#layered katsu

[majianguo]

Kimukatsu - one of the best Japanese restaurants that I've come across in Indonesia, they specialize in a special form of "layered" katsu, quite tasty! This was taken inside Trans Icon mall in Surabaya.

[bangjiazheng]

Folded Pork Cutlet (Layered Pork Katsu) – Food Wishes

[lemlafrench]

Bakugou letting you put scented hand-cream on him for the first time, only for him to get "addicted".

Headcanons ft. Y/n.

Because one day as you were putting nail polish on he walked into your dorm, his face immediately scrunched, recognizing this smell on the spot from his hands smelling like that any time he uses his quirk or sweats from them.

He immediately complains about the smell but before you can say anything he explains that his hands do smell like that shitty chemical stuff. You immediatly shut up feeling bad, at the idea of ALWAYS having to smell that shi. Even with years of putting on nail polish, you couldn't get used to the strong smell of chemical.

After being done applying your protection layer and it being dry, you put some lavender hand cream for your hands and he immediately likes the smell.

He tries not to be too direct about it, asking what it is before snatching the bottle from your hands to take a look at it. He liked how it immediately made your dorm smell better after you put it on.

When you see him looking at the bottle like that you get an idea, what if he tried some? Lets see if he'd like the scent of his hands a bit better!

❝ Hm...Hey, Katsu want to try it on? I will help. ❞, you asked making some puppy eyes hoping he'd at least let you do it.

You're suprised when he ends up accepting after scrowling at you with a scrunched nose for like a minute. But you do not complain as you quickly ask him to put one hand out so you can get to work.

When he does so, you put some cream on your hands and quickly starts rubbing it on his—much bigger—hand with both of yours. At first he flinches at the cold but quickly forgets about it when he feels your soft and small hands start rubbing and massaging his hand.

His cheeks quickly become a soft pink from both the touch and the fact that you were focused on your task let him look at your pretty face. He quickly learned that your focused face was one of his favorite thing, the way your eyebrows furrowed a bit and that your nose scrunched a bit in focus. Adorable.

When you're done with it and look back up at him to ask for the second hand, his eyes widen a bit and he looked away hoping you didn't catch him staring.

He put his other hand out for you to work on that one before even asking for it. Putting his other hand in an awkward position from the kinda "sticky" creamy feeling on his hand, not used to it. He knew that his shoulder would probably hurt later, but it was totally worth it so he ignored it.

He gets lost in thoughts as he either stare at you or your hands rubbing the hand cream into his skin. Where did you learn how to massage like that? How are your hands so soft and how, how can they do that much damage when you guys are outside working? Like...His hand is at least two sizes bigger than yours. And so on.

When you let go of his hand he almost has the reflex of grabbing it in his own, not wanting you to let go of his but he doesn't. He only scrowls softly before huffing and getting up, saying a small "thanks" in between his teeth before saying good night and walking out. This leaves you confused as to what you did, but end up letting it go...Knowing all too well that Bakugou Katsuki always went to sleep around 8 (or so we thought).

As he walks back to his dorm, he cant stop looking at his hand and getting wiffs of the cream instead of his usual smell. He can't even say how much he loves it.

Well....Thats till he comes back a few days later, sits down and shows you your hand only saying. ❝ Hand-cream? ❞ Which you end up smiling and doing the same process as last time, you talking a bit more with him this time.

And now with this happening a few more times, it has become a kind of routine for you two. You having no idea that what you were doing was making the boy so happy and having some butterflies in his stomach.

His hands become even softer than before, but now sometimes when he fights, his hands instead of only smelling bad, ends up smelling like warm or burnt lavender, which weirdly smells way better than otherd would think.

Especially when you know who did it, even though now Bakugou has a bottle you bought for him in his dorm, he always comes back to you for "help".

You are just oblivious to all of this, of course. Till. One day Denki asks if you could do it for him too(after learning about you doing it for the blondie), only for said spike ball to quickly insult Pikachu and whisper a threat to him. What can I say? He wants to be the only one getting this treatment.

That night, he comes to your dorm and in this very rare slightly flustered moment, he makes you pinky promise that you wont do the cream routine with anyone but him. When you stare at him dumbfounded for a few seconds, he quickly insults you—boy is embarrassed (ㅋㅋ)— but still put his pinky out and you both promise not to do it with anyone else.

Its only then that you realize what is happening and you can't help but giggle everytime you think about it.

You also tried to change the scent, but Bakugou always want to stick with the Lavender one. Is it because you also use that one? 🤔 Maybe.

Because you do it, he doesn't care if someone catches a wiff of it and think he smells "womanly", he couldn't care less since it came from you. Even more when you two get together, he will death glare the person who dares "judge" his baby's tastes.

[ryuichirou]

can you pretty pretty please with extra sprinkles on top drop the speedpaint for your most recent rookvil art? i wanna see how you did vils pretty dress and everything else cause its all so beautiful

I am so happy you like how it looks!! I would love to make a speedpaint, but unfortunately, I didn’t record it + the base for the drawing was actually done traditionally with a pencil. A lot of my drawings are done this way, actually…

Even though I can’t drop the speedpaint, I’ll do the next best thing and explain my process for this specific drawing step-by-step. It’s actually not that complicated!

Here is how the sketch looked initially. As you can see, I shaded the dress very crudely; in fact I was kind of upset with how the dress looked at this stage. Ironically, I ended up not doing much to the pencil shading, and it still turned out okay somehow?? Anyways, the first thing I did was to prep the sketch for the colouring stage: I adjusted the contrast, fixed Vil’s face, and erased some dirt and imperfections.

Then I create a new layer, set it to Multiply (this way I can colour the sketch without disturbing it, as if I was just colouring a digitally done lineart) and do a base colour layer. There is a gradient in Vil’s hair and Rook’s belt buckle, but other than that, all the colours are flat at this stage.

Before doing all the shading needed for this sketch, I add details such as makeup and tights. If you want to know how I did these, let me know, but I basically looked at a tutorial once and then simplified it lol

Now, the dress.

To be completely honest, there isn’t any proper technique to what I did, everything is always just trial and error and an hour of me going “does that look good? NO IT DOESN’T >:(“ until both Katsu and I are satisfied. This time I was lucky, because it didn’t take very long, and the “solution” was pretty simple.

Starting with the base colour. I turned off the sketch layer to show that it is indeed completely purple. And it looks kind of bright at this point, almost too bright even, especially considering that the dress is supposed to be mostly black, or at least dark purple. But bear with me.

Next I added some highlights (new layer, set on Overlay or Screen, depending on what looks best). Usually I would add the shades first, but I wanted to make the fabric look more “shiny”, you know, the type of fabric that would reflect the floor and make this highlight under the boob lol.

And after that I just went ahead and added black gradient (on a new Layer) from the bottom of the dress to make it look darker, silkier and a little bit more interesting for the eye. I erased some parts of the gradients as you can see, because it looked too dark on the highlighted parts… could’ve just placed the black gradient layer under the highlights layer and saved myself a headache, but hey, where is the adventure in that.

Finally, it turned out looking like this. It looks better than it used to look like initially, but there is one more thing to do. We don’t get to do this one too often, so it always excited both Katsu and me: THE SPARKLES!! Somehow, making the dress sparkly makes everything much better.

How do I do the sparkles: I use the star brush… or was it a snow brush? I use this brush when I draw both of these things lol + when I draw anything sparkly. I would’ve given you this specific one, but I don’t really remember where I got it from, and I honestly think that any starry or snowy brush would work wonderfully as long as the specs are small enough.

After that is done, I just shade the rest of the drawing. Nnew layer set on Multiply, the shading is done with darker purple/red + darker blue, whatever looks better on any particular material: the skin really likes warmer colours, but Rook’s suit looked bad with red shades, so I adjusted it to blue.

And here is the post where I talk about how I colour hair! Good thing I already wrote that one, this post is getting long lol

And the last step is to add details. The original sketch was done in a rather small (smaller than A6) sketchbook, so I couldn’t draw all the details like Vil’s earrings and stuff properly. Basically I just paint on a separate layer on top of everything.

And there you have it! I hope it makes sense, please let me know if you have questions.

[stateofdreaming14]

I lost the post but I saw someone say that Uraraka not ending up with izuku made a majority of her arc somewhat useless and I pretty much disagree bc imo the ending is the answer that completes her arc

The thing is that people didn't pay attention to her full arc because they assumed they already knew where it was leading. That she (like any main girl in a shonin story) would become strong through her admiration of the MC and they would end up together in the end. But, I think most people (even myself at some points) forget the greater picture of mha. Bc mha is a show that sets up many shonin tropes to purposely subvert them. (Like bakugou being the typical MC type but being the rival instead. Or the typical 'rival turns on mc' arc except he doesn't). And that more than anything makes me think that, contrary to what some may believe, uraraka's arc was planned to be this way from the beginning and the general audience just hadn't realized it.

Now let's talk about her arc bc it is interesting to me especially in the way it feeds into a greater story among all of the characters in the show. Of course, the ways she fits into the shonin love interest character arc is obvious. She starts of stronger than izuku power wise but it is clear that he has some deeper well of motivation/determination helping him defeat the odds that she can learn from. Watching izuku defeats the odds inspires her in a way that drives her to become stronger and it causes her affection for him to grow. Everyone seems to think she has a crush on him and the thought of it makes her blush. But, the subversion comes in the form of her main villain, toga.

You see, the main purpose of a villain is to drive the conflict with their heroes. They do this by opposing/exposing some fundamental belief/flaw of the hero. This creates narrative tension and drives the direction of the conflict. Usually the hero overcoming the villain (and how they overcome them) shows a deeper meaning to the arc of the story. Of course, toga is a character who literally tries to become people claiming she has a crush on them. Toga tries to define the battle as between two girls who have a crush on the same guy, but it's obvious that toga doesn't really love izuku at all. She doesn't seem to understand love at all. She sees love and the desire to become someone as one and the same with no differences. She can't understand the difference between admiration/hero worship and romantic love. This the main conflict becomes one of defining love and admiration. I would say that, in typical mha fashion, there isn't a black and white answer to the question either.

Uraraka's answer to toga isn't to defeat her (thus narratively declaring her the moral victor as well) it's to say that toga looks like she needed saving. She confirms that she primarily admires izuku by choosing the most izuku-esque answer there is. Saving those that need saving, even the villains (and playing into the greater lesson of the meaning of heroes and villains in the process). Then toga does the sad mans parade which adds another layer to the conflict. Because it shows her finally displaying a truer (if platonic) love, but this love coexists with the admiration/desire to become. Thus it confirms that the two emotions could exist together. They could have stopped it there and still left open the possible potential for izuocha, but instead this segues into the final layer (which I adore). It is a confirmation that there is admiration between toga and uraraka. And uraraka acknowledges that there is potential for true love there as well if only they were given time to let it grow.

The way that this arc defines admiration and love in a way that plays into the greater story of the meaning of heroes and villains in their society can have its own essays, but as a bkdk shipper myself I think the way it affects their story is the most interesting. Bc the story draws clear parallels between uraraka/toga and bkdk. Mainly in the way each (katsuki and toga) die for their sweeter half while holding items that remind them of the other. But also in uraraka's lament that perhaps if she had known toga as children perhaps things could have ended differently. This parallels how bkdk as childhood friends DID get a better ending. They admired each other, and, because they were given the time and opportunities, that admiration was able to become a love that made them both stronger.

Something something ochotoga (idk their ship name sorry) is the tragic Yuri mirror to bkdk's happy yaoi love story. Their what could have been is bkdk's reality and personally I would love some fics exploring uraraka's mixed feelings about this (especially when bkdk get together bc of course she wants her bestie to be happy but also tragic gay yearning can't be stopped).

[thepersonperson]

just to clarify the reading of 「凡夫」

while common translation for 夫 by itself can be ‘husband’ (read as おっと / otto), the 夫 in 「凡夫」 is read as そ, giving the meaning of ‘that person.’

「凡夫」 meaning ‘that ordinary person.’

apologies if my English is not correct. I want to help with translation Japanese. :)

Yes, you are 100% correct. No one would ever think to read Bonpu as “mediocre husband” and that’s my point. Sukuna’s wordplay banks on you breaking the rules a little to see the hidden secondary meaning.

