floor in front of him.

“Your hands are really soft. And you smell nice up close,” You remark, your lips curling into a smile.

Rui glances towards you. His eyes widen in surprise as he's seemingly taken off guard by the comment. 

“Okay that's all, bye-bye!” 

With that you bolt out the door, feeling a little bit giddier about the whole thing.

–

A couple days have passed since you touched Rui. The two of you hadn't seen each other since, but you had exchanged a few brief texts in greeting. Nothing of substance considering you still had a lot to talk about. In due time, you told yourself.

Currently, you were crouched down in a plot of soil with a basket in your hands, harvesting some crops. You planted them a little over a month ago in Jabberwock after Towa had taught you a thing or two about caring for plants, and Haru gave you the tools necessary to do so. The Jabberwock Captain's expertise is mainly in caring for the anomalies, but he had the resources to make it happen. 

Since you helped Haru out pretty frequently with daily chores, he had been more than willing to let you borrow an extra piece of fenced in land. You made sure to pick a fast growing and low maintenance crop that would be useful for cooking. Did you cook? Not really often– your equipment had been pretty limited at the cathedral.

Secretly, you had planned to give these to Rui at some point. 

Hopefully he liked baby beets. And hopefully he wasn't still mad at you in the upcoming weeks. Coincidentally, you selected a crop with a long shelf life too. 

You continued to grip the leafy parts of the vegetables as you shimmied the ripe crops from the ground and tossed them in a basket as you went. The sun was already beginning to set, but you wanted to swing by here despite the long day you had. You had just gotten back from a mission. It wasn't particularly labor intensive, but you hadn't gotten the best sleep the last few days. 

You're so absorbed in the task at hand that when you hear a random thudding sound against wood, you nearly tip over from your crouched position. Flicking your gaze to where you thought you heard the source, you find nothing. Just the wooden fence post standing in a patch of grass, nothing out of the ordinary.

Must have been a rabbit, or something.

You were super invincible now anyhow, right? So, basically you could take on anything in this grassland that tried to pull up on you. If anything they should be scared of you! Yeah…

Swallowing your trepidation, you continue working and harvest each crop in linear order– just to make sure you don't miss any. It isn't long before your basket is overflowing with vegetables. When you pluck your last baby beet from the dirt, you breathe out a sigh of relief as you throw it on top.

“Finally,” You mutter to yourself as you stand upright. Your back brushes against something when you do. At first you assume you had gotten closer to the fence than you had previously thought, but that theory is debunked almost immediately when you hear an all too familiar voice behind you.

“Shit…!” 

You hear something thud to the ground. Flipping around, you find an all too familiar blond pretty boy lying flat on his back in the grass, with his bladed artifact lying next to him. 

“Wow… creeper alert,” You deadpan as you look down at Rui, suppressing a spiel of laughter. 

Rui props himself up on his elbows and smiles, his face flushed with embarrassment. “I totally resent that, y'know. Creeper is a strong word.”

“If you wanted to hang out, you could have asked,” You comment, regarding him with an amused expression. 

“Ah…” Rui sits up fully, running his gloved fingers through his sunny tresses. “I actually was on my way to do something else.”

You quirk an eyebrow at him. “What, in Jabberwock?”

Rui laughs nervously, averting his gaze to somewhere on the grass in front of him. “Ah… not exactly?”

You set the basket down next to you and lean on the wooden fence separating the two of you. “So, how long have you been following me?”

“I plead the fifth? Article thirty-eight for Japan? At least until I explain my case better,” Rui says, appearing guilty.

“Alright, you better. Or else I'll start to think you're in love with me,” You tease.

“Well, you wouldn't be completely off base,” Rui counters flirtatiously. 

A sense of relief floods over you as you witness his more characteristic behavior. You just smile expectantly in return. 

“So… I was trying to get some intel that is unrelated to you, but I noticed you heading here kind of late. And I was worried so I had a change of plans,” Rui pauses, tenting his eyebrows in concern. “When were you planning on going home, by the way?”

“Soon,” You reply. “When were you planning on revealing yourself?”

“...That wasn't part of the plan,” Rui reluctantly admits, his cheeks flushing pink. “Look, I was just worried– honest. No need to get a restraining order, haha!”

You snort at the idea. “As if. I was waiting for you to come around. You seemed pretty pissed at me the other day. And besides, I need less protection than ever now.”

“Invincibility doesn't stop weirdos from following you around,” Rui argues. “And what if a giant bear anomaly picked you up and then tried to eat you? You'd be toast!”

“There aren't any aggressive anomalies like that in the area. I'm totally safe in that regard.” You smile appreciatively at him. “It's cute that you're looking after me, though. You're the only stalker I'd actively welcome to keep tabs on me.”

Rui stares at you incredulously for a few beats. “I'm not…!” The vice-captain huffs, shaking his head as he dusts himself off and gets to his feet. “You know what? It's fine. Personal stalker at your service, Cutie!”

A giggle spills from you. “Alright, does that mean I can give you orders?”

“Ahaha… orders?” Rui echoes. “I guess if I were to take orders from anyone, it would be you.”

“Spend some time with me?” You ask softly, rather than demand. 

