#ito x reader

[sokkadora]

『 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘 𝗘𝗬𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗜 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧 』

⎾ 𝐌𝐈𝐙𝐔 ⏌

➢ 𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆 [ mizu x covey!reader ]

➢ 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍 [ mizu x reader ]

➢ 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 [ mizu x fem!reader ]

➢ 𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄 [ mizu x fem!reader ]

➢ 𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 [ mizu x fem!reader ]

[liillyliilly]

Detective Business

kenji sato x reader words; 7009 synopsis; enemies to friends to lovers- she's a private investigator and he's just ultraman (but she doesn't know that). she also has to deal with that annoying pro baseball player who just won't leave her alone.

Trying to find the identity of Ultraman is no easy job for the Tokyo Investigative Department, but for her? It’s more than finding Ultraman, it's about also finally arresting Kenji Sato for his reckless driving on the highway.

Unfortunately, she’s also a reckless driver. Which is why Kenji Sato was folding his arms and frowning while she pulled out a pad of ticket paper from under her motorcycle’s seat. The rain was dripping on her helmet and Mr. Sato’s white shirt was getting soaked through.

“I just think I shouldn’t be getting a ticket, Officer.”

“I’m not an officer, I’m a private investigator under contract with the department. Don’t lump me with them.” She bites the pen cap off and starts writing a ticket for him clocking in at around 170 kilometers per hour.

“You don’t even have a radar detector, so the only way you know I was speeding is because you were too.” Kenji kicks off from the wall of the divider on the highway. He inspects her motorbike slowly, dragging fingers over the dashboard and the mirrors. The key in her ignition is black, with a small baseball keychain, he notes this and keeps it in mind.

She grins, “As I said, I’m not a policeman.” She lowers her voice a little, “My bike isn’t factory tuned like theirs are.”

He groans, upset at her for giving him the ticket. But also because she intrigued him more than most people did. MINA spoke into his helmet, reminding him about the Kaiju raging in Sendai. He shushes MINA’s comments.

She scoffs, assuming that the shush was for her. She shoves the ticket into his chest, accidentally soaking up some water that was drenching his t-shirt.

“If you want to fight the ticket, go to Courthouse 5 in Tokyo at 9 am on Wednesday. A representative from the department will have all my notes from this. And Mr. Sato, please drive safely, it’s raining. Hydroplaning is no joke.”

“I’ll drive safely if you drive safely, Officer.” He laced the title with some grittiness, the kind of tone that grinds her gears.

“I’m not an officer. I’m-”

“A private investigator, yes I know, you’ve told me three times before. Since you’re the only one who can actually clock me going above the speed limit.” He rolls his eyes, “Same time next week Officer?”

She sighs, putting the visor of her helmet down. When she gets onto her bike, kicking up the stand and revving her engine, Kenji teases her and blows an overdramatic kiss in her direction where she can clearly see it in her mirrors. She brings her hand up to throw him a middle finger, he earnestly returns the gesture.

The road is empty now, and she’s far enough away to not recognize Kenji using his willpower to morph into Ultraman, needing to get to Sendai soon according to MINA’s instructions.

MINA speaks into his audio system, “You really should listen to her. She’s smart. Safe driving is critical in the rain Ken.”

“MINA, I love you, but please shut up.”

She never liked arrogant people. Maybe because she was arrogant herself? But the real reason for arrogance is that it masks the reality behind the person, it’s a cover for something more futile and undeniably human. Arrogance acts like a shield holding back a person from revealing too much. For her, arrogance defended against her ideals. The world could be changed to be better. Peace is well within a grasp. That ideal, that dream of what the world could be is hidden and buried deep within her. To cover for it, arrogance does a great job biting into people she meets.

It’s a good thing her best friend was always there for her. Ito Yuuta, rookie of the year and a new addition to the Yomiuri Giants baseball team. He was one of the first round draft picks, immediately getting sweeped into the team. So there she sat with Yuuta, while he threw pitches in the baseball cage, her talking about his teammate with disdain.

Yuuta clocked in some high speeds, and was extremely sweaty. His shoulder was killing him, but practicing as often as possible was a new priority if he wanted to be utilized and get off the bench for this season.

“I don’t understand how you can play on a team with a guy like that.” She chews a piece of licorice, a guilty pleasure snack that she was addicted to. Yuuta steals a piece and sits next to her.

She’d met Kenji before, in circumstances where she wasn’t giving him a fine for speeding down highways. When her friend got scouted, she met the members of his team at a mixer. Kenji Sato just didn’t seem to play nicely with his teammates. When Yuuta had initially introduced himself, Kenji had given him a signed baseball card, saying something about how selling it would be worth something.

After hearing that story, which Yuuta laughed at and gladly embraced as a characteristic of Kenji’s behavioral traits, she just furrowed her eyebrows and puckered her face. It rubbed her the wrong way for someone to act like that. But she couldn’t control the roster of the Giants’ team.

“He’s a great player. You’re just too tied up in your whole ‘I’m a harbinger of justice and righteousness’ to see that there are people out there with the exact same personality as you.” Yuuta drinks some water and throws a sweaty towel on her, which she tosses back to him in disgust, “Come to a game, watch him play, maybe then you’ll join a fanclub other than mine.”

She clicks her tongue to her teeth, bouncing her knee in consideration. Yuuta let the whole Kenji Sato thing go, and instead just invited her to come watch him play in the most upcoming game.

He had her try to throw a ball, how to raise her leg just enough, bringing her arm and hand back just enough. While he was adjusting the length of her arm and the angling just so, none other than Kenji Sato walked into the baseball gym. He slinks over to the pitching cage and watches for a moment, the rookie member of his team sliding his hands over Kenji’s pretty private investigator. He just had to make a comment, right?

“You should move her hips a little to the left while you’re at it, Ito.” She jumps a little at his voice, dropping the ball. It rolled over to Kenji’s foot through the wire fencing around the cage, he reached down and picked it up from under the cage. Throwing the ball up a little, analyzing it. Ito accepts the help, and uses his hands to twist her hips just a smidge.

She couldn’t help it that she was ticklish. A brief laugh escapes her, and she chokes when she sees Kenji stare right at her. Except it wasn’t at her face, rather where Ito’s hands began to slide up to her waist to tickle her a little more. Kenji presses his lips into a line, tossing the ball over the cage.

Ito yells out a quick thanks and Kenji waves his hand while walking to the locker room.

She throws the ball that Kenji had returned to her. It clocked in at around 128 KPH. Yuuta lets out an approving hum in reaction to the speed of her fastball. She does a little spin and flexes her arms to show off her natural talent. It’s a good thing the locker room had TVs that showed camera footage from all the baseball cages. Kenji laughed at her silliness while he was watching on the screen, tightening his shoes.

A few days later, at the Tokyo Police Station, she’s getting briefed on the newest details of the Ultraman case. It’s all things she’s heard before, and they were no where closer to uncovering the true identity of Japan’s biggest hero. Biggest hero, her ass, more like the biggest vigilante who runs around fighting Kaiju and also destroying the structural integrity of Japan’s cities.

All the secretaries and computer techs loved Ultraman, all the mugs in the kitchen area were Ultraman themed to prove it.

She spins around in her chair, listening to the Head of the Detective Department drone on in his monotone voice.

“Which is why I’ve decided to reach out to the KDF in helping us.”

Now, that was something she did not like. The KDF were brutalistic, inhumane, and quasi-militaristic. It was like their organization ran on the idea of killing out the entire Kaiju race with no concern for the theories and realities that Kaiju could actually help the world. If only people actually did their research and showed patience with the dedicated scientists who worked tirelessly to find out more about Kaiju.

She would prefer Ultraman to the KDF anyday. Ultraman at least gave the Kaiju respect, and he always seemed to guide them in certain directions once he got them to the ocean. Almost as if he was releasing the beasts to their homeland.

“No way. The KDF are horrendous. They treat Kaiju like pests that need to be destroyed. Any sort of information they have on Ultraman’s identity is sure to be unethically obtained.” She raised her concerns, looking to her fellow coworkers for support in backing her statement. They just lowered their heads when faced with her stare.

“Miss. You’re just a private investigator, all you need to do for us is follow instructions and see where our leads take us. And, you’re one to talk about ethically obtaining evidence, we all know your little tricks.”

She bites her tongue, leaning back into her chair. She had three more months of working for the police and then she could go back to discovering cheating husbands and trailing drug cartels for the other government departments. At least when she was doing that she wasn’t at risk for getting crushed underfoot by a superhero or getting lasered by KDF robots and fighter pilots.

Her boss puts a hand on her shoulder, picking away a piece of lint before going back to the head of the table.

“You’ll meet with a KDF representative, take detailed notes, follow the trails you find, and then report back to me. Do you understand?”

She mumbles.

“What was that?”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

That night, she had to put on dressy clothes for the dinner with her KDF intelligence personnel. On the phone with Yuuta, she’d gotten appraised when she slid on a tight black number, “Damn! I thought you only had jeans and black shirts in your closet. Maybe I’ll have to ask you on a real date and not just the baseball banquet in two months.”

She held her head in her hands, while her elbows rested on her desk, phone sat up against her water bottle. Yuuta put the back of his hand against his forehead, giving a playfully deep sigh as he got a view of her cleavage. She rolled her eyes at Yuuta’s behavior, but still felt slightly proud at her ability to clean up nicely.

“Bye Yuuta, I’ll text you later.”

He waves to the camera, holding up a peace sign before finally ending the call.

The restaurant is dimly lit, live jazz music ebbs and flows throughout the building. Tables have white and black cloth laid out, and there’s an overabundance of marble decor. The KDF employee couldn’t have been younger than forty, but the salt and pepper hair did add an appeal she didn’t expect.

He pulled out her chair for her, and had the waiter take her order first. She sipped some water, not wanting to feel buzzed at all from alcohol. He was nice enough, just making some small talk before they got into the real meat of why they were there.

“We have intel that the ‘Hero’ is likely a sporting figure. We’re leaning towards baseball, due to the popularity of the sport. Also, based on audio recordings, he spent time abroad, using a mixture of slang and an American accent to color his lived experiences.” He downs his beer when he finishes the bulk of his information.

She jots the main points down on her notepad. In between sips of water, and bites of her pasta dish, she finds herself quickly making trails and thinking of all the roads she could go down to find Ultraman. When all the information is expressed, she leans back in her chair, waiting for the waiter to come back so she could pay for her meal.

When twenty minutes elapse, she says she’ll go looking for their server so they can leave. He nods, finishing off his fish and chips.

Turning the corner, she bumps into a solid wall. Except, the solid wall lets out a short ouch. It’s Kenji. Despite trying to clearly cover something up, his suit only goes so high on his neck. There’s black and blue bruises canvassing his face and neck, she glances and sees that there’s marks on his hands as well.

“What happened to you?” She reaches out instinctively to touch his cheek where there’s a dark purple bloom from the peak of his cheekbone to right above his jawline. He whines when she makes contact, but eases up when her warm hands soothe the flow of blood beneath his skin.

“You should see the other guy.” He remarks. In response she just scoffs a little, dropping her hand even though he wishes she would’ve just kept it there.

Soon, the salt and pepper KDF member finds her, “Hey, you need to come back.” He waves his card in the air for a moment, letting her know she needed to pay. He motions for her to hurry and come, and Kenji feels appalled. She nods, but Kenji furrows his eyebrows.

“What kind of man makes his date pay?” His voice is scratchy, and only she can hear him.

She puts a hand on his chest, “It's not a date, it’s business.”

Kenji nods, letting his hand graze hers as it slides down his chest. What once was, no longer is.

When the much older man puts a hand on the small of her back, his jaw clenches reflexively. He twitches in pain when he realizes he pulls the muscles where he’d taken a massive hit from the most recent Kaiju attack. At least he’d managed to make the fight only last around thirty minutes. The quickest fight of the year.

His legs were crossed, bouncing his foot that rested on his knee. He used his chopsticks and prodded at his noodles. His private table was hidden in a nook, with a bamboo room divider separating him and the world. Appetite crushed and meal soggy, Kenji pursed his lips slightly. Contemplation could only last for so long.

Pushing his plate away from him, he leaves a stack of bills on the counter. Stalking away to steal one last glance of her. He saw her hair, the curve of her spine, and heard the click of her shoes as the entrance to the restaurant came to a close.

What kind of business did she have, and more importantly who was he to think about what she was doing? The whole internal monologue was getting tired quick, especially when his thoughts had become plagued with her. Everytime he dished his attitude out for her, she served it right back and with her own additions and special spices.

He’d need some sort of counseling. And soon. But did he really?

She was committed to following the outline of details that the KDF personnel had given her. But she just kept running into Kenji Sato and didn’t get anywhere far with her approach.

At first she had tried to study all the baseball teams that had the quickest reaction times to a Kaiju attack. Each time she attended another game, with her hoodie pulled over her head and hands in her pockets, she just saw people running all around trying to escape the stadiums. Not optimal when a person is trying to go towards the danger instead.

A man had narrowly clipped her shoulder, she kept pressing forwards to get to the field. The Kaiju was on the outskirts of the stadium. If Ultraman really was a baseball player he would’ve appeared in the field from where the players had been. Her line of reasoning was that going down to the field and having her camera ready was the optimal discovery technique.

“What are you doing? You need to get away from the Kaiju, not run toward it?” Kenji, still in his Giants uniform, grabbed her by the arm pulling her further away from the baseball diamond. The Kaiju began to stomp away from the stadium. She groaned, ripping her arm away from Kenji.

“Leave me be.” She tried to go toward the center of the field again.

“You have a death wish and I will not be granting it.” He thwarts her plans and gives her the keys to his motorbike when they get to the parking lot, the Kaiju’s roar rumbles lowly from a distance in the eastward direction. “Get on the bike. I swear to the gods, get on the bike.”

She turns the key, and starts the engine. Kenji goes back to the stadium, leaving her to try and track down all the players from the game today who had already left the stadium, maybe following one of them would lead to the Ultraman reveal. An hour later, the Kaiju was back in the water leaving Japan behind. Ultraman’s face and video footage rang through the screens in the streets. She tossed her camera in the air, annoyance clear on her face.

That was the third time that month that Kenji had done something like that, found her trying to go towards the danger instead of avoiding it, and each time he pushed her away and told her to leave.

It was starting to annoy her more and more intensely that she still couldn’t catch a baseball player turning into Ultraman. Why did there have to be so many baseball games, and why were there so many players on every team?

Yuuta had invited her to a practice match between the Giants and a team from Singapore that had flown in for the friendly. She obliged him, thinking that she could narrow down her list of baseball players better if a foreign team was playing as well. It was around mid-game, and she didn’t expect another Kaiju attack so soon after the last one. Alarms blared and the ground rumbled.

This Kaiju was dark green, scaly, and looked a lot like a water monitor, with fangs like a rattlesnake. The size of it was smaller than most, and it slithered around instead of standing. It lunged at one of the lights in the stadium, and she was shaking against her intentions to remain resolved.

She supposed now was as good a time as ever to see an Ultraman transformation. Except maybe, getting too close to the creature was a bad idea. Yuuta had screamed at her for getting to the field, but he couldn’t stand in and do anything when the tail of the Kaiju knocked her off her feet and she landed on her arm roughly.

Kicking off with her feet, she kept trying to backtrack, elbows bloody and pain shooting through her shoulder. Now she was worried for her life, especially when the Kaiju slinked around the dirt and grass, getting a little too close to the catcher’s area, where she sat. Dirt coated her clothes, and she felt iced into her position.

She closed her eyes for a second, preparing for the worst.

Ultraman always saves the day in the end. The snake-like monster was curling itself around the arm of Ultraman, he shook his arm but the lizard stayed firmly in place. He flung his arm, and to her shock, the snake flew away, Kaiju genetics and formation letting it slither in the air. The Kaiju made its way to the coastline, and the harm was successfully resolved.

The audio muffling voice was just human enough to remind her to come back to her senses. The voice and of course, a huge presence kneeling in front of her would bring anyone back.

His hand was the size of her whole body, maybe even bigger.

“Do you need medical attention?” Ultraman stuck out a finger and she pulled herself off the ground by leveraging her weight and the arm that she hadn’t landed on.

“No, probably just some regular first aid.” She lifts her head up to try and make eye contact, that could be another clue.

When there’s no movement from either of them for a moment, he stutters something out yet none of the words make any sense. Fainting when she sees the Kaiju come back might have been her stupidest biological instinct.

Yuuta sits by her bedside table, snoring. Rubbing her head, she turns on the TV to see what happened after she lost total consciousness.

Ultraman had picked her up and set her somewhere safe while fighting the beast, headlines declaring another day safe because of his intervention. As much as she wants, she can’t roll her eyes.

Maybe there’s more to a superhero than meets the eye.

“Well folks we have it here, the championship game. We have the Giants pitching first and the Pumas at bat. Pitching for the Giants is an upstarter by the name of Ito Yuuta, or as the new fans like to say, the Michelangelo of pitching. And I can’t say I disagree with them, I mean his form is so natural and smooth.” The other announcer elbows his companion in the stomach, “And for the Pumas we have American Clint Wilks ready to bat.”

She sits in her seat, the same one Yuuta had reserved for her so many times before. She has her camera filming her friend, his first pitch he wanted filmed in slow motion, and then the rest he wanted normal speed. Something about wanting tons of content for the promotional manager to work with at various angles. Her phone camera wasn’t the best, but she made it work. And Yuuta had always been satisfied with the videos she sent to him.

When the batter manages to skim the edge of Yuuta’s first pitch she groans a little. The ball was recovered quickly, but Yuuta wasn’t shaken up at all. His next two pitches were seamless, going straight to the catcher in the blink of an eye. She cheers.

Disconnecting from the game for a moment, she scrolls on her phone, she may have enjoyed baseball, but it was Yuuta she only really came for. Yuuta and Kenji that is. Her other camera, her private investigation camera laid safely in her backpack. Should another Kaiju attack happen today she might need an early retirement, especially considering how the last run in had altered her.

It had been a while since she had caught Kenji Sato late at night, ignoring the speed limits with an overwhelming sense of confidence and ability. Maybe the lesson had finally set in, the fifth ticket may have been overkill.

When she hears the announcers say that Ken Sato is out of commission for this championship game due to injury, her ears burn. Now this was a quick mystery that needed to be solved. She had seen him in the pit, yelling with his teammates and jeering at the opposing team. But he hadn’t been quite all there, like his brain was in another body and a robot had filled in for him. When the announcement had been made that Kenji wasn’t going to play, he excused himself and left his team. She noticed that he had been rubbing his arm with a grimace.

The locker room would hold all the answers to her questions she supposes. Yuuta wasn’t going to pitch again for the rest of the game, already knocking out so many strikes in one game. She remembered how Yuuta had told her to get to the additional secret door to the locker room.

Getting into the locker room was easy, seeing Kenji Sato in his current state of undress was the hard part.

She couldn’t say much but let out a small squeak to disclose her presence in the room. Kenji finished pulling up his grey sweatpants, and coughed into his elbow to diffuse any sort of discomfort.

“Uh, sorry. My bad.” She tapped her forearm, keeping her arms locked into a folded position.

“It’s, um, it’s all good. Ito’s still at the diamond, I’m the only one here right now…” He trailed off.

Seeing the full expanse of his injuries across his torso and chest, she feels her heart sink. He’d come up closer to her, shutting his locker and almost circling her to study her. Initially, upon her walking in, she had seen him scrutinize the various marks across his body. His entire length of his arm was purple, almost like it had been wrapped in a rope that had been tightened too many times.

“Is your current partner an abuser?” She bluntly asks.

Kenji’s eyes open wide, “No, I’m not dating anyone right now.”

It was her turn for her eyes to go wide, in addition to extreme heat tingeing her skin and sweat starting to build up. Her assumption was that of a hired sort of company making those marks then. Surveying her reaction, Kenji knows what her best guess may have come down to.

“I also don’t make a habit of hiring escorts. Or any sort of paid companionship.” He swallows thickly. All his attempts to mitigate the tension in the room had absolutely failed. He tries another angle, “I’m glad that you care enough to ask though.”

She laughs at that.

“I guess I do care at least a little. It’d be a shame if you died by hooker, especially since I’ve spent so many hours giving you tickets in an attempt to save your life.”

They settled into their dynamic. Friends, but not quite friendly. Kenji wouldn’t call them enemies either, not when he held her too close to his heart. But her barely concealed occasional animosity did harbor some sort of anger or hate toward him that he’d just have to brush that aside while he categorized their relationship.

Their dynamic was hued by an innate sense of connection, but layers of social conditioning and abrasiveness between the two had deemed their magnetism a fluke.

Maybe that’s why he asks her to come to the baseball banquet with him despite being half naked in the middle of the locker room.

“I’ve already told Yuuta I’d go with him.” She shifts her weight between her feet, trying to remain balanced in spite of the extreme uneasiness that ran through her.

“I got him a replacement date.”

Her eyebrow raised at his slight supplication, he continued, “Ito told me he’d tell you soon. Guess I beat him to the remark.”

The awkward chuckle he lets escape makes him wish that he was anywhere but here. He’d take a monstrous Kaiju wanting to bite his head off then be faced with a rejection like this. Would it even be considered a rejection? He just asked if she wanted to be his date to the championship banquet. He chews the inside of his mouth, it would definitely be a direct rejection if she said no.

The crowd roars and tells the both of them that the banquet will in fact be for the Giants winning and not a solemn affair telling everyone to prepare for the next season.

“Okay. I had already cleared my weekend for the banquet anyway.” She wrings her hands out, twisting and playing with each of her fingers.

“Sounds great. It should be fun, you know, since we just won.”

She turns to leave the locker room, before turning on her heel.

He finishes putting his relaxed Giants jersey on, slightly stunned to see her still in the locker room.

“I’ll need your number, so you can tell me what to wear.” She pauses, unsure of what else he’d need to inform her of.

“And so I can let you know when I’ll pick you up, and where to pick you up.” He starts listing off items, using his fingers to keep track.

“Yeah, all that stuff.”

He gets her number, sending a short ‘hi it’s ken’ text. She feels the pull to exit again. But has to let one last thing off her chest.

“I’m not calling you Ken. You’ll always be Kenji to me.” He pushes down a smile, but she continues her word salad that climbs out of her mouth without much censorship. “Too many tickets written out in your full first name for me to call you anything else.”

“We’ll go with that then, Officer.”

She sticks her tongue out at him before finally trekking out of the baseball changing room.

To- Officer Cutie 💎🌟 : i’m sending you a dress, this is your size right?

ATTACHMENT: 1 Image

To- KENJI SATO 🚨🏍️: How did you know my size? Also you know I can buy my own clothes for a banquet right?

To- Officer Cutie 💎🌟: lemme do my own thing

To- KENJI SATO 🚨🏍️: fine then mr. bossy pants

To be fair, the dress really was gorgeous. Silver with red detailing, although the slit wasn’t quite an expected feature of the dress, coming up to above her mid thigh. The straps of the dress had an almost pearl beading which contrasted nicely with the deep blood shade of the red throughout the dress.

“You know, if my date saw you she’d wonder why I was going with her and not you.” Yuuta teases, because he does genuinely feel excitement for who he was going with, a reporter by the name of Ami Wakita. She does a spin for Yuuta in her phone camera.

“I don’t know all the way though, the colors remind me of something I can’t quite put a finger on.”

She can see Yuuta grabbing his phone and searching on Google due to the angle of his forehead that she was now enduring. When Yuuta laughs, she knows she might be in for some sort of practical joke from Kenji.

Yuuta sends her a photo of Ultraman.

“Damn him to hell. We’re going with an Ultraman theme.” She drags her hand down her face in irritation.

The black Mercedes-Benz he drove to pick her up in was definitely an appreciated touch. He was wearing a silver suit with a red button up underneath. At least they matched really well.

The banquet looked expensive. It smelt expensive. It sounded expensive. With draping fabrics hanging off of tall columns in the cream and gold shades of the Giants logo and uniforms. The bouquets of dense floral scents carried throughout the event center, and the fresh scent of pastries and cooked steaks also added to the aromas floating around the air. Clinking glasses, clicks of heels, laughs that sounded like they were dripping in a blend of nepotism and celebrity status.

Kenji and her are at a table with some of the older members of the Giants team. Kenji isn’t amused with the questions they pester the pair of them with. She wittily responds to each glaring comment that had intended to poke deeper and deeper.

The speeches awarding the team and celebrating the momentous win aren’t bad, just bland. Each time a server comes around with glasses of wine, or champagne, or shots, she grabs one and starts sipping. Kenji sticks to just water and some glasses of juice. He mentions that he’s the one driving so he’d rather not get black out drunk. She chuckles sarcastically.

While they don’t talk to each other too much, he does keep a hand on her thigh or knee for most of the night. Which in turn may have been the cause for her to keep getting drinks.

Eventually, as to be expected, the banquet shifts from an event of elegance into a slight rager. Music transitions from classical to club style hip hop and R&B. She keeps nodding off, much to Kenji’s amusement. He couldn’t imagine accidentally falling asleep when the noises around the building were booming and thunderous.

They sit at the table, the only ones left not on the dance floor. Kenji doesn’t mind, especially with how she keeps nodding off and blinking her eyes to try and stay awake regardless of how the alcohol weighs her cognizance down.

“Hey, pretty girl, you keep falling asleep.” Kenji rubs her back, his fingers touching the bare skin exposed from the back of her dress. His hands aren’t cold, they’re far from it, a warmth blossoms from them, springing forth a desire to feel the heat wherever she has exposed skin.

Mumbling, she says something about his observational skills, a ‘Captain Obvious’ is thrown in there somewhere along a line of insults. She keeps trying to rub the sleep away with the back of her hand.

“Ready to go?” She shakes her head yes and lets him guide her out to his car.

It really was the only solution. She was already asleep in his car, and he didn’t know which key was the one that opened her apartment door.

“MINA, can you please change the temperature of my room to 68 degrees? Keep the pillows cold, but make the blankets warmer.”

MINA adjusts the requested temperatures. Kenji lets her take his bed, opting to sleep in one of the guest rooms in the Ultrabase. He sets out a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless sleep shirt. He puts a hand on her leg, moving it so she’d wake up a little.

“Pajamas are here, I’ll be down the hall if you need anything. I got water and some pain relievers on your side table.” She murmurs in response, her face in the pillows. He puts a lid on the water cup, and turns off the light as he shuts his bedroom door.

She hardly recalls that she changed into the comfiest pajamas she’s ever worn, but she did remember drinking the whole glass of water and swallowing the pain pills. Waking up was surprisingly pleasant though, a perfect mixture of cold and warm coated her senses. She freezes for a moment, remembering how last night had unfurled. With her embarrassing herself by drinking way too much and getting sleepy probably much earlier than Kenji had expected.

A good private investigator would study and analyze each item in a person’s bedroom. An even better private investigator would do all that and make fun of what she could. That’s why she’s considered the best in the business.

