#ryuuji holding him back by himself

[everyryuujisuguro]

[tonguetiedraven]

Raven, I have a humble request. I am starved more fluff content. Y'know that thing where if you're somewhere cold, and if you get wet you should take off the wet clothes and cuddle with someone else to preserve body heat? Yeah, it would be remarkable if you wrote a tad bit of bonrin with that.

Perhaps a bit of smut, as a treat.

I was aided in filling this request with help of the fantastic @marble-wolf and it is amazing to me that with all the icy stories I've written, this hasn't really come up xD

Here's a snippet of it with a link to the full story. A bit of smut was included in that version. As a treat ;)

Cold. Suffocatingly cold that felt like shards of glass that made everything painful and tried to force Rin to inhale from the sheer shock of how horrible it was. His clothes were heavy, his boots even more so, as he kicked to try to get his head above water. Above the water that made his muscles ache with the chill that battled the cold empty feeling of the black flames that had barely touched him but still left him flameless and lethargic. 

He got to the surface somehow, grasping at the edge of the ice that cracked and fell in and he was thoroughly panicked now, his breathing painful and ragged. His head frantically turned in search of the demon they'd been fighting. 

Ryuuji bellowed out the last syllables of the death verse, hurrying across the ice as quickly as he dared, ducking and sliding the last few meters to avoid her dying blast of black flames, and brought himself to a stop right before he slid into the hole with Rin.

“Rin! Hang on!” 

Ryuuji flipped himself around, getting flat on his stomach and stretching to spread his weight out over the thin ice, reaching forward as it creaked and groaned. His boyfriend was clawing at the water, but his movements were getting less wild, and it looked like the horrible cold of it was starting to slow Rin down.

“Babe, get your legs up for me. Get flat like you’re swimming.” He reached into the ice, snagging one of Rin’s hands, icy cold because Rin had ditched his gloves, and it was a chill Ryuuji could feel even through his own glove.

He waited for Rin to do as directed, got a good hold on Rin’s hand, and began to shimmy himself backwards, pulling Rin flat onto the ice with himself, spreading his weight out so the fragile ice had a better chance of holding him up.

He didn’t stop backing up when Rin was entirely out, he didn’t stop until the ice was no longer creaking and bitching beneath them. Satisfied that they weren’t both going to plunge into the icy horribleness below, he surged to his knees and hauled Rin upright with him, wrapping him up close as the knot of fear in his chest he hadn’t allowed himself to concentrate on flared to violent life. 

Rin was a terrible kind of pale. The kind that made Ryuuji think of too many instances of Rin bleeding out and almost dying and he was shaking in a horrible way.

Rin got his arms around Ryuuji, shivering as the water poured off of him and made the ice slicker. He hid his face against Ryuuji's scarf, panting too fast and he just barely managed to not rip Ryuuji's thick coat with how tight he held onto him. 

That had easily been the coldest water Rin had ever been in and its icy touch continued to trace down his skin with every trail of water.  

“I’ve got you,” Ryuuji assured, holding Rin as tight as he dared, feeling the sheer magnitude of wet trying to seep into his clothes as well. Far too much icy water in this frozen place, and Rin had taken a hell of a hit from those black flames, and “Fuck!”

Ryuuji pulled back, looking around helplessly at the frozen lake. “We gotta get you outta—your backpacks gone?”

Still in the water? Rin had the tent. Fuck! 

There wasn’t time to lament that loss. Ryuuji forced himself to breathe and focus. He had read the survival guide over and over and knew the steps. 

“We gotta get all this off of ya before it does more damage. Come on, strip, quick” Ryuuji set to unzipping Rin’s now useless coat before switching to unsling his own backpack. 

Rin's fingers didn't want to work as he fumbled with buttons and zippers and the laces of his boots (completely filled with water that he was certain had been hurting but his feet were numb now.) He shed his coat, the soaked splat loud in the eerie quiet of after a fight and he took a long moment figuring out the slippery leather of his boots. He managed to get them off, followed by his socks. He really didn't want to sit on the ice but he got his pants partially off his thighs before his hands went completely, uselessly numb. (And it burned. It was like holy water without the sizzling.) 

He looked up at Ryuuji, teeth chattering, fangs cutting his lips as he tried to form words that didn't want to come.  

“Hold on, sweetheart,” Ryuuji rushed, rolling the sleeping bag out for Rin to sit on so he didn’t have to touch the ice. “I’ve got—” he pulled out his spare sweater and a towel, hurriedly dabbing at Rin’s arms and chest to get rid of some of the water before tugging the sweater over his head. His spare pants followed that, and he cinched them as tight as he could to keep them around Rin’s waist before pulling out the hoody. That went on over Rin’s sweater, and he pulled the hood up to cover Rin’s ears, pressing a kiss to his frozen cheek before unwinding his own scarf and wrapping it around Rin’s head and throat. He didn’t have spare gloves so he put his on Rin’s, and gave him his spare pair of socks, doubling them up and knowing that was only going to help a bit until he got them out of here. 

They were on a frozen (or partially frozen) lake, and there seemed to be a million miles of empty land around them, but the demon had supposedly been living at a sanka, so they had to find that. 

Ryuuji focused on his boyfriend again, cupping Rin’s cheeks with his still warm palms and looking around. “We gotta find where she was living.” His eyes locked on Rin. “You okay for me to carry you?”

Rin nodded, though he was shivering so much that he doubted Ryuuji could actually tell. "Y-yeah." He hurriedly said. 

His hands were on Ryuuji's shoulders though he couldn't feel even the gloves on his hands. 

(Ryuuji was the one who got cold. He got really cold and he was giving Rin all of his warm things and Rin wished he could tell him no.)  

Ryuuji looked down at Rin’s frozen things and decided he was ditching everything but the boots and coat. He strapped both of those to his backpack, put that on, and stood up before hefting Rin to his chest. He coaxed his boyfriend’s legs around his waist, pressed a kiss to Rin’s frozen cheek, and encouraged him to tuck his face against Ryuuji’s throat while he hauled the sleeping bag up and open. He tucked it around Rin in a sort of cape and let himself look around again.

She’d come from the west, so that was most likely where her home had been. Hopefully it could offer some shelter.

Ryuuji got a better grip on Rin’s thigh and back and headed that way at as quick a pace as he dared on the ice. 

Rin's body was shivering too much and his face was hidden as he tried to get his flames to come. The chill of black empty flames kept his firmly quelled and his soaked tail hung limp though he forced himself to reach down and haul it up over his leg to keep it from dragging. 

Rin's shivering slowly eased and he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing as his breathing calmed and he relaxed a little as the sound of Ryuuji's footsteps changed from ice to crunchy snow. He hoped it wasn't too far because it really was too cold for Ryuuji.  

“Can ya talk to me, babe?” Ryuuji asked, not liking that it was really just the sound of his own footsteps and the wind around them. He wanted to keep Rin up and alert. As alert as he could get him at least. “I want to make sure you aren’t trying to fall asleep on me.

They were under the trees now, and it looked like there was something ahead. He just couldn’t be entirely sure.

Rin was tired. "'M awake." He began anyway, forcing his eyes open though all he could see was the darkness he had curled into against Ryuuji. "Tired… get home and make curry… fuck, bet my phone is gone." 

(You'd think True Cross would have a fund set aside for the many times exorcists lost their phones due to exorcisms.) 

Rin was pleasantly numb now at least. The sharp feeling of cold had faded completely.  

“Probably in the coat pocket and fried. We’ll harass Mephisto for another one,” Ryuuji commented as he moved around the trees. There was absolutely a building ahead and he was about to cheer with delight about that, but he was going to wait for any celebrations to see how together it was. 

“Curry?” He continued, picking up his speed as Rin’s shivering seemed to get worse. Please, please, please, let there be a fireplace in there ready to be warm and perfect. “Sounds like a good reason to sneak over to your dorm.” He tipped his head towards Rin, feeling a bit discouraged by the holes he could see in the paper walls. No locks to get them back quickly. Damn it. 

“Not that you’re not a good reason to sneak over.”

Rin coughed a laugh, attempting to tighten his grip and he forced his head up to grin. "You should sneak over! Curry and no studying… couldn't Mephisto have sent someone else on this stupid mission?" 

Rin shivered violently, curling himself back down as the wind picked up a little. The dark spot against Ryuuji's chest was tempting. He wanted to sleep there. It was his favorite spot and the call to sleep was trying to grow stronger, strong enough that his tail slipped and dragged and almost tripped up Ryuuji before he caught it and set it back over his leg. 

"And a nap." Rin mumbled.  

“Oi,” Ryuuji pinched Rin’s thigh. “I feel ya nodding off. Get your ass up. You’re not sleeping on me.” They weren’t too far from the ‘house’ now. (It was in shambles but might block some elements and that was all he could really hope for at this point.) 

“Tell you what, get my coat open and slip your hands in there. Use some of my heat to warm yourself back up.” 

If there wasn’t a fire, they’d have to do a lot of that. He’d probably do a lot of that any way, but they wouldn’t have much of a choice if there was no fire.

Rin turned his head to get out of the wonderful darkness and stared at the trees, endless trees, with slightly dazed eyes. His hands grappled at Ryuuji's coat, getting it open and slipping his hands under Ryuuji's shirt and against Ryuuji's incredible back. 

"We got up too early. Stayed up too late." Rin defended himself with a slur. "You're comfy."  

"I got up too early. You slept for another hour. And it's your own fault we were up late. You distracted me with your grabby hands, Okumura," Ryuuji lightly teased. He didn't like how slurred Rin was.

He let go of Rin's back to reach for the door and slid it open, and —

And immediately felt panic grip his chest at how run down it all was.

"You like my grabby hands." Rin murmured, sliding his glove-covered hands down Ryuuji's back to grip his sides. 