Rui smiles. “Since I'm already here, we might as well.”

The two of you end up sitting relatively close in a plot of grass outside the fence, the sky is now dark enough that it could be considered nautical twilight. Fireflies were even beginning to make an appearance. 

You set your basket close by and flop backwards, opting to lay down flat. “I'm glad I came out here. Today has been productive.”

“Yeah?” Rui copies your actions, lying parallel to you about six feet away. “I didn't realize you were into crops. Should I be offended that you didn't tell me?”

“It was supposed to be a surprise,” You admit with a sigh. “I should have known I can't keep anything from you.”

Rui tilts his head towards you, his eyes widen marginally. “What, a surprise for me?”

“Yeah. Well, I hope you like beets. They have a bunch of antioxidants and shit, right?” You ask, flitting your gaze to meet his. 

“Pffft. Yeah, a bunch of antioxidants and shit,” Rui repeats, his eyes crinkling with mirth. “...Thanks a lot, seriously. I'll use them, for sure. And for the record, I do like beets.”

“I guess my hard work paid off, then. Good to know.”

A moment of comfortable silence falls between the two of you. The distant sound of crickets hum in the distance. 

“...Ed mentioned that it wouldn't be good to break your curse, right now. Are you not going to?” Rui suddenly asks.

You idly comb your fingers through the grass. “No, I already talked to Towa and Darkwick staff. Until I can break the curse from Kyklos, this one's here to stay.”

“If it can prevent the transformation… it really is a blessing,” Rui acknowledges earnestly.

“And if it means I can touch you without dying,” You add, smirking as you stare at the sky. 

“...Not without risk,” Rui counters, quieter than before.

“Some risks are worth taking in my book.”

Rui doesn't reply to that.

“...But I don't want to do anything you don't want to do,” You say coolly. “So I won't touch you again without your permission.”

“It's definitely not that I don't want to. I'm just scared shitless of something happening to you,” Rui admits, his voice raspy. “I seriously don't know what I'd do.”

You flip on your side to face him, propping your head in your hand. His golden locks are splayed out around him messily as he stares at the sky. The vulnerable expression on his pretty features makes your heart ache.

“If our roles were reversed, would you touch me?” You ask. “If I had the reaper curse and you had the Antaeus curse?”

Rui creases his brow as he deliberates the prompt. “Honestly…? If I thought you had feelings for me, yeah.”

“So we are in the same boat. Hypocrite,” You accuse playfully. 

Rui flicks his gaze towards you, eyeing you dubiously.

“I love you, you know,” You confess.

Rui's cheeks flush pink at the sudden admission. He brings a forearm over his head, partially shielding his face from you. “Hah… Of all the people here. You seriously have bad taste. No offense.”

“None taken.”

“I feel like I've made it embarrassingly obvious… but the feeling is mutual. I've never met anyone quite like you, (Y/N).”

Your heart hammers in your chest as he admits to returning your feelings. 

Rui continues. “If you ever change your mind, feel free to leave me in the dust. The reaper curse shouldn't be anyone's burden to deal with, but mine. You of all people deserve to be happy.”

“I won't change my mind,” You say with conviction. “If I die trying to give you a smooch, I'd say that's a pretty good way to go.”

An airy laugh spills from Rui. “You're seriously cracked for that.”

You smirk. “Says the one who admitted they would do the same.”

“If you really want to, I won't stop you. But if anything happens, I will haunt you in the afterlife,” Rui jokes morbidly. “So seriously… don't do anything you're not sure is safe. Please.”

That was more than enough of an invitation for you.

You sit up and move right beside Rui. You support yourself with your palm planted in the grass by the left side of his head as you hover over him.

The vice-captain stares up at you, anxiety etched on his beautiful features. 

Reaching your free hand forward, you experimentally touch his face. Rui nearly jumps at the contact, but immediately relaxes when he sees that you remain unaffected. You lightly stroke the flawless skin on his cheeks, then you brush your thumb over his pink parted lips. A gasp escapes Rui when you run your fingers through his bangs. 

Never did you think you'd have the privilege of touching him. 

“You're so pretty.” The words leave your mouth before you can even think about saying them. 

Rui's cheeks heat up as he struggles to hold your gaze. “C'mon, that's my line. You don't have to sweet talk me to get my consent, Cutie.”

Your eyes flutter shut as you lower your face and seal your lips with his. 

Rui responds to your kiss eagerly, his hand immediately finding your waist when you settle more comfortably over him. You can feel his rapid heartbeat as you melt into him, tangling your fingers through his silky soft hair. For a moment, you separate your lips, and the intoxicating scent of his aromatic cologne tangled with skin fills your lungs. 

As if protesting the distance, Rui sits forward, supporting himself with his elbow as he cups his free around your face and brings you in again. Your lips meld together over and over in a subconscious search for a rhythm. But there is none. Touch starved and desperate, the way the reaper continues to kiss you is nothing short of feverish. 

At some point, Rui pulls away and manages to flip you over on your back. eliciting a squeak out of you. Caging you in, he presents an affectionate smile when you look up at him. 

“I think you like this stresses me out a bit less,” He says. 

“Understandable,” You acquiesce, returning a smile of your own. 

