#nagi does this but just to anyone shorter than him

[prettyboykatsuki]

barou hates intimidating girls on accident so he softens his speech and posture to be less commandeering

[kkaewrites]

real or not real — nagi seishiro x reader !

warnings. indecent language, ooc nagi.

tropes. meet-ugly, enemies to lovers.

you hate nagi seishiro.

he was stone cold, often referred to as socially awkward— but you feel like those were just excuses to make up for his rude and nasty behavior. personally, you think he’s overrated just because he’s considered a soccer genius. of course, no one ever believes you. they think your hatred clouds your judgement (it obviously does not).

you first met him when you were in grade school, deskmates for the first day of class. he was shorter than you at that time, but aside from his height, everything about him stayed the same. he still has the same gunmetal gray eyes that’s either reflected with boredom or reflected by the screen of his gray nintendo gameboy. he still has the same white hair, as clean as the first drop of snow, but as wild as a lion’s mane.

to you, there was absolutely nothing about him that’s fascinating— he was the same as any average boy. playing mobile games was his favorite past time, so much so that you believed that it was his lifeline at one point. or so you’d assume. he always kept to himself and was left to his own devices (quite literally), most things that kids enjoy don’t seem to pique his interest. you guess those were the reasons why he didn’t have many friends.

no, scratch that— he didn’t have any friends.

at first you wondered why. if there’s one thing you noticed about him even at a very young age, it’s that he’s handsome. he doesn’t have to be the “rich kid” with amazing gadgets and fancy toys, or the “cool kid” who knows what right words to say and way to say it, but he’s nagi. he was conventionally attractive without even trying. however, that fact doesn’t seem to make up for the fact that he looks lonely.

so, you’ve devised a plan to talk to him.

“hey. sei-chan, wanna be my friend?” you’re everyone’s friend. the sunshine child, the one who always lends her classmate crayons or pencils, the kid with pigtails who smile at strangers for no reason. you’re the kid that everyone loves, and if by some miracle, someone hates you (which has never happened and will never happen)— everyone would simply take your side. you’re loved by all.

if nagi was shocked by your sudden proposal, his features didn’t show any signs of it. what he does is pause his current game and faces you. it’s the first time you’ve ever stared at him eye-to-eye. your heart jumps.

uh oh. is this what they call a crush?

eyes filled with hope, you patiently waited for nagi’s response. you expected him to utter “sure” wearing his usual monotone voice, but it doesn’t come. and what he says instead ruins you. your heart does a somersault and tumbles, crashing onto the pavement and breaking into tiny, gliterring pieces. it did not feel good.

“no thanks. i despise people like you.”

you’re not sure what you’ve done wrong at that very moment. maybe you were too blunt, too cheery, too whatever — just something too much to be able to upset someone like nagi seishiro, who doesn’t feel strongly about anything or anyone. you didn’t have the courage to ask him what you’ve done wrong because your vision blurs. you always reckoned that it was due to anger, but your mother who saw you run home with tear-streaked cheeks says otherwise.

you still don’t know how you managed to piss off nagi, even until your very first year of college. after grade school, you never saw him again. you heard he studied at some prestigious high school but that was the end of it, you never really asked because you had no interest whatsoever. you somehow managed to assure yourself that there was no way you’d ever cross paths with him once again— so why is he here?

why, of all places, would he be your deskmate for your politics class?

at this point, you thought maybe the gods above despised you, too. did they hate you enough to not only be schoolmates, not only be classmates with this man, but to be deskmates? hate is the only logical explanation for this fucked-up coincidence. you’re not keen on fates or invisible strings so you’re sure this was just a punishment for you.

oh god. you hate it so much. you hate him so much.

without a word, you took the seat right next to him, taking the opportunity while he’s sound asleep. you’re not sure why he would take politics as his subject, because as far as you know about him, all he ever cares about is his mobile games. maybe soccer as well, but that’s not exactly related to politics, either.

when the professor enters the class, you found no reason to wake him up. he could get screamed at for all you care, but there was no way you’d ever converse with him at your own accord. because the only way you’d ever survive sitting next to him for the whole semester is by not acknowledging him at all. you can do that. you can avoid talking or looking at him. he’s not that talkative (and he’s not even awake) to begin with.

until your plan crashes and burns.

he turns out to be your partner for a school project— a big one, at that. you considered going solo, but the whole point of the project is to make sure two people are working together. it was a community development kind of plan, so unless he works with you and you work with him, you’d be getting an F for your politics class. that, you can’t have. even if it meant talking to him and enduring his presence.

he wakes up right after the class ended and you could barely contain your scoff. he sat through the whole 2 hour lecture just like that, does he have no care for his grades? doesn’t matter. it’s none of your business if he fails, that simply means that you won’t see him much anymore (which is a win for you).

you sighed. he should’ve been paired with someone else. why did it have to be you? why did it have to be your deskmate? and why did he have to be your deskmate? it was too much. how could you ever work with someone you hate? with someone who hates you?

you’re going to fail politics. you’re 100% sure of that. there was just no way that you’d ever accomplish this task— or you could beg your professor to let you switch partners. or you could ask your classmates to let you switch... but who would ever want someone as lazy as nagi to be their partner? fuck.

from the corner of your eye, you saw nagi yawn. it took all of you to swallow your pride whole and gulp it down to ever approach him, but it’s better than not trying. if you fail, at least you tried. even if it meant battling your inner demons.

so, clutching your bag straps tightly as if it would ever help, you turned to your sleepy deskmate. “nagi. it seems like we’re partners for the politics subject. i’m expecting you’d cooperate willingly so that—”

“sorry,” he interrupts with half lidded eyes. “do i know you?”

“you’re going to rip your paper to shreds.” nagi commented from behind you, peering over your shoulder as you aggressively wrote on your notebook. you imagined the page to be nagi’s face as you cruelly stabbed it, not caring about your pen or your paper’s state. you cannot believe that for some reason, you’re still stuck with the snow white haired guy. you’ve tried everything there is to get rid of him but nothing seemed to work.

“right,” your teeth could break with how hard you clenched your jaw. “will you be free later?”

“oh. i have soccer training.”

of course he fucking has soccer training.

you gave him the strongest deadpan you could muster before exhaling a deep breath. once to calm yourself down, twice to clear your head and thrice in hopes of losing all of your lungs’ air so you could shrivel and die on the spot. nagi seems to be unaware of your thoughts— and even if he had understood your facial expression and body language, he simply did not care.

“i’ll be free after, though.” he adds, as if you’d ever know that information if he hasn’t uttered it. this at least gives you the sense that he might care about the group project, and that he won’t be a complete inconvenience.

“okay. let’s meet up at the coffee shop near school. will you be done at 8?”

“yeah. but,” he pauses. “i thought we’d just do the project at my place.”

“who died and made you king?” you blurt out before you could think of a proper response. you wondered if you’d ever feel so strongly about a person the same way you did for nagi. he was driving you mad.

“what?” his clueless face almost made you feel guilt— almost. but you ignored the sensation and frowned instead. the least you could do was give him a clearer sentence:

“there’s no way i’d ever step a foot at your house.”

“it’s fine. no one’s home anyway.”

“that’s even worse.”

“huh? oh. don’t worry. you’re not my type.”

the conversations you somehow hold with nagi infuriates you. he has this way of making you feel like shit for some reason, and he does it with so much nonchalance you’d wonder if he insults everyone. but you know better and you know he definitely doesn’t, because you’re the only one he treats like this. it’s the absolute worst.

what does he mean you’re not his type? were you not pretty enough? not tall enough? not skinny enough? not fair enough? not what? ever since grade school, you’ve always thought that he sees you as someone “too much” and yet as he stands here with you, in an empty classroom— you wondered how you could be “too much” and yet be “not enough” at the same time.

and since when did you care about how he views you? since you were kids, apparently. because the words he would utter up until this day shatters you all the same. and you hate him— so goddamn much. but beyond all that anger, there’s grief. it doesn’t subside even as you grabbed all your things and shoved 6”3 foot tall nagi aside.

for some reason, he shows up at the café you mentioned at exactly 8 o’clock in the evening. you were typing away on your laptop, while a cup of caramel macchiato and a bunch of scattered papers littered your desk. you didn’t expect him to come, and it would’ve been better if he didn’t. but somehow, he’s here and he looks a little apologetic.