Take for example Sukuna's Shrine or 御厨子 (mizushi).

When analyzing the kanji, the person in this post says this:

"A “厨子/zushi”, ignoring the “mi”, is a small Buddhist shrine used for storage." 

"Also - the “厨/zu” kanji is most directly translated as “kitchen” iirc."

By isolating the kanji, the poster was able to explain why the Mizushi was translated as Kitchen or Shrine. They also concluded that both meanings were probably to be taken at the same time. That makes sense—it is quite literally a shrine in his Domain, but because we know Sukuna loves food and the rest of his Curse Technique (CT) is cooking prep themed, the kitchen reading is just as valid.

I linked another example in the Bonpu post...but the account that explained Enchain=Megumi Activities got nuked (screw you fElon Musk). I did take screenshots though!

So we have the translation of Enchain from 契闊 (keikatsu) which might be better localized as Separation.

契(kei)闊(katsu) can be written as 恵(kei)活(katsu). 恵 can be read as kei or...Megumi. (It's the literal kanji used for his name.) 活 is where you get "activities" from, which leads us to Enchain=Megumi Activities.

Sukuna is also referencing a poem about lovers. (Here's a link to the full poem and context of it.)

In summary, it’s about a soldier who is on the brink of death, having lost nearly everything after being abandoned by those in power, lamenting the happiest days of his life with his love are ones he can never get back. (Hey that sounds just like what Sukuna did to Yuji!)

Sukuna here is not only straight up telling Yuji he's going to steal Megumi's body, he's also mocking how the two will be separated by the act. (And he appears to be acknowledging the love between them is more like a couple's than it is friendship.)

But as you can see, the reading of “Megumi Activities” is not something the character hearing this or person reading the kanji would think of first. In hindsight we recognize that Sukuna was most certainly using that hidden secondary meaning.

With all this in mind, let's go back to Bonpu.

There are other kanji you can use for ordinary and unenlightened. There's also the fight being framed as a date and Gojo showing up to it dressed as a groom. That's why the kanji 夫 for husband is so sus. Perhaps Sukuna really did mean it that way too. (It doesn’t help that Sukuna hesitates slightly before he says Bonpu in an isolated bubble. This framing draws attention to it in a way I can’t ignore.)

Hopefully this explanation makes sense?

Completely unrelated...

I'm choosing to ignore that 契 (kei) in Keikatsu/Enchain is also the kanji used for sexual intercourse, especially between husband and wife, since it might mean there's a 3rd layer to Sukuna's Keikatsu wordplay of 契(chigi, spousal sex)活(katsu, activities). Hang on maybe I need to update Sukuna's Negative Rizz again.

[mypimpademia]

— All Pink Everything

Bakugo x everything pink! Fem! Reader

TW: Swearing, reader is feminine (mostly clothing wise) but gn terms are used

⇶ You and Katsukis aesthetics completely contradict each other

⇶ You’re all pink and glitter all the time, while he’s dark and dull

⇶ It’s a cute touch to your relationship, really

⇶ And as much as he likes to act like he hates it, and like your bright pink dorm and car give him a headache, he secretly loves it

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Katsuki swore, stepping into your room. “Can you turn down the pink in here?”

He squinted and shielded his eyes with his forearm, looking down to avoid the light and to take off his shoes before he stepped on your fluffy, bright pink, rug.

You kissed your teeth, turning off your bright overhead lights in exchange for the fairy lights that were strung around your room.

Surprisingly, they were not pink. But I’m that moment, you did consider ordering new ones that were just to piss off your boyfriend.

“You’re so whiny, you know you love my room,” You said, lying down on your bed, scooting over to make room for him.

“I am not whiny,” He grunted, walking over to you and standing at the edge of your bed. Katsuki stared at you, all sprawled out across your pink sheets, smiling at him as you waited for him to lie down with you.

“And it’s not even that I don’t like it,” He admitted, moving to lay next to you. “It’s just so damn pink.”

⇶ Nah, he loves it.

⇶ Anytime he comes over, he never fails to fall asleep while draped in layers of pink sheets, surrounded by all of your plushies

⇶ And he sleeps good

⇶ Always waking up after about an hour, drool strung from the corner of his mouth to his cheek, yawning so hard that tears form in his eyes

⇶ He gets those “I had a good nap” sheet indents on his arms and legs too

⇶ Katsuki has a tendency to just lay silently after he wakes up from a nap in your room too, quietly glancing around at all your cute, pink, trinkets. And he always has his face smooshed into a plushie that he used as a pillow.

⇶ And don’t get him started on how much he hatesss (😉) your car

⇶ If you haven’t already gotten the pink wrap on it that you’ve been raving about since forever, it’s the inside the kills him

⇶ The pink steering wheel cover, the pink seat covers, the pink coasters in the cup holders, the pink floorboard covers… it just doesn’t end!

⇶ And if your car is fully decked out, but inside and outside, he’ll act like it’s an eyesore

“Why couldn’t we take my car, again?” Katsuki asked, side eyeing your car.

The bright pink wrap, the color-matched rims with heart details, the heart shaped exhaust, and the pink window tint.

“You’re whining again, Katsu,” You teased him, grabbing your keys (which were also pink) from the key holder.

“S’not my fault it looks like someone threw up pepto bismol on your car,” He scoffed, chuckling to himself after.

“You think you’re sooooo funny,” You said, in a playfully mocking voice. “S’not my fault you like boring shit.”

You imitated his voice on the last part, wiping his smirk off his face.

“I actually wanna throw up when I get in your shitty and plain car,” You exaggerated, fake gagging at the end of your sentence. He should’ve been offended, but your subconscious use of his signature vocabulary word brought a smile to his face.

“Just get in my pretty pink car, and shut your pretty little mouth”

⇶ Naturally, you have to hate on him just as much as he hates on you

⇶ But it’s okay because at the end of the day he really would do anything to make you happy

⇶ Instinctively thinks “Y/n would like this…” when he sees anything pink at the store

⇶ And he definitely buys it for you too!

“Oh, but you hate it, right?”

“Shut up before I return it.”

⇶ He’ll even get matching nails with you if you want him to

⇶ Acts all reluctant, but he will do it just to make you happy. Plus, he’ll probably enjoy it just as much as you if he really likes the design!

⇶ Pays for both of you too

⇶ He’s allowed to complain about it, but he’ll really cuss somebody out if they try to make fun of him for wearing nail polish / matching with you

⇶ Pleasee give him scalp massages with your fresh set while y’all are laying down in your bed together

⇶ He’ll fall asleep in minutes

⇶ Loves seeing you in all your monotone pink outfits

⇶ And even if it’s not monotone, he loves how you always manage to incorporate pink and give it a bright touch

⇶ Takes alllll your pictures and knows all your angles

⇶ Fixes your hair or pieces of your outfit if they’re out of places

⇶ Kisses your cheek and calls you his pretty baby

⇶ Y’all look like a Pinterest couple walking around with your opposite aesthetics

⇶ You in something cute and pink, that stands out. While he’s most likely wearing black or some neutral color, and a pretty casual outfit

⇶ Watches you eyeball things and sometimes even throw them into your shopping cart just because they’re pink

⇶ He always shakes his head at you, but you never miss the small smile on his face 🫶🏾

⇶ Pays for everything anyways even if you swear he doesn’t have to

⇶ Just gives you a kiss and tells you not to worry

⇶ Katsuki is just happy to do anything for you, and if you love it, he does too, even if he acts like an asshole about it

[sudachirecipes]

Chicken katsu is a versatile dish that you can make into pretty much anything! Enjoy it with rice, on donburi, in a sandwich, with curry... the list goes on! Tender chicken thigh coated in a thick and crunchy layer of panko breadcrumbs and fried to perfection, then drizzled with a delicious homemade katsu sauce. Every crunch is gonna have you dancing in your seat!

[dangantums]

drunk m.akoto didn't realize how much he was eating, and now he's tipsy and painfully overstuffed and needs help from b.yakuya and/or k.yoko

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with makoto's birthday coming up, YES!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, My Love.

this fic contains: intox, burps, hiccups, bloating, stuffed belly, SFW content.

ship: n.aegami

TLDR: b.yakuya put together an enormous dinner for m.akoto for his birthday. things don't go quite as planned... or do they?

Byakuya Togami wasted no time in curating a feast fit for a special occasion like Makoto Naegi's birthday.

The personal chefs outdid themselves. Appetizers consisted of succulent shrimp tempura – lightly battered and perfectly crispy – delicate sushi rolls with fresh sashimi that were drizzled with a variety of savory sauces, and crispy spring rolls filled with a delectable blend of vegetables and seasoned meat. The main course: grilled miso-glazed black cod, wagyu beef skewers that were infused with a rich teriyaki glaze, and chicken katsu – a golden-brown cutlet served with a tangy tonkatsu sauce. With, of course, rice as a side, and noodles. The noodles consisted of ramen with a rich, savory broth, accompanied by slices of tender chashu pork, and stir-fried yakisoba noodles with vegetables. To drink, champagne. The flutes were filled to the top, its delicate bubbles rising to the surface. As if that wasn’t enough, desserts were a masterpiece in themselves. A multi-tiered cake adorned with edible flowers took pride of place, its layers alternating between velvety chocolate and luscious raspberry, along with a selection of dessert wines and liqueurs. A luscious wine with notes of dried fruits and chocolate was the perfect accompaniment to the decadent chocolate and raspberry layers of the birthday cake.

The buffet was enough to fit a table for four, maybe five. But only Makoto and Byakuya sat at the dining table that evening. As the heir picked at the food on his plate, he couldn't help but notice his boyfriend's relentless assault on the buffet. Plate after plate, Makoto indulged in the scrumptious dishes, each one seemingly more tempting than the last. He indulged in the feast, savoring each bite and sipping on champagne or wine, blissfully unaware of the consequences of his voracious appetite. Refilling his flute every so often, only to drink most of it in one gulp.

The clatter of cutlery woke Byakuya out of his haze. His head lifts, glancing at Makoto. Byakuya couldn't help but be amused by Makoto's antics, realizing that his boyfriend had probably had a bit too much to drink. Concerned yet amused, he continued to watch. The brown-haired boy was completely satiated, his eyes glazed over with contentment. He found himself comfortably seated in the plush dining-room chair, part of his belly now protruding from beneath his buttoned shirt – the rest of his belly hidden behind the buttons of Makoto's shirt, which strained against the pressure, threatening to give way under the force of his satisfied stomach. The subtle rise and fall of Makoto's abdomen was mesmerizing. The top button of Makoto's pants had been discreetly loosened, although his belt remained.  A low, contented burp escaped Makoto, and he blushed, embarrassed yet pleased by the comfort brought on by the release.

Byakuya couldn't resist teasing him gently. "Had your fill, I assume?"

Makoto nodded, a drunken yet sheepish smile playing on his lips. "Maybe a bit too much." The smile quickly faded as another low growl rose from his stomach, followed by a light moan from the brunette.

Byakuya continued to observe his boyfriend, noticing how Makoto was rubbing his overfilled belly. "Are you alright?"

"I think I might have eaten too much. And drank too much… I don’t think I can stand – Hic! – up,” Makoto admitted.

Byakuya couldn't help but chuckle at Makoto's predicament, “Of course. You practically ate the entire buffet. Let me help you up, hm? We’ll go lay down.”

Byakuya stood gracefully, and moved behind Makoto's chair, placing his hands on Makoto's shoulders. With a gentle yet firm grip, Byakuya helped Makoto rise from his seat. However, as Makoto tried to stand, he let out an unexpected and surprisingly loud burp, causing Makoto to groan again. Byakuya’s cheeks flushed pink, but he ignored it as continued to support Makoto. Makoto managed to stand up, though he wobbled slightly on unsteady legs. Byakuya steadied him, slowly guiding him towards the bedroom where Makoto could rest.

The bedroom spun a bit for Makoto until he flopped onto the bed with a sigh of relief, his hands still on his overly full stomach. Byakuya couldn't resist the opportunity to pamper his boyfriend. He approached Makoto, kneeling beside the bed.

