#just koi tings

[cera-writes]

Requesting Nightcrawler with a mutant who prefers animals to people. They tolerate and later fall for Kurt because he treats everyone and everything around him with gentleness and genuine care.

A/N: thanks for requesting this! I think we can all agree Kurt is a huge lover of animals <3 Pairing: Kurt Wagner x gn!reader Tags: Introvert/extrovert friendship, developing feelings, mutual respect, empathy, animal communication, feeling like an outsider, found family

Kindred Spirits

The Danger Room hummed as it deactivated, the acrid tang of burnt wires filling the air. You sank against the deactivated training bot, massaging your temples. Another grueling session of hand-to-hand combat left you feeling drained. You weren't built for close-quarters fights. Your mutation, while interesting, wasn't exactly combat-oriented. You could converse with animals, understand their thoughts and emotions. A skill that, you often felt, was wasted in the X-Mansion's focus on battle.

A soft thud caught your attention. Nightcrawler perched on the bot beside you, his tail swishing gently. "Rough session?" he asked, his voice laced with concern that felt genuine, a rarity amongst the boisterous X-Men.

You shrugged, a low sigh escaping your lips. "It's not my forte." Truthfully, it wasn't just the fighting. You yearned for the quiet companionship of animals, a yearning your fellow X-Men didn't quite understand. They found solace in training, in the camaraderie of shared experiences. You craved the solitude of the woods, the gentle understanding of a curious deer or a wise old owl.

Nightcrawler tilted his head, his yellow eyes filled with empathy. "I understand," he said softly. "Sometimes, the chaos can be overwhelming. Even for someone who thrives on it."

You glanced at him, surprised. "You get it?"

"Of course," he chuckled, a sound like wind chimes. "Being different can sometimes make you feel like you don't belong. But that doesn't make you any less valuable."

His words struck a chord. You'd always felt like an outsider, more comfortable deciphering the chirps of sparrows than the banter of humans. Yet, there was Nightcrawler, a walking embodiment of "different," accepting you with open arms.

The following weeks saw an unexpected friendship blossom. You found yourself drawn to Nightcrawler's quiet gentleness. He wasn't just kind to people, but to everything around him. You watched him patiently soothe a scared kitty in a back alley, his voice a soothing murmur that calmed even the most agitated beast. He spoke to stray dogs on the city's streets, his words eliciting happy tail wags. You, the introvert, found yourself drawn out of your shell, enjoying the quiet conversations you shared with him, the gentle teasing tinged with a genuine respect that warmed your heart.

One afternoon at the park, you found him by the koi pond, his blue form a stark contrast to the vibrant fish. You approached hesitantly, your voice barely a whisper. "What are you doing?"

He looked up, a smile gracing his pointed features. "Just admiring the silence," he said, gesturing to the fish. "They have such a peaceful energy, don't they?"

You sat beside him, drawn to his peaceful aura. You confessed your introversion, your longing for the quiet companionship of animals. The words that usually felt awkward tumbled out easily, unburdened by judgment.

He listened intently, his expression filled with understanding. "Many find strength in crowds," he said softly, "but there's nothing wrong with finding solace in solitude. It's a different kind of strength, but strength nonetheless." He met your gaze with his warm yellow eyes. "And your ability to connect with animals," he continued, "that's a gift, Mein Freund. It shows a depth of empathy most people can only dream of."

His words filled you with a newfound sense of confidence. For the first time, you saw your introversion not as a weakness, but as a strength. And your connection with animals, a skill often scoffed at by others, was a gift.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the pond, you leaned your head against his shoulder, a silent gesture of gratitude. He didn't need words. His smile, warm and genuine, spoke volumes. In that quiet moment, you realized you weren't alone. You had found a kindred spirit, someone who understood your need for solitude, someone who saw the beauty in your differences, someone who, just like you, possessed a heart that resonated with the quiet whispers of the natural world.

A wistful look crossed Nightcrawler's face as he spoke of his past. "Back at the circus," he said softly, "I used to spend hours with the animals. They never judged me for my appearance. We understood each other in a way most humans couldn't."

You reached out, placing a hand on his arm. A silent understanding passed between you, a shared love for creatures who offered companionship without judgment. In that quiet moment, you realized you weren't alone. Not anymore.

[hotwaterandmilk]

Just a reminder that the first volume of Nanao Tomo's The Hachioji Speciality: Tengu's Love comes out in English from Yen Press this week. I already double-dipped on the Japanese volumes, but I'm going back for more with the English volume too.

While a lot of series captivate me with their plot, Hachioji Meibutsu: Tengu no Koi grabbed my attention with its beautiful retro-tinged art and has continued to hold my interest with its atmosphere.

So why is this series such a highlight in the current ASUKA magazine lineup? I've tried to breakdown my thoughts (albeit sleepily) on why I like this title and why other readers might be keen to give it a shot now that it's enjoying an English-language release.

The series description from Yen Press describes the series as follows:

"Can a determined tengu bride change a lonesome bachelor’s ways? Well, it’s not like he’s got much of a choice— ’cos she’s already moving in! Young systems engineer Kotarou has had to make his own way in life. Nothing remains of his early childhood before he was orphaned—nothing except his grandparents’ antique house in Hachioji and memories of Hime, the winged spirit girl he’s come to dismiss as a youthful flight of fancy. But after his return to Hachioji and reunion with Hime, it becomes impossible to deny the existence of his fine, feathery friend—especially given that she’s declared they’re getting married at second sight!"

Which makes it sound like you're signing up for a typical 90s-style magical girlfriend series and, well, to an extent you are. Hime is beautiful, powerful and innocent in the ways of the human world. Kotarou on the other hand is somewhat average, cynical human who now finds himself saddled with an otherworldly bride. Hijinks ensue!

What I think helps Tenkoi differentiate itself from other series with similar setups (aside from the stunning art) is that it gives both the reader and the characters time to breathe, to be in each other's company, and exist without needing constant jokes. There's this ancient peace to Hime's village and a gentleness in her exchanges with Kotarou, even as a gaggle of her relatives argues around them.

Even the gag moments have a beauty and sense of pacing about them that's hard to find these days. We actually get the space to see Hime interact with the vacuum, for example. What so many titles might have condensed into 3 panels at best is expanded here, allowed to sit, presented to us for enjoyment. I just love that about Tenkoi, there is no real rush even when the series is moving Hime and Kotarou's relationship forward.

There's a willingness in Tenkoi to sit with difficult moments, mundane moments, humorous moments and moments of affection. To let each have its time to unfurl, to let us savour them all.

There's also an appreciation of the Hachioji region and the way the local population interact with the natural and spiritual world despite being in a suburban location (though this comes up a bit more by the second volume).

Another thing I like is that while there are a few gags about Kotarou being entranced by and touching Hime's wings (which she says are off-limits) overall Kotarou is a decent guy. While initially unsure about the situation he supports Hime in leaving the village for her own sake, aiming to empower her rather than to score himself a tengu bride. While at one point in the first volume he gets frustrated by just how hard it is to hide a lively tengu from the world, he soon sees the error in his ways and again pledges to support Hime in whatever she chooses to do.

It's just nice to see a male lead who can be wrong, admit he was wrong, and strive to make things right with the people around him in such a mature way? He sleeps on it and is like fuck, I was an asshole my life is better with her in it and immediately gets his shit together. Some leads can go dozens of volumes without figuring out that much so it was nice to see that corner turned early on in the series.

I should mention that food is an important part of how love is expressed in this series and a big part of how Hime begins to learn about the human world, so if food is a major trigger for you then Tenkoi might be best avoided. However, there are minimal other warnings I can think of for those considering starting the series (aside from consent being established regarding Hime's wings).

Tenkoi is still ongoing in ASUKA (which is published bi-monthly these days) so there's only two print volumes right now. There's enough little moments in this lushly rendered and atmospheric supernatural love story that it could go for many years at its current clip, but whether that happens remains to be seen.

Right now though I enjoy Tenkoi for being a simple story told well and with heart. If you're not looking for major plot innovation and are happy to just spend time in the presence of these characters experiencing simple joys in Hachioji, then this is a title I recommend.

(Also Hime is super cute, I adore her.)

[ebonystarfall]

Can I request a oneshot of Kui Mulang x Jade Maiden rencarnate except they're a demon with koi fish attributes (like the same color scheme as the Jade Maiden but with pretty scales and a flowy tail)

Wolf Fangs and Koi Scales

Kui Mulang x Jade Maiden Reincarnate (Koi Fish Demon)

Created by: Starlight, Owner 2.

Type of content: Oneshot

Point of view: Second

Word Count: 1,089

TW: Mentions of murder, small angst (I wasn’t aware that I had added that in), possible ooc (it could be in character, we just haven’t seen how he is around the Jade Maiden. After all, he was basically featured in one episode.)

A/N: Starlight here. Starbeam (Owner 1) put me in charge of this ask. If you notice a different style of writing for both of us, then you’re right. I get most of my writing styles from reading too many classic books. (Please save me) However, I don’t mind getting to be a little silly on my main account. You can definitely see the clear difference between us 😊

REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED

Silence. Irritating, lonely silence. It reverberated in the ears of Kui Mulang. In any other moment, the air would have been filled with screams—agonized, desperate cries of those whose souls he devoured, savoring their terror with a cruel smile. Yet now, only the oppressive quiet of the throne room surrounded him. A weary, disenchanted sigh escaped his lips. Perhaps he had grown weary of this existence. Was it truly so difficult to find his lost love once more? Had the relentless march of Time claimed her irrevocably? Was he merely clinging to a mirage of hope? No, he could not succumb to doubt. He had ventured too far down this dark path to consider redemption. He must press on.

Thus far, his guards had failed to present any new captives. No souls? Kui Mulang assumed that the denizens of the region had received the warning and chosen to keep their distance. Resolving to take matters into his own hands, he decided upon a solitary stroll beyond the palace walls. None would object, he reasoned. Moreover, it had been some time since he last ventured forth, and the diversion would serve to occupy his restless spirit.

A thought unfurled within his mind. What if he were to find the reincarnation of his beloved wandering about? A solemn sigh escaped him as he made his way toward the palace exit. It was a wild notion, indeed, but not one beyond the realm of possibility. Though it was a chance in a thousand, he would grasp it. Kui Mulang surveyed the palace’s exterior surroundings and commenced his walk along the dirt road, his gaze fixed solemnly ahead.

Memories of the Jade Maiden surfaced: her radiant smile in response to his words, her voice as melodious as a harp, and her laughter—that he missed most. It was her laughter that could banish the oppressive silence of his palace. In truth, he had never regarded that cold and dark palace as a home. Nowhere could he deem a home without her presence.

—

He had been walking for quite some time now. The moon had ascended higher in the sky since he last glimpsed it. Lost in contemplation during his quiet stroll, he unexpectedly encountered a river. How peculiar—it seemed unfamiliar to him. Could his memory of the outside world be fading? No, he must simply have overlooked it before. The demon approached the riverbank, determining it was an decent place to pause and rest briefly. Yet, from the corner of his lavender eyes, he detected a movement…or was it a figure?

He tensed, squinting at the disturbance in the water. It might have been a mere fish, but few fish boasted scales so elongated. Kui Mulang called out, his voice tinged with both curiosity and a chilling edge.

“Who lurks there? Reveal yourself, or face... consequences.”

He was greeted by the sound of splashing—yes, unmistakably splashing, farther downstream. Stealthily and with great caution, he traced the source of the sound, and his eyes widened at the sight before him. There you were, a demon resembling a koi fish. Your fins and scales cascaded elegantly, reminiscent of flowing robes in hues of white and sunset orange. He was struck with astonishment. What manner of power did you possess? Who were you, truly?