“are you upset?” he asks. his sports bag slumped over his shoulder as he stands right next to you. there’s an unoccupied seat in front but he doesn’t take it— at least, not yet. his whole, undivided attention was poured onto you and you alone. it makes you squirm in your seat, so you decided not to look up from your screen to greet him.

“no. take a seat.”

“you look upset.”

“do you want me to be upset?”

“no.”

“then shut up.”

wordlessly, he takes the seat right in front of you and slouches. he looks battered and fatigued from practice, but he doesn’t say a word to complain (to your absolute shock). you guessed that he walked straight from the field to the café without even changing or taking a shower, because his clothes clung to him like a shirt a few sizes smaller.

“shouldn’t you go change?”

“yeah. but i left my clean clothes at my apartment.”

fifteen minutes pass and you suddenly closed your laptop shut, eyes fixated on nagi’s gunmetal gray ones. he looks surprised from your sudden move, a look that you didn’t expect to recognize due to how miniscule it was. you felt bad for him. the café was getting too cold for comfort and all he wore was his jersey (one that’s drenched with his sweat). if you stayed any longer, he’d probably catch a cold.

why you care, however, that was not a question you could currently answer.

“let’s just go to your place.”

despite his constant need to laze around, his place wasn’t a complete mess— well, yes, there are (presumably dirty) clothes on the floor and used dishes on the sink, but you’ve seen worse. you expected his apartment to be so much worse. it seems like he’s not a complete monkey to not understand basic hygiene and cleanliness.

your only problem is that nagi seems to be bored. you caught him dozing off the coffee table as you ramble about your politics project, and you don’t even have to ask if he cares at all— because he’s trying to hide his obvious distate and boredom. so, even though you’d rather proceed to do your work rather than humoring this 6 foot tall giant, you pipe up:

“wanna play a game?”

“what game? i don’t like games that require effort.”

“it’s called real or not real. we take turns in guessing if the other person’s sentence is real or not real.”

“sounds like a pain.” he groans.

“you know what truly is a pain?” you turned to look at him. “this politics project. so take it or leave it. i’m kind enough to give you a break.”

“shouldn’t we play a different game? a mobile game, maybe.”

“what about a wager, then? the winner’s the boss.”

the game was a piece of cake— to you, at least. nagi’s an open book and it’s easy to read him. you explained that the mechanics goes like this: you take turns in giving very specific sentences about yourself, and the other party has to guess whether it’s real or not real. five wrong guesses means that the other person wins. so the only thing you have to do is to make sure that nagi loses first.

unfortunately, you were down to four mistakes while nagi only had one. the game wasn’t going like how you imagined it would be. how were you supposed to know that nagi keeps a cactus as a pet? how were you supposed to know that he only figured out how to play soccer when he was in high school? how were you supposed to know that he’s got a picture of his crush under his study table? (you still had no idea who that crush is, and it quite literally shocked you). how were you supposed to know that someone like nagi seishiro, was capable of liking someone romantically?

on the other hand, out of the six sentences you threw at him— he had only guessed wrong once. you don’t know how he’s so good at this game, too. it was either he knew awfully a lot about you, or was really good at second guessing things. you’re pretty sure it was the former. how could he know a lot about you, when he doesn’t even know your name?

“real or not real: i hate you.” you stated. his nonchalance was putting you off, but you’re not sure if you were uneasy because of it or if you felt guilty for saying that sentence out loud. you told yourself you could just take it back and act as if it’s not real but nagi himself looked so convinced when he said:

“real.”

he was right once again. but you didn’t have enough time to dwell on the whole thing when his sentence comes.

“real or not real: i want to kiss you right now.”

the silence was so loud it pierces your ears— or maybe you have gone deaf with that sentence. you’re not sure of anything at the moment because it feels like your senses were slowly slipping from your own fingers. if nagi was joking, his face didn’t show any signs of him laughing soon. but maybe you should know better, maybe he could joke like that with a straight face.

so you waited for a few minutes, for him to tell you that it was a joke— that it’s not part of the goddamn game because how could it be part of it? but nothing comes. his eyes were simply on you as he patiently awaits your answer. your make it or break it answer, at that. and it only dawns on you that this is real, this is his sentence and he’s expecting you to play. he’s expecting you to answer real or not real. because you were the one who proposed the game in the first place.

you wanted to scream and to run away, but you were rooted on the spot. time stood still and it froze you under nagi’s unblinking gunmetal gray eyes, as if the situation’s not bad at all. but this is a trick question, your rational mind says. he told you when you were younger that he despises people like you, asked you if he knows you upon meeting at your politics class, and told you that you’re not exactly his type— so there’s no way he’d want to kiss you. right?

you meet his gaze. right, nagi?

against your better judgement to think it through, you suddenly blurted: “real.”

his face doesn’t shift and nor did the mood of the room. your heart was beating erratically as if you’re not facing the guy you clearly hated with a passion, but the silence ensues. you were screaming at yourself, why the fuck did you say real? were you out of your goddamned mind? were you crazy? the answer’s clearly not real!

nagi, however, only looks away. “huh.”

“what?”

“i almost won. what a pity.”

“the answer’s real?”

“yeah.” he tilts his head and answers as if you were stupid. as if you were the one who’s weird and doesn’t get what’s happening— but maybe that really is the case. because you’re mind hasn’t caught up yet. what does he mean the answer’s real? does that mean he wants to kiss you, right now? how is that possible after all the things he had said to you?

you laugh. not the quiet giggle or the chuckle you were accustomed to doing, but a belly laugh— one that could rival a hyena’s. because this was funny. too funny. he’s definitely joking and you’ve only figured out that now.

“okay, fine. you got me.”

“what do you mean?”

“the joke. you’re so serious that i almost missed it.”

confusion marrs his face. “what joke?”

“about the kiss.”

“i wasn’t joking.”

“well, i’d rather have you joking than for that sentence to be real.”

“you hate me that much?”

he almost sounds hurt, but you knew better. how could he be hurt, out of all people? if there’s anyone who’s hurt, it would be you. how can he say all those hurtful things with so much nonchalance and tell you things like he wants to kiss you? how cruel must he be to toy with you like this? it was not funny. none of this was funny.

and it reminds you of your childhood— of your little crush on nagi that never seemed to go away. somehow, the little you screams that you should not fall for something like this. that it is easier to hate nagi than to love him. that it is easier to stand up from your seat, smile, and tell him: “yeah. i do.”

it has been a week. maybe two. or three? you’ve lost count. you’ve never visisted nagi again after the whole real or not real game, and you never saw him often because he’s been excused. something about soccer championship that you didn’t bother listening to. besides, you liked the comfortable silence now that he’s not around.

your phone dings. and it’s from an unknown number. but somehow, you guessed it has something to do with nagi.

unknown

real or not real: i’m sorry

oh. that’s right. the game technically hasn’t finished yet because no one has won. you told yourself numerous time that you won’t reply to his message, but against your better judgement, you somehow still did.

you

real

when your class ended, nagi seishiro was right outside. he was panting and sweaty— as if he ran just to get where you were. but this is nagi we’re talking about. there’s no way he’d actually do something like that, despite his lingering look on you. what’s that supposed to mean, anyway?

breathless, he speaks up to catch your attention. you were busy stuffing your books inside your locker, back against him as you completely ignored his presence. you did not say hi. you did not meet his gaze. but even without direct contact, your heart was drumming against your rib just by knowing that he’s near. what the heck.

“we won the game.”

there’s a lot of responses that entered your mind at that very moment. entry #1, who asked? entry #2, who cares? entry #3, why are you telling me this? and the list goes on. you’re pretty sure none of them were positive— but this was all so confusing. why was nagi chasing after you like a lost puppy who lost its mom? what’s he going for here?

“that’s good for you.” you slammed your locker shut and walked away. nagi eventually follows after you, as if there’s something in his throat that he wants to let out, but you didn’t give him the chance to. you’re sure nothing that would come out of his mouth is good. you’re sure he’s running after you because of the politics project, or because he wants to annoy you.

and you hate it. you hate him. your gut twists at the thought of him running after you like this is some shoujo manga and that’s the annoying part. how is your heart flipping with your every waking step if you hate him so much? you’re supposed to hate nagi, god fucking damn it.

you finally stop in your tracks, whipping around to face the 6 foot tall soccer player. to get it all over with.

“is there something you need to tell me?”

“we haven’t finished the game.”

“i don’t care about the game. leave me alone.”