The room is relatively bland, but pictures of a pink Kaiju stand out to her. It looks like a dragon, but it’s so adorable she had to stop herself from using her phone to take a picture of the Kaiju. There’s a family photo, and oh, his dad is Professor Sato? The Kaiju whisperer? That’s intriguing to her but she keeps lurking around.

Once she examines his room enough, she leaves the room and goes out to discover further.

The smell of fresh fruit and possibly waffles draws her out further and further from the hallway of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Kenji talks to MINA, asking for help in making the waffles actually edible and not burnt. MINA offers to cook them for him, but he says he can do it and wants to make them himself. MINA rereads the instructions for the waffle maker. He’s wearing plaid bottoms and a black tank top. She admires his arms for a moment before shaking herself out of the slight daze.

She keeps looking around. Until she finds something particularly interesting, she checks that she’s still out of his line of sight and she touches a few of the buttons on what looks like a computer keyboard. Except the buttons vary in shape and size instead of being uniform and sequential.

Falling back a little from the bright holograms she gasps. Kenji whips his head around and drops a spoon that had batter all over it onto the floor.

The holograms display various scenes of Ultraman, and Kenji. Of Kenji turning into Ultraman, of Ultraman transitioning back into Kenji. Of Kenji with the pink Kaiju, of Ultraman with the pink Kaiju. Of Kenji and his dad studying the Kaiju. Of Ultraman playing baseball with a huge bat. Of Kenji messing around with various Ultraman maneuvers and martial arts styles.

She turns her head to Kenji, now exposed from her perching site away from his view. He glances his eyes in all directions. He hiccups and laughs forcefully. He can’t even say a simple, let me explain. It’s just all too clear.

“Whoops?” She offers.

He pushed a bowl of fruit in her direction, she was sitting across from him at the dining table.

“No one can know.”

She keeps blinking and eating another piece of fruit as she processes the whole thing. Almost like a fish, she keeps opening her mouth but then closing it without ever saying a word. She downs a glass of orange juice that he gives her.

“So, you’re Ultraman.”

He shrugs.

“All those times I saw you bruised and injured? Ultraman?” She rubs her temple, trying to make sense of it all.

“For most of the time, yes. I did fall off my bike once.”

“I’m going to have to quit my job.” She deadpans. “If they knew that I knew, but didn’t tell them, I’d be hunted and killed.”

Kenji drops his fork that has a slice of mango on it.

“Not literally, but I’d definitely be tortured for what I know.” Finishing off her fruit, she lets out a deep exhale, and makes eye contact with Kenji. He taps on the table for a moment before exchanging her thoughts for his own.

“I hate to admit this, but that would literally be my worst nightmare because I unfortunately like you a lot.”

She suspends all sense of reality for a moment, also ignoring his confession to her, “Kaiju Island is real?” He nods. “I want to go and see it. I want to see the Kaiju.”

So they go and see the Kaiju.

When Kenji introduces her to Emi, a toddler Kaiju, she stands stunned but amazed at the mystical energy of it all. She considers dropping her career as a private investigator and instead studying a course in Kaiju Sciences. She sees a wide variety of other Kaiju, Kenji making sure she stays a safe distance away from anything that could potentially be too dangerous.

The whole day is spent asking and answering questions. From Ultraman to Kaiju, from KDF to Tokyo Metropolitan Police. He’s aware of what the KDF knows about him now, and he’s grateful to know where to start burying tracks for them.

The beach is pretty in the evening. The way pink and orange dance along the glimmering ocean waves. The way the sun hits Kenji’s eyes just right and makes them look like a vibrant purple. His black earrings almost turn into inky ebony gems.

“This is actually amazing.” She exhales the words she’s been holding in during the entire exposure to this alternate universe that coexists with hers.

He speaks without thinking, something he believes he really should start working on, “You’re amazing.”

“Even with all my sharpness?”

“That’s your whole appeal.” He leans in, giving just enough space for her to back out.

She doesn’t lean away. He dives in.

He doesn’t bother with any brushes of their lips, going straight for an open mouth exchange. She’s the one who grazes her tongue in his mouth first though, leaving him wanting more, needing more, an appetite needing to be satiated with her touch.

He’s leaving a path of heavy kisses over her face to her neck, sucking on the skin as he licks under her jaw. The way her skin tastes should be studied he muses, using his hands to pin her to the sandy bank by her waist. Her hands were too busy fiddling with his earrings and hair to let him pin her by the hands.

The hums he has in his throat make her want to hear what other sounds he can make. Maybe biting his bottom lip was her best option after all because as soon as her teeth came into contact with the puffy skin he shudders and it’s like music to her ears.

He has to lift himself up and off her, out of breath and panting heavily. He pulls her up with him once he’s sitting back down.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first time you cussed me out for almost swerving into you when I was speeding.”

She pauses, letting him intertwine his fingers with hers, he sets the joined hands on his thigh, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand in order to brush some sand off of her.

“That was a while ago.”

“Yeah, so now you know how long I’ve been waiting for this.”

She pushes his shoulder that was right up against hers. He recoils, and she thinks that he might be sore from fighting a Kaiju. So she goes to apologize when he stops her before she can get any words out.

“I think I deserve an apology kiss.”

“What a faker.”

She rolls her eyes but gives him another kiss.

The headlines the following weeks put the world into a tizzy.

PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR QUITS TOKYO POLICE IN A FURY

EX-TOKYO POLICE INVESTIGATOR EXPOSES KDF BRIBING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

KAIJU AREN’T ALL BAD: THE KDF GENOCIDE SCANDAL

KENJI SATO, WHO’S YOUR GIRL?

ITO YUUTA NAMED GIANTS VICE CAPTAIN UNDER KENJI SATO’S CAPTAINSHIP

NEW KAIJU RESEARCH AND SCIENCE RELEASED BY PROFESSOR SATO

EXCLUSIVE ULTRAMAN INTERVIEW: HE’S OBSESSED WITH KENJI SATO’S GIRLFRIEND

[neuvistar]

ate marie (is it ok for me to call you that) ano po yung thoughts mo sa mga genshin dads

- pinoy anon

❝ GENSHIN PAPAS ?! ❞ childe, thoma, neuvi, wrio, itto n kaveh x fem!reader cw. some mentions of pregnancy | small a/n. hello again pinoy anon :3 ++ ofc! u can call me that, always ❕GENSHIN PAPAS… sige wait lang.. i think the best dads would probably be!!!!! (list natin yng mga dilfs guys)

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐄

AH YES OF COURSE. THE NUMBER ONE FAMILY GUY. childe being on this list is not surprising considering the fact he’s (canonically?) a family man, he loves his siblings n u can’t tell me he wants his own children too :(( he probably has 3-4, a big family just like his own! he really does try his best to balance his occupation and his job as a husband and father, he knows what he does isn’t really what parents would do but he’s a good dad regardless :(( he makes sure his work doesn’t get in the way of his love for his young ones

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐀

i think thoma would be one of the best fathers, i mean.. HAVE YOU SEEN HIM. he’s so sweet guys 😭☝️ i think he’s a stay at home dad, cooking delicious meals for his exhausted wife and cute little babies <3 thoma is most definitely a family typa guy… i’m calling it rn he has abt 3-4 kids (waw) :3 the first time u had given birth 2 ur first child his heart immediately melted into hot chocolate, he was SOOOO happy and so damn emotional :((( he’s such a good papa n u know that all too well, you married such a good man :,)

𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄

neuvillette again with either 4-5 little dragons who look just like him 😋 i feel like neuvillette would be a heavily sweet father who’s also strict in his own ways, all he wants is to keep his little ones safe so you can’t blame him for being so (kinda) snappy whenever they run off somewhere :(( he loves his little ones too much he doesn’t want ANYTHING bad 2 happen to them. neuvillette already treats the melusines like his own children, so it’s no doubt he gives his dragonlings the same behaviour <3 he’s such a good dad

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘

his entire backstory just SCREAMS “best papa” and u can’t tell me otherwise. wriothesley is somewhat unexpected but i believe he wants kids of his own, maybe 2! due to how gentle and sweet he was to the little girl in his trailer AAANNND where he protected the other children in his backstory :(( wriothesley would be such a good daddy and i know that for sure, he has a soft spot for them and definitely devotes his life 2 protecting them and YOU :(( making sure they got the childhood he never had

𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐎

something about this big guy just makes me go “oh yeah. he’s definitely the typa guy to have kids.” ITTO… he’s just a fun dad :(( i can imagine his little ones inheriting his oni features.. his horns, etc! they look exactly like itto atp your genes didn’t even try 2 fight LMAO but anyways, itto is such a fantastic father! not as strict as others but he’s definitely fun and lets his young ones be carefree! i know for a fact one of his oni kids r an exact a copy of him :3

𝐊𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐇

like i’ve been saying for the past few weeks now, KAVEH IS SO (GIRL) DAD CODED. this man jus screams girl dad or jus dad in general n i believe in that statement FULLY. kaveh’s a busy father who tries his best to tend to your needs n his little ones! (hint, they’re all girls) his daughters look EXACTLY like him and it’s acc insane :,3 kaveh just sparks me as a typa guy who’d be a dad, he jus gives off major dad energy! since he’s sassy, i bet his daughters would be sassy too n sass him daily :3

[merlucide]

NONONO YOU LISTEN TO ME.

…

SAE IS A GOLD GIRLIE.

RIN IS A SILVER GIRLIE.

PROOF (ft my amazing editing):

YOU KNOW IM RIGHT.

(Other bllk boys colorssss)

[hastyprovocateur]

She's not a girl. She's a princess.

My princess.

[seungrem]

tomie!enha (sunghoon) x (no pronouns)!reader

The Curse of Sunghoon

masterlist ~*+ - part 1 ~*+ - part 2 of ??

summary: It seemed everyone had become lost in their flawed tendencies since the arrival of the new student. His enigmatic spirit and flawless features made him impossible to miss- enchanting students and teachers alike. Uncanny in many ways, the boy’s name was Sunghoon, and for reader, it seemed his presence was nothing other than ill-fated.

( overview: please see warnings. no pronouns mentioned excluding occasional ‘em’s, student!sunghoon & reader & jungwon & heeseung, part 2 but it’s kinda just part 1.5 )

( warnings: mentions of blood, weapons, threats, fighting/physical aggression, death, not gross & not detailed gore, arrests/police, gangs/mob groups, manipulation, and stalkerish/obsessive behavior )

emoji code:

🌿 ( long story/series )

🧸 ( fluff crumbs )

🪐 ( Junji Ito - Tomie AU )

☁️ ( stands for y/n )

likes, comments, & reblogs r appreciated ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

“Your absence has been problematic..”

Rough gusts of wind brushed against ☁️’s skin. The sky was still cloudy from the morning’s rain.

“..Even more than your presence had been. Why’d your curse only now come around?”

Looking over the bridge’s stone guardrail, the student rested heavy arms down. The stream’s water rushed steadily under the structure, though not nearly as harsh as it had been a week prior.

“Why’re you over here sulking? Shouldn’t you be at school?”

☁️ turned to see Heeseung, his mahogany hair floating lightly as he stepped onto the bridge. Approaching ☁️, he stopped a few feet away and leaned against the guardrail as well.

“The school day ended four hours ago. Why’re you here and still in your school uniform?”

“I had a feeling that you’d be here.”

Eyebrows furrowed, ☁️ remained with a forward gaze. “So.. what do you want?”

“Now that Sunghoon’s gone and this place is “problematic” as you say, somebody needs to watch over you.”

“Oh.. I’ll be fine. I know who to look out for.”

“This a lot different than you think it is, ☁️.”

“I need to be alone right now, Heeseung. You can watch me from a distance, can’t you?”

“Well, people are usually dying to be this close to me-“

☁️ looked over to the boy to see a grin slowly growing along his face.

“Oh.. sorry. Too soon..?”

“Leave.”

“Why aren’t you drawn to me? Don’t you think I’m everything you want and more? Am I not handsome?”

“Are you serious?” ☁️ responded in an aggressive tone.

“You can’t reject me.. and I don’t take rejection very well.” Heeseung muttered between gritting teeth. He was shaking, which worried ☁️ slightly. “Wait.. you must still like Sunghoon. It can’t be a me problem..”

“Clearly.. I’m just not in the position to be interested in anyone. Now, I would like to sulk in peace, please.”

Heeseung stopped shaking, and took a deep breath. “Mhm. I’ll see you Monday.”

“I hope not.” ☁️ muttered, earning a scoff from Heeseung as he walked away.

I can’t believe that guy. He’s such a weirdo.. and his ego problems are a lot worse than Sunghoon’s.

Returning a gaze to the trees and flowing stream, ☁️ continued his thoughts out loud.

Now where was I?

After school, ☁️ would go over to the bridge and talk about all that went on throughout the day. Like how rumors of the archery teacher going insane were spread rampant after he didn’t show up to class the entire week. Other students stated that they’ve seen him creeping around on campus, but who knew of that was true. Rika also didn’t show up for the first half of the week. It seemed she hadn’t been sleeping, as she had bags under her eyes and didn’t say a word to anyone. ☁️ recalled that she still only had one bow in her hair. Both her and Hoshino have been on edge, but in contrast to Rika, Hoshino became meaner. As ☁️ would stand on the bridge every evening, one or two of Hoshino’s goons would pass by. It became so frequent that ☁️ would greet them on a first-name basis. On Thursday, accusations against Hoshino came about, with more rumors saying that he was the cause of Sunghoon’s disappearance. That was also the day that the young teacher (whose name ☁️ still didn’t know), confronted ☁️ in private. The teacher explained that he couldn’t remember when or how, but he remembers ☁️ being associated with missing items from his classroom. After pretending not to understand, ☁️ was on borrowed time. It obviously wasn’t good that the teacher’s memories were coming back, and ☁️ could tell that he was thoroughly investigating Sunghoon’s situation, which made the student anxious.

☁️’s trance was broken as footsteps echoed from the left side of the bridge. It was an older man, who looked at ☁️ and nodded.

“Be careful around here. The kids are reporting stories of ghosts.” The man muttered as he passed the student.

“Really? I’ve visited this bridge everyday and haven’t seen anything.” ☁️ responded.

The old man looked over the edge and pointed at the water below. Then, he turned, continuing his trudge down the bridge and onto the dirt path. ☁️ struggled it off.

Today was Friday, and rumors of Rika framing Hoshino for Sunghoon’s disappearance were passed around in ☁️’s first class. Both had been the subjects of much discussion, aside from one of the new students- Jungwon. Hours later, as ☁️ sat alone at lunch, police officers entered the cafeteria. Hoshino was apparently taken into police custody, but released later that day for unknown reasons.

After lunch, ☁️ attended the archery course, expecting to sit around as the students had been doing since Monday. To their surprise, the teacher was back, and extremely disoriented. His short, gray hair basically stood upright, and he stood hunched over with a cane. He, too, had noticeable eyebags and a disturbed expression. The old teacher was silent for a while before asking the students to turn themselves in for the murder of Sunghoon, as he was planning to do. You’ve could’ve guessed that the students, Hoshino especially, didn’t like this request. ☁️ felt the group’s hostility rise as the students shouted and eventually chased the old man out of the gym and into the forested area. For a man with a cane, it seemed he was perfectly capable of moving without it as he bolted out the back doors. ☁️ understood what they might do, and why they would do it- fear, anger, states of craze or madness, desensitization. ☁️ didn’t participate this time, and instead watched everyone run out of the room, with four or five students having been left behind. One student asked if they were actually going to turn themselves in, which everyone agreed not to.

☁️ heard that Rika had skipped this archery class to target the young teacher. She seemed to mistakenly think that the man was framing her, and he was the reason she was being accused of Hoshino’s arrest. ☁️ recalled Sunghoon’s interaction with Rika the week prior, when he was still alive. He handed Rika a bag full of papers and files, and then she was on her way. Sunghoon had never clarified what his scheme consisted of, and part of ☁️ wish that he had. From what ☁️ heard from teachers’ gossip, the young teacher had a few stab wounds but was still alive.

☁️ flinched at the sound of footsteps once again. It was Hoshino- who looked as if he was ready to fall asleep standing up.

“☁️.”

☁️ took a step back.. expecting the worst. “Y-yes?”

“Have you seen Smiley? It’s been hours since he’s came through here.”

Smiley was one of Hoshino’s goons who ☁️ saw regularly, and earlier today, ☁️ walked from the school to the bridge with him. ☁️ remembered waving goodbye before Smily walked deeper into the forested area. Ironically, Smiley wasn’t very amiable- or smiley. He was nice to ☁️, though, thus the two interacted often.

“Yes, but it’s been a while since he walked down that path. I haven’t seen him walk back.”

“Shit.” Hoshino muttered as he hurried past ☁️ across the bridge.

“Let me come with you. It’s getting dark.” ☁️ blurted out impulsively. Hoshino appeared confused, but nodded hesitantly in agreement.

The two walked side by side off of the dirt path and into the forest.

“Where are we going?” ☁️ asked, looking around.

“To where we.. scattered.. Sunghoon.”

☁️ exhaled.

“Sorry. How have you been holding up?”

Baffled, ☁️ looked over to Hoshino. “I’ve been okay. I have my thoughts, but I’m sure you have yours, too.”

Hoshino nodded.

“Can I ask you a question, though?” ☁️ continued.

Hoshino nodded again. The sky was fading into an orange hue as the two walked.

“What happened today? How’d you end up in police custody, and how’d you get out?”

“I don’t know who said what, but that crazy bitch Rika was how I got out. One of my guys caught her burning clothes and documents in this forest yesterday. She wasn’t burning evidence for me, though. She was doing it for herself. I don’t think she anticipated sparing me. I’m confused about it all myself. I don’t know what she’s doing- I don’t know anything. It’s really pissing me off.”

☁️ raised an eyebrow. Hoshino had eyes and ears everywhere, so to hear that he was clueless was scary in itself. ☁️ still didn’t understand how he ended up becoming accused, though. The two stopped upon seeing a body lying on the floor in the distance.

“That’s gotta be Smiley.” Hoshino ran over to the body with ☁️ close behind. “Shit, shit, shit. That’s him.”

☁️ leaned down to feel the boy’s pulse. Placing two fingers under his jawline, ☁️ felt Smiley’s cold skin touch his own.

“He’s dead, Hoshino. What happened?”

“It’s getting dark, I’ll take you home.”

-

“I really wish we met under better circumstances. I’m sorry for putting you through all this.” Hoshino shook his head, and then ran a hand through his fluffy black hair.

“Don’t worry about me. What happened to Smiley?”

“I think- no, I know it’s the old teacher. Everybody’s been saying that he’s been lurking in the woods since what happened last week. It only makes sense.”

“How’s that old man gonna take Smiley out, though? I thought you guys took care of him when you chased him.”

“The others beat him pretty bad. I didn’t think anything of it.. He’s unpredictable right now.”

“An old person said that there were ghosts in the area. Maybe that has some correlation?”

“You haven’t seen what’s under the bridge yet?”

With a head tilted to the side, ☁️ squinted.

“What do you mean?”

“Make sure you have no plans tomorrow. I’ll pick you up here.”

☁️ remained silent and nodded.

“Are you okay being here alone tonight? If you need me to, I can stay.” Avoiding eye contact, Hoshino gestured to ☁️’s home- which they stood right in front of. It was a tiny apartment complex ☁️ was renting out while attending school in the countryside.

“I have someone watching over me, so I’ll be okay. But.. are you gonna be okay? You don’t look good. At all.”

“It’s been a rough week... I never wanted any of this.”

“I know. But it’s still going to be here tomorrow. Go home and get some rest.”

Hoshino nodded. “Does twelve-thirty work?”

☁️ sighed and nodded.

“Have a goodnight.” Hoshino muttered before turning around and walking home in the darkness. ☁️ waited until Hoshino was out of sight to turn around.

Walking to the front door, ☁️ heard a familiar voice whisper out. Heeseung was nearby.

“☁️~”

☁️ carefully turned around and walked back over to the sidewalk, where Heeseung now stood.

“How do you know where I live?”

“I watch over you, remember?”

“Right.. what do you want?”

“I’m going to join you two tomorrow. Also, no more of this walking through the forest when it’s nighttime. Not with everything going on.”

☁️ nodded. “I’ll see you at twelve-thirty.”

“Who’s this?” Hoshino muttered, pointing to the tall boy waving from across the stream. Another boy accompanied him, though ☁️ very faintly recognized him.

“His name is Heeseung. I don’t know who the other guy is.”

“Why’s he wearing a school uniform on a Saturday?”

“I don’t know. It’s kinda his thing.”

The two approached Hoshino and ☁️ with flashy smiles.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Heeseung nodded to ☁️ and then looked at Hoshino. “This is my friend Jungwon. He’ll be joining us today.”

“Uh, I’m sorry?” Hoshino grimaced. “What do you mean “joining us?” Neither of you were invited.”

“Now, now. Let’s not get worked up. We’re all here for the same thing.” Jungwon spoke, rather irregularly. His tone was crisp and elegant, as if he wasn’t from this century. Unlike Heeseung, he wore normal clothing- a black hoodie and grey corduroy straight pants.

“What.. thing?” ☁️ asked, raising an eyebrow.

Heeseung gestured to Hoshino, who walked off of the bridge and down the tiny hill in which its side stood exposed- it was where ☁️ had left Sunghoon’s organs. The stream’s water continued its pace as ☁️ shuffled behind the others. ☁️’s stomach dropped upon seeing a skeletal structure growing from the stone abutment. Short pieces of skin draped off each bone and fluttered in the wind as if it were cloth. The body’s brain could be seen through the eye sockets, and the ribcage pierced through the heart. There were no legs, and the pelvis bones seemed to grow straight out of the stone structure. Whatever it was, it still had parts of organs and muscle along the body.

Feeling queasy, ☁️ sat on the ground and looked away.

“What the fuck is that.”

“The ghost everyone has been talking about.” Hoshino replied, sitting next down beside ‘em.

“This is where you left Sunghoon’s heart. Is it not?” Heeseung asked, looked down at ☁️.

“Yes… Is this him?” ☁️ asked, feeling even more sick.

“Somewhat. Do you know what he is?” Jungwon replied. Heeseung shot the boy beside him a concerned look.

“What do you mean?” Hoshino asked.

“It’s okay. I need to speak with Heeseung.” Jungwon replied, walking back up to the bridge’s path with Heeseung following behind him.

“How long have you known about this?” ☁️ looked over to Hoshino.

“A few days. I didn’t know it was of Sunghoon’s body parts, though. Only weird ass person would do some shit like this… I still think it’s that teacher.”

“If those two know about this, do you think they could help us figure out what happened to Smiley?” ☁️ whispered, pointing at the bridge above.

“They know. Heeseung.. brought Smiley back to life. I don’t know how, but that guy said he saved Smiley’s life the night that we found him. He’s recovering at home.”

“Oh, that’s great.” ☁️ sighed, relieved. Quickly glancing at the ghostly figure in front of the two, the student wrapped an arm around the knee. “Why are his organs in such good condition after a week? His heart is still.. beating. There’s no blood pumping through it.”

“I don’t know. This is really weird, though.”

Hoshino muttered before ☁️ nodded in agreement. “Let’s get outta here.”

Hoshino stood up first, him then helping ☁️ up. It was then that ☁️ noticed the scar along the side of Hoshino’s face- it stretched from his left ear to the end of his eyebrow. The two made their way to where Heeseung and Jungwon stood, them seemingly bickering.

“Everything okay?” Hoshino interrupted before they turned their attention to ☁️.

“Yes. That’s all I’ve needed. I’ll see you two in class.” Jungwon nodded to Hoshino and ☁️, and then turned around after glancing at Heeseung.

“Ready to head home?” Heeseung smiled, motioning ☁️ forward.

“Actually, I was going to take ☁️ home.” Hoshino responded, looking from ☁️ to Heeseung.

“There’s no need if I’m around. We should get going. It’s not safe around here-“ Heeseung took a step forward and lightly grasped ☁️’s arm, leading the student away from Hoshino. ☁️ turned around to face the boy.

“I’ll see you on Monday.” ☁️ called out, attempting a smile before practically being dragged by Heeseung.

“Yeah. Right.” ☁️ heard Hoshino mutter.

“I didn’t know that you were off of the market.” Hoshino teased after catching up to ☁️. The two walked to school under the trees’ pink archway- them only four or five blocks away.

“What do you mean?” ☁️ responded, half surprised to see the boy next to him.

“Heeseung… You know, you could’ve just told me.”

“We’re not dating.”

“Does he know that?”

“I think so.”

The walk was quiet for a minute before Hoshino cleared his throat.

“So..” He began. “I told you that I owe you for what happened. You need anything?”

☁️ sighed. “I.. don’t need anything. But, I do think it’s a good idea for you to lay low for a while.”

“Right...”

“As in keep to yourself. Don’t talk to teachers or other students. And don’t pick on other people.”

“I don’t pick on other people.”

☁️ looked over at Hoshino with rolled eyes.

“I just need to keep everyone in line.”

“Just a suggestion.”

“And I’ll take your suggestion seriously.”

☁️ looked over to Hoshino again.

“I never see you talk to anybody like this. Not even your goons..”

“And you’re going to ask why I’m talking to you, right?”

☁️ nodded.

“Well, I’m not sure. You have such a genuineness to you. You’re always so.. calm and composed and grounded. It’s intriguing.”

Unsure of the compliment, ☁️ nodded.

“You probably just haven’t spent much time around me, in honesty.”

“Well, I’ve been trying. Your friends seem to plot against me, though.”

☁️ nodded again, seeming to grasp what Hoshino was trying to say.

“I don’t need more rumors, so I’ll see you later.” Hoshino whispered, him then walking away from ☁️ as the two approached the campus.

☁️ walked into the building to find there wasn’t much traffic in the hallways. Checking the time, the student had a few seconds to get to class.

“Shit.”

-

The teacher walked into the classroom later than she usually had- a few minutes after the bell had rung. ☁️ slouched against the wall, awaiting her usual spiel. As she opened her mouth to speak, she was interrupted by the sliding door’s abrupt opening. Jungwon walked in with straight shoulders and a pair of clear-framed glasses. He turned his attention to ☁️, and then to the teacher as he ran a hand through his straight, black hair.

“Hello, I believe my schedule has been changed.”

“Oh right, please come and introduce yourself.”

“Hello, everyone. I’m Jungwon. I just moved here earlier this week.” Jungwon’s voice was much more bubbly than ☁️ remembered.

“Very nice to have you join us. You can choose any seat that isn’t currently taken.” The teacher responded, with an obvious uninterested tone.

Jungwon scanned the room, eventually locking eyes with ☁️. He walked over to the empty seat beside ☁️, the one Sunghoon used to sit in, and gently placed himself in it. The teacher opened her mouth to speak again, but the sliding door slammed open once more. This time, Sunghoon walked in. He looked as he usually did- black hair neat while still swaying as he moved, shoulders straight, and skin fair and flawless. The only difference were the sunglasses he wore on the tip of his nose. Upon his entrance, the entirety of the class had a reaction.