"Easy now," Byakuya murmured, his hand meeting the taut surface of Makoto’s gut. "Just relax.”

Makoto let out a low groan, feeling the weight of his bloated stomach. Makoto closed his eyes, the rhythmic motion of Byakuya's hands providing a sense of relief. However, his belly continued audibly gurgling and protesting, still feeling uncomfortably full. Byakuya's fingers traced the outline of Makoto's belly, feeling the warmth beneath his touch.

"Mmm, that – Hic-UURP! – feels so good," Makoto sighed, his eyelids drooping as he succumbed to the gentle touch. His own hands reached out to hold the sides of his gut. The fabric of Makoto's trousers now clung snugly to his expanded midsection, outlining every curve. The belt that once held them in place had been loosened by Byakuya, allowing Makoto's belly to expand freely. It rested heavily in his lap, an enticing mound that seemed to demand attention – even while laying down.

"I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you quite like this," Byakuya remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Makoto's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, another loud burp seizing his throat.

"Excuse me," Makoto apologized weakly.

"No need to apologize," Byakuya reassured him, a smirk playing on his lips. He pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his head. He teased lowly, "You're lucky I find you charming even in this state."

The belly rubs continued, Byakuya's fingers gently kneading the filled expanse. Makoto's skin felt warm and smooth beneath Byakuya's touch, and he marveled at the way it yielded to the gentle pressure. Occasionally, Makoto would let out another soft burp, the sound seeming loud in the quiet room, until the drunken brunette eventually succumbed to sleep. Byakuya leaned in, placing a soft kiss on the rounded swell of Makoto's stomach, feeling the gentle rise and fall beneath his lips.

“You’re irresistible,” Byakuya murmured in a low voice peering over his glasses to look at Makoto’s sleeping face. “Happy birthday, my love.”

[the12thnightproject]

Chapter 35: Nest of Snakes: Katsu discovers that Yoshiaki’s plot has both unexpected conspirators and an unexpected target.

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3 

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

If my life were a horror movie, Genba castle would be the perfect location to film it.

The closer we got to Genba castle, the more uneasy I became. Generally, I am not a fanciful person, but it felt like we were on the approach to a gothic manor full of vampires or psychopaths. As we ventured into the mountains, the walls of Genba forced us into a labyrinth that spiraled upward. The constricting path, the molting branches that looked like claws hanging over us, reaching down to us, and the stark cliffs looming in the distance only served to increase my paranoia.

It wasn’t just the fact that we were riding into this claustrophobic snow covered maze. It was the odd familiarity of this place. I was still getting those flashes of déjà vu. In my mind’s eye, there were clear visions of this place in late summer when the fish pond was not frozen over... of accidentally falling into that pond, and an even darker memory of dead guards littering the castle walls.

No. I pushed the visions away. Maybe this place really had been used as a location for a film I had once seen. It was a logical explanation.

It just… didn’t ring true.

Though it had been just about midday when we arrived, the surrounding forest partially blocked the sun, making even the exterior courtyard seem grey and gloomy. Only an elderly servant greeted us, apologizing to Yoshimoto for the lack of ceremony. He then informed us that the daimyo of Genba, Kanamori Mozumi, was so ill that he rarely left his room. I wondered who was entertaining Yoshiaki, or if the ex-shogun was basically squatting in this castle while this Mozumi was on his deathbed. But Yoshimoto didn’t question the servant, and in my role as page, I could not do so either.

Rather than being shown immediately into the main hall, the servant led us to a nicely decorated guest bedroom where we were told to make ourselves immaculate for ‘His Excellency.’ Then with a quick bow, the man went to see about our luggage. I wondered if I was supposed to go help with that, but when I started to follow him out, Yoshimoto called me back to his side. “Undress me, Page. I must bathe.”

Ah. That must be for the sake of the retreating servant. I returned to Yoshimoto’s side, and got to work at de-layering him out of his travel clothes. “It’s a nice room.” Not just making conversation. By Sengoku standards, this room was downright luxurious. It was fit for royalty, with new tapestries on the walls and freshly built in shelving. The bedding was a thick, rich silk, and it looked like the tatami mats had been recently replaced.

He gave the room a cursory look. I suppose Yoshimoto took this sort of luxury for granted. “There was a rather powerful earthquake in this area six or seven years ago, and though the castle easily withstood it, I believe the Daimyo took the opportunity to… Katsu?”

I’d stopped listening halfway through, my attention caught by a ripple at the edge of the futon.

The futon hissed.

Futons … do not make that sound on their own.

The blanket moved.

Nor do their blankets move on their own volition.

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The grey and brown patterned snake coiled around itself and turned its startled head.

I shrieked and grabbed Yoshimoto’s arm.

“What is it?” Yoshimoto instantly unfurled his war fan and took a defensive stance.

Nothing was there.

“Nothing. I’m sorry. My… um, hair fell into my eye, and I thought I saw.” I closed my eyes for a moment. “I’m just jumpy.” Jumpy and totally not hallucinating.

Even so I eyed the covers of the futon. They were tucked tightly to the floor and lay flat on the cushion, with no room for a snake to slither in between. Nothing rippled.

Yoshimoto smiled at me as he patted me on the shoulder. He paused, letting his hand linger on the back of my neck. "Katsu, don’t worry. I vow I will protect you from whatever comes next." Then, at the sound of footsteps in the corridor, he stepped back and resumed an elegant distance from me. As the servant began hauling in our luggage, he returned to the character of an indolent prince. "Page, unpack for me now before it is all hopelessly creased from travel."

All was the operative word. I hadn't realized just how much clothing Yoshimoto owned, but it took most of the afternoon to get it all sorted. While I organized his room, Yoshimoto took the opportunity to visit the castle’s bath house, returning a while later with the ends of his hair damp and curling. I was surprised it hadn’t frozen on the trip between the bathhouse and his room. Though Genba had relatively thick walls, I could feel the cold seep into the building.

Yoshimoto waited until the castle maid who had assisted his bath left us. "Motonari is here as well."

"As himself? Or is he still disguised as Shojumaru?" Hopefully Yoshimoto had remembered that he was not supposed to know Shojumaru’s true identity.

"We didn’t speak. We crossed paths in the corridor he was with another man, an elderly vassal who appears to be part of the household in some fashion. He asked if I had everything I needed, but was called away by one of the Shogun’s servants before I could respond." While he spoke, Yoshimoto casually discarded the yukata he had been wearing. He definitely had an unselfconscious view on nudity.

Whatever. It was weird, but, I'd gotten used to it as well (although I did have to trick my brain into thinking that I was helping to dress an anatomically correct Ken doll). Once Yoshimoto was attired to his satisfaction, another servant appeared and announced that Yoshiaki was waiting.

We were led through chilly corridor, and then down a circular staircase to a large reception area. I only got a brief impression of a dark paneled room with a dais at one end before I was, as instructed, prostrate on the tatami mat. And so my only impression of Yoshiaki was of a pasty face under rich fabric. His voice though, was higher pitched than I expected. And full of impatience. "Imagawa Yoshimoto. What excuse do you have for taking so long to answer my summons?"

He'd been summoned? Yoshimoto had not mentioned that.

"My deepest apologies, Your Excellency. I have been travelling and only recently learned you wished to see me." Yoshimoto's voice sounded like it was now above me. So he'd gotten to his feet.

"Your vassals claim that rather than spend your time working to overthrow that upstart Nobunaga, you wander the country, spending your time on useless pursuits." The voice sounded more whiny than chiding. Like an impatient lover who was worried about being ghosted.

However Yoshimoto planned to respond to that would remain unknown, for two more sets of footsteps echoed in the high ceilinged room, followed by a double set of “Your Excellency.”

Two voices.

One clearly was Motonari's, but what made me feel cold all over was that the other belonged to Iekane. And even though I had expected that I would find him here, now that I faced the cold reality of his presence… I didn’t feel ready. Not here. Not in a room full of people who would be turned against me (and possibly Yoshimoto) at the first word of accusation.

My face stayed pressed to the mat. My brain tumbled into the oh shit zone. That zone was telling me that I might possibly have gotten into something bigger than I could handle. Yoshimoto had said he would protect me… but could he really? The man didn’t even carry a sword.

Into this internal whirlpool of fear I barely heard Yoshiaki introduce Motonari to Yoshimoto.

"Motonari?" Yoshimoto managed to sound puzzled. He was a better actor than I expected. "Not, Shojumaru?"

"Heh. That’s only for Sakai." Motonari’s voice had taken on that roughness again. "Shojumaru is better accepted with the kaigoshu."

"This brute is not the type of man I prefer to have about me, but I cannot be too choosy when it comes to powerful allies." There was that whiny tone again. And did he just diss Motonari?

Dude.

Did Motonari just stand there and take it?

Again…. Dude.

"And this is my host, Kanamori Iekane."

Host?! My brain needle scratched on that.  How the hell did Iekane (who was an orphan; or at least had been when I knew him) acquire a castle? This castle.

Again, Yoshimoto smoothly performed an interrogation disguised as confusion. "Iekane? Has something happened to Mozumi?"

"My father is quite ill, and rarely leaves his private rooms. I have been delegated to act in his behalf." There was a rustle of fabric, which I interpreted as Iekane bowing to Yoshimoto. "You are very welcome here Lord Imagawa. I trust your room is to your liking?"

"It will suffice." Yoshimoto managed to imply that it was one step above a hovel, but that he was prepared to be lenient. I could imagine him doing one of those European hand waves that usually preceded everything from ‘bring me another flagon of wine’ to ‘huzzah’ to ‘off with her head.’

"I expect your vassals have told you about our current situation." Yoshiaki still had that whine to his voice, but by this time I attributed it to a vocal fry, because it was clear that if his expectations were not fulfilled, he would be most displeased. Displeased in the murdery sense. Yoshimoto didn’t respond verbally but I presume he must have nodded or done that regal head tilt, for Yoshiaki continued. "Motonari, what is the news of the Ikko-ikki?"

Could there be news of them without their spiritual leader? Kennyo had gone over a cliff after kidnapping Nobunaga. That information had come directly from Sasuke (who had heard it from Mai, who had nearly fallen to her death as well).

"Kennyo is recovering from his injuries." Motonari laughed again. "He wasn’t lookin’ so healthy when I fished him out of the river, but he'll be ready to march on Azuchi in the spring."

!

"Sakai." Yoshiaki insisted smoothly. "Lord Iekane has convinced me that Sakai is a more appropriate target."

"Sakai?" This time it was Motonari who sounded confused. "Oda doesn't control Sakai. The Kaigoshu are in charge. What nonsense is this?"

"Do you dare question my divine wisdom?" Yoshiaki's voice raised to a high whiny pitch that was likely causing all the dogs in the area to howl. "Iekane, explain your plan to this imbecile."

I wanted to turn my head to see how Motonari was taking this treatment, but calling attention to myself in any fashion would be bad. Right on the heels of that thought … my nose started to itch from being pressed against the tatami mat.

Oh God. Don’t sneeze. I dug my fingernails into my palms, hoping to divert my nerve endings from sneeze mode to pain mode.

"As we speak, the Kaigoshu of Sakai have decided to defy Nobunaga and fortify the city against him. Disguised as Oda forces, Motonari’s forces and the Ikko-ikki will march on Sakai, killing all who resist. This should lure the Oda into the battle, at which point the Imagawa, led by Yoshimoto will arrive to rescue Sakai in the name of Yoshiaki." Iekane spoke matter of fact, as if his plan wouldn’t result in massive civilian casualties... including, I surmised Hiko’s.

“How kind of you to engineer this plan and my role in it without my knowledge." The sarcasm dripped to the floor and paddled around Yoshimoto's feet.

Even the Shogun, as deaf to nuance as he was, still caught Yoshimoto's subtext. "Are you not loyal to us? Do you not want to restore the glory of the Imagawa clan?"

"Forgive me, Your Excellency. It is simply that my vassals broke precedence in agreeing to this plan without my knowledge." Yoshimoto managed to strike a tone mimicking the slighted chain of authority that Yoshiaki would likely understand.

There was a rustle of outraged fabric from the front of the room. "Your clan will march on Sakai by the time the snow melts."