"You appear troubled. But fear not. I'm y/n, and you must be the owner of the palace not far from here," you said, your smile warm and kind.

He was taken aback. His guards had never mentioned finding you, and if they had, they certainly hadn't brought you to the palace. Your smile seemed innocent, brimming with joy. He felt an urge to shatter your soul and consume it on the spot, yet found himself unable to proceed. Why? Not even a cruel demon like him could answer that question.

“Are you aware of the fact that I could kill you right now?”

“Of course.”

“But you won’t run- or, well, swim away?”

“If you were going to harm me, you would’ve done so already.”

The wolf demon had paused, contemplating your words. You were correct, he realized. He could have struck the moment he spotted movement in the water. Even if you were merely another demon, he couldn't fathom why he had refrained from devouring your soul. Was it because you reminded him of... her? No, that couldn't be. You could never be the Jade Maiden, despite the unsettling resemblance in your smile and the way your fins and tail resembled her elegant attire. The parallels were uncanny.

“Are you aware of who I am? Truly, do you know my name, or what I have done besides being the cause of demise for the creatures in the area?”

“…I was planning on asking you the same. You feel like a stranger I’ve crossed paths with before. Many times, in fact.”

Kui Mulang took a surprised step forward, disguising it with a throat-clearing cough. It all seemed too good to be true. You didn't appear to remember him entirely, but there were hints of familiarity in your manner. Even one memory would be enough. If you truly didn't recall... he would gladly bring you back to the palace and assist you in any way he could. Hope surged within him, albeit tinged with desperation. Part of him wished you would deny knowing him at all, so he could get rid of this false hope and consume your soul. Yet, it felt like you were being sincere. And that genuinely frightened him. Fear gripped him—the fear of losing the Jade Maiden, of losing what he had just found.

With utmost gentleness, he took your hands in his and gazed into your eyes. He detected a hint of surprise in your expression as your hands rested in his grasp, along with a touch of fluster. He whispered softly in your ear, his voice slightly hesitant yet filled with hope, “Who was I to you in those memories?”

“…you were someone that I felt like I cared about, it felt like I loved you. Isn’t that strange?”

A small, hesitant smile crept onto his face as he suddenly enveloped you in his arms, drawing you close in a tight embrace, indifferent to his robes becoming damp from the river. He almost felt as though he were hallucinating from the sheer joy of the moment. Closing his eyes, he buried his head against your shoulder.

“Dearest, I could never think it was strange…”

“It still seems surprising, of course.”

“Ah, still as humorous as ever, I see.”

[muteshortgirl]

When They Confess

Slightly Cheesy?

Shinobu Kocho- Fragrance of Love

One sunny day, Shinobu invites the reader for a walk through a serene and picturesque garden. As they stroll amidst the vibrant flowers and delicate butterflies, Shinobu's heart races with nervous anticipation. She takes a deep breath and musters the courage to express her feelings.

Stopping near a tranquil koi pond, Shinobu turns to the reader with a soft smile. Her eyes, shimmering with warmth, meet theirs. She begins to speak, her voice filled with sincerity and affection.

"Ever since we met, you've brought so much brightness into my life," Shinobu says, her words carrying a gentle melody. "Your presence has been like a warm ray of sunlight, melting away the darkness in my heart. I find myself thinking of you constantly, and my admiration for you only grows with each passing day."

As she continues, Shinobu reaches into a small pouch she carries with her. With a delicate hand, she retrieves a small vial filled with a vivid blue liquid—a concoction she has prepared with her intricate knowledge of medicine and herbs.

"This vial holds a unique fragrance, crafted with love and care," Shinobu explains, her voice filled with a hint of playfulness. "Its scent is a symbol of my affection for you—a way to express my emotions beyond words."

Shinobu uncorks the vial, allowing the fragrance to waft gently in the air. The sweet aroma envelops them, creating an ethereal ambiance. She extends the vial towards the reader, their eyes meeting once again.

"I would be honored if you would accept this token of my affection," Shinobu says, her voice laced with vulnerability. "Just like this fragrance, my love for you is subtle yet profound. It may not be loud or flashy, but it's pure and unwavering. Will you allow me to cherish and protect you with all my heart?"

As Y/n takes the vial from Shinobu's outstretched hand, a gentle blush tinges their cheeks. Their heart races with joy, realizing the depth of Shinobu's feelings. With a grateful smile, they accept her confession, knowing that they have found a love as tender and beautiful as the blooming flowers in the garden.

Mitsuri Kanroji- Heartfelt Love

Mitsuri would plan the perfect day for the confession, wanting everything to be just right. She would take the reader to a serene and beautiful location, perhaps a blooming cherry blossom garden or a tranquil riverside with the sunset painting the sky in vibrant hues. Mitsuri would have a picnic prepared, filled with their favorite foods and sweets.

As they enjoy the picturesque setting, Mitsuri's heart would beat faster with every passing moment. She would take a deep breath, gathering her courage, and turn to the reader with a shy but determined smile.

"Hey, umm... Can I tell you something really important?" she would ask, her voice a little shaky, but filled with sincerity.

Y/n, sensing Mitsuri's nervousness, would give her an encouraging nod, their eyes locked on hers.

Mitsuri would fidget with her fingers for a moment, blushing furiously, before finally blurting out, "I... I love you! Like, really, really love you! You're just so amazing and kind, and every moment we spend together makes my heart feel like it's soaring through the clouds."

She would pause, a mix of anxiety and hope in her eyes, waiting for the reader's response. But before they can say anything, Mitsuri would continue with unwavering determination.

"I know I may seem a little bit clumsy or silly sometimes, but I promise you, my feelings are genuine. I want to be with you, to support you, and make you feel loved every single day. You're my sunshine, my inspiration, and the reason I smile so brightly."

Mitsuri's voice would tremble with sincerity and a touch of vulnerability. She would reach out and gently hold the reader's hand, her touch warm and reassuring.

"So, umm, what do you say? Will you... be my special someone? I promise I'll do everything in my power to make you happy, and we'll have the most amazing and love-filled adventures together!"

Her eyes would sparkle with anticipation, waiting for the reader's response, hoping with all her heart that they would reciprocate her feelings.

And as soon as words of acceptance comes from Y/n’s mouth, Mitsuri would immediately have the reader in her warm embrace.

[nowoyas]

koi no yokan 23: come home (nishinoya yuu/reader)

First - Prev - Next - M.list - Ao3

A/N: woe! surprise celebratory "author went to the doctor today and does NOT have cancer and is getting treated for pmdd" update be upon ye!

Summary: You come home from the training camp and have a long-overdue conversation with your father.

Warnings and tags: family drama, subtle homophobia, depictions of a panic attack, discussion of death of a family member

Words: 3300+

That night, having taken a quiet walk back from the school with Noya, you linger on your porch with a lump in your throat. It takes an embarrassing amount of time to open it, an embarrassing amount of time to confront him. You half wonder if Noya's watching you stand there like a coward from his house.

He'd tell you to steel yourself and get it over with.

You jerk the door open without a second thought.

Inside, your father sits on the couch. He looks up from the book on his lap at your intrusion, and you, hopeful, mumble I'm home once the staring contest starts getting boring.

"Welcome back," he says. "Have you eaten?"

"I had a slice of pizza at the rest stop, but that was a few hours ago." Your eyes scan the room—blinds opened, TV on low. Fresh fruit out for Mom—the ones you'd left behind were at risk of turning when you left a week ago—and no trash overflowing from where you can see the can in the kitchen. "I can maybe throw something together. I have some curry in the freezer, so—"

"Let's eat together," he says. "You used to love that donburi place³⁸ nearby, right? We'll go."

The thought of inevitably blowing up at him in the middle of the restaurant makes you feel sick. "Can we do takeout? I'm really tired and don't think I can handle eating in public right now. You know. Because of the concussion."

He blinks. "Sure. We'll do takeout. Do you want to go together to get it, or…"

"Maybe you could pick it up and I can stay back and recover from the bus ride? I've gotta unpack from the week and everything."

"Right. That sounds good. Do you still like the karaage set?"

Oh. He actually remembered that. "Yeah. Thanks. I'm gonna, um… I'm gonna take a quick shower while you're out. I should be done around the time you get back."

"Sounds good. See you in thirty…?"

"Yeah. Don't forget your wallet."

He doesn't. You shower, wash the week off with water so hot that your skin is red-tinged and a little raw when you step out to towel off. You agonize a little over pajama choices—the decision between comfort for a night you're sure is going to blow up or wearing some clothes you don't care that much about so you don't form a negative association with your favorite pajama shorts—and by the time you're downstairs and tossing your laundry into the washer, your father is returning with a plastic bag of your collective dinner.

He sets it on the coffee table as you linger in the hallway. "Ready?"

You sit on the neighboring armchair, take your share of the food. "Thanks for the food."

He nods, takes his order in the same manner. You eat in silence for a bit—when your father can't take it, he turns up the TV to fill the air. When you can't, you resort to delicately balancing your food container on your lap and texting with your off hand. Noya's sent you an additional Soba for the night, perhaps in anticipation of the shit night you're going to have—it's a selfie, really, and he's wearing the same shirt he just walked you home in, bag still hooked on his arm as Soba appears to be headbutting him directly in the face.

Noya: someone missed me

Noya: if you want to come see her tonight, I'm sure she missed you too

You can't help but smile.

[name]: I've definitely missed her 

[name]: coast clear for now but I miss her more every second

"How's the phone treating you?" your dad asks tentatively. "Not due for an upgrade or anything, right?"

You shake your head. "It's great. Uh, thanks."

"If you wanted a newer model—"

"It wouldn't fix anything," you interrupt sharply. "If that's what you're trying to do."

He flinches. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to buy your forgiveness."

You don't answer. The pair of you are left in the same silence as before.

This… doesn't feel any better than eating alone, truthfully. Or maybe you just got used to being alone, and now it feels weird to not be. You don't even know what he wants from you here. Did he think he could just come home and everything be normal? Did he think a fucking meal set was going to undo the past two years of loneliness?

"How was the training camp?"

"It was good. The guys were working really hard, and all the new stuff they've been working on feels like it's finally starting to come together just in time. We've got prelims the day after tomorrow, and I think the bracket's already out and I don't think any of the schools they're up against are any of the particularly strong ones in the prefecture, so they'll have a little more time between the initial qualifiers and the later part of the tournament, if they can just make everything work, and—" You slam your mouth shut. "—sorry, I'm rambling."

"No, no, I'm glad you seem to like it."

"When's my birthday, Otoo-san?" you ask suddenly.

"What?"

"My birthday. When is it."

"July seventh," he says. "Did you think I forgot?"

"I mean, I spent the day alone and the only present I got was a cat picture from my friend, who didn't know why I was asking for one, so…" You shrug.

He blinks slowly. "Isn't it… coming up?"

"You just said the right date. What do you mean, is it coming up?"

He suddenly goes pale. "What month is it?"

Holy shit. He actually doesn't know what month it is. "It's August, Otoo-san. My birthday was last month."

"Shit. [name], I'm—"

"Don't. I guess I already got my confirmation that you didn't do it on purpose. An apology is just going to piss me off."

He sets aside his dinner—mostly done—and pushes himself to stand. "Wait here. I'm heading out."

"Wait—"

"I'll be back in twenty—no, fifteen—minutes."

"But—"

He's out the door before he lets you get a protest out.

~

Hiro nearly trips three times on the way back from the convenience store. He's as careful as he can be while still being quick, careful not to drop his purchase. The cashier—an older woman—had looked at him like he was slightly insane for his urgency, then she'd looked at him with pity when he'd asked about candles.

