#kabru would approve too

[dadsbongos]

I can't really explain why but it makes me a little sad to think that Laios will have to have a kid because he needs an heir when he becomes king

my first, gut instinct when i saw this was to make the worst, most tragic tale of laios being forced to produce an heir and overcoming daddy issues to be a dad (but still unintentionally giving his kid daddy issues)

but i'm strong! (i still want to)

honestly idk if laios NEEDS to have an heir because of how he rose to the position. since he's not of royal blood and is just some dude that did an epic quest, his entire claim to the throne fucks with divine right... which is how monarchs justified monarchy

laios could probably figure a way out of it by naming a successor since, again, he's not of noble decent nor related to delgal or yaad

[sabertoothwalrus]

There’s something I love love loveeee about Laios and how badly he wants to be cool.

Let me preface with this: in general, I believe the harder you try to be cool, the less cool you actually are. The less you care what people think about you, if you’re “cringe” or “weird”, the more likely people will perceive you as confident and self-assured.

There are countless pieces of media where characters try to fit in with some group, change every part of themself to look/act like what they’re “supposed” to be, and end up miserable, often realizing the people they’re trying to impress aren’t worth the trouble.

I’ve experienced this in my own life too! Sometimes when I go out I wear a rainbow propeller cap! Cause I think it’s funny and silly and!! I ALWAYS get compliments!! I don’t wear it to be cool, I wear it because it makes me happy. And people overall have a positive reaction to it. it’s a huge contrast to when I was teenager and didn’t really put as much of myself into my appearance/wardrobe, and barely left any kind of impression on people.

So anyway, let’s get into it.

Laios… he’s been hurt so badly by people. He resented humanity for it. And yet, he still yearns for the approval of others. He wants FRIENDS!!!! and was angry and frustrated to learn his perception of his relationship with Shuro was so drastically different than Shuro’s!!!!

He KNEW that people were put-off by his love of monsters. Up until Falin got eaten, he deliberately suppressed how much he talked about it with others. He probably thought by not talking about monsters so much, it was working!! He was doing all the Right Things now! So Shuro confessing he always hated him was a huge blow.

But the reality is, he loves monsters. And most importantly, he loves cool monsters. He fantasizes about what would make the Ultimate Monster.

He feels very strongly about what he considers “cool” as well. He finds all aspects of monsters fascinating, but can still be HORRIBLY underwhelmed when they look too lame for his tastes.

He knows most people don’t feel the same way he does. He knows his “cool” is everyone else’s “weird”. It’s so tragically sweet how he latches onto Kabru the moment he shows interest in monsters, and takes every opportunity to infodump about them to him.

He wants people to find monsters as cool as he does!! But, he also wants people to think he’s as cool as he finds monsters.

Like!!! djkfghadkfjg IT DOESN'T EVEN BOTHER HIM WHEN PEOPLE HAVE A WRONG IMPRESSION OF HIM! He's FLATTERED by it. It's almost like, at this point, it doesn't matter to him if people don't like him. People can not like him and still think he's cool.

And my favorite thing is, it works. Laios IS cool as fuck. You KNOW he thought he looked so badass when he did this and he was RIGHT:

And yet, this is him trying very hard to look cool. But it's Laios's version of cool. It's almost contradictory, in that sense. Cause he knows people still don't get it. Like. He wants to be cool. He doesn't care about the "normal" ways to be cool. He thinks his cringe thing is cool. He does his cringe thing, that people very much do still think is cringe. So you would think that, since he wants people to think he's cool, he would not do the cringe thing. But he wore the pelt because he thought it was cool. And people clapped and cheered for him anyway.

is what he's doing really so different than this? ^

YAYYYYY WOOO GO LAIOS YOURE SO COOL!!!!!!!

[xenodile]

"Shuro loves Falin for the same reasons he hates Laios" Completely and utterly wrong, could not be further off base.

I get the impression a lot of people watching Dungeon Meshi as it airs, or are a bit removed from its original manga run, have forgotten that Laios and Falin being monster freaks wasn't actually apparent until the events of the story. The only person that knew Falin loved monsters as much as Laios was Marcille because they were best friends at school.

Once Laios and Falin were in an adventuring party together, they both had public facing personas because they had both learned through their separate upbringings that being super interested in monsters and dungeons wasn't normal. Laios is the blunt but well meaning, outspoken and opinionated guy we all know, but Falin was way more withdrawn and soft-spoken, non-confrontational, easy to get along with. Everyone that interacted with Falin would say she's a sweet, gentle girl that everyone likes. Because she was, frankly, kind of a doormat.

The whole thing with Toshiro's infatuation with Falin is he doesn't actually know her. She is outwardly very polite and reserved, and that appeals to Toshiro because it meshes with his cultural sensibilities and how he was taught people are supposed to behave. Then he sees her marveling at a caterpillar in a private moment and decides on the spot that she's the ideal woman and proposes without actually talking to or getting to know her.

And his lack of understanding of Falin as a person is brought to the forefront in every action he takes after she gets eaten. He leaves the party and makes no attempt to contact the two people that Falin loves the most. Whether it's a matter of him just not knowing how much Falin cares about her brother and Marcille, or actively avoiding Laios to rescue Falin himself, he's demonstrating that he doesn't actually know what's important to her or understand how she feels.

Then when he meets Laios's party on the lower floors and they go over what happened, it's made even more blatant that Toshiro's affection is shallow and half-baked. He came into the dungeon a week too late and neglected his health the whole way down, so he was in no state to actually try and save Falin when he got there. When Laios talks about eating monsters, something Falin was thrilled about, Toshiro is disgusted. He threatens to kill Laios and turn Marcille in, which would never fly with Falin. His anger at the use of black magic is entirely based in his selfish idea of Falin being tainted and blaming Laios and Marcille for "ruining" his attempt to rescue her, as Kabru points out that Toshiro would have done the exact same thing in their shoes and that he's being a hypocrite. To say nothing of how he'd rather kill Falin after she's been transformed and "put her to rest" rather than put any effort into saving her, because that would require further involvement from Laios and Marcille and methods that Toshiro doesn't approve of.

And there's the fight he has with Laios, and Toshiro's subsequent confession that he had hoped to just take Falin home with him. He at no point gives consideration to what Falin feels or what she might want, only what he has decided about her based on the most surface level observation. Just like how his problem with Laios arises from his refusal to just talk to him about his boundaries, he has no actual connection with the woman he claims to love because he just wouldn't actually talk to her.

Like it's not a coincidence that every time his attraction to Falin is brought up, another character goes "yeah he's being weird about it".