"Of course." Yoshimoto agreed smoothly, sounding for more calm than I felt.

"We shall, of course, discuss this more later. I am tired of this." I heard the sound of hands clapping. "Leave us."

A chorus of 'of course, Your Excellency’ from all the occupants of the room followed that pronouncement.

When Yoshimoto tapped my shoulder, I rose, kept my face pointed down, and, as Yoshimoto had instructed earlier, backed out of the room.

In the corridor, Motonari and Iekane were having a low voiced argument. "You wanted to see the world burn. Does it matter where the fire begins?" Iekane was saying.

As we passed them, Iekane hailed Yoshimoto. Yoshimoto stopped and opened his fan, holding it so it shielded my face from the other two men. "Lord Yoshimoto, my apologies for not being at the gate to personally greet you when you arrived. My father's days are numbered and I wish to spend time at his side."

"I remember your father well," Yoshimoto sounded all kindness. "Would his health support a visit from me? I would like to pay my respects in person."

"I'm afraid not. He barely recognizes even me when I'm there." Iekane did at least seem regretful. And this would likely be one of the few circumstances where he put away his otherwise ever-present fake smile. But of course I could not look at him to see for myself, to see if I could figure out what was going on underneath that façade. Not without undoing all of Yoshimoto’s work to hide my face with the fan.

Was Iekane poisoning Mozumi? Or simply taking advantage of a frail old man? I was sure he was capable of the former, but it was possible that Mozumi’s age made it unnecessary.

"That must be painful-"

"Are the two of you going to keep yakking all day?” Motonari's voice came from beyond Iekane. "Oda wouldn't rush to defend Sakai. He'll simply wait for the initial carnage to cease, then swoop in like a vulture over carrion. If we ain't attacking Azuchi, then Osaka is the best strategic target."

Oof. Trouble in paradise between Iekane and Motonari.

Good.

Useful?

Although… I suspected that Motonari was mistaken. Nobunaga would actually defend Sakai; and then use that defense as an excuse to stay there. My guess was that Iekane had reasons of his own for wanting to crush Sakai, and they were likely connected to whatever reason he had for wanting Hiko dead.

"The Shogun has made his preferences known." Iekane smoothly ended the debate. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must return to my father."

I watched Iekane's feet slither down the hall (not literally, but I still had snakes on the brain).

Yoshimoto bowed slightly to Motonari and started to turn toward his own quarters, when Motonari's voice stopped him. "Imagawa."

I froze. Had Motonari seen my face?

"Yes …Lord Motonari." Yoshimoto gave Motonari’s name an ironic inflection as if to remind him that they had previously met when he as using the name Shojumaru.

"This plan. The Imagawa are committed to it?" I couldn’t tell from Motonari’s voice if he was considering abandoning the alliance, or just testing Yoshimoto's loyalty.

Apparently Yoshimoto wasn’t either. "I will do as my vassals wish."

"Most would have it the opposite." Without another word, Motonari stalked away, his heavy footsteps echoing in the cavernous hallway. When they doepplered out completely, Yoshimoto finally closed his fan, and looked at me.

"Iekane might be poi-"

With one finger to my lips, Yoshimoto shushed me. "Not here."

Right. Who knew was listening? In fact, just as soon as Yoshimoto shushed me, I thought I saw a shadowy figure whisk itself out of view.

It was possible that even Yoshimoto's quarters there would be people in the next room able to listen in. Genba’s castle's walls seemed thick enough on the outside, but the interior ones were not even close to being soundproof. Yoshimoto’s thoughts must have picked up on my own, for when we returned to his quarters Yoshimoto proclaimed he was ready for a winter stroll in the garden.

Which, ok it had been less than half a day since we had arrived here after a ride through the forest, but on the surface, the explanation was as good as any other. And since I preferred being outside, even in this weather, to the claustrophobic air inside the castle, I changed back into my warmest clothing and grabbed the fur cloak on my way out the door.

“Oh, how lovely is a winter garden. The world frozen underneath a blanket of white, patiently waiting for the thaw of spring. I should commission someone to paint this.” Yoshimoto gazed intently a shrub whose branches were encased in icy. His voice was overly loud. He probably was trying to bore any eavesdroppers into leaving us alone, but well, Yoshimoto was capable of sincerely appreciating snow. Right on the heels of that thought, Yoshimoto added at a more normal volume. "Do you not find this lovely? Look how the snow reflects the setting sun."

"I do in fact I prefer snow because I grew up in the mountains, so yes, you're right. It's beautiful." Sometimes I take it for granted, but the memory of swishing down a mountain, cutting a new path with my board, is precious, and for a moment, I could call to mind that delicious combo of sun, sparkling white uncleared trail, and the crisp wind. But though we were trying to distract any listeners with nothings, this really was the wrong time for nostalgia.

Once we were further out into the garden and I was certain of not being overheard, I apologized to Yoshimoto for dragging him into this mess. Because it was a mess, and it looked like he was going to be forced to attack Nobunaga against his will. Or I assumed against his will. His allies, Kenshin and Shingen, both had mounted attacks against Oda in the past, but this particular plan to use the citizens of Sakai as bait (and the Ikko-ikki as cannon fodder) did not seem like either man's style.

"It seems I was to be dragged into this no matter what, for my vassals had already joined with Yoshiaki without my permission." He looked at a frozen pond, where underneath the top layer of ice, there seemed to be living fish, sluggishly moving around. "Indeed, perhaps I should be thanking you, for now that I am aware of the situation, I shall be forced to do something about it."

"You don't want to attack Sakai." Just clarifying.

"No. Not if I can avoid it. I sense that Motonari has similar reservations." Yoshimoto glanced back at the tenshu of Genba castle. "Without him, there is likely no Kennyo.” Once again he paused, and when he finally continued, it only revealed his continued indecisiveness. “It's a long time until spring. Perhaps the situation will alter."

Perhaps.

Meanwhile, I was trapped in a complicated political situation, without any way to get to Iekane. I had a feeling that he never went anywhere without being surrounded by an entourage. Indeed, as I glanced upward to the castle walls, the Kanamori guardsmen were patrolling along the perimeter of the top. I waited until they passed out of sight. True, they had been too far away to overhear us, but the sight of Yoshimoto having an intense conversation with his page was bound to raise a few eyebrows.  "Do you think Iekane is poisoning Mozumi?"

"You know him better than I... but from what know, Mozumi is not a young man. Iekane may simply be taking advantage of his frailty." Yoshimoto was quiet a moment longer. "I do not have a good feeling about any of this.”

“If we could prove Iekane is poisoning Mozumi, would that at least take the Kanamori vassals out of the equation? At least long enough to buy some time?” Iekane had a lot of moving parts in this… whatever he was doing. Remove one, and maybe everything would grind to a halt.

Yoshimoto hesitated. For a moment a hopeful smile crossed his face, then faded away. “Time for what? For the situation to alter?”

"The thing is… I’m pretty sure that one of Mitsuhide's men followed me, at least up through to the crossroads before the castle walls.” I hadn’t caught sight of the muscular spy since then, but at that point, it would have been obvious where we were headed. “I'm sure I could get a message to him. At the very least, Nobunaga can take steps to protect Sakai." With six months warning, they would have time to come up with a plan.

Yoshimoto rubbed his forehead. "I agree in principal, and I imagine that were he not with Sasuke in the future, Shingen would as well. As little love for Nobunaga as he has," Serious Understatement. Takeda Shingen’s hatred for Nobunaga was fairly legendary, “he has no patience for anyone who uses civilians as a shield. But," He put his hands on my shoulders. "I said I would protect you. Sneaking out of this castle has risks. Sneaking around this castle carries even more."

"Yoshimoto. This is what I do. I'm a messenger and a scout." Granted, sneaking around castles hasn’t been a feature on my resume, but what’s a little on-the-job training in a crisis? "I don't even need to sneak. I could simply stroll down a corridor and tell anyone who asks that I’m looking for the kitchen because I have been tasked with making you a cup of tea and you refuse to drink anyone’s tea but mine."

Ok. Yes. I'm going to have to sneak.

"Perhaps I should go with you?"

"I'm pretty sure sneaking is not in your DNA." When he frowned at the unfamiliar term, I added, "in your make-up. Diplomacy. Dissembling. You sneak with words."

Since it was clear that Yoshimoto could potentially dither about this for the rest of the day, I decided that I was going to do it anyway, so I just put my hands on top of his and squeezed them. "I’ll wait until the next time Yoshiaki holds court. Everyone will be too busy guarding him to keep track of where I am. I'll be fine."

And yet, as the late afternoon shadows began plunging the garden into darkness, I couldn’t suppress an internal shiver, and the sensation that already, already someone was watching.

@mllorei @bestbryn @lyds323 @akitsuneswife @selenacosmic @tele86

[tinyperson00]

Katsu just looks so done with them right now lol

don’t mind the fact that I have 7 layers currently…….

Hopefully I can finish this before people come over 🥲

[localgirlbecomesobsessed]

The boss

Cathrine x Rui

Cathrine brings an important guest to the obscuary dorms.

Slight angst for my queen Cathrine

Contains;brief mention of child abuse v brief, Ed’s beef with a cat; injuries;slight blood mention; found family; Cathrine and Rui being cuties, Cathrine’s parents suck and she’s a lil depressed about it;

I’ve been insanely ill/working like a madwoman and trying my best so I hope you all enjoy ;)

The torrential rain roared over the obscuary dorm, the harsh pitter patter of raindrops hitting the windows echoing throughout the living room. Rui couldn’t even open the bar tonight, the weather too harsh throughout the whole of Darkwick for his clientele to make the journey all the way to the dark deep forest they were situated in.

Rui was making dinner; a katsu chicken rice bowl. Lyca’s request after craving it all day, the food truck could only stay open until lunch, the area becoming too flooded to continue much to Lyca’s dismay who had been studying in the library during lunch with Subaru.

Ed was lounging on the sofa in the living room, he was waiting to force Rui and Lyca to watch some old movie that he claims to be the best ever, Lyca waited patiently at the dining table for the food. Rui was almost done when the loud chime of the doorbell boomed through the house.

“We have a fucking door bell?”

Rui asked himself incredulously, wiping his hands on his apron as he pulled his gloves out from his pocket. Neither Lyca or Ed made a move to answer the door, instead they both looked expectantly at Rui, who sighed as he marched his way to the door swinging it wide open as he went to see who’d be mad enough to come all the way here.

“Can I stay the night?”

It was Cathrine.

Of course it was Cathrine…who else would do something like this?

She was holding a large pet carrier and was only wearing a short pleated light blue skirt and a dark blue jumper. She didn’t even have a coat on and was wearing trainers without any socks, evidence of her slipping over clear on her mud covered legs.

“Please come inside Catty, are you okay?!?!?”

She just stared at him, mutely nodding as she hobbled in.

“Are you injured?!?!”

Panic rose up within him as she shook her head, she let go of the pet carrier as she struggled to stand, the thing stayed hovering next to her as it became clear she’d been using it to help her walk to the dorm.

“I’m fine.”

Her voice cracked and gravelly as she wrapped her arms around herself, a chill clearly taking over her as Rui stared at her in shock.

She was obviously not fine.

“Oi, who’s at the door-“

Lyca came sauntering into the hallway, Cathrine giving him an awkward wave as she gently pushed the carrier to the room she usually stays in, she tried to walk up the stairs but none of them missed the way she winced trying to pull her leg up onto a step.

Lyca came running over scooping her up as Cathrine let out a loud yelp, he scooted around the carrier as Rui started pushing it towards the room for her…whatever was in there was insanely fucking heavy.

“What happened Cat?”

Lyca asked as Cathrine grumpily leaned her head on his shoulder, Rui narrowed his eyes at her legs, both covered in blood and shrapnel underneath the thick layers of mud.

“I put my phone in the microwave.”

———————————————————

“Rui!?!? 🤪 😟There is a creature 🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛ sitting on MY chair🫵🏼 🪑 .”

Ed exclaimed looking at the overly large cat sitting in his space, it was a big black cat with only one ear, the other seemed to have been ripped off in a gnarly battle, Ed muses what creature would be brave enough to try and take down a beast like this. The eyes beamed into him, one a pumpkin orange and the other was glassy seeming to know everything and commanding the room as it looked smugly at Ed.