“it’s your turn. your real or not real.”

this was stupid no matter what angle you look at it. it was just some game you made up and decided to try with nagi. it didn’t mean anything to you because all you wanted by then was to get his attention, so why did it matter so much to him? you don’t get it. you’re not sure how nagi circuits because everything he does confuses you. and before you know it, your irrational side takes over. reason left your body when you blurted the words:

“stop it. fucking stop this.”

why are you so persistent?

“was it fun to toy with me? was it fun when you told me you despised me when we were kids? was it fun when you told me i was not your type? i don’t fucking get it.”

you were angry. mad. seething. your blood boiled underneath your skin and you feared that it would leave your whole being in nothing but dust. through it all, you’re also confused. perplexed. lost. your mind can’t understand the fine line between hate and love anymore. your feelings overlap with each other and merges— you’re not sure what you’re feeling now. you’ve wondered how long you’ve buried this string of emotions you’ve had for nagi. that would explain why you’re nothing but a ticking time bomb now.

“if my playing with my feelings give you so much fun— then do it elsewhere. i have no time for things like this, nagi.”

“but i’m not playing, though. i’ve liked you for quite awhile now.”

excuse me?

“oops. i accidentally gave the answer to my next sentence. what a pain,” he scratches the nape of his nexk and looks away.

how the fuck am i supposed to respond to that?

“do you expect me to believe you?”

“i’ve got no reason to lie,” he shrugs. “plus, lying’s a pain. i don’t like it.”

“but— what you said back then...”

“i, well. i go blank when i talk to you. i guess. my stomach flips when you’re around and my throat goes dry.” nagi doesn’t look at you once while he utters this. tinge of red coats the tip of his ears and this is where you think ‘this is it’. he’s not lying. this is real, and you know that much— nagi never looked nervous until now. you think maybe that explains why he would avoid your gaze and why he would say the most confusing things. you think maybe this is nagi. the socially awkward nagi. the one who can’t talk to people properly nagi.

“i’ve always thought you were pretty. i despise pretty things because it makes me feel things. it’s a pain.” he mumbles. “of course i know you. of course i know your name. but it’s the first thing i thought to say because your face was too close. you’re prettier up close.”

he should stop talking. he should drop it all together and just kiss you, but you could never say these words because you haven’t wrapped your head around the whole thing yet. nagi likes you. nagi thinks you’re pretty. nagi short circuits when you’re around. nagi thinks you’re pretty. nagi’s actually confessing. nagi likes you. he thinks you’re pretty. he likes you.

“i don’t like pretty things. that’s not my type at all. but reo said i might be in love with you.” he finally turns to look at you and tilts his head. your face burns— and you swore it was because of the remnants of your anger, but everyone else could tell that it was not. your heart does a somersault, but this time it does not drop. it stays in the air, lingering like nagi’s perfume scent, until he carefully waits for it to land on his palms when he said: “i think he’s right. i’m in love with you.”

for the duration of your game with nagi and with all the truths shared between the both of you— this is probably the most real out of them. this is the only time he doesn’t ask the question ‘real or not real’ because his face says it all. his face says that it’s the real and raw truth. his face says that you must believe this because he’s not making it up. it was the first time you could read his expression. it was the first time that you’re not confused by nagi.

“fucking dumbass,” you comment. “that’s not how it works.”

you reach over to grab his collar, on your highest tip-toes because of his height. you’re pretty sure you’re the only ones present in the secluded corridor but the clamors of your heart makes an illusion of people cheering for you. somewhere in the parallel worlds of your universe, you think maybe those cheers exist. it only silences when you pulled nagi down with you, whispering:

“i hope you still want to kiss me, then.”

when he closes in the gap between the both of you, his answer was loud and clear.

i do. always.

notes. YES YES YES i finally finished this long ass fic! i’ve been writing it since forever & im just SO glad i finally get to finish it 🥹 as u can see, there is nothing on my mind rn but nagi seishiro. he’s literally living in my head rent-free and i’m not complaining. i love him too much. i hope u enjoyed this ‼️ as always, likes & reblogs are appreciated <3 thank you so so much for ur patience & love for this blog ❤️

ִ ࣪𖤐 masterlist !

[darlingimawitch]

hello! merry Christmas to those who celebrate it <3 this is my secret santa gift for @assassinatingtearribly !! i hope you like it❤

also linked to my ao3

best birthday yet.

Karma woke up to the empty feeling beside him as he roamed around for his human pillow. He cracked an eye open as he aimlessly tried to search for a certain someone that was supposed to be in bed with him.  He was dissapointed  to find it empty. The red head slowly sat up after that, rubbing his eyes before registering the bright light that had entered their room from the open window. 

The bedroom door was slightly open, letting the fresh aroma of pancakes fill the air almost instantly. His stomach growled immediately, waking his sleepy body up. 

With a grunt, he shoved the covers away and trudged out of their shared bedroom with a huff. Sure, he was used to early mornings for work but it was a holiday today and he wanted to spend it cuddled up with his soulmate for the rest of the day. 

Though the thought of pancakes wasn't really a bad idea. 

But still. Cuddles. Why can't he get that?

His footsteps must've been loud enough for the other occupant of their apartment to turn their head from the stove, still cooking up those delicious pancakes he couldn't want to get his hands on. 

That's not the only thing he can't wait to get his hands on though. 

"It's 8 am, why are you up?" Karma groaned, wrapping his arms around the shorter man, his chin resting on his head as if it always belonged there. 

"Can't I do something special for today?" Nagisa said, completely unbothered by his lover that was draping his body over his own. "It's not everyday you turn 25, honey." 

"Mhm and it's not everyday I have the day off. Let's just spend the day in bed?"

Nagisa scoffed. "And let my hard work go to waste? No way."

"But it's my birthday," Karma whined, hugging his love tighter," lemme do what I want."

"After we eat." Nagisa flipped the piece of pancake before turning his head around. Karma lifted his chin off of him, looking into his eyes with a small smile. Nagisa pecked him on the lips unexpectedly though it wasn't really a surprise for Karma. He loved it when his boyfriend was spontaneous in showing affection towards him. He was lucky to be the one to receive it in the first place. 

"Fine, but nothing but cuddles after we eat."

"It's Christmas and your birthday and you want to spend it cuddling? Where's the adventurous Karma I knew in high school?"

Karma hid his face in Nagisa's neck. "He grew up and wants to spend it with his boyfriend."

"Loser." he chuckled. 

"Yeah but your loser though." the devil incarnate pecked the shorter man's neck. "Fine, you win. But we're watching Home Alone for the rest of the day, alright?"

Nagisa chuckled. "Of course you'd pick that movie. Alright, sounds like a plan." 

Karma ended up eating half of the pancakes, stuffing them in his mouth immediately after the bluenette set them up on the table. Nagisa only shook his head in response, taking a seat in front of him and eating his own portion. Silence filled the air but somehow he was still filled with warmth. Somehow he still felt comfortable and happy and he wouldn't want to be anywhere else except for right here. 

A domestic life with Nagisa wasn't what Karma had in mind back when he was still a teenager. Though if you asked him now, he couldn't really imagine life without him. Seeing his face in the morning, walking in on him singing in the shower, pecking his lips right before they part ways for their respective jobs — it felt like a routine he can never get tired off. 

The young couple found themselves on the couch after breakfast, the red head acting as a body pillow for the bluenette cuddled next to him. A bowl of popcorn was conquered by the birthday boy but he'd still feed his lover some anyways. They were 3 movies in now, two being of Karma's choice and the current one of Nagisa's. It was a classic rom com, one he's seen over a billion times before. He doesn't mind it though. Cuddled up with the love of his life, what can get better than that? 

Although romantic comedies weren't his forte, he couldn't help but pay attention to this one as he munched on his snack. Watching the protagonist declare her love for the boy of her dreams reminded him of when he first confessed to the man settled by his side, up on the hill where they spent their best times together. When the autumn leaves fell down her hair as she embraced the main lead in a bone crushing hug, it reminded him of himself and Nagisa with the man's head on his lap, his fingers running through  his blue locks as they sat underneath the tree located at the once abandoned assassination classroom. 

As he watched them kiss, it reminded him of his first kiss with Nagisa which sort of happened out of a spur moment but he wouldn't want it any other way. Even if it did happen when Nagisa fell on him when he stayed over in his childhood home and kissed him without even planning to that night. Even if he was a flustered mess, Nagisa only giggled and kissed him again, this time fully aware of what's happening as he kissed him back. 