Back at the house, he half expects you to have left or to have gone upstairs. He'd told you to wait there, but…

Well, you're in the same spot. That's about all the positive things he can say.

You're also knees to chest and hyperventilating, and that's not really what he was expecting to see when he returned.

He sets down the bag on the coffee table, amid the discarded plates and bowls and cups, and rushes to crouch in front of you, hip jolting the table when he drops to his knees. "What happened, what's wrong?"

You don't respond; you're too busy gasping for air, eyes somewhere far away and tears slipping down your cheeks. It's like you don't even notice that he's there.

"[name]," he says sharply.

Nothing. Your hands are clawing at your upper arms desperately for something, nails digging in. When he sees the red lines you're leaving behind, he reaches out and grabs your wrists firmly.

You seem to notice him at last, thrashing back with a wordless yell.

"[name], listen to me—"

"Don't—don't—don't—"

He clocks the fear on your face and it gives him pause. "Okay. I'm going to let you go, but I need you to stop clawing at yourself. Okay?"

You still. He tentatively lets your wrists go, and you wrap your arms around your knees, rocking in the armchair. He can't have been gone that long, but you look like you've just watched someone die. (He'd know. He's seen that face before, in nightmares.)

"Will you tell me what happened?"

"You—" You try, a shrill breath in cutting you off. "You—you left—"

"I just ran to the store," he explains slowly. "It's a ten minute walk, but I ran so I wouldn't be gone long. What's wrong with that?"

"Okaa-san—" you try, cutting off in yet another gasp.

Oh. "Sweetheart…"

"—never came back—don't—don't just leave like that—"

"Okay. I'm sorry. I won't do that again."

It doesn't soothe you—you're stuck in that loop, eyes barely focused, muttering under your breath whenever you can catch it long enough. It's devastating to watch. Can't he do anything? Has this happened to you before? How many nights have you sat on the couch like this alone and just—hyperventilated until you passed out?

Holy shit. Fucking man up, Hiro. Take care of your daughter.

He stands. "I'm going into the other room for just a moment, okay? I'm going to get you a glass of water and some tissues. Are you okay with that?"

You offer the faintest nod, and he sweeps out of the room. He doesn't know where you've been keeping the tissues, if you've been keeping any, so he grabs a roll of paper towels from the kitchen and returns with a glass of water. He hands you a balled up paper towel, and you crush it in your fist.

"Is… is this the first time this has happened to you?" he asks.

"No." Your gasps are coming more slowly now, quieter. "Just—just let me ride it out."

"I'm not leaving," he says firmly.

"You don't have to stay."

"I'm staying."

You stare at him a moment, eyes widening just a bit.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Hiro starts, which is true. He's completely at a loss. He's never seen you like this, never seen anyone like this. This wasn't grief—you were panicked, somewhere else entirely.

"I can tell."

Harsh, but fair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

A shrug. "Dunno what to say."

"Come on. You can't just not talk about that."

You dab at your eyes harshly before you speak. "Okaa-san and I got into a fight. The day she died. She went out for a walk so we could both calm down."

Hiro's jaw clenches. He's never heard this part of the story—at the time, you'd been too shell-shocked to say anything, and if he remembers, you didn't talk for days after. He'd had to hear from a neighbor—now moved away—that you'd seen Tomoko get hit and screamed, that the two of you were in front of the house. He hadn't had the heart to question it further—what more was there to know, except his wife was dead?

If he'd known, would he have been angry? Right now, all he can feel is his heart shattering. The only sound he can make is your name, broken and disbelieving.

"I came out to wait for her so I could apologize." Your tone has slipped from the teary panic of before to something detached and far away. The shift scares him more than he'd like to admit. "And then she died. And then we were—whatever happened, and you left, and—and every time you're out late, which is every day, I can't sleep until you're home. Even though you don't love me anymore."

He jolts, eyes widening. "[name], no, I never stopped loving you. Please believe me."

"I don't." You turn away from him, cheek resting on your knees. "I've been alone for two years. At first I thought you just needed time—I mean, Okaa-san just died, of course you were upset—but…"

He sighs. Lets his head thunk against the side of the armchair. He shifts his body around to sit with his back against it so that he can see the altar from here. "I had a bet with your mother on who would outlive who. She insisted I'd live longer, and of course I thought I'd be the one to go first. Tomoko always had to be right, you know?"

"I was wondering who I got that from," you mumble.

"In hindsight, it was kind of messed up. The winner of the bet was the one who didn't have to live to see the results. I really, really wanted to win that one, but, well… I never liked the person I was without her, you know? When I met your mother, it was like I became real. And then we had you, and you scared the shit out of me. You're too smart. You get that from her, too. And then Tomoko was gone, and I didn't know who I was anymore. Still don't, honestly. I throw myself into work. I lose track of time. I let my emotions drown me. I remember my daughter's birthday is July seventh but I don't remember when July seventh is. She was always the one to remind me—not her birthday is July seventh but that means her birthday is next week. I couldn't make the connections like that."

"So when Okaa-san died, you…"

He nods. "Completely gutted. I lost my sense of time, my self control. And the longer I threw myself into working and drinking just to feel almost okay for a second, the worse it felt."

"…that doesn't give the past two years back."

"Please believe me. Please. I stayed alive because of you."

"Can you come home because of me, too?"

He pauses for just a moment. "I'll work on it. I'm sorry. You're right that it won't give you the years back, but you don't deserve to be alone anymore."

"I'm not, really. Alone, I mean. But I want my dad back."

He won't promise you. He can't—not with the promise of a promotion at work, of new executive duties, of more nights where he actually has to drink with coworkers and higher-ups for the sake of his career. Not with how integral he's become to the company.

Instead, he says: "I'll do the best I can to be here. We'll work something out."

You don't look at him, but you seem to understand without him saying. That's good.

A long moment of silence. The TV was turned off long ago—you must have done it before you broke down—so between the two of you, there's just your collective breaths, your errant sniffles. He can't take it.

"Do you… want a distraction…?"

A shrug.

He turns the TV back on, flips through until he settles on a rerun of some volleyball match or another. He barely knows enough to recognize that it's volleyball on the screen, but based on the whole club thing, it's a safe bet that you'd enjoy it.

You huff when you realize what he's put on, a cool seven minutes later. "Do you have any idea what you're even watching?"

"Uh." He coughs. "Thailand is, uh… winning? They have more points than China."³⁹

"They're in the lead for this set, but it looks like China took the first set, so they're technically winning right now."

"Why don't you tell me more, and I'll cut us some cake?"

You tilt your head. "Cake?"

"Yeah. I went out to get your birthday cake. It's, uh, late, but…"

A weak smile meets your lips. It's something. "I didn't expect you to do that."

"It's the least I can do. Should have done it a month ago."

"It's alright," you say as he cuts a slice for you. "I'm glad you're here now."

You curl up in the armchair with your plate and a fork—less "fetal position" and more "comfortable lounge". That's something. Hiro relocates to the couch to watch.

"So, uh… what exactly is happening here?"

"Okay, so, the short version is, they're playing don't let the ball touch the floor but with teams. Ball touches floor on the other guy's side of the net, and you get a point, so you have to try to keep the ball from hitting the floor on your side while also trying to force it to happen on their side." The more you talk, the lighter you seem to be. It's good progress.

He nods along. "I see. Why's one of them got a different jersey color?"

"Oh! That's the libero. You see how there's women on the team who are hitting the ball and others that are jumping up to stop them? The libero's entire job is to stand back and get the ball up before it hits the floor if it gets past those blockers. The way it was explained to me is that there's a whole bunch of extra rules that apply to the libero—she can't block or attack, for example, and she goes on and off the court using different rules than the other players do, so the refs need to be able to spot her easier."

All your explanations are like this—concise, easy to understand. You talk quickly, with a smile, interspersing basic explanations between bites of cake and pointing out what's going on onscreen.

He's struck, suddenly, by how much you've grown in the past two years. He'd thought it before—the cold way you looked at him when he interrupted you with that delinquent, the ice in every response, the fact that you were fooling around with some boy when you thought you were alone. You look more like your mother, ramble less, get to the point more, and yet, like this, he recognizes you.

"You really like volleyball, huh?"

You freeze. Turn away to hide your face. "I… y-yeah, I guess."

He laughs, turning back to the screen. "I'm glad you're managing instead of playing, at any rate. Half these women look like they like men."

You laugh. He can tell you're still recovering from the panic from earlier. "Right. Yeah."

~

Shimizu to Karasuno Managers!!! at 12:52

Shimizu: [name]-chan, how are you feeling? Nishinoya said you were taking the day but didn't explain further

Shimizu: if you need anything, please don't hesitate to let us know

[name]: sorry lol

Shimizu: will you be alright for tomorrow? We leave for prelims at 7

~

Shimizu to Karasuno Managers!!! at 15:34

Shimizu: [name]-chan?

Footnotes

38. While researching good takeout places for this chapter, I came across a magnificent discovery. Behold, [name]'s childhood favorite restaurant: Yoshinoya. It's written entirely differently than Nishinoya, but the phonetic similarities were simply too good to pass up. And they have over thirty locations in Miyagi! I've been salivating over the Karaage set for like fifteen minutes since discovering it. I just had karaage for the first time the weekend before last when I visited friends and it sort of got overshadowed by the rest of the meat (there was filet mignon involved because yakiniku in America is like embarrassingly high-end) but it was SO GOOD. I made the right choice in making it one of Reader's favorite foods fr.

39. They're watching reruns of the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix. I don't actually know whether this aired internationally or on normal TV or any of that, but the archives are on Volleyball World. The match in particular was a fun watch. I wanted to have them watch a match with the Japan women's team because that would make more sense to air on TV in Japan if a women's volleyball match is gonna be on TV, but I couldn't find playbacks of it and it felt important to actually watch the mentioned match if I was going to have it be a real one. The match in question took place about two months before this—Thailand won this match 3-2. Originally, it was going to be described more heavily, but I ended up not focusing on it as much as having it be set dressing.

Tags: @deeplightgarden @idonthaveanameideayet @dusstory @kazunish

[anotherwvba]

Road to the Women's Circuit pt. 5

The atmosphere in the WVBA Omni Arena was electric. The crowd buzzed with anticipation, their excitement almost tangible. The ring announcer took center stage, his voice booming through the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a night of action-packed boxing! Are you ready?"

The crowd erupted in cheers, their enthusiasm filling the arena. Just then, the opening beats of "Stronger" by Sintaxz filled the air. Niki Binary, dressed in her black sports bra and neon green trunks, emerged from the tunnel. At the top of the ramp, she batted her neon green gloves together in nervous excitement.

As she walked down the aisle, Niki's eyes darted around the packed house. This is it, she thought. I'm about to step into a WVBA ring. Not as a fan, but as a boxer. She felt a mixture of excitement and nerves. When she reached the apron, she hesitated for a moment, taking it all in.

Her coach, Von Kaiser, with his thick German accent, leaned in and whispered, "You are ready, meine Schülerin. Go, make history."

Niki smiled, her nerves settling. She climbed into the ring, bouncing around and working the crowd. They loved it and Niki drank in their cheers. But then the music changed, and "Koi" by Gen Hoshino began to play. Niki moved to her corner, her eyes fixed on the entrance.

Cutie Hondo appeared, her black sports bra and trunks with red and white trim contrasting beautifully with her red gloves. She was all smiles, playing to the crowd as she made her way to the ring. When she reached the steps, her coach, Piston Hurricane, rested a hand on her shoulder. This is it, she thought. Niki and I are about to make history. She bowed to the ring, climbed the steps, and danced a lap around the ring.