“Su-Sunghoon?” The teacher asked after freezing in place. She shook slightly, eyes locked on the boy before falling to the ground. ☁️ gasped and held a hand over the mouth at the sight of him. A student in the back of the classroom threw up beside their desk. It seemed everyone else was wide-eyed or frozen in place. Sunghoon smiled at the students’ response and approached Jungwon.

“I’d like my seat back.” Sunghoon teased, his eyes (despite them being blocking by the sunglasses) seeming to pierce through Jungwon.

“This one’s taken. There’s another over there.” Jungwon replied with a far different tone, his eyes not leaving Sunghoon’s.

“Then why don’t you go sit in it?” Sunghoon instructed, gripping Jungwon’s shoulder as he spoke. Jungwon smiled- probably out of anger, and nodded slowly while pursing his lips. He reluctantly stood up and threw his bag around his shoulder, walking to the other side of the classroom and sitting in an empty seat. The class then sat in silence, aside from the one student who began crying softly as the teacher remained on the ground.

-

Sitting across from Sunghoon and beside Jungwon, ☁️‘s stomach was left in the first classroom. The cafeteria wasn’t nearly as loud as it would be any other day, and ☁️ couldn’t eat anything. ☁️ also couldn’t tell if Sunghoon was staring at ‘em, or if it was just the sunglasses. Eventually, Sunghoon broke silence between the three.

“So, ☁️.”

☁️ froze, slowly raising his gaze from the table to Sunghoon’s face.

“I heard that the old archery teacher was still stalking students on campus. Is that true?”

A lump in ☁️’s throat, the student struggled to get words out. “I’m not sure..”

“So he hasn’t overstepped his bounds with you?”

“I haven’t actually seen him.. I’m not sure if that rumor is true.”

Sunghoon nodded after licking his lips.

“So, Jungwon.” He continued, though his next words were nothing less than pure audacity and snide. “What’re you doing here?”

Jungwon slammed his fists onto the table and slowly looked at Sunghoon.

“Well, you see. There’s this thing that continuously causes problems in this specific area. I have to make sure that every problem is resolved before I can finally get rid of that thing. Sound familiar?”

“I truly wish you the best of luck with that. You’ll really need it.”

If ☁️ didn’t know any better, ☁️ would say that they were threatening each other. Deciding it was best not to get involved, the student remained silent for the rest of the period.

As the three stood from their table upon hearing their bell, Sunghoon motioned ☁️ to follow him.

“I have to pay someone another visit.”

Despite wanting to say no, and wanting to stay away from the dead boy standing in front of him, ☁️ was too scared to oppose.

The two walked side by side away from the crowd of other students, down a separate hallway and then up a staircase. Eventually, Sunghoon and ☁️ stood outside of a classroom. After knocking lightly, Sunghoon swung the door open. The lights were off and a small lamp on the teacher’s desk was on, illuminating a corner of the dim room. ☁️ recognized the young teacher- though today, he had bandages wrapped around his neck and arms. The sleeves of his white button up were rolled up above his elbows, displaying the white wraps. He seemed to be talking to another woman, presumably another teacher.

“Could you excuse us, please?” Sunghoon asked, stepping inside of the room.

“Oh, h-hello.”

“Do you have a moment?”

“Sure..” The two teachers glanced at each other, the man clearing his throat shortly after. “I’m sure you wouldn’t mind conversing in front of another teacher, right?”

Sunghoon raised an eyebrow. “I do mind. We need to speak in private, Mr. Achigai.”

Exhaling, Mr. Achigai pursued his lips and nodded, signaling the woman to leave the room.

“☁️, why don’t you keep her some company?” Sunghoon looked over his shoulder, his eyes directing ☁️ out of the room as well. The student nodded and stepped out after the teacher, sliding the door shut. ☁️ eventually turned to the woman- who seemed to be middle aged. The two looked at each other for a few seconds before the woman cleared her throat.

“Have you heard the rumors surrounding that boy in there? About why he was missing?” She whispered, it almost sounding like a croak. ☁️ nodded.

“A boy doesn’t just come back to life after getting killed. You should be really careful around him.”

☁️ grimaced at her words, whispering back, “How do you know that he died?”

“When the kids talk, the staff hears about it. An accidental death in the gym isn’t something that can be covered up.”

☁️ took a few second to ponder. “If you knew about it, why hasn’t anybody reported it?”

The woman looked around. “It isn’t in our authority. We can’t just accuse an entire class, and with no evidence but what others are saying.” She paused, looking at the closed door beside the two of them. “We got lucky when someone was able to get the ringleader “arrested,” but something weird happened.”

“It was a lack of evidence, right?” ☁️ interrupted.

“Well, technically. Mr. Achigai knew a student stole some personal documents from him a week or two ago. He thinks that this student was trying to plant evidence on that ringleader, which led to the arrest.”

“And did he mention who did this to him..” Pointing to the neck and arms, ☁️ awaited a response.

“I’m sorry, it’d be inappropriate for me to name names.. but-“

“Rika, right?”

The teacher looked around and shook her head. “I’ve already told you too much.. and you’re a student. Our classes are coming back soon and I need to-”

“Wait, wait.” Holding a hand up to stop the teacher from leaving, ☁️ continued. “Rika was caught burning paper and clothes in the woods. She was trying to remove herself from the situation she was put in, but saved the ringleader in the process.”

“What situation?”

The door was abruptly swung open, and Sunghoon gazed expectantly at ☁️ and the teacher.

“Excuse the intrusion.” Sunghoon said as he faced the woman. The woman nodded, stepping aside to let Sunghoon walk out of the classroom. ☁️ turned around to see Mr. Achigai leaning against his desk, arms folded. Sunghoon motioned ☁️ to walk beside him as the woman slipped back into the classroom. As she did, her eyes met ☁️'s in a silent exchange, the two conveying a message to the other: "Use this information wisely." ☁️ caught up to Sunghoon as a bell rung.

“What did you and Mr…”

“Achigai.”

“..Mr. Achigai talk about?” ☁️ looked up at Sunghoon as students began walking down the hallway in the opposite direction. The crowd split into two as they passed ☁️ and Sunghoon, the two receiving nervous glances as they moved.

“I asked him if he knew the whereabouts of the archery teacher. I also asked if he was aware of what he was doing.”

“What’s he doing?”

Sunghoon didn’t answer until they reached the stairwell, and all of the children had passed.

“Killing students in the forest. Collecting body parts. Following me wherever I go.”

“Hoshino was right, then.”

“Speaking of. What’s your relationship with him? Seems you two have gotten awfully close.” Sunghoon looked over at ☁️ with an expressionless glare.

“I wouldn’t consider him a friend.. more of an acquaintance. Seems I’m on his good side.”

“Yeah, well. He’s not on mine.” Sunghoon mumbled as he began descending the stairs.

“Hey, Sunghoon.” ☁️ called out, making the boy stop in his tracks. He turned around, and locked eyes with ☁️. “Are we going to talk about.. you. And why you’re here?”

“I’m a gift, and you’re luck enough to have received me twice. Lucky you!” Sunghoon laughed manically as he began walking into the hallway. ☁️ flew down the steps and jogged to catch up to him, but he was nowhere to be found.

-

“Sunghoon!”

☁️ lightly jogged to catch Sunghoon down the school’s stone driveway. The boy looked over his shoulder and began walking a bit slower, allowing ☁️ to catch up.

“Hey, I haven’t seen you since you disappeared.”

“Oh, sorry. I forgot that I agreed to meet someone around that time.”

☁️ nodded.

“Ready to talk now?” Sunghoon turned his head to face ☁️, an eyebrow raised.

“Mhm.”

Stepping onto pink petals scattered across the stone beneath them, Sunghoon and ☁️ entered the cherry blossom archway- reviving their daily routine.

“Last week, Rika told us that she was following us home. The wind blew one of the bows in her hair over to our direction, and I picked it up before she could retrieve it. Later that week, I left the bow in Mr. Achigai’s room so that he suspected her of stealing from him. From what we’ve both gathered, my plan was successful. Only one person wears those bows daily, so I knew that Mr. Achigai would figure it out. I told Rika to plant the documents on Hoshino somehow, and I’m sure she would have if I didn’t get impaled by arrows. From what you’ve told me, I think she got scared, and decided to discard everything.”

“I didn’t tell you that..” ☁️ faltered.

“I’ll get to that. But last week, on my phone, I had a message to the local authorities scheduled to be sent. It was targeting Hoshino, and with the planted evidence, and the information I was providing them, he would’ve been taken care of. He’d be in despair instead of having his blood shed.”

“That’s.. a lot.”

“I thought you’d be proud of me for doing such an ethical thing.”

“I am.. but can you get to how you’re here right now?” ☁️ huffed, still curious and confused.

“All that glitters is not gold, but perhaps it’s diamond. Think of me as the diamond.“

“I’m.. still not following.”

“I won’t say anything more, but I will say that I heard everything. When I was gone and you stood on the bridge. I heard it all. That’s the only reason I can actually relay this information to you.”

“So that ghost skeleton was actually you?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t have ears when I spoke, though. And I’m still confused.”

“You’re going to be, and that’s okay. I’m back now. That’s all you have to worry about.”

The two remained silent for a moment.

“Oh, I recall hearing that you’ve met Heeseung and Jungwon, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, you’re not allowed to be near them anymore. No matter the situation.”

☁️ stopped walking with furrowed eyebrows. “What? Why?”

“They’re not normal, and they’re not friendly.” Sunghoon explained, stopping as well.

“Heeseung said he watched over me while you were gone. How’s that not friendly?”

“He only did so because you didn’t pay him mind. Also because he knew I was coming back, and if anything happened to you, then there’d be a lot for him to clean up. Jungwon isn’t friendly, no matter how bubbly his voice or how much he smiles.”

☁️ nodded, and the two continued their stroll.

“So you three know each other? Where from?”

“We’re pretty much brothers. Not literally but figuratively and.. biologically.”

“I think that statement is a bit conflicting..” ☁️ mumbled.

“All you have to know is that they’re not nice. They’re biologically not capable of sympathy or compassion. You cannot be near them.”

“So are you capable of that?”

“I’m not sure.”

“So why can I be near you and not them?”

“Because you’re apart of my purpose, now. I moved here to see what would happen. And then I met you.”

“Oh..” ☁️ sighed with rolled eyes. The two began walking again. “.. And why am I apart of your purpose?”

“Well, you’re the first person who hasn’t fallen for me upon my pursuit. You can’t be manipulated or forced to do anything you don’t want to. It’s intriguing. And I want to know why.”

“That’s how it normally goes.. you can’t force-“

“That’s not what I mean. It’s okay, you won’t understand. You’ll know one day. Or you won’t.”

The two remained silent again as ☁️’s turn came about, causing the duo to slow down to a halt. The student turned to face Sunghoon, but heard the nearby bushes rustling. Noticing ☁️’s change in gaze, Sunghoon quickly turned around and scanned the area.

“I’m taking you home.”

-

“I’m also spending the night.”

“Who said you could?”

“I have a stalker now. That means you have a stalker, too. It’ll be taken care of soon, though.”

“The way you talk is so insane.. and scary.”

With pajamas on, ☁️ walked over from the bathroom to the bed and sat down. Sunghoon pulled the curtains shut as the sky became darker.

“I’m simply being honest. It’s not like anything would happen to you, though.” Sunghoon stated, pointing to himself as a way to say “I’m right here!”

“Right..” ☁️ nodded. “I have a couch you can sleep on. I’ll give you one of my pillows and blankets, too.”

“I’ll take the bed, actually.”

“Um.. no? Go over to the living room. I’ll bring the stuff out.”

“Either I sleep in the bed or we both sleep in the bed.”

☁️ stared at Sunghoon, who was unwaveringly dead set on sleeping on the bed. Sunghoon walked over to where ☁️ sat and crossed his arms.

“Fine dead boy, it’s all yours.”

“The point was to get you to lay down with me.”

Grabbing a blanket and pillow from the bed, ☁️ walked past Sunghoon.

“I know. Have a good night.”

BONUS:

☁️ awoke to being lifted from the couch bridal style. With the blanket still wrapped around ‘em, ☁️ rubbed the eyes and opened them to see Sunghoon.

“What’re you doing?” ☁️ mumbled.

“Taking you to your bed.” Sunghoon whispered back as he softly laid ☁️ onto the bed and draped the covers over ‘em. “Goodnight.”

a/n: 2 months late don’t kill me pls :,)

likes, comments, & reblogs r appreciated ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

[liillyliilly]

mentos and coke-a-cola kuroo tetsurou x reader words; 15706 synopsis: as vice captain of a co-ed intramural team, you found yourself increasingly close to the members of your team. including the witty, loving, captain of yours, kuroo tetsurou.

FROM TETSUROU: ATTACHED: 3 IMAGES

You think to yourself, how many times did you have to tell Kuroo Tetsurou that you were not in fact his personal gym journal? Sitting at the central table of the university library, you had to quickly set your phone down. Then, you opened your laptop to text him, glad that your laptop blurred photos unless you had clicked on them.

This hadn’t been the first time he’d sent you photos of him. Nor had it been the second. By the eighth time it had become routine, he’d send what he considered the ‘best’ photos from the week to you, and expect detailed analysis and thoughts on the way his joggers hung low on his hips with Calvin Klein underwear showing the brand label boldly.

He always posed without his face showing in the photos. Just glimpses of his chin or cheek in the photos. Even though that had always been your only suggestion for him, just a little more of his face and a little less of the v-shaped muscles near his hips.

Kuroo never understood why the most obvious form of flirting never worked on you. Perhaps it had been because of your systematic desensitization to the possibility that he was trying to overtly make you see him as attractive. Perhaps it was all in his mind. The concept that photos could equate to romance. Or how he began deluding himself into finally overcoming the imposed relationship barriers you had begun building once you joined his recreation team for intramural volleyball at The University of Tokyo.

TO TETSUROU: kuroo put the softcore porn thirst traps away 🤢

FROM TETSUROU: i need your opinion

TO TETSUROU: ??? my opinion? i don’t have an opinion on your abdominal muscles or your back or your arms. I need to STUDY the human ego not your body (my philosophy major homework is kicking my butt right now)

You flit from the message tab on your laptop, opening a pdf copy of your textbook to copy notes from. You just needed to finish two more chapters and then you would drop by Kuroo’s place for dinner. He had invited the whole team, but everyone else said that they couldn’t make it. You had tried to deny his offer, but everyone else in the team said that you should just accept the free food.

The part that you hadn’t known at that time was that there were two group chats related to your volleyball team, Consensual Sets. (The team name had all been Ito’s idea, the setter on your team. Kuroo had strongly suggested Setters of Catan, and you had proposed Block Party. In the end, Ito’s pun won the hearts of the rest of your seven member team.) There was one group chat that had everyone, and another that had everyone but you in the messaging history.

Kuroo had dubbed the secondary chat as his collection of wing-people. But mostly they were unhelpful in actually progressing his romance with you. But this time, the dinner he wanted to have was successfully handled by the other five members. It was simple for the rest of the team to just decline the offer due to fake excuses and then to strongly encourage you to go get food with Kuroo at the end of what had been a long week for you academically.

FROM TETSUROU: you drive me crazy 🤕 (just drop out of philosophy and switch your major, all the cool kids do that my dear confucius)

Kuroo was wiping sweat from his forehead using a towel in his bathroom. Instead of doing cardio at the gym, he had decided to just run back to his apartment on the outskirts of the university. That way he could shower before you’d show up to get food. He still didn’t have an idea about where to take you. There was a fine line between a potential date and forcing you to go to a fancy restaurant against your will. He didn’t want just to go to a drive-through, but then he remembered how much you loved the fries at that one burger shop.

He would always try to make you eat a balanced meal, trying to make your diet secretly better. It was all for your good though, because he was aiming to make you live to be 100 through his secret dietary aids he had been slowly integrating. Hell, you couldn’t even eat pizza without also craving a side salad now because of Kuroo’s insistent nature.

TO TETSUROU: i will forcibly remove my number from your phone pls give me peace of mind and stop acting as a shoulder devil for my future career choices

FROM TETSUROU: you love me really

And you did, you loved him like a best friend. Almost like an overbearing, annoying, childish older brother. But also, as a role model to some degree. If you could call being the captain of your co-ed volleyball recreation league team a role model figure in your life.

It was around thirty minutes later when you finally shoved your laptop into your bag and got onto your electric skateboard to get to Kuroo’s apartment.

Knocking a few times, you had shoved your board under your arm and unclasped your helmet.

He swung the door open with a big smile, “I got Thai. From Suguru’s mom’s restaurant, discounts for friends of that brat.”

You rested your board against the door once you had entered his apartment, removing your helmet and trying to pin down the hairs that had been rustled by your head protection.

You set your helmet down on the coffee table near the entrance, setting your board against the wall unobtrusively, “Suguru’s mom is such a sweetheart, remember when she brought food for our team after our big loss last year?”

Daishou’s mother also bought the team amulets, with Nagas (which you had learned were essentially snakes) surrounding a Buddha for good luck and for protection. Yours hung up in your living room, next to your roommates various other key chains. Before you left the house, you always rubbed the charm. If the luck Daishou’s mom seemed to have was due to the amulet, then there wouldn’t be any harm in trying to get some of it to rub off on you as well.

Kuroo pulls out a chair for you and you sit down proceeding to open some chopsticks. One pair for you, and then you open another for Kuroo, resting the wood utensils onto his plate. He opened the fridge and poured some glasses of water from his Brita.

He smiles to himself when he finally sits down, “We really couldn’t stay sad when we had khao soi and pad kra pao, and that mango sticky rice. I dream about that sticky rice literally every night.”

You agree, accepting the styrofoam box from Kuroo to get some rice and egg onto your dish. Kuroo was busy pouring curry onto his plate.

“It was so sad that we lost last year.” You chew your food, waving your chopsticks around a little in the air, “If only we had gotten more team practice time in, I think we almost could’ve been up to your level Tetsurou.”

Kuroo leans back into his chair, sipping his water, “It would take a lot more than just two practices a week to get everyone on our team last year up to my level. But this year, we might actually have a chance, The Consensual Sets have a lot of connecting people.” He sits forward again, getting some food into his mouth.

“Yeah, I still can’t believe Suguru agreed to join full time instead of just being an alternate! With his regular season on top of our intramural team, he’s gonna be so tired out.” You jab the chopsticks in Kuroo’s direction, emphasizing your point.

“At least he brought us a replacement alternate, Mika is gonna be great to have on the team- even with her lack of skills.”

You roll your eyes, “Mika has skills!”

“Sure.”

The other members of the team had joined Kuroo’s team for a variety of reasons. Ito Yuuta, the setter, joined because he wanted to beat his twin in intramurals this year- and because his friend from high school, Alba, was also on the team. Ito was also the only first year on your team. Alba, a spiker, joined because she needed something outside of her architecture major to keep her extra busy. She was a second year student like you.

Daishou and Mika, who came as a set due to their dating status, joined because Daishou had been convinced by Kuroo to join for fun. You suspected that Kuroo was still carrying some lingering sadness at Kenma not joining the university team, but Kenma was busy with his multi-pursuit endeavors to join a recreation league. Kenma did come to an occasional game to support his best friend though.

Mingzhe, the libero and defensive specialist, was an international student from China. He had joined the team because he was too busy with his Computer Engineering and Science double major to be apart of the regular team. The University had been devastated that Mingzhe denied their offer for him to join. But it only elevated your own team to have such a good player.

The reason you joined? Because you wanted friends. Kuroo had made a poster advertising his desire for people to join a small co-ed volleyball team. You had taken a photo of the poster, went to the open gym time that he had outlined, and the rest became history relatively quickly.

Kuroo hadn’t been captain last year though, it was a collection of older fourth and third years who made the team. All of whom were in the sports marketing major with Kuroo. But they weren’t really playing the game for the love of the sport, but rather for extra credit from their professors. The old team name had simply been ‘Extra Credit for Prof. Singh’s Sports Marketing 5910 Special Study Course’ but it was always shortened to ‘Special Study Kids’ on the excel spreadsheets that listed out opponents and playing time.

Kuroo had shifted the narrative, he wanted this year’s team to be for fun- genuine fun and love for volleyball. And you had found yourself enjoying playing, even though you were sharing a position with Kuroo who scared you with his ability to read the opponents. But Kuroo always told you that without your support blocks, then his own blocks wouldn’t work most of the time. That had been a major ego-boost.

He knew how to do that for a lot of people, you recall. Kuroo could make people feel special, feel seen, without having to do much except for just show off his sincere love for people. A person like him was rare to find even once in life, so you wanted to stick around him for a long time. (Even if Kuroo got onto your nerves, he balanced out his provocations with kindness.)

“Thanks for the food, I can’t believe everyone else said no to free food at your expense.” You pat your stomach, rolling your shoulders a little to get comfortable in the metal chairs Kuroo had.

“It’s no problem. What do you have planned for the rest of this month?”

Pursing your lips, you try to recall your schedule.

“Besides our two-a-weeks, games, and classes, I don’t have much else going on in September.”

“Do you want to come watch a game then?” Kuroo grabs your plate, starting the sink faucet, you grab a towel to dry off the two plates. He tries to bump you away with his hip, but you resist and narrow your eyes. He yields and hands you a cleaned dish to dry.

“Is it the game you were talking about at practice? The reunion game?” You set the ceramic dish onto the shelf, waiting for Kuroo to hand you the other plate to dry.

“Yeah, it’s a bunch of my buddies from high school, we wanted to play a game before some of our pals leave for other countries to play professionally. Remember Bokuto? I mentioned him a few times.”

“The owl furry guy?”

Kuroo chuckles, turning around and leaning against the sink to watch you put the other plate away onto the cupboard shelf. “Yes, the owl guy. And Kenma will be playing, and Akaashi, and Fukunaga, and Kai, and-”

“I think I get it. A Nekoma versus Fukurodani game?” You suggest.

You had met Fukunaga once before, when Kuroo took the team to a comedy show of his the day before a match some time ago. Fukunaga’s set had been so hilarious that you asked Kuroo to personally introduce you to the comedian. Kuroo had been hesitant, for reasons unknown to you, but ultimately gave in to you and introduced the pair of you.

Fukunaga had taken one look at you and immediately pointed out what he liked about you. Which made you laugh, Kuroo hadn’t been entertained by that joke though. His reaction had been furrowed eyebrows, a huff, and defensively folding his arms- you had pointed out how overly dramatic Kuroo could be sometimes. Fukunaga had just smiled and shook his head.

Kuroo clarifies about the game, “More like a Nekoma versus an agglomeration of other high schools. Hinata, this crazy little dude, and my protege Tsukishima will play with Akaashi and Bokuto.”

“Okay, I’ll bite, I’m in.”

He had texted you the details of where to go, when to be there, and what color to wear to show your support for Kuroo’s team. You had been tempted to wear anything but the red and black combo he asked you to wear, but in the end, you wanted to be a good friend and wore what he asked you to wear.

The game was intense, to say the least. A lot more yelling and commands came from Kuroo than you had seen during your own games. It was nearing the end of September, and instead of studying for an exam, you were here in a gym watching a group of cohorts from the Volleyball World of High Schoolers play to their heart’s contentment.

You screamed when Kuroo got a good block, and you remained quiet when the opposing team scored a point. One of the things you noticed was how much higher they had made the net. In the intramural league, the net was at least a few centimeters shorter than the one they were playing with.

The tall blonde made a face at Kuroo through the net, and you almost found yourself laughing at how Kuroo teased him back. A ginger with the jumping power of a kangaroo kept making the most insane plays you had ever seen, keeping you on the edge of your seat for most of the game.

Ultimately, the Nekoma reunion team takes the win. You could see Kenma’s sour expression from where you had been sitting. Kenma immediately went to sit on the bench to play on his nintendo when the rest of his team was clapping each other on the backs.

Kuroo waved you over, face beaming.

When he pulls you in for a hug, you realize your hands get wet, soaked, not even a little damp but instead dripping wet. But he keeps his arms tightly around your waist. It wasn’t one of the usual hugs you exchanged with him, where your arms crossed around his chest and he did the same. In this hug, he had wrapped both arms around your waist, which made you wrap neatly into his chest.

"Your jersey is soaked, did they pour water over you Tetsurou?" You chuckle a little, talking into his body almost.

"Nope. This is all homemade sweat."

You pull away from the hug, wiping your hands on your thighs. Only to realize that your red shirt is soaked through the front as well, an imprint of his body outline on yours. You grimace, knowing that you now smell heavily of a unique perfume you’d dub ‘Kuroo après le match de volley’.

Kuroo shrugs, then wraps his arms around you again, which earns him a groan from you.

"You love me really."

You don’t say anything in response, letting him have his moment.

The post-game dinner was fun, even if you did have to complain to Kuroo about him buying your food for you. He had been too insistent about paying, even secretly paying for you when you went to the restroom.

“You took the train, yeah?” Kuroo asks once you exit the restaurant.

“Yep.”

Nighttime on the bullet train in Tokyo back to the university was always your favorite. Being able to stuff your ears full of music while you watch the passing scenery had such a hold over your emotional well-being. During train rides like that you thought maybe you could study Ralph Waldo Emerson again. But then you push away the thought because you remembered how much of an annoyance you found reading his pieces. You would always prefer Thoreau to Emerson at the end of the day when talking about the Transcendentalist Movement.

Kuroo nods, yelling out, “Kenma, I’m gonna take the train, you’re good to head back to your house! Text you later!” He waves enthusiastically to Kenma, who just throws a thumbs-up in regard to Kuroo’s statement.

The walk is mostly silent, with hands brushing against each other. The train station is vaguely busy. Kuroo had changed into some joggers and a loose t-shirt that had a neckline that was a little too stretched out so you could see his collarbones and the start of his chest. The design of the shirt was a logo for a cologne brand, with cursive writing.

While waiting for the train, you kicked your feet against the pavement a little, listening to Kuroo talk about the game and his favorite moments. His passion for volleyball was clear, but it just wasn’t the only thing Kuroo wanted to do for the rest of his life. His love for teaching other people, and helping others achieve their own passion outweighed his personal feelings. He just had a heart so open and willing to help others, that the blurred lines of what he loved and what others loved had become interwoven.

His belief of lowering the net for others, that helping aspect of his personality shone through with your recreation team. Although it was a casual team, it also meant so much more to everyone because Kuroo’s appreciation and understanding for the volleyball essentials and foundations made everyone want to do better. Made everyone want to play volleyball.

The train roared in, and you lifted your head, going to stand near the yellow painted lines where the door would be near. You turned around, and Kuroo was still standing fairly far away.

“Tetsurou?” You held your hand out for him to take, an effort to urge him to wait nearby with you.