And when he watched the movie reaching its peak and the couple were wedded, he couldn't help but feel a sense of want by seeing that. 

"What's on your mind?" Nagisa's voice penetrated his wandering mind. 

"Nothing." he quickly answered.

Nagisa rolled his eyes. "I've known you for ten years, Karma. I think I'd know when something's on your mind."

"Yeah? Well what if I was criticizing her wedding dress?"

"You barely care what you put on for work, babe."

"That's not true." he replied stubbornly. 

"You get ready for work while you're still half asleep and your suits are all the same."

"I'm making a fashion statement."

"You don't know a thing about fashion." Nagisa turned his body fully towards Karma now, his chin resting on his chest as he peered up his golden eyes. 

Karma grunted, knowing he couldn't resist those big blue eyes as he gazed upon the man that tugged on his heartstrings. Nagisa smiled knowingly, already knowing he won the game between them. 

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise."

"Do you...want that?" Karma said, his head nodding off to the screen.

"You've got to be more specific." the shorter man replied softly. Karma grunted and Nagisa decided to take pity on the man as his eyes followed his lover's gaze towards the TV and spoke again. "Do I want what? A new TV?"

"A marriage."

The bluenette stilled in his spot and Karma could feel his body tensing for just a second before relaxing in his arms again. 

"I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about it." Nagisa spoke softly. 

"Did you think of having one with me?" 

Nagisa looked at him like he's grown another head. "Who else would I think of having it with?" he shook his head slightly, shifting his position so he was now straddling his lovers  lap. "You do know I'm in love with you right?"

"I mean, I thought you were with me for my looks and my money — ow!" he was cut off when Nagisa pinched his right ear. 

"I'm being serious here, baka." he huffed, though a trace of his smile was still present. 

Karma pursed his lips as his arms found their way around the bluenette's waist, pulling him closer so that they were chest to chest. "I do know you love me. And I love you too."

Nagisa smiled softly as the red head continued. "But do you want to be with me forever, though? Marriage is like — you're basically bound to that one person forever. You'd be bound to me forever."

Nagisa furrowed his eyebrows at that. "You make it seem like that's a bad thing."

The young bureaucrat bit his lip, a habit he picked up years ago. "You won't have an out."

"So?" he replied, his head now resting on Karma's forehead. "We're in this together, aren't we? Through thick and thin, that's what we told ourselves years ago, remember?"

He does. He still remembers their last year of high school where he knew this was when they would need to part ways to pursue their respective courses in college. He knew he'd be moving to another city, far away from his boyfriend if he wanted to chase his dream. And he knew Nagisa understood all of that and he was always encouraging him to go. He never once held him back. 

He remembered tears were shed that night before catching his train. He remembered denying he was crying in the first place when Nagisa pointed it out. He remembered the long awaited goodbye hug he dreaded having because he didn't want it to be the last hug from him he'll ever receive. 

"You better do a good job or I'm kicking your ass if you don't." Nagisa said, chucking through his glassy eyes. 

Karma couldn't help but smile. "Kick my ass? Nagi, I'd love to see you try."

"Hey," the bluenette said, his arms hugging tightly around the taller man's torso. "Through thick and thin, I'll always be here for you."

"Through thick and thin, Nagi. I'm always here for you too."

"Don't be a stranger, okay?" 

Translation : Don't forget me. 

"I couldn't if I tried." Karma replied as he pecked the top of his head. "You're too important to me."

You're always important to me. 

His golden hues caught sight of his piercing blue ones again, his soft breath fanning over his face as they were centimeters apart. He couldn't help but smile as warmth overwhelmed him, the presence of the man before him making his heart leap uncontrollably. He's never felt like this about anyone before and he sure as hell doesn't want this feeling to ever go away. 

"Marry me."

Nagisa chuckled in response. "I thought you'd be more of a romantic when it comes to proposing."

"Screw romance. I wanna marry you, Nagi." he said, his words toning down to a murmur but to Nagisa he could hear everything so clearly. "I want to do this every day, do nothing and everything with you and never leave your side. I want to wake up to you and think ' wow this is what forever looks like'. God, I sound like such a sap." he heard the bluenette chuckle. " I can't even be mad at you for that because you're you."

"You make it impossible to not love you, you know that?" Karma said, his eyes never leaving his lover's. "Marry me, Nagisa."

The blue eyed man shook his head with a smile as he pulled his face away only to descend back to capture his boyfriend's lips with his own. Karma kissed him back just as eagerly, holding onto the shorter man's hips to steady himself as he continued to straddle his lap. Nagisa tilted his head to the side, deepening the kiss with his hands tugging his messy mane of red hair, which made the man beneath him let out a small whimper. 

Sometimes he hated the fact how good of a kisser his boyfriend was. It was unfair. It should be illegal that he had the ability to turn his knees into jelly just like that. 

Eventually, oxygen was needed and they pulled away slowly as if to savor the moment. His eyes fluttered open and he was yet again met with those beautiful bluebell eyes that never fail to remind him he had someone as beautiful as him to love. 

"Yes." Nagisa pecked his nose," Yes, I will marry you."

He couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, his arms immediately swooping the man of his dreams into a bear crushing hug. Kisses were peppered all over his face before he captured his now fiance's lips with his own once more. 

Out of all the birthdays he's had, this one wins it all. 

[snakeboistan]

You’re My Firework

Pairing: Karmagisa

Nagisa stared at the rows of colourful clothing as around him, his female classmates weaved through the racks of yukatas in the store they were in. With scrutinising eyes and hushed whispers, they inspected every piece of fabric that caught their eye whilst he stood in the middle of it all, watching them with visible confusion and resignation. When Koro-Sensei had all but begged him to come to the upcoming summer festival, the last thing he had expected upon arrival was to have Nakamura seize his wrist and, along with the rest of the girls, drag him to a store where they can all rent yukatas for the night.

“Bu-but I-I don’t need a yukata,” he had argued, desperately trying to pull his arm away from the blonde’s unyielding grip.

“Sure you do,” she stated, completely unfazed by his efforts, “come on, it’s the only festival we’re going to go to as a class and everyone else is going to dress up.”

“But I didn’t even bring that much.”

“Which is why I’m paying.”

“What,” he said, startled, “Nakamura, I really can’t ask you to-”

“You’re not asking,” she shot him a grin, “I’m offering. And I’m not taking no for an answer. You really think that I’m going to let you dress like that?”

“Oh, please, Nagisa,” Kurahashi beamed with clasped hands, “we promise we won’t make you wear it if you don’t want to and we won’t pick anything too girly but it would be really nice if you do wear one.”

Nagisa sighed (Kurahashi really knows how to work those puppy eyes), “all right, then.”

“Here you go,” his thoughts were cut off by Yada dropping a bundle of dark blue cotton into his arms. Then he felt hands grab onto his shoulders and steer his body towards one of the fitting rooms.

“Wha-guys?!”

“Go ahead and try it on, Nagisa,” Kayano laughed.

“O-Okay then,” and with that he closed the curtain that separated him from the rest of the shop. Once he had discarded his hoodie, graphic t-shirt and jeans, he carefully draped the yukata over himself, diligently tying the silver-coloured sash around his waist. Turning around, he inspected his reflection in the mirror that stood in front of him; his clothing was sapphire blue and had silver dragonflies scattered around it with sleeves that were so long that the cuffs reached up to his finger’s joints. He knows that it’s normal for boys to wear Yukatas to festivals - the tag even said ‘male XS’ - but come on, it’s practically a dress. He did admit that it looked nice but the way that the cotton practically engulfed his petite form did absolutely nothing to help his already babyish features, if anything it practically drew more attention to how large his eyes were. 

“Hey, ‘Gisa. You done in there or are you going to come out next decade?” Nakamura called out, the smirk evident in her voice.

“Alright, alright,” Nagisa mumbled as he swiftly pulled open the curtain to expose himself to his awaiting audience, who were already wearing their own rented clothing. Yada and Kurahashi immediately began clapping their hands as Nakamura regarded him up and down before nodding.

“Oh, Nagisa, you look amazing,” Kayano cooed.

“It does suit you,” Okano agreed, “do you like it?”

“It does look nice,” he said shyly, “but you guys really don’t need to-”

“Yes, come on, we're getting that for you,” Nakamura cut in with a tone that held no room for argument. She handed him a plastic bag, “put your clothes in this. I’m going to the counter to pay. Oh, and put these on.”