Stopping face-to-face with Niki, Cutie grinned. "Ready to make history?"

"Born ready," Niki replied, her eyes twinkling.

The ring announcer returned to the center. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is bout is a scheduled three round contest, for the first time in the WVBA Women's Circuit!" The crowd roared their approval as the announcer continued. "When the bell rings, the man in charge of the action is Luigi Saltamico." The ref tipped his green newsboy cap as the lights dimmed.

"In the red corner, seconded by her coach Viktor Von Kaiser, making her pro debut, standing at 5'5" and weighing 100 pounds, fighting out of The WVBA I.T. Department, please welcome 'The I.T. Girl,' Niki Binary!"

The crowd roared, and Niki raised her gloves in acknowledgment. Cutie clapped, genuinely happy for her friend.

"And in the blue corner, coached by Piston Hurricane, with a record of 4-2-0 with 3 wins by way of knockout, standing 5'5" and weighing in at 115 pounds, from Tokyo, Japan, give it up for 'Kawaii Geijutsuka,' Cutie Hondo!"

Cutie's shadowboxed a quick flurry as the crowd welcomed her. The cheers were deafening. Cutie and Niki exchanged smiles, both basking in the moment.

The referee called them to the center for instructions. Von Kaiser and Piston Hurricane shook hands, their eyes meeting in mutual respect.

"Touch gloves and keep it clean," Saltamico instructed.

"You ready for the Rush," Cutie asked, her eyes twinkling.

"I think that app might Crash," Niki retorted with a smile, touching gloves with Cutie.

"Let's make history," Cutie whispered.

"I think we already have," Niki replied.

Both fighters exchanged smiles and returned to their corners as the crowd hushed in anticipation.

Von Kaiser awaited Niki in her corner, "You are ready. You deserve to be here. Zeig's ihnen." He slipped her mouthpiece in as she nodded and took a deep breath.

Cute bounced in her corner, biting down on her mouthpiece as Piston Hurricane stepped to the apron, his voice tinged with pride. "Have fun, mi niña."

As the bell prepared to ring, Niki and Cutie locked eyes. Both knew that in moments their friendship would be set aside. They would be opponents giving their all, but they were ready. The time to fight had come... history was here.

And then the bell rang.

[valleykarate]

“ okay. time for a break, yeah? let’s stop for now, catch a breath, we can come back to it later. ” harper

harper sits cross-legged on the grass beside the little potted bonsai tree robby had placed in front of her, her small fingers gripping the pruning shears tightly with a grip strength that a five-year-old definitely shouldn't be able to exhibit—she's a bit nervous, & her eldritch side is ultimately helping her grip strength become a lot stronger. the sun filters through the leaves above their heads, casting shadows on her face. the sound of flowing water from the koi pond helps sooth her, just a little bit. she looks up at her dad, her brown eyes wide with worry, a suitably small pair of wings fluttering behind her, blowing the bonsai tree around a bit. this is the first time she's ever trying to cut a bonsai tree, so she's very much doubting her abilities. papa & dad & mommy & dada & mama make it look so super-duper easy! not to mention, all of her grandparents, aunts & uncles, too! they're, like, the best at it, but harper's not.

"what if i mess it up?" she asks softly, biting her lip. "what if the tree gets all... all funny looking?" she hesitates, glancing at the little tree, then back at robby. the fear of getting it "wrong" wraps around her like a heavy blanket. she's relieved that no one is here to make fun of her, it's just her & her dad at the dojo right now. papa could definitely beat up uncle hawk if he laughed at her—she had once overheard her uncle seth call him a "shithead" when uncle seth was in that bad dojo... cobra kai, or something like that? don't get her wrong, she likes her uncle hawk, but she's still a little shy around him. she also doesn't know what that "shithead" word means, but it sounds cruel. she'd heard some pretty dis... discon-art-ting... disconcerting stories.

"i don't want you to be mad at me if i mess up," she whispers, her voice quivering slightly. a tear forms in the corner of her eye. she really doesn't want to disappoint him. "but, um, if i do, i'm sorry..." she mumbles, nervously wiggling her legs a little bit, her pupils flashing an inhuman green color, signaling how nervous she is.

"okay. time for a break, yeah? let's stop for now, catch a breath; we can come back to it later," @taughtpain says gently.

harper nods, trying to hold back her tears as she places the tool down next to her. she begins to fidget with her fingers, avoiding eye contact with robby. she knows henry would be really sad to see her crying, & so would papa. she really loves spending time with robby & learning new things, but the thought of disappointing one of her parents—& one of her heroes—makes her heart ache. her emotional feedback loop that she'd inherited from papa makes her very sensitive to her own emotions as well as others. so maybe it is a good idea that they take a break.

with a soft whimper, & blinking back more tears, harper suddenly climbs into robby’s lap, curling up against her dad, her tiny arms wrapping around his body. she buries her face into his chest, sniffling softly as she tries to steady her breathing. her tears wet his shirt, & she feels bad about that.

"dad, is grandpa cobra gonna call me a crybaby for... being... nervous?" she asks quietly. grandpa cobra is, of course, johnny. she thinks he's intense, & the idea of him calling her names makes her even more anxious. "maybe..." she sniffles, her voice muffled by the material of his shirt, "maybe you can show that silly bon-say... ban-sai... bonsai tree who the bestest dad in the world is. can you?"

[alonetogether47]

The Height of Love

Music: ok on your own by mxmtoon

It was a twenty minute walk—or a 10 minute skip—to the bridge, and I was in the mood to skip. I had just got off my classes, and now the sun clung to the horizon, casting fading rays onto the city. A faint chill permeated the evening air, but I didn’t mind in the slightest; after all, I was going to see Mai. I had bought a bouquet of purple flowers on the way, their stems stems swaying in the air wind as I made my way through town. 

Mai was waiting for me at the bridge. She didn’t notice me at first, her long black hair turned to face the koi that pranced in the riverbed. We’d only been together for a couple months, but we had known each other for years. We’d been inseparable ever since we met each other in our third year of high school, and we’d only grown closer since. Even though I initiated our friendship, it was her that asked me out. Ever since then, we've been together nearly every single day, and I was fine with that. More than fine. There was, after all, something absurdly intoxicating about being chosen. I felt like a stuffed animal at a toy shop, as a child with bright eyes looked me up and down, then nodded, satisfied, saying, “I want this one”.

“I brought you flowers,” I said, offering my bouquet. When she turned to face me, however, she wasn’t smiling like normal.

“Oh, thanks,” Mai said, taking the flowers gently.

I took her hand, gazing at the dancing koi as I waited for her to speak up. When she didn’t, I took it upon myself to initiate.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You know I know you better than that.”

Mai’s gaze moved from the river to the twilight sky, tinged with streaks of indigo and pink. 

“I love you, you know that?”

“I do.”

“But I love you too much.” Mai said, turning to look at me. She was staring at me, but her eyes stretched past my form, all the way to the dying sun behind us.

“I don’t know who I am without you,” she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. “I love you more than I love myself.  Even now, I’m holding myself back from devouring you, and that scares me.”

“I wouldn’t mind being devoured, if it was you.”

“Don’t you understand? Right now, we’re two halves of a whole, not two wholes of a pair.”

“You’re talking metaphorically again,” I smirked. Mai sighed, shaking her head.

“Then let me be frank. You don’t have any other friends, do you?” she asked. I blinked.

“Don’t worry, I’m the same. We only have each other, the two of us,” she continued, plucking a single flower from the bouquet. She let it drift lazily down into the river, where it was quickly swept away by the current.

“What we have is a good thing. Isn’t codependency the height of love?” I insisted. Mai tilted her head again, lost in thought.

“Yes, but not that of a person,” she finally replied, squeezing the bouquet of flowers, but not my hand. “A person’s potential is not measured by love alone. And us...we're holding each other back.”

“So that’s it, then?” I asked, at a loss for words. “You just want to be done, just like that?” 

Mai paused again.

“Yes. I love you, so I can’t be with you,” she said finally. “We’ll meet again, once we’ve learned how to fill in our other halves.”

This time, I understood the weight behind her metaphors. She took me in her arms, and I sank into her shoulder. I held her tightly because she was all I had known, and because I didn’t want to be alone.

Image Credit by nobrakes1875

[dabis-azure-songbird]

The Eternal Darkness’s Sword

Hello everyone! Thank you so much for voting on my polls! This is the first original of mine I’m introducing to you guys! And don’t worry! If you voted for another, it will soon follow. I’m using you guys as my testers to read through and also see reactions! Feel free to leave any questions about the characters, story, let me know your favorite char, anything at all in the comments! This story includes my demon leads, so demon poll voters, this one is for you! Koi is personally my favorite. >.> This one also includes very spicy content in more of the story, but not this specific part. Either way, some caution is advised, please.

Rai’s body shook under the force of the warriors’ push as they were forced to their knees. She growled lowly as she spat, copper tinging her sense of taste.

“Easy man. He’s just a kid.”

Rai’s head lowered and they panted as they braced their hands on the dirt in front of them. The smell of the smoke and vision of flames engulfing the village made her head throb.

“We’ll see what the King wants to do with ‘em.”

“Speak of the devil.”

Black boots entered Rai’s vision and they hissed as a hand gripped their head and pulled it back. He would have been beautiful, if Raiga wasn’t absolutely furious. His layered blong hair fell over his shoulders to his hips with his blue streaks beneath, and his blue and crimson eyes focused on her as he pursed his crimson lips. It looked like blood that complimented his dark garb and uniform. The woman beside him, looked angelic and out of place in all white.

“Tell me, what is going on here?”

“Pshhh…as if I know, ass-”

Rai’s breath released in a hiss as her body made contact with the ground and her cheek dug into gravel.

“Wrong answer. Want to try again, little one?”

“Fuck. You.”

Eien shook his head as he pressed his chunky boot into her back.

“Guards. Take him with us.”

————

“A flicker of white? I will break you if you’re lying to me, bo-”

“For the last fuckin’ time! ‘M not lyin’ and I’m no-”

“Change your tone quickly!” Eien hissed as he went to push her into the wall with fingerless gloves on her chest.

Rai’s face turned red, Eien’s face inches from hers and hands cupping her chest. His face turned to one of shock as his eyes stared down blankly.

“I’m not a boy…” she sobbed.

Eien wasn’t sure what shocked him more as he dropped his hands and cleared his throat. The discovery or the confession? Oddly, he felt guilty.

“What’s your name, girl?”

“Raiga.” she sobbed.

“Don’t reveal this to anyone but me. And follow me. Don’t cry anymore. I don’t like it. Why cry now? You didn’t cry when we beat you and sprayed you.”

Rai followed him slowly out of the dungeon, bare feet padding softly on the cold steps.

“D-dunno. Just can’t take it no more.”

Eien nodded ahead of her.

“I may have something for you to do. It’ll keep you out of the dungeon. But, you have to do it. And I need you to be a man and stay strong again. We’ll discuss it later. For now…”

Their feet stopped in front of a room.

“Stay here. Get some rest. Get cleaned up.” Rai nodded as Eien briskly walked off.

—--

Eien was sure there was more to the story now. Rai’s confession made his sure of it. Havanna’s hands slid over his shoulders and down his chest as the angelic woman leaned into his ear.

“You seem distracted, darling.”

“Sorry. I got the boy to finally break. He’s easier to talk to when it’s done personally.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. He’s pledged loyalty to me. I know he isn’t lying. He’s young. I’ll put him to good use.”

Havanna sighed as she leaned back and tucked her blonde hair behind a dusky ear.

“Even better use than me?” she pouted.

“Never, my darling.”