Kuroo freezes. In his mind, his slightly exhausted mind that had lowered inhibitions from physically exerting himself with the game earlier, the two options were to grab your hand or to play around with you. He let his teasing, flirtatious, scheming personality win out over his shyness and earnest kindness.

He bent down, and rested his chin in the palm of your hand, so you had ended up squishing his face slightly. Once you realized that it was his face in your hand, you tried to tug your hand away with a laugh and with your tongue peeking out between your teeth as you bit down on it.

Kuroo didn’t know how to stop when he was ahead. He used his hand to grab a hold of your wrist. Then he gently bit down on the space between your pointer finger and thumb, pressing a kiss to the skin immediately after. And he would’ve continued with the affectionate kisses to your hand, but you swallowed thickly and your fingers began to twitch.

You couldn’t comprehend why you had wanted him to keep going. It was knotting your stomach, and turning the gears in your brain.

He stood up properly, noticing how the train had stopped. He slid a hand into your hand that was still outstretched and stunned from his actions, “The train won’t wait for us, c’mon Confucious.”

That night, you had spent a lot of time looking up onto your ceiling. Tapping your tummy to make little songs as you run through the day you had experienced over and over again.

Your phone dings.

FROM TETSUROU: ATTACHED: 3 IMAGES

FROM TETSUROU: thanks for coming to the game! hope you had a good time watching. kenma got photos of us celebrating after nekoma grad team won

FROM TETSUROU: im really glad you wore red

Kuroo’s head is resting on his pillow, the light of his phone shining on his face as he lays on his bed in the dark. He can feel his palms sweating, and he keeps shoving his face into the pillow before taking a peek at his phone again. Under the blankets, his feet keep bouncing from the mattress as he fights against what feels like hypertension in his blood. You still hadn’t responded to his messages.

You looked at your phone for a moment, your eyes slightly static and blurry. You read his messages, trying to think of what to say. Your red shirt lays in your dirty clothes basket, and a grin starts to make your face hurt.

FROM TETSUROU: i think i love you

FROM TETSUROU: i love you a lot

FROM TETSUROU: do you think you could love me back?

FROM TETSUROU: UNSENT THREE MESSAGES

You look at the notification that tells you Kuroo unsent texts that you hadn’t got the chance to read. You shrug, responding to the messages you did get a chance to read.

TO TETSUROU: the game was so much fun! wearing red for you was also fun, i felt like a cheerleader lowkey- i mean you should’ve seen some of the looks i got from this grandma who clearly just wanted to watch the game lol after the game tho! she said it was nice to see young people cheering so passionately so i guess her dirty looks were all in my mind

FROM TETSUROU: that’s hilarious- whose granny was it tho 💀

TO TETSUROU: no idea but she really liked you 🫣

FROM TETSUROU: 😐

TO TETSUROU: i’ll see you at practice next saturday! goodnight tetsurou, sleep well

FROM TETSUROU: goodnight ♥️

FROM TETSUROU: UNSENT ONE MESSAGE

FROM TETSUROU: goodnight confucius 🙂

The first Saturday of October was a practice for the members of Consensual Sets. You were busy tossing serves over the net for Mingzhe to receive. Alba was jumping on Ito’s shoulders as she asked him repeatedly to let her tape up his fingers this time. Daishou and Mika were tugging on their knee pads, and when Mika started pouting at the way her nails got tugged by the fabric, Daishou knelt in front of her and pulled the pads up where they belonged with a huge smile as he looked up at her.

Daishou and Mingzhe wanted to do some quick laps outside, but you wanted to warm up by doing some flying dives. While the flying dives did hurt your elbows from impact catching your weight, they made for great practice to get you better prepared for your back row position duties. Alba finally got to tape up Ito’s fingers as he looked terrified at giving her the tape he used.

Mika decided to stretch out, only really getting ready to hit some serves for the rest of the team today. Her role as a support, and as an alternate wasn’t needed for most games, but in case of emergency, at least she had created a weapon for herself with that nasty jump float that makes you chew the inside of your mouth.

Fifteen minutes into the practice, when everyone was done warming up and getting water, you looked around the gym. The only other people here were a group of basketball guys playing a game of pick-up on the other end of the courts away from where you’d set up the net. You were the first one to notice a lack of one particular person.

“Does anyone know where Tetsurou is?” You ask, going over the bench were Mingzhe was meditating.

Ito shrugged, “Maybe he couldn’t make it today?”

Alba rests her chin on Ito’s shoulder, commenting, “Perhaps he’s sick? Our fearless leader lost to the measly germs of society. Damn it, I curse the bloodline of those germs.” She dramatically clenches her first and Ito tries to hide an amused smile on his face.

“I’ll text him, I’m sure he’s just running late.” Daishou says, accepting his phone from Mika.

You, as vice captain of the team, decide the best course of action is to start running some drills. 10 spikes, 10 serves, 10 receives, and then 10 blocks. Each person alternated the roles until everyones did their 10x4 drill.

Even after the drill, Kuroo still hadn’t shown up.

“Suguru, any sign of Tetsurou?” You question, getting some water.

Mingzhe, looking nearly sweatless and unaffected by the drills, is still meditating in the center of the court. Alba tried waving her hand in front of his face. But Mingzhe opened one eye right when she started making a face- which caused her to jump back in alarm. Ito audibly laughed at that exchange while adjusting his taped fingers, away from where Alba could see so that he didn’t hurt her feelings.

“He said he can’t make it, something about a presentation for a class of his, apparently it slipped his mind. But he did send me a list of what we should do today. Let’s go for two miles outside!” Daishou shouted out the instruction to the rest of the team, then patted you on the shoulder. “Don’t worry so much, Tetsu would let you know if something happened to him. I think you’d be the first to know if he got hurt or sick or something. Trust him.”

After practice, you make your way to Kuroo’s building, the one where all his classes were held.

You scanned your badge and entered the building, appreciating the cool sports poster that Kuroo’s department had covering the walls. Tall posters of soccer players, basketball players, and even some table tennis players. The coolest one was a blue poster where a soccer player had altered edited eyes to seem like they shined gold, and there was a huge skeleton behind them making the player look imposing and strong. You snuck a photo of the poster, then shoved your phone back into your pocket.

The weight of the spam musubi you got for Kuroo, and the two cold banana drinks made your bag feel heftier than usual. In reality, the actual tangible weight didn’t affect anything. You just felt strange being in a building that wasn’t your own.

And you’d been thinking about Kuroo again. More specifically, the way he’d bitten and then kissed your hand. You felt your throat swallow thickly as your brain flashed images of what it might have been like if he had bitten and kissed elsewhere on your body. Of course, Kuroo had done it as a tease, a little game, you reason.

But why did your heart begin to stutter when you found him sitting in a niche, his hand in his hair as he scrolled through his laptop? He looked exhausted, and slightly upset. He was bouncing his leg, his knee hitting the top of the table occasionally.

You slid into the alcove opposite of Kuroo, pulling out the treats you got for him.

“Tetsurou, take a quick break.” You shoved the musubi and drink in his direction.

Kuroo shut his laptop, then looked from the food to your face then back to the food. He covered his face in his hands as he propped his elbows onto the table. His words were muffled by his hands, “Thank you.”

You reached out and touched his forearm, “It’s no problem, eat up.”

He tried to split the spam musubi but you shook your head, holding your hand up to deny him. He gave a downturned smile as he bit into the sustenance. He let out a hum, “This is really good, this is just what I needed.”

Sipping on the banana drink, you rested your foot overtop of his under the table.

“How did the presentation go?” You purse your lips, trying to give Kuroo your best hopeful look.

Kurooo grimaced a little, “Professor Singh said it needed some more work.”

“What was the grade?” You prepared yourself for the worst. That Kuroo failed and would need to disband the team that you’d grown so attached to. And your next game was in three weeks, at the end of October too.

“Oh he gave me full credit, said it was the best he’s seen this year. But if I want it to be my thesis project for senior year next year, then it would need more tuning. Then he proceeded to give me a list of corrections to make.” He pulled out a sheet of paper that was bulleted, Kuroo gave it to you to read and you started feeling bad for him.

He finished off the musubi, then rubbed his eyes, his reading glasses pushed up onto the top of his head in the process, “This isn’t even half of the things that need to be fixed. Professor Singh said he’d help me though, so it’s not like it’s the end of the world.”

“Still, I’m sorry, that’s rough.” You suck in some air through your teeth, and click your tongue just barely, “I’m sorry.”

Kuroo waves his hand to diffuse the air between you two.

He rolls the sleeves of his white button up down, the arms are wrinkled, and he undoes the top button of his shirt, releasing his throat a little so he can relax into his spot. Kuroo sets his head on the table, his hand on the bottled drink you had gotten him, he rocks the bottle around in circles, the liquid sloshing inside.

You bite the inside of your mouth, racking your brain to look for anything that could possibly ease Kuroo’s contemplations.

“Did you still want to try my electric skateboard out?”

Kuroo jolts up, sitting with his back straight.

“Hell yes. Please teach me.” He holds his hands flat together in front of his face in what you recognized as some kind of prayer posturing.

“Okay, my dorm is just a few miles away, let’s head out.” You pull your backpack over your shoulders as Kuroo tucks his laptop into the shoulder bag he has.

For a moment, you fight against the urge to hold your hand out for him to take.

When you do end up holding your hand out, ready to accept his, Kuroo wipes his hand against his thigh discreetly before he rushes to grab a hold of your hand. His hand is bigger than yours, more rough, but it’s warm and comforting with the way that he intertwines your fingers with his. He swings your connected hands back and forth as he starts talking about the upcoming game, and how he’ll go into the gym with Daishou to join in on Daishou’s regular practices with the university volleyball team tomorrow.

Kuroo was not built for your skateboard, but he had fun trying to balance on it as you tried to support him with hands on his waist.

“I’m ticklish there.” He feels his stomach tighten when you squeeze his sides.

“Blah, I’m trying to prevent you from eating dirt. I can’t hold you by the shoulders since you’re too tall standing on the board.” You explain, keeping one foot on the back of the board to keep it from moving too much as Kuroo wiggles around trying to find a balance.

You probably spent two hours trying to get him to actually start the board up and go further than a few strides away from you. But in the end, he could successfully circle around you without your hands supporting him. Alba and Ito came around to the part of the campus you and Kuroo were occupying.

Alba jumped up and down as Ito covered his ears, awaiting Alba’s yells to call for attention. She was tossing up a Mikasa volleyball, and Ito had a Molten under his arm.

“Let’s play two versus two since Kuroo couldn’t be bothered to come to practice today.” Alba lifted a hand up and spiked the ball in your direction, and you received the ball with ease as you dropped your hips and crouched down. Kuroo caught the ball you had dug out, spinning it in on a fingertip before just palming the ball with one hand.

Ito rolled his eyes and rolled his shoulder, “Not today, it’s almost dark out.”

Alba took her ball from Kuroo, trying to balance it on her head.

“What does our gorgeous vice captain have to say then? Let her decide, my absolute queen.” Alba blows a kiss in your direction, which you fake catch with one hand before pressing your palm to your heart and playfully, although also impishly, sighing deeply.

You glance at Kuroo’s expectant eyes, he adjusted his shoulder bag again. He was still in his dressy presentation clothes.

“Maybe next time, it’s been a long day, my legs are jello and my arms are sore.” You complain lightly, “But Alba, maybe Ito wants to play DIG 2000 on the computer with you?”

Ito smiled, DIG 2000 was a simulation game similar to the FIFA 23 sports video game. Alba nodded, bouncing the volleyball on her head a few times before turning to Ito, “Let’s go back to yours then.”

Ito copied Alba, bouncing the volleyball with his foot instead of head, and nodded, “Sounds good.”

The pair walked off, Alba talking excitedly and Ito listening intently.

Kuroo walked to stand close by you, holding your skateboard in his hand.

“If they don’t start dating, I don’t think I’ll ever believe in love.” He jokes.

You raise an eyebrow, “Really? But you love all people, you got that big heart behind all the muscle. I find it hard to believe that you need proof of romantic love to believe in love at all.” You think about Plato’s symposium which defined love as two people becoming one through a connection and Aristotle's emphasis on philia, the platonic love between friends.

Western love philosophy had always been rooted in two main branches of thought, the classical beliefs of the ancients such as Plato and then the French Skepticism that believed love was a guise for sexual fulfillment.

You noted that you’d have to thank your professor for their in depth analysis about the Love Unit your class had covered earlier in the year. Clearly, more than you realized had stuck into your brain.

Kuroo starts walking back to your dorm, you trailing after him.

“I think that love can be found in all things, but I was more so thinking about Alba and Ito you know? Like, if I see two people like them, who are clearly compatible, then it feels wrong when they don’t become more than just friends. When clearly, like, they’d be brilliant together. The way they bounce off each other for example,” Kuroo focuses his eyes straight ahead, knowing that you’re looking at him with those bright and curious eyes he’d fallen for- knowing that he’d be powerless to look away once he locked eyes with you.

Kuroo continues, “I mean, Ito takes such good care of Alba, and she doesn’t even realize that she reciprocates naturally sometimes. Like all the times she asks to tape his fingers before a game or practice, and he reluctantly lets her? Then he proceeds to fix the tape when he knows she isn’t looking. That’s love.” You can hear the sigh he lets out with his concluding statement.

You take your board back from Kuroo, playing with one of the wheels as you bump your hip into his for a moment, then you give your two cents to the discussion.

“But does that mean they need to be romantically involved? If we’re using our friends as examples, then I’d like to point out Daishou and Mika. Or even Mingzhe as an example. When we see Daishou and Mika, it is very blatant that they’re in love. They equally fawn over each other, they kiss, they feel that physical pull. When we look at Ito and Alba, they never cross that physical boundary. I think that love has a physical element to it as well as emotional. I think they might just love each other as best friends.”

Kuroo swallows, puffing out his cheeks for a second. If you believed that love needed a physical element, then why did you initiate touch with him just as frequently as he did with you? He wasn’t so egotistical to believe that you were hiding feelings from him, but it was a unique argument to think about in his head. He feels the heat in his cheeks and his ears, he’d kissed you before. Albeit, on the hand, but it had been a kiss. You’d let him cross a boundary that he wasn’t sure even existed between you two.

If the kiss had been anywhere else, would you have let him press his lips so tenderly and longingly the way he did? Would you have pushed him away? Would you’ve made a disgusted look? Would you reciprocate, kissing him back?

He’d known you for two years now, and he wasn’t sure about anything besides the fact that he wanted you to stick around him for as long as possible. For eternity if possible. For infinity, if it existed. He wanted that physical element though too, to hold and kiss you. To bite your earlobe, to scratch your back, to hold the back of your knee as he pressed his lips to the inside of your thigh.

He releases a breath, looking at the space between your eyebrows rather than your eyes.

“What about the innocent kind of love? Love shared between kids for example, they don’t necessarily cross that physical boundary you talk about. But you know when two kids love each other. It isn’t just that physical element that adds to the definition of love, it’s simply the feeling shared equally between two people. It isn’t just friendship, but it’s clearly love.”

“I don’t know. That’s a good point though. There’s definitely nuance, and I think I might have philosophized myself into a corner here.” You laugh, smiling at Kuroo.

The layers to this conversation had begun to hurt your head. Philosophy was much easier when it was sitting behind a desk, at your laptop. Philosophy was harder when it seemed like Kuroo was pressing you for answers, for your thoughts rather than a structured argumentative essay with dozens of academic pieces of evidence.

At the end of October was a selection of games to be played all Friday evening. All the intramural recreation teams were at the large gym of the university, and the Consensual Sets put on the team shirts made by Mingzhe. They were a dark grey, with the team name printed on the front, and everyone’s nicknames on the back of the jersey style top.

Kuroo just had Tetsu on the back of his. Mingzhe had put his name in a simple cursive, Alba and Ito swapped names for fun. Daishou had his full first name, and Mika put Mika-Mika as her name. As for you, you put Confucius on the back of your jersey, grateful that Kuroo had given you a nickname that actually suited your personality.

After winning the first two games, you found yourself playing against another team that had been undefeated for the entire intramural season thus far.

It was halfway through the second set, and you were exhausted. But just one more rotation before Kuroo would be back to the front with you and your killer duo block could be utilized for a perfect angle.

When Kuroo would twist his body to the side, and you’d barely skim the ball so that the spiker would be forced to send the ball straight to the libero, Mingzhe. Mingzhe had the freaky ability to reign in the ball and get it to Ito without Ito needing to move too much. Ito would then, of course, set the ball right to Daishou or Alba, depending on who would have a better shot at scoring that moment.

However, in this current rotation, you were on the end of the front row, with Ito in the center of the front. Kuroo was behind you on the back row, Mingzhe on the far back corner. Daishou was on the other side of Ito. Everyone was ready to play. You could hear Alba from the back next to Mingzhe, getting after him for not wiping the sweat off his shoes. Mika was busy refilling bottles, but still ready to swap Alba or Mingzhe if needed.

“Chance ball!” You call out, getting ready to jump up for a block. But at the same moment, Ito shifted his body to try and set the ball that Alba had received. He just happened to get a little too close. So that when he was backing up and jumping to get a touch onto the volleyball, he slammed into you.

Hitting the ground with a thud, you felt the air get knocked out of you. And once you could feel the force your back had slammed into the gym floor, the combination of painful sensations was just too much and you choked out a sound of anguish. Tears were streaming down the side of your face as you were gasping for air, but ultimately just choking on your empty lungs.

“Idiot!” Kuroo shoved Ito, knocking Ito into the net. Ito held his hands up defensively, but understood the reaction Kuroo had had. The referee called an emergency time out, and called over the nurse. Kuroo had picked you up, making you sit up. His hand was rubbing your back, telling you what to do.

Ito tried to go over to you as well, but Alba had grabbed the back of his shirt and gave a look to Ito by directing his eyes to where Kuroo was holding you. She mouthed something that you couldn’t distinguish. But then again, you couldn’t distinguish much due to the panic state you found in perpetual motion within your cells.

“Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth.” Kuroo’s jaw was clenched, and his other hand was on your thigh. You kept trying to inhale through your mouth though, your body nervously reacting to the lack of oxygen. “Listen to me, c’mon, please, just relax okay. You’re safe, I got you. Just relax.”

The nurse arrived with a first aid kit, but once she saw how Kuroo was following standard protocol for an injury like this, she left the kit for Kuroo to use. He said a quick thanks, and the nurse went to go check on some other college student who had blood dripping from his mouth. The bloody kid was holding up a tooth and his teammates were clapping him on the back.

Kuroo tilted his head up and called out to where Mika was filling up bottles near the back of the gym, “Mika, can I get a water bottle over here?”

Daishou ran over to Mika, picking one up and running back over to Kuroo and you. He handed the bottle to you and crouched down on the other side of you.

You had taken a sip of the water, and your breathing was normal again, and the only concern was the pain in your mid to low back.

“You took quite a fall there, Confucius.” Kuroo brought his hand up from your back to caress your head, soothing you.

Daishou chuckled, sitting down, and stretching his legs out. But he scrambled to get back up when Mika asked for his help carrying all the other water bottles over to the Consensual Sets break bench.

Ito was busy sulking over on the bench, getting chewed out by Alba and Mingzhe for not listening to your call of ‘chance ball’. In that scenario, Ito was supposed to wait until after the rally went back over to the other team instead of trying to catch the ball to set it.

Ito was just awaiting when the true test of his spirit would be put through the wringer. That of course would be the eventual moment when he was on the receiving end of Kuroo’s fury.

Everyone on the team knew, if you were at the center of an issue, Kuroo would ultimately be there resolving it. Usually you never get too injured, it was just supposed to be a casual intramural team, but the seven members of Consensual Sets had grown into a tightly knit friend group who really wanted to chase down the championship at The University of Tokyo.

That did put some more strain on the level of ability everyone had, and the intensity of which Ito had been aiming to score just another point. But it also reminded everyone, you getting hurt, that this was a casual team. There was nothing to be gained except for a fun time and some good stories to tell.

Kuroo was glad that you hadn’t landed too badly, he’d be much more angry at Ito if you would’ve landed on your head or your bad knee that hadn’t healed up all the way from the sprain you got a few weeks ago. Now, Kuroo tried to focus on keeping his heart rate down so you wouldn’t be able to hear it pounding in his chest.

Completely aware of his own protectiveness for you, Kuroo had been the first one to react to the collision between you and Ito. He’d always been the first one to make sure you were okay. And he wanted to keep it that way.

You decide that you want to get back into the game, leveraging your hand against Kuroo’s shoulder, “We still have to finish the set, we’re ahead by three. Just five more points and we win.” You tried to stand up, only to get dizzy and stumble back. Kuroo caught you again, bringing you back to the ground to sit in between his legs so he could hug you from behind.

“Yeah, no. We’re gonna have to cancel this match for a different day.” He rubs his thumb over your elbow, trying to ease the bruise that was forming there.

You spin your head around to face Kuroo. He can feel the way his Adam’s apple bobs at your face being so close to his.

“Yeah, no, trade Mika in for me. Let’s finish the game.” You pouted a little, and Kuroo could only roll his eyes in response. He never could say no to you indefinitely. He did make you finish the water bottle before he would let the game resume with Mika’s substitution in your place.

And the game does get finished, a sequential five points with Kuroo getting a block kill for the winning point. He had made you sit on the bench, wrapped in his blue Nike windbreaker.

Everyone, except for Daishou and Mika who rode to the gym on her motorcycle, piled into Kuroo’s Toyota Sienna minivan. You sat in the passenger’s seat, as usual, and Ito was relegated to the very back of the car with Alba sprawled out trying to take a nap. Mingzhe enjoys the silence of the middle row all to himself, adjusting the temperature to be freezing. You rest your head on the window, looking outside at the busy streets.

“Who’s getting dropped off first?” Kuroo hands you the collection of semi-final medals, an award for making it to the top four teams. The finals would be in three weeks, and you fully intended to take the championship trophy home.

“I live the furthest away, so you can work your way towards your apartment if you drop me off first.” You say, putting the medals into your duffel bag. You’d pass them out at team practice in a few days.

Alba sits up, and Ito’s relieved to have her legs off of his thighs.

“I have to work early, like super early tomorrow morning. Drop me off first please.” Alba announces, poking her head next to Mingzhe’s seat so that she can have Kuroo hear her better.

You groan, “Alba you live the furthest from me, Tetsurou would have to go back and forth to drop me off second.”

Ito raises his hand, inserting himself into the discussion, “Yeah, but I live closer to Alba, and so does Mingzhe. Kuroo can just go to the East Campus first, and then drop you off last.”

Kuroo grins, “Sounds like we have a winning plan. Alba, Ito, Mingzhe, and then you, Confucius.”

The engine starts, and Kuroo double checks the GPS before merging onto the main street highway.

“I still think it’s illogical to go past your house to drop everyone off, then go past your house again to drop me off.”

“Just stay the night at mine then?” Kuroo says, keeping his eyes on the road fully, not even considering glancing in your direction for worry of getting seen right through by your perceptive instincts.

Alba bites down on her lips, squeezing Ito’s arm in anticipation for what will unfold. Ito tries to push her off, but she just holds on tighter.

Mingzhe is too busy swiping through his Tinder to pay attention, but he’s passively listening in on what you could possibly say in response. Mingzhe needed to find a date for the Chinese cultural exchange event the school would be having, and you had to hear about how all his potential dates were just not up to his par. The exchange event would be a few days before the Intramural Finals.

You think for a moment, it would save Kuroo a fifteen minute drive in the bad traffic. And anything to avoid the traffic of an evening rush would be best, especially since Kuroo was bad at estimating when he’d need to buy gas again. If you stayed at his place, then you would have a ride to your early morning Saturday class without having to ride the bus onto campus. In addition, you’d get free breakfast since you knew Kuroo liked to make big meals in the morning.

“I’ll get a ride into school yeah?”

“Yeah. I have a class at the same time you do tomorrow.” He lied. His earliest class would be two hours after your class.

“Then I guess so. You got an extra toothbrush?”

“Dozens.”

Kuroo’s apartment smelt like him. But in an unfiltered, undiluted way. You inspected some photos that he had around, but you were more interested in the calendar he had posted on his fridge.

He had everyone’s birthdays written down on a notes section of the entire year overview calendar. Your birthday was circled multiple times, and the entire week before and during your birthday had been highlighted bright yellow. He had already started brainstorming ideas about what to get you, and had a few sticky notes on the fridge listing things.

You noted some books you had mentioned, a website address of what you identified as a custom volleyball brand with a drawing of a volleyball Kuroo had done, a bunch of question marks around his note of matching hoodies, and then a heart around the words ‘ring’ and ‘house key’.

Kuroo saw the way you honed into his fridge and tried to pull you away, “You’re spoiling your surprises.”

You folded your arms, “I don’t like surprises.”

“Fine then, you’re spoiling my surprises. I get you things, and my reward for doing so is seeing your reactions.”

You waved a hand, dismissing him. He had told you that the toothbrushes were under his sink.

While you were in the bathroom, brushing teeth and then taking a shower, Kuroo quickly cleaned areas of his apartment that you might meander into. Once he was satisfied with the cleanliness, he tried to remember how to set up his pullout couch.

Changing into your backup sweatpants and the loaned Nike sweatshirt had given you in tandem with his windbreaker, you hugged yourself to embrace the soft fleece that was coating your skin.

Once you saw the pullout couch, with a pile of folded blankets on top of a grey pillow, you started to make the bed. Unfurling the blankets and slightly fluffing the pillow. Before crawling under the blankets, you decided to scroll on your phone for a minute, setting alarms for the morning and responding to some texts from your friends and teammates about today.

“What are you doing?” Kuroo had changed into shorts and an oversized shirt that he tucked slightly into the waistband of his shorts.

“Texting?” You answer.

“No, what are you doing sitting on the couch?” Kuroo was holding a pillow from his bedroom, the one he used to press against the side of his head. (Also the one that had caused his incessant case of bedhead spiky hair.)

You uncross your legs, dangling them over the edge of the couch, “I’m sleeping on the pullout couch?”

Kuroo tosses his pillow onto the couch, crawling under the blankets you had set up. When he pulled the blankets over his shoulder, you were tugged back a little. In response, you just stood up and went around to kneel in front of Kuroo, attempting to make eye contact.

“Where do I sleep?”

He reaches his arm out and pats the space next to him.

“No.”

He sighs, rolling onto his back as he brings his hands behind his head. The obvious flex he does in his biceps from the way his shirt sleeve rolls down does not go unnoticed by you.

“Then I guess you’re sleeping in my bed then, first door on the right. Goodnight.” He immediately covered his head with his two pillows.

You tried to pull one of them away from Kuroo, but his grip was stronger than your slight strain to jerk the pillow out of his grasp.

“You win this time. But next time, I will take my rightful spot on the pullout couch.”

Kuroo mimics you, imitating a high tone, his voice is muffled by his pillow barriers around his face. You stick your tongue out at him even though he can’t see it.