“I'll have to set up a room for us on ground level at Obscuary. Mine is currently on the top floor, sooo.” Rui's smile transitions into a mischievous one.

The implication leaves your ears burning and this time– you laugh nervously. “We gotta sit on the floor, though,” You remind him, though he already knows.

“Sit, lay, hands and knees, whatever you want,” Rui counters, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

At that, you feel all the blood in your body rush to your face. “Y-You…!”

Your reaction must thoroughly entertain the vice-captain, because a laugh bubbles from him. 

“Sorry, sorry! That was dirty. Let's keep going?” Rui tilts his head, his pink eyes searching for your approval. “I'll have to walk you home at this point, anyway. It's already dark.”

You narrow your eyes at him, your voice small as you recover from your embarrassment. “Do you even have to ask that?” 

Rui's lips pull into a delighted grin. “Consent is totally sexy though, right?”

You spent a long time with Rui under the stars that night. 

You lift your hands to his face and pull him forward, bringing him in for another kiss.

[mirai-e-jump]

Animage October 2024 Issue Kamen Rider Gavv ft. Chinen Hidekazu & Sugihara Teruaki (translations below)

Publication: September 10, 2024

The Strange Sweets Kamen Rider

The 6th Reiwa Kamen Rider is the first ever to use a sweets motif! The cast and staff talk about the behind the scenes of the birth of the new hero who fascinates us with a gap between poppin visuals and its heavy filling!!

Having passed out due to hunger, Shouma, who comes from another world, was saved by a human boy named Hiroi Hajime. Shouma was in a difficult situation when he confronts the Granute, a monster who wants to kill Hajime, but when he "sets & eats" the familiar like creatures called Gochizo in the mouth on his stomach, he transforms into Kamen Rider Gavv and crushes the Granute. This was the beginning of Shouma's battle to protect humans.

The latest entry in the Kamen Rider series, "Kamen Rider Gavv" only just started in September. Despite the poppin imagery and visuals of sweets as its motif, this is a hard and serious drama that depicts the lonely battle of a young man named Shouma, who hides a grand past and mystery behind him.

This production features Takebe Naomi-san as the Producer, Sugihara-san as the pilot Director who determines the direction of the work, Komura Junko-san as Screenwriter, and Fujita Satoshi-san as Action Director, all of whom have worked on the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai series. In particular, Sugihara-san and Komura-san are the pair that gained attention for their work in "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger" and the fans are expressing their expectations.

The story of a fierce battle between the sweets Kamen Rider and the Granute monsters has only just begun, so don't miss a moment of the birth of a new Kamen Rider legend! _

Chinen Hidekazu (Shouma)

The first transformation born from an extreme situation

-Supported by dependable friends and the Director-

"Please tell us your impression of the Kamen Rider series."

Chinen: For me, I've admired Kamen Riders since I was a child, and I love them so much that they're the first thing that comes to mind when people ask, "Who's your hero?" I've lived my whole life dreaming of becoming a Kamen Rider, so I was really happy when I was chosen to be Shouma.

"Are there any works that you find particularly memorable?"

Chinen: It's hard to pick a single work from my generation since I'm so attached to all of them, but……I think "Kamen Rider OOO" might be the one I was particularly enthusiastic about when watching. The dialogue between Hino Eiji and Ankh was interesting, and even as a child the ending made me think, so including its theme song, it's my favorite work. Lately however, I've been super into "Kamen Rider Den-O" (laughs). I'm watching it from the perspective of learning why it became so popular, but I also like Den-O because of Satoh Takeru's (who plays Nogami Ryotaro) amazing performance in which he plays multiple different personalities.

"What kind of person do you feel Shouma is?"

Chinen: I read the script so much that it felt like I was watching myself, as I thought that Shouma was so similar to me. We're very similar in the way that we're abit out of the loop, but also curious and get into the things that interest us. I was glued to the TV when I was a child, and I'd become so engrossed when watching it, that I couldn't even listen to what my mother was saying. However, I feel like I'm far removed from him in terms of his guts and inner strength, his desire to save people even at the risk of his own life, and his ability to fight the enemy. Playing the role of Shouma gives me energy and makes me aspire to be like him.

"We think another feature of this production is that right now, Shouma doesn't have a fixed place to stay, and that he comes into contact with a variety of people wherever he goes."

Chinen: I think alot of people are curious to see what happens next, as so far in Gavv, the story continues to be dominated by Shouma's easygoingness and the fact that we don't know what he's thinking. He seems to have a connection with Sachika-san, who he met in episode 2, so what happens to them in the future is a big point to watch out for!

"Please tell us your impressions of Sachika and the person who plays her, Miyabe Nozomi-san."

Chinen: Miyabe-san is a very refined person, so when we first met at script reading, I was shocked and said, "This person's gonna be a gyaru?!" (laughs). One of the things I like about Miyabe-san is that her mannerisms show the quality of her upbringing, but the more we talked, she really started to look like a gyaru, and I felt that performing together with her was amazing. Sachika-san leaves a strong impression of being a gyaru, but on the inside, she's a stable girl who's able to understand the feelings of others. Seeing her say with a refreshing smile, "I think it's good for everyone to be happy," Shouma respects her and thinks, "She's such a wonderful person" and "I want to be like her," almost like she's the embodiment of peace. When I read the script, I always feel supported and say, "Sachika-san, thank you."