—--

Rai’s head spun as she sat on the plush bed. Everything felt like a blur to her. The softness began to ease her sore body and the cuts along her skin. She sighed as she flopped to lay down. She wasn’t sure if she was more in shock or more exhausted from the whole ordeal. Without realizing, she slipped into deep slumber.

“Ehem! Good morning, Mistress.”

Rai groggily opened her eyes to focus on the gorgeous demon at her bedside. His pink hair was elegantly tied into a side ponytail of princess curls that framed his large and kind green doe eyes with sharp dark eyeliner and long lashes. He smiled with bright white teeth and lips of shiny red rouge. His hand was held to his heart with long red claws as he bowed slightly.

“M-Mistress? H-How-”

“Our king graciously chose me to serve you by your side during your extended stay with us.”

Rai was speechless as she stared him down.

“He’s so pretty, yet still masculine in ways, right? Hehe, we’ll be two peas in a pod! That’s what you’re thinking, right? You also can’t fool a demon’s nose.”

Rai’s face turned red as her jaw dropped.

“Yes. I can hear your thoughts, sweet Raiga. It’s a talent of mine. I am Koi.”

“Koi…? Alright…Good morning.”

“Master Eien has requested audience with you, darling. After I prepare you, please stay close and follow me.”

Koi was quick set to work, dressing her in dark trousers, boots, and a piping cape jacket. He scooped all of her long midnight hair into a high ponytail and then stepped away. As suddenly as he’d invaded her bubble, he stepped out.

“Shall we go now, my lord?” he smirked.

“I suppose.”

Koi smiled as he led Rai along to a large and elegant dining room where Eien sat at the table beneath the extravagant chandelier. His gaze landed on her as he sipped from his goblet.

“Ah, finally Koi. Today we dine alone. I have an important task for you. In return for staying here comfortably, of course.”

Koi smiled politely and gestured as he pulled the chair out.

“You have her attention, Master Eien.”

“I-”

“We are alone. Besides Koi, myself, and you, no one knows your true form. However, demons can smell you. Rest assured, when I brought you to your room yesterday, I covered your true scent with that of a demon’s.”

“Ok…? So what do you want?”

Koi’s eyes narrowed at her before Eien raised his hand dismissively.

“She’s fine. I want you to act as a second pair of eyes and ears. You are my spy…and at times, also my warrior. Koi is your right hand man and partner now. Get comfortable with him. He will act as your shield should you be endangered, yes?”

Rai stared him down and the king’s red eye seemed to glow and swirl.

“Yes, I will guard you. Mysterious and strong forces are afoot.” Koi smiled at her.

“I can try…”

“Good. I look forward to pushing you. Just maybe I’ll push you to do the impossible.”

—---

Rai sighed as she held her head in her hands. Why did she even agree? Where could she even start? What could she do?

“Hm, my lord said you mentioned a flicker of white? Perhaps you should start there and begin your search.”

“Koi…Thanks, but your ability to read my mind is also very scary. How do you do that?”

“Well, you haven’t made it necessarily difficult. I can’t read everyone’s mind, honestly. However, you’re so honest and in tune with yourself, that your mind is relaxed and easy to penetrate.”

“So I could block you out?”

“If you truly wanted…No dirty thoughts without warning, ok?”

Rai scoffed, cherry-cheeked.

“Like how you think my hair is pretty and would be nice to pull, or that my lips are quite kiss-”

“Get out, Koi!”

“Oh? So you did think that? Haha, I’m only teasing now.”

Rai huffed, her face aflame.

—--

Quiet stretched on between them, Rai’s nose in a large tome and Koi leaned against the wall with his arms folded and eyes closed. Rai yawned hugely and Koi’s emerald eyes finally reopened.

“Seems I’m not the only one tired, my lord. We’ve been in here for hours.”

Much to Koi’s amusement, while looking for reports or lore of white lights, Rai had looked for ways to block her mind off to him. Suddenly though, Koi seemed to bristle and Rai straightened up.

“Pardon my intrusion. I heard we have a new guest and wanted to introduce myself properly.” a voice resounded.

Koi immediately bowed politely as the angelic woman made herself known fully.

“Ah, trouble sleeping, my lady?”

A breathtaking smile as she came closer.

“You could say that, Raiga. That little country accent of yours is quite cute. I am Havanna.”

Rai noticed Koi’s eyes snap to her slightly.

“A pleasure, my lady. Thank you.”

Havanna grinned as she made her way back to the door of the study.

“The pleasure is all mine. I’ll be returning to our king now. Good night, Raiga.”

Aware of demons roaming the castle, Rai waited until Koi’s posture softened.

“What in tarnation was that cow patty?”

Koi’s cackle lit up the room.

“Havanna is my lord’s lady-in-waiting and body guard. She’s been very interested in you and the castle’s residents as of late.”

“Why would a broad like that be interested in me?”

“Our king was holding you prisoner, yet he quickly changed his tune when you pledged loyalty.”

“You mean when he found out I was a girl? He didn’t smell it before?”

“Ah, dear mistress. Our king is indeed a mighty demon, but his smell is a sense he lost years ago.”

Rai’s eyes widened as she stared at Koi.

“As for your other question,” Koi smirked, “Havanna is very invested in the king’s affairs and is no doubt trying to uncover the task he gave to you and not her.”

“So she’s jealous, basically. I got a task he didn’t give her.”

“You could put it that way, my lord.”

Rai huffed as she slammed the tome shut and rubbed at her eyes.

“Koi, let’s turn in.”

“As you wish. I’m surprised you hadn’t given the order sooner.”

Rai groaned as her stomach growled.

“And it seems you’ve starved yourself today being so focused on your research…we’ll stop by the kitchen on the way back to your chambers as well.”

[baenxietydad]

@justkeepdancing-nemo

Mu-yeol had been waiting for Nemo to come home from picking up the laundry from the laundry-talents, crocheting the koi fish for Ting-Ting's baby as he waited. Nemo hadn't but just set the laundry down when Mu-yeol set the soon-to-be-koi-fish down and hurried to his room.

"Close your eyes!!!" He hissed as he flit back into the living room.

He set the brand new dance bag stuffed full of Nemo's other gifts down on the living room table.

"Okay, have at it." Mu-yeol settled in on the couch, excited to watch.

Slumber! (Alternatively: Do Any Of Us Really Know Our Father?) || The Baes

[27koi]

i found out my computer has mspaint here have these images i made

i have no idea how it works and im using my fingies to draw with the brush and highlighter tool so cut me a lil slack

[tojisun]

okay okay soft!toji...but yakuza!soft!toji

*rattles cage* i wanna trace his tattoos as i try to fall asleep. i NEED it ahhh!!!!

kiwiii thats so cute omg??

for this scenario, i was wondering if toji should be naked/half naked/he’s in a yukata that’s slipping off his shoulders because he’s laying on his side, just watching you with that fond smile while this is happening?? and honestly the yukata is toptier hdhhwhs

matching yukatas because yakuza boss toji loves matching with you <333 it’s a subtle way of showing his ownership (yakuza aus always has that tinge of possessiveness) since he really doesn’t want to force you to show off the tattoo on your rib that spells his name. i mean if you want to, he’s all for it since he can fight anyways. someone looks at you wrong? yea they’re dead.

toji’s on his side, long hair that he usually pushes back in the mornings is framing his face, creating shadows that bring out the colour of his eyes, and his scarred lips pulled in an exhausted smile. you shuffle on the bed, reaching out to twine your fingers with his. there are scars lining his arms, webbing until they meet his tattoos and hiding amongst the ink.

“hi,” you say, blinking blearily, looking up at him. his eyes crinkle in delight at your drowsy voice, huffing in quiet laughter.

“hey,” he whispers, voice rumbling from his chest.

it was quiet again after that, and you take that time to go back to studying his scars and his tattoos, marvelling at how he looks with them.

you take your other hand, the one bar of holding toji’s, and press it flat on his chest where a huge piece is inked, extending up to the stretches of his arms and his back. toji trembles when the pad of your fingers begin exploring, pressing and running gently, quiet in your awe.

“like it?” toji asks. you nod, eyes still trained on the mesh of dragons and kois, threading around your name as you continuously caress the expanse of his skin softly. he chuckles, squeezing your other hand.

“toji,” you begin, looking up at him. “you are so beautiful.”

despite the darkness that swallowed you two whole, you see the beginnings of a blush dust his cheeks, tinting tan skin rouge. he looks away, shy from your reverence, and your lips stretch into a wider smile.

yeah, you think, he is so, so beautiful.

you shuffle to his chest, ducking underneath his chin. your eyes flutter when his arm comes around to embrace you, keeping you close to his beating heart. you feel the press of toji’s lips on your forehead and you purr, your heart swelling with so much love for him.

[scenefox2003]

Matchmaker

Aka I needed to write something happy after. That.

Olivia smiled to herself as the breeze blew gently through her hair, and and ruffled the edge of the cape she was mending. Marcy, the owner of said cape, sat on the edge of the koi pond next to her, blissfully kicking her legs back and forth while she watched the fish and sucked on a popsicle. It truly was a beautiful summer day. It was warm but not too hot, the clouds in the sky were almost cartoonishly puffy, and she was drinking her favorite juice. Everything was perfect. Nothing could possibly interrupt this moment-

“Lady Olivia, do you have a crush on General Yunan?”

Olivia spat out her juice, getting it all over the cape and probably in the koi pond (was that bad for them?)

“What.”

“Do you like General Yunan?” She asked again, innocently tilting her head.

“Do I- do I like General Yunan?”

Marcy smiled around her popsicle.

“Mhm!”

Lady Olivia tried her best to keep a straight face (pun intended) but couldn’t restrain from cringing.

“Well, of course I like her, she’s a competent warrior and a trusted colleague-“

“No, I mean like, do you like like her, like how Alphys likes Undyne,” Marcy said, as if that made any more sense. But Olivia knew what Marcy was asking, she just didn’t want to answer it. She all the sudden focused really hard on her sewing, and Marcy leaned forward to try and see what was so interesting. Seeing nothing, she continued. “Like do you think she’s pretty? And do you wanna hold her hand and marry her?”

Olivia wanted to laugh at how childish that sounded, she wanted to do a lot more than just hold her hand. But she kept up her aloof attitude.

“Why are you asking me this?” She asked rather curtly.

“Because I see you looking at her a lot. And you make a point that your tails always brush each other in the hallway, and you blush ever so slightly whenever she calls you milady, and you call everybody else by their full titles but you always call her just Yunan or General, and whenever you say General it has a certain tone to it that implies that something about it makes you-

“Okay, fine, that’s enough,” Olivia interrupted, her face tinged red. “How do you always notice these things?” She asked, a bit of annoyance leaking into her voice.

Marcy shrugged.

“I dunno.”

Her popsicle was starting to melt all over her hands, and she went to lick it. Olivia scoffed at her lack of manners.

“Don’t do that.”

“But it’s sticky!”

She sighed and gently grabbed Marcy’s wrists, then pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and started wiping her hands off for her.

“Okay, fine. Maybe I do… admire the General, just a little bit.” She didn’t meet Marcy’s gaze, once again pretending to be very invested in what she was doing.

“Only a little bit?”

“Yes Marcy, only a little bit.”

The large glass sliding door opened, and Olivia and Marcy both turned to see who it was. Standing in the doorway was Yunan herself, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, wraparound sunglasses, and swim trunks. She had a popsicle between her teeth, and she was carrying one of those massive rolling coolers under her arm like it was a football or something.

At the sight of the two, Yunan lifted her sunglasses onto her forehead.

“Greetings Milady, Master Marcy. Enjoying the nice weather?”