At least his bed was comfortable, and cold. Cotton sheets that definitely had to be a higher thread count than your own, and he left you with only one pillow. He had a few plushies from all the times the pair of you went to a big box store to buy groceries, and instead of buying bananas or a fresh watermelon, he’d spend his money on collecting an array of large stuffed animals.

You had asked him once about why he bought them. He just said because they were cool to have around his place. In reality though, you had gone through his phone once, when he was going through yours for fun trying to find dirt or juicy gossip, and you found out the truth about his assortment of plushies. You went to his notes app and only found a list of things he wanted to buy for his future kids, and a list of maybe fifteen stuffed animals was at the top. He’d already crossed off around ten of them, so he needed only five more to complete the collection he wanted to curate.

It was a cute sentiment that he had, thinking about his future children so soon. Which is why for his upcoming birthday, in a few weeks, the same day as the final for the intramural championship, you had three stuffed animals in a bag in your closet to give to him to celebrate the eventual win.

Kuroo looked through his phone, spending some time watching volleyball videos before going to sleep. He was also biding his time, wanting to check in on you before he fully went to sleep. He just wanted to make sure you were sleeping well before he let himself sleep. His phone beeped, once and then twice.

FROM SUGURU: ATTACHED: 3 IMAGES

FROM SUGURU: got some good photos of you and our dear vice captain, say thanks to me, mika 💖, and mingzhe for actually CAPTURING the way you are so sickly deadly embarrassingly openly precisely adoringly obsessively entirely fervently passionately feverishly restlessly frantically FREAKING HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE with her

TO SUGURU: 🖕

TO SUGURU: she looks good in the photos

FROM SUGURU: i feel ill thinking about what your plan with these photos is now 😟

TO SUGURU: exposing your rough drafts for proposing to mika in the gc RIGHT NOW

FROM SUGURU: I’LL MIC DROP THE DRUNK VIDEO OF U WHINING ABOUT NEEDING OUR VICE CAPTAIN TO KISS U AND HOLD YOU- I’LL DO IT DON’T TEST ME MF

TO SUGURU: hand hovering over the collection of mika stalker photos you have that you’ve sent to me

FROM SUGURU: literally this close to posting on my instagram the HUNDREDS of text messages you’ve sent me about her, including the ones from the day Consensual Sets spent at the beach, AND the ones from the week after she broke up with her loser ex, AND the ones from that time you almost kissed her, and then the other time you also almost kissed her like the love sick loser you are

TO SUGURU: i’ll kill you.

FROM SUGURU: i’d kill you first + here’s more photos mika my darling angel, wants me to send to you that i took on my phone. you better be grateful to me for forever you ass. I’m single handedly providing all the pictures for a wedding video slideshow.

FROM SUGURU: ATTACHED: 5 IMAGES

FROM SUGURU: date her asap. mika wants double dates and i’m tired of asking mingzhe to find strangers online to satiate mika’s yearning for the double date extravaganzas she wants. Ok goodnight pookie bear tetsu i hate your guts 🔪🫰🤬💯

Kuroo lets his falling phone hit him in the face as he huffs. He didn’t sleep well that night. The same iteration of her getting slammed into and crashing onto the ground keeps replaying over and over again. Kuroo wakes up in a cold sweat two different times that night.

“Thanks for the ride onto campus,” You click your seatbelt into your seat, as Kuroo taps the steering wheel a few times.

“No problem, I have class too, remember.”

“Ahh, yes, you and your fancy finance and sports marketing double major.” You giggle, holding up your pointer finger into the air in an ‘actually…’ pose that you know Kuroo hated.

He puts his hand behind your seat, hand coming near the back of your head behind the head of the chair, to reverse out of the parking lot.

“Don’t forget my minor in chemistry.”

“So weird. You’re going into sports promotion and business, but you have a science minor?” You shake your head in disbelief.

It never shocked you at just how smart Kuroo could be sometimes. When he did or said things that made you wonder if you were actually learning anything at university. Or when he could treat you to an entertaining story about his lab classes, those were the memories you’d take with you into the future. Stories Kuroo shared about his college experience, which often contrasted with your own experiences.

All through the differences though, the pair of you had become so close.

The way your friendship had increasingly deepened, and at such an unprecedented rate for you, had you feeling like he’d been doing much more for you as of late. You hoped you hadn’t been imposing on him since you stayed over at his apartment. Even though he had been the one to suggest it, you felt guilty at accepting the offer. You felt guilt that you’d been possibly taking advantage of him.

He’d been the most caring, and considerate friend you’d ever had. The closeness of you two began to feel like each time he did something, you’d need to supplement it with your own acts of kindness. Drowning in friendship wasn’t an expected result of joining a intramural volleyball team.

Kuroo shrugs a little, speeding up a little more, “I think it makes me stand out. Plus, who doesn’t love chemistry? It’s just like math with better concepts.”

You play with the hoodie strings of a borrowed top from Kuroo.

He notices your silence, but doesn’t comment on it, just continuing the drive to your building. He let you out near the entrance. The tall Humanities building had walls made of glass windows, letting people look in on lectures and socratic seminars. The concrete details blended with the fragile glass details in a dichotomous way that just worked so well.

When you shut the door to the car, Kuroo rolls down the window, calling out to you before you enter the building. Your roommate stood on the steps, holding your backpack that you’d asked her to bring. She lazily scrolled through her phone, waiting for you to talk to her and then you could go to class with her. She’d never been much of a morning person.

You turn around and rest your arms in the empty space left by the window being rolled down. Tilting your head, you waited for Kuroo to say what he wanted to say.

“You know you’re mentos right?”

The confusion is blatant on your face. You clarify, “I’m mentos? I thought I was me?”

Kuroo smirks, “You’re mentos and I’m coke-a-cola.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Your roommate called out to you, letting you know that class would start soon and she wanted to get a good spot in the lecture hall. You waved to her, signaling you’d only be a few more seconds.

“You’re my chemical reaction.”

You laugh, “You make no sense sometimes I swear, but okay. I’ll be mentos and you can be coke-a-cola.”

Kuroo watched as you bounded up to your friend, sliding your backpack on. Your roommate asked about the top you were wearing by tugging on the waistband of the deep red hoodie. Kuroo knows he’s being talked about, because you jut a thumb in his direction and your roommate turns around to look at his car and she nods with understanding.

Kuroo doesn’t see your roommate wiggle her eyebrows, or how she makes a kissing face at you teasingly. He’s too busy driving to the library to find a spot to nap while he waits two hours for his own class to start.

The final two games would be critical. On November 17th, that Saturday, the gym for intramural volleyball would declare the winner. Out of 32 teams, and after five months of training, games, and unique coaching opportunities, there could only be one winner. Consensual Sets would go against EZ Pass, and Ice Ice Blockers would oppose Monster Spikes. You had found it funny how the final four all had different volleyball skills as their team name, setting, spiking, passing, and blocking.

But before the Intramural Finals, Mingzhe still needed to attend the Chinese cultural exchange event on Wednesday.

On that Monday, Mingzhe was complaining to you during team practice.

“Listen, I still haven’t found someone to be my plus one.” Mingzhe paced a little in front of you, as you wiped off a volleyball. You wanted the ball to be cleaned properly before the team would start playing with it.

“Just ask Daishou or Ito, it’s your pick. Either way, you’d have a great time.” You pull out your elbow grease to get a particularly nasty scuff out of the ball.

“It needs to be a woman. It’s a date type of event.” Mingzhe suddenly turned on his heel, facing you straight on. You brought your head to the side, eyeing Mingzhe’s rapid shift in mood. “You. You should be my plus one.”

You gape, loosening your hold on the ball that Mingzhe just ends up taking from you.

“It’s perfect! You’re interesting, we have a good friendship, fake dating for this event would be easy-peasy.” Mingzhe smiles, looking entirely too self-satisfied.

“Fake-dating?” Sourly, you try to take the ball away from Mingzhe, who just brings it closer to his chest.

Kuroo comes around to the pair of you, putting a hand on Mingzhe’s shoulder. “What’s happening? We need this ball to do the drills, it should be good by now yeah?”

Mingzhe hands the ball to Kuroo, “I was just finalizing plans for our date on Wednesday.”

Kuroo almost drops the volleyball that was placed into his hands. But he grasps onto it, trying to appear composed and chill. You tug on your knee pads, making sure they’re secure. In doing so, your shorts ride up a little and more of your thigh is exposed. Kuroo again almost drops the ball at how quickly his eyes flit to the exhibited skin of your legs.

“Date?” Kuroo wonders if the word sounds as dumb as he felt saying it.

You raised your shoulders, “Yeah.”

Mingzhe claps his hands, “Our fourth date, remember?”

Mingzhe was already trying to get into the acting persona of a fake relationship and you were not amused, shoving his shoulder roughly as you walked over to Alba. Kuroo had interpreted the shove as playful, as romantic, as being adjacent to love.

Kuroo looked between Mingzhe and you. Then he looked at Daishou desperately asking for help with his glance but Daishou was too busy helping Mika with her knee pads again. Kuroo then went back to looking at the space you had occupied.

His heart lurched, and just like a bad sickness, he couldn’t help but continue his downward spiral.

“When did you guys start dating?” He folds his arms in front of him, shuffling his feet a little.

“A few weeks ago. Just trying it out, you know.” Mingzhe said, “She’ll be going with me to the exchange event, it’ll be fun to see her dress up formally for once.”

Mingzhe, unaware of Kuroo’s radiating tension, goes over to where Ito had called him.

Kuroo, dumbstruck and frustrated, called out a change of plans, “We’re doing a three versus three.”

You stood on the other side of the net, blocking spikes from Daishou. Each time Kuroo served, he went straight for Mingzhe’s throat- putting more force than he typically did. Alba was drenched in sweat by the end of the single match. Ito had his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

“Are we done yet Tetsu?” Ito asked, and Alba made her way under the net, patting Ito on the back.

Mingzhe had fallen to the ground and was laying on his back, sweat dripping from his black hair to the gym floor. You had half a mind to join Mingzhe. But Kuroo still looked fired up.

“Yes, we’re done for today, Ito. Good practice everyone!” You called out, and Mika gladly started packing up the shared bag she had with Daishou. Kuroo looked at you with pursed lips.

Kuroo and you stayed behind to take down the volleyball net, and as he began folding the white ropes, you began to speak, “Our three versus three is supposed to have more balance than that. You weighed the sides wrong. Alba never has to spike that much, she needed to practice her receives today. You just kept serving straight to Mingzhe, not to mention you had Suguru aim solely for Mingzhe too. He’s going to be exhausted tonight.”

“Worried about your boyfriend? He’s supposed to be essentially a professional anyway. Mingzhe is fine.” Kuroo kept folding the net, however, you could see his knuckles were white and each time he folded the stringy-material he left a mark on his hand from the unneeded strain he was putting

“Mingzhe is a friend. We aren’t dating, Testsurou.” You take down the side rods, detaching the sections so you could carry them easier.

“Oh really? Four dates in a row sounds pretty serious.” He gnaws at the words he sends your way. “Wouldn’t be surprised if you two were going to start acting like Suguru and Mika soon.”

You put the rods away, not saying anything to Kuroo’s comment.

He pushes further, “How long have you liked him?”

“It isn’t like that.” You face Kuroo, hands on your hips, “Mingzhe was joking about it being our fourth date. Calm down. I don’t know why you’re so pressed over this.” You say.

“You two don’t go well together.” Kuroo claims, “He’s not right for you. He’s going back home at the end of the year anyway.”

You take the folded net from Kuroo, but he tugs it away from you, pulling you closer to him.

You’re both gripping the net, standing barely a foot apart. Kuroo is looking at you, a twitch in the vein of his neck tells you he’s upset without him having to say anything.

“It’s not even a date, Tetsurou. I’m his plus one. He just needed a girl to go with him.” You explain, trying to get the net away from Kuroo, but his hold is stronger than yours.

“It isn’t a date?”

“Not in my book. It’s not a romantic date. We’re going as friends. Why, just why does it matter so much to you?”

He lets go of the net, and grabs a hold of your arms instead. He opens his mouth a few times, only to close his mouth soon after. Fully taking the net away from you, Kuroo puts it into the storage room.

You sigh with exasperation, going to grab your skateboard.

“Let me drive you, it’s dark out.” Kuroo swings his keys on his pointer finger.

You turn around, tilting your head down slightly to glare at him, “Are you going to throw another fit?”

“Geez, someone’s mad.”

Your jaw drops, then you shake your head with a snicker dying out on your lips.

“You can be so hot and cold sometimes Tetsurou. Did you know that?”

Kuroo holds the gym door open for you to exit. He locks it up once he steps out as well.

“That’s why I’m the coke-a-cola, and you’re the mentos.”

“I really need you to explain your analogy to me.”

The Chinese Cultural Exchange Event at the ballroom of The University of Tokyo really was a stunning celebration. Lanterns were hanging from the second floor open balconies, and the marble pillars were covered in a mixture of bamboo and woven leaves to showcase the Horticulture Department’s skills of arranging foliage. There were tables filled with classic Chinese dishes, along with unique Chinese-Japanese dishes from the diaspora history of China to Japan.

You were surprised to see just how many exchange students the university had from China, it seemed like there had to have been at least a hundred or more Chinese exchange students, including Mingzhe.

Mingzhe has asked that you wear red and black to match with him. You thought it was funny that so many men in your life asked you to wear the red/black combination so frequently. Your dress was formal of course, but you had opted for a loose silky maroon dress that had black lace detailing.

The long sleeves of the dress were a sheer black, so that air could filter to your arms as well. Even though you never opted for a sweetheart neckline most of the time, the lady at the store had said you’d look great with this specific dress. So you had bought it and called it a day.

Mingzhe, as you were coming to realize, must have been rich because there was no way his tailored suit would’ve cost any less than one million yen. Mingzhe clearly had only worn red leather shoes to match slightly with you, because otherwise he was in an all black outfit.

You put on a forceful smile as Mingzhe puts his hand on the small of your back and introduces you in Mandarin to one of his friends. Once the conversation died down, you leaned over to Mingzhe with gritted teeth, “I’m actually going to murder you. You didn’t tell me that the Chinese exchange student association at our school was filled with rich kids.”

An older lady, presumably an exchange coordinator, stops to compliment your dress, in Mandarin. You fumble over the words of thanks that Mingzhe had taught you a few minutes ago. When Mingzhe laughs into his cup of water, you elbow him in the side discreetly.

“Just what are you telling people about me?” You demand. Mingzhe hands you a glass of water from the plate a dressed up server was walking around with.

“Girlfriend, three months.”

Your eyes widen, and Mingzhe chuckles.

“Close friend who I play volleyball with, who graciously accepted my invitation to join me tonight.”

Moving your head up and down appreciatively, you sip on your water, “That’s more like it.”

Scanning around, you tried to see if you knew anyone. Which was a long shot, but-

“Kenma? Is that you?”

The dip dyed blonde makes eye contact with you and raises a hand. Kenma makes his way over to you, eyeing the way Mingzhe had his arm around your waist with suspicion.

“It’s nice to see a familiar face.” Kenma comments, shaking hands with you and Mingzhe.

“What are you doing here?”

Kenma smiles, pointing to an enamel pin on his suit jacket, “Got a sponsorship from a Chinese company. Said Chinese company has a college aged daughter, and thus, here I am as a plus one as a favor to my sponsor.”

You nod, trying to make an estimation for just how much net worth Kenma had. Mingzhe started talking to Kenma about what games he’d seen Kenma play, because apparently Kenma’s streams were popular on a Chinese video server called billibilli. You were glad that your parents limited your screen time as a child, otherwise you’d be just as chaotically involved in the conversation Kenma and Mingzhe were having about a new game that was releasing soon.

The rest of the night was spent listening to more of Mingzhe’s Mandarin speaking skills, as you swished around in your dress waiting for the time to go.

Mingzhe threw back a shot, well, a quick drink from a flask that a student had snuck in, “Let’s dance!”

You tried to pull back, but Mingzhe grabbed you by the hands and pulled you into his chest. A smile that you’d never seen on his face appeared, and instead of harmonious traditional Chinese pop music, someone hijacked the music- rap music you were sure was not school approved started blasting.

The administration looked furious, but Mingzhe just kept giving you that face splitting smile. He mouthed his words again, and the only response you could give was moving his hands from your back to your waist.

The club style dancing eventually devolved into a mosh pit that was quickly disassembled by the administration due to the cutting of music. The students groaned, but the administration said that the event was over and that everyone needed to get back to their housing.

Mingzhe dropped you off at your dorm, running a hand through his sweaty black hair.

“Had fun?” He asked.

“Yes. It was very fun.”

Instead of just waving, Mingzhe opened his arms up, and you gave into the offering of a hug.

His hugs were different from Kuroo’s hugs. For one, Mingzhe was shorter than Kuroo, so you could feel more of his face than just solely his chest or neck. For another, Mingzhe didn’t smell like Kuroo. Mingzhe was mintier, like spearmint and peppermint- it burned your nose a tinge. Mingzhe was also lankier, arms not quite packing as much heft to them like Kuroo’s did.

“Don’t look now, but I think someone is spying on us.” He whispered into your ear, and you grabbed onto his shoulders tighter. The bounce of his body as he laughed shook you, and you slapped his shoulder. “You really shouldn’t trust me when I say things like that.”

“If people knew even a fraction of what I know about you, you’d be immediately canceled.”

“Good thing no one knows me like you.” Mingzhe swiped at your cheek with two knuckles, a gentle caress. “You know I have feelings for you right?”

You nod affirmatively.

“But I’m also guessing, and tell me if I’m wrong, but there’s a different black haired boy on our volleyball team that holds the key to your heart?” Mingzhe murmured. You could practically hear the deep ache in his soul.

You nod again.

“Well, I can’t win them all. Here’s to being good friends.” Mingzhe grabbed your hand and shook it a few times, “When we win on Saturday, make sure to at least give me a little peck on the cheek.” He brazenly states.

“No promises.”

Mingzhe throws his head back, dimples coming out to show off.

“Thanks for a great night Mingzhe, I’ll see you on Saturday.” You pat him on the cheek, separating the pair of you. Your heels were killing you, and all you really wanted to wear was the fleece hoodie Kuroo gave you that you hadn’t returned for weeks now.

He salutes, walking backwards for a moment. Then he calls out with mirth laced into his words, “I always get cock blocked by the middle blockers I swear to the gods.”

And you thought, Mingzhe was absolutely correct.

TO TETSUROU: ATTACHED: 3 IMAGES

TO TETSUROU: she seemed to have fun tonight at the little event thing

Kenma had paused his late night stream, sending photos of you and Mingzhe dancing- leaving absolutely no space for Kuroo’s mental sanity. Kenma knew that sending the photos could possibly instigate something that he didn’t want unfolding.

FROM TETSUROU: i don’t care.

TO TETSUROU: hmm yeah sure

FROM TETSUROU: i dont care- i just want her to be happy, genuinely happy. like so happy she literally feels sore in the mouth from smiling so much

TO TETSUROU: there it is

TO TETSUROU: look, here’s the situation. she isn’t into mr. libero chinese model guy- she likes you.

FROM TETSUROU: i wish

Kenma felt his eye twitch at Kuroo’s message. How long did Kuroo have to keep the back and forth before Kenma just wrote out a confession for his friend and mailed it to you?

TO TETSUROU: she likes you. the only logical conclusion is that you both are giant pussies who are so afraid to break the friendship between yall that you’ll end up missing each other in the process. like those stupid freaking robots on mars, the ones that battery died before they could share data.

TO TETSUROU: regardless, she’s hot, you’re hot, get together and have a bunch of weirdo genius kids or whatever it is you want the point is that you need to say something before its too late

TO TETSUROU: stop ignoring my messages.

TO TETSUROU: tell her on saturday. after you win the finals and get those gaudy trophies- just like pull a tetsurou move and pull her into you and kiss her so good she forgets her name.

FROM TETSUROU: i always knew you were a freak on the down low

TO TETSUROU: i always knew you were a freak out in the open but a sweetheart teddy bear on the down low. we could go for hours, but the main thing here is: tell her, kiss her, live happily ever after

FROM TETSUROU: i feel sick

TO TETSUROU: you care too much. and you know what? SHE LOVES THAT ABOUT YOU- im tired of telling u what to do. Tell her, dont tell her, grow old without ever experiencing the touch of your woman, do what you want. but honestly, if i have to witness one more longing gaze ill vomit so for my sake, your best friend, tell her and be happy.

Kuroo powered off his phone.

Then he immediately turned it back on to look at the photos Kenma had sent him. He kicked off his blankets with his stewing offended reaction to the photos. Plugging his phone in, Kuroo got a glass of water from his kitchen.

The moon wasn’t out, or at least it wasn’t visible. Storm clouds thundered, lighting struck the ground in bolts of blue and grey. At least the weather understood him. He could always trust the universe to send him a message with what the weather was. Sunny days would be happy, rainy days would be brilliant, and stormy nights would reflect the inner turmoil of his spirit.

He scratched an itch right above his knee, leaving white marks from how his nails drug against his skin. The clock told him that it was Thursday at two in the morning. He counted on his fingers. The end of the finals game would be around eight in the evening on Saturday.

He had sixty-six hours to decide if he would give his heart away. Sixty-six hours to conjure up a magic spell to make him anyone besides himself as he uttered the words, “I love you.”

Sixty-four hours goes by much quicker than Kuroo would expect.

“Okay, listen up everyone.” Consensual Sets was huddled up, you were giving your final speech of this year. Your team had won against EZ Pass, and now the final match would be against Monster Spikes.

You were aware of how tired everyone was. In the third set against EZ Pass, Alba twisted her ankle, leaving the team to substitute her out for Mika. Resulting in an extremely close third set, but in the end, you were able to do a block kill and Daishou was able to get a good spike in to secure the win in Consensual Sets favor.

Alba sat on the bench, with a bag of ice on her ankle. Although she’d never say it, she was angry. Her face was entirely blank, devoid of any emotion. No comments or out of the blue thoughts rambled out of her- and you knew that Alba was fermenting in her own self pity.

Ito was sitting next to Alba, as the rest of the team stood around with arms around shoulders. You could feel the sweat from everyone’s bodies in the team circle.

“Monster Spikes as a whole lacks the ability to connect. Their passes are sloppy compared to ours. Ito, your setting skills outweigh that other setter. Kuroo, your blocks are always on point. Alba, Daishou, Mika, you're some of the best spikers I’ve seen. Not to mention Mingzhe being our solid foundation as libero, nothing gets past you.” Your speech wasn’t organized, it wasn’t even meant to be motivational.

But you continued, “These past six months, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. So many team practices, so many late night drives, so many junk food purchases.” You look down to the gym floor, “I was so worried when I started college that I wouldn’t find my people. But look at me now, I have the best friends in the world and we’re playing in a championship. We don’t need to be a school sponsored team, just being on a intramural team is enough to make me glad.”

You don't see the way that Alba wipes at her eyes. You miss the way that Mingzhe and Ito share a big smile at each other. Mika rubs your back, urging you to continue. Daishou and Kuroo kick each other in the shins, an amicable gesture between rivals turned competitive friends.

“So, you know what, let’s go out and win this. Connect every receive, every toss, every spike. We are the blood that flows through, let’s make it easy for each other to show off our skills.” You stick your hand into the center of the team. Everyone stacks their hand on top of yours.

Kuroo had told you that you should be the one to give the final speech, you should be the one to speak before the final game with this team. His selfish desire to hear you tie up the loose ends of a season of volleyball, knowing how he’d fumble the speech due to his inability to accept that this team would never be the same after their last game.

But also, Kuroo knew that just hearing you talk would soothe his nerves before this game. Hearing you express your thoughts and emotions about your team, the team he shared with you, would do wonders for his confidence in the game.

After listening to so many of Kuroo’s pre-game speeches, you had an idea of what would be good to say. In the end though, this speech was uniquely yours. A testament to the power of connection.

Kuroo locks eyes with you. You nudge your head in the direction of everyone’s hands, he shakes his head, mouthing that this call was all yours. You mouth a thank-you to Kuroo.

Looking around at your friends, you give the last cheer of the year, “3, 2, 1, let’s play!”

Kuroo wins the coin toss, and Mika serves first.

She starts with a jump float that undeniably starts the team off on the best footing possible. A service ace right off the bat, and Daishou can’t help but pump his fists and give a yell of excitement. He loved to see his fiancé play a game that had become the center of his universe, more accurately though the center of Daishou’s universe was a mixture of volleyball and Mika.

The game picks up with an indomitable force, the speed and increasing frequency of you having to jump up to block or to give a feint hit is more than you’re used to. Kuroo’s breathing is heavier, and between points scored, he keeps his shoulders low. Ito keeps shaking out his hands, then rolling his dominant shoulder. The only one who still looks moderately normal is Mingzhe, who’s sporting a dimple on only one side of his face.

After set one, Consensual Sets is ahead 1-0.

Four more to go.

1-1.

2-1.

2-2.

Alba is sitting on the edge of the bench, eyebrows furrowed, her hands grip the plastic seat. Each time Daishou spikes, Alba purses her lips.

During a time out, you sit next to Alba.

“Thank you.” It’s a quiet moment shared between you and Alba, everyone else getting some water for a moment. You express your gratitude plainly, because that’s all that's needed to get the sentiment across. You appreciated her, and she knew it too.

Alba’s bottom lip quivers, “I just wanted to play one more game with everyone. With Mingzhe behind me, with Ito sending me those smooth tosses, with you and Kuroo as my wall of defense. With Daishou shouting at me telling me to fix my form. With Mika telling me to ignore Daishou. One more game with everyone.”

You pat her knee.

“Alba, we couldn’t have gotten here without you.” Smiling, you hold her hand, “Remember, this is all for fun. And as long as you’re having fun- then we’re winning. You’re on the court just as much as I’m on the court, even if it might not seem like it.”

She wipes her face with the back of her hand, “You suck- making me cry like this. I'm such a baby, screw you.”

Ito laughs once he hears Alba’s comment, full body laughing. It's a new sound for everyone on the team, to hear the joyous childlike giggles erupting from the most stone-faced member of Consensual Sets. Following suit, everyone else joins in, laughing. Mingzhe even snorts.

The opposing team raises their eyebrows at you all, but in the end, it's just a game of volleyball. It's a game being played by a group of friends who like spending time together. You weren’t sure that friends was the right defining terminology anymore. There had to be a word for what everyone shared, because it was deeper, more meaningful, richer than just being ‘friends’.

Kuroo watches as Alba punches you in the arm, and the grin you give in response stuns him. You stand up from the bench to escape Alba’s gentle wrath. You bump into Kuroo, turning around and giving him that smile that made him feel like himself.

He just can’t help the way he grabs your face and slots his lips to yours.

To his surprise, you wrap a hand around his neck and pull him in closer. He rubs his thumbs on your cheekbones, letting his cold nose bump into yours. You tilt your head so you can breathe through your nose a little better. He moves from your lips to the side of your mouth, rapidly placing gentle pecks there before doing the same all over your face.