Rin looked back at their new surroundings and groaned at the ramshackle place that was dusty and dim and offered only some protection from the harsh world around them. 

"Fuck." Rin grumbled and tried again to get his flames past the lethargy.  

Ryuuji slid the door shut with his foot and decided to just be rude and keep his boots on as he walked further into the crumbling home. 

“This place’ll have to work,” Ryuuji muttered to himself and moved to the center of the room. 

The irori was completely frozen over. The sunken pit was covered in mostly frozen logs and the pot that had been over it was broken and rusted, and there was no hope of getting anything warm from that.

Fuck. 

“Alright,” Ryuuji mumbled, mostly still talking to himself. “New plan. Right. Okay.”

Ryuuji gently set Rin down, gave his cheek another kiss, and decided he was still far too cold. 

“This isn’t me getting fresh with you,” Ryuuji stated, trying to sound teasing and managing to not sound entirely frantic, “But I need you to strip again and climb in that sleeping bag.”

He tugged off his own coat as he spoke.

Rin moved to follow Ryuuji's words, trying to grin as his fangs chattered and his clumsy hands managed to get off his clothes, though he left on the socks. His legs up to his knees felt numb and he was nervous to even look at them. 

"But I like when you're fresh with me." Rin giggled, feeling a little sick from the cold.  

“I’m not saying it’s off the table,” Ryuuji offered, tugging off his sweater and thermal shirt and shucking off his pants and underwear before motioning for Rin to get in the sleeping bag. 

He carefully piled all of those items on top of the sleeping bag, and then shoved himself into the space next to Rin. The ground was immediately the coldest spot, so he laid on his back and hauled Rin on top of himself, struggled violently with getting it zipped, had to shimmy Rin’s tail out of the way, and finally got them sealed inside. 

“Wrap yourself around me as much as you can, okay?” Ryuuji asked while he tugged his jacket over their heads to block out some of that chill. 

(Rin was worryingly cold.)

Rin set his hands on Ryuuji's shoulders, pressing his nose to Ryuuji's throat and wrapped his tail (damp and frozen and possibly crusted with ice) around Ryuuji's thigh. Rin's sock covered feet curled against Ryuuji's hips but Rin still couldn't feel them. He should probably take off his socks but between his feet and tail, he'd probably freeze Ryuuji rather than Ryuuji warm him up. 

"I like this." Rin mumbled against Ryuuji's collarbone.  

“Yeah?” Ryuuji asked, smiling a little as he fought back a shiver. Rin’s entire body was freezing. “Like naked cuddling? Who’d’ve guessed?” 

He snaked his hand around and snagged one of Rin’s hands, tucking it between his arm and side so it could warm up. He brought Rin’s other hand up to his lips and breathed on Rin’s frozen fingers, trying to bring some heat and feeling back to them.

Rin closed his eyes, enjoying the new warmth and laying against Ryuuji. 

"Naked cuddles with one hot rooster." Rin said, feeling his breathing slow more as he relaxed. This was nice after the shock of the water. His tail squeezed Ryuuji's leg gently, and some of the ice on the fluffy part of his tail fell off.  

“You are still trying to fall asleep on me,” Ryuuji pinched Rin’s hip with his other hand before he slid it up and down Rin’s back, trying to rub some heat into him. “Stop that or I’ll make up some test for you. Or homework.” 

It was entirely quiet in here, and it occurred to Ryuuji as they cuddled together and shared their body heat, that he probably should have done at least a basic check for any other demons or animals that might have made this their home.

"Keep me awake." Rin mumbled, freeing a hand to get his socks off and set his frozen feet against Ryuuji's legs. "Not my fault you're so comfy." 

But he was warming up. Ryuuji was warm and smelled good and was holding him so nicely. Ryuuji's hand moved up and down his back and Rin managed a deep, happy purr that rumbled through them.  

“Do you have any idea how much of a challenge it is keeping you awake or waking you up?” Ryuuji asked, laughing a little bit. Rin was a heavy sort of weight on him, and he’d always found that he liked that weight. It seemed like it should be stifling, but Rin had never been stifling. 

“Guess turnabout is fair play. This is karma for all the times I’ve shoved my frozen toes on you. Better enjoy it, Okumura, ‘cause I’m gonna be using you as my defroster again after this.” 

[yukiokumura]

“It’ll be fine, Yukio… I promise. I love you.”

Ryuuji…! Yukio felt his body tense up and tremble. He could only helplessly watch as Ryuuji was taken away. He didn’t even have the strength to tell him he loved him back, even though he meant it with his whole heart. 

When it had happened, his brother had come to comfort him and he’d pushed Rin away. But in his dream, as he watched Ryuuji get taken away, he was as alone as he had felt. 

Alone and broken. Incomplete and wrenched apart. Missing the person who had been by his side for years with warm support and similar ideals. Missing the one he loved and never realized until it was much too late. 

He had boarded Renzou’s ship with Ryuuji’s words rattling around in his head, with the desperation to bring him to safety, to be able to hold him again and tell him I love you, too.

Yukio would. He would do that. Ryuuji was going to be okay.

The slight clack of a bowl being placed on a wooden table brought him to consciousness. Yukio had fallen asleep. 

Well, he’d passed out after crying himself into a state of exhaustion. Everything, all of it, had felt so heavy on his shoulders that it had gripped him into a tight ball of despair and he’d sobbed in the lonely corner of the storage room with no one beside him. 

But now, as he woke up, he realized he was not in the storage room. His eyes opened blearily, wincing slightly at the brightness of the room he was in. Windows. He wasn’t below deck. And a blanket covered him, its warmth fighting away the breeziness of the ocean. And what was beneath him was not a wooden floor, but a bed and a pillow. 

Yukio squinted slightly as his blurry gaze was drawn to the person standing beside the bed and the pink color of his hair caused him to sit up, slightly startled. He didn’t know what to say. He just stared as Renzou pulled his hand back from the bowl of dried meats and rice he’d set down on the bedside table. 

"Oh. Hey," Renzou said lamely. There was an edge of surprise beneath his voice. He clearly hadn't expected for Yukio to have woken up just yet.

Yukio swallowed, trying to wet his dry throat. It didn't quite work. He had a lot of questions, but one surfaced faster than the others. "Um," he murmured, touching the bridge of his nose as if that would communicate better than words what he was missing. But the words came out soon enough. "Have you seen my glasses?" he asked quietly.

"They're, uh, on the bedside. To your right," Renzou added after a hesitant pause. His voice matched Yukio's volume, and his expression, once Yukio put on his glasses, was just as muted.

Yukio's eyes momentarily shifted away from Renzou to look around and confirm what he didn't have the guts to assume. He was in Renzou's room. He had been sleeping in Renzou's bed and Renzou himself had brought him food. His gaze shifted back towards the man's face, searching for the previous hostility they had had for each other, but it was absent.

"Did..." he began to ask, but the fear of being wrong and being told off about it caught the words in his throat. Yukio forced them forward. "Did you bring me to your room?"

Renzou pressed his lips together. After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah,” he admitted. "You looked... uncomfortable. And after all that happened, I figured you could use a good rest," he said.

"Oh," Yukio murmured. A small realization blossomed in his chest.

"Renzou never liked all the pressure that everyone put on me, so he’d steal me from my studies when he could and we’d sneak out of the castle in disguise and get to know the town."

At that moment, Ryuuji felt closer to him. Renzou hadn't said the words, but he'd performed the actions and Yukio saw the man standing in front of him as Ryuuji's friend. He saw the man he trusted with his life... Finally. Yukio's gaze ducked down and he smiled a little, despite himself. Ryuuji was a stubborn man, but he had never been a bad judge of character. Yukio had been a fool to doubt his opinion after all.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I appreciate that."

"It was nothing." Renzou scratched the back of his neck, not quite looking at Yukio. "Anyway, consider it my thanks. You really saved our asses today and I shouldn't have cut you down like that back then.” A beat. “I’m sorry."

Ah. He said the words too. Yukio's smile grew a little.

"Well, I accept your apology." Yukio reached out and took the warm bowl of food in his hands. "But, please accept my gratitude for all of this. I can accept your apology and appreciate what you've done for me as well. You are, after all, in polite company," he said lightly.

His words didn’t quite earn him the smile he was hoping to draw out, but Renzou’s lips did twitch a little. 

“That’s very gracious of you,” he murmured. “Though, I suppose that’s part and parcel for someone of your station.”

"I suppose so," Yukio replied.

A silence fell over the room for a moment as Yukio tried to grasp for topics. He wanted this interaction to end favorably. Not only would it make the trip more bearable for everyone, but he didn't want to lose sight of the man Ryuuji clearly knew.

"Is the ship very badly damaged?" Yukio asked, deciding to go with a topic that Renzou cared about. Even if it did put a frown back on his face. 

“We’re still afloat. But it would do us good to take a quick pit stop to fix up the worst of the damage before we get into further trouble. And I have a feeling that we will run into more trouble.”

"A sound idea," Yukio said with a nod. "And where are we stopping? I admit I'm not familiar with the ocean around these parts, but I didn't know there was a port city anywhere nearby."

“There isn’t,” Renzou confirmed. “We spotted an island a few miles ahead though, so we’ll get off there. We’ll just take an hour to gather supplies and then handle the repairs as we continue on ahead.”

"I see. Yes, I suppose that'll give you what you need without any bartering." Yukio rubbed his thumb over the edge of the bowl. "When we hit land, I'll help however I can."

[Continue reading!]

[ms0milk]

Hey! Could I please requests an ANE oneshot

Could it be a kinzo shima x fem reader oneshot where reader is one of uwabami hojos daughters (nishikis twin sister) but dyed their hair red. Could the reader also get along with her family but (like her sisters) don’t really get along with the shima a so her and Kinzo are always arguing. Essentially an enemies to lovers oneshot. For the genre would fluff be okay??