"Shouma's brother sister like relationship with her is also very interesting."

Chinen: Director Sugihara Teruaki said to me, "It's like a dog and his owner" (laughs). Still, I think that Sachika-san's all encompassing kindness, and Shouma's simple mindedness are a great combination, and we're also playing the roles with confidence.

"He's yet to interact with Shouma, but we think the role Hanto plays will also be another highlight to look forward to."

Chinen: In some ways, Hanto is also easygoing, but he's the compassionate, hot blooded type, and he too lives by carrying something on his back. I hope you'll look forward to seeing how Shouma and Hanto, who are completely different types of people, interact with each other and what they'll think of each other in their first meeting. Hino Yusuke-kun, who plays Hanto, is the mood maker who makes the set feel relaxed, which is a gap between him and Hanto, but I feel that we're similar in our passion for the production and performance, and the way we put our all into something. To me, Hino-kun is a rival but also like a reliable big brother, and we often consult with each other and visit each other's houses (laughs).

"What were your impressions of Director Sugihara, who also directed the first two episodes as the pilot Director?"

Chinen: As I had no experience in acting, Director Sugihara is a respected teacher who taught me how to perform from the ground up, including how to read the script, and he's like a father figure from Tokyo. He understands each actor's personality and gives them advice accordingly, and he's an amazing person who draws out our potential, so every time I'm on set, I feel happy to film under Director Sugihara. He's a Director I really love.

"Before filming, it seems that you and the Director practiced vocalization together."

Chinen: Yes, even before I could act, my voice wouldn't come out (laughs). I'm really grateful that he took time out of his busy schedule to watch me one on one, and it was an important turning point that led to something changing in me. I want to grow so that people will feel that I'll have changed over the coming year, and one of my goals is to give an inspiring performance that'll be recognized by Director Sugihara with, "You gave it your all."

-Aiming to be as cool as Nawata-san-

"Kamen Rider Gavv, who Shouma transforms into, has a motif based on gummies and other sweets."

Chinen: When I saw the illustration depicted in the proposal, I thought it was incredibly simple, however, my opinion changed when I saw it in person. The armor on the chest and shoulders have a gradient so that it shines beautifully when light hits it, and there's a playful gimmick where a squishy dent will form when it's pressed, so a bunch of detail has been carefully put into it. I'm now so attached to it, that I can't think of anyone else but Gavv. Personally, what I want you to pay attention to the most are the feet. The feet are actually clawed, and this slightly animal like aspect is an important element of the show, so I'd be happy if you make sure to pay attention to the feet as well.

"What's your impression of Nawata Yuya-san, Gavv's Suit Actor?"

Chinen: Nawata-san is an actor who I shape Shouma together with, and he's an indispensable person to me, as I'm able to talk to him about problems that I can't talk about with the other cast members or the Director. He also taught me about acting, like how to create the mood and how to read the script. I'm grateful to Nawata-san's action, as I think Gavv's appeal has tripled, and I feel like the show itself has also become more brilliant.

"Does that also get you enthusiastic about the post transformation dub recording?"

Chinen: That's right. The recording process is more difficult than normal acting because you have to use only your voice to express your emotions and fight scenes in accordance with the footage. In episodes 1 and 2, I had to rerecord so many times that I lost the strength in my voice, and it took twice as long as the planned time (bitter smile). As well as the performances of my seniors in the Kamen Rider series, I also studied the game "Street Fighter" based on the advice of Director Sugihara, and now I feel like I'm getting by. I'll work more diligently to make Nawata-san's performance 120% more appealing with my voice performance, and to become a Shouma who's just as cool after his transformation into Gavv.

"One of the real thrills of the Kamen Rider series are the transformation scenes, but how did you create the pose?"

Chinen: The transformation pose was decided through a discussion between myself, Action Director Fujita Satoshi, Director Sugihara, and Nawata-san. It's a movement that involves rotating your arm, but the final version, which we created after discussing the angles and timing with everyone to make sure it looked cool and appealing, is the transformation pose used in episode 2. Depending on the story, he could transform quickly, so I hope people watch the way he changes based on the situation.

"In the episodes up to this point, the action leading up to the first transformation in the first episode is a scene that can't be ignored when talking about Shouma. There was some action involving wires, and we were also impressed by his performance as he was gradually being cornered by the Granute."

Chinen: That scene was prepared weeks before the shoot, as Director Sugihara and Action Director Fujita came up with a really cool direction. The scene where Shouma is beaten was especially important to give depth to the reason for his transformation, as it took two days to film. In the end, it was in the most extreme situation I had ever experienced in my life, my performance came out unconsciously, and I was complemented with, "Your facial expressions were very good." I could've never done it on my own, the scene was made possible by the advice of Director Sugihara and Nawata-san, who worked beside me, and by all the staff members who created an environment that allowed me to concentrate on my performance.

"It makes us want to go back and pay attention to the expressions on your face. Finally, please tell us your goals throughout filming of Kamen Rider Gavv."