Wrinkling your nose, you make a noise of complaint at being gross and sweaty.

When you pull away, Kuroo’s face follows yours, trailing closely. He reminds you of a cat trying to nudge their way under your hand. He connects to your lips again, humming against the plush of your skin. Thinking back to his failed confession at the train station, he nips at your lips before kissing them lightly. It’s hard to kiss when he’s smiling this much.

“As much as I love a free show, we have a game to win.” Mingzhe tugs on the back collar of Kuroo’s shirt, ripping him from you. Kuroo wriggles out of Mingzhe’s hold, trying to attach himself to you again, but gets shaken out of his one track mind, his desire to just keep kissing you, when the referee blows his whistle.

Serve. Receive. Set. Spike. Block.

Block. Receive. Set. Spike.

Receive. Set. Spike.

Block. Spike.

Spike.

3-2.

“LET’S GO!” Ito screams, whipping his head around to look at Alba. She waves a little from her spot on the bench. Ito thinks to himself, if Kuroo can confess, then surely he can too.

Although, Ito’s kiss is much less tame than Kuroo’s. Ito’s kneeling on the bench, arms wrapped around Alba’s torso as she’s practically hanging off of the bench, only supported by Ito’s hold.

Mingzhe throws his hands up in the air when Daishou and Mika kiss as well.

“Can nobody just appreciate the win? What's with all the kissing?” Mingzhe speaks into a void, rubbing his forehead with exasperation.

“This is appreciating the win.” Kuroo wraps an arm around your waist, pinching your side. The pinch makes your body move closer into him.

“Oh yeah, suddenly everyone on our team is in love and I’m here, just the best libero in a loveless existence. At least I’ll always have volleyball.” Mingzhe jokingly states, hugging the volleyball to his chest.

Alba holds up a marker, “I can draw a kissable face on the ball if you want Mingzhe?”

Ito laughs loudly again, resting his chin on Alba’s shoulder.

Mika, in her wisdom, tells everyone to line up for a group photo before awards are handed out.

Three sequential clicks of Mika’s phone, and one of your opponents double checked that all the shots they took were good. Handing the phone off, the tall girl who had kindly taken the photos of your team shook your hand.

“You’re one of the best blockers I’ve seen on an intramural team, how’d you get so good?” She asked.

You shrugged, but Kuroo spoke up, “I taught her everything that she knows. But also, my girlfriend is a quick learner too, an easy study if you will.”

The girl nods, bowing curtly before going over to her own team.

You grab the front of Kuroo’s shirt, pulling his face down to yours.

“My boyfriend really is a handful. What should I do about that?”

Kuroo smirks, grabbing a hold of the front of your shirt as well.

“Definitely kiss him. That’s the best solution.” He nods his head.

“One question first,” You comment, smoothing out his shirt where you had twisted the fabric, “Explain the mentos and coke thing.”

Kuroo slips a hand under your shirt, resting on your bare hip, “You put mentos in a bottle of coke then, bam. Explosion. One of the coolest chemical reactions I know of.”

“Wanna try that out?”

“Yes, please.”

TO SUGURU, ITO, MINGZHE, ALBA, MIKA, AND TETSUROU: ATTACHED: 3 IMAGES

TO SUGURU, ITO, MINGZHE, ALBA, MIKA, AND TETSUROU: my epic teammates, my best friends, my family.

FROM SUGURU: i’m going to be sick why are you so sentimental

FROM ITO: alba and i are on our way don't start without us!

FROM MINGZHE: ur lucky i got a flight in time for this

FROM ALBA: i bought you a photobook for all our pictures! and i got tetsu some mentos like he asked

FROM MIKA: sugu and i will be there soon, needed to get gas for my bike

FROM SUGURU: what's the point of having an engagement party if we can't even play volleyball

FROM TETSUROU: suguru i’ll make you chopped liver. i don't know who told you we wouldn't have a volleyball at the party ??

TO SUGURU, ITO, MINGZHE, ALBA, MIKA, AND TETSUROU: make sure to add songs to my playlist for tonight! thanks for getting mentos alba! Make sure to sign your names into the guestbook when you get here

FROM TETSUROU: me too?

TO SUGURU, ITO, MINGZHE, ALBA, MIKA, AND TETSUROU: tetsurou what am i going to do with you for the rest of our lives 🥲

TO SUGURU, ITO, MINGZHE, ALBA, MIKA, AND TETSUROU: ATTACHED: 3 IMAGES

TO SUGURU, ITO, MINGZHE, ALBA, MIKA, AND TETSUROU: consensual sets reunion + their engaged captain and vice captain (look at how cute my ring is 😭 thank you tetsurou 💖) (also peep the coke and mentos explosion behind us in that last photo!!!!!!)

FROM TETSUROU: wedding in 5 months be back soon everyone! it was nice seeing everyone again. love you all ! 🙏🏐💍

[allpersona]

PLEASE STOP WITH THE “ drug dealer! (Insert character)” and they automatically talk in bad aave….

🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️

[seungrem]

tomie!sunghoon x (no pronoun) reader

The Curse of Sunghoon

masterlist ~*+ - part 1 of 3?? ~*+

summary: It seemed everyone had become lost in their flawed tendencies since the arrival of the new student. His enigmatic spirit and flawless features made him impossible to miss- enchanting students and teachers alike. Uncanny in many ways, the boy’s name was Sunghoon, and for reader, it seemed his presence was nothing other than ill-fated.

( overview: please see warnings. no pronouns mentioned excluding occasional ‘em’s, mostly an introduction to the plot, no romantic expressions between hoon & reader yet, new student!sunghoon, student!reader, and made up characters: gang leader!hoshino & stalker!rika, fic in general is more artsy than romantic )

( warnings: mentions of blood, weapons, threats, fighting/physical aggression, gangs/mob groups, a very tiny bit of gore- not detailed at all, manipulation, and stalkerish/obsessive behavior )

emoji code:

🌿 ( long story/series - 4.2k words )

🪐 ( junji ito’s Tomie AU )

+🫧 ( maybe a bit angsty )

☁️ ( stands for y/n )

likes, comments, & reblogs r appreciated ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Down the stone path lined with cherry blossom trees, pink petals fluttered sporadically in the crisp spring breeze. The walk to class was always silent, though ☁️ would catch the new student walking in the distance. It was a peculiar change to the old, tedious morning routine that he was used to- partially due to the mystery that was Sunghoon.

Sunghoon was never one to look disheveled or disoriented. His skin was always glowing- so much that it often reflected light, his lengthy figure was adored by many, and his mannerisms were always gracious. To put it simply, the boy was elegant. ☁️ had heard of the many rumors surrounding his family, appearance, and connections, but never paid them mind.

It’s been a month since ☁️’s final year of school had begun, and it’s been two weeks since ☁️ had noticed Sunghoon’s presence on the cherry blossom path. Though the walks continued to be in silence, peculiarity struck the daily routine once again.

Trudging around puddles and small piles of flowers petals on a cloudy Thursday morning, ☁️’s focus remained on the stone path below. Imagine ☁️’s surprise upon almost bumping into Sunghoon, who raised an eyebrow at the action. ☁️ stumbled back and immediately matched Sunghoon’s gaze, rather embarrassed.

“Ah, I’m sorry.” ☁️ stammered, walking around Sunghoon.

“I was waiting for you.”

Sunghoon placed his hands in his pocket as ☁️ turned around.

“Oh.. why’s that?”

“We walk down this path at the same time everyday. Wouldn’t it be nice to travel together?” Sunghoon questioned monotonously.

Aside from the confusion, there was an underlying anticipation ☁️ felt when speaking to Sunghoon. It was also ☁️’s first time hearing his voice- his tone soft yet assertive.

“Yeah.. I guess it would.”

Sunghoon burst out laughing and shook his head.

“Did you really think that I’d want to walk beside you? And everyday at that?” Sunghoon took his hands out of his pocket and crossed his arms, an amused look across his face. “What humor you have.”

☁️ grimaced at the comment, looking around.

“You said you were waiting for me, though..” ☁️ muttered, anticipation transforming into anger.

“I did.” Sunghoon responded, his gaze not leaving ☁️’s. With furrowed eyebrows and rolling eyes, ☁️ took a step away from the man, about to walk away.

“I don’t want to be late, let’s go.” Sunghoon said, grabbing ☁️’s arm and continuing down the stone path. The two now walking side by side, ☁️ shook Sunghoon’s grip away as the awkward interaction began causing headache.

The rest of the walk was silent, and Sunghoon’s gesture of waiting for ☁️ became a daily occurrence. Upon arriving to the school each day, the two would give the other a look of “goodbye” to then go their separate ways.

“Is this seat taken?”

☁️ looked up to see Sunghoon standing across the cafeteria table, holding a food tray. It had been a week since the two of them began walking together.

“No.”

“Good. I was going to sit here regardless.”

An eyebrow raised, ☁️ watched as Sunghoon sat and began nipping at a salad.

“So I was wondering..” The boy began.

☁️ looked up again.

“How close are you to Hoshino?”

“Nobody’s close to Hoshino.” ☁️ responded, watching as Sunghoon continued between bites.

“What do you mean?”

“Unless you’re in his posse, I’d doubt that you’d ever get the opportunity to be ‘close’ to him. I heard that even his members don’t speak that often to him.”

“Do you think it’s by choice?”

“I don’t know. What’s it to you?” ☁️ tilted his head as Sunghoon pushed his tray aside.

“I don’t like him, he’s the root of this place’s problems.”

“Yeah, well, nobody else likes him- so you’re not alone.”

The two sat in silence as ☁️ looked around the busy cafeteria, catching the glare of Rika, a girl in their grade. Of all the times ☁️ recalled seeing her around, Rika always had two bows on each side of her long black hair, it becoming a staple in her appearance. Though, today, it seemed only one bow hung from the left side of her two pigtails.

“Is Rika staring again?” Sunghoon asked, glancing over to ☁️. “I can feel it.”

“She is.”

“Did you know that she’s quite psychotic? An absolute whacko.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s horribly obsessive- I catch her stalking me on occasion. I heard that it’s because she likes me, but who doesn’t?” Sunghoon smiled, amused by his own comment. “She’s an odd girl.”

“Yeah.. you should probably tell someone about that..” ☁️ suggested, looking over and catching her gaze once again.

“It’s alright. I usually lose her on the way home.”

Sighing, ☁️ sat with pursed lips in silence. The two were quiet until the end of the lunch period, them later walking side by side through the school hallways.

“Hey, ☁️!”

☁️ turned around to see Hoshino and three other boys approach the two of them. Initially startled, ☁️ maintained composure.

“You didn’t introduce me to your new friend.” Hoshino laughed, him now standing only inches in front of ☁️. He leaned onto a locker with his arms crossed, eyeing up ☁️ and then Sunghoon.

“His name is Sunghoon.”

“Ah, Sunghoon. The pleasure’s all mine.” Hoshino exclaimed sarcastically, holding a hand out to the boy.

“The pleasure would be mine if I didn’t think you were a bastard.” Sunghoon sneered, followed by light laughter. ☁️ stood frozen in fear as Hoshino’s shocked expression turned into one of anger. Pulling a knife from his back pocket, he pushed Sunghoon against the wall, holding it at his throat.

“Hoshino, he’s new to the school. He doesn’t know better.” ☁️ pleaded, taking steps toward the boy. Two of Hoshino’s members grabbed at ☁️’s shoulders, stopping ‘em from moving any closer.

“I don’t give warnings. Consider it your first and last.” Hoshino said, pushing Sunghoon into the wall again and backing away. He then turned to ☁️, who was still held back by the other boys. “Keep your friend in line, or you’re next.” Hoshino whispered, tapping the blade against ☁️’s lips. “K?”

Feeling their grip loosen, ☁️ watched as Hoshino turned and began down the hallway beside his posse. As soon as the group was out of sight, ☁️ turned to Sunghoon.

“I’m gonna kill you.”

“Do you think I’m scared of a little blade?” Sunghoon muttered, wiping blood off of ☁️’s lips with his thumb. He then put his thumb into his mouth, making ☁️ wince. Luckily, there were only a few people lingering in the hallways, none of them seeming to notice. Sunghoon laughed and began walking away. “I’ll see you later!”

☁️ sighed. About to walk to class, another hand gripped ☁️’s shoulder.

“Hey, ☁️.”

☁️ turned to see that strange girl, Rika.

“You’re not dating Sunghoon, right?”

“Uhm.. no, I’m not.” ☁️ responded, raising an eyebrow.

“Okay, I just didn’t want anything bad happening to you. You know.” Rika smiled and patted ☁️’s shoulder, her silver braces shining as she did so.

“I don’t know what you mean, actually.”

“As long as you’re not taking him away, there’s no need for you to worry about it.” Rika whispered, followed by a boisterous laugh. “No need for you to worry. Bye-bye.”

☁️ watched as Rika hurried down the hallway, throwing her pink satchel back over her shoulder.

“How odd this school is.” ☁️ huffed.

“I really don’t think he would do such a thing.”

Another week had passed since ☁️ and Sunghoon had officially become.. acquainted. As of recently, they’d had eaten lunch, walked around, and traveled to and from school together, daily. It had also been a week since their first run-in with Hoshino, whose glares in the hallways meant he didn’t forget, either. ☁️ felt this time drag- almost as if Sunghoon had bestowed a curse upon ‘em the day they first met. The boy simply seemed to attract both unwanted attention and problems.

Just the day prior, Sunghoon supposedly got one of Hoshino’s posse members kicked out of the school, somehow. Despite not being involved in the situation, ☁️ had been on the receiving end of stares and gossip ever since. The story told didn’t make much sense, and ☁️ didn’t want to ask Sunghoon about it just yet.

“Why not? Everyone knows about the rising tensions between him and Hoshino. It would make sense for him to snitch.” One of the girls in ☁️’s class whispered back as they awaited the arrival of their teacher. “I heard he manipulated a few teachers into searching the boy’s belongings. Apparently, they found knives and even gun.”

☁️ looked around the room, and then back at the girl as she continued.

“I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard that Hoshino has been planning on getting him back. I’m sure you could guess what’ll happen.”

The girl leaned back into her seat, raising her eyebrows.

“Is there anything else you can give me?” ☁️ whispered, despite knowing that this information was all that she’d provide for today.

“Even if I wanted to give you more, I can’t. That’s really all I got.”

“How much do I owe you?”

“Just $5. I’ll give you a discount so that I don’t end up on Sunghoon’s naughty list. People are saying that he’ll become the next Hoshino.. I’m not sure why you spend so much time with him in honestly.”

Grabbing a few dollars bills, ☁️ quickly slid the money to the girl from a back-pocket.

“A pleasure doing business with ‘ya.”

—

“It’s unnecessary to worry about what other people say, ☁️.” Sunghoon muttered, rolling his eyes. The two sat across from each other at lunch, as they usually do.

“But accusations can have consequences. Especially since it’s involving Hoshino.”

Sunghoon put his fork down and looked up to ☁️ with a blank expression. The boy then glanced around, quickly.

“Would you like to skip next period with me? I have an errand that I have to run.”

“Not really. I’m assuming, since you asked, that you’ll need help. Right?”

“Perceptive. I’m thoroughly impressed.”

☁️ frowned. “What is it?”

“I just need to pay a teacher a visit. Just keep lookout for me.”

“Tell me what you’ll be doing, Hoonie.”

“I told you that I hate that nickname.”

☁️ shrugged, as if saying “I don’t care.” Sunghoon continued.

“It’s just to talk about Hoshino. It’ll be quick.”

“Hm.. fine. Please be quick, though.”

“Aw, that’s truly so sweet of you. Thanks for always being there for me, ☁️.”

☁️ rolled his eyes, ignoring Sunghoon’s superficial praise. Standing up suddenly, the boy motioned ☁️ to follow him.

“Let’s just leave lunch early.”

—

☁️ stood beside Sunghoon upon arriving to a classroom on the highest floor. After the boy knocked on the door, a younger-looking teacher slid it open slightly, him holding a few textbooks.

“Hey, can I help you two?”

“Yes, we’ve spoken a few days ago. Do you have a moment?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember speaking to you, and I’m a bit busy with grading. Could you two come b-“

“No, I’m sorry. You actually do have a moment.” Sunghoon pushed the door open, making the man stumble back and drop his books.

“The hell are you doing?” ☁️ muttered, grabbing Sunghoon’s arm. Sunghoon approached the teacher, shoving ☁️’s hand off of him as he walked towards the man. Picking his books up while squatting on the floor, the teacher looked up to Sunghoon, who towered over him. ☁️ was taken aback as he watched Sunghoon bent down as well. He placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, whispering to him.

“Be the lookout, ☁️.” Sunghoon instructed, not taking his eyes off of the teacher. In disbelief, ☁️ took a step back and walked out of the door, closing it so that it was barely open ajar.

Sunghoon walked back out a few minutes later, a cellphone and tan folder in hand. The boy tossed an object on the floor as ☁️ took a peak behind him, seeing the teacher slouched over a desk. Noticing ☁️’s gaze, Sunghoon closed the door lightly.

“He’s fine, just resting for another minute. We should go before he wakes up.”

“You didn’t hurt him, right?”

“Of course not. I needed his help.”

☁️ looked around, seeing that the hallway was empty as the two begun down it.

“So, why didn’t he remember you?”

“I manipulated him into helping me before. That’s probably why he didn’t recall our previous meetings.”

“What do you mean manipulate?”

“Why’re you grilling me?”

“Because I don’t understand what’s going on. This is too much, Sunghoon.”

“You’ll know when it happens, just like everyone else.”

The two descended down the staircase in silence, ☁️ still not satisfied with the lack of information.

“We’re only a few minutes late to archery class. See? I told you that it wouldn’t be long.”

☁️ nodded.

“Anyway, I suspect Rika to be around here somewhere, don’t say anything else about it.” Sunghoon whispered, leaning into ☁️’s ear.

“Sunghoon!” Rika called out from behind them, as if on que. She hurried over to them from down the hallway, holding a plastic bag in hand. Still missing a bow, Rika looked ☁️ up and down with a dismissive look. “You had something for me?”

Sunghoon took the bag she held and placed the tan file and phone inside of it.

“That’s all. You’ll have it back tomorrow.”

Rika nodded and smiled, continuing down the hallway as if the conversation had never happened.

“What was the point of getting that file if you were just going to give it to her?” ☁️ asked, watching Rika disappear in the distance. The two continued, walking slowly as they conversed.

“I already read it. And I don’t want that teacher suspecting me of taking it.”

“Why wouldn’t he remember you being in there?”

“I manipulated him, remember?”

☁️ face palmed. “You don’t have powers, Hoonie. You’re gonna get us in a lot of trouble.”

“Yes I do. I’m special, remember?”

“I really hope narcissism isn’t clouding your judgment.” ☁️ sighed.

Sunghoon stopped walking, seemingly offended. “Nothing could cloud my judgment.”

“That’s something a narcissist would say.”

—

Sunghoon stepped in front of ☁️, opening the gymnasium doors and gesturing forward.

“Thank you.” ☁️ muttered, catching the teacher’s glare as they stepped inside. The teacher was older- probably in his 50’s. ☁️ watched as the man hurried to the two of them with compound bows under his arms.

“Since you two decided to show up, help me gather the rest of the materials.” The man said, motioning the two to follow him into the equipment room. “You, grab the box of arrows since it’s heavy.” He said, pointing at Sunghoon. He then pointed to ☁️ before gesturing toward additional compound bows. “You can put the last two bows on the rack out there, follow me back please.”

The three walked back to the group of students who waited in the middle of the gymnasium floor.

“Alright everyone! Split into two groups of eight.” The teacher instructed.

“Make sure we aren’t in Hoshino’s group.” Sunghoon muttered, pulling ☁️ away from the crowd of students. After a minute, the class was divided.

“This group has nine, one of you go over there.” The teacher said, looking at ☁️. A student awkwardly shuffled over to the other group. “Okay, good. This side is shooting first, and then that side. Grab a bow and an arrow and line up.”

“We’re shooting first.” ☁️ looked over to Sunghoon, who stared intently at the windows on the other side of the room. Patting Sunghoon’s arm, ☁️ knocked the boy out of his daze. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought I saw something outside.” Sunghoon replied, shaking his head. The two followed the group of students over to the rack of bows, grabbing one alongside an arrow. The teacher called out commands, and the students raised their bows. The target in front of them was tall and wide, with three circles of red white and blue. Sitting on the other side of the room with their backs against the window, the other students watched.

“Shoot!”

☁️ released the arrow, though someone else’s collided coincidently with it, causing ☁️’s to fall to the ground. Laughing it off, ☁️ turned to Sunghoon.

“How did you do?”

“I got a bullseye.”

☁️ looked over to the target, seeing a singular arrow in the blue center.

“That’s impressive.” ☁️ muttered, turning to Sunghoon once again. The boy was looking over his shoulder- his gaze fixated on the group of students against the window. “What do you keep looking at?”

“You didn’t see that guy standing outside?”

☁️ looked over, not seeing anybody over the standing students’ heads. “No.”

Sunghoon ran a hand through his hair as the students placed their bows on the ground and took a step away. Sunghoon and ☁️ followed their movements, awaiting the teacher’s directions.

“Okay, second group, it’s your turn.”

About to walk toward the wall alongside the others, Sunghoon gripped at ☁️’s shoulder.

“I’m not going over there until I see that boy again.”

“What if you’re just seeing things?”

“I’m not, I know I saw him.”

“Even if there was a boy, so what? You’d see him better if we go over there.”

“You don’t understand.”

☁️ shrugged, walking away from the bows so that other students could use them. Sunghoon followed, standing diagonally to the second group. Only a few feet to the right of the target, ☁️ caught Hoshino’s gaze and immediately looked away.

The teacher began shouting commands as Sunghoon’s gaze didn’t come off of the window in the distance. The teacher stood behind the engrossed students as he called out, despite not seeing the actual target.

“There he is.” Sunghoon muttered, jogging a few steps forward and walking towards the window. ☁️ looked over to see a tall boy in a black school suit towering behind the students standing against the wall. His mahogany hair blew in the wind as his steady gaze didn’t leave Sunghoon’s. It was an eerie scene, one that filled ☁️ with fear as the stranger peeked into the room.

“Shoot!”

☁️ flinched as droplets of red sprinkled across the face and neck possessed. Pinned against the target, Sunghoon twitched as red trickled down his body. Perceiving the horror a few feet in the distance, ☁️ cupped a hand over the mouth that gasped. The students holding bows cried out or turned around to avoid the scene. Those sitting against the window all stood up, some covering their eyes and some rushing over to get a better look. The man on the other side of the window was no longer present.

“What the hell..” The teacher choked, stepping through the line of students to see Sunghoon impaled by their arrows. With a throat becoming drier by the second, ☁️ walked over to the line of students. Arrows had gone through Sunghoon’s eye, neck, shoulder, stomach, leg, and both sides of his arms. Someone behind ☁️ threw up.

“What the hell did you do..” The teacher croaked again, looking at the students beside ☁️.

“You said to shoot!” One girl cried out.

“He just ran in front of the board. It wasn’t our fault.” Another boy muttered.

☁️ turned to see Hoshino approach Sunghoon’s body- it no longer twitching.

“We’ll just get rid of the body. Guys, help me get him off of this.”

“The hell are you talking about?” One of his mob members shouted, his voice shaky.

“Unless you all wanna go to jail, I suggest you help get rid of the body.” Hoshino shouted back, him then slowly removing each arrow from Sunghoon’s body. A few boys walked beside him, helping the boy set Sunghoon’s lifeless figure onto the floor.

“Someone get the tarp cover from the equipment room.” Hoshino ordered after turning his head, glaring at the crowd that now stood behind him. A girl beside ☁️ nodded and sprinted over to the room.

“Nobody go anywhere! We are not getting rid of anything!” The teacher roared, pushing a few of the boys surrounding Hoshino away from Sunghoon’s body. Hoshino quickly stood up, pulling a switchblade from his back pocket and holding it at the teacher’s neck.

“Either you help us or you suffer the same fate.” Hoshino looked around. “That goes for everyone!”

The girl ran back with a black tarp, unraveling it so that Hoshino’s members could drag Sunghoon onto it.

“What the fuck is happening.” ☁️ whispered to himself, watching as other students began helping to wrap the body.

“This is so fucked up.” A boy beside ☁️ whispered in response.

“There’s a door leading outside in the equipment room, right?” Hoshino asked the teacher, his switchblade still pointed at him. The teacher simply nodded his head.

“Alright, everyone outside! Now!” Hoshino yelled, jogging over to his members. He whispered to them before turning to the crowd of students. Pointing to the tarp, he called out again. “I need a few people to carry this into the mountain.”

Students stepped up and kneeled beside the tarp cover. Lifting it, they began into the equipment room, guided by two of Hoshino’s members. Hoshino stood behind, watching as everyone filed into the room and out the door. ☁️ was the one of the last students to leave, exhaling upon observing the small puddle of blood that dripped down the target and onto the floor.

“Go.” Hoshino said, waving the switchblade at ☁️ as he and the teacher walked passed. ☁️ followed them into the room and out of the metal door, one of Hoshino’s members then closing the door behind them. ☁️ watched as the group walked into the forested area a few feet in the distance, barely trailing behind. Hoshino noticed, him turning around and walking towards ☁️.

“I guess I need to chaperone you.” Hoshino muttered upon gripping ☁️’s arm, the two of them then rushing up the hill and through the forest. They eventually caught up to the group, a fire having been started. Hoshino let go of ☁️ after he stood beside his members.

“We’re going to give everyone a part to hide. If your part gets found, you’re dead. After you hide it, and hide it well, you can go home. Wash your hands and clothes immediately. The teacher and my group will clean the gymnasium- if you’d like to help you can. Everyone understand?” Hoshino shouted, watching as most of the class nodded their heads. He then began unwrapping the body with the help of a few other students. ☁️ had to turn around upon seeing Hoshino’s men begin digging their knives into the boy’s already decomposing body.

A few minutes had passed since the boys had begun severing, and ☁️ remained opposite to them. People began walking away with small parts of Sunghoon in their hands. One with a few fingers and another with his two ears. It made ☁️ want to gag at the sight, but the shock taking over ☁️’s body prevented anything further from happening.

“Hey, ☁️.”

☁️ turned around to see Hoshino standing in the way of what remained of Sunghoon’s body. Avoiding eye contact, ☁️ noticed the organs in the boy’s hands.

“Since you were closest with him, I’m giving you his heart and brain.”

Looking to the right, ☁️ felt Hoshino drop the organs into open hands.

“If it makes you feel better, I was going to do it eventually. Maybe I could make it up to you sometime.” Hoshino sighed, seemingly displeased with the lack of acknowledgment he was receiving. ☁️’s eye twitched in response to his words.

“You could never.”