Thank you so much if you are able to. Kinzo is a hugee comfort character.

If you aren’t able to write it thank you anyways!

you came to the right place baby 💛 juzo is actually one of my favs so by extension i love this family to DEATH! have you read the manga? ch 90/91 are shima-fam-antics and i'm a sucker for the big family trope :,) i have some ane stuff in the works (+ i got a shura req a few months ago i'm still hammering out), but i'd love to write for ane characters more! thanks for inspiring me 🥰

a beleaguered raggedy ann

| kinzo x fem reader

a/n: thank you for the request my darling! the details were really helpful, I hope my interpretation is what you were looking for!

Your sisters were only able to hide you for so long before the hotly anticipated, dreaded-- and unfortunately for you, mostly forgotten-- monthly family meeting was called at central Myodha temple.

"It'll be fine, you said," snapping at Nishiki on your right, "You'll look cute, you said!" hissing at Ao on your left. They sandwiched you between them on the way through halls of elaborate decoration. You practically slid through the house on your socks as they tugged you along.

"You don't look bad."

"Why'd you say it like that?!"

"And dad won't even be that mad."

"You think he's gonna be mad?!" Your head shot from one sister to the next, and then hung limply. Defeated.

Hours and hours of anxiety all because you chose last night to be a dumbass.

To dye your hair bright red.

Not even a sexy smoldering red like Shura, it was an out-of-the-box-one-tone kind of red that made you look like an amateur AND a clown.

"Are those Hojos I hear?" A voice chuckled behind the door your sisters struggled to get you inside of. Answering their prayers, it flew open to reveal a welcoming smile (one of many) from Juzo. Of the members of Myodha already gathered in the meeting room, it didn't look like a single one was able to hide their surprise at your..well-- you.

You didn't even bother fixing your messy ponytail from your hallway spat with the girls.

Juzo's smile stuck awkwardly to his face as his eyes scanned the three girls in the doorway. Master Tatsuma waved you inside warmly without much thought, but the previously bustling meeting room had fallen silent. Dozens of members of the order sat in pause around a meeting table and glanced from the back door, to the front of the room, and back again. Summer Obon vacation meant the younger boys were home as well so you had Renzo and Koneko's stunned silence to keep you company too. Young Master Ryuuji, ever impatient to focus attention back to the meeting at hand, attempted to clear his throat for focus' sake. But the only thing that anyone heard was a single melancholy murmur.

"What am I doing wrong?"

There was a half moment of pause before the room exploded into laughter. Your father was the murmurer and continued quietly to himself. He had pressed his head into the table in defeat the second the door opened in front of you.

"Alright alright! Get it out of your systems!" You heaved and finally took a step inside. The Shimas were have the worst time holding it together out of the lot, and your poor sister Mamushi narrowly resisted strangling her husband to death.

"You look--look lovely!" Juzo attempted and steadied himself on the wall to keep from wheezing.

Nishiki and Mamushi took a swing at him.

"You think that's funny you goddamn monkey?!" Ao hollered across the room and made a leap for Renzo who could barely keep her a k'rik's length away.

"Everyone's laughing!"

"I hate you the most!"

The only person in the entire room not laughing was also the one sitting farthest from the door. Kinzo, hidden from your view at his seat beside his father. He thought about getting up and making a scene with his brothers, but some mysterious weight kept him down. All he wanted to do was watch you the second that door slid open. Quietly, in the sea of manic laughter. Ms Hojo going through a rebellious phase eh? He thought, and realized, as you approached your seat across from him, that he was spilling his glass of water into his lap.

He scrambled to mop up the wet with his robes before you--

"Speak now or forever hold you peace, Goldielocs."

Kinzo startled and looked up as cooly as he could manage when he saw you were already standing above him on your way to your reassure your deflated father and apologize to a giggling Master Tatsuma.

He smirked, "There's other ways to get attention you know."

"Just get it over with."

"A quarter life crisis looks good on you."

And you continued to your seat, quietly thankful the blond seemed off his game today. You tucked a loose red strand back into your ponytail and sank next to your father. Kinzo pretended not to watch you out of the corner of his eye.

"Alright alright, jesus, be honest. How bad is it?"

Mamushi thumbed her lip in fake concentration.

"Mamu!"

"I'm thinking!"

"Oh my god." You shriveled into your futon and under the safety of the thick comforter.

"Y/n, come out, it's not that bad."

"You said you wouldn't lie!"

"I'm not lying! It's also not that good."

Mamushi smiled and gave your hand a little squeeze under the blanket, "Come out. C'mon, we're gonna fix it."

"You and what army?"

Your older sister squeezed your hand again but it was quiet in the world above your sheets.

You peeked your head out, "Mamushi, you and what army?"

She hadn't looking this guilty since her goddamned trial. "Don't be mad."

You threw your blankets away in a panic.

"Renzo's been dying his hair for years! I know he'll be able to help you."

"Renzo?! He's like,, ten years old Mamushi!" You staggered up and out of bed but your sister was much too pregnant to follow you.

"He's sixteen."

"That's the worst age to be!"

As you scrambled to throw on your robe and head for the bedroom door your sister sat in thought a moment and nodded her head in agreement. You pulled on a pair of socks, hopping from one foot to the other, ready to make a clean escape before Renzo Shima could even dream of showing up.

Though, throwing open the sliding door, another Shima neatly blocked your path. You barreled into Kinzo's chest but he didn't miss a beat.

"Evenin' Mamushi!" He waved into the room with one hand and with the other he tugged at the back of your robe like kitten held at the scruff. "D'ja need me to get Juzo on my way out?"

"Don't you dare," She grunted, trying to get her legs underneath of her.

Kinzo saluted and with a sudden promptness bolted down the hallway in the direction he came from-- half-carrying mostly wrestling you in tow. Your goddamn socks kept you from putting up any sort of a fight with their serious lack of traction so you resorted to hissed protest and furious smacks.

"I'm-- ow! I'm trying-- fucking chill! Help you! I'm trying to help you!" Kinzo hissed back and you two rounded the final corner in the hallway of the guest house where your families were staying for the night. The pair of you narrowly avoided a total collision with Juzo and Renzo (who were presumably on their way to find you, at Mamushi's request) and before any questions could be asked, Kinzo hollered a:

"Mamushi's stuck again!" Just urgently enough to send Juzo tearing down the hall, dragging Renzo much like Kinzo was dragging you.

One last turn, into a room at the easternmost corner of the house, and Kinzo released you like he was freeing a wild animal that had gotten stuck in his garage.

"What are you doi--!"

But Kinzo held up a hand to silence you, "Shh, shh, hold up Pippi Longstocking." He kept his ear close to the door for a second and turned back around once he felt the coast was clear enough. The two of you stood in a long white bathroom, toilet on one end, sink on the other.

"I really am trying to help you."

"Right, because kidnapping is such a great trust building exercise."

Kinzo rolled his eyes and flipped the latch on the door to lock it, "You you want my help or what? Wanna look like the Little Mermaid forever?

"I-! I..what?"

He trudged past you in exasperation and pointed to a mess of supplies beside the sink. He'd propped an office chair up in front of the mirror and made a show of gesturing vaguely to the whole scene. Jazz hands and all. His silly shaggy hair fell into his eyes like this when he wasn't wearing clips, and his too-big T-shirt wrinkled in a million places after hauling you all the way here.

You'd seen him out of his uniform before. Of course you had. But now he looked comfortable, and if anything, like an actual human person. Did that even make sense? When you grew up in the True Cross and everyone wore long coats, dark robes, and layer after layer of talismans all day long, seeing someone in their pajamas was rather startling.

"Y/n?" He pulled out the seat for you and tapped the back a few times when you seemed hesitant. He bit back the dig he had prepped about you not knowing how to work a chair.

God he really did look human, even under unflattering bathroom lights. The warmth of his skin, the flex of muscle and veins in his hands-- even the silly tan line at his neck and wrists where is uniform robes didn't quite reach during the day. You thought about whether Kinzo thought it was weird too, seeing you in a fluffy bathrobe instead of your father's uniform. If he did, it wasn't showing.

"Y/n c'mon-- I already got everything prepped."

"What, you want me to congratulate you on having a skincare routine?"

"Do you have any mode other than mean as fuck?"

"Not for you," You grumbled into your shoulder and finally took a few begrudging steps towards his invitation. As you sat yourself down in front of the mirror, you eyed the products-- creams and tubes and long plastic sheets. Purple bottles, shower caps, hair clips, a comb.

You watched the mirror some more and Kinzo busied himself behind you, "I heard Mamushi talking to Juzo," he pulled on a pair of little black gloves, "And then I heard Juzo talking to Renzo, and I just couldn't let them go through with it." He tossed a long apron over your lap with a flourish and tied it behind your back.

"What's wrong w--"

"Pink hair, Y/n! Pink's cute and all but Renzo is not the man to ask for color advice."

Kinzo danced around behind you, pouring things, mixing liquid, juggling bowls, never making eye contact long enough to pick up on the anxious sweat collecting on your brow. You gripped the arms of your seat under the apron to steady yourself when Kinzo jerked your chair around. It spun once before he stopped you with his foot, reveling in your general dishevel.

He leaned down close and grinned, "Head back."

Close enough for you to smell the mint of his toothpaste, and much too close for you to truly process what he said.

"C'mon, put your head back for me."

It took you nearly five seconds to figure out that the water in the sink was already running and it took you even less time to lean back into it, at least to get away from Kinzo's dumbfuck smug face.

He tugged one glove off with his teeth and leaned his chest over your's to adjust the water. It was only in this moment that you actually realized that Kinzo Shima was trying to help you with your hair. What did you think he was doing all this time? You reassured yourself that you weren't so stupid as to follow a man you hate into a bathroom just to keep fighting with him. Of course not.