“That’s catty’s cat, she calls her the Boss.”

Rui had been setting the plates, looking glum as ever as he waited for Cathrine to come downstairs. Lyca’s hand brushed gently against the Boss’ back, the cat seeming to take a liking to Lyca, diving into him as soon as Cathrine opened the carrier door.

Cathrine.

She was currently having a bath, Rui forced her to promise to call for him as soon as she’s done so he can get a look at her injuries.

She seemed odd, like a lights been dimmed in her, it was like she was a shell of herself…

And she blew half the fucking cathedral up with just a phone and a suped up microwave.

Not to mention the cat…the cat who is having a stand off with Ed as they stared at each other, the cat who is definitely over 20kg and is seriously an actual boss as she easily took the best seat in the house.

The cat, she never mentioned having before nor did he ever see her with when he came over.

He served the food to the others as he anxiously waited for Cathrine’s text, he saved her a plate covering it up in tin foil.

He didn’t have to wait long as she sent him a text with a cute cat emoji and a thumbs up, immediately making Rui run to the bathroom with a med kit in hand.

She had the door already open, letting the steam out as he raced to see her, she was wearing his basketball shorts and one of Lyca’s jumpers as she was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, her hair tied in a low pony as she looked up at him pathetically, her eyes red and puffy as she gave him a small smile wrenching Rui’s heart to pieces…she had been crying, but it’s Cathrine it felt so wrong to see her like this.

“Hey hey beautiful~ can I see thy legs.”

Cathrine stretched her legs out, luckily the wounds didn’t seem too bad besides a piece of glass wedged just under her knee, the rest seemed to be flesh wounds and all that was needed was to clean and bandage them, the shrapnel she seems to have already removed. Cathrine didn’t flinch this time, instead just frowned down at her legs as she testily swung them up, trying to get rid of the overstretched feeling in them.

The glass he’d have to call Lyca to help him pull-

“CATTY?!”

She had grabbed the tweezers and pulled it out herself, eyes dull and far away as she stared down at the blood pouring out of her wound.

Lyca came running in, eyes widening at the sight as Rui threw him a bandage, Lyca automatically catching it as he bent down to get a closer look at Cathrine’s leg.

“I got it out.”

She mindlessly replied to Rui’s shrieking seeming almost confused at his panic.

Ed came sauntering in raising an eyebrow at the commotion as he sat down next to Cathrine, his finger swiping the blood at her knee as he licked it up grinning at a slightly shocked Cathrine, it seemed to slightly break through the fog surrounding her brain.

“Would you🥵🥳 like to watch 👁️ a movie 🍿🧛 dear Cathrine 🫵🏼🫶🏼”

She mutely nodded as she let out a slight whine as Lyca cleaned up Cathrine’s wounds with alcohol pads;following Rui’s strict instructions as he frantically fretted and panic around Cathrine. Lyca wrapped up her legs, the left one that had the glass in it was far worse than the other, they might need to take her to Professor.Nicolas once the rain lets up.

They all sat in silence as they all debated whether to ask Cathrine just what the fuck is going on? The usually insanely hyper girl just sat quietly on the bath edge avoiding their questioning eyes as she fiddled with her fingers, not being able to stay completely still as she started helping Lyca secure the bandages. A silent agreement between the trio to not ask any questions until she’s comfortable became secured by Lyca’s way too obvious mouthing-asking Rui what to do, if Cathrine was in a better state she would’ve teased the boy but in that moment she just blatantly ignored it.

Ed helped her up and lead her to the living room, she pulled her hood up as Lyca and Rui followed them, she limped all the way to the Boss, collapsing around her as the Boss curled into her owner, purring away as she made bread near Cathrine’s face.

“They’re both🫥in my seat now😟🥲🥹😒”

Ed mournfully turned to Rui who just sighed in response, especially when Ed sat next to them, flopping on top of Cathrine as he threw the remote at Rui. Lyca gently sat on the other side, but then also immediately flopped on top of her, causing the Boss to shuffle herself to face him, swishing her tail in Cathrine’s face causing the woman to smile a bit more as her shaky hand went to gently pet the Boss.

“Put the movie 🎥 🍿on Rui🥰😘🥸”

Ed demanded as Rui grumpily went to sit in the armchair, all by himself, glaring in jealousy at the cuddle puddle that had formed around Cathrine.

“Pretty kitty, I made some Katsu curry for you angel~ when you want some let me know!”

His voice sickly sweet as Cathrine stiffly nodded watching cautiously as the Boss flopped onto her stomach glancing at Ed as he reached out to pet her stomach. She didn’t have the energy to stop The Boss’ nefarious quest, in fact…

No one stopped him.

They all just watched as the Boss latched her claws into him and bit as hard as she could, Ed couldn’t help but laugh in delight at the tenacious creature as he softly shook her off of him.

“Your pet🥰🐈‍⬛🫵🏼is a monster 👹👹👹”

Cathrine hummed happily at that as the Boss shuffled back into a loafing position, protectively sitting in front of Cathrine whilst keeping Lyca in her view. Rui turned on the movie, a consecutive groan echoed throughout the room as they all realised what movie Ed had chosen…

Nosferatu(1922)

———————————————————

Cathrine was the first to crash out, an arm loosely wrapped around the Boss as the beast rested her head on top of Cathrine’s. Lyca was next, strewn across Cathrine’s legs as a makeshift blanket as he kept a hand latched onto her ankle and then it was Ed…who had been having a battle of wits with the Boss as he tried to cuddle up to Cathrine, his head resting awkwardly at her hipbone as he laid lazily across Cathrine, practically squishing the poor girl but it was the only position the Boss would let him sleep in.

Rui sighed as he texted Professor Nicolas that they’ll be coming to see him tomorrow, only to be met with an immediate phone call from the Doctor.

“Cathrine’s with you?!?”

The rain thundered in the background, lightning flashing through the room as Rui checked on Cathrine’s sleeping form, he leaned back in his arm chair sighing as she peacefully slept.

“Yeah, she came a couple of hours ago…”

The deep sigh of relief from Nicolas was not lost on Rui.

“Good…has she said anything about what happened?”

Nicolas asked nervously, Rui clicked his tongue in thought as he got up from the chair, moving to another room in fear he’ll awake the cuddle puddle.

“Nah she hasn’t…is catty okay?”

He started pulling out ingredients for a caramel tart, one of Cathrine’s favourites, he pulled out some pears as well to top it with.

“She’ll be okay…it’s I can’t say, but she’ll probably tell you, just give her time…I’ll make something for her legs when you swing by tomorrow.”

If Rui could he’d give her all the time he had, anything she wanted really…which was a slightly terrifying thought.

“Sure Nicky!!! See you tomorrow.”

He hung up the phone, grabbing some butter as he took his gloves off and put his apron on. He opened the box when a thunderous noise erupted behind him, before he could turn to look he’d already been knocked down by the Boss, unconsciously he pushed her away before realising…

He didn’t have gloves.

“FUCK”

He scrambled to get up as Cathrine came running into the kitchen, a look of horror on her face as Rui couldn’t bring himself to look at the poor thing.

“Boss, my voluptuous lady get the fuck away from the butter.”

A defeated voice sung out of Cathrine as Rui looked at her confused, she sighed as hobbled over to them, picking up the obese cat as she gently placed her back onto the kitchen floor, seeing Rui’s look of terror as she looked at him guiltily.

“Shit I should’ve told you…The Boss got cursed by some anomaly…she’s invincible basically, the chancellor spoiled her and over fed to the point she’s become this utter unit, so I took her and now she’s mine but she is such a beast for butter, the chancellor would give her buttered croissants for breakfast- I’m so so sorry….I should’ve warned you.”

There was a small smile on Cathrine’s face as she looked at the Boss in pure adoration, who just cried for more butter.

Rui stood shell shocked as Cathrine glanced at him, regret clear on her face at the fact she didn’t tell him before.

“I am re-“

He cut her off as he let out a strangled noise, his brain too static to take in the fact a living creature can touch him as he stared at her with a mixture of being impressed and shocked.

“You stole a cat…from the chancellor?”

His eyes slightly manic as the imagined figure of Cathrine’s dead cat set his nerves alight.

“Yes, she’s a Maine coon, so she’s already meant to be huge but now she’s massive and I have to do water aerobics with her-do you have a bath I can burrow.”

She was obviously trying to change the subject and keep them both distracted. Rui blandly nodded staring down at the Boss, too afraid to reach out to her as the kind cat blinked up at him, Rui was terrified, even as she pawed at his leg begging for butter as Cathrine giggled at the Boss’ antics.

She glanced up at Rui, frowning at the look of horror on his face, fingers twitching as he stopped himself from reaching out.

“Rui…how bout tomorrow, if you’re avail do you wanna help this fat cat swim?”

She forced a grin onto her face clasping her hands together as he stared at Cathrine with wide doe eyes, he sucked in a deep breath as he glanced back down at the Boss before glancing up at Cathrine.

“Okay.”

———————————————————

The chaos of the room was too much for both Cathrine and Rui to handle as The Boss fought them on every turn when it was time to do the water aerobics, Cathrine knew she should’ve waited for her to get acclimatised and not do it the very next day they’ve temporarily moved into obscuary but she needed to keep up a routine with the Boss otherwise she’d refuse to exercise even more.

She also needed to get Rui acclimatised to the Boss, she serves as an amazing therapy animal and she wants Rui to have someone with him throughout the horrors of being cursed to be alone…she might not be around forever and the boss would be …so one step at a time…

The Boss only just started to get better with the concept of water aerobics, but the change in environment must’ve unsettled her to the max when it came to her exercise time. Which has now lead to Cathrine laying at the bottom of Rui’s bed dripping wet and exhausted, despite the fact it was still only the morning, Rui was leaning against his headboard, the Boss laid on top of him as he repetitively brushed a hand through her fur, their battle had brought the two closer as Rui was the only one to actually get her to swim today.

Cathrine seemed a lot better, having slept through her bout of a minor breakdown, she’s seemed to have sprung back to her normal self…until she had to wrestle a 20kg+ cat into a bath.

She kept glancing at Rui, who had his eyes closed, seeming to be in a state of calm as he charmed the Boss easily into relaxing in his hold. She had stayed with Rui all night, allowing him to become brave enough to start gently petting the huge creature as the two bonded through soft touches and sneaky snacks.

She pursed her lips as she kept glancing at him, the events of the previous night at the front of her mind as she felt she owed him an explanation, not only that but she wanted to tell him about what happened, something she’s still trying to wrap her head around-but there’s no better time than the present as she broke through their calm atmosphere.

“My er…my parents-well my siblings gave my parents my number and told them I’m in Darkwick academy-so they’ve been ahem-…blowing up my phone hence me blowing up my own.”

Cathrine quietly started as she kept her gaze on Rui’s ceiling, following the curled pattern on the wall as Rui’s eyes slowly opened and begun watching her, the Boss’ ear perked up at the sound of her owner’s voice.

“I’m probably going to get a new number; I don’t think I’ll be in contact with my siblings again which is sad…should be sad but I told them not to do it and if they’re gonna do it-“

She took a deep breath, finding herself becoming wound up again, she texted them a week into being at the academy, just so they know everything’s fine. She’s been tentatively talking to them for the past year, her older siblings and hers relationship slowly mending as they promised not to hand her number or address or anything over to her parents…and yet…

As soon as they found out about Darkwick, it’s all they could talk about, it seems it’s all they could talk about with their parents as well…leading to a confrontation that she desperately didn’t need.

“Catty…?”

Rui quietly snapped her out of her thoughts as he looked at her with deep concern.

She pursed her lips as she debated whether to continue or to just stay silent…but she wanted Rui to know-needed him to know, but does he even want to listen? Or know…she couldn’t help but think she’s just boring him to death with her whining, it wasn’t his business-

“Catty what’s wrong? Tell me beautiful otherwise how am I meant to cheer my pretty girl up?”

She covered her face with her arms, hiding the small smile and blush sprouting on her face as Rui grinned at her snapping her out of her mini spiral, the Boss meowing in agreement as they fell into a comfortable silence for a moment.