☁️ turned back around, continuing aimlessly into the forest. Attempting to go back the way the group came to avoid getting lost, ☁️ trudged down the hill they walked up- finding a dirt path. ☁️ walked down it, finding a gorgeous stone bridge. A stream flowed heavily below the structure, though, ☁️ didn’t have the heart to throw the items into it. Instead, ☁️ walked across the bridge and sat in the grass- a foot away from where the water rushed through. It was then that ☁️ noticed the flat surface under the bridge’s abutment, untouched by the roaring water. Walking over to it, the space was only a little shorter than ☁️. With a deep breath, ☁️ kneeled down and climbed onto the stone surface, placing the brain and heart beside each other.

Hoshino’s words replayed in ☁️’s head. Walking back onto the bridge, ☁️ took a few steps forward and rested heavy arms on the cool stone structure. If even Hoshino noticed Sunghoon and ‘em spending a lot of time together, then ☁️ assumed that everyone had noticed, as well. Though, in reality, ☁️ and Sunghoon never really got close. He would only accompany ☁️ at lunch and on the walk home, and even then, their conversations were never in-depth. Still, ☁️ was fearful of what was to come. If someone were to find out, then what would happen? Sunghoon’s family will be looking for him, right? How is Hoshino going to keep everyone quiet? And why would Sunghoon act so carelessly upon seeing that boy? What made him so important?

Lost in the roaring of the waters, ☁️ didn’t notice a boy walk behind ‘em. The boy stopped a few feet away, leaning onto the guardrail and looking out into the distance. Upon glancing over, ☁️ recognized the boy’s mahogany hair. Both shocked and a bit scared, ☁️ took a step back.

“You know,..” The boy began. “..you really shouldn’t worry. He’ll be back.”

The boy turned to ☁️, pushing off of the bridge’s stone guardrail and walking over to ‘em. He held out his lengthy hand, which ☁️ took hesitantly and shook lightly. “My name is Heeseung.”

“☁️…. And what do you mean?”

“Sunghoon. You’ll know when he’s back, and when he is, you better spend that time with him wisely.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re not going to. And that’s okay.”

The two sat in silence before Heeseung continued.

“Your school’s going to be a shit show for a while. Try not to die, otherwise there’d be nobody to welcome Sunghoon back.”

“Who are you?” ☁️ growled, taking another step back.

“Who was Sunghoon?” Heeseung replied, his voice just as monotonous as Sunghoon’s was.

☁️ remained silent, unsure of how to respond. Thinking about it.. they were something like friends, and ☁️ considered Sunghoon to be.. many things. ☁️’s crush amongst those many things.

“I’ll be around when you find out. Good luck.”

Heeseung strolled backwards as he and ☁️ kept gazes on each-other, him eventually turning around and continuing across the bridge. ☁️ watched his figure become smaller as he walked up the hill, fading behind the trees.

It seemed that people had become lost in their flawed tendencies since the new student’s arrival; His enigmatic spirit and flawless features made him impossible to miss- enchanting students and teachers alike. Uncanny in many ways, the boy’s name was Sunghoon, and even in his death, his curse remained potent.

a/n: i have a part 2 ready but let’s see how this does ! writing gn is also different and a bit challenging- next time I’ll just write saying ‘you’ bc it’s 100x easier. n e ways i hope u liked it, ik it’s different than what i usually write :,) don’t let this flop pls

likes, comments, & reblogs r appreciated ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

[actuallysaiyan]

Pictures Of You(Chapter One: The Mystery Begins)

warnings: mentions of death, murder, gore, Tomie(she's a warning all herself), crossover, trauma pairings: Nanami Kento x Fem!Reader x Gojo Satoru summary: Years after you tried your best to push the murder of your classmate out of your mind, one photo brings the memories come rushing back. You, Nanami and Gojo are tasked with going out to investigate.

MASTERLIST

Dividers by the lovely @benkeibear

Taglist: @beneathstarryskies @seireiteihellbutterfly @gloryhole93. @yeowangies. @an-ever-angry-bi

@namikyento. @benkeibear @darkstarlight82

@adharadotcom @sparklynightm4re @heyitsd1yaa @galactict3a @aomi04

@erebus-et-eigengrau

The nightmares never stopped. You would see that haunting face every night. It’s actually what triggered your cursed technique from emerging. Her face was always haunting you.

You remember how things escalated ever since you first met. She made you feel wary from the first time; butterflies in your stomach that fluttered endlessly. It soon turned sour when you realized you had become jealous of her. Tomie and her beauty. Tomie and her charm. Tomie and her wit.

You found yourself growing even angrier when she mocked you and said you weren’t worth being friends with. She would hang out with a string of boys from your school, and yet none of them were worthy of her affection either.

The thing that made your cursed technique emerge was the day that she was tormenting you and another boy from your class. He was so in love with her, and you were trying to convince him to stop pursuing her. Though he wouldn’t listen to you, something else happened right before your very eyes.

Your classmate pulled a knife on Tomie, stabbing her multiple times and causing her blood to splash and splatter everywhere. It hit you in the face, making you shudder and drop to your knees. Then the boy turned to you, threatening you with the very same knife he used to murder Tomie.

The minute he came closer to you, you watched in horror as a giant rose grew and swallowed him whole. The rose exploded in a mess of petals and then everything went black.

The stress from the event caused you to black out. From that moment on, you were pulled from your high school. You were brought to see so many doctors, none of them able to explain what happened to you. Many of them had said you were hallucinating from sheer stress and fear and the boy had just run away.

They deemed you insane and unfit to return to school. Your parents worried you’d never get a good education. Then a man came to visit you in the hospital. Masamichi Yaga had come to you because he had heard about the incident. Days would go by without seeing him again, and when he finally returned, he had invited you to come to the school with him.

Despite no other sorcerers being in your lineage, you were a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Your cursed technique, Swallowing Rose, had just been suppressed for a long time. With no one to teach you about your powers, you never knew to use them. But the minute your life was on the line, that’s when it finally burst out. The rose had come out and done exactly as its name implied.

You weren’t well when you arrived at Jujutsu Tech, and in fact, you needed more extensive therapy. With the years gone by, you eventually found yourself able to comfortably forget about Tomie. It was so far in the recesses of your mind, you just found yourself never thinking about the girl or the incident ever again…

Until today.

In front of you on the desk was a manilla envelope. It was the details for your next mission. You knew it was something you’d be going out of town for. You had been told it was going to be a long mission, and it would take multiple sorcerers to deal with this curse.

A small town by the sea was being tormented by a special grade curse, and of course they had to send only the best of the best. You, Nanami and Gojo had been selected to investigate what was going on. You were just opening up the envelope when the two men in question entered your office. Gojo is, of course, talking Nanami’s ear off. Nanami looks at you, almost as if to beg for help from the man who’s annoying him.

“Are you both here to look over the details for this mission?” You ask, cutting off Gojo’s reply to Nanami’s grunts of annoyance.

“We are! I’m so excited to go on this mission with you and Nanamin!”Gojo coos playfully before he sits on your desk.

You pull the contents of the envelope out and place them on your desk. Your heart skips a beat when the image in front of you begins to pull awful memories from your mind. You blink a few times, unsure if you’re going to faint or if you’re going to vomit. Nanami steps closer, making sure you’re alright.

“What is it?” He asks you, but when he glances at the picture on your desk, he realizes what’s going on.

The reports said that she was a dangerous curse. A special grade curse. One look at her and it would drive the person into madness. Falling in love with her until you cannot take it anymore. Most people who have encountered Tomie have taken their own lives in a fit of rage after murdering the curse…proceed with caution.

“That’s her, isn’t it? The one from when you were a high school student?” Nanami inquires, but he knows the answer.

“Y-yeah it is.”

He notices the way your face has gone all pale. You look like you’re going to be sick. This mission wasn’t any ordinary mission; it was a mission that required two Grade One sorcerers and one Special Grade. You’ve never been on a mission quite like this one.

All three of you were going to have to track down this special grade curse. A curse so beautiful and so angelic, she turns people into murdering maniacs. Only a few have survived after seeing her face to face. 

“I don’t think she’s that pretty,” Gojo says with a smirk. He throws a picture of Tomie onto your desk.

Nanami studies it closely, “Maybe not in this photo, but I’ve been told she might be a shapeshifting curse.”

You look at the picture, seeing just how distorted it looks. You feel shivers run down your spine as you recognize the face. It’s Tomie, alright. You’ve seen her before. You, one of the only survivors of witnessing this curse, is about to pick up the pieces again. And it all starts with a distorted photograph of the two-faced girl who bullied you in high school.

“She is something else. Something incomprehensible. She’ll rip you to shreds without a second thought,” you explain, your hands shaking again.

Nanami gets up, heading over to the little coffee station you have in your office. He begins brewing some tea for all three of you. Gojo continues to look at the picture. Meanwhile you read over the details of the mission. Seems like she’s been appearing in all kinds of places all over Japan. It doesn’t surprise you at all. 

Despite watching your classmate kill her, you always thought something was odd with the way her corpse had looked. It almost seemed to be twitching with life, despite the fact that he had stabbed her so many times. And when he turned to face you and threatened you with that same knife, you swore you must have heard her voice whispering in your ear.

But it was a bit more of a faded memory now. You couldn’t quite recall all the details. You’re pulled from your thoughts when Nanami places a mug of hot tea in front of you. He gives one to Gojo as well, who smiles playfully.

“This must be hard for you to accept such a mission,” Nanami speaks. “She’s not going to be an easy curse to dispatch.”

You shake your head, “I’m more than ready to put all of this behind me. If we all work together, we can get rid of her for good. You have no idea what she has done to me…and what she might have done to others.”

Gojo looks at the details of the mission. Your first stop would be a small town by the sea. Stories of a woman emerging from the water and luring small children to her had been the words that filled the first page of the report. The other pages were filled with other stories: Tomie murdered and turned into seishu and sold on the black market, Tomie seen dating a top model only for him to disappear into the shadows, Tomie being adopted by a elderly couple only for her to have mysteriously disappeared.

“I think we’ve got a lot on our hands,” Nanami finally pipes up. He sips on his tea and looks at you, “Are you sure you’re going to be able to handle this?”

You nod your head as you finish off your tea. “I’m ready for this. I want to finally end this.”

Gojo smirks, “That’s my girl!” A tinge of jealousy strikes Nanami, but he dismisses it quickly.

You look down at the picture again. You knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task by any means. But if it meant you’d get to live your life normally and put this all behind you, you were ready to finish this once and for all.

[simpforchuchu]

Hi! How are you? May I please request a fic with Kamui where he gets caught sneaking around SWORD territory and badly beaten, the reader finds him and takes him to the Nameless City where she nurses him back to health? The theme is "be good to the crows, the crows will be good to you" because crows do remember faces and will give people who are nice to them random trinkets they find. In H&L, that could be saving her from some thugs or bringing her to live with one of them. No pressure, take your time! Thanks! ❤️

Crows never forget

a/n: Hello, it took too long for me to write sorry:( But it was really an amazing idea, there will be definitely a part2🫡 It is all fluffy and soft 😭 I hope you like it 🌸💕

Sorry for the grammer or spelling mistakes.English is not my main language so...

Thank you and love you 🥰

Warnings: mention of fights, blood, wounds but mostly fluffy

Dark streets had always scared the young girl. Even though she had been wandering the streets for years, she knew that the SWORD area was never safe. She was going to a nearby market to cook dinner for the kids. Even though she couldn't buy much, she wanted them to be able to eat warm meals on a cold winter day.

The weather was quite cold, she had to be quick. The moment she left the Nameless City, she had a bad feeling.

SWORD was pretty chaotic these days. She had to go back before anything happened to her.

She hadn't gone far, and as she walked down the quiet street, she saw someone fall to the ground in the narrow passage behind the containers. Even though she was undecided whether to check it out or not, she gave in to her curiosity and walked there slowly.

A masked boy, dressed in black and obviously around her age, was lying on the ground. Blood was flowing from his head and his face was injured. Even though she couldn't see his face because of his mask, she was sure she didn't know who he was.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

She asked worriedly and shook him gently. When she realized that the boy opened his eyes but could not move, she was not sure what to do.

Should she help him? Her brothers probably wouldn't like this. But she didn't want to leave him here injured.

She looked for a while to see if there was anyone around to help her. Noone was there. But the boy didn't look too heavy.

Kamui was watching the young girl with faint eyes. He should have stood up, he should have walked away from here immediately. But all his bones ached. He couldn't even move his finger. The young girl was calling out to him, but he didn't have the energy to answer.

Y/n crouched down in front of him and called out to Kamui

“Jump on my back, I will carry you.”

Kamui was looking at her in astonishment as if the young girl had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. He never believed that this girl could carry him. But y/n was pretty confident.

“Hey, hurry up. We must leave here as soon as possible.”

Kamui knew he had no choice. Even though it hurt a lot, he sat up slightly and wrapped his arms around the young girl's neck.

He was heavy, the young boy was heavier than he looked. But y/n was determined. She would carry him to a safe place, albeit slowly.

***

Despite all the stares of the people around, Y/n brought the young boy to the Nameless City. Kamui knew that the young girl could be in a difficult situation. He had regained some of his strength. He gently touched y/n's shoulder

“You can put me down, you must be very tired.”

Y/n giggled.

“I'm not very weak. Don't worry, we're almost there."

Kamui was listening to the young girl with fascination. She was both strong and fearless. He was also feeling quite embarrassed.

Not much time had passed, when y/n walked the streets of the Nameless City for a while, her brothers blocked her path.

“Rude Boys” y/n stopped her steps when Kamui whispered in surprise. Of course, they couldn't pass through here without being seen by them.

Kamui slowly landed on the ground, but y/n immediately took his arm. The young boy looked pretty bad for standing.

“Y/n, who is this?”

When Takeshi approached the young girl and asked, Kamui shivered as he looked at the man in front of them. SWORD was much more than their little games.

“I don't know who he is” y/n replied calmly. “I found him injured on the street.”

Kamui looked at the young girl's answer. Yes, it was true, but was now the right time to be so honest?

Takeshi didn't react. He didn't want to shout at the young girl. Everyone loved y/n. He also loved the young girl very much. But he couldn't allow a stranger to enter the city.

“I can't allow this y/n, you have to leave him where you found him.”

“Hey, stop talking about him like he's a puppy.”

The young girl wanted to erase her brothers' seriousness by making a joke, but she wasn’t successful.

“Y/n, Im telling you for the last time-“

"Me too. I want to help him. He's just a boy around my age."

When the young girl raised her voice at Takeshi, P intervened. He was always more understanding.

“Y/n, you know the rules of the city. You don't even know who he is. I'm sorry, but we can't allow this."

Even though P spoke in a soft tone of voice, his authoritarian attitude was clear. Kamui didn't know what to do. He knew that he had really put the young girl in a difficult situation. But he didn't ask her for help.

As the argument between Y/n and the Rude Boys continued, a voice everyone recognized was heard. When Kamui looked at who the deep but sweet voice was coming from, he didn't expect to see the famous leader of the Rude Boys.

Of course he knew him. The famous Smoky. He knew he would do anything to protect his family. So he couldn't help but wonder what he would do to him right now.

“Y/n-chan… is he your friend?”

With Smoky's question, everyone turned to him. Y/n looked at the boy on her arm who couldn't even stand and smiled.

“Will you believe me if I say yes, Smoky-nii?”

Y/n was a sweet girl. She had never done anything to put her family at risk. She cared about everyone as much as Smoky. But Smoky knew she was still a kid. Of course she could make mistakes

“Y/n, I've known you almost since you were born. Of course, I know that when you want to lie, you start mocking.”

Y/n smiled but Smoky wasn't smiling.

“I'm sorry, I can't allow this.”

"Then I'll go with him too."

With the young girl's sentence, there was a deep silence. Smoky knew her well. He knew she could really do it. He didn't like the determined look in her eyes.

When Y/n looked into her brother's eyes, Smoky sighed even though Takeshi and P protested. He nodded and took a few steps closer to Y/n and Kamui

“Okay, but we won't take responsibility for him. Please don't disappoint me, kiddo.”

Y/n smiled and nodded. Even if she was making a mistake, she would figure it out before anyone else. But she still trusted the boy she had met half an hour ago.

***

After Smoky’s permission to the young girl, P did not want her to suffer any more and took Kamui on his back. After walking for a while, they entered the building where y/n was staying. After placing Kamui harshly on the bed, he gave the young boy a threatening look and turned to the young girl.

“One of the boys will also stay here for the night. If there is a problem, don't forget to call us.”

Y/n smiled and nodded at the soft-hearted boy.

“Thank you nii-chan, don't worry.”

P patted the young girl's head and took one last look at the boy who was watching them with weak eyes on the bed and left.

Y/n looked at the young boy after P left and smiled. The mask on his face was still there.

“I won't ask who you are.”

Kamui whispered.

"Thank you"

Y/n could tell from his voice that he was still in pain.

“I'll find something to clean your wounds. Don't go anywhere okay? Although I don't think you can go, but-"

Y/n giggled at what she said and left the room. She knew that there was a first aid kit in one of the old cabinets inside the building. She quickly started looking for it.

After a while, she returned to the room with the kit she found. But she noticed that the boy in the bed had already fallen asleep.

***

When Kamui woke up in the morning, he could feel his whole body aching. He was surprised to realize that the mask on his face was still there. He looked around and looked for the young girl, but the room was empty.

Even though it hurt, he stood up and looked at himself in the broken mirror on the wall. He had bruises and band-aids on his face. Someone had cleaned his wounds. When he pulled down his mask and looked at his face, he realized that the mask had never been removed and smiled.

Didn't she really wonder who he was?

He lay on the bed in the room and thought for a while. Should he go? But he wanted to thank the young girl. Were his friends worried about him? They would probably be very angry.

While he was lost in his thoughts, he did not notice the young girl entering the room. When he noticed the girl looking at him with a tray in her hand, he turned to her.

The young girl looked confused for a while, then smiled. Kamui was trying to understand what she was surprised about. Immediately afterwards, he realized that his mask was not on his face.

“Didn't you really take off my mask yesterday?”

Y/n laughed and shook her head.

“You were injured, I didn't want to take it out without your permission. This is SWORD, everyone has a valid reason to hide their personality.”

Kamui smiled, surprised by how thoughtful the young girl was.

“You must be hungry, I brought warm soup for you.”

Kamui looked at the tray in the girl's hand and slowly sat up in bed. His whole body still ached.

“Kamui, Kamui Ito.”

The young girl sat on the chair next to the bed and handed the tray to the boy. She smiled.

“Y/n, but you probably already know my name.”

Kamui laughed and shook his head. The smell of the soup on the tray made him realize how hungry he was.

“I… thank you. I will never forget what you truly did for me.”

Y/n smiled at the boy who shyly tried to thank her. The scars on his face were obvious, but he had a very sweet face. For a moment she realized that she had been staring at his face for too long and looked away. Kamui had done the same thing.

“I better go now, I don't want to cause you any more problems.”

Y/n laughed.

“If you are still tired, you can rest, but if you want to go, I can walk with you.”

Kamui laughed.

“I may look pretty weak, but I'm not bad at fighting.”

Y/n giggled and shook her head.

“I don't think Suzuran students are weak, I just wanted to say goodbye to you.”

Kamui was embarrassed by the sentence the young girl said sweetly, he even thought his cheeks were turning red. But then he realized what the young girl said.

“You… How do you know that I am from Suzuran?”

Y/n smiled and nodded.

“I hope you don't think you're the only one who knows something.”

Kamui frowned when he realized that the young girl was much more mysterious than she seemed, now he was even more curious about who she was. But he left that for later, he had to enjoy the short moment he could spend with her right now.

He took a spoonful of his soup and relaxed with the warmth entering his body. Y/n smiled as she watched him. He knew that the boy sitting in front of her was a very dangerous person, despite his innocent face. She didn't need to know him completely to know that. But she didn't want to think about that right now, she had to enjoy the little moment she could spend with him.

HnL taglist : @straysugzhpe @tiddly-winx @ninamarie1994 @emperorsnero @koala-yuna @little-miss-naill @materialprincess01

[liillyliilly]

Run Club

suna rintarou x reader words; 4679 synopsis; she's the best runner at inarizaki, he wants to spend more time with her- so the natural conclusion? offering to make a run club with her

It was practically 1,000 degrees outside and Suna was melting in the heat. The rest of the volleyball team was excited to finally be outside for once, the gym was beginning to grow old. Kita, in his ever intelligent wisdom, decided he wanted to do some more intensive cross training. Suna was covering his eyes with his hand, not even hooded eyes could deflect a boiling sun.

And there she was.

“Kita, who is that?” Atsumu got to the jump before Suna did, but Suna listened just a little more carefully to Kita’s words in response to Atsumu’s words.

“That’s L/N. She’s in my class. She’s the track captain, she’s also the one who’s going to help us with cross training today.”

In front of a group of other runners, including guys, was her. She was wearing a black sports bra and quite possibly the shortest shorts Suna had ever seen on a girl. She seemed to be leagues ahead of the other runners, yet she still was yelling at the kids to keep running. Keep pushing forward without thinking about the pain.

Suna thought she was crazy. Beautiful and crazy.

Eventually, she came up to the volleyball team, leaving her team of runners lying on the track practically crying and downing entire water bottles. She messed around on what appeared to be a fitness watch, frowned a little but then tapped around before finally walking over to Kita. Suna was thinking that she was going to kill the volleyball team with the same workout she must have just done with the track team.

Kita gave her a high five, an actual high five, and she mimicked a volleyball spike, laughing at Kita’s eye roll.

“Okay listen up, I’m going to put y’all through some actual training. Not any of this jumping around and diving bullcrap, but actual intensive running to build stamina and power.”

They ran. And then they ran again. They drank a little water, and then they ran again. Eventually even the Miya twins and Aran were sitting down on a grass patch picking strands out of the field and sweating so much that they could’ve produced enough liquid for a hydroelectric dam.

She was just stretching, preparing for one more lap. Kita thanked her for the help, and told the team to head back to the gym so they could go over a few plays. All the boys were leaning on each other and dragging their feet as they meandered back to their hideout. Suna wanted to stay though. So he asked Kita if he would just run one more time, and he could get the plays from Atsumu or Osamu the next day. Kita let him, on the condition that Suna wouldn’t try to outrun L/N.

“I’ve tried, it’s not something I can realistically say is possible for me. But I’m all for a good run, make sure you eat a good dinner when you get back to your dorm.” Kita waved him off and Suna snuck his way over to her.

He leaned his head over her shoulder, inspecting what exactly was on her watch, but she turned around before he could see anything.

“Ever heard of hello?” She poked him in the chest lightly. Suna shrugs. She continues speaking when he doesn’t make a move to leave her be, “This is my long run for today, 8 miles. Think you can stay on my pace? I’m not slowing down for you.”

“I’ll manage.”

So they ran, Suna got winded earlier than he thought, around the third mile. So he had to run slightly behind her, still trying to keep up and not get left behind. She talked to him, easily and without losing much steam. She talked mostly about running, Suna listened. At the end of the fourth mile, she paused.

She said something about stretching for a minute or two and then finishing the run and getting back to Inarizaki. He swallowed the gel tube she had offered him, letting the instant energy soak into his body. She did little hops and jumps, lunges and toe touches, Suna just sat down and tried to reset his energy.

He liked her shoulders, her legs, the way she did her hair, he especially liked the way she sweat. It wasn’t a waterfall like Atsumu and Osamu, it was a sheen on her body. The film of sweat coated her, and it made her shine, her face was flushed from the run, but she was still just smiling. Suna could finally care less about the single sun’s brutality, because she was worth a thousand vibrant suns in his eyes.

Screw Vitamin D, he needed Vitamin Her.

He kept up with her on the way back to Inarizaki, though he suspects that she slowed down slightly so he could keep in time and pace with her. Despite him being taller, and having longer legs, with the way she ran it was clear he was no match for her instinctive athleticism when it came to running.

With the stories she told about her failures in a bunch of other sports, and how she came to running in the first place, Suna was surprised. He hid it well, just nodding and trying to keep his breathing deep and long so that he wouldn’t croak like a fool in front of her. She liked to run because it was the only sport where she didn’t need to be good at anything besides breathing.

Her biology teacher, when she was in first year, said that the only thing needed for life is the ability to cellular respirate. To convert energy from sugars and food into ATP, the chemical reaction utilized breathing. Breathing allows the process to flow. Breathing to facilitate the conversion of sugar to ATP. Or something like that, Suna was getting distracted by the way her arm would occasionally brush his as she strode forward.

Getting back to Inarizaki was disappointing for Suna, he wanted to run with her for longer. Just to be with her for longer. Maybe that’s why he asked if she wanted to be in a run club with him. What he had meant to ask was if she wanted to run with him more often, but a run club comment came out before he caught it.

“Run club sounds like a great idea! It would be perfect for intra-athletic cross training, like volleyball did today at the track. I’ll talk to a few more of the other captains, I can be in charge and if you want, you can be second in command?”

“Yeah. I can do that.” He could not do it.

To call it a running club was a tortuous attempt at trying to tone down the reality of what it was. It was a group of boys who liked to watch her run. She knew that, and Suna knew that. She still beat them in every single race. The basketball captain, the tennis captain, even the swim captain came around and tried to beat her. She reigned on top of Inarkizaki’s holy track field. She was who they came to see. She was the shrine that the foxes would pray at.

The coaches saw her outstanding dedication to helping all the kids at Inarizaki, she won a coaches’ award for Most Dedicated Student Athlete. Suna thought it was extremely well earned for her.

Run club died down, and eventually it was just Suna and L/N again, the other boys got tired of just running all the time. Albeit, the sports teams were objectively just a little bit better that year. Running had shaped the teams into stamina beasts, Inarizaki could outlast any other team for the most part.

Suna had begun asking Kita more and more frequently to do running as an alternative to other conditioning routines. Kita agreed every single time. Suna supposed that Kita knew the real reason why he took breaks from training with the team, it was so he could spend more time with her.

Freaking track kids. Always freaking running around thinking they owned the place. Especially Ito Yuuta, freaking Ito always running with freaking Y/N. Even going as far to be freaking duo partners in all the freaking track competitions.

“If you sulk anymore I think your face will stay like that.” Aran then took a picture of Suna sitting on the bleaches with his shoulders hunched into himself and a disgusting scowl on his face.

“I just don’t know why we, as the volleyball team, have to watch the track competition.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re just mad because Ito gets to run with L/N instead of you running with her.” Osamu could suck an egg for all Suna cared.

Atsumu wanted to play a little game with Suna, just to see his reaction. Atsumu was also glad that Kita was with all the other sports captains cheering the runners on.

“I heard from a very reliable source that Ito copped a feel of her thigh before one of the races yesterday, and that he got a kiss from her when he won in his category.” Atsumu told Omimi just loud enough for Suna to hear.

The way Suna spun his head around was almost enough to have Atsumu falling to the ground in delight. Suna stood up and went right down to the field, folding his arms and shifting his weight from side to side.