[prismatoxic]

chilchuck tierlist of babysitting fentripp, people who he absolutely knows he can count to not kill his child and people who he knows will end up doing something wrong (even if by accident)

GOOD QUESTION ANON

the original post about my chilaios fankid, fentripp, for anyone who didn't see it

anyone who isn't here hasn't offered or chilchuck hasn't considered. however i can be persuaded to add more entries with compelling arguments for them

S TIER

Kabru - follows the rules to the letter. will have fen fed, bathed, taught, played with, and asleep by all the exact right times. if anything diverges from the plan, it's because fen is a goblin, not because kabru did anything wrong. fen likes when kabru reads to him, he does funny voices.

Senshi - follows his own ideas of what's best, but shockingly good at it nonetheless. very careful, and considerate, and makes sure he knows where fen is at all times. fen likes him a lot and they always have a really good time together.

Meijack - doesn't want kids of her own, but is pretty good with them anyway, and she's extremely protective of her little brother. knows exactly what chilchuck expects, and also has a pretty good sense of what he'd approve of when instructions are unclear. strikes a perfect balance of making fen have so much fun that he doesn't realize no mischief is actually being caused.

A TIER

Laios - tends to stray off the beaten path a little, but will always defer to his husband so he's never gonna get too wild with it. he also loves fen more than life itself and won't intentionally put him in any manner of harm's way, no matter what. maybe doesn't count as a babysitter since he's literally fen's other dad, but as far as chilchuck is concerned, anyone outside of himself is a risk if he's not also there, so.

Falin - fen is obsessed with her, and the feeling is more or less mutual. she loves him so, so much. but... she's also maybe not chilchuck's ideal as far as babysitting goes, because she's extremely susceptible to the puppy eyes. can drop down to d tier for a few weeks if fen manages to lead her on some batshit adventure, but generally speaking, chilchuck trusts her.

Yaad - similar to kabru in his ability to follow chilchuck's guidelines to a T, and fen does seem to like him, but he's not always fully prepared for what caring for a young child entails. still, he's a decent enough choice, if he's available.

Dandan - weirdly good at this. chilchuck left the guild to him for a reason--dandan's got a good head on his shoulders, something that's only become more true over time--but "babysitting" wasn't a skill chilchuck anticipated him having. he might shirk responsibility from time to time, but in a "alright, you can stay up an extra hour" way, not a neglectful way.

B TIER

Marcille - fen is safe with her, and she'll do her best (and so very badly wants to be the best aunt ever), but she tends to overthink things and can get distracted easily. also, the older he gets, the angrier fen gets if she mentions magic, because he thinks elves are abusing the spirits. (she tries to default to gnome magic around him but he still side-eyes her for a while. don't worry, they bond properly when he's more self-sufficient.)

Namari - a little nervous about caring for a kid by herself, but she's actually really fond of fen. she does most things right, and chilchuck's not necessarily ideologically opposed to her teaching his son dwarfish swear words, but she's more interested in having fun than being a guardian so she's not the perfect choice.

C TIER

Flertom - perfectly decent, most of the time. loves getting to care for a child (desperately wants her own someday). can get a little sidetracked playing pretend-mom, though, and doesn't always have the best ideas for what to do, which doesn't always end well.

D TIER

Puckpatti - way too scatterbrained for this job, and also way too eager to goof off in whatever way fen indicates he thinks would be fun. she's alright with her sisters since they tend to override her poor decisions and keep her on track, but by herself, she's a last resort.

Izutsumi - basically an older sister to fen, but this is rarely a good thing. he loves her and they have great fun together, but leaving them alone is a recipe for disaster, and even kabru's had to step in and shut the idea down officially. "don't put me in a position where i have to explain how a cat and a toddler burned down an entire castle wing."

F TIER

Shuro - not good with kids. actively kind of scared of this one in particular. will agree if asked, but that's because he's bad at saying no, and chilchuck doesn't intend to ask. (and laios needs to stop thinking it'll work out for anyone.)

Mickbell (& Kuro) - only offered to be a nuisance, or at least that's what chilchuck assumes. kuro might be able to handle it on his own in a pinch, maybe, but there's no point trying to peel him and mickbell apart when there are so many better options.

Mithrun - with kabru? passable. by himself? absolutely the fuck not.

[toxycodone]

Since I'm stuck on a road trip w my family I've been passing the time trying to figure out which road trip games the dunmeshi characters would be best at/their favorites

Laios - eye spy (it's so he can use some obscure monster fact like "I spy with my little eye something that reproduces asexually through mitosis. Actually it's quite interesting did you know-" and has to whacked by marcille to get on w the game

Marcille - alphabet categories (she's a nerd she will body this game and no one can stop her they had to stop making it a competition bc the only way to stop her from winning is to make up a stupidly niche category and she'll still get like halfway through the alphabet before she gives up)

Chilchuck - road sign game (probably the most observant person in the group will spot a sign from across the interstate that only he can read and get the farthest in the alphabet before anyone else although he probably gives up halfway through bc he realizes how stupid of a game it is and someone else wins)

Falin - who am I (I feel like she knows lots of little trivia things about lots of famous people and has a very fun time narrowing down the answers although she probably misses some obvious questions [gender, race, etc] and ends up on the absolute wrong end of her options

Senshi - I honestly can't think of any games I think would be his favorite but I do think that he's always chosen to be the judge for any disputes or games that require a judge bc I think he'd be pretty fair/impartial

Izutsumi - while you were sleeping (she's the victim most of the time but she's so hard to trick into believing whatever story everyone else has cooked up. God forbid someone else falls asleep though bc she will lie straight through her teeth and they'll still end up believing her)

Kabru - eye spy (observant freak (affectionate) was probably banned from playing bc he'll see a single cow on the horizon and it will take ages for anyone to find it but on the flip side he'll clock everyone else's things in seconds. Laios loves playing w him bc it means he can spout off more facts and still be 'playing')

this is honestly such a fun headcanon oh my God?? thank you for sharing

can i propose senshi being the annoying judge and everyone being like ughhh when he has to settle a dispute because he's always thinking of random factors and has way too much trouble making a decision

but everything about this is just so cute. oxy seal of approval has been bestowed...<3

[marmorafarms]

Us Forever

Well, looks like the results said that I should write a Part 2 to My King! So here you all go!

MINORS DNI

Rating: Explicit

Paring: Labru

Word count: 2259

A/N: Kabru is trans in this fic!

You can find it on ao3 or read down below!

Ever since their kiss, things had been different between the king and his adviser. Laios was constantly consumed in thoughts about it, thinking about the way Kabru had tasted on his lips. Everything about it had been wonderful, and he kept wondering when the next kiss would be. But annoyingly enough, Kabru didn’t seem to be on the same wave length as he was.