Chinen: I'd like to learn alot about action from Action Director Fujita, Nawata-san and everyone else on the Action Team, and I'd like to improve my acting skills. I've never been in an environment where I could spend an entire year with people who are so good at captivating others, and I don't think it'll ever happen again in the future. I hope to make full use of this experience so that in the next year, I can be an actor who can do it all, from acting to action and recording, so I'll do my best to do what's in front me!

Director Sugihara Teruaki

The vibrant world Shouma comes across

-A dark story with colorful visuals-

"When did you first hear that you'd be the pilot Director?"

Sugihara: I'm pretty sure it was around last Fall, when I was working on the drama, "Tokyo MPD: From Zero to Hero," I received a phone call from Producer Takebe Naomi-san who said, "I'd like to meet and talk with you at once." I heard from a separate matter that Takebe-san would be in charge of the next Kamen Rider, and at the time, I thought I was going to be the second Director, but when I met her, she said, "You're the pilot Director." (laughs).

"At the stage when Director Sugihara joined, how much of the content in the show was decided on?"

Sugihara: Aside from the sweets and monsters motif, we'd yet to decide on the content of the story and the personalities and relationships of the characters. In the beginning, we were a small group consisting of the Producer team's Takebe-san and Takishima Minami-san, Screenwriter Komura Junko-san, and myself. Our three parties worked out the content by sharing ideas from our respective perspectives.

"What specific ideas did Director Sugihara have in mind? Personally, we felt that the visuals of the characters, including their costumes, incorporated the Director's ideas."

Sugihara: You can assume that I'm basically in charge of visual aspects like the impression and fashion. For Shouma's fashion in particular, during the rather early stages, I'd draw an illustration and say, "How about something like this?," and I'd have them look at it while I created his character.

"Not just Shouma's clothes, but also the interior of Hapipare is rich in color, so much so that it's unusual for the Kamen Rider series."

Sugihara: I told artist Fukuzawa Katsuhiro that I wanted to make the visuals as bright and pop as much as possible. Kamen Rider Gavv itself isn't meant to be a continuation of the "ism" seen in the first generation of Kamen Rider, but it includes themes like family conflict and Shouma's sad separation from his mother, so the content is heavy. Because of this, we made the impression of the colors vivid, and were careful to not make them too dark. Moreover, being in the human world for the first time, Shouma's a kid who's impressed by everything he sees, so I was conscious of the world captured from Shouma's point of view and to use rather flashy colors. Conversely, the Granute World and Stomach Family use muted colors, or to just say it outright, they have dirty colors.

"What do you value in your expression of Shouma, the main character?"

Sugihara: I wanted to depict Shouma as a pure kid, someone who suddenly comes to the human world and finds everything he sees as fresh. On the inside, he's not much different from Hajime, who he first meets in the human world, in fact, he's much more of a child than that kid. So he ponders over what he's been told, hurt by the casual mention of "monster" and afraid of hurting others, he's unable to be together with someone else, so he leaves Hajime and Sachika and goes elsewhere. However, I didn't want to make it too dark, so it was hard to depict (laughs). While he carries a dark side, I want him to be a kid who's always smiling when he's with someone, even if he has to force himself to smile.

"This Shouma is beautifully embodied by Chinen Hidekazu-san."

Sugihara: The best thing about Chinen-kun is that he looks great on camera. That's the kind of talent an actor has. Also, the expressions on his face when he eats are really good. Even though he's eating food he usually sees all the time, he eats it like it's a delicacy, looking as if he's eating something he's never seen before and is impressed. In that sense, I think he was the right choice to play Shouma. Still, since this is roughly his first performance, he had to start from a place where he couldn't express his emotions properly, and to begin with, he couldn't even vocalize. I had Chinen-kun stand on one end of Toei's rooftop, and I stood on the opposite end and had him deliver his lines. I gave him relentless acting instruction from the very beginning (laughs). Filming started earlier than usual, so we've already shot several episodes, and I feel that he can now stand proudly in front of the camera as Shouma. With each episode his performance and facial expressions are getting better and better. I have high expectations for his growth over the next year.

-Dedicated action that make the most of the motif-

"We felt that the vibes of Gavv's everyday scenes were different from that of previous Kamen Rider series, but was there anything you were conscious of in your direction?"

Sugihara: In my mind, I had a bright, pop like feeling, but during filming, Chinen-kun……it was important to me how to capture Shouma and the human world from his point of view. I may have only been thinking, "How can I get a good shot of him?"

"In that sense, it's interesting to think that the entire production is being pulled along by Shouma and Chinen-san."

Sugihara: That's right. This is especially true for the first episode, as the story unfolds from Shouma's point of view, so I was conscious of the fact that I wanted to bring the viewers perspective as close as possible to Shouma's.

"Despite the battle scenes also having a fancy sweets motif, from the very first episode, we were taken back by the intense physical battle depicted between Gavv and the Granute."

Sugihara: I'm pretty sure it was Action Director Fujita Satoshi who put out the idea of a serious fistfight at a container warehouse, and with sword fighting in a narrow space. We specified the colors and placement of the containers, and asked the people on location to arrange them accordingly. From there, Fujita and I talked in detail about the composition of the action, and we put it together by discussing the angles while adding in our own ideas as we filmed on site.