"I can't believe Y/n Hojo is such a rebel," he teased at the same time as he started to work.

You'd shut your eyes the second he got too close to you, so you startled when you felt his fingers in your hair. If you ever had the chance to get close enough to run your hands through his hair god only knows what you'd do. He'd probably walk around half-bald for months-- have to wear half a hat come winter-- but Kinzo didn't seem to have any horrible pranks up his sleeve. Actually, his fingers felt nice under the hot water. Gentle, even.

You very professionally resisted the urge to sigh with content, but you couldn't stop your eyebrows scrunching every time he massaged your scalp just right.

"It feels nice to get your hair washed, right?"

You huffed.

"It feels nice to be nice too, 'should give it a try sometime."

You opened your eyes to see exactly what direction to throw your next retort, but Kinzo splashed water across your face in time to dodge the worst of it. You sputtered in anger and snatched the towel at his hip to dry off with. "You ever get sick of pranks you goddamn monkey?"

"That was self defense! I'm on my best behavior." Kinzo's voice was lighthearted as he held the back of your head, gently guiding you back up to sitting. A towel appeared behind your back and with one more twist you were around facing the mirror again.

He ran his hand up the shell of your ear to catch any drops of water before they trickled down your neck, "If Juzo and Mamushi can get along Y/n, so can we."

"My big sister married your raggedy ass brother and just like that we're expected to get along."

Kinzo began to part your head into sections and ran his hands through your hair a few more times. Maybe to measure something or maybe just to get under your skin. Worst of all, you let him.

"What are you even trying to do?"

"I'm lifting the color out, it wont be perfect but it'll better than this."

Under any normal circumstances, your shame would have you raging at that comment, but, he was right. You either needed to let one Shima help you or have all seven of them choke back laughter until the color grew out.

He scooped up the bleach mixture in his newly gloved hand and smoothed it along the sections of hair he created. Piece by piece he moved up your head, smoothing, wrapping, and clipping out of the way. Kinzo was nothing if not methodical, a characteristic you'd hardly ever seen him employ. His eyebrows laced themselves up, down, and knit in concentration behind you.

"Why are you helping me?"

"My brother loves your sister."

"That's not what I mean."

"I couldn't fall asleep knowing Renzo was your last line of defense."

You looked at yourself in the mirror for the first time, realizing you'd spent every second in here with your eyes either shut tight or glaring at the snarky blond, "I would hardly say we're close enough for you to lose sleep over me."

"We trained together all our lives Y/n, our graduating class had six people."

"Six people wasn't enough to keep me from drowning in your stupidity. I was completely surrounded."

"You and your sisters made up more than half the cram school! If anyone was surrounded it was me."

Kinzo might have caught your chuckle if you weren't so adept at hiding them from him. He was goddamn funny and you hated any chance he took to make you laugh.

"We were partners for every project ever assigned, every mission-- you can't just pretend not to remember that we had fun sometimes," Kinzo continued.

"There's an idea.." You grinned and closed your eyes to keep them from watering at the strong smell of bleach, "And!" you added, throwing up the apron a bit as you raised your finger to make a point, "It was only because Professor Todo said family couldn't pair off."

"And still you picked me over the other two kids."

"Nish and Ao always snapped them up too quick!"

"Picking me last is still picking me!" Kinzo hollered and when you looked back into the mirror to protest again you realized you were both laughing with big, wide smiles.

Kinzo realized too, and his smile grew even bigger for a second. Toothy. Although, he didn't say anything. Nothing sarcastic, nothing rude. His face seemed to settle into a grin and he went about his business humming into the last few sections of your hair.

"You know," he murmured, still smiling ever so softly, "we're allowed to get along."

If you'd been looking at him you might've melted into your seat a bit, but a well-timed yawn on your part drowned out any of his soft whispers. You wiped your eyes with the back of your hand and cocked a head at him, "Wha'ya say?"

He shook and and slipped back into his usually irritating smirk, "We're almost halfway finished."

"Half way! Jesus, Shima it's 11."

"You gotta let bleach do its thing."

"Is its thing keeping me up all night?"

"No, that's my-" Kinzo caught himself before innuendo caught up to the rest of the room, "never--just-- you have half an hour to kill before you can rinse this out."

"Half an hour!"

"Purple shampoo," he pointed to one bottle, "purple conditioner," and to the other, "and then we're all finished."

"'We' nothing! Go on, out with you, I have too much hair to wash all this out in the sink and I have NO need for your help in the shower."

Kinzo didn't expect anything too much different and was genuinely grateful to finally be sent off to bed, but you weren't as loud as you should have been. You kicked at him and shoved him out the door, sure, but not even a single Monkey left your lips.

"Just go to bed!" You whispered as loudly as you possibly could into the quiet hallway where Kinzo was standing a bit shocked. He had his bleachy-gloved hands hands hovering beside either side of his head as he started on the way back to his room, formulating a plan to get them off without ruining anything in this ancient mansion of absolutely incalculable value.

The fumes from your hair must've agitated that tiny common sense section of your brain because before he could fully turn the corner and disappear you had one more hiss to hiss, "Thank..thank you! Kinzo."

He waved in response but that last bit made his head turn. He ogled for a sec, at the thanks partly, but mostly at how cute it sounded when you tried not to say his name too loud.

"S-sure thing, Y/n."

Oh, no.

You slipped back into the bathroom silently and sat down on the floor behind the door.

It was Kinzo's turn to be late today. Final meeting of the weekend and he'd stayed up just slightly too late to hear his alarm. Down the hall, careful not to trip or bump any precious artifacts of the wall with his k'rik, he soared to the meeting room. He heard Master Hojo before he even got close enough to step inside, Master Tatsuma too. The door was already wide open.

Kinzo, framed by the doorway, slid into the meeting hot on his socks in what would have been a particularly funny entrance had you not already stolen the limelight again. The last breath he took before stepping inside escaped his lungs in a wheeze that came out only as,

"Oh."

You turned around sharply from your spot at the front of the room (once again apologizing in front of Master Tatsuma) and locked eyes with the Shima trying to glide into the meeting unnoticed. Kinzo had definitely seen you angrier than this.. right? Maybe not since..well no, maybe not.

Pink. That's all he could think of.

Your hair was so unbelievably pink.

And so fucking cute.

Oh, no.

"Kinzo! This is not better!" Juzo tried to be serious in front of Mamushi but any Myodha could see that he was attempting the impossible by holding back his amusement.

Kinzo turned back to you "Y/n I'm--" and before he could apologize, raised an eyebrow.

It wasn't anger furrowing your brows together. You were nearly in tears trying not to laugh.

He was right, he'd never seen you like this before. Did anyone else in the room even notice?

You bit your lip to force the corners of your mouth back down before you turned back to your father, who just quietly begged you to take your seat.

In your spot across the room from his, with the meeting finally distracting everyone else, Kinzo stared at you until he had your attention.

I'm sorry, he mouthed.

But you didn't say anything back. Only looked from him, to Renzo and back again. The two of you had to turn away from each other to stifle the laughter and spent the better half of the meeting, unable to even make eye contact.

"Y/n," Ao prodded you under the table after one too many noisy exhales.

Sorry, so sorry. You tried to mouth to your sister but her focus was strictly on the cheery Master Tatsuma, "Nish, I'm sorry." You grumbled out of the corner of your mouth to your other sister.

"Excuse yourself if you can't be quiet," Nishiki suggested.

"Yes Y/n, no one will be offended if you need a moment."

This time it was Master Tatsuma who spoke. That very stunned second, Kinzo rose and as politely as anyone in a hurry could manage, stepped out, and closed the door behind him. It felt obvious to you that he was losing the fight against his laughter, but murmurs of upset stomach?s and, bad seafood? drifted through the crowd.

"And while you're out there, do check on young Shima for us." Tatsuma smiled generously and you knew somehow he must have been amused.

You stood before the room of, honestly at this point, absolutely exhausted and sick-of-you-Myodhas, and apologized with a shallow bow, "Please excuse me sir." And then you too, slipped behind the large meeting table and out the back door with a click of the closing screen.

The laughter you could barely suppress before waned easily when it was replaced by this rising embarrassment. But before you could truly despair, Kinzo Shima rounded a corner and snatched your wrist in his grasp.

"Y/n, how in the world! Did. You. Do this."

"Shh!" You seethed and snatched him right back. Snatched him so hard he followed your grip without protest, far down the back hallway and into an empty bedroom.

"The bleach gave me a headache," you groaned, "I had to rinse it out!"

"I don't know how but I think this must be my fault."

There was a pause as you two hovered in a doorway, and Kinzo covered his mouth to choke the smile he had for his own joke. He still wasn't sure what exactly made you angry. Or what made you laugh.

But it was him.

You huffed first, and then covered your eyes as a full blown rack of laughter took over. Your shoulders twitched and then wiggled under the weight of staying quiet, and soon your whole body was trembling. Kinzo almost didn't know what to do, but watching you struggle to hold back a laugh made it harder for him to even stand up straight and soon the two of you were gasping silently for air on the floor of someone else's bedroom.

Mamushi walked towards the garden from the kitchen where she'd spent the morning and watched as your silly scene unfolded in the doorway at the end of a hall on her way outside. She smiled and watched you and Kinzo try to support each other enough to stand. Shush each other and look both ways before quickly falling back into fits of giggles. All in all doing a terrible job of stay quiet. She thought about calling out to you and asking just what was so funny, but quietly turned the corner instead when you and Kinzo tumbled awkwardly into each other instead. Breathless.

It was nice to see one of her sisters so happy for a change.