Laios wasn’t sure if he was just bad at flirting, or if Kabru was intentionally brushing him off, but he intended to find out. Somehow he would get a second round in, even though Kabru was practically running away from him every time they met up. The next time he’d be alone with Kabru would be after their meeting with Yaad. Laios groaned internally. It would be another meeting about marriage, he was sure of it. What would he even say? That he didn’t want to get married because he wouldn’t be able to kiss Kabru again if he did?

That was his new reasoning anyway. Kabru had been so passionate, so wonderful. But if Laios got married, they wouldn’t be able to do that again. He would never do that to his wife, and Kabru would most certainly not approve of such a thing. So marriage was off the table.

Unless…

Could he marry Kabru?

That was certainly a thought. But would Yaad approve? Yaad had wanted someone who could bear him heirs. Would Kabru want do that? Laios knew a thing or two about Kabru’s personal life, but he had never asked if bearing a child was something that his dearest friend would actually be comfortable doing. And he would never force him into doing something he didn’t want.

Laios was lost in thought as he walked into the meeting room, sitting down at the head of the table. He barely even registered when Yaad, Marcille, and Kabru walked in. Marcille had to say his name twice before he looked up.

“Oh, hey there,” Laios said, and Marcille sighed.

“You should really pay more attention to your surroundings. What’s got you so deep in thought?” she asked.

“Oh uh, nothing,” Laios said. But even as he said this, his eyes betrayed him and flickered over to Kabru over on the other side of the room, chatting merrily with Yaad.

“Well ‘nothing’ is a little too busy talking to see you staring, but I’d suggest you’d pop your eyes back in. Yaad’s going to talk to you about a Queen again,” Marcille said.

“I know…” Laios grumbled.

Kabru walked over, sending a smile Laios’ way. His stomach fluttered, feeling warm inside at the pleasant look on the other man’s face. Yaad settled down in a chair as well, and Laios shifted uncomfortably. Now that Yaad was sitting down, he knew that he was about to get lectured.

“Laios, we all here to tell you that the time has come for you to find a bride,” Yaad said. “I know you have expressed that you don’t want to marry, but this time I must put my foot down. I have gathered the names of several eligible women from across the continents for you to choose from.”

“Wait hold on!” Laios said, looking horrified. “You’re going to make me marry someone I don’t know? Someone who doesn’t know me? I can’t do that!”

“That’s how it was done in my time,” Yaad said. “Arranged marriages aren’t inherently bad.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want that!” Laios said, frustrated. “I already had one of those once, I don’t want that again!”

“Laios. We need to get this moving, you can’t stay single forever. The kingdom cannot handle this.”

“But…!”

“But nothing,” Yaad said, pulling out some papers. “I have here several pictures of the women along with a few paragraphs about each one. We’ll whittle it down from here to the best one.”

Laios could feel panic rising in his chest. Yaad was so prepared, and Laios was so…not! What could he do? What should he say?

“I already know who I want to marry!” Laios burst out. The whole room went silent, all eyes on him.

“And who is that?” Yaad asked, looking thrown. “I didn’t know there was anyone you were interested in. Laios, you should���ve told me so we could begin the courting process!”

“It’s because…I want to…” Laios looked over at Kabru, who looked calm and relaxed. He wished he could feel that calm and relaxed.

“Yes?” Yaad encouraged.

“I want to marry Kabru!”

Marcille slapped a hand to her forehead, and Kabru tilted his head up towards the ceiling, eyes closed. Yaad simply looked confused.

“Are you joking?” Yaad asked. “You need a Queen. You need to bear children.”

“Yeah but--”

“It’s nice that you are so close with your friend, but you need someone who can give you an heir,” Yaad said, “And he cannot.”

“Says you,” Kabru said, and Laios’ looked over at him, shocked. Marcille even looked a bit surprised.

“Excuse me?” Yaad asked Kabru.

“I can bear children,” Kabru said. “I have the anatomy for it.”

Yaad looked even more confused than before, but Marcille looked thoughtful. Laios looked over at Kabru, and was saddened to see that his friend was not looking at him at all.

“Well then,” Marcille said thoughtfully, “I think that could work, as long as Kabru agrees.”

“I think the King and I will need to have discussion about this before we decide,” Kabru said, giving her a tight lipped smile. She nodded, as did Yaad who still looked lost. “For now, I think the meeting should be concluded. You both will be informed with the results of our discussion. Laios, follow me.”

Laios got up, feeling nervous. Kabru didn’t seem happy or excited. If anything, he seemed annoyed. They made their way to Kabru’s study, and Kabru ushered him in. Laios gulped, feeling like he’d just been called into the principal’s office to get his knuckles whacked with a ruler. When the door closed, Kabru whipped around, fire in his eyes.

“Why did you say that?” Kabru hissed, and Laios gulped.

“Say what?” he asked innocently.

“You said that you wanted to marry me! Why would you say that? You never consulted me on the matter!”

“You haven’t really been alone with me much,” Laios pointed out. “So I haven’t been able to consult you about anything at all.”

Kabru looked guilty at these words, and Laios pressed on.

“I only really had the idea to marry you today. I think it’s a good one! I like you a lot Kabru.”

Kabru looked away, a slight flush to his cheeks. “I like you a lot too,” he said carefully. “But I am your adviser. I have a role in this kingdom that is very important.”

“Can’t you be both?” Laios asked. “I don’t see why not. You can be adviser and my…uh…other king?”

“Kings consort,” Kabru corrected. “I just don’t know Laios…”

Laios walked over to Kabru and put his large hands on the other man’s waist. “Well I guess I’ll have to convince you.”

“Laios…” Kabru groaned, “You’re really going to try and use sex as your tool?”

Laios paused. “I mean I was just gonna kiss you a bunch,” he said, “But I mean if that’s where your mind went I don’t see why not.”

“Oh shut up,” Kabru said, and let out a small whine as Laios bent down and kissed right under Kabru’s ear.

“You like that?” Laios asked, and began peppering the side of Kabru’s neck with kisses. Kabru let out little moans and whines, spurring Laios on. Soon their lips met, and it was like a spark hitting a match, the fire within them bursting forth. Their kisses didn’t start off soft and gentle, no. It was instant passion, Laios working Kabru’s mouth open with his own. Laios let out a load groan as their tongues touched, and Kabru suddenly pushed him away.

“What’s wrong?” Laios asked.

“Not in the study,” Kabru panted. “No lock.”

Laios nodded, and the two of them practically raced each other to Laios’ bedroom. When the door locked shut behind them, Laios scooped Kabru up bridal style, getting a squeak as a response.

“You’re…really strong,” Kabru said, and Laios looked at him.

“Well yeah,” he said. “Are you really surprised I can pick you up? You’re like a feather. Even Marcille could hold you.”