"We heard that you and Fujita-san worked closely together to create this."

Sugihara: I also like action quite abit, so I tell Fujita various things like, "Do this sort of thing." Naturally, Fujita has alot of things he wants to do as well, so the two of us are working together to come up with ideas for action sequences and angles.

"Including Gavv's own actions, the way he fights while "eating" the Gochizo is unique."

Sugihara: It was decided in advance that the transformation items Gochizo would appear alot like that of "Pikmin" and "Minions," so I thought it'd be better to use alot of them. Because of that, when Gavv takes damage, his armor breaks and he'll eat the Gochizo one after another……we're calling it "follow up sweets," and I think it'd be interesting to keep changing sweets and repair them as he fights.

"The standard Poppingummy Form has flexible armor, while Zakuzakuchips Form's sword weapon can easily break depending on how it's used, and the use of sweets as a motif was also visually enjoyable."

Sugihara: Inspiration for the action comes from discussions that are almost like casual conversations. I thought about how things like thin baked snacks such as potato chips might be weak to side attacks (laughs). Also, unlike other Kamen Riders, we don't use bullet impacts on Gavv when we depict him being hit (mechanism that detonates gunpowder that's attached to the performer). In his setup, the armor is derived from sweets generated by his own body, so we tried to create the effect of small bead like things flying around him. During filming, we've been throwing beads into the air from the side of the camera. In that sense, it may have a new visual feel.

"What scenes from episodes 1 and 2 were particularly powerful?"

Sugihara: In terms of taking the most time, I'd say it was before the transformation in the first episode. When I was thinking about Shouma's human image, Takebe-san said, "I don't want him to be a hero who fights just because he has powers." You don't fight just because you have the power to become a Kamen Rider, there's a will to fight, and that's where the power comes in. I wanted to create an image of a hero who's able to transform into Gavv because it's Shouma. Since the time of the script meeting, we had talked about how we wanted to portray a different kind of strength from that of the everyday Shouma, who keeps going despite being beaten up by someone he can't even stand up to. On set, Chinen-kun and I worked together to find out why Shouma was feeling that way, and we worked on his facial expressions and gestures one by one, and I was quite persistent throughout filming. We were supposed to film the transformation scene in one day, but we took too long and didn't get to the transformation, so I had to apologize to the staff (laughs).

"Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm for the future."

Sugihara: Honestly, I have no idea how Kamen Rider Gavv will conclude a year from now, but I want to make a show that'll make people who watched it think, "Gavv was interesting." For this reason, I'd also like to delve deeper into Shouma and Hanto, and Sachika and the others characters, and to make each of them appealing. I'm sure that Komura-san will come up with some great developments (laughs), and for my part, I hope that I can take advantage of that, and as the pilot Director for the first time in a long time, to create images that people watching in their living rooms have never seen before.

[burningfairytales]

In honour of our favourite ace’s birthday, lemme dump this bit of unedited writing on you.

Happy Birthday, Bokuto!

They make it through the first two rounds of the Interhigh Qualifiers with ease.

Really, it’s almost too easily. Konoha is expecting something to go wrong at literally any moment.

They’re the last ones on the morning of their second day, because Bokuto insisted on checking the merchandise stand before their first match, and even though he’d whined and asked Akaashi to join him, their vice-captain had insisted that at least one of them should be with the team, and had trusted Konoha to “reign him in before he spends too much money, Konoha-san. Thank you for your hard work.”

He’s prepared to drag Bokuto to the arena kicking and screaming, which it turns out he doesn’t have to, because Bokuto is actually excited for their match, and goes willingly with one more t-shirt and two matching keychains in his hand.

(The t-shirt, of course, is as ridiculous as any he’s ever bought, with the English words ‘POWER UP’ in big bold letters on its front. The keychains are of Vabo-chan, which fine, Konoha understands, but does Bokuto really need two?)

The other shoe drops when they’re making their way down the hall and towards the arena, and really, Konoha’s been waiting for it to happen - it’s just that he’s been expecting Bokuto to go all depressed over something small again, something laughable, something to joke about with the others, maybe tease Bokuto about afterwards.

He’s not expecting to come across two players from the team they’re about to face, standing a few metres away and talking, loudly, about Fukurodani.

Or rather, their captain.

“Have you seen their captain, though? Doesn’t he feel a bit… useless?”

He isn’t expecting the way Bokuto freezes for a moment, the way his shoulders slump imperceptibly, how he seems to shrink in on himself.

“I know! He looks strong and all, but I heard he sometimes messes up the simplest of plays.”

A chuckle.

“Maybe the team would be better off without him.”

The hallway is quiet when they leave, and Konoha glances at Bokuto from the corner of his eye. And it looks a bit like someone had poured salt into an open wound or found a bruise to poke at, the way Bokuto presses his lips together, wincing at a phantom pain, like his heart is bleeding.

“Hey, Owlhead,” Konoha starts. “You know they’re just talking sh-”

“Konoha,” Bokuto interrupts, straightening. Throws him a brittle smile, his lip quivering. It’s the saddest goddamn thing Konoha has ever seen. “I’m going on ahead, okay? Akaashi was right, I should have stayed with the team. Gotta warm up and all!”