[eeteernity]

。Yatora Yaguchi with an artistic s/o ｡

Just like Mori you were a big inspiration to him pursuing art

Your art work looks like a god had made it with their own hands in his eyes

He compares his art to yours a lot

Him and his lil old complex’s

You honestly never thought that you would end up dating him, when you first heard his voice in art class talking about womens bodies or something like that is absolutely disgusted you

But Over time you found out he had a very insecure loveable side to him

Please compliment his art he needs it

When it comes to criticism he’s absolutely useless he loves the way all your art looks

You two definitely have drawing dates

He catches himself doodling you sometimes in class

He’s really shy when it comes to dates, all his confidence is just gone as soon as you hold his hand

Manz is willing to shank a bitch if he hears shit being talked behind your back

Well not really but he’s deff confront them

Mori and ryuuji are your besties

He asks for art tips all the time and his face goes insanely red if you guide his hand while he’s drawing

If you ever need someone to draw he’s your go to person and Vice versa

very gentle with you

Man sometimes tries imitating your art style just because he wants his to looks as good as yours

Overall he’s a big sweetheart

[marble-wolf]

Happy birthday to @tonguetiedraven! Her birthday is actually tomorrow but I'm posting her gift today. I hope you like it, Raven! (Thank you to @b0ring-n4m3 for the title idea!)

Accidentally in Love (𝓞𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓤𝓹𝓸𝓷 𝓐 𝓣𝓲𝓶𝓮)

Usamaro looked from Rin to the boy named Suguro with a frown. He didn't understand the blush on Rin's cheeks that had appeared. Did he have a fever? 

 

It must be contagious, Usamaro observed. Suguro was going pink too as Rin offered him a matcha mochi. 

 

Their fingers brushed and they jolted apart like they had been shocked. Rin fumbled the mochi and Suguro caught it before it hit the ground. The brown eyed boy gave a smug smirk at his catch. Rin's face was a shade of red that didn't seem possible and some of his hair had come loose from the hair clip a little. Their eyes locked and Suguro raised an eyebrow at Rin's clumsiness. Did they notice the way they were leaning closer? The others certainly did. The other teenagers were watching the exchange with varying degrees of amusement. 

 

Izumo shook her head with a soft scoff. The pink haired boy, Shima, shuffled behind the pair and moved his hands up to form a heart. A mischievous grin lit his whole face up and Shiemi giggled next to Usamaro. The pair were the center of attention and yet, too engrossed in each other to know. 

 

The rabbit demon looked over the scene again, watching Rin's tail curl around the back of Suguro's chair. Suguro had a small smile on his lips, and Rin's shining eyes never turned away from the bigger boy. 

 

It clicked and Usamaro stood up on his chair, victorious. 

 

"You're in love!" He declared, thrilled at his discovery. 

 

All eyes turned to the demon with morbid fascination. Usamaro beamed and planted his hands on the table to lean closer to the pair. 

 

"Love?" Rin asked. He was glancing around, searching for whoever the statement was directed to. 

 

His blue eyes widened as he shrank in on himself when he realized everyone was looking at him.

 

Suguro choked a little and was staring at Usamaro. 

 

Usamaro nodded vigorously. "Love! You love Suguro!" Rin was shaking his head, his tail stiff behind him. The halfling was flaming up from the force of his embarrassment. "But that's ok because he loves you too!" 

 

Rin abruptly froze, his fangs poking out of his gaping mouth. Suguro glanced at Rin, and away again. The fire around Rin's face was nearly purple from the force of his blush. The other Exwires were silent, holding their breath. 

 

Suguro shifted in his seat. His face set in a familiar stubbornness. "Hey, Okumura?" 

 

Rin gave a spectacular squeak. "Yes?"

 

The brown eyed boy nudged Rin with his shoulder, heedless of the flames. "You want to go out after the festival?" 

 

Rin finally turned his attention back to Suguro. "Yes!" 

 

Shima burst out laughing, his fist banged the table and he wagged a finger at Usamaro. "Look at that! You're a little cupid!" 

 

Konekomaru broke into a grin and turned his hand to Shima. "I told you they would get together before the festival. Pay up."

 

Shima squawked. "That doesn't count! They had help!" 

 

Izumo sighed and shook her head at the antics. "Now that you know… please lay off the eyes. " 

 

Rin blushed (had he ever actually stopped?) and his flames showed no sign of dissipating. Suguro took his hand and entwined their fingers together. 

 

The stars returned to Rin's eyes and fresh laughter rang out through the dorm at Izumo's growl. Usamaro sat down, happy to see Rin happy. 

 

It's all he wanted. 

૮₍´｡ᵔ ꈊ ᵔ｡`₎ა

 

The black haired boy had insisted Ryuuji follow him. Rin's hand grasped his own with a confidence that made Ryuuji breathless. What had changed? Wasn't it just yesterday that Rin shied away from him?

 

Then the halfling had sat him down in front of the small snow covered shrine and began to tell a tale that sounded impossible. Rin told of a little demon from the tattered storybook that he lovingly clutched to his chest. 

 

Rin was an active storyteller, demanding the attention of his audience. His hands gave life to his story with a flicker of flames like shadow puppets. His tail wagged. His eyes spoke of his silent despair and how he cherished the moments, welling with tears as he detailed how they played baseball. Then with a blush on his face, he told the story of how Rin and Ryuuji realized their feelings. 

 

His words were like the key to a locked box. The memory was murky and dreamlike, the entire scene was muted, the demon Rin named Usamaro was a black shadow but he could see it. He knew Rin spoke the truth. He could feel the phantom heat of holding Rin's hand for the first time. 

 

Ryuuji lifted his hand as Rin continued his story and took Rin's hand. He could feel that the halfling had been chewing his nails, and the callouses from a life fighting demons and bullies. It was real. 

 

"And that's it…" Rin ended, he was staring down at their clasped hands, his pinky was rolling Ryuuji's prayer beads slowly. A small trail of tears were on his cheeks.

 

"That's a lot." Ryuuji whispered as he used a finger to wipe away the evidence of tears on Rin's soft cheeks. 

 

Rin was absolutely breathtaking in the moonlight. The muted colors of the night didn't touch him as he glowed with anxious harmless flames. Rin's eyes were reflecting the light of the moon like a cat's. 

 

"It seems I owe you a date." Ryuuji wasn't sure if he was asking or not. 

 

Rin grinned bashfully. "I'd like that." 

 

Ryuuji helped Rin to his feet and they took a moment to look out over the water admiring the way it reflected the sky and Mephisto's towering city. 

 

"I would have never gotten up the courage to admit my feelings… I sorta… accidentally fell in love with you." Rin admitted with a soft giggle. The condensation of his breath created a fog around his face that was batted away by the flames. His fangs glinted in the blue light in a way that had been the cause of distraction for Ryuuji in the past. 

 

Ryuuji pulled Rin into a hug (something he had been yearning for) and buried his face in Rin's neck. He was warm and the scent of him was a balm on the young Aria's current turbulent thoughts. Ryuuji could feel the book pressing into his chest. 

 

Ryuuji turned his eyes on the little rabbit statue at the shrine and mouthed a silent " thank you ". 

 

 "I love you too." Ryuuji whispered, thankful that the darkness hid the heat of his cheeks and glanced at the sky again. He reluctantly pulled away from Rin's arms but kept a tight hold on the halfling's hand. "Isn't your brother going to be mad at you for being out so late?" 

 

Rin shook his head and finally contained his flames. "Nah. He's been spending all his time with that Cheng-long guy."

 

"Konekomaru won't be happy to lose the bet this time." Ryuuji told Rin, earning a laugh. 

 

"Maybe we should wait to say anything until they make a new bet. So Koneko still wins! We won't hear the end of it if Shima wins." Rin offered with a mischievous air. 

 

They walked together in the cold dark night, untouched by demons and free to explore a shy kiss or two. 

 

" Once upon a time. On the outskirts of a tiny village, a demon appeared." 

 

♡૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა♡ 

[ilikeyoubetterthisway]

Hellouu there,

I haven't even talked about the phone call scene, so buckle up, my dears cuz this will be long.

The fact that Ryuuji takes his time to reassure Izumo that he will come back (like he doesn’t have to, he doesn’t need to, but he still does), because he knows one time her mom left the house and never returned and he doesn’t want her to go through that again. (Wants to be a reliable person for her, someone she knows she can count on.) and also because last time they got separated it was a horrible experience for both, hell broke loose, she was unconscious and he couldn’t even say goodbye properly nor some parting words nor do anything at all, and he won’t let that happen. Ever. Again. Not on his watch.

(And pleAse, the way they are looking into each other’s eyes, Ryuuji sweating buckets, like whY are you so nervous sweetie?? You were perfectly fine saying bye to Koneko on that upper panel, goodness, get a hold of yourself.

And Izumo just worriedly watches as he leaves before remembering that Belial is right there and saw their whole exchange, prolly like: “please don’t mind me, just do your thing.”

Or on that panel he shared with Izumo he had a look of: “Seriously girl? You had one job, just tell him ‘come back safe, my love, or smt like that, I swear” AnYwAyS. He ships it.)

And then Izumo sees Shiemi being taken away right in front of her, while being unable to think or react, just like how they took her little sister from her arms.

And then we proceed to see Izumo call Ryuuji all panicked, distressed with tears in her eyes, exclaiming with a shaky voice "they took her away!", because Izumo is going through the experience of having someone so close to her being snatched from her all over again, breaking the promise she made to Shiemi's mom about taking care of her, and Ryuuji is just all torn and worried, feeling powerless for not being able to do anything about it, not being able to help her, hold her, reassure her that everything will be alright because they don't know what will happen, because he couldn’t protect her from experiencing that other similar event all over again, so he just tries his best in helping her calm down since he's also a person that doesn't know the best method to deal with stress, and is still growing and maturing so he just does his best of: being there for her, listening to her, letting her ramble about her ideas regarding Shiemi's mystery, and both start calming down using their analytical minds to solve the many weird stuff happening around them.