“No she couldn’t!” Kabru protested as Laios carried him to the bed. “I’m not that li--”

Kabru’s sentence was cut of by a shout of surprise as Laios tossed him onto the mattress. He looked in wonder as Laios crawled on top of him, lower lip caught between his teeth. Laios gulped. He really had no idea what he was doing, and knew he would need to ask at some point.

“So are we…are we gonna…? Or just kiss?” Laios asked. Kabru let out a tinkling laugh and smiled up at him.

“Are you nervous?” he asked. Laios nodded, cheeks turning pink. He wished he wasn’t nervous, he wished he could just do this without over thinking the whole thing.

“A little bit,” Laios said.

“I’ll lead you through it,” Kabru said softly. “It’s okay. You might cum fast, though, but don’t worry. When you have a dick, that can happen your first time. I’m not going to judge you.”

“Okay,” Laios said, and gently kissed Kabru again. Slowly they began removing each other’s clothes, and Laios was particularly curious about Kabru’s chest.

“What are these tattoos?” He asked. There were what looked like magical sigils underneath Kabru’s pecs.

“Oh, these got rid of my breasts,” Kabru said, looking down at them.

“Do you have tattoos down there too?” Laios asked curiously. Kabru shook his head.

“No, I prefer temporary magic down there. Stuff that can be reversed if I feel like it.”

Laios nodded, and took his own shirt off.

“Wow,” Kabru said, running his hands over Laios’ chest.

“Like what you see?” Laios teased, and Kabru nodded.

“Love it,” he said in awe. “Love how big and strong you are.”

Their lips met again, and pants were quickly pulled off and tossed to the side as they kissed and rolled their hips against each other. Laois could feel the blood rushing to his cock, desire filling him as he pressed against Kabru’s clothed heat.

Kabru took his underwear off and gently guided Laios hand down, showing him where to touch. Laios got the picture pretty quickly, alternating between rubbing circles against Kabru’s clit and fucking his fingers in and out of him, preparing him for what was coming next. It wasn’t long before Kabru was clenching the sheets, barely able to form coherent sentences. Laios went to reposition himself, and was in awe at the state he had left Kabru in. The man beneath him was a sweaty, panting mess, eyes slightly glazed over.

When Laios decided to remove his fingers to get into a better position, he realized he needed to clean his hand. But instead of just wiping it off on the bedsheets, Laios’ first instinct was to suck his fingers clean.

“Holy shit Laios…” Kabru breathed. “That was hot.”

“You taste nice,” Laios said, and Kabru gave him a sultry look.

“Want to taste more?” he asked, spreading his legs open. Laios blinked, and got in between Kabru’s legs. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but Kabru had said to taste…Laios began to lap at him, dipping his tongue inside Kabru, and returning to Kabru’s most sensitive spot, licking and sucking at it with passion. Soon Kabru’s back was arched as he cried out in pure pleasure, thighs squeezing Laios’ head.

“Was that good?” Laios asked, wiping his face. Kabru stared at the ceiling, nodding slowly.

“Yeah,” he said with a dopey grin. “Fuck yeah.”

“So um. Now what? Do I just…stick it in?”

“Basically,” Kabru said. “Come here.”

After a bit of shifting around, Laios was once more over Kabru, their fingers tangled together as Laios gently eased himself inside. Laios couldn’t help it, he moaned loudly and tried his best not to just slam in as hard as he could. It felt so good and he wanted more. He needed more, he felt this new desire with his entire being. It didn’t take long before he was fully seated, and then began to move.

“Oh god, Kabru you feel amazing!” Laios praised, thrusting hard and deep, Kabru making soft sounds beneath him. Kabru had been right though, Laios was fast. His eyes rolled back and he cried out Kabru’s name, fireworks exploding behind his eyelids.

“That’s right baby, you did so good,” Kabru praised as Laios thrust a few more times. “So good.”

Laios pulled out and rolled over onto his back. “Wow,” he said, and turned his head to look at Kabru. “That was…damn.”

“Who knows, you might have made yourself an heir,” Kabru said with a smirk. “You didn’t pull out after all.”

“Oh! I’m sorry!” Laios said, “I wasn’t even thinking.”

“It’s okay,” Kabru said. He snuggled closer to Laios, and they cuddled close. They would need to get cleaned up later, but for now, resting was the right choice.

“My answer is yes,” Kabru finally said. “Even though you didn’t ask.”

“Ask what?” Laios asked, confused.

“To marry you,” Kabru said. “You never actually asked. But yes. I’ll marry you.”

“Really?” Laios said excitedly.

“Yeah,” Kabru said, and gave Laios a small kiss. “It’ll be us forever.”

[dunmesh]

whats your opinion on namari x kiki and laios x kabru? 👀

i love namari and kiki❤️ i don't think abt them much but i enjoy them a lot. they're so funny like kiki is clearly having the most fun bringing namari closer and closer to the worst crisis ever and i just think their personalities go really well together, they'd be both sexy and wholesome as a couple. and i'm sure the flokes would approve of namari after everything they went through like you just know namari would be terrified of them finding out abt her relationship with kiki while yarn already knows and supports it... her husband is incredibly oblivious though but he will get over it.

labru... okay... it's like. i like some content ppl make for this ship bc i love laios i love kabru and i love whatever the fuck is going on between them in canon but i also despise this ship sometimes, i see ppl rambling abt them and i go all ughh ughhhh nahhh😩😩 and i was fine with it at first i'm just in my anti labru era. i'll 100% get over it, maybe it's seeing way too much of it since the anime came out? also the fact it's the token yaoi ship the fanbase need to latch onto to keep interest in a series doesn't help either lol. it's somewhat like kabumisu to me but in a i can barely tolerate it way that is sometimes just me hating. but i also don't hate this ship. i know they will stay by each other's side until death and there will be many times when they can only depend on one another and they'll become so close over the years it would be a disservice to simply call it a friendship. like kabru and laios are not the problem you get me?