Nagisa stared at the geta shoes that were thrust forward. He whined, “but these hurt.”

“Pain is beauty, sweetie,” the blonde grinned before turning around and making her way to the counter. After paying for their clothes, they made their way towards the heart of the festival, where they met up with a very enthusiastic Koro-Sensei and the rest of their class under the stripes of glowing red lanterns that were hung overhead. 

“Hey, you guys are here,” Isogai said, smiling when they made their way towards him.

“Wow,” Maehara whistled as he took in their appearance, “I’ve got to say that you all look wonderful.”

Both the blonde and brunette were wearing yukatas that were golden and green respectively and were attracting more than a few looks from passers by. How come when the other boys wear these things, they actually look masculine?

“Oh, there you are,” they all turned their heads to see Karma sauntering towards them, a trademark lazy grin on his face. Nagisa felt his cheeks heat up as he took in the taller boy’s form. Adorning the redhead was a scarlet garment with black dragons swirling along the material and a black overcoat stylishly draping over him. Whilst Nagisa had always admired his boyfriend’s intelligence and wit, he is aware that his looks weren’t exactly something to laugh about. Seeing him standing under the traditional lanterns, their intense glow defining his sharp features and making his golden eyes illuminate even brighter than usual, made his breath catch in his throat and his head to feel dizzy at how hard it was reeling. As if he could read the blunette’s thoughts (and let’s be honest, when could he not), Karma smirked, “like what you see?”

The others laughed as Nagisa ducked his head to hide his blush. Karma grinned and walked up to him so that he could throw an arm around the shorter boy’s shoulders and squeeze him with a side-hug. Leaning down, he whispered, “If I’m being honest, I’m really enjoying what I’m seeing.”

As Nagisa’s pigtails shot up with fluster, Maehara addressed the group, “So the fireworks are going to happen in about half an hour. Anyone got any plans for what we should do until then?”

“Chiba texted me that he was going to be near the shooting stalls,” Hayami intoned, “I’m going to go join him.”

“I think that I’m going to go for a walk,” Kanzaki said, smiling, “everything here is so beautiful, I just have to see what the rest of the festival is like.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Kurahashi beamed, clapping her hands, “I think I’ll join you, Kanzaki.”

The rest of the girls were nodding their heads when Isogai pointed his thumb over his shoulder and behind his back as he piped up, “well, I’m gonna go scoop some goldfish. See you guys later.”

Nagisa watched the class Ikeman leave with Maehara in tow before he felt someone pull at his sleeve.

“Come on,” Karma said, “let’s go check this place out.”

Smiling, Nagisa let Karma lead the way as they walked towards the stalls.

….

A few minutes later, Nagisa was strolling along through the crowd with Karma, holding a stick of the wataame that the redhead bought for them to share. Picking off a floof of the sugary confection and plopping it into his mouth, he let it dissolve before saying, “we really ought to go to the meeting place where everyone else is. The fireworks would be starting soon.”

“Your right,” Karma remarked, “but we’re not going to be heading back.”

“Huh?”

“It’ll be way too crowded with everyone there. I know a good spot. Plus, I don’t want to stay with everyone else for longer than necessary. I’d rather it be the two of us.”

Nagisa sweat-dropped at that. Karma didn’t exactly hide how annoyed he was that Nagisa had gotten some attention from a few passersby - he spent half of their walk around the festival glaring at anyone that he deemed was leering at the blunette with a look that would send Satan running. He even decked Okajima in the face when the boy made a pass at Nagisa by sliding an arm around his shoulders whilst saying some pick-up line and winking before steering Nagisa well away from their classmate. Shaking his head to get rid of the memory, he asked, “so where are we going?

“You’ll see.”

‘You’ll see’ turned out to be a hill that stood near the perimeter of the festival. Nagisa yelped when he felt Karma’s hand circle his wrist, pulling the shorter boy along with him as he climbed the hill with powerful strides, “Waah, Karma, slow down! I can’t climb as fast as you with these shoes.”

Karma stilled before turning back to look at him. He considered the blue-eyed boy for a moment and nodded, “you’re right. Don’t worry, I know how we can get to the top much faster.”

“Huh-Wai-AHH, KARMA!” Nagisa yelled as he was unceremoniously picked up in a bridal carry. His arms had somehow found their way around Karma’s neck and his treat had dropped to the floor. He glared up at the smug redhead.

“Hey, Nagi,” Karma cooed, continuing to make his ascent up the hill with his boyfriend in his arms, “has anyone ever told you that you’re really light?”

“Shut up,” Nagisa pouted, refusing to make eye-contact, “you don’t have to carry me you know.”

“I know,” Nagisa could hear the smirk in the other’s voice, “but there’s no way that I’m going to miss out on the opportunity.”

Before Nagisa could reply, he was gently placed onto his feet at the peak of the hill. He was about to say something to Karma when a twinkle caught his eye. He turned around to see the festival below them. The rows of glowing red lanterns stretched as far as he could see and the lights that were wrapped around stalls and signposts shined like glittering diamonds. It truly was breath-taking.

“Told you that I know a good spot,” Karma said beside him. Nagisa huffed a laugh and reached his arm out so that he could clasp his boyfriend’s hand with his. Once their fingers interlaced, he felt Karma give his hand a squeeze. When he looked up at him, the redhead shot him a fond smile. He side-stepped closer to the taller male so that he could rest his head on his shoulder.

“This is nice,” Nagisa murmured, “I like it here. Thank you.”

“No problem, Nagi.”

Nagisa could feel the other’s eyes on him, he tilted his head to look up at his boyfriend, ignoring the sounds of the crowd cheering and buzzing with excitement. Karma turned the shorter boy’s body so that the two of them were standing face to face instead of side by side, the whizzes and fizzles lost onto the couple’s ears. Sparks of luminescent colour soared into the sky, bursting into dazzling kaleidoscopic splatters that filled the sky with a rain of light and wonder. However, their shimmers had nothing on the intense golden stare that had him rooted in place, their cacophonous crackles held no power against the frenzy that was his own heartbeat. With every burst of colour and light, their own faces were splashed with radiance, casting their features with a luminescence that drew them in the same way moths were drawn by flames. When he felt Karma’s long slender fingers cup the side of his face - he didn’t even realise that they had closed the distance between them - he could see the question burning behind those golden orbs that he loved so much. In response he nodded his head ever so slightly, making sure not to break the gaze that they were sharing. Karma smiled, eyes softening with a warmth that never failed to make Nagisa’s legs go weak, and connected their lips just as another firework exploded. Nagisa snaked his arms around the taller boy’s neck, immediately trying to close the infinitesimal distance between them and pressed his lips more firmly against the other’s. The multi colored marigolds continued to bloom on the vast expanse of indigo and black as Nagisa felt the redhead wrap an arm that wasn’t holding his face around his waist to pull them flush together. Both of them tightened their holds before the need for oxygen forced them to pull away. Karma rested his forehead against the blunette’s and Nagisa found himself entranced at the way he could see the fireworks reflection inside the taller boy’s pupils. 

“Hey,” Karma murmured.

“Hey,” Nagisa whisper-laughed, “don’t you think we should watch the fireworks.”

“Nah,” Karma smirked, brushing Nagisa’s bangs away from his forehead, “I’ve got something much more interesting standing right in front of me.”

BONUS:

“Hey,” Sugino asked, looking around and scratching his head, “where are Karma and Nagisa. I’m sure that I saw them earlier.”

Nakamura smirked, “I don’t know but I’m sure that those two lovebirds found somewhere private where they can enjoy themselves.”

“Nrfufufufu, you won’t be wrong Nakamura,” Koro-Sensei said (privately thanking that he brought his camera with him), “aahh, young love. It truly is magical.”

“At least those two know how to keep things private,” said Kimura, sweat-dropping at the sight of Maehara making out with a flushing Isogai.

[kaix-maxi]

why you should love nikaidou yamato

i love the drunk onii-san of i7, he’s literally hilarious,,, ANYWAYS, why should you love nikaidou yamato?? well if you don’t already, i’m about to tell you now!

one, yamato is the leader of i7!! he literally takes care of everyone, especially the underage group,,, he prepares lunches for them!! he even sticks cute flags into tamaki and iori’s lunchboxes, like that’s literally the sweetest imo,,, he acts like some old geezer that’s not interested in putting in effort and wants to take it easy, but he does all this,,, -cue tamaki voice- ty yama-san.