She came barreling down the track from her race, giving high fives to her friends and hugs to her even closer friends. She had just won another first place prize, which made Suna unbelievably happy, but also he was seething.

Kita had finally caught wind of what was about to occur, and he tried to get down to the track to get Suna away from the track. But one of the adults had stopped him from going down, so Kita and the rest of the team just had to sit back and watch as the horror was about to unfurl.

Ito Yuuta also had just finished his race, giving Y/N a hug and twirling her around, which made her laugh.

Suna snapped.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Ito held up a hand in shock, clearly not understanding what was going on. “Celebrating a win?”

“Bet you’re thinking you’re going to celebrate with more than just a hug.”

She caught on faster than Ito did. She began to tell Suna to get back to the stands.

“So, you’re hiding stuff from me too? Is it because he’s a runner? What does he have that I don’t? I have like four inches on this guy.”

Suna was miserable now, completely distraught. He was only moderately calm when she pulled him away and sat him down on a bench reserved for the track kids.

“Let’s just take a deep breath Rintarou. Look, it's easy.” She inhaled deeply and then let out a breath.

“It’s not fair.” He whined. Suna didn’t think he was capable of whining. He also didn’t think he was capable of being so blindsided by his own jealousy. He dragged his hands down his face and realized he had fallen for bait given to him by Atsumu. He had fallen for a trap set up by a notorious jokester.

Only when Suna saw Ito kissing his boyfriend did Suna really get embarrassed. “I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not, you just acted like one for a few minutes.” She was rubbing his back and he felt even worse, he had acted like a complete child and there he was getting soothed by the same girl he had wanted to fight for.

“Just forget I said anything, I did anything, just forget I even exist please.”

“But you had at least four inches on that guy?” Suna groaned and ducked his head down even further. “That one was actually kinda funny, Rintarou.” She ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it.

She wanted to get one more kick out of the whole situation, “I think you have some kind of teenage hormonal rage going on, but based on Ito’s reactions, I fully believe you won. So, are you gonna celebrate with more than just a hug?”

“Y/N!”

Atsumu had to do 100 diving laps per Kita’s instruction as punishment for causing an embarrassment out of the volleyball team and for pushing Suna to his mental limits.

Suna always liked to lurk around her, even when she was tired of him. Getting asked how you were doing multiple times a day by the same person could in fact grow slightly old. When he got a hold of her number, he had made her number his personal journal.

Everything from complaints to worries were sent to her. One time, in class, she had her headphones in and was solving some problems. Kita, her seatmate, was getting slightly annoyed by all the buzzing from her phone that he just had to check and see what was going on. Kita did not expect to see twenty messages from Suna. So that's what he was doing on his phone during practice.

She did like having him around though, despite his clingy nature. Sometimes he wouldn’t even talk to her, he just wanted to be where she was. She could be in the library doing some research for a class, and he would ask if he could come and work on homework with her. She would be in her dorm folding clothes and he would be sitting at her desk trying to bask in the smell of her room without seeming like a creep.

They were sitting on the field, and the sun had just gone down. She used a flashlight to keep some light around so they wouldn’t be stuck in the dark. She was reading a book, for fun, which made Suna more intrigued. She had a small booklight, attached to the novel, lighting the pages in yellow. She would ask when it was good for her to flip a page, so Suna could read along. He was a slower reader than she was, he remembered that she shared classes with Kita, so obviously she would be smart.

It was a book about a younger guy meeting an older girl, and he was hopelessly in love. How ironic Suna thought. Fate was truly ironic, it loved to play little games on Suna like this. All the time, any chance it got, attempting to make Suna play along with the games at hand.

A few pages of reading together passed before Suna decided to stick her bookmark back into the book, taking it from her before she could complain. He set it aside, using his arm to push it far enough away so that she couldn’t just grab it back.

Sweat was still on their bodies from the run they had finished. But this was far more heart-rate inducing than any run they had ever gone on.

“I think I like you.” Suna used a hand to hold her face, looking right at her.

“That’s nice.” Suna shoved her shoulder, making her fall on her back as she started laughing and slightly rolling from side to side. Suna scoffed, rolling his eyes and falling onto his own back.

“That was and is going to be my only attempt at romance ever. I hope you know that. You’ve crushed any other chance for me being any sort of cute.” Suna mourned the fatality that had just occurred.

She pressed his shoulders down, and leaned over him. Then, she kissed him and ran.

Suna took chase quite quickly, stumbling a little at the shock, but he was racing for more than just training for volleyball. He had to win this race. Suna knew she let him catch up to her. She was spoon-feeding him all the right chances and opportunities, and he ate it all up.

“I need water.” He was holding her over his shoulder, and he was exhausted after running. He walked to the water cooler by the field bleachers.

“Let me down from here, I belong on the ground.” She kicked her feet a little, but he just clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

“You’d be on the ground if you didn’t make my heart sink into my stomach at your response to my confession.”

“I’d really truly not call that a confession. You just said you liked me, which is true for an awful lot of people. I think even Kita-”

He put her back on the ground and covered her mouth with his hand. He raised his eyebrows, just asking her to try that one more time. She raised her hands in surrender.

The rest of the year went by swimmingly (read: runningly). Run club almost every other day, which now featured eating at the dining hall together for the last call meal.

One of his favorite memories from that year was buying running shoes together.

When they went to buy running shoes, it had been a whole day affair. She took her crossbody bag and waited for him at the front of the school gates way too early in the morning. A disastrous nine in the morning meeting time, and on a Saturday too. He was tired only because he had made the unfortunate decision to call Osamu and Atsumu to his dorm that night for both outfit advice and behavior advice.

“I think you should nix the shoe-buying and just make-out the whole day while you’re away from school.” Atsumu ate another chip from the bag that was laying on his stomach, he was lounging on Suna’s bed without a care in the world.

Osamu took the chips and shoved them into the garbage bin. After throwing Atsumu the middle finger, he spoke to Suna, “Just be yourself, you haven’t started calling the pair of you a couple or anything yet, so as far as you know, it’s just a hang-out between friends.”

Suna held up a linen shirt in front of himself, waiting for Osamu’s genuinely constructive assessment. As he did so, Kita walked past the open dorm room and watched as Suna kept switching between the linen shirt and a regular Uniqlo grey shirt.

“She likes boys who wear basic clothes, go with the grey shirt. Linen can be for your first wedding anniversary.” Atsumu howled at Kita’s comment, and Osamu threw a volleyball at Kita through the door, which he caught effortlessly.

The grey shirt was the best decision he made, because their outfits ended up matching. Grey shirts and green cargo pants. She took a photo of them to celebrate a boy actually having fashion taste at their school. She was holding up a peace sign and Suna had his hand on the top of her head.

He didn’t mind that she took her time trying on all the shoes, every new pair she calculated and did little motions in. He just sat on the bench as she kept walking back and forth trying to imagine running in the shoes.

It was either the beige pair or the black and white pair. He was partial to the black and white pair because they looked like his own shoes, both for running and for volleyball. But the beige shoes had an appeal because she looked at them like they were just perfect.

So, he bought her the black and white pair.

They were sitting on the train and he was holding the shoe boxes on his lap, and she was holding her phone in front of the both of them, they were watching a video about volleyball. When he had expressed that his favorite team was EJP Raijin, she picked that as her favorite team too, and they watched all the games together. The video was a highlight reel of some of the best plays done by EJP Raijin.

She was leaning her head on his shoulder, and he thought that this was the best that life could get for him.

The worst was when she and all the third years on his team graduated. He had never been one for goodbyes. Especially since he knew she would still be around the next year going to university in central Hyogo, and she had been talking to her coaches about letting her be an assistant coach for the Inarizaki track and cross country clubs. It was just giving up on his close relationship with her so she could go and do her own thing in college.

Then his birthday rolled around, January 25th. It was cold outside and Suna was throwing his volleyball up into the air as he laid on his back. It had been a year since she had graduated. She visited frequently, but she was always so busy with only doing her job that Suna could only sit aside and pout.

She had never asked him to be her boyfriend, but he supposes that he never asked her to let him be her boyfriend either. He had been in a mood the whole day. He really did just miss being with her. He also missed running. The cold weather had made Atsumu ban everyone from staying outside too long, so no running in the fresh air, only in circles in the gym while Osamu just shouted out things that L/N was probably doing with other boys so Suna wouldn’t stop running from boredom.

Atsumu texted him and told him to come to the track field. So obviously, it had to be some form of a joke. Atsumu never encouraged his players to disobey the rules, especially the ones he made up himself.

Still, Suna put on his heaviest coat and stomped outside.

It was the best birthday present ever.

His favorite person was warming up on the track, stretching out her legs and doing her little hops that drove him crazy. He thinks he never ran faster.

“What are you doing here? Track season doesn’t start for another month?” He held onto her like she would disappear if he let go, playing with her hair and rubbing his freezing nose into her neck.

“It’s your birthday? What kind of friend am I?” She held her hands behind his neck. Somehow her hands were always warm, so the skin on his nape prickled for a second before he realized that he actually wanted her hands all over his exposed face.

“I would hope you’re not a friend at all, especially considering the things I think at night.”

“You murder me in your dreams?”

“You’re so annoying, I could actually just squish you right now.”

“Squish me?” She laughed and he could feel her whole body shake with joy. “And you said you’d never say anything cute ever again.”

They went for a short jog, and Suna realized she had gotten even better at running. They stopped their run at a small convenience store, and she was picking through the hot drink section. Suna just rested his head on his hands that were resting on the length of a shelf, watching her inspect the different cans.

She bought two green teas and threw one to Suna as they sat outside the store, watching the snow begin to fall and make a frosted world the new normal.

“What did you get me as a birthday present?” Suna pushed his knee against hers. Tilting her head, she held up the green tea. “That does not count as my birthday present.”

“Okay, now that I make somewhat grown up money, what is it that my favorite Sunarin wants for his little birthday?” She made an effort to baby talk as corny as she could.

He started at her jaw, pressing small kisses, giving her an out if she wanted, but she just happily sipped her tea. He pushed the can down so he could finally kiss her the way he wanted to all those times he had chickened out.

When he licked her bottom lip, and tried to open her mouth more, she pushed him away, just slightly.

“Woah there buddy.” Suna bit her ear in response, “At least make me your girlfriend geez.”

“Done.”

He just wouldn’t let her break up with him. He committed so hard to that philosophy that she had a ring on her finger to prove it the very next year. It was just the engagement ring he said, he had another one planned for when they would actually get married.

She got even better at running, but her real passions lied in helping others advance their physical skills, which is why Suna got her the athletic trainer position on his team, EJP Raijin. Half so he could see her everyday, and half so that he could get mandated massages from her.

She still made him run though, and he enjoyed it more everyday.

It was a run club, with just the two of them.

8 YEARS LATER...

“Ryohei! Remi! Slow down!” Suna yelled after the twins. She was busy with a new workout for some of his teammates, so he had to take their sons out for a run. He was still trying to teach them how to pace themselves when it came to the longer runs. They were only 6 but they had the energy of firecrackers, at least for the first ten minutes of the run.

He quickly caught up and his kids were both panting and insulting each other.

“I beat you!” Remi put his hands on his hips.

“No way! I touched the tree years before you did!” Ryohei was close to punching the identical copy of himself.

Suna just rubbed his hands on their heads. Turning them around so they could make their way home. On the way back, they stopped at the bookstore so Suna could buy some of the books he remember Y/N had mentioned a few weeks ago. Ryohei was the bookworm out of the two, so he asked for a new book as well. Remi just poked around until he found the video game section and asked if he could get a new game. Suna was weak to resist.

They were dragging their feet and complaining. Suna could feel his eye twitching slightly, before he remembered what was planned for dinner.

“I think mommy’s got udon waiting for us at home.” That put the right amount of pep in their step to get them running again.

Ryohei and Remi were kicking each other under the kotatsu table until Suna pulled them up so they were standing and told them to go get sleep clothes on. Letting Suna kick Y/N instead.

“Stop it.” Suna nudged his knee against her’s. “I mean it, I’ll make you sleep in their room instead of ours.”

Suna shrugged.

“Did you run today?” Suna ate another bite of his food.

“No, I was too busy dealing with your ragamuffins until you got back from practice.” She rested her head on the table, finally enjoying a moment of peace and silence.

“I know just the right workout to make up for missing a run.”

“I’ll kill you.”

“Easy there, I can see where our kids get their energy from. Because we both know it’s not me.”

She raised an eyebrow, “I don’t know about that, there’s a few times where you really let loose and went stir crazy. I recall multiple times when I was in college, oh and that time in high school when you chewed out a gay man because you believed Atsumu’s lies.”

Suna scoffed, asking her to let that one go, because Ito just had to tell that story at their wedding reception and his mom still called him about it for a good laugh.

When Suna and Y/N heard a crash in the upstairs bathroom, where their kids were supposed to be brushing their teeth, and then complete silence. They looked at each other and just laughed.

Maybe a run club of four was just a little bit better than a run club of just two.

[paraliveimaginesblog]

hi, can I ask for headcanons for cozmez with a crying s/o fem, who is emotional and sensitive, so much so that she even cries from emotion :')) (a plus, s/o cry when she hear this is my love the first time) tkmmm~

(not to highjack your ask but i'm adding characters bc I love this idea/concept........)

Kanata Yatonokami:

Kanata feels like this isn’t the normal reaction one should have. He knew you were emotional but still, had he done something wrong? Had he said it wrong? Should he take it back? His racing thoughts are only calmed when you assured him you loved him too, leaving him relieved and a little annoyed that you made him panic like that.

Nayuta Yatonokami:

Nayuta was stunned despite preparing himself for this reaction, knowing you cried rather easily. He can’t say he enjoyed seeing you cry but knowing your feelings ran that deep was enough to make him feel emotional, too. He doesn’t cry but gives you an affectionate head pat, comforting you as you repeatedly tell him you loved him too.

Extra

Hajun Yeon:

Hajun already didn’t want to share his feelings, and now he has to figure out how to soothe yours? He supposed this was deserved from how difficult he tended to be, so of course you’d be overwhelmed with emotion when he was finally vulnerable with you. He let out an awkward chuckle and patted your back, still trying to figure out the best course of action to get you to stop crying before Anne or Allen got nosy about the situation.

Satsuki Ito:

Satsuki might take some emotional damage seeing your tears. He worked overtime to never be the cause of them, and happy tears were a foreign concept until he considered how he’d react to you being the one to confess first. He’d like to play the cool guy by wiping your tears but he was starting to get choked up himself. He resorted to pulling you into a tight hug, managing to hide his own tears just in time.

Yohei Kanbayashi:

Yohei was gonna chainsmoke ten cigarettes minimum after this. Crying was the last thing he thought he’d have to account for, regardless of your emotional nature. He’s glad this moment came with no one else around at all or he’d look like a bully, especially as he begged you to stop crying. He let out a sigh of relief when you stopped, glad you at least returned the sentiment before becoming a total mess.

[seasidefallenangel]

playfighting!

notes: kanata yatonokami, iori suiseki, nayuta yatonokami, zen gaho, satsuki ito, yuto inukai x reader, play/fake fighting, fluff.

kanata:

who wins? depends.

✣ probably one of your worse ideas, if we’re being real. he has to be in a specific mood in order to go along with your whims. half the time he ends up shoving you off of him whilst looking like an irritated cat. when he does fight back, he’s careful not to actually hurt you even though you can’t tell with his gritted teeth and narrow brows. there’s a good chance you can take him out and he’ll just huff and ask if you’re done being stupid ; but be warned that while he’s not very muscular, he does sometimes get a rush of adrenaline in a fight that gives him a quick edge over his opponent and the same applies here - before you know it, you’re underneath while he looks down at you, unimpressed. “annoying,” he’ll mutter, and before you can protest he’ll give you a chaste kiss on the lips before leaving and acting like the situation never happened at all. 

iori:

who wins? you.

✣ realistically, iori could knock you out in one quick strike - however, he loves you a lot and loves being the source of your happiness just as much which means he will always let you win. always. you could give the most half hearted attack towards him and he’ll be falling dramatically, going on about how his beloved has betrayed him and left him to die. his shit eating grin as he does so takes any chance of believing him and squashes it. the only retaliation he offers is gently tugging you down with him as he lays on the floor and letting your body rest atop his. he’ll give you that stupid lovesick look he always has when you’re in the room and lean up to kiss your forehead, mumbling a sweet nothing about how proud he is of you for being so brave and strong.

nayuta:

who wins? nobody.

✣ nayuta specializes in stealthily dealing with people rather than physically, as shown by when he pickpockets those thugs for shiki. and even then, he doesn’t really feel like exerting the energy needed to pin you down most of the time. so what's his solution? act like a big baby. the second you launch at him or anything of the sort, he’ll whip out the pout and puppy-dog eye combo with the full knowledge it tugs at your heartstrings. he’s so unbearably cute that you just give up and smother him in hugs and kisses instead, something he’d much rather participate in.

satsuki:

who wins? you.

satsuki is actively terrified a simple hug from him will hurt you, you think he’d ever fight back? he’ll be surprised for a moment when you jump onto his back and almost go to retaliate before realizing it’s you and instead stiffening from such blatant contact. there’s a moment where he’s scared you’re mad at him and that’s why you attacked him, but once you explain you’re just playing around he’ll stand there and take whatever you give him. he’s a relatively built guy so the chance you do any actual harm is minimal, and he'll just be elated you're acting so adorably around him. the raging blush on his face has a higher chance of KOing him than you do.

zen: who wins? him, but he tried to let you win.

this man is built like a brick wall. there is 0% chance you’d be able to knock him down or do him much damage at all if you’re just playing with him. he’ll look at you with a little bit of confusion while you struggle to try and get him to budge. it turns into a smile when you drum your fists against his chest while complaining about how he’s too damn muscular. “alright then,” he’ll laugh and relax his body to give you a better chance, “do your worst, love.” it ends with him apologizing profusely for the way you landed on your ass when trying to push him over. 

yuto:

who wins? hancho.

yuto on his own is a bit of an easy target. sure, he’s a prison guard but you’re not a prisoner and he wouldn’t want to harm you. besides, he kinda leaves “cop mode” behind once he’s home with you so it would be a huge shock to him when you sneak up and tackle him down on the couch. he’ll stammer and blush while you straddle his hips with his wrists pinned above his head, and your victory looks to be assured when a familiar red glint appears in his eyes. “where’s all that bark from before?” hancho will growl in your ear with a smirk on his face as you wriggle helplessly beneath him. 

[lady-villain-imagines]

Tell Me I’m The Best

Tomie x wlw!Reader Drabble

I just want her y’know. Y’know?

TW for probably unhealthy relationship dynamics, possessiveness and jealousy. NSFW implied

You were sprawled in a stupidly large, comfortable bed, fluffy comforters almost devouring you. Music played softly over a radio placed on a dresser across the room, along with the soft hum of the bedrooms overhead fan slowly whirling in steady circles. The room was a mess, clothing and makeup haphazardly laying around. Several juicy gossip column magazines had been thrown around here and there. You had one such magazine in your hands, lazily reading the salacious dramatized versions of the latest love lives of the rich and famous.

You were in the room of your… well. It was hard to describe what you were. Girlfriend didn’t sound right, and lover sounded stupid. Situationship, maybe? Friends with benefits except you don’t see anyone else? There wasn’t a name for being gal pals with a creature who regularly twisted men to her will, driving them mad with desire and in turn often getting herself maimed in horrific ways.

She was a monster, countless murders were because of her. What she even was was never spoken about. You weren’t sure if even Tomie knew. You knew there were… others of her. She had been very displeased in disclosing that, as if you would run off to find another Tomie. Of course there wasn’t a chance you would ever do something stupid like that. For whatever reason she decided you would be who she let hold her at night when she was so sought after, you counted yourself as the luckiest son of a bitch in the world. Not saying she didn’t have her ‘quirks’.

“You’re really reading that when I’m standing right here?” A shrill voice broke the lull, sharp and commanding. Lowering the magazine to look at the source, the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen was standing at the end of the bed with her hands on her hips. There she was… Tomie. The girl of everyone’s dreams. And boy, did she look pissed.

Her perfect face scrunched up as she glared down at you. You just stared at her for a moment before using your quick thinking to deduce why she was mad (this time). Ah, of course…you hadn’t watched her the second she came back into the room and dared to look elsewhere.

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to read now.” You responded sarcastically, clearly not phased by her attitude. You were used to it.

“You should be sorry. I’m standing here before you, and you don’t even look up? You’d rather have your nose buried in a stupid magazine?” She responded with a huff and a roll of her eyes. You bit back telling her it was her stupid magazine in the first place, “What could be so interesting, huh?”

After that, you were jostled as she flopped into the blankets next to you. You laughed as she had to shimmy & roll a bit to get over to you. She was wearing comfortable clothes, a simple tank top and shorts that showed off her pristine skin. It was always a wonder to you how she had no scars despite the wounds you had seen her with. She has no obvious marks on her skin besides the beauty mark near her eye. God, you loved that beauty mark. You loved all of her.

Tomie looked disdainfully at the trashy magazine before snaking her way into your arms, head on your chest as she got into a position so she could read with you as you held the magazine out for the both of you. She was cold, her hand resting on your stomach where your shirt had ridden up. You didn’t know if she did it on purpose, but she gently let the tips of her fingers slide under your shirt, just enough to rest her whole palm over your lower stomach. It gave you butterflies.

The two of you read through the magazines pages, laughing and gasping appropriately at the drama. You would both make comments (hers far crueler than yours) about people’s outfits. When it came to a page of particularly beautiful women in a fashion show, you feel Tomie’s eyes slide to you. This was definitely a test and you passed by quickly turning the page. Regardless, Tomie was tired of sharing your attention with the pictured women and she took the magazine out of your hands, propping herself up on her elbow besides you. She tossed it to join all of the other discarded items on the floor.

“Enough of those cheap girls. You don’t need to look at them when I’m here.” She was right. You looked over at her, opening up your arms a bit more to invite her further into your space. She leaned forwards, lips brushing yours. Her lipgloss smelled like cherries, her silky hair spilling towards you. Everything about her was intoxicating.

Your lips pressed into hers and she immediately sprung her trap. Sitting up, she pressed her palms against your shoulders to pin you to the mattress as she pulled away from the all too short kiss. Slinging her leg over your body, she sat on your stomach. It was a little uncomfortable but you were certainly not going to complain. After she was in position, she looked down at you triumphantly. If she was a spider, you were a willing fly walking into her web.

“There we go. Now you’re looking at me, as you should be.” Her manicured nails gently caressed your face as you were looking up at her in clear admiration. “Well? Are you going to say something or just stare at me?”

“What can I say besides what you already know?” That was a rhetorical question. You knew damn well she wanted to - needed to - hear you shower her in compliments. “That you’re gorgeous? More stunning than any of those girls in that magazine.. no, in any magazine.”

In response, Tomie hummed on top of you, her nails now grazing down your throat to run over your collar bone. It was also not missed how she lowered herself more onto you, giving a slight grind against you. That was encouragement if you’d ever had any.

“I’m so lucky to be here with you. You make my life as beautiful as you are.” You gently placed your hands on the sides of her thighs lovingly. Her lip twitched, her expression shifting minutely. She struggled hearing actual romantic sentiments. Being treated like a person and not an object of someone’s crazed obsession was a new experience she was trying to cope with. You tried to continue the sincere sweet talking,

“I mean it…I’ve never been with a girl like you-“

At the mention of other girls you had dated she snapped her hands down next to your head and got close to your face with her eyes hysterical. It had been blindingly fast, and the face she wore was chilling in an uncanny way, like it was something trying to be human but let it slip for a minute. It was small reminders like this that wouldn’t let you forget she was not human, not in the slightest.

“Tell me I’m the best you’ve ever had.” Her eyes were practically pinpricks as she bore them into yours. You shivered at the intensity of it, knowing the dangers of the woman pinning you down.

“You’re the best I’ve ever had.”

After your breathless response, she dove onto you in an aggressive kiss. Her hands had practically morphed to claws as she grasped the sides of your face, sliding up to your hair as she caught your lip in her teeth, looking you in the eyes with that same crazed gaze. You winced as blood broke the surface of your soft lip, her blunt teeth breaking the skin with ease. She slid her tongue over your lip, unabashedly tasting your blood. Letting out a soft groan, her hands tightened again before she was forcing your mouth open with her possessive tongue now rolling around yours. Grinding down onto your hips, she was much stronger than she looked. You were both getting worked up, your hands clutching her soft thighs now. Tomie unlatched herself from your face, still keeping pressure on your hips.

“Good girl. Of course I am.” She smiled proudly, smugness rolling off of her. The iron taste in your mouth of your own blood lingered as she swiped a finger over your ripped open bottom lip. She collected your blood on it & had the gall to look down at you with disgust like it was your fault. “Gross. Bleeding everywhere like that.” Despite that, she licked it off her finger anyways.

Even with her weight leaning on you, and you clearly trying to grind against her as well, she just sat there for a moment looking down at you. Her hair was perfect still, not a strand out of place.

“You’re the best I’ve had, too.” Tomie admitted. It was a rare genuine moment from her. Without letting you process that one (AKA say more sappy shit that made her feel something) she leaned forwards again to lock her intense eyes with you. She smiled and it was off, a little too smooth, too wide, to be normal. It morphed into a wolfish grin as her breath brushed against your mouth.

“And I don’t plan on letting you go any time soon.”

[mera-k1]

Paralive - NNN

cozmez & AKYR x gn!reader

-smut, fav not here? check this!

-> kanata brushes it off and says he's not doing it. he says that you can do it but he's not playing some silly challenge just for you to try to sabotage him. he's secretly joining in his mind but he won't admit it and every time you try to make a move he'll use you as an excuse saying that you're doing that challenge so you're not allowed to have sex with him! lasts the whole month...

-> nayuta is a little uninterested in this silly challenge and yet he goes along with it anyways. if you keep bugging him about it then what's the harm in just going along with it? he could last the whole month without much effort, brushing off your attempts at sabotaging him each time. he has such an easy time doing it too...

-> iori will sure give you a run for your money during the challenge, especially if you participate. he'll tease you the whole month all while holding onto his own self control. he makes it seem so easy when he laughs off your attempts to make him give in too! he lasts the whole month much to your disappointment...

-> zen has a relatively easy time during the month. he sort of forgets about it until you bring it up and ask him how he's holding up. he's not one of be focused on sex so it doesn't effect him much! he is very dedicated to the challenge though... trying to last the whole month even if you pout!

-> hokusai isn't one to focus solely on sex in a relationship. he doesn't take the month seriously per se but he does remind you of it if you attempt to throw him off. he likes that he can have intimacy with you in different ways! easily lasting the whole month.

-> satsuki... unfortunately we all know the truth. he is not lasting the whole month. he can't resist any teasing you throw his way and while he goes in confident that he'll succeed... he suddenly realizes, a week in, that he really can't. you're just too irresistible!