His laugh lacks all his usual enthusiasm, and he turns, making his way towards the arena.

Konoha watches him go, watches the bow of his head, the downward pull of his shoulders as if he’s carrying something heavy.

Bokuto is ridiculous. He’s too enthusiastic, gets discouraged too easily. He’s simpleminded, and a bit of an airhead, and Konoha teases him for it often - but Bokuto is his teammate. Konoha knows he can joke about it because the things he says aren’t one hundred percent true, and he’s not always one hundred percent serious.

He can joke about it because he knows that Bokuto knows that.

But that just now, that was something else.

Konoha clenches his fist. He turns on his heel, following the other two players in the direction of the bathroom. Anger tightens his chest, sizzles in his gut, hot and dizzying.

“Hey, you!” He calls, when he catches up with them. “I heard you talking shit about our captain!”

The two of them look at each other and then at him. One of the two shrugs, unimpressed.

“So?” He asks. He’s the taller of the two, probably taller than Konoha. “He just seems like a bit of an idiot.”

Konoha grits his teeth. How dare they?

How dare they?

He’s in front of them before his brain even registers the movement, grabbing the taller one’s collar and shoving him against the wall.

“You don’t talk about him that way,” he grits out. “You don’t know him.”

“H-hey,” the shorter one says, his voice suddenly small. “Don’t take it personally. It’s not like we were talking about you.”

But it is personal. It is personal in a way Konoha doesn’t deign to explain because they have no idea how their team works. They don’t know half the stupid shit Bokuto pulls, or the way he’s there for his team when one of them needs him. They don’t know that he keeps stealing their food when they go out to eat, or the ongoing prank war with Nekoma High that Bokuto puts all his effort into winning. They don’t know how he makes sure they all know that it’s not their fault when they lose a match. They don’t know how he pushes them - encourages them to try harder, give it their all.

They don’t know shit.

He considers, for a moment, the consequences of punching one of them, just for the sake of it. Considers if it’s worth the suspension that’s likely to come his way. But just as he decides he’ll just have to risk it, a voice stops him.

“Konoha-san.” Akaashi stands at the end of the hallway. His back is straight, his hands hang loosely at his side. “We’re waiting for you.” His voice is quiet; calculated. “Let’s join the others, shall we?”

With a long exhale, Konoha lets go. Takes a final look at the two and almost laughs at the relief on their faces, because really, they have no idea.

That Akaashi’s calm demeanour shouldn’t at all be reassuring to them - that the fact he keeps his hands at his side betrays his anger, because it’s likely a conscious decision, or else he would be fiddling his fingers. That his quiet is the lethal kind.

Akaashi probably took one look at Bokuto’s deflated form, came to find Konoha two seconds away from throwing punches, and most likely realised exactly what must have happened.

They don’t know that their calm, collected vice-captain doesn’t get angry - he gets even.

“You don’t know us,” Konoha repeats, this time with a smirk. “But you’re about to.”

***

He tells the others what happened while Akaashi is off in the corner warming up with Bokuto - speaking to him most likely, while doing the thing that never fails to cheer him up: spiking Akaashi’s tosses.

Komi glares daggers over the net, looking just as ready as Konoha to drag them out of the arena and settle things off-cours. Washio frowns, and Onaga keeps sneaking worried glances at their captain. Saru’s mouth is drawn downwards in an unhappy line.

Their collective anger isn’t surprising, of course. Bokuto is their teammate, too.

“Let’s show them what we’ve got,” Komi says, a fist in the air. “They won’t get away with this.”

“I have an idea.” Akaashi’s voice is quiet as he approaches, like the subtle cracking of ice before an avalanche. “It’s a bit unorthodox.”

Behind them, Bokuto is talking to their coach, but he seems at least in somewhat higher spirits than before. Konoha wonders what it would be like, to have whatever these two have going on. To know and understand each other so completely.

“Let’s hear it!” Komi says.

“It might be a bit difficult to pull off,” Akaashi says slowly, “And it certainly won’t be very nice.”

Konoha laughs. “Akaashi, haven’t you heard? We’re not very nice people.”

***

Unorthodox is a good word to describe Akaashi’s sets - none of them could be considered textbook, which makes them anything but predictable.

He dumps the ball over the net not once, but twice, sets the ball to Konoha even though the blockers are on his side, and throws him a look that clearly says, I expect you to get around that.

Konoha snorts as he jumps. No pressure or anything.

Luckily, the blockers apparently aren’t expecting that bold a move either, because they’d already taken a few steps to the other side of the net, and are scrambled to get back into position just a second too late.

He scores, and laughs at the sheer audacity.

Most notably, Akaashi lets Bokuto spike however he seems to want to, even though he would normally try to reign him in - there’s a particularly bold backrow set that Konoha has to admit is actually kind of impressive. Not that he’s about to say that out loud.

(“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi calls between sets, “You haven’t used a single feint this tournament. Not today or yesterday.”

“Huh? Yeah, I guess? Do you think I should?”

“I think,” Akaashi says, and his smile is lethal, “I think it might be fun.”