ALSO,,, please don’t forget the time i7 danced outside trigger’s live tour (after the ban was lifted)! they ended up getting in trouble so tsumugi decided she was going to go off to apologise, and smack bang! yamato is outside!! he knew tsumugi was going to get her head blown off, and decides to come with her, saying he’s the leader of i7 and he should also take some of the responsibility of i7 deciding to dance outside!! he’s literally such a big supporter of i7

and that leads straight onto my second point!! two! yamato is so supportive of i7 in general,,, like first and foremost, remember at the audition? he was going to drop out because he was going to let the people that actually had dreams go and try to achieve them! like it went straight to everyone else, then himself in that moment,,, what a good boy

also please don’t forget that he is so weak-willed to honest and hardworking kids like riku and mitsuki! and ok ok, he is honestly super weak to mitsuki,,, like it’s occasionally mentioned in the story that when yamato sees mitsuki working super hard, he actually wears this super upsetting expression because he’s in this for revenge, whereas mitsuki’s dream was to be an idol since he was a kid. he has a big heart.

and remember the king’s game?? he just wanted tsumugi’s lap pillow and then,,, he just gets riku. and he’s like “ahhh i want out“ but riku’s just so happy about getting chosen that he relents and decides to use riku as a lap pillow despite how much he doesn’t want to (i mean cmon look at his face, does that look like a face of willingness? yes but look at how happy he’s making riku) he’s so important in making i7 happy

three, despite how much he cares, he’s so lazy,,, i mean, isn’t that the biggest mood?? if you can’t relate to liking to take it easy,,, i beg you to take a break and just,,, rest,,, like please.,.,.,,., have you just seen him become the laziest human, holding a can of beer in one hand and is just like “you should do what you like on days off” yamato i approve

and yamato doesn’t even want to clean his room, have you seen his pet robot cleaner (roomba) musashi? he treats it like his actual pet though! he even wipes it clean and takes care of it,,, like yamato is so wholesome in everything he does?? and plus, don’t forget that his ideal date is a ‘stay-at-home date’ because he’d prefer being with them in general, rather than going out to places

four, he is incredibly skilled! he learns choreography faster than everyone else and his expressiveness is better than anyone else and he’s extremely observant as well! remember when mitsuki was just like “well crap, idk why i can’t dance as well as the others?? i’m doing everything that the others are doing but i can’t???” and then yamato jumps in. he’s just like “you’re shorter than everyone else (savage yamato strikes again) so your strides will be smaller, that’s why you’ve got to make longer strides to compensate (for your short height mitsu)” and then mitsuki’s just so happy that yamato was able to pinpoint the problem!!

also let’s not forget the music fest incident! when everyone else was lagging behind, super confused and everything, yamato (and nagi) was still smiling and able to dance properly!

plus, his expressiveness! that is one of his best qualities as an actor and an idol! he can actually act really well, even emitting certain auras like bloodlust. like he’s nailed everything about acting, he is practically a god at it! (idk what else to say here so i’m moving onto the next point,,, best face ever though)

five! let’s not forget how much of a secret worrywart yamato is!! during a rabbit chat (i believe it was the goodnight awesome ones but please don’t trust my memory) he emitted a bloodlust aura to mitsuki when they had to act, and then mitsuki started avoiding him (because he lowkey got scared of yamato). because of that, yamato started getting upset and just says to tsumugi “mitsu’s avoiding me and idk why, this is making onii-san sad”! and then he just gets so happy and relieved when mitsuki starts talking to him again!

let’s not forget when tamaki got into a fight with gaku? yamato just started seeing red, and grabbed gaku and is just “what’re you doing to our tama?!” he’s the true overprotective dad

he’s literally takapapa #2 when it comes to yaotome gaku. he makes sure gaku can’t hit on tsumugi, he’s like “stay away from our manager”, he is so overprotective of everyone!! (omg please look at the rabbit and ribbon yamato has on him)

but he’s also like this,,, please make up your mind nikaidou yamato (although he knows his boundaries too because like, on his bday, he’s just like [to the manager] “want to go out in secret? jkjk tonight, onii-san’s lovers are the fans”)

six, anyone that wears glasses should be able to relate to this! yamato cannot see anything without his glasses which is why he noped outta there when nagi tried taking his glasses (”nagi, onii-san needs this to survive in life”). and yamato has canonically confirmed that glasses are,,, his identity lmao!! when someone told him to take off his glasses during sougo’s rabbit parka chat i think, he was literally “are you trying to negate my identity?” it’s hilarious

i found that so funny omg can we not forget the fact that his king pudding chibi literally has glasses like him.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

seven, speaking of yamato’s identity/ image, it’s so important for him to remain inconspicuous (which i guess is also one of the reasons why he doesn’t want to do acting [the main reason is very spoilery so i’m keeping that out of here for now])!! like mitsuki asked yamato to see his family and yamato just instantly went sour and made a bitter laugh THEN there was also the one time he yelled at nagi for asking him about who this acquaintance he met up with was (and then he felt bad right after)

truly yamato, you are more than just a ‘little mysterious’, you are hella shady

eight, he is part of the wholesome pythagoras trio. let me, once again, elaborate to you how much yamato cares that he’ll go to hell and back for everyone in i7! if you’ve seen yamato’s unit rabbit chats, you’ll know what i mean,,, he was literally like “uwaaaa here they come, here they come” each time nagi or mitsuki was coming at him, because they basically,,, destroyed him! nagi was hugging him so much he thought he couldn’t breathe while mitsuki is destroying each and every one of his bones #ripyamato

nine! i don’t really ship anyone together in i7, but apparently, he’s shipped with almost everyone so +1 for nikaidou yamato for compatibility!!

IT’S ALL SPOILERS HERE SO BEWARE!!

i headcanon that he learns choreography faster than anyone else since he used to have to remember drama scripts and stage directions to be a part of movies and stuff,,, i guess he would be dragged into that considering his father is a pretty big and famous actor; chiba shizuo

anyways!! yamato literally became an idol just for revenge,,, like he is HELLBENT on getting revenge on his father,,, like i dont remember why he hates his father (i think it was because yamato was a secret love child?? and he was mad about that when he found out) but you know what stops him from exacting his revenge?? he’s worried about ruining idolish7!! literally i7 stops him. he is truly a supporter of i7,,, so good

he ends up getting these nightmares about basically everyone looking at him, and they’re just like “are you satisfied now yamato?? you screwed us over for your revenge, i hope you’re happy”

not exactly a good thing, but yamato is NOT afraid to screw things up,,, he literally strangled yuki at one point when he (yuki) was pushing on all of yamato’s buttons #ripyuki

also to expand on yamato being weak to mitsuki, he’s in this for revenge so i believe his original intention was once they get famous, he’s gonna screw crap up for chiba shizuo on the news or something, which also means he’s going to turn everyone’s idol career into complete dust and ashes - which also means killing mitsuki’s childhood dream which has finally come true (which is also why he gets this super sad expression i’d think)

BUT OK i need to end this because i am once again, getting laggy from how much content is on this one post -wheezes- but yes, i hope you appreciate nikaidou yamato a little more than you already did, have a yamato to conclude

[osakaso5]

Nagi Rokuya Summer Memories Rabbit Chat Part 3: Nagi And Mitsuki

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 | Part 5

Nagi: Manager, I will send you pictures. 

Nagi: This is  of the sand castle I made with Riku and Mitsuki. 

Tsumugi: Waah! It looks incredible! You're all so skilled! 

Nagi: Here is a picture of when we found a crab in the rocks. 

Tsumugi: What a small and cute crab! It's got Riku-san's finger! 

Nagi: Here is a picture of us playing on a boat. 

Tsumugi: You look like you're having lots of fun! I'm a bit concerned about the fact that Mitsuki-san looks progressively more and more exhausted in these, though... 

Nagi: Both Riku and I are first-timers when it comes to swimming in the ocean. 

Nagi: Mitsuki was kind enough to look after us today. He has taught us all sorts of things about swimming in the sea. 

Nagi: How you must warm up before swimming. How you should always wear sandals on the rocky areas so your feet will not be injured. How you need to splash your head with water regularly to avoid heatstroke. 

Tsumugi: Mitsuki-san is such a good big brother. You two are close, after all. 