[incandescent-irrigation]

the kbms fandom jokes about it a lot so i'm curious, what do you think milsirir's reaction to kabru and mithrun dating would actually be like?

thank you for the question!

oh man. i think she would have complicated feelings about it, and would need a bit of time to just Process that *the* mithrun she knows mostly from his past self (and has spent a lot less time with his current self according to the side stories, where she basically visited him at least once, we dont know if more) is not just *into* the idea of being romantically involved with a tallman, but that the tallman is Her Fucking Kid, whom she still considers a child to an extent as evidenced in the comic where she visited him.

i dont think milsiril has the mental capacity to Not experience some sort of brain damage immediately upon receiving that info. an instant hemorrage. opens the letter from either mithrun or kabru saying that they're together and just. shortcircuits. it is also likely that kabru would be against telling her right away just bcs it would be bothersome at the start of their relationship. like. i cannot stress enough how confused she would be about it.

then, in my opinion, she would face check the bush, so to speak in league of legends terms, by dropping in to melini herself. gotta make sure she's not being epic pranked. the whole way there she Would be calculating in her head all the possible ways in which shes mistaken and this is not happening. she would also inevitably imagine ways in which it Is happening. mithrun is fucking her son (cat).

after the initial shock i think she would be against it. firmly putting her leg down and saying she's not approving this. kabru would then smile at her and call her "mom", which would be more than enough to break her stance. sad and moping like a wet little meow meow she would yell at mithrun for seducing her little boy and to not break his heart or else. mithrun would be sitting in front of her with the expressiveness equal to that of a chair or perhaps a bookcase. milsiril would go home, and try not to think about it too much.

that is what i imagine and might put at the end of Reforged in Beloved Gold, unless i change my mind uwu

[bi-hop]

4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13 for the fic writer asks!

hehe alright

4. What detail in [insert fic] are you really proud of?

Hm. In general, I'm always pretty proud of the worldbuilding I do. Elf-made and gnome-approved T-gel in Only I See You, plays being forced to only have Noxian elements in My New Boyfriend Has Blood On His Hands?!?, even just the general fact of how subtly wrong the framing fairytale is in Birdcages All The Way Down. I like building off of a world or warping it.

... I REALLY want to say a detail of The Loyal Spouse, but I can't yet-

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [insert fic]? Answer it now!

Honestly, for some of my fics, I just wish they'd get comments at all. Does that make sense? I have no specific questions I need in mind. I'm usually happy to answer 'why did you choose to write this exact moment/dialogue' questions though bc I always have an absurd answer.

6. What’s one fact about the universe of [insert fic] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

I dunno if this has ever happened to me? I'm always saying shit in the fic directly. But lemme look at my notes real quick.

... Okay, yeah, if you don't read my author's notes, you will NOT know every emoji Laios uses for his friends and teacher. And so the latest chapter's joke might be confusing.

There's just no organic way to mention all of them without someone else going through his phone or something like that, because he doesn't see his sorting system as remarkable.

10. How do you decide what to write?

Copy and pasting this one from an earlier post. It really is just a matter of chance. As in, what am I interested in or hyperfixated on right now? What stories do I think that I am good at telling with this material? What stories do I think are missing in this space?

With Only I See You, for example, I just decided to write it on a whim. I wanted to write about university stuff in a comedy. And that’s what came out. The Loyal Spouse though, which is what I’m also writing right now? It’ll make more sense when the story comes out, but I wanted to write something I wasn’t really seeing being done with Kabru. And that’s all I can say.

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

No one is ever going to believe this, but I used to hate stories where manipulative characters were 100 percent accepted in a friend group. Or got much love in general. Part of it, I think, is just that I was dealing with too much at the time. I was railing against the concept of manipulation with no nuance due to the relationships I was being subjected to, especially because multiple people were calling me manipulative to hurt me at the time. You can even see this in my old characters, where I'd always have at least one person who was wise to the cruelty and openly disdainful.

Obviously, now, I write manipulators basically everyday. Hi, Jhin! Hi, Kabru! Hi, [insert OCs] here! And they're all very different, of course, because manipulation on its own doesn't mean much. I could guide someone into giving someone else a scholarship, and I could also make it so they'd never consider giving that money away. (General I, not me. I can't persuade anyone-)

13. Are there any tropes you used to like but don’t anymore?

Hm... I used to read a lot of soulmate fanfiction when I was little. I got into fanfiction as a thing because I wanted to see two characters from that wizard school series (lmao) get together. And I liked the mini genre of fics where they were destined to be together, where the canon ships they were in were just mistakes or the product of manipulation (lmao, see?), and where they even all seemed to have telepathic links?

I wouldn't say I hate soulmate fanfiction, but the telepathic link and the use of gods to justify it as a thing isn't something I see much. But I can't write it myself or I'll be forever reminded of Harry Potter LMAOOO I can't win

[coalmindcanary]

✏️✏️✏️ TELL ME EVERYTHING NEOWWW

YESS SIRRRRRRR

✏️ i've been messing around with the idea of Mithruns dad being a retired Canary as well, with Mithrun following in his footsteps. I believe that would give him the want and drive to keep up with his canary work despite it not being something he enjoys or likes. I imagine Mithruns father as a very stern man who cares a LOT about how the House of Kerensil is viewed, Mithrun resembles his father a lot more than his mother, but honestly, the three of them all look pretty similar. It's his brother who looks like the black sheep. Mithrun was very close to his dad, much of his awareness and knowledge that aided him in running the dungeon came from watching his father make smart investments and see how he made those choices.

✏️ Mithrun has very little feelings towards the existing Canaries he currently lives with, but after canon events he has been considering departing from them. They are still actively trying to get the other Canaries pardoned from their jail sentences, because now that Mithruns no longer a Canary captain he isn't their ward anymore. That being said, they've been taking care of him since everything happened with Laios group. Mithrun has been off and on, no one knows what hes going to be up to any day of the week simply because they find him unpredictable. Many of them haven't seen Mithrun ever be driven by anything other than revenge, and many of them even if they did know Mithrun prior to losing his eye, they didn't ACTUALLY know him, they just knew the persona he was putting up to get approval and validation. many of them have verbalized disappointment in how slow his recovery is going, expecting him to have gotten better after Kabrus words of encouragement. They don't seem to realize that healing from something like that takes a long time.

✏️ I believe much of Mithruns family regarded him not with hate or disgust or dislike, but with pity. Mithruns desires remind me a bit of Thistles; childish in nature, desperate for approval, a need for things to be "okay" at any cost. And the fact that his biggest factors were the fact that his brother was living the life he wanted, and that he was in the Canaries instead of living that life, I don't think Mithrun was ever VIEWED as the "better child", at least not in the way he thinks he was. he was the better child in the publics eye, but I think his entire family knew he was a child of adultry, and were terrified of others finding out, including Mithtrun. I believe Mithruns story of alienation starts here, the pity his brother and family held for him being the "unwanted" child, the misfit, perhaps he fit in with the family better, he looked better, but I don't think his role in life was actually all that much better because of it. Elves seem desperate for things to take care of, and while he mentions that they ignored his brother, I think that also glosses over the fact that they literally sent Mithrun away. I think his older brother is aware of this, and is desperate to try and connect with Mithrun, something they were unable to do as kids. His brother consistantly tries to connect and bond with him, to little success. It may have been worth it before Mithruns encounter with the dungeon and the demon, but at this point, he views himself as too selfish to deserve his brothers forgiveness, and is too unmotivated to accept his love even if he were to gain more self confidence. despite this, his brother still insists on helping. they spend regular time together every few years, which will become more frequent for the next few years until Mithrun starts doing better.