“We all grew up with my nonna in the countryside-me and my siblings, my parents worked in Japan and we never saw them except for a few times and that was how it was until I was like 14?-15?”

She paused as the Boss got up from her spot on Rui, stretching out and going over to Cathrine, flopping onto her chest as she pressed a paw to her cheek.

“She died…my uh gran, so we had to move to here-to Japan, which was weird but f-f-fu-urgh it was a good time…until we realised our parents were the actual devils and super strict and didn’t like us very much, which was fine, super chill kind of…”

She frowned to herself remembering the extremely awkward first dinner they all shared, a stark contrast to the loud and warm dinners in the small apartment they shared with her nonna.

“They had very strict standards and liked to ensure we met them, through f-forced competition or…”

Memories flashed through her like lightning shooting down on her as the super fun and ‘not’ horrific abuse cycled through her mind, but like most things she decided to push those thoughts and memories deep deep down, not ready to confront or deal with it, especially not after yesterday…

“Never mind that aha…anyway bad times, I moved out on the condition I don’t go into engineering or biology or anything id want to do really, but I do have to go into economics so I can be a valuable employee of the company, my other two siblings were already higher ups and turned into pricks…until I moved out, it was weird they turned back to how they were when we were younger after I left…”

She murmured that last part to herself, she was always the one who stuck out between the three of them, always the one her parents said needed to be hammered down more…

“Anyway I was the idiot who trusted my siblings and ended up getting harassed for days on end so…”

She blew out some air as the Boss got back up and and curled into a circle, this time reaching out a paw to touch Rui, who had scrunched himself up to avoid touching Cathrine-just barely. He ached to bring her into his arms to better comfort her as she spilled her guts to him, hands twitching as he instead grabbed a pillow and wrapped his arms around that instead.

“I’m sorry she’s gone Catty…”

He struggled to find the right words as he digested what she said.

Cathrine smiled sweetly at him as she stretched out, the Boss looked annoyed at the sudden movement as she huffed and moved back Rui, who threw the pillow at Cathrine as the Boss clambered on top of him, loafing as she stared into Rui’s soul. It was Cathrine’s turn to hug the pillow, pulling it close to her as the smell of Rui’s cologne infiltrated her brain. She clutched at it, not being subtle at all a small blush spread across Rui’s face as he got a glimpse of the girl’s actions.

“Thanks Ru~i”

She grinned at him as the two fell into a comfortable silence, Rui trapped by the boss and Cathrine trapped in her thoughts.

Why does being around Rui simply make things easier to deal with?

It was a question she found herself pondering a lot lately, she could’ve went anywhere after she slightly blew up the cathedral, but instead she trekked all the way to obscuary, her half lucid mind telling her that it’s what she needed; and she was right…

“Are ya gonna talk to them if…”

He trailed off wondering why’d he even bring it up, if there wasn’t a cure would she talk to her siblings? He wouldn’t want her to go with regrets…he doesn’t want her to go at all…a sombering pit opened up within him as the Boss pulled herself closer to him, breathing heavily into his face with one glassy eye staring deeply into his eyes.

“No…I told-“

She clutched the pillow tighter as her breath stuttered, not wanting to think too deeply about her choices…

“I told the chancellor and Nicky to tell them after I go-if I go…they’ll be alright.”

It was definitive, her parents sparsely cared unless she was causing trouble-then they took it into their own hands to correct her wrong doings, her siblings only liked her when she was far away or fucking up, her siblings loved her of course they did-or she hopes but there’s no point in keeping up contact, not whilst she’s at the academy, the ingrained need to become superior and demolish their competition superceeded their love for her, hence the alerting of the parents, they knew it’d throw her off.

It’s not their fault…not entirely

It’s how they were brought up-

“Catty…please don’t-“

Rui couldn’t do anything to wipe the tears from Cathrine’s cheeks, but he can do something to help her, he picked up the beast that is the Boss and placed her gently onto the pillow Cathrine was still latched onto. She hid her face into it, not wanting Rui to see as he leaned over her, trying to push down his anxiety at being so close to her but he wanted to show her that he’s there, he’s waiting and he’ll try his best, the two had previously tried to avoid eachother once they realised how badly they adored the other…but they couldn’t stay away, they needed to be near eachother, just their presence seems to be enough to calm the other.

He had his arms planted either side of her head, watching as her long pink hair cascaded over the side of the bed, he made sure no part of him could accidently touch her ensuring his body was kneeling away from her, it was an extremely awkward position but as he stared down at Cathrine, who risked raising her head; eyes widening as ruby eyes met pale red ones.

“Catty…you don’t need them, you have us now. Lyca; Ed; boss; everyone at Darkwick…I doubt you’d be able to get rid of any of them now…even if you wanted too. You can’t chose your family…but you can chose your friends, your own chosen family and I hope the people here will be able to be that for you”

He let out a dry laugh, trying to force himself to pull away as her gaze turned soft, melting at his sweet words.

“And you?”

Cathrine murmured out shyly looking at Rui with a small grin and nervousness shooting through her.

“Of course beautiful, cursed twin life after all, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tear myself away from yo-ahem ahaha, I mean we’re interconnected ya know?”

He grasped the bed sheets, squeezing them with all his might as he tried to keep himself together. The beating of his heart drummed loudly in his ears as Cathrine began to sit up, Rui knew he should move but as their faces become increasingly close he couldn’t bring himself too. He trusted Cathrine enough to know she wouldn’t do something like that to him, his breath fanned her face and he prayed to whatever gods there were that his breath wasn’t too terrible, she fluttered her eyes at him, her tear stricken face probably looked terrible yet Rui was looking at her like she hung the moon, the tension was thick and heated as they gazed into each others eyes knowing neither can touch the other…

“Boop.”

She pressed a disgruntled Boss’ paw to Rui’s lips, smiling and giggling to herself as the playboy’s face flushed a deep red as he quickly backed away from Cathrine, she desperately needed to ease the mood not wanting to drown Rui in the heaviness of it all.

“You’re gonna be the death of me.”

He flopped back onto his pillow as she laughed, both hiding their blushing face from the other as the Boss hopped off the bed grumpily, looking for Lyca or to harass Ed, whoever she could find first.

“Thank you Rui…really, I owe-“

He threw a pillow at her, Cathrine shot up looking at him in confusion.

“You don’t and won’t owe me anything ever…except maybe a date babe.”

He winked at her throwing a heart sign at a hiding Cathrine as she then launched the pillow at him, her face flushed an even deeper red at the proposition.

“Sure, name a time and place.”

———————————————————

“Why does Cathrine🥰🫶🏼😭 have to leave us so soon😟🥲😒, how will we cope without our flower🤦‍♂️🌻🌼🌸.”

Ed lounged on the living room sofa, ruminating his woes as Cathrine and Lyca packed up her stuff rolling their eyes at his dramatics.

Rui was chopping apples in the kitchen, keeping his back to the others as he slowly slugged his way through making an apple pie. Slightly depressed that Cathrine’s short lived stay was being cut so soon.

When they went to see Professor Nicolas and the chancellor, he announced the cathedral will be fixed in two to three days, much to the disappointment of the obscuary trio and Cathrine. Lyca and her even asked if she could just move into the obscuary dorms and they could make the cathedral into another lab, but that was swiftly denied by the chancellor who tried to reprimand Cathrine for blowing up the place, the two arguing until he sighed and admitted the parents have gotten ahold of Darkwick too and that they’ve been swiftly dealt with and he understands her actions but can’t applaud her for it as it was too extreme. They also couldn’t allow her to live at another house’s dorms as it’ll show favouritism from someone who was meant to be impartial, much to the annoyance of Cathrine who blatantly admits to favouriting obscuary and mortkranken anyway.

The chancellor couldn’t be too harsh after hearing what her parents were actually saying, so her punishment was much more lenient than what it should’ve been.

It was to work with professor Nicolas in getting through the mountains of paperwork from the immortal case and the hospital cases that intermixed with them.

He did request for the Boss to be brought back but that was quickly denied by Cathrine after showing him the before and after pictures, to Lyca’s amazement the little lady used to be over 30KG and now she’s at least under that (hopefully), though the amount of snacks Ed used to persuade the Boss into a truce whilst Cathrine and Rui made Lyca and Ed watch twilight, may of added a couple of KG onto the dear Boss.

The chancellor let his guilt and sympathy for Cathrine overcome him as he gave her permission to keep the Boss.

So now here they were looking glumly at Cathrine’s backpack as she flopped on top of Ed, sighing dramatically as Ed let out an exaggerated cry.

“I don’t know who’ll miss living here more, me or the Boss.”

The Boss who sat on her designated spot on the kitchen counter a light blue blanket placed for her to lay on, looking adoringly at Rui as she slyly tried to swipe a piece of apple from the bowl.

“I think Rui will miss you two more.”

Lyca said offhandly as he brought out the book Cathrine had recommended earlier in the day, it was the shadow hunters clockwork series and Lyca’s already gotten halfway through and has become slightly obsessed with it, even sending the series to Subaru so he could start reading it as well.

“He has bonded🫶🏼✨🥰 with the Boss.🐈‍⬛🤝🥹👹”

Cathrine sighed as she sat up , resting her feet on the table as Ed readjusted himself so he could lay his head on her legs.

“It seems he’s bonded🫶🏼🤝with more👀 than that creature👹👫👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨”

He glanced at her slyly as she avoided eye contact, a slight blush on her face as she watched Rui and Boss duke it out over the apples. She bit her nails as she fell into deep thought.

“Weekends.”

She called out, jolting everyone out of their false state of peacefulness.

“What’s that beautiful?”

Rui asked, finally turning around to face her as his eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“The Boss stays here and I’ll come to stay on the weekends, I mean it’s not good for her to keep changing environments and my robots or experiments can be quite deadly and she seems to like this place more than the cathedral….”

She trailed off as they all stared at her in shock, she really loves Boss, that was clear enough from the past couple of days of the girls living there.

“We couldn’t…”

Rui was about to start as he put the apple crumbles into the oven, leaving a tiny slice for Boss, he really didn’t want either of them to leave…

“She’s your cat Catty…”

He cute a tiny bit of apple off, weighing it to ensure it meets her dietary plan.

He’s been curating a balanced meal plan for the Boss, he was going to pre-make them and bring them over to the cathedral…but if the boss was staying.

“It’ll be better for her!”

She announced smiling encouragingly at Rui, the Boss was like a therapy animal especially for her and Rui. It’s the first living thing he’s able to touch without killing, how could she take that away from him?

Plus it gave her an excuse to come visit more often and gives her the opportunity to study Boss’ curse and figure out where she even got it from. Ed theorised she saved a deity-like anomaly and got blessed, Cathrine’s still not too sure about that theory…

———————————————————

Rui was stressed, Jiro was laughing at him as he attempted to use the liquid nitrogen once again on the meringue. It was his promised date with Cathrine, he had organised a stay-at-home date where he’ll be making a molecular meal for the two of them, hence the presence of Jiro as he helped him organise and perfect his dinner, it had been two weeks since the events, they’ve barely been able to see eachother besides the short meetings during the weekends when Cathrine stayed over, both too busy and overwhelmed by tasks and missions assigned by Darkwick.

Haru and Romeo were taste testing the meal as they ate the cherry wine jelly he specially made for Cathrine, it being her favourite flavour of wine.

“This is excellent, the BB will greatly appreciate this.”

Romeo watched as Rui poured the the smoke over the whiskey based caramel cheesecake.

Haru hummed in agreement as he devoured the chocolate noodles with strawberry meatballs and a vanilla sauce, Rui was locked in, fully concentrating in preparing the taste menu before him as he brought out dish after dish, barely acknowledging them as Jiro acted as his sous chef…well this doesn’t bode well, Romeo couldn’t help but think.

“Although…there is something else you could do, something that’ll BHM.”

(Blow her mind)

Romeo leaned forward onto the desk, clasping his hands together as he looked thoughtfully at the panicked Rui.

“What?! RoRo, I’m all ears for ideas as long as Catty will like it!!”

He looked almost manic as he juggled dry ice and the emulsifier. Romeo devilishly grinned at him as he started to explain his grand plan.