Choices/outcomes:

1. What do you usually do with Mitsuki-san?

Nagi: Mitsuki is ignorant to the charms of Japanese anime. 

Nagi: I teach him the appeal of Cocona, and he teaches me Japanese social etiquette. 

Nagi: He scolds me often, but I enjoy it.

Nagi: I wonder if he feels the same way? 

2. What do you like about Mitsuki-san?

Nagi: He is passionate, has high ambitions, and is an excellent team player as well as a wonderful person.

Nagi: Although I have an older brother, we unfortunately do not get along.

Nagi: I envy Iori for having a brother like Mitsuki. 

3. What do you dislike about Mitsuki-san?

Nagi: The fact that he refuses to accept my encouragement whenever he makes mistakes.

Nagi: He is very independent, and dislikes being comforted.

Nagi: I wish he would let me give him moral support sometimes. 

Nagi: Are you not going to swim with us? 

Tsumugi: I didn't bring a swimsuit. 

Nagi: Why not have someone buy one for you? 

Tsumugi: T-there isn't anyone who could run an errand like that for me! 

Nagi: Does Yamato, who is merely sleeping on the beach just like he does back home, have anything important to do? 

Translator’s notes..? 

it’s kind of a shame that the responses to the choices in newer chats are usually so much shorter than these older ones (though i guess the more recent rabbit chats are longer in general)

[jodyedgarus]

Can The Eagles Beat The Bears? Can Houston Stop Andrew Luck?

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, assistant sports editor): The NFL’s 2018 regular season is finally in the books. Before the playoffs get rolling, let’s look back on an interesting Week 17 and preview next weekend’s wild-card round. We’ll end with giving our Super Bowl predictions again, just to keep us honest.

Salfino (Michael Salfino, contributor): I will have to revise my Saints-Steelers Super Bowl pick.

sara.ziegler: LOL

The AFC had all the drama yesterday, so let’s start with the Ravens/Steelers/Colts/Titans business.

neil (Neil Paine, senior sportswriter): I was very much hoping for that Colts-Titans tie. But alas.

sara.ziegler: If the NFL were scripted, we would have ended the regular season on a tie.

neil: Particularly this of all regular seasons.

Salfino: What’s interesting to me about the Ravens is that teams are not punishing Lamar Jackson for running.

joshua.hermsmeyer (Josh Hermsmeyer, NFL analyst): I’m unclear on why teams don’t force Jackson to beat them with his arm as well. It’s worked in the past against other highly mobile QBs, and there seems to be no great reason why it won’t work again.

neil: That’s part of what makes the Ravens so interesting, that their second-half playoff push basically coincided with the QB change and this rush-heavy identity that seems so different in a league that set new records for passing in 2018.

Salfino: Yes, the Ravens and the Chiefs are the offenses you really can’t prepare for in a week, IMO. I have no idea how a team can prepare for Jackson in one week. But LAC at least just faced him. Is that advantage Chargers? To me this is the most interesting game of the wild-card round.

sara.ziegler: The Ravens nearly let Sunday’s game slip away, though.

Salfino: The problem is that it’s so hard to stay disciplined and not chase him. Defenses are taught to be aggressive.

Jackson allows the offense to play 11 on 11, and all of defense is predicated on the defense playing 11 on 10.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Also strange is that we can make legit comps between Jackson and Josh Allen. Bill Belichick kept Allen in the pocket during Week 16 knowing the main danger he poses is from his legs. And New England won.

Salfino: Yes, the Patriots are just taught to be super disciplined so they can counter that probably better than most teams.

sara.ziegler: Did the Browns figure that out a little bit too against Jackson? The Ravens rushed for 8.5 yards per carry in the first half and just 4.5 in the second.

Salfino: Maybe as the game wore on, but by then the damage was done. The Browns were just getting gashed. The Ravens were running on 3rd-and-long and converting. It was like a college game — old-school college before the passing explosion.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Credit as well to the play-calling, I think. It’s a very creative scheme the Ravens are rolling out.

Salfino: Is the Ravens defense overrated? Where are the blue chip players? They are just coached so well. Wink Martindale should get interviews.

neil: And Jackson’s own speed is really something to behold. On that first TD Jackson scored, it looked like he was shot out of a cannon.

Salfino: Jackson also looked like he was playing at video game speed even on the shorter second TD run. He just darted into the end zone like everyone was standing still.

I think the Ravens offense is underrated and their defense is overrated.

sara.ziegler: In the other afternoon AFC game of note, the Steelers came out incredibly flat before rallying for the win, which wasn’t quite enough.

neil: Pittsburgh’s season will go down as one of the all-time collapses, I think?

Salfino: The Steelers have to be the most disappointing team in recent memory. They were top 10 in all the key defensive stats except interception percentage — which is fluky, but man that killed them. They have Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 5,000 yards, two All-Pro WRs, and the running game was fine. Yet they just blew one game after the other.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Antonio Brown has been inefficient this year, but he was missed.

Salfino: The Steelers were sixth in yards per play and sixth in yards allowed per play and didn’t make the playoffs. This is almost impossible. I thought it was impossible.

neil: After Week 11, we gave them a 97 percent chance of making the playoffs.

sara.ziegler: I was surprised all season that they were as high in Elo as they were.

Salfino: Being third in sack rate and 28th in interception rate defies conventional wisdom that pressure creates turnovers. Maybe PIT was super unlucky, too.

sara.ziegler: They reeled off six wins in a row, but they never looked dominant.

neil: Some of that was probably residual, Sara, from last year, when they had Le’Veon Bell, etc. But the narrative all first half was how they didn’t need Bell.

sara.ziegler: Yeah, and James Conner filled in well for them!

Salfino: Is MIN more disappointing than PIT? This is going to be a brutal offseason for Kirk Cousins. No player in memory is going to be under more pressure than he will be next year.

neil: This is a fraught question for Sara ….

sara.ziegler: I can’t even talk about it.

neil: Yep.

sara.ziegler: Well, Mike, we all know how well Cousins does with pressure.

neil:

Salfino: I really thought Cousins was a franchise QB. He did pretty well with just garbage offensive talent in 2017 in WAS, and this year he just never really could get it going. He played so tight.

neil: Sunday was sort of symbolic of the whole 2018 Vikings.

They controlled their destiny at home (granted against the Bears).

Cousins goes 4-for-11 for 2.1 yards per attempt and two sacks on third and fourth down.

Terrible overall performance.

Salfino: It seemed like Cousins averaged about a yard per attempt. If I were the coach of the Vikings, I’d tell him to take chances and not care about INTs. They’re overrated.

neil: The Minnesota defense was uncharacteristically bad on third down, too. Allowed 57 percent conversions after giving up only 28 percent all season before Sunday.

sara.ziegler:

Kirk Cousins and Adam Thielen trying to get on the same page.

: FOX #CHIvsMINpic.twitter.com/7xNOzuqTyu

— ESPN (@espn) December 30, 2018

This will be the defining image of the season for me.

Salfino: Cousins showing Thielen how to run routes was both hilarious and sad.

joshua.hermsmeyer: One silver lining for the Vikings is that the situational football we typically use to judge Cousins as a disappointment is among the least predictive of future performance in all of football: throws under pressure, third-down conversions. Kirk deserves his share of the blame, but the entire offense looked out of sync yesterday and for a lot of the second half of the season.

sara.ziegler: Cousins has his redemption narrative all set for next season, LOL.

Salfino: The Eagles benefit from the Vikings’ struggles. I can’t believe that the Bears are only 6-point favorites.

neil: Particularly with Nick Foles not necessarily 100 percent.

sara.ziegler: The Eagles don’t even need Foles, Neil!

neil: Carson Wentz? Nick Foles? Nate Sudfeld? No problem.

sara.ziegler: Well … Wentz? Some problems.

Everyone else? Fine.

neil: Philly was always a backup QB’s dream city during the McNabb era. Some of that has carried over, I guess.

Salfino: Foles has got to be the most volatile QB in NFL history. We should quantify that. He’s below average for his career and is treated like a franchise QB based on about 16 games, if we include all of 2013.

neil: Yeah, the gap between his best 16 and worst 16 starts has to be one of the biggest ever.

Salfino: I can’t even imagine the Bears losing to the Eagles. They are just going to chew Philly up. The Eagles’ best playmaker is still 100-year-old Darren Sproles, who is amazing, but come on.

joshua.hermsmeyer: I can’t think of Foles without wincing that he lost $1 million because of four snaps.