Izumo comes all vulnerable to Ryuuji and he’s there to hold her and be there for her, listening and helping her calm down, gosh.

And then after this moment of Ryuuji supporting Izumo we have several ones of Izumo worrying and supporting Ryuuji, starting with this last panel of her asking him on alert "what is it?".

Then this:

Then this:

(just look at her little "..." speech bubble with the worried sweat drop, gods my heart.

And look at the way he’s allowing himself to be vulnerable with her, sighing with his weak, tired and shaky voice, gods, he feels so comfortable with her, please they are killing me)

Then of course this:

Ending with this moment of Izumo calling his full name for the first time in the entire manga (in the Japanese version), while still asking and worrying for him, gosh, my babies, please, wHy.

Izumo worrying for Ryuuji five times in a row and backed up by Ryuuji being supportive, worrying, listening to her and helping her calm down, I seriously can't, my heart.

Their relationship and bond skyrocketed from the balcony scene onwards, is seriously beautiful seeing how much they trust each other, the amount of respect and care they hold for the other… the level of comfortability they have and feel that they allow themselves to be vulnerable like this, I- is just too much, I love them.

And, oh gosh, I'm not even done, the fact that Belial told Izumo to call him if anything happened, like, Shiemi was taken by the Grigori, calling Belial would have been the best logical solution, he could probably have appeared in the middle of the Grigori sedes or the Vatican or wherever the hell they went, grab Shiemi and leave, but noooooo, Izumo went and called Ryuuji, not Belial, the magical powerful demon that can appear and disappear whenever and wherever he wants, no.

Izumo called Ryuuji.

On the phone...

THE FU&KING PHONE BICH WHEN DID THEY EXCHANGE NUMBERS?!?!!?!?!? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN KATO???!!!!! I DEMAND ANSWERS!!!

and he recognizes the number, he either has it saved or he memorized that shit, gods!!!

Anyways…

He will be there for her and she knows, and she will be there for him and he knows.

They are each other’s safe space.

[ominous-meme]

More Speculations/Questions About Free! The Final Stroke Pt. 2

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR PART 1 UNDER THE CUT

Now that KyoAni has dropped a teaser of what we can expect in April, let’s take another look at what we might see! Part 1 of this discussion can be found here.

1. Haru is miserable. That much is clear. He’s lost and alone, and so broken that he’s crying in bed. It’s clear how bad he feels that he’s cut Rin off, but given that Haru is normally not one to show what he feels, him doing the thing where he lies in bed and the tears flow out make it obvious that he’s hurting more than he ever has before. I bet this isn't going to be the only scene we get of him crying, particularly if he's actually able to process how badly he's hurt people and been hurt himself, and wants to make amends and become a better person/swimmer without compromising on the things and people he loves. As his track pants show, he’s made it to the top levels of the swimming world, but at what cost? Who else is he throwing away in order to become stronger? We don’t even see any faces of the other characters, minus in the OG relay flashback, and the latest visual shows Haru looking eerily similar to Albert, with the hoodie and the purple eyes. However, the teaser implies he’s not too far gone, and there’s a chance that he can snap out of it if someone helps him in time. The melancholy but beautiful music is also an indication of this: he’s in pain, but he can heal.

2. The odds of a medley relay happening (and said relay helping Haru heal) are becoming more and more likely. Like Makoto’s comment in the previous teaser, the teaser text here talks about a future that is 400m away (thanks to @albatrossmuffin for the translation), and we see 4 fists bumping each other, all in an official swim team jersey. In addition, Haru clearly reminisces about the OG relay from when he was in elementary school, and it’s evidently a good memory among all the bullshit he’s having to deal with now. The question then is: WHO are those 4 people bumping fists? Is Haru part of the group? Whether or not he is, there are a minimum of 3 others whose identities we don’t know. It’s possible that Rin and Ikuya are there, but that means we’re still missing someone for backstroke. Makoto isn’t in the pro leagues, but Season 1 showed us that the characters are reckless enough to swap teams and bring in outsiders just to give their friend what he desperately needs. That time, Rei gave up his place for Rin and Iwatobi got disqualified thanks to that; there’s a chance that Makoto may be involved this time, and Rin will give Haru what he received all those years back when HE was feeling lost and resentful and alone and Haru saved him. I think Kaede’s mysterious friend from Part 1 is a dark horse where this is concerned; we don’t know anything about the guy, and I don’t remember if his specialty stroke was mentioned back then, so he may be an important character in Part 2.

3. Towards the end we see a bird flying over what appears to be Iwatobi. Will Haru return home and find peace? Will he come back home in his purple phase and have another confrontation with Makoto the way he did in Season 2, where Makoto calls him out on his behaviour and warns him to snap out of it? Haru and Makoto have almost never fought, and because the S2 fight was their first one, Haru was devastated. Even if he’s in his purple phase, an argument with Makoto is GOING to affect Haru pretty badly, given how much the two mean to each other. I sincerely hope Makoto stands up to Haru and supports him in breaking away from Ryuuji, then supports him as an official coach as his best friend takes on the world.

Feel free to add more thoughts! I’ll keep adding my own as more images and teasers come in!

4. The stopwatch. Is that Ryuuji’s hand holding it? If so, have Haru’s timings improved, stagnated, or stayed the same after he cut Rin off? As I said in the previous speculation, it’s likely that there will be a strong display of Haru’s strength early on in the movie, which will unnerve his friends as they know it’s not like him. But if Haru still struggles, then as I mentioned before, he’s definitely going to wonder whether it was worth hurting the people who mean the most to him, ESPECIALLY since we now have clips of him clearly in pain and in TEARS.

However, if that’s not Ryuuji’s hand holding the stopwatch, then whose is it?

[caffernnn]

One last thought before free final stroke releases. Everyone has said that if Haru has to choose between his bonds and a race or “swimming on a larger scale” he would choose his bonds and I think that too, but what if he doesn’t? 🤔 I would hate for KA to do that, but I can’t help thinking about it. Would love to hear you thoughts about it if you have any.

Buckle up, buttercup! I have perhaps too many thoughts on this one 😅

Okay so here’s the thing: I’ve definitely been sipping on the free!verse “friendship is magic and those special bonds can conquer anything” juice, but I can see Haru or one of the other main pro swimmers we’ll be following (Rin, Ikuya, etc) putting swimming first… at least in the first movie. Out of everyone to take on that possible arc, it feels like Haru is the main one left to isolate, break, and have to be reminded of who he swims for.

(This one got lengthy; read more under the cut) 🏊✨

This is a pattern in Free! that has been explored over and over. Haru has a teammate, rival, or friend that gets so lost in their own head that they refuse to let anyone reach them and try to put swimming and solitude first. Then, Haru and company step in with a race, a relay, pool time in general to show them that they’re so much stronger when they realize they’re not alone. They hug it out, the audience cries; rinse, repeat.

From the promos, it sets the stage for a specific emphasis on these six. Going through the characters like a checklist for this Free!verse rite of passage, it feels clear who is most likely going to be the next one to take on the cycle.

(Note: I’m going to refer to the pattern described earlier as “the cycle” moving forward)

Painting it with a broad stroke, most of the characters on this list have taken their respective turns moving through the cycle.

- (Season One) Rin is, like, the king of this lesson. The whole first season was more or less dedicated to showing how he got so fixated on being a viable competitor that he forgot one of the main things that drew both him and his dad towards swimming in the first place: communicating and connecting with people in the water. That’s something Rin knows not to take for granted, and that’s shown through his immense character growth since season one. I think I stated in a past FS theory post how I’m curious about how Rin will handle the pressures and demands of finally reaching the world stage. With that said, he’s also not the main one I’m worried about taking on the main cycle.

- (Season Two) Sousuke paid his dues when he wrecked his shoulder overworking himself. He put success above everything to his own detriment, and he’s lucky that ignoring his own hurt while embracing his Samezuka team didn’t cause irreparable damage. We should watch him closely while he prepares to make his return to swimming because he’s at risk of overextending himself, but he’s had a good amount of time to sit with the firsthand consequences of trying to “do it all on his own,” so he’s not the one I’m primarily worried about.

- (Season Three) Ikuya’s whole journey in DttF was about him coming into his own and realizing his worth. The Iwatobi guys play a big part in this, their efforts in reconciliation starting to help him break out of his stubbornness and inferiority complex. He’s learning by the end of the season how to open up again (and actually appreciate Hiyori, but that’s another conversation) and see himself as an equal counterpart to the people he’s put on pedestals (Haru, Natsuya). His growth is still new, and I’d argue he’s the one who most recently completed his trek through the cycle. I’m sure he’ll inevitably have his own hardships highlighted in the movie, but he’s still riding off the high of freshly finding his inspiration/motivation again that I don’t see his narrative being the focal point.

- (High Speed/Starting Days) Makoto had his own primary trek through the cycle way back in junior high. This is probably one of the points where the dichotomy of the proposed choice (swimming vs. bonds) is most explicitly highlighted. Nao’s question of “do you enjoy swimming or are you here for Haru” is one of the earliest instances where the idea of choosing between success and relationships is explored. Makoto distances himself so much because the question feels loaded and leading - Is it a bad thing to swim because his friend is there? Shouldn’t he want to “grow up” and have merit-driven goals? Even if he doesn’t want to, would he be okay letting Haru go in the pursuit of maturing? Is that really a choice he has to make? Makoto’s eventual conclusion that he loves both swimming and Haru, that both are intertwined into driving him forward, sets the stage for the rest of the series, honestly. I can’t deny the foreshadowing putting Makoto in a potential position of influence in FS, but it’s because of how tied he is to the pro swimmers that’ll inevitably take narrative priority.