———————————————————

Cathrine had been debating wearing heels for what felt like hours, if she wore them then she’d nearly be the same height as Rui, which she feels like he wouldn’t mind but what if he does then what should she do? It’s been a question she’s been debating for ages. She’s already tall but she does enjoy being taller and the boots were cute…they were hot pink cowboy boots with a 3inch heel, so they’re not too high…she slipped them on grinning and humming happily to herself as she did.

She was wearing a midi pink dress, it was a simple slip dress with floral patchwork embroidered at the bust, she had a white turtleneck on underneath and had a orange leather trench coat to pair with it.

She was extremely nervous and had been tinkering with her gift for Rui as she made her way to the dorms.

They always joked about going on a date but now that they’re actually doing it, her nerves were on fire, she hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything today leading to a snappy Yuri all day, even letting her leave as him and Jiro finished up the paperwork from todays last minute autopsys.

She was almost at the dorms, texting Rui that she’d be there soon as she greeted the plants at the gates, she was stalling she knew she was but a sweet voice echoed out to her from the plant that grabbed her when she first came to the obscuary dorms.

“Good evening, is that the sun or the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid eyes on shining down on me?”

Rui’s voice was as clear as day as Cathrine cackled, already blushing as he poked his head from behind the plant.

“Oh my oh my, do my eyes deceive me? is that a supernova? Or is that the most beautifullest man I ever did see?”

Rui gaped at her, shaking his head giggling at her dramatics as she shielded her eyes feigning that he was too bright to look at.

But to Cathrine he really was.

He had a black long sleeve turtleneck, a magenta silk over shirt that had roses randomly embroidered into it, black ripped jeans with the chains hanging off them, he had styled his hair and was grinning excitedly at her.

“We’re matching Catty.”

He pointed to her embroidered flowers as she gasped pointing at his.

“We’re matching!! Great minds do think alike.”

He nodded as if she said some sagely prophecies.

“Shall we?”

He opened the gate, a nervous yet over excited energy buzzing off his very being as she swiftly hopped through, both nearly skipping to the dorm as Rui guided her into the kitchen.

“I thought we could make dinner together? And then it’s a surprise ✨ “

He winked at her as he set up the ingredients, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at them before widening.

“We making pizzas?”

She asked eagerly as Rui nodded, slightly nervous she’d hate it. Romeo’s suggestion was just to cook with her, if he went with the original idea he’d be hidden away in the kitchen creating this insane menu when he could just be with her, plus Cathrine loved to cook…

Sometimes Romeo had good ideas-

She placed the gift bag onto the table next to Rui as she went to hang up her coat.

“Er catty?”

He eyed the gift suspiciously as he glanced back at the maniacal girl.

“It’s something I’ve been tinkering with for a while, I thought today would be the best time to hand it over! We could test it out today if ya want…”

He gulped as a flurry of not-so PG thoughts hammered their way into his head as he tentatively took out the delicately wrapped gift, the thoughts being wiped away abruptly as he brought out a fluffy black rabbit hoody, staring at the insanely cloud like thing with a look of perplexion as Cathrine walked in giggling at his confused look.

“It’s er-I got the idea from the Boss, it’s so you could hug people, kind of, the paws on the hoody as well as everywhere else have nanos in it so you’ll still be able to feel everything as if it-“

She paused as he hurriedly went to put the hoody on, struggling slightly as she tried not to laugh at his crazed attempt, she went over to help him, pulling down the bottom of the hood as his flushed face revealed itself to her.

He pulled the hood up, rabbit ears perking up as Cathrine hesitantly went to stroke them, she made it so they’d respond to how he was feeling and she put the same piercings on them that he had so he really did look like a cute little bunny.

“Ha…that feels weird.”

Rui murmured as she trailed her hands to his waist, humming to herself as she kept checking to see if he was okay and if the hoody was working. He was staring at her with pure concentration, drinking in everything she was doing with a heated gaze as he stood rigidly, almost frozen fighting away the terror as she dipped a finger into the palm of his hand or paw-it felt like it was on his actual hand sending shivers down his spine as the unfamiliar-familiar feeling spun his head.

“You okay?”

She asked gently as she stepped slightly closer, Rui gulped nervously as he fiddled with the inner paw bit, he nodded shuddering as she wrapped her arms gently around him, the sensation setting Rui alight as his knees buckled beneath him, having to push both him and Cathrine against the kitchen counter as he held onto edge for dear life.

A series of thoughts swirling through his brain like a tornado.

She was hugging him.

She was okay.

She wasn’t dead.

He looked absolutely ridiculous.

Crying as he leaned all his weight onto Cathrine, who took it gladly, the only issue with the hoody was his face being unprotected so she had to rest her cheek on his shoulder in order to avoid accidently touching him, she held on with all her strength as the two stood there for quite some time, the only thing making Rui pull away was the surprise he planned, they couldn’t miss it, even though he desperately wanted to stay how they were for as long as possible.

“Can’t cook with paws…”

His watery smile matched hers as she gazed lovingly at him, he was still too scared to try touching her with the bunny paws on but maybe next time…

“No suppose not.”

He sighed as he took the hoody off, gently placing it near the observatory door in order to avoid getting flour on it.

“Shall we start!”

He quickly recovered or more like pushed down the slight breakdown at being able to hug someone, as he rolled up his sleeves and pulled on elbow length gloves, not missing the blush that bloomed on Cathrine’s face as she watched him.

“See something you like catty?”

He purred out watching as she expertly started making the dough, practiced hands grabbing everything she needed as Rui started making the sauce.

“Maybe…”

She winked at him, flicking a little bit of flour at the flirty man, who flicked some back…before an all out flour war could commence, the thunderous sound of little paws running down the stairs met their ears, Cathrine prepared herself for Boss’ leap, the cat fitting well with the new diet they had her on and they’ve got her down to 20KG, just another 5KG till she’s healthy weight-according to Jiro. The Boss clung to her not wanting to let go which almost made Cathrine topple over, she was purring uncontrollably as she nuzzled into her owners neck.

“She missed you.”

Rui cooed at them, grabbing the tiny apron he had made the Boss for when she helps in the kitchen. (By help he means tries to steal as much food as possible and knocking down anything of Ed’s.)

The Boss obediently got down from Cathrine, hearing the tiny bell chime out from the apron as she waited for Rui to put it on her.

“It’s only Wednesday but…do you wanna stay the night.”

He took a deep breath as he asked, glancing up at Cathrine as he fitted the apron onto the Boss, it was all black with maroon bows attached to it.

The staying over during the weekends have worked well but their busy schedules and life have made it hard for the two of them to see each other or for Cathrine to even see the Boss.

“How bout five nights~I can make it work! I’m at my lab Thursday and mortkranken Friday~”

She chimed out making Rui’s head snap up at her as he finished fitting the apron on Boss.

“Really?!?”

He couldn’t hide how ecstatic he was about it, boss meowing to be picked up at Rui, the man scooping her up hugging her close as he rested his head on top of Boss’.

“Mhhhhm, I’ll try my best to be back as early as I possibly can baby.”

She cooed at Boss, the cat licking her hand in affection as Cathrine grinned up at Rui.

“And of course for you too.”

She giggled as she turned to start rolling out the dough, Rui held Boss with one hand as he tested the pizza sauce, nodding in approval as cathrine finished the bases sliding them over to Rui as he started spooning it on the bases.

Cathrine asked Rui what toppings he wanted, easily manoeuvring around the kitchen grabbing everything as she grabbed her own choices as well.

She started prepping the topping as Rui and Boss watched in awe. Rui placed Boss down, grabbing some of the leftover dough to make a mini pizza for the Boss, grabbing some of her freeze dried treats and dinner to put on top of it.

Once all three pizzas were done, they put it in the pizza oven, an anomalous one that Rui was able to swipe before that new food truck got wind of it or the diner.

Rui told cathrine to wait with the Boss as he set up the area, grabbing the wooden block he’s placed all the pizza on as he grabbed the bottle of wine from the fridge, it was a black cherry one that he was saving for a special occasion, this being an extremely special one.

The observatory had a special corner section with a clear ceiling that allowed you to look at the sky above, there was a large sofa in the corner, a velvet red one that Rui has draped with soft blankets and huge pillows, the coffee table had a plethora of snacks to go along with their pizzas and they were surrounded by the nicest smelling plants he had. It was dim lighting with tapestries on the wall next to them, it looked more like a Witches apothecary than a observatory, the sofa was a pull out so he already had it out, for extra comfort of course. He filled the wine glasses and called for Cathrine who gasped as she entered the room, the observatory was one of Rui’s private spaces, allowing her in was like inviting her into a part of him he kept secured.

“Holy Shit Ru~i”

Cathrine was awestruck at the mini lab around her, tables full of different species of anomaly plants and even cross-species were all placed gently on the table, the walls were covered in intertwining vines that held onto trinkets the creature seemed to like. She walked more deeply into the room, trying to find Rui in the jungle that was the observatory, until her eyes landed on the beautiful man. The dim lighting shone a halo on his head as he hurried around, he noticed her almost immediately, his soft gaze poured out pure adoration as she suddenly felt embarrassed by the power of it as she made her way to him.

The Boss wasn’t allowed in the room due to the meat eating plants so she stayed in the kitchen, laying in her bed as she left her owners to it.

“There’s-every three months there’s a meteor shower over the dorm, we don’t know why but this…”

He gestured to the area he had set up for the two of them.

“Is the best place to watch.”

He could literally see the smoke burst from Cathrine’s head as she buzzed with pure excitement.

“A METEOR SHOWER?!??”

She squealed as Rui nodded in confirmation, sighing in relief at her excitement.

They quickly went to sit down, enjoying the meal as Rui and her chattered away, they almost finished the whole thing, including the bottle of wine before the shower even started. Rui bolted to get his hoody and another bottle as he sheepishly smiled at her as he put it back on.

“We could cuddle Angel, whilst they rain above us…”

He saddled in next to her, patting his lap as she seemed to be in deep thought, to be able to cuddle under the meteor shower-under the stars with a girl he likes again is setting him alight, unable to contain himself, he fears now that he’s started being able to at least have the comfort of her close to him, he’ll become far too greedy and mess up in the worst catastrophic way.

“It’d be risky if I sat in your lap but you could sit in mine…”

She patted her lap as a cheeky smile spread across her face, it’d be too tempting to kiss the handsome man if they sat like that, not that it wasn’t tempting now…not that she just wanted to grab him and make out with him against the sofa or if she let her mind wander dangerously far, do other things on the sofa that would literally kill her.

“You just want me to sit on your lap, don’t you cutie~”

She spread her arms wide as Rui filled the wine glasses up, his bunny ears drooping slightly in disappointment at not being able to be the big spoon.

He took a sip of wine before reluctantly falling into her lap, that reluctance quickly being wiped away as she tightly wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his shoulder as he felt her hum happily behind him. Her thumbs rubbed circles against him, the effect dizzying him as it all felt too much.

She was a blazing fire enrapturing him with every touch, every movement, he doesn’t think anyone else would be able to electrify him this much, wouldn’t go this far as to build something just for him, just so they could have a moment of warmth together, he felt the tears pricking up in his eyes again and his hands trembled, man sized paws lightly brushing against hers as lightning shot through Rui for every moment of touch. Cathrine let out a shaky breath hiding her face as she felt the pads caress her hands, she could just stay there clutching onto Rui for the rest of her days.

“You okay il mio principe?”

She snuggled into him, attempting to pull him closer if that’s even possible and attempting to hide her red face as the nickname slipped out of her. Rui seemed to be struggling, she didn’t want to overwhelm him with too much…

“We can stop if you want or take a break if it-“

Cathrine was about to unwind her arms when Rui clutched onto them, shaking his head as he sighed.

“Please don’t let go.”

Cathrine lightly gasped when he said that, voice thick with emotion as it cracked from the strain. She guided him to lay down, so they were actually spooning now, it was easier to look up and see the meteor shower that way or that was the excuse they both gave eachother.

Rui huffed out a laugh as they both flopped over, he was glad he prepped the blankets and everything as he shuffled closer to Cathrine. Her warmth radiated into him as they both gazed at the sky, he gulped as he shakily went to grab her thigh, his pawed hand clumsily gripping onto her and pulling her leg over his waist.