Olivia felt her face flush, and it wasn’t because of the heat. Marcy noticed, but became more fixated on the cooler.

“Can I have a popsicle?”

“Please don’t give her another one,” Olivia sighed.

“How about an ice cream sandwich?”

“That’s even messier!”

“Sorry Liv, but I take orders from the king, not you. And he said to give Master Marcy whatever she wants.”

Marcy smirked at the use of the nickname Liv, but Olivia acted like she was annoyed about the popsicle thing instead.

“He spoils her.”

“Says the one lovingly sewing up her cape like a doting mother.”

“Shut up.”

“Oh don’t get like that, it’s cute.”

Yunan started digging around in the cooler, and Olivia looked away and down at the pond in a sad attempt to hide her blushing. Still, she couldn’t help but notice Yunan gave Marcy the popsicle, which she had stated was the less messy option. Her face got even redder.

Yunan was about to sit down by the pond herself, until a voice called for her from inside the castle.

“General Yunan! The bugball game has ended in yet another massive fan brawl! Come break it up!”

Yunan let out an obnoxious, fifteen second long groan.

“God damn it, I can’t get ONE single day off! Looks like you’ll have to enjoy the sun without my glorious presence. Catch ya later, nerds.”

Yunan bit into the wooden popsicle stick as hard as she could, chewed, swallowed, tilted her redneck dad sunglasses back down, then made her leave.

“She’s so dreamy,” Olivia whispered to herself, and Marcy grinned and started flapping her hands.

“You DO like her!” She shouted.

“Oh hush, she’ll hear you!” Olivia scolded, then sighed. “But yes. You’re right. I like her.”

“Aaaaawwwwww!” Marcy cooed. “That’s so sweet! I totally ship it!”

“Ship?” Olivia asked, scrunching up her nose in confusion. Marcy didn’t bother to explain, just continued gushing.

“You two would make SUCH a cute couple! You’re so perfect for each other! The strong general and the elegant noblewoman falling in love… it’s just like a fairy tale! Or a video game! Or a FANFICTION! You HAVE to tell her how you feel!”

Olivia sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

“Oh heavens no. I could never.”

“WHAT?! Why not?!” Marcy bit into her popsicle just like she’d seen Yunan do, but her face quickly contorted in pain and she went back to sucking instead.

“Oh there’s a plethora of reasons. First of all, it’s unprofessional.”

“Aw, King Andrias wouldn’t care!”

“He should,” Olivia muttered to herself, digging a beer out of the cooler. “And even if that wasn’t an issue, I don’t even know if she likes me that way.”

“Aww, she totally does!”

“You’re just saying that because you want us to get together,” Olivia smiled.

“No! I’m saying it because it’s true! She calls you LIV!”

“That- that doesn’t mean anything! It’s just a nickname!”

“Does she have a nickname for anyone else?”

“Well… hmmm… she calls you kiddo sometimes.”

“I don’t count!

“Well, then I guess she doesn’t.”

“See?! She likes you!”

“Even still, it might not mean anything.”

“But it COULD! Newtopia is a place where dreams come true! It’s like Italy! Or Comic Con!”

Olivia laughed, patting Marcy’s head fondly.

“I guess it could.”

“Yeah!”

Marcy dug her journal out of her bag and started sketching, chewing her popsicle stick in concentration.

“What’re you drawing?” Olivia asked.

“Fanart of you and General Yunan!”

“You are ONE cutesy quip away from being pushed into this pond.”

Ten years later, when Olivia and Yunan got their first house together, a drawing of two anime lizards holding hands with a popsicle stain in the corner was displayed proudly in a golden frame on their living room wall.

[glazelilyy]

fleeting kisses

request from @call-me-koi - OMGOMGOMG I HAD A BIG BRAIN MOMENT. how about xiao and albedos s/o just giving them a quick kiss in the cheek as a thank you??? Especially after they helped them with something and reader just kisses their cheek and go back to what theyre doing?? How would they react and would they try to get another kiss on the cheek!? Headcanons plz ^^

a/n - hnnnghgh this is ADORABLE :D is xiao's a bit longer than i intended? perhaps, but shushhhhh

pairings (separately!) - albedo, xiao x gender neutral reader

word count - 2017

genre - fluff

format - headcanons

warnings - none!

summary - (see request)

content under the cut!

albedo had it all set up: a quiet afternoon basking in the sun by the glowing windowpane in the company of his parchment sketchpad and quill.

to top it all off, you sat in another plush chair perpendicular to his, a novel in hand and a smile on your face

you'd positioned yourselves so at least one of your hands were free and settled for intertwining them on the dark, cherry wood side table that separated him from you

he sat in comfortable silence, only the slight scratches from the fine tip of his quill and your rustles of pages disrupting the soft quietness

he hadn't registered your calls at first but snapped his head up when you loosened your grip on his hand

"is something the matter?" he moved to secure your hand in his and looked at you quizzically

"no not at all! there's just something in my novel that i wasn't sure about, would you mind having a look?" albedo sat up and set aside his sketchbook and quill

"not at all, come." he gestured for you to move closer with a slight tug of your intertwined hands

you obliged and rose from your seat, electing to perch yourself on the arm of his chair

he took the book from your hands and skimmed his eyes over the passage you pointed to

"ah yes, i see why you might be confused by this. it's an ancient practice, the author must be very intelligent in historical content."

albedo ran his slender finger over words that knotted your brain and unraveled your confusion bit by bit

by the time he finished, you were practically an expert in the historical practice depicted in your book

"that should sum it up, i take it you understand now?" you nodded enthusiastically, eyes fixated on the passage in your hands

"you make it so easy to understand." you hummed, smiling down at him

you rose from the armrest and he assumed you'd go sit back down

instead, you leaned down and softly pecked him on the cheek, brushing the cold tip of your nose on his warm cheek for only a brief moment

"thanks bedo! i probably wouldn't have understood that if you didn't explain it to me." you giggled sheepishly and rubbed the back of your neck

albedo however, was far too caught up in trying to fight back the enormous blush that threatened to erupt on his cheeks

he raised his ungloved hand to the part of his cheeks where your lips had been only seconds prior

the area seemed to hum against his palm, and suddenly he wanted more of it

unfortunately for him, you'd already sat down and delved nose-deep back into your novel, hand outstretched to return to the position you'd been in prior

instead of reaching for your hand, albedo instead rose from his chair and mimicked your earlier position, this time resting on the arm of the chair you sat in

you looked up at him, puzzled but not bothered

"is something wrong?" you asked, noticing the pink that tinged his cheeks right away

"nothing in particular. say, do you need...more clarification on this topic here?" he pointed to a passage which you then ran your eyes over.

"...hmmm, i mean i suppose so but-"

he interrupted you by beginning to delve into the topic (one which you were already sort of familiar with), but you listened nonetheless

once he finished, he looked at you expectantly with what you could only describe as puppy dog eyes—if he had a tail it would have been wagging back and forth

"i see now! it's much more clearer when you describe it like that." you smiled warmly and raised one of your hands to cup the side of his face

instead of receiving the thing he wanted most, albedo dejectedly sighed when you retracted your hand and resumed reading

he hovered over your shoulder for a tad longer, eyes scanning over the words that lined your page diligently and quickly

you looked up at him, confusion written all over your face, but he seemed to pay it no mind, more fixated on the contents of the book

"do you want to know about the origins of this word?" albedo placed his index finger over a certain word and looked towards you with what seemed like a stoic face

"...albedo are you asking me if i want to know about the origins of the word flower?"

"yes, it's quite fascinating actually-"

"albedo," you teased, the ends of your lips quirking up into a smirk, "i think i know what flower means, but what's going on? you know i'd come to you for help if i needed it, right?" you set your book down and raised both your hands to cup his face

bashfully, he turned away from your gaze and placed one of his hands over yours before clearing his throat

"a-admittedly i quite enjoyed your...kiss, i was hoping if i was of assistance to you again i'd receive another one."

you bit your tongue to suppress the flurry of giggles that threatened to spill past your lips and squished his rosy cheeks

"well if you wanted kisses all you had to do was ask silly!" you giggled and placed a swift, chaste kiss on his nose

before you could pull away, his hands swept to cup your own face and caught your lips in an innocent, sweet kiss that sent sugar spiraling through your veins

you felt his lips pull into a smile as they moved against yours, savoring each and every moment

breathless, you pulled away first and leaned in once more to press a kiss to his cheek just like the one from earlier

"if i knew you liked cheek kisses so much i would have done them more often sooner." you smile and pet his hair lovingly

albedo looked away, cheeks flushed and unable to meet your teasing gaze

it seemed like his plans for a quiet afternoon had gone belly up, but he wouldn't have had it any other way

most days xiao found himself in the company of monsters, evil beings, and the occasional stray cat that perched itself on wanshu inn's counter

today however was...odd, at least to him

"xiao honey you've gotta let go of the kite so it can fly into the sky."

he scowled down at the contraption in his hands: a winged seafoam green crane paper kite tethered to a fine, silk twine wrapped around a wooden spool

it had been your idea to come join the local children in qingce village to fly kites, and he'd begrudgingly accompanied you because archons forbid you get injured while flying kites of all things

"i don't understand this...mortal contraption. what purpose does it serve?" you giggled and took the spool from his hands, unraveling some of the twine

"y'know not everything has to serve a useful purpose, some things are just fun to do! look around you," you gestured with your head over to a small group of children who were eagerly trying to get their brightly colored kites up into the sky, "i think you'll like this, it's fun!"

he didn't seem too convinced, but that didn't stop you from getting your hopes up

you exchanged the spool in your hands for the actual kite, eager to see it soar high in the air

"alright, let's give this a shot!" you gripped the kite in both your hands and took off sprinting down the grassy plains

xiao awkwardly stood in place, unsure of what to do as he watched you galivant joyously, the paper of the kite beginning to flutter with the wind

he heeded your instructions to hold onto the spool as your hands finally let go of the kite

he watched in awe as the kite ascended higher and higher...

...and then subsequently fell into the leafy branches of a nearby tree

"awww i thought we had enough wind for sure!" you pouted, looking up at the trapped kite with frustrated eyes

you jogged back over to xiao, who still looked perplexed and only stared in disbelief at the now pitiful looking crane kite nestled in the tree

"is this what mortals do for fun?" you snorted and shook your head

"i hate to ask you this when i'm supposed to be teaching you how to fly kites, but would you mind getting the kite out of the tree?" you looked at him with those adorable eyes of yours, and who was he to say no to his beloved?

he mumbled out a "sure" and padded over to the base of the trunk after handing the spool to you

elegantly, he ascended the bark with minimal effort almost as if he were floating (you couldn't help but laugh as some of the children had gathered around the tree to watch xiao basically fly to the top to grab the kite)

xiao plucked the kite from its leafy restraints and hopped back down, landing in front of the small crowd on steady feet

"here's your...contraption." he eyed his from all angles before handing it back to you.