- Asahi is a wild card in this framework, but still fits in as a guiding light and a possible outside perspective that could be vital in the story (if he doesn’t get overlooked). He’s someone who hasn’t necessarily been put through the cycle, but he’s a good example of someone who’s a shining light, rowdy and driven and arguably secure in his determination that he’ll make the most out any opportunity by finding his place on any team and taking on the world at his own pace. I’d love to see a side story exploring Asahi’s journey in more detail, because he’s such a unique position as someone who worked on channeling his own self-esteem early on and built new teams every time he had to move. Just from how they’re likely to prioritize characters, especially now that we’re in the endgame, I wouldn’t put my money on Asahi taking center stage.

And then there’s Haru. The unwilling protagonist. The one who played a part in everyone else’s turns through the cycle, his status as a teammate/rival/prodigy/friend launching them into the pitfalls before inspiring them to come back towards the light. He’s grown throughout every season bolstered by the question of why he swims, but I’d argue that now is his time to face the cycle head-on. This is when the idea of improving his times, of winning, hold more value to him than they ever have before. That’s why I think when Ryuuji and other competitors (Kaede, Albert) start telling him that he has to make a choice between loneliness and mediocrity, pushing him towards the path of isolation, it’s going to hit hard. His declaration to have everything he wants, to hold his friends close while taking on the world, is going to be seriously put to the test.

That’s what makes the most sense to me at this point. The story started with Haru, and now it ends with Haru. Will he have to make an unthinkable choice and have to sacrifice one of the vital parts of his dreams? Will he find a way to prove everyone wrong and have it all? I’m excited to find out.

[everyryuujisuguro]

[tonguetiedraven]

Please make a Bonrin fic where caramel is involved 😌💖💖💖

You asked for this so long ago and I finished this and forgot to post it xD I hope you enjoy this little nonsense! (And that I made them actually enjoy caramel. Only for you <3)

— — — — —

“Rin?!” Ryuuji rushed into the room, still in his pajamas with his gun unholstered and his prayer beads tangled around his fingers. “Are you—”

The tall aria stopped abruptly, wide-eyed as he took in the scene. Rin bit his lip and resisted the urge to hide himself.

It was a lot of scene. 

There was smoke still rolling out of the cracked door, the air smelt like burnt sugar, Rin’s apron was a splattered mess, he had stuff in his hair, and Kuro was clinging to his shoulder with his back arched and his fur on end like he’d seen something horrifying. 

“I—it isn’t what it looks like! Promise!”

“Really?” Ryuuji straightened slowly and lowered his prayer beads. “Cause it looks like you set the kitchen on fire.”

“Okay. It’s mostly not what it looks like.”

“You did set the kitchen on fire?” Ryuuji’s eyes widened in actual alarm and shot back to their smoking kitchen.

“It was totally Kuro’s fault.”

“That’s not—is the kitchen on fire?” Ryuuji pushed past Rin and moved towards the room that still had a lot of smoke coming out of it. Rin caught his wrist before he could get all the way in. 

“Don’t!” Rin yelped, tugging him back, but not quick enough to stop him from seeing. The kitchen wasn’t on fire (thankfully) but it looked like it might have been at one point. (There were singe marks on the ceiling.) But what he mostly saw was mess. There was dark sticky goo on the stove and wall and at least a dozen pans and bowls all piled up on the counters and in the sink. The entire place was a bit smokey, and Ryuuji felt a bit like someone had punched him. 

“What happened?” He demanded, entirely horrified. He’d been asleep a handful of minutes ago and then the fire alarm and now this. It was his day off — deliberately taken for their anniversary — and it would take hours to get all of that clean.

Rin’s tail drooped low and his eyes dropped to the ground. He hung onto Ryuuji’s wrist, but he didn’t shift his grip to grab Ryuuji’s hand like he normally would.

“I love you?”

“That doesn’t answer.” Ryuuji’s eyes moved from his despondent partner to the kitchen door. The air around them was all smoke hazy now. Bitter and thick and sweet in a sickening way. 

“It’s a surprise.”

Ryuuji’s eyes shot right back to Rin. “Kinda think the fire alarm spoiled it. What happened?”

Rin huffed out a frustrated breath. “Fine. I wanted to make you something for our anniversary but the recipe was harder than I thought it’d be. It wasn’t baking so I thought it’d be easier, but it’s more finicky than baking and I did something wrong and… it exploded.” 

Exploded? Ryuuji’s eyes scanned Rin in sudden worry. “Did it hit you?” He stepped closer, brushing his thumb over Rin’s cheek and looking for any healing injuries.

“I kinda burned it all before it could. And Kuro hid on my head.”

Exhaling a relieved breath, Ryuuji shook his head. “You’re…” An idiot. Too much. You scared me. It’s three am. I love you. Don’t do this kind of shit.

“I’ll clean it up?” Rin offered, tail lifting into a slightly hopeful wag.

“Damn right you will.” Ryuuji shifted his wrist free from Rin’s hold and took his hand instead. “We both will, because I’ve seen the way you clean.”

“Hey!”

Ryuuji tugged him towards the kitchen as Kuro bailed with a hiss. “Don’t hey me. You know it’s true.” 

Rin followed with a pout. “But it was supposed to be a surprise.”

Ryuuji laughed, shoving the kitchen door open and moving toward the sink. “Believe me, I was surprised.” 

“Not that kind of surprise.”

The goo, whatever it had meant to be, was sticky and thick and already hardening. Flames might be their best bet. 

“What were you trying to do?” 

Rin kicked at the dirty tiles. “I wanted to make you pudding. Got… got a bit stuck on the caramel.” 

Ryuuji’s wide eyes went back to the goo. It was supposed to be caramel? For him? 

The laugh bubbled up out of him before he could quite stop it. “It’s three am,” he said, because it was probably the most ridiculous part of all of this. “Why were you—”

“I didn’t start at three.” Rin muttered a bit petulantly. “Just… you know time gets away from me.”

“Yeah,” Ryuuji said, still laughing a little. “I know.” He tugged Rin closer by their joined hand, setting the cleaning supplies on the counter next to a burnt pile of caramel. “And I love you, burnt caramel and all.”

Rin blushed and kicked at the tiles again, but he was smiling now, and his tail was giving a slow wag. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Ryuuji bent down and gave Rin a kiss, finding he (funnily enough) tasted a little like caramel. “Happy anniversary.” 

The swoosh of Rin’s wagging tail got louder.

“Happy anniversary! I’m still gonna make you pudding.”

“Sounds like fun, but,” he gave Rin a playful smile, “I’ll handle the caramel, okay?”

Rin grinned sheepishly. “I guess that’s fair… As long as I get to eat it.” 

“I’ll make sure of that.” Ryuuji released Rin with a wink and grabbed up the spray and a scrub brush. “And,” he added “I’ll make sure there’s some extras.”

Rin licked his lips as his tail continued to wag.

All in all, it wasn’t the worst way Ryuuji had ever been woken up.

[yukiokumura]

37 for the kiss prompt, please 🥺

37. Comforting kisses when their lover is really scared followed by whispered sweet nothings to calm them down.

--

Ryuuji woke up to a crushing pain around his ribs.

He wheezed, delirious with sleep as he grabbed whatever was constricting him, trying to pry it away. It only held tighter. As he tried to gain his bearings, figure out what was happening, he heard a familiar whimper at his side that drew all of his attention.

Rin was asleep. More accurately, he looked as if he was in keen distress, in the throes of a nightmare, and was currently gripping to him as tightly as a vice. Ryuuji tried not to breathe in too deeply, knowing that if his ribs fought against Rin's strength, they might collapse. For now, he had to wake Rin up and break the nightmare's hold on him. He could worry about breathing later.

"Rin," he wheezed, reaching with his free arm to his boyfriend's face. He gently tapped his cheek, then brushed his fingers through his hair. The tap served to loosen the anxious wrinkles on his face as the nightmare began to lose his hold and the fingers in his hair loosened Rin's grip on him. Ryuuji inhaled and did his best to hold back the coughs his lungs threatened him with as his body tried to recalibrate with the removal of pressure.

Rin opened his eyes and looked up at Ryuuji, going through the process of clearing the sleep from his mind, but as soon as he was lucid, he bolted upright, releasing Ryuuji at once.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry," Rin whispered in a rush, pushing himself back to the very foot of the bed.

"R-Rin," Ryuuji sat up, hiding the wince, his voice trembling with the need to cough. "It's fine. Come here."

"No, no, hold on. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Just give me a second..." Rin was covering his face, curling up.

They had had this sort of talk before, where Rin blamed himself if he ever accidentally hurt Ryuuji from being too enthusiastic or without knowing. The first time they'd seriously addressed it was when Ryuuji had woken Rin up and received a bloody nose for his troubles. It had only happened once and Ryuuji wasn't scared of it happening again. His boyfriend wasn't abusive, wasn't unkind. Rin was warm and soft. He was just strong and he knew Rin hated his own strength.

He knew that Rin did his best to treat everyone gently and only ever blamed himself when his control lapsed.

"Rin..." Ryuuji followed him, moving to the edge of the bed and, though his boyfriend tensed at the physical contact, he pulled him into his lap, holding him close. "It's okay. I'm fine."

The sound of his steady breathing seemed to help. Rin hesitated before wrapping his arms around him again. That second of hesitation broke Ryuuji's heart a little.

"Are you sure?" Rin asked, his fingers twitching as he tried to decide between holding tightly and letting go. Ryuuji didn't let him choose the latter.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, his lips pressing warmly on the skin for a long few seconds. Then to the bridge of his nose, near a tear duct that seemed to almost overflow. Then his cheek, feeling as Rin's jaw carefully unclenched. Then his lips, where Rin finally leaned into it, leaned into him.

"I'm sure," Ryuuji murmured quietly against his mouth.