“Oh?”

She questioned a gentle smile on her face as shaky hands rested under her knee, she wrapped that leg tighter around him as she heard Rui gasp in delight.

“It’s starting…”

He pointed at the sky as the beginnings of the meteor shower began, streaks of lights slowly danced across the purple sky, Cathrine could feel her heart drumming out of her chest and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the meteors or because of the man wrapped up in her. His eyes sparkled at her as they watched the stars and meteors above them, making sure that Cathrine was locked around him as he tried not to lose his mind, Cathrine looked at him in pure adoration as she pulled a blanket around them.

“Sei cosi bella che le stelle sono gelose di ti”

She whispered, causing Rui to shudder as he tried to figure out what she said. Cathrine shocked at herself with her words, as the two become blushing messes, intertwined under the stars as Cathrine explained why meteor showers happen and everything to do with stars, unable to stop herself once she starts as she gave Rui a mini science lesson.

When Rui asked Romeo a couple of nights later what was it that Cathrine said?he looked at Rui in disgust and claimed he was surprised Cathrine had such a romantic streak in her, he refused to tell him at first but once he was drunk enough the words spilled from his lips causing Rui to feel like his face burst into flames as he rapidly texted Cathrine, who was not doing any better after being caught out by Rui and Romeo, Yuri yelling at her to get off her phone as the flames erupted on her face.

“You’re so beautiful, that the stars are jealous of you…”

[ryuichirou]

How do you draw Idia’s hair so good?? I struggle with the basic shapes so much!

Sorry for the late reply! Your ask got us excited because Idia’s hair is such a pain to draw, but also such a fun detail, and I’m very happy that you like the way I draw it <3

Katsu suggested to me to record a speedpaint, and uhh, here it is. Please, don’t mind the wonky anatomy and me horsing around with zooming in and out randomly. As you can see, I struggle with Idia’s hair myself and constantly redraw it until I’m satisfied or at least tired enough to say “eh, that’ll do”. In case you’re wondering, it took me ~25-30 minutes to do the hair, and the original video was 59 min long lol I always spend a lot of time moving, reshaping and redrawing details when I draw Idia…

I’ll also list some tips and thoughts about it based on the way I draw it…

The shape of Idia’s hair is not at all consistent. Even in Toboso’s art it looks slightly different sometimes, which makes sense, because Idia has magical fire hair and technically you could do whatever you want with it.

But some rules tend to apply each time. For example, even though Idia’s hair is long and seems naturally “heavy” because of it, the individual strands tend to be turned upwards, like fire would. Not every single one, but the shorter ones and the ones closer to Idia’s head tend to do so. 

It’s wavy, but not too wavy. If the hair starts looking too “soft”, add sharp edges, random strands sticking out, rough shapes, etc.

Oh, and it’s important to remember that it floats. This means, it doesn’t just go straight down, it does this weird “S” shape. It’s also hella long, I always forget just how long Idia’s hair is. If the magic fire logic didn’t apply to it, it would reach the ground easily. The volume of his hair is much bigger than I tend to remember too: it's quite thick and luscious lol So please give him lots of hair!

Tiny little flames + “holes” in the main ehh body of hair (wow there must be a way to phrase it better) make everything look good and more believable. Have fun with it. You might’ve noticed, I draw and redraw and move them around a lot in my speedpaint.

Obviously, I am no expert, and every artist I know draws Idia’s hair a little bit differently. The speedpaint doesn’t show it, but I always have some of Toboso’s artworks of Idia open when I draw him, just to make sure his design is not too off. I would definitely recommend looking at refs while drawing Idia (or anyone), and maybe even trying to redraw the hair from Toboso’s artworks once or twice as a study, it’ll probably make it easier to understand how Idia’s hair works.

You haven’t asked about the colouring, but I love colouring Idia’s hair, so I’ll talk about it a little. Colouring Idia’s hair is simultaneously the most fun and the most tedious part of drawing him lol 15 minutes of my hour long video is just me filling Idia’s hair with the base blue colour with a lasso (I refuse to use a bucket tool…)

But once you’re done with the base, this is where the fun begins. Because at this stage you can be pretty rough, just add in darker and deeper blues near the middle/core(?) of the hair mass. It doesn’t have to be very even or pretty, add some smaller dark spots; we personally really love it when Idia has this round little blob on his bangs. In the video you can see that I added it later on because I forgot about it lol

After the dark part is done, erase the ends of it a little bit with a soft brush. Not too much, we should still be able to see the shapes.

Then, on a separate layer set on overlay mode, with the same soft brush add some additional brighter spots, to make the hair look glowy. I used the same light blue as the base colour, and the overlay gives it a pretty hue.

And finally, add some white highlights at the ends of the strands. This is the stage when everything stops looking wrong and weird and starts looking like Idia, at least to me.

Phew, I think this is everything I wanted to say… I hope it was at least somewhat helpful.

Sorry for the long post, I just love talking about the drawing process. And about Idia too!

Once again, thank you for your kind words; I’m very happy that you like my art.

Have a good day!

[silentchamp]

what’s their favorite dish to cook?  favorite dish to order out?

Important Character Development Questions

---

Red will never tire of his mom's version of katsu don curry. Something about the seasonings she uses to put together the thick sauce, and layering it with other proteins like egg makes it for a wonderful post-workout meal. It's something his mother will pretty frequently make for him, as she knows it is his favorite. He prefers to pair it with some slices of pecha berry, maybe sitrus berry too if he isn't quite full.

As for take-out...funnily enough, Red is fascinated by Unovan food. If a restaurant in Kanto provides their own form of it, he'll go specifically to satisfy his craving for it. He's fascinated by chowders and gumbo, especially during colder seasons. He'll never quite forget the size of Castelia City's pizzas. An easy go-to take-out meal for him when he's uncertain is any kind of gyoza, particularly pork.

[ladykissingfish]

What would be funny as a sequel to the tomato smoothie thing would be the akatsuki trying to set up a nice peaceful dinner for konan and Nagato but they just make it chaotic and catastrophic because they just can't behave

*Nagato and Konan walk into the dining room and pause in surprise; the table is set for two and there’s a fancy tablecloth and candles*

Konan: What is this?

Hidan: *pulling out her chair for her* We were thinking, you cook for us every fuckin’ night. But we don’t do shit for you. So me, red-eyes, mask-boy and blondie made dinner for you and bony-arms!

Nagato: While I don’t appreciate that name, I do appreciate this gesture. *sits across from Konan*

Konan: Oh, this is so lovely. And you made chicken Alfredo, my favorite!

Konan: *swirls fettuccine noodles on her fork and takes a bite; face turns red and she starts coughing*

Nagato: *jumps up and frantically claps her on the back* What’s in this?!

Deidara: Chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, Cajun seasoning …

Nagato: In an Alfredo sauce??

Hidan: Blonde-bitch wanted it to be spicy. Even though we ALL told him it was a fuckin’  stupid idea …

Deidara: Fuck you, you demonic asshole. Just because YOU can’t make anything but bland garbage doesn’t mean that —

Konan, after guzzling water: I’m sure you meant well. Er, there’s something about the sauce I can’t quite figure out. 

Hidan: Ohhh, that. Well ideally you’re supposed to use heavy cream and shit, right? But we were out of that so -

Itachi: I improvised and used a mix of plain yogurt and milk instead. The milk was a teeny bit expired but only by five or so days.

Konan: I —

Tobi: Tobi made garlic bread, Konan and Leader!

Tobi: *brings out a loaf of white bread with a big clump of garlic cloves stuck in the middle*

Nagato: It’s … it’s lovely …

Deidara: Save room for dessert, hm! *brings out a 3-layer chocolate cake and sets it in middle of table* We worked extra hard on this!

Konan, surprised: Goodness, that looks absolutely amazing! It looks like it was made in a professional bakery! I can’t wait to —

Deidara: *raises two fingers* KATSU!!

*the cake explodes, covering everyone in a shower of chocolate*

Hidan: You stupid dick! We agreed no fucking explosives!!

Deidara: That cake wasn’t artistic without them!! Especially since Uchiha’s blind ass couldn’t read the recipe and put in 20 cups of sugar instead of 2! 

Tobi: But the sugar made it tasty, Senpai! *switches to Obito voice* And I’ve already warned you not to talk about Itachi like that …

Hidan: What the hell are you gonna do, weirdo? Shove a dango stick in his eye?

*the four of them start yelling and throwing punches at each other*

Nagato:

Konan:

Konan: … pizza?

Nagato: Mm.

[krenenbaker]

Recipes for Dove (and others, too)

This is a small selection of recipes that I put together for @dove-da-birb. They are some of the recipes that I and my family use, mainly vegetarian, but also with a few non-vegetarian options. I tend to adapt these a bit when I make them, usually adding more of the seasonings and aromatics, but the recipes are a good basis to build off of.

The recipes are from The Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook, The Paleo Diabetes Diet Solution, and a couple websites (which I've linked).

Recipe Websites I Often Use

The 1940s Experiment - A website containing a variety of recipes from 1940s Wartime Britain. They can be a little hit-or-miss, but I linked a few of my favourites below. They're definitely rather British in nature, so may or may not appeal. Many of the recipes are wither vegetarian, or have a vegetarian option.

Just One Cookbook - A HUGE collection of Japanese recipes, from mains, to sides, to desserts, to a whole lot of other dishes. There are a lot of recipes that I've enjoyed from here!

Sides and Starches

Tattie Scones (Tippitiwychett) - I LOVE this recipe. It's just a really good starch to have with a meal!

Mock Black Pudding (The 1940s Experiement) - One of the many "mock" foods of the era, this is a fried, seasoned oat patty. It's nice with either veggies and a protein for dinner, or with eggs and tomatoes for a savoury breakfast.

Lemon Garlic Pasta (Pinch and Swirl) - Just a nice, simple pasta recipe. I generally add some spinach towards the end of the cooking process to wilt a little, and it's also really tasty if made (significantly) spicier. Roasting the garlic beforehand also adds another layer of richness to the dish, but it's not necessary.

Mains (Vegetarian)

Mushroom risotto (Recipe Tin Eats) - I posted about this the other day, but it's a really rather nice recipe if you enjoy risotto and/or mushrooms :)

Mock Goose (the 1940s Experiment) - Not goose, but a baked lentil dish! It's surprisingly nice, especially topped with cheese in the last few minutes of baking.

Mock Crab (The 1940s Experiment) - Again, not crab, but a cheesy scrambled egg dish. It's nice on toast as a quick lunch, with some fresh veg as a side. I would definitely recommend using less margarine/butter, as it can get a bit too oily otherwise.

Masoor Dahl (Choosing Chia) - This is an alright basis for this recipe, but I usually add about double the amount of seasoning (if not more). It's a quick recipe, though, so it's nice in that way.

Tofu Katsu Curry (Okonomi Kitchen) - I'm a HUGE fan of curries, especially Japanese curries. This recipe, with breaded tofu cutlets, is a nice recipe, and I often use it. I usually just make triangles, rather than the "cutlet" shape suggested on the website, and I also make "family style" curry (as in this recipe). (Also, Okonomi Kitchen is another website with a lot of good vegetarian/vegan dishes!)

Curried Squash Soup - I don't remember what this exact recipe is like, but you can alter the seasoning to suit your tastes ^w^ (Using frozen, cubed squash is a really good option here!)

Vegetarian Bolognese - You can use canned beans instead of dried, and though they won't have the bay leaf flavouring, it's a quicker way to make this sauce. I'd also recommend adding some heat, either with pepper flakes, fresh hot peppers, or canned chipotles.

Roasted Ratatouille - You can of course just use normal diced tomatoes for this. It won't have the same smokiness, but it's still just as good!

Mains (non-Vegetarian)

Greek-Style Turkey Burgers - My family makes these into meatballs, usually. They also need more seasoning than is called for in the recipe, by quite a bit. (Mint is also a nice addition to these!)

Baked Haddock with Peppers and Tomatoes - This recipe is more me just putting the concept in this collection, of white fish baked in a chunky tomato sauce. It's always just a nice, simple meal to have, especially with some rice or wild rice.