"thanks xiao!" you beamed, and swiftly pressed a kiss to his cheek as thanks

he felt his body seize up, just a few mere moments of your lips on his skin sent firey aftershocks rippling through his veins

his gloved hand found a way up to the kiss mark on his cheek, a furious blush painting itself across his face

"xiao? come on let's go try again! we'll lose the wind at this rate." you tugged at his hand, blissfully unaware of his dazed state

xiao huffed and raised his free hand. wisps of anemo formed at his fingertips

"must you forget i am an adeptus, an anemo adeptus at that. no wind will be lost." he muttered, grabbing the kite from your hands and marching ahead

within seconds and a lift of his hand, the crane kite and all the surrounding kites held by the stubby little hands of the village children swished high up into the air, strong gusts of wind cradled them gently and swung them back and forth

the children cheered as they began to eagerly guide their paper kites amidst the swirling winds

he watched out of the corner of his eye as you stared up at the sight in awe

"xiao you're incredible! i had no idea you could do that!" you marveled, gazing around at all of the other kites

he looked at you with narrowed eyes, handing the string of the kite over to you

"here, take it." xiao turned his face away from you and crossed his arms. you however, seemed privy to his innermost thoughts and didn't fail to notice the bright red that stained his cheeks

"hey what's wrong? are you catching a fever?" you frowned, stepping closer to him to place the back of your knuckles on his forehead

he shied away from your touch, unable to look you in the eye. his face grew redder and redder, hot to the touch

"it's nothing for you to be concerned about..." he mumbled.

you huffed and placed your thumb under his chin, turning his face so he had no choice but to look at you

"are you embarrassed about the kiss i gave you?" you teased, a sly smile snaking its way onto your lips

"no, such acts of folly have no effect on me." he sneered, eyes looking everywhere but directly towards you

you giggled and stepped towards him, sneaking a kiss onto his ruby red cheek

"don't be silly, you're redder than an apple and it's absolutely adorable." you cooed, poking his cheek with your index finger.

"hmm, if you fly more kites with me i'll give you another kiss, how about it?" xiao didn't reply but to you his answer was obvious based on the way his mouth slackened and his eyes widened a size or two

least to say, xiao now knows how to fly a kite and would never wash his right cheek again

date published: june 11th, 2021

[illumilu]

there’s only one bed” - illumi zoldyck x reader

a/n: a very stereotypical cliche for fanfics, but, yk what? cringe makes the world go round. so here, have my drabbling of what would happen if you were to spend an unwanted night in the same hotel bed as the adultrio. i feel like i may have made this way too long again, but who cares?? this time it’s with illumi! aka loml ...

summary: after a lengthy car trip, you arrive at the hotel with illumi, but to your horror (wink wink), there’s only one bed. including: you dreaming abt him when he’s literally right in front of you (embarrassing). this is part two of a three-part series, with the adultrio. hisoka is already written and chrollo will be coming soon!

warnings: no particular trigger warnings, lowercase intended, a lot of fluff! and cuddling! only on your part though, since illumi is basically awkwardness personified... no nsfw <3

illumi zoldyck:

- the trip to the hotel had taken 6 hours. 6 hours in which you had fallen asleep multiple times, cramped your legs, somehow made every sleeping position dangerously uncomfortable, cracked your neck and twisted your back, possibly to the point of no return.

- for mr zoldyck, or rather, “illumi”, as he had instructed you to call him, the trip was no problem. his upbringing, which consisted of mainly torture, included staying awake for as long as a fortnight at a time. 6 hours may as well have been a few minutes. 

- “the silent son of the zoldycks” was his reputational nickname, or, rather, “lifeless koi fish”, as your friend, hisoka, enjoyed calling him. either way, illumi was not going to let a car ride tire him.

- when you had first met him, he had scared you. a lot. the entire “trained dangerous traumatised assassin” storyline was one that felt like a threat. you were undoubtedly taking a risk by working with him, but it was one you were willing to; it may have been twisted, but murder was your forte, and you were searching for a partner.

- over time, you had grown to be less intimidated by him.

- you were now colleagues with him, working on a new assassination.

- shockingly, planning murder took time, and who better to plan it with than the assassin himself? you had spent the past day on a “business trip”, paid for by illumi’s grandfather, where you sized up the area and familiarised yourself with yorknew.

- all for the big night.

- tonight was the day before the murder of the ten dons.

- illumi and kalluto would carry out the murder, while you made sure everything went smoothly, via a small mic attached to his clothes. the entire operation was based on trust, and would therefore be executed like clockwork.

- you had taken the necessary mental images and kept the targets in mind; all that was left was a night at a pre-booked hotel and then it would be go-time.

- you had assumed that the hotel would be high-class, with doormen, perhaps some marble flooring and pillars - it was the zoldycks who were paying, after all, and you knew they had money to spare. 

- “we’re here.” illumi stated blankly, face reflecting in the window. admittedly, he did look a little bit like a koi fish.

- you nudged past him to look out of the window, leaning over to get a good view.

- oh.

- it seemed you had made quite the overestimation. it was a simple, plain building with a few stories. no doormen or extravagance could be sighted.

- you supposed keeping a low profile was important, but the depressing accommodation was somehow making you wearier.

- the two of you didn’t exchange any conversation on the way up to your room, but you were used to that. 

- you and illumi had met around 5 months ago, and most of it had been comfortable silence. you hadn’t expected it to be like that - in all honesty, you had expected him to kill you - but illumi seemed... calm around you. 

- it was probably because you shared such an odd passion with him; the logistics of murder. you assumed it gave him a chance to loosen his harsh demeanour and enjoy himself. the both of you had worked on multiple murders together, focusing on theory and planning, but this was a huge assassination. nevertheless, you knew he could pull it off; illumi was smart, you had to give him that.

- finally, you arrived at your hotel room, sighing from the lengthy stairway winding up to your unnecessarily high room. you assumed it was for safety purposes, but for god’s sake; why did safety have to be so enervating?

- illumi pushed the door open, and you walked in with him. finally, you could catch some rest.

- except, you couldn’t. 

- a singular bed placed in the middle of the room.

- “why.” you thought to yourself tiredly. 

- you stood there silently, waiting for him to say something. 

- then, you remembered that he was illumi. he obviously wouldn’t see anything wrong with the situation. 

- the bastard.

- it didn’t help that he gave you no visible reaction when you stared at him with your face scrunched up expectantly, as if to ask what his plan was.

- “is there a problem, y/n?” illumi asked, his tone flat as usual.

- you took a deep, worn out breath, clearing your throat.

- after a bit, you shook your head. this was strictly professional. illumi wouldn’t do anything, because he was illumi. nothing would happen.this was an important night, where rest and a clear mind were essential. blame it on the fatigue, and nothing else. you were just exhausted. there was nothing else to it. nothing.

- “no. i’m just a little tired.” you dismissed.

- a silence skimmed past.

- “my grandfather... he often tends to be absentminded. occasionally, he forgets to do certain things, or plan them correctly, i suppose. you could say this is a prime example of such.”

- “zeno forgot another goddamn bed, hm?” you laughed nervously.

- illumi stared at you once again, blinking a few times, in a methodical manner, face neutral and robotic. you smiled awkwardly and remembered that he was not one to laugh at jokes. or anything, for that matter. 

- you wondered if he laughed at bloodshed. or maybe hisoka.

- “i’m going to... go to set up my stuff now.” 

- turning your back to illumi, you winced at the uncomfortable air. even after all your time with him, you never learnt to stop trying to lighten the mood. the mood was literally just always unnatural, in some way. that was another one of illumi’s specialties.

- after some time, in which you had finalized tomorrow's plan and each changed into comfortable clothes, you watched illumi tie his hair up from across the room. 

- his hair had always fascinated you. 

- you had always wanted to touch it. honestly, even when you had first met him, apart from his magnetic eyes, you had been drawn to his hair. you imagined it felt like silk sheets, caressing over one’s hands as smoothly as honey. you were glad he grew it out; in fact, upon seeing his teenage photos, you had laughed so hard you ended up getting a nosebleed from hitting your face. illumi had been left in confusion for a while.

- you realized how random you sounded. why were you reminiscing so much? 

- shaking yourself back to your senses, you admired as he artfully twisted his hair into a loose bun, strands of hair cupping his elegant, pale face.

- what a beautiful koi fish.

- most people couldn’t compute that illumi had true, human feelings. after all, it would be hard to believe a man like him felt anything. but, of course, he did, unhealthily so. he channeled all his trauma and hurt into his villainy, and received happiness from his villainy, anger from his villainy and occasionally fear from his villainy.  however, there was one emotion he could never grasp. he hated himself for it, but soon realised he could manipulate his hatred into villainy, too.

- illumi was a man who could manipulate anyone or anything he wished. 

- except himself.

- internally, he had always felt at a loss whenever he confronted his emotions. but, after he had met you, something had changed. as he caught you staring at his hair through the hotel mirror, he couldn’t help but feel something small stir inside of his stomach. not evil, not happiness, not hatred, not anger. perhaps, friendship?

- this tinge of new emotion inside of him initially made him feel uneasy, but that worry morphed into giddiness, a childish high buzzing somewhere in his core.

- eventually, he stood up to face you and suggested going to sleep. you checked the time on the wall clock. 8 in the evening. well, illumi had always been particular. you agreed that rest was essential for tomorrow.

- you hesitantly took the left side, and, upon seeing your choice, illumi followed to lie on the right.

- after a few minutes, you looked back at him, noticing illumi fell asleep abnormally quickly. you furrowed your brow quizzically at the rock-like manner he was in. frankly, he looked like a plank when he slept. you almost laughed, but held it in for his sake. 

- he had a very specific sleep schedule, as did the other zoldycks. he could go to sleep immediately at his own command, and stayed perfectly still as he did so. he woke up at 5 in the morning every single day, without fail, almost like he had some sort of alarm clock planted in his body. 

- looking at him lying there like a block, you smiled softly. illumi was quite the conundrum to you. you often speculated whether he ever got what he deserved; love, affection, anything really. you knew about his past from when he had told you nonchalantly, within a few weeks of your acquaintance. you always hoped he’d find someone to love him, but doubted whether people would bother looking beyond his bleak surface, and into his excellent mind. lost in thought, you found yourself getting drowsier. you also fell asleep generally quickly, limbs aching from the stupid car ride.

- the night passed.

- illumi was the first to wake up at 5am, stoic and in the same place he had fallen asleep in. no surprise there.

- but you. 

- that was the first thing he saw when his eyes opened.

- he did not expect you to be lying on him lazily, snuggling into his body, arm and leg comfortably wrapped around his side. you were breathing lightly, face burrowing onto the ridge of his chest.

- i suppose you didn’t expect to be there either, which he realized, but the point still remained.

- why were on you his chest.

- “y/n.”

- no answer.

- illumi could have pushed you away; in fact, he could have blown you 983 metres away (his personal record). 

- but he didn’t.

- it wasn’t the thought of disturbing your comfort that stopped illumi from hurling you into oblivion. it wasn’t the fact that he explicitly enjoyed it, either. he remembered that the mission was today; if he were to wake you, and you hadn’t slept enough, you wouldn’t be at your upmost performance.

- the murder of the ten dons was his priority, right? yes. it was. there was no doubt about it. that was the only and final reason he wouldn’t wake you. end of discussion. 

- so, illumi stayed there, waiting for you to wake up and get off of him. 30 minutes passed, and he watched you for every single one.

- hard as it was to admit, watching you rise and fall in sync with his chest made the spark of emotion in his core grow fervently. what had that foreign feeling been? yesterday, he had settled at friendship, but now he wasn’t so sure.

- you looked so peaceful while you slept. less confusing. he remembered the time you had accidentally complimented his hair when the two of you had first met. he had found that amusing. he remembered the time you got a nosebleed from hitting your face too hard - it was after laughing at his teenage pictures, which perplexed him greatly. he remembered the times you two had sat together, working and theorizing on missions, accidentally meeting eyes or brushing hands. one time, you had dipped one of his pins in ink and scratched his name on some paper “for fun”. you had handed it to him and, for some unknown reason, the scrap was still tucked safely in his wallet. your unrivaled intelligence, your idiotic sense of humour, your smile, your lack of common sense, your twinkling eyes that so ironically contrasted his, everything. everything crossed his mind while he lay there.

- illumi found it strange how people remembered the oddest things at the oddest times. 