This is just brutal.

sara.ziegler: Ooof.

Salfino: Foles is going to get $100 million in about three months, so I will not feel sorry for him.

joshua.hermsmeyer: hah

sara.ziegler: LOL

The one other meaningful game yesterday — aside from the games that cost coaches their jobs — was Colts-Titans. Anyone surprised that the Colts dominated that one?

neil: I mean, Blaine Gabbert was starting for Tennessee, Sara

sara.ziegler: Fair

Salfino: Titans-Colts is QB wins to me. Luck vs. Gabbert. Come on. Murder. She. Wrote.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Oh gawd not QB Winz

Salfino: YES!!!

Give me the better QB, and I’ll take my chances.

joshua.hermsmeyer: smh

Marlon Mack outrushed Derrick Henry, so why not RB winz?

Salfino: No RB winz because winning yards per carry gets you nothing in win probability.

Josh, you and I agree broadly but just quibble about how much credit quarterbacks get in the passing game.

joshua.hermsmeyer: This is true.

neil: Either way, it’s been great to see Andrew Luck bounce back from the injury and lost season to play well and lead a playoff push.

sara.ziegler: I’m still amazed by the Colts’ turnaround.

They were at 4 percent to make the playoffs on Oct. 15.

Salfino: Luck should be in the MVP conversation. I understand it’s Patrick Mahomes. But Luck has done a lot with a lot less than Mahomes. Luck does seemingly have great coaching now though. Frank Reich, who the Colts backed into, was the hire of the offseason. I think better than Matt Nagy even.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Luck truly played himself back into game shape. Early on, his throws were routinely Derek Carr short, and by the end of the season he was mostly back to the old Luck.

sara.ziegler: So let’s turn to this weekend’s games.

Colts-Texans and Seahawks-Cowboys on Saturday, Chargers-Ravens and Eagles-Bears on Sunday.

Which underdog has the best chance?

neil: Three of the 4 underdogs are +2.5 per Vegas.

Salfino: Colts-Texans is the game of the week to me in terms of having no idea who will win. The Texans are a strange team with great strengths (QB, pass rush) and crippling weaknesses (offensive line, pass coverage).

On paper, the Colts are a terrible matchup for the Texans because Luck led the league in lowest sack rate as he completely transformed his game to protect his health. So smart.

neil: Indy also also beat Houston in Houston less than a month ago.

Salfino: I am going to fade the Seahawks: 25th in yards allowed per play and 31st in sack rate allowed. That’s so bad. I can’t believe they even made the playoffs.

neil: Ironically, our Elo gives Seattle the best chance of any wild card weekend team.

Elo has a tendency to react strongly to recent hot streaks, for better or worse.

Seattle has won six of its past seven, including a win over Kansas City.

Salfino: If you have Russell Wilson, anything is possible. I will stipulate.

joshua.hermsmeyer: I like Seattle for my part. Turnovers are wildly unpredictable, and that drove their defensive Defense-adjusted Value Over Average for much of the season, but they are built to win close games like this one where both teams appear to want to “establish the run.”

Salfino: The football story of the week when it comes to the chess aspect of the game and coaching is whether the Chargers having experienced the Ravens offense can now shut it down. But they don’t really do much on defense except play that Seattle, straight-up style. So do they even have a bag of tricks?

sara.ziegler: Seems strange to me that the Ravens are favorites over the Chargers.

Baltimore is hot right now, but L.A. has been solid all season.

Salfino: Well, Baltimore has had the best home-field advantage in football when you factor in road vs. home record. So LAC are up against it.

neil: Never underestimate the extra value of home-field advantage in the NFL playoffs, too.

sara.ziegler: Yeah, that all makes sense.

I still like the Chargers. I’m being obstinate, LOL.

neil: Well, this is a little bit of a counter to the QB Winz debate from above. L.A. clearly has the better QB.

joshua.hermsmeyer: I like Philip Rivers and the Chargers as well. Particularly if the Chargers keep Jackson in the pocket.

Salfino: No Super Bowl team has won a road game since the 2012 season. But I’ll say that the most likely road winners this week in order are the Colts (they win), Chargers (I can see it but don’t think they adjust defensively), Seattle (Wilson gives them a chance) and Eagles (no chance unless Mitch Trubisky craps the bed).

sara.ziegler:

joshua.hermsmeyer: The Baltimore defense prevents completions, that’s their best skill. But Rivers has completed passes at 1.8 percent over expected this season.

Salfino: New England really gets tested if the Colts win. (They would have to play the winner of Baltimore-LAC.) If the Texans win, Houston is just made for an easy Patriots victory in the divisional round.

Little worried about how Rivers has looked of late. But probably just random variance. There’s not much data on QBs this old late in the season and into the postseason other than Brady.

sara.ziegler: I’m worried about how Rivers looks, too — at least in this Mina Kimes drawing:

tried to paint philip rivers this morning but I made him look like a beavis and butthead character

pic.twitter.com/TIglC9AyGs

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) December 29, 2018

joshua.hermsmeyer: loool

neil: That’s still accurate.

I loved that segment on NFL Countdown Sunday, where they talked about Rivers’ trash talk. Which somehow never includes swearing.

sara.ziegler: I’ve always really liked him. A perfect fantasy football QB.

Salfino: Philip Rivers is great. A Hall-of-Famer IMO. But unbelievably he has as many career playoff wins as Mark Sanchez. He needs more pelts on the wall.

sara.ziegler: Very fair.

Is anyone taking the Eagles over the Bears?

neil: I recuse myself.

LOL

sara.ziegler: Wait, we can’t make predictions about our favorite teams?

I’ve literally been picking the Vikings to lose all season.

neil: I gotta hand it to you, those were accurate predictions.

sara.ziegler: LOL

neil: As opposed to this one:

sara.ziegler:

Salfino: I think the Bears just crush the Eagles. This spread is all Foles-narrative-driven, and I don’t believe in fairy tales.

sara.ziegler: Wow, Mike.

LOL

neil: Anybody picking the Eagles probably does have visions of this being yet another Bears team that got into the playoffs on defense with a weak QB performance

And promptly lost. But that’s not really this team. Trubisky has been progressing.

(The defense is still amazing, of course)

joshua.hermsmeyer: You can dink and dunk on Chicago.

Salfino: Remember, Foles was LUCKY to beat the Falcons last year. He had a ball go off a Falcon’s knee, or they probably lose that game. Then he turned into Cinderella, and I have no idea how or why.

sara.ziegler: He did get to face the Vikings last year — that undoubtedly helped.

joshua.hermsmeyer: If Foles can be efficient and healthy, and the Eagles are patient, I can totally imagine a game where Biscuit implodes and the Eagles move on. I think the spread has some of that in it.

Salfino: I do not believe in the Eagles defense at all. But I also don’t like how Nagy hasn’t given Tarik Cohen consistently more touches than Jordan Howard. And the Bears are all banged up now at WR.

I agree with Josh on Trubisky, but the Bears and Nagy can’t put him in a position to lose that game. The Eagles have no playmakers. Dare them to score.

sara.ziegler: Yeah, it could be closer than it seems. Of course, if Foles can’t play, then the Eagles will REALLY need a fairy tale.

All right, let’s wrap this up with our Super Bowl predictions, so we can continue to look ridiculous when our picks all lose.

Salfino: I’m going Saints-Chiefs, but that’s predicated on the Colts beating the Texans and giving the Patriots a nightmare matchup in the divisional round. It’s so public to fade the Chiefs that I’m fading the public. Offense!

Mahomes wins MVP and Brees wins Super Bowl MVP. Seems fair.

neil: I’ve been saying New Orleans over K.C. for these past few chats, and that’s still possible, so I’m sticking with it. (Despite the defensive concerns!)

sara.ziegler: I took the Bears last time, and now having watched them flatten my own team, I probably need to keep them. Bears-Chiefs, Chiefs take it down.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Chiefs-Rams rematch, Chiefs win. Because that would be the best ending to the best offensive season in the NFL probably ever.

neil: What’s the score on that one, Josh? Is it the first Super Bowl whose score will be mistaken for an Arena Bowl?

joshua.hermsmeyer: 36-35 with the game decided on a 2-point conversion.

neil: Ooh, going low. I like it.

Check out our latest NFL predictions.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/can-the-eagles-beat-the-bears-can-houston-stop-andrew-luck/