[dadsbongos]

Hi! I was wondering if u write fic requests on minor characters? Holm from Dungeon Meshi is my fave character and it's saddening that there are only a few contents about him T^T (tho its understandable since he's, well, a minor character)

If it's okay w you, I wanna request a Holm x reader scenario where Holm introduces reader to his party as his partner, and everyone is suprised because they didn't expect a laid-back guy like him to be in a serious relationship with someone!

aaaa sorry if it's a bit short and bland I just want some fluffy imagines with the cute lil gnome ;-;

as long as i feel confident enough in my characterization of a character i'm more than happy to tackle minor characters!

holm is a lil cutie patootie so i get it anon

586 words / warnings - not super proofread ~~~

“Congratulations, big guy!” Mickbell claps Holm on the back, earning a startled flinch from the gnome.

“Thank you…” Holm sighs, choosing to ignore the rough jostling, “So as I saying, I finally bought a house. I’d really appreciate it if you all could come to dinner to celebrate.”

Daya scratches the back of her neck, lips pursing thoughtfully, “Can I bring my fiance?”

“Sure! It’ll be a great time for you all to finally meet my spouse as well.”

Kabru is first to respond, a despondent, broken, “wh-what…?” croaking out.

“You’re married?” Rin mutters, covering her twitchy mouth with a gloved hand and brows furrowing. If none of them knew her, they might think she was disgusted by the information.

Holm nods, “I never found the right time to bring it up, but now is perfect!”

“Married…” Kabru’s horrified, he had zero idea Holm was a taken man -- and he’d been meeting with the gnome’s sister often! Did she have no clue either? They weren’t the closest siblings, after all…

“See you all for dinner then?” Holm bypasses the man’s internal struggle completely.

Rin, still with elation masked as indignation, nods rapidly, “We’ll be there!”

… 

“Married,” Kabru’s still pouting by the time he and Rin arrive at Holm’s new residence, “And I had no clue…”

“He hardly minds,” Rin rolls her eyes, a kinder lilt overtaking her tone, “Besides, nobody else knew.”

Sighing wistfully, Kabru doesn’t expect her to understand, only continuing to mope.

“You’re probably the only one who brought a gift, so at least take that as a win,” Rin grumbles, annoyed by his angst, and knocks on the door.

Holm is not who greets them at the door, but rather a total stranger who already knows their names, “You must be Rin and Kabru! Welcome in, I’m glad you both could make it!”

Kabru’s terror only increases at the realization you know him by description, and he cannot even guess as to what your name is.

“I should die…” he whispers.

“Huh?” your eyes widen.

“Kabru! Rin!” Holm saddles up beside you, a hand finding the base of your spine while the other outstretches to accept his leader’s cradled gift, “You didn’t have to bring anything!”

“I would’ve felt terrible,” Kabru shakes his head, smile soft yet disarming.

You take it that you must’ve just misheard the nice man, then…

“You know,” Mickbell calls from where he’s lounging in Kuro’s lap on your couch, “I never would’ve taken you as the type for a serious relationship.”

Daya has half a mind to whack the man, and she probably would have if her own fiance hadn’t barked a laugh in approval. Instead, she swats him in the chest with a quiet grumble to be nice.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” if it weren’t for his gentle face, one could take the question as offended.

“You’re too laid-back…” Kuro huffs agreement to Mickbell’s point, “I would’ve thought a married man is more intense.”

“I don’t think that’s necessarily true,” Holm thankfully takes the jab with humor, “I’m seventy-six, not forty.”

“Imagine if you were?” you laugh.

“Nightmare, I’d be about you,” Holm chuckles.

“Oh, but it’d be flattering!”

“I was too immature.”

Mickbell scoffs, “Stupid long-living gnome and his stupid happy marriage.”

This time, Daya does smack the half-foot.

Meanwhile, Kabru is viciously examining yours and Holm’s body language and Rin is trying to psychically tell him to be normal.

“Your party’s very interesting…” you murmur to your husband.

“They’re just excited to be here.”

[villain-in-love]

🌹 Masquerade! So now we're talking fashion! I'm all for it, honestly, and I love the aesthetic. I think masquerade balls appeared exactly in the time period Dungeon Meshi is closest to - something around 15th century, so it fits well. I guess I should go and open my folder with historical dresses to find some outfit ideas... (Meanwhile Thistle is stressed out because do you have any idea how much of a security hazard a masquerade ball is-  I bet he’ll spend the entire prior week putting magical protections all over the castle)

Kiera will be very interested in Cath’s choice of clothing for this occasion, but I guess that by this time she will learn about her enough to be careful with comments. Nevertheless, considering what I know about your aesthetic preferences (and what we just discussed in DMs), I think Cath will still earn Kiera's silent approval.

When it comes to Cath sneaking out to make out or straight up fuck Kabru – you can count on Kiera to cover for them. She finds the situation amusing. Would probably have a thought of following them and taking a peek, just out of curiosity, but ultimately decides against it. It’s not worth the potential fuss.

By the way, would Kabru and Cath be up for dancing? If yes, what if Kiera offers Cath to dance with her? How high are the chances that these two will fuck up the dance?

Also doubt that Thistle will mind Cath ignoring him, unless she’s being particularly disrespectful about it. I don’t think that she’s that type of person or that this is the type of situation when he would actually demand attention. As long as Kiera pays enough attention to him, he'll be fine.

I think that the fight breaking out would be the most entertaining route, even better if the brawl between Kiera and Cath will get other people involved (most likely someone will try to drag them away from each other, but it will go terribly wrong, and then the chaos ensues) Alternatively, their fight could become an entertainment for the guests, with bets being placed (I wonder if Kabru will join in on the betting against his better judgements..?)

Yeah, Cath will be needing a mask to cover a black eye. But it will probably not help her or Kiera's clothes after that. (Do you think Cath will accept if Falin or Marcille offered to heal her injuries? Maybe if Kabru asks her to please, let them help?)

I’m almost sad that Thistle wouldn’t be able to properly participate in a brawl because his fighting capabilities drop significantly after losing his powers as a dungeon lord. But maybe it’s for the best, considering how extreme his methods usually are. It wouldn’t have been good if someone got crushed into a paste or incinerated alive during a ball.

Anyways, he's silently rooting for Kiera in this fight. Kabru is like: "Should we stop them?.." "No. No, let it happen." I guess he's petty and wants Kiera to beat up Cath. Or maybe he just want to see Kiera beat up someone...

All the while Laios is panicking in the background. Being a king sucks.

🔍 Kiera would probably find Cath’s outbursts funny. Come on, chill. She’s just trying to think. Though, to be fair, Kiera being chill doesn’t mean that she’ll be still and quiet. She’s rather active person, and she tends to walk around and mutter her thought process under her nose. But I guess that might be annoying too.