- why did he think of that now, as you were sleeping? even worse, on the day of a meticulously planned assassination. why couldn’t he manipulate his emotions to stop fluctuating around you so much?

- it all frustrated him.

- why had he let you call him by “illumi” so quickly? mr zoldyck would have been fine. and why had he been so lenient with your antics? no one else got to touch his pins. why did he feel like keeping you on his chest forever, and keeping you safe? most importantly, why was he thinking about you so much?

- his contemplation came to a halt when he heard you stir a little in your sleep.

-  finally, you’d wake up and he could forget about this entire problem.

- he watched you, expecting you to get up soon.

- you began shuffling around, brushing against his chest, and soon your eyes fluttered open, hazy and glazed over. it almost seemed like you were still in a dream, in some sort of half-sleep.

- “huh?” you whispered quietly, still lying on illumi. you looked up lazily, meeting eyes with him.

- “oh... i get it...” you hummed quietly, falling back onto his chest.

- he furrowed his brows.

- “why are you here?” you hugged him from the side, softly laughing at your ridiculous dream. he tensed up at you embracing him, but soon relaxed after realizing what was going on.

- illumi looked at you, one eyebrow raised. did you... think you were dreaming?

- to be honest, he found it kind of entertaining, the way you were fawning over him. if he let you stay there, he could figure out a lot of things about his newly found emotion. it could be worth it. just not today.

- illumi came back to his senses fairly quickly; you were obviously awake now, so why couldn’t you get off of him already?

- “y/n.”

- “mmm? what? so serious all the damn timeee, illum-” 

- “you aren’t dreaming. get off.”

- SHIT

- SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT

- you jolted off him immediately, staring down at illumi zoldyck. 

- the real illumi zoldyck.

- oh my god what. what. what. what.

- every nerve in your body began to panic, and, in the stress of trying to find the correct words to say, you just ended up making some sort of incomputable “aaaahhh” noise and jumping off the bed.

-  illumi had finally gotten up and was now staring concernedly at you.

- an awkward pause.

- “let me just start by saying i did not-”

- “y/n. we have more pressing priorities for today. i don’t care.”

- illumi zoldyck had lied. even to himself. he did care. and so what if he ignored it until it festered so intensely inside of him he couldn’t do anything but tell you? he cared about you. and he knew it.

- “ok. you’re right. you’re right! illumi. one question. was i like that the whole night?”

- “i don’t know. i woke up at 5 and you were there.”

- you looked at the clock. it was 6am? what had he been doing for an hour? you opened your mouth to ask but closed it soon after. you recalled your thoughts about illumi growing up void of affection, or love, or appreciation. 

- some questions were best left unanswered.

- “how long was i... mumbling like that?”

- “a few minutes.”

- you gulped. there were a few things you had to come to terms with. shutting your eyes firmly, you apologised profusely, annoyed at yourself.

- “y/n. i don’t care.” he lied once again.

- “you’re right!” you rambled - “the ten dons are today! it doesn’t matter what i said... none of it matters, we can both just forget it!”

- you sounded like you were trying to convince yourself more than anyone.

- “so all we need to do is go over the plan one last time, get kalluto, and then we’ll carry it out, and soon enou-”

- “stop it. you’re wasting time. just go and get ready.”

- you sighed and smiled weakly. on the inside, you were sure your soul had died a little.

- while you left to change, overcome by embarrassment, illumi lingered by the bed for a few seconds. he tried to push down whatever he was currently feeling, but it was no use. the feeling in his core had risen up to his throat, a burst of something waiting to leave his lips. 

- for the first time in a while, illumi zoldyck smiled. not at murder, or at power, or fulfillment, or achievement, or even villainy.

- illumi zoldyck had smiled at the thought of you.

- let’s just say illumi had trouble focusing on his mission. 

i am honestly so fucking sorry you had to read that whole thing. the way i am literally in love with illumi zoldyck and ended up writing 2857 words bye bye bye i’m so sorry!!! PLZ what?? anyways,, i feel like i heavily underwrote hisoka now, since i did such a prologue thing for this! honestly i feel like this one came out a little boring, im sorry again AAAAA just agh; chrollo should b coming when i have time but i have exams rn so idkkkk hh

either way, likes or reblogs or whatever are super appreciated, but don’t feel forced to or anything! either way, i feel like no one’s gonna see this with my reach LMAOO but anyways thank you for reading, if you made it here! feedback and tips for writing on here are always helpful :)

[toweroftickles]

Maiko - A Useful Little Tool (Tickle Fic)

@ticklishlittleshithead wanted some more Mai/Zuko stories, so I tried to come up with one!

The Earth Kingdom had an ugly, crude nature about it…at least in the eyes of Zuko. It was far too unrefined, but not unrefined enough to have a primitive charm in the same vein as its Water and Air neighbors. To Zuko, the Earth Kingdom was just…blah. An impersonal brown void.

But it did, in its moments, have flashes of lively green charm. There was a small park that the Gaang often visited on their travels, lined with snaking rows of bushes and trees where the cat owls and sparrowkeets frolicked, and dotted with glistening koi ponds…an out-of-the-way spot perfect for picnics and games. It was joyfully picturesque, if not a particularly remarkable place.

Sokka attempted to teach Appa how to fish (it was not going well), Aang and Katara practiced water-bending in the ponds, Toph hung upside-down from a tree, and Suki attempted in vain to maintain conversations with all four of them. Mai and Zuko, on the other hand, merely relaxed on an old carved bench nearby, which faced the setting orange sun by the far edge of the trees.

It may have been a pleasantly comfortable sight, but Zuko was simply not in the mood. Intense boredom painted his face. The chirping of birds was like the whistle of crossbow bolts zipping right next to his ear. Mai, too, looked slightly uncomfortable. She seemed like she was trying to smile but not quite succeeding…the kind of expression a child might make at the birthday party of someone they didn’t particularly like. A kunai rested in her left palm, and with her right she wrapped thick thread around its tail many times, fastening it into a rope dart.

“Such a beautiful evening, isn’t it?” she asked. The pleasantness in her voice was downright sickening.

“Yeah…I guess…if you like this sort of thing,” Zuko murmured with a slight huff.

“Honey, why don’t you cheer up? I know we’re not back home yet but we’ll get there.”

“…did you just call me ‘honey?’”

“...Yeah, that was kinda weird. I’m just trying to be helpful. Try smiling some more. Maybe we could…play a game.”

“What’s gotten into you? Why are you so cheery?” Zuko didn’t “snap” exactly, but there was a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

Mai’s face slipped into an exhausted frown, and her façade crumbled…she was just as bored as him.

“Ugh…Ty Lee says I need to try ‘positivity training.’ It’s driving me craaazyyyy,” she grimaced. Zuko noticed that she had begun to fidget with the rope much faster than before.

“Ehhh…I’m sick of this place. I’m all for relaxing but this isn’t my first choice of scenery.”

“Well we’re stuck here for as long as Aang wants us to be, so you might as well have a good attitude about it.”

“Hm. Why do you bother with those dumb things?” Zuko asked, casting a glance at her weapon. “Your knives are already lighter and faster.”

Mai frowned, still winding the rope around the shaft of her kunai. Cutting through bones and working to plant a garden, she mused, were hardly its only uses. Its backside tip was a dark metal ring, perfectly round from any angle, no corners or hard edges whatsoever. And just enough, perhaps, to do another job. Unspooling the rope, Mai suddenly jabbed the metal loop into her boyfriend’s side and rubbed with soft but vigorous strokes.

“Bah!” Zuko almost jumped, but something stopped him. Mai’s free arm…her right…was around him, firmly gripping his right shoulder. He was pinned to her, barely able to stop himself from giggling.

“Hey! Wh-what are you doing?!” he hissed at her.

“I’m having fun,” she said, completely serious. With another careful twist of her thumb, she ran the kunai’s dull end back and forth along his left side, occasionally dipping below to the indents between his toned abs…it was like a firm massage, just in one very concentrated, continuously-moving spot. And it tickled. And Zuko began to wiggle in her grasp.

“G-het off me…heh!” Zuko tried to push her arms away, but she was strong, certainly stronger than she looked. Zuko’s eyes kept darting back and forth between her face, her hand, and his nearby friends. A slight apprehension prevented him from shoving Mai even harder, for fear that the others might notice the commotion and turn to look.

“I always thought that was kinda funny. You know…when tough guys are ticklish.”

The hard iron ring rolled around against the underside of Zuko’s lowest ribs, that tender spot at the very bottom of the ribcage wherein his stomach was housed. He felt a cold bead of sweat on the back of his neck, and he trembled more feverishly in his seat.

“G-guhgkk! No…not there…d-don’t you dare--” he stammered. His teeth were grinding, and the young Fire Lord was growing more emotionally turbulent by the second.

“You don’t wanna get tickled, then you should smile more,” Mai replied flatly. The kunai’s ring played Zuko’s ribs like a xylophone, while Mai lowered her right hand down his back, until her nails could scratch along his side.

“Y-you’re not gonna make me laugh!” he insisted angrily.

“Oh yeah?”

Mai’s right arm pulled him even tighter to her, until he was practically in her lap, and her nails could really dig into his gut. She poked above his hip. Rubbed the kunai’s tail under his ribs again. He was dying inside, fighting to keep his reactions in. Zuko’s fingers grabbed for any secure surface they could find, only finding the wobbling panels that made up the old bench.

Now, actually breathing flame was an incredibly advanced trick, one only practiced by expert firebenders, because it threatened to cause damage to the innards and throat if not controlled properly. It began as a wet, twisted knot from deep within the stomach, slowly ascending, and if the fire was held too long inside it might burn the conjurer. Zuko considered this as he kept his laughter bottled.

Through his teeth, Mai could see that the inside of his mouth had grown orange with stifled embers. A small light threatened to burst through the cracks. Smoke practically poured from his ears. His legs crossed and uncrossed, anything to keep from loss of control. Mai leaned in close, her toy caressing him…to an observer it would look like a gentle kiss…and she whispered into his ear, ever so softly…

“Tickle tickle tickle.”

“GYAAAHHHH HA-HA HA-HA HA!!” Zuko exploded into a tornado of flailing limbs, his laughter threatening to launch fireworks from deep within his gut. Mai immediately retreated from him with expert speed, so that when the others turned to face the Fire Lord and his lover, they thought he was simply convulsing violently. As fast as it had come, it was over, and Zuko slumped against the bench with dead eyes.

“Zuko, are you alright?!” Katara cried out.

“What happened?” inquired Suki.

Zuko’s breathing was heavy and slow. He wasn’t looking at any of them, but off into the indeterminable distance.

“Y-yeah…yeah…I just got a…got a weird muscle spasm,” he gasped.

“Ok…you sure you don’t need anything?” said Aang, a little unconvinced. Why that was, he wasn’t sure. Then Sokka piped in.

“Alright, alright, just…you know, take a chill pill.”

The others gradually returned to their own conversations, their own thoughts, while Zuko shot Mai a look so dirty it could have sliced a boulder in half. Her remark about Zuko not smiling enough was ironic, since it was an expression that he rarely saw on her…until that moment. As he glanced at her downcast head…more hiding than guilty…there was a small smile peeking out of the corner of her mouth.

It was disarming. Zuko could’ve made her suffer right then and there, or let the desire for payback fester in the back of his mind until they returned to the Fire Nation. But something about that smile…that damn little smile…made him hesitate. It was as if all of his bubbling rage cooled to a low simmer, leaving his insides with a conflicted mush of bitterness and affection. He didn’t know what to do…so he put his arm around her.

Perhaps he could watch her smile for just a bit longer.