Konoha shudders. He really, really doesn’t want to get on Akaashi’s bad side.)

By the end of the second set, Bokuto is back to his old self, laughing and whooping with every scored point.

He does use a feint then, cheerfully tips the ball over the blocker’s hands, punches the air in victory with an emphatic, “hey, hey, hey!” when it hits the floor on the other side of the net.

Konoha catches the smile on Akaashi’s lips as he watches Bokuto - warm and proud and so full of something else, something big and overwhelming that it catches Konoha off-guard. But before he can blink, Akaashi has already schooled his features into careful indifference, turning back towards the net.

Oh, Konoha thinks, as the puzzle pieces fall into place.

Oh.

***

It’s probably the most unconventional they’ve ever played - definitely the most risky, and, dare he say - the most fun, too. He’s sure Coach Yamiji will have words with them later, but for now, Konoha doesn’t care.

They didn’t just win - to put it in Bokuto’s terms, they crushed their opponents.

***

“Konoha!” Bokuto throws an arm around him, and Konoha allows it, just this once. “Let’s go get Yakiniku tonight, to celebrate, okay?”

“Sure.” Konoha shrugs. “As long as you’re paying, Captain.”

“Eh! Uh. Hmm….” Several emotions flit over Bokuto’s face. “Okay, yeah. Sure. We deserve it. Yeah!”

And then he bounces off. “Akaashi!” He calls, “Help me pay for Yakiniku later!”

With the advantage of hindsight, Konoha supposes it’s obvious. He watches how Akaashi’s focus shifts the second he hears Bokuto call for him. How his entire body turns in the direction of his voice before he’s even finished what he’s doing, like it doesn’t have a choice but to move, the pull of Bokuto commanding its movement like some sort of gravitational force.

He sees how Akaashi’s entire demeanour changes - it’s nothing obvious, nothing someone not from Fukurodani would even notice. But Konoha, like everyone else on the team, is practised in the art of recognising their setter’s subtle shifts, and so he sees:

The small, upward quirk of his lips, his open posture, how he reaches out and lightly touches Bokuto’s wrist with two fingers - Akaashi, who never initiates any physical contact with anyone.

Everything about him becomes softer the second he lays eyes on Bokuto. The same way, Konoha supposes, reviewing these past two years in his head, the same way Bokuto is softer around Akaashi than with anyone else on the team as well.

How did it take him this long to notice, he wonders, when it’s right there, written plainly on Bokuto’s face, and in the curve of Akaashi’s shoulders.

***

On the bus ride home, Bokuto stops at nothing to point out how amazing they were today. He mentions almost every one of Saru’s spikes and Washio’s blocks, compliments Komi on his receives and recreates Konoha’s plays with exaggerated hand gestures and dramatic flourish.

It’s completely ridiculous, in the way Bokuto always is, and Konoha feels his own chest with pride anyway. Komi high-fives Saru, and Onaga chuckles behind them.

Next to Bokuto, Akaashi catches Konoha’s eye and gives a subtle nod. Konoha smirks.

And this - this is why their team isn’t better off without Bokuto - not that Konoha is ever about to tell him that. Because Bokuto always tries his hardest, whether it’s during a game or off-court, whether it’s about volleyball or lifting their spirits. Because he reminds them of their strengths and still dares them to do better.

Because he is theirs, for better or for worse, and they will always, always rally behind him.

[ineed-to-sleep]

Blacked out in front of my tablet and woke up with sketches of my Touchstarved mc + Kuras my beloved. woops

[terristre]

I know request says closed but I just wanted to tell you that we’ll finally be getting the Glorious Masquerade event this month. Any thought pookie? You excited?

I AM COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS til i can bully this man 💥🥊

[soaked-ghost]

it's the annual infodumping post!! yahoo!! have ink when he was slightly younger. also concept for how he actually hears the creators (with a little radio)

[infizero]

hehehehehehehe

[mangofanarts]

q!Bbh......you'll always be famous to me...........

[sevretalien2]

inspired by @/starbanmk ‘s recent biker au post i picked up my pen and did a crunchy little doodle (rambles in the tags) not that the golden gorilla thing has anything to do with their au but that’s not the point

[autism-disco]

sometimes i am just filled with so much love for people and the world around me and everything and it is inexpressible

[exsqueezememacaroni]

I've done it folks, I have listened to all of Mike*

(*so far, according to that giant playlist)

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Moonstorm

YA space opera

a young girl who was taken by the empire after her people’s moon was destroyed is given the chance to become a mech pilot after an attack on their boarding school leaves their class stranded on an imperial space fleet

while it’s been her dream to become a pilot, the training is not what she expected, and there is more to the lancer mechs than the general public knows

when her past catches up with her, she starts to be confronted with where her loyalties lie

queer & nonbinary characters, no romance

[angst-is-love-angst-is-life]

Things that make me immeasurably happy: Barry whump, mentions of Barry whump, references to Barry whump, the slightest crumbs of Barry whump, characters who whump Barry, watching Barry whump, hearing Barry whump, reading Barry whump, writing Barry whump, living and breathing Barry whump, and of course I must again mention: B a r r y w h u m p