She might also do the thing when she crouches besides Cath, being like: “…do you want to talk about it?” while barely holding back a grin. Oh, she is so going to get punched in the face (maybe she wants it?)

I think whether she will end up pushing Cath’s buttons some more or not depends on how well they know each other by the time this scenario happens. Because Kiera’s humour can be quite rude and she will imply something negative about everything – herself, other people, the government, the word… So if they don’t know each other well enough by now – well, fuck. But if she already knows what will piss off Cath, she will try to contain herself – she already has one problem at hand, she doesn’t need another one.

Regarding Cath not being a team player: you know, considering how they both don’t really like working with other people, it could, paradoxically, lead to them being able to function well in a team. I mean, they both would understand how hard it is to work in a team. They would certainly understand boundaries when it comes to such thing.

...yeah, I think Kiera will end up being that type of friend that you often want to punch in the face. You can do that, by the way, she will walk it off just fine.

🌹,🔍 for the s/i ask game w/kiera and cath? <33

- @cannibalslut

You really gave me a challenge by choosing the double date question, when I can't even deal with regular dates... But okay, it didn't have to be easy.

Okay, for starters:

🌹 – Your S/I and mine are double-dating with our F/Os! How do you think that would go?

So basically, Kiera, Thistle, Cath and Kabru having to interact as a group.

Why do I get a feeling that it would be an entirely Kabru’s idea to organize a double date?..

Thistle probably considers the entire concept of a romantic “date” meaningless and idiotic, and Kiera actually agrees with him, but she’s fully on board this time purely because she wants to see the chaos that could ensue from that kind of character combination.

Okay, now let's just assume that she managed to somehow convince Thistle.

Kiera fully approaches it as just a regular meeting to hang out with friends. (Thistle approaches it with a sour face and a sourer mood) This is no different from meeting Cath anywhere else in their free time, it just so happens that their partners are with them for this occasion.

I think at some point it might happen that Kiera and Cath will be separately talking about their own thing with each other, while Kabru and Thistle will be left dealing with each other. Or rather, Kabru would be trying to hold a conversation with Thistle for the purpose of psychoanalyzing him.

Kiera (with Kabru backing her up) will also be likely to try discreetly pushing Thistle and Cath into interacting with each other more. For science.

…gonna be honest, I feel like Thistle would call Cath a freak at some point. (Yes, Kiera is a freak too, but that’s his freak. He’s used to her). Kabru and Kiera are ready to watch the argument unfold while chewing popcorn. But in case if things escalate, keep in mind that Kiera is violently protective of Thistle and she wouldn't mind throwing hands with Cath (it's also a part of the fun, in some way).

By the way, what are we doing? Where are we going? Do you have any ideas? I feel like Kiera's ideas would be something along the lines of going into the woods hunting. Or maybe exploring a different dungeon? We’re definitely not going to any bars, though, because Thistle would completely refuse to even set his foot here.

Oh, wait. What about the ball? In the best traditions of the historical fantasy? Everyone could have a reason to be here...

Anyways, is this going to be an AU of sorts? Considering that I highly doubt that it would be possible to plan a date with all four of them during canon events. It could be logistically possible post-canon, but post-canon Thistle is, as you know, not in the best condition, to put it mildly…

🔍 – If the two were trapped somewhere/stuck in a dire situation, how would the two be able to resolve it?

I feel like the first immediate reaction for both Kiera and Cath might just be trying to solve it all with brute force. Just for a good measure.

But that is unlikely to help, because then we wouldn't have a plot.

Anyways, Kiera is not the type to panic and usually keeps her head cool, trying to figure out her way out of trouble. She might even seem too chill about the whole situation from the outside. She hopes she can expect the same from Cath.

I think there might be a potential for conflict because Kiera tends to get rather… bossy in drastic situations. She have always been very independent and very confident in her strategic abilities, and automatically perceives the problem as hers to solve. She will also be taking into account Cath's abilities when trying to calculate their way out, and she will expect Cath to follow her plan.

Luckily, it’s not that hard to snap her out of it. She’s still willing hear Cath’s ideas and wouldn’t actually mind following them if they are good. She can cooperate if she sees that it would be more beneficial.

Also I hope Cath wouldn't mind Kiera continuously cracking jokes about their situation. She has a dark sense of humour and that's her way of coping with stress.

[marmorafarms]

The Hazards of Love Ch 6

Pairing: Labru

Chapter rating: Teen+

A/N: I finished this chapter a lot faster than I thought I would, so here you go! I hope you enjoy!

Feel free to read it on ao3, or read it under the cut down below!

Kabru had put off telling Laios about the upcoming surgery for far too long. He had told Daya, Rin, Mickbell and his other close friends, so he should tell Laios and the crew as well! But something held him back, something gave him pause. He wasn’t sure why, but he had a feeling Laios wouldn’t react well. Not because he didn’t want Kabru to live, no. But because he might forget Laios altogether.

Daya had explained that if Laios really cared about him, he would understand that this was a risk and would accept that it could happen. If Laios really cared, he would prioritize Kabru’s life. He would want Kabru to survive.

Survive. That was certainly one way of putting it. If he forgot Laios, yes he’d survive, but would he really live? Memories of them dancing across the kitchen floor filled his mind, and Kabru did his best to shove them to the side. Forgetting the one you loved was a rare occurrence, surely he would still remember his friend!

Sighing, Kabru picked up his phone, staring at Laios’ contact. The last texts they had sent were stilted and awkward, both unsure what to even say. They had left things on an odd note. Laios had bolted the morning after, and Kabru immediately came down with Hanahaki. A phone call would probably be better, but as the days were passing, Kabru was finding it hard to actually speak. His throat felt constricted, and it was hard to even breathe at times. A text would have to be fine, it would have to work. There was no way he would be able to be understood over the phone. Steeling himself, Kabru began to type.

Hey Laios, long time no talk

No, that was stupid, Kabru thought to himself, and deleted the message. What an awkward start to a conversation that would be.

Hey man, we haven’t talked since you ditched me and I got sick but I thought I’d let you know that

Okay that was way too rude. There was no way he could send that, though Rin would probably approve.

I know it’s been a while, but I wanted to say hi. I hope you’re doing well. Next week I’m going to get a surgery to take the hanahaki out, so I’ll be able to hang out again soon.

Okay that was better. Kabru bit his lip. There was one last thing he wanted to add on, one last thing…Rin and his mother would probably advise him against doing this, but…

I’d like you to be there when I come out of surgery. I want my friends with me, and I still consider you a friend. I hope you feel the same. If you’d like to come, I can give you details.

Kabru hit send and sighed. There. It was done. With full sentences and punctuation too, something that everyone always teased him for. But Laios never had. Even though Laios often shortened his own sentences and words, he never poked fun at Kabru. Laios was kind that way, he always had been. Even though his social skills were lacking, his kindness always shone through.

He looked down in surprise as his phone began to buzz. He was getting multiple texts in a row after what seemed like only seconds after texting Laios.

you’re getting the surgery? that’s cool i looked up stuff about it and it seems scary. but if you wanna do it go for it you don’t need my permission ofc just want you to be happy. and alive

Okay, so Laios was taking it well. That was good. Suddenly his phone buzzed again.

can we talk before you get it tho i need to tell you something important it has to be in person

Kabru stared at his phone in confusion. What could Laios possibly want to talk about that had to be in person? And why had he waited until now to talk about it? So much time had passed, surely he could’ve spoken to him before now? And unfortunately, the surgery was soon. Kabru knew Laios would be busy with his studies, there was no way he could squeeze a visit in.

It’s this weekend, I don’t think you’ll have time to come over. And I can’t even talk right now, my throat is messed up. Just tell me after the surgery. It’s at 9 am on Saturday, and since it’s so intense it’ll probably be more than a few hours. Same hospital I’m at now. If you forgot where it is I can tell you again.

Kabru set his phone to the side and closed his eyes. Night was falling, and he needed to sleep. He could hear his phone buzzing, but he ignored it. He’d check it in the morning. Whatever Laios wanted to talk about, he could hear about later. As his eyes fluttered shut, he briefly thought that his throat was feeling a slightly less tight. Probably just a good side effect from the breathing machine he was hooked up to.

The next morning, Kabru checked his phone to find Laios begging to be allowed to visit. Saying that he could make it work, he’d skip classes if he had to. Kabru gently turned down the offer, especially when Laios suggested missing his classes.

You can’t skip class! Especially not on Friday, that’s your quiz day for Professor Layton! You always have a quiz that day, you need to be there.

Kabru rolled his eyes as Laios insisted that he was more important that a quiz. That was Laios for you, very protective of his friends. Eventually, Laios gave up, but Kabru could tell he was doing so against his will. Most likely Marcille or Falin had something to do with it. They were his voices of reason, and Kabru was thankful for them stepping in, assuming they had done so.

For some strange reason, Kabru found his chest feeling less tight, and he was able to get words out. He was glad for this, but surprised that it was happening. The medicine they had been giving him must be good stuff, because he was slowly feeling more clear headed than before. He would be able to talk with his mother when she arrived on Saturday. She had insisted on being there before he went into surgery, wanted to offer him comfort. It would be nice to be able to respond to her properly.

The days went by faster than usual, probably because he finally had something to look forward to. He had hope now, hope that he would live to see another day. If he could make it to Saturday, it would be perfect. He would be able to get this horrible plant out of his body, and he’d be able to live a normal life again.

—

Laios was nervous. His friends were trying to comfort him, trying to make him feel better about the surgery. But nothing was helping, nothing was reassuring him that everything would turn out okay. There was a chance that Kabru could lose the ability to love anyone or anything, and that was a horrifying thought. And then there was the chance that Kabru could completely forget about him.

“These things are rare,” Falin had said as Laios paced the floor of his living room. “The only real worry is that won’t be able to love you back.”

Laios felt like he was going insane hearing those words. It was the only for certain side effect that would happen. But the fact remained that flowers were still in his lungs, the vines were still growing. Laios’ love wasn’t enough. He hadn’t been able to figure it out, hadn’t been able to save him. So maybe he deserved it. But he couldn’t bear the thought of Kabru forgetting him, or losing his love for life. If he lost the ability to love anything or anyone, the results could be disastrous. If he was brought back only to hate being alive…would he be able to keep going? Or would he lose him to something even worse?

No, he couldn’t think about that. Laios had to stay positive, had to believe that Kabru would come back just fine. They would never be able to be together, but at least they could be friends. At least there was that. Sure it would be hard, but he could still have his best friend. Things would be different, but it would be fine. Everything would be just fine.

When the day of the surgery rolled around, Rin had included him in a group chat that included Kabru’s mother. His mother stated that she would send them a text when Kabru was out of surgery and cleared to be visited. Laios found himself checking his phone every five minutes on Saturday, even though he knew the surgery would be multiple hours long. He needed to be patient, needed to wait.

When the text from Kabru’s mother finally came, Laios bolted to his car, running every red light and speeding on his way to the hospital. He had to be there when Kabru woke up, he had to be one of the first to greet him. God, he needed to see his friend’s smile, hear his laugh, see him happy again.

Time seemed to blur as Laios entered the hospital, asking where the post op patients were. The front desk people kindly pointed him in the right direction, and he tried not to run down the hallways. He couldn’t shove people out of the way and race down the halls! This wasn’t an emergency, even though it sure felt like one. All he could think about was finding the right waiting room, the place where he needed to be to see his dearest friend again.

He was greeted by Kabru’s friend group in the waiting room. Apparently Kabru was still coming out of his anesthesia induced haze, and only his mother had been allowed to come back and be with him. Rin seemed annoyed as she gave this information. It was clear she had wanted to go back and see him too, and Laios understood completely.

“I’m glad he’s going to be okay,” Laios said softly. Daya smiled kindly at him.

“Yes, we are as well. It will be nice for him to be up and about again!” she said. Kabru’s friend Holm nodded.

“This was the best course of action,” Holm said solemnly. “We must pray that it goes well, and that his recovery goes smoothly.”

“It will,” Rin said sharply. “Everything will be fine.”

“Sometimes shit happens,” Mickbell said, and their other friend Kuro elbowed him hard.

“It will all be okay,” Daya said in her calming voice. But even though she was speaking evenly, there was a bit of worry that tainted her words.

Everyone was on edge, waiting for the moment when they would be allowed back. It seemed like hours before the door opened and a doctor emerged.

“Are you here for Kabru?” he said, and everyone nodded. The doctor smiled warmly, and opened the door wider. “He’s ready to be seen.”

When they walked in, everything froze for Laios. Kabru’s friends rushed forwards to greet him, but all Laios cared about was the smile on Kabru’s face. His face was no longer an ashy gray color, he looked normal now. He was talking, laughing, and everyone looked so happy. Laios’ heart swelled, and he stepped forward.

“Kabru!” Laios said, walking over to him. “I’m glad everything went well.”

“Me too,” Kabru said, but something was off. His words were slow, careful, and there was a look in his eyes, a look Laios couldn’t place.

“Everything will be back to normal now!” Laios said cheerily. “We can cook again, and I can show you how much better I’ve gotten at giving speeches. I had to give one all by myself and I did pretty good!”

There was a small silence, and Kabru cleared his throat. “I’m sorry…do I know you?”

And that’s when Laios’ world shattered.