[satoi]

god i said i was going to bed but yuuta thinking he’s worthless even when tsubasa and ryuuji tell him different but it’s hard to not think that way when he just feels that it’s true but he’s slowly getting better and he tries so hard to change himself for the better but sometimes he just gets stuck and it feels like he doesn’t progress but in fact he does and just hides his true feelings.. says that it works before (love’s whereabouts) so he doesn’t worry people... or sometimes just laughs off what he feels and it may seem like he’s lazy but he’s just never comfortable with these situations especially on how he feels (yuuta’s kizuna story 2) .. even if it’s apparent that something’s on his mind... never wants to hold anyone back but it always feels like he does and just.. is too clumsy for his own good.... but he’s getting better... improving bit by bit with the support from ryuuji ever since bambi and now tsubasa.... even if he gets backtracked again..

[splendidlyimperfect]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Okumura Rin/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Okumura Rin & Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji Additional Tags: Canon Universe, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Crying, Hugs, Reluctant Affection, Bon's not great a feelings but Rin needs a hug, Feelings, Parent Death, Past Character Death, Pre-Slash, I just have a lot of feelings okay, Tails, Bon really wants to touch Rin's tail but isn't sure why, it's because he's gay, This is sappy as shit, The Author Regrets Nothing

-----

“He killed my dad, too.”

Bon freezes with the door to the roof partway open, letting a sliver of light spill out into the night. The voice is Rin’s, and Bon can just see him sitting on the edge of the roof with his knees pulled up to his chest. Bon frowns, shifting to see if Yukio is sitting there, but nobody else is around except Rin’s familiar, Kuro.

Kuro meows at Rin and headbutts him, curling around his back and rubbing his face against Rin’s leg. Rin sniffs, and Bon realizes with a start that he’s crying.

Continue reading on AO3

“I know,” Rin says quietly, reaching down to scratch behind Kuro’s ears. “I just wish I could...” His voice wobbles and he drops his forehead to his knees, shoulders trembling.

Bon’s fingers tighten on the door handle and he hesitates, looking between Rin and the stairs behind him. He’d come up here for quiet – the view of the city at night clears his mind when things are complicated – and Rin is anything but quiet. But he can’t just leave.

Kuro meows again and Rin shakes his head. “They’re still scared of me,” he mumbles into his sweater. “Back at camp, I just wanted to protect them. I didn’t mean to...” He pulls tighter into himself, glancing down at Kurikara, which is sitting on the roof next to him. “They’re right. I am dangerous.” Kuro makes an indignant sound, but Rin ignores him. “Maybe it’d be better if they’d killed me.”

“Don’t talk like that, idiot!” Bon shoves the door open the rest of the way and stalks over to the edge of the roof, hands tightened into fists. Rin flinches, looking up at him with wide eyes. His expression jumps from confusion to fear, taking a quick detour at shame before ending up at anger.

“What do you care?” he snarls, baring sharp teeth while Kuro hisses at Bon. “Or do you just want to do it yourself?” The anger quickly disappears, and Rin just looks exhausted. He nods at the sword. “Go ahead. It doesn’t matter.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Bon insists, but guilt simmers in his chest as his earlier words come back to him. I’ll kill you myself. There’s no bruise on Rin’s cheek from where Bon hit him – Bon supposes that must have something to do with him being a demon. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Yes, you did,” Rin says. He looks back out over the city, resting his chin on his folded arms. Kuro hisses at Bon, then stalks around to Rin’s other side, curling up against him.

Bon sighs, rubbing his face, then sits down on the roof with his feet hanging over the edge. Rin shifts away from him, pulling his legs closer to his chest. His cheeks are still wet, and his eyes are red, and the defeated expression on his face makes Bon feel like shit. Up here in the dark, Rin doesn’t look like a demon. He just looks like a small, scared boy, and Bon knows exactly how that feels.

“I’m sorry,” Bon manages, grinding his teeth. He’s never been good at apologizing. “I’m not gonna kill you. You’re not evil, or whatever.”

Rin doesn’t answer. Something moves in the corner of Bon’s vision and he realizes that it’s Rin’s tail, flicking back and forth in agitation. It’s fascinating, and he almost reaches out to touch it but pulls back before he can embarrass himself. Instead he leans back on both hands and looks up at the stars. It’s hard to see them with all the light pollution, but he can pick out a few familiar constellations.

“What did you mean about him killing your dad?” Bon asks after a few minutes of silence. Rin tips his head again and his brow furrows into a frown. “You were talking to, uh... the cat,” Bon says quickly. His cheeks feel hot and he’s not sure why. “You said ‘he’ killed your dad. Who?”

“Oh.” Rin picks at a loose thread on the cuff of his sweater. “Satan.”

“But isn’t he—”

“He’s not my dad,” Rin growls. There’s another sharp flash of teeth, but it’s accompanied by a waver in Rin’s voice. “You said—all of you, your families were killed by Satan, but so was mine.” He sniffs and wipes his face. “He killed my dad, too. I watched him die and I couldn’t do anything.”

The guilt in Bon’s chest grows heavier as he watches Rin bite his lip to try and hold in the tears. “I didn’t know,” he says. “I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t ask for this,” Rin says, gesturing to the sword beside him. “I wasn’t trying to lie to anyone, or trick any of you. I just...”

“Just?”

“I liked having friends,” Rin says, so quiet that Bon can barely hear him. “I never had friends before.”

“You still have friends,” Bon says.

Rin frowns. “But you said—”

“I know what I said. Listen to what I’m saying now. You saved Konekomaru today. You proved you’re not evil, or gonna hurt any of us.” Rin doesn’t say anything and Bon sighs. “I still think you’re a dumbass,” he grumbles. “But you’re my friend.”

Rin shakes his head and Bon can see tears spilling down his cheeks. “Don’t,” he says quietly. “Please, I just—”

“Come here, you idiot.” Bon’s moving before he can stop himself, shuffling closer to Rin and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Something in his stomach does a little flip and he pushes it back, ignoring the sensation. Rin stiffens under his touch but doesn’t push Bon away.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” Bon’s happy it’s dark so that Rin can’t see the red flush that’s creeping up his neck to his cheeks. Being this close to Rin without fighting is strange, and Bon’s surprised to find that he really doesn’t hate it. Rin smells a bit like woodsmoke, and his skin is warm where Bon’s fingers touch his arm.

“I don’t—”

“Just shut up,” Bon grumbles.

There’s a long moment where Rin seems like he might get up and run, and then it’s as if he deflates completely. He slumps against Bon, head coming to rest on his shoulder, and lets out a soft, grief-filled cry that takes Bon back to being small and angry and afraid.

“I miss my dad,” Rin manages between tears. “I’m sorry.”

Bon’s not sure what Rin is apologizing for, but he doesn’t ask. Instead he runs his thumb across Rin’s shoulder and lets him cry. It’s both strange and comforting at the same time – like they’re meant to do this instead of bicker and fight.

Eventually the tears peter out and Rin takes a shaky breath, lifting his head and rubbing his eyes with his sleeves. He doesn’t move away, though, so neither does Bon. The moment feels like spun sugar, a second from dissolving, and Bon’s not sure he wants it to end.

“They’re gonna kill me,” Rin says quietly. “If I don’t pass the exam.”

Bon’s stomach twists uncomfortably at the idea, but he keeps his voice steady when he says, “Then pass it.”

“I’m trying.”

Bon’s about to reply when something brushes his leg and he jumps in surprise.

“Shit, sorry,” Rin says as Bon realizes it’s his tail. He quickly grabs it and tucks it under his leg. “It kinda, um... has a mind of its own sometimes.”

“Oh.” Bon feels the inexplicable urge to touch it again. “It’s okay.” Rin manages to keep the end of the tail trapped for a few seconds before it frees itself and flicks against Bon’s thigh again. “What does it feel like? Having a tail?”

“Weird,” Rin admits. Neither of them mentions the fact that Bon’s arm is still around his shoulder. “It’s uncomfortable to hide it.”

“Can I touch it?” Bon finally asks. The last half hour has been one of the weirdest of his life, and he’s pretty sure Rin’s not going to push him off the roof for asking. Rin nods awkwardly and Bon reaches out, running his fingers across the fur. “It’s soft.”

Rin doesn’t answer, and when Bon’s fingers reach the end of his tail, he makes a small squeaking noise.

“Sorry,” Bon says, quickly withdrawing his hand, but Rin shakes his head.

“No, it’s fine.” He swallows, and Bon’s pretty sure he shuffles a tiny bit closer. “It’s, um... it feels nice.” Bon’s cheeks burn when Rin tips his head back onto his shoulder, then nudges him with his knee. “Can you...”

He brings his hand back to Rin’s tail, combing his fingers through the fur carefully. Rin sighs, then makes a quiet sound that’s almost a purr as he relaxes against Bon again.

A million thoughts drift through Bon’s mind as he keeps stroking Rin’s tail, wondering how in the hell he managed to end up here. It’s not uncomfortable though, and neither of them move to break the silence. Kuro joins them, hopping up on Rin’s lap and stretching out so one paw is touching Bon’s thigh.

“I’ll help you study,” Bon says, breaking the silence between them. “If you want.”

“Really?”

“Only if you take it seriously.”

“I will,” Rin promises, and Bon can hear the sincerity in his usually affable tone. “I have to.”

Bon nods, then slowly, carefully tips his head so it’s leaning on Rin’s. It feels right, and he knows for sure that he doesn’t want to lose this – whatever it is. He has no idea what tomorrow will bring. Maybe they’ll yell at each other, maybe they’ll fight. Maybe things will be a little bit softer.

“You’ll pass,” he says. “We both will. And then we’ll kick Satan’s ass and avenge everyone.”

“Promise?” Rin asks, so quiet that Bon can barely hear him, and Bon nods against his hair.

“Yeah,” he says. “I promise.”

[goutheswimqueen]

thoughts on free! s3? what do you think went wrong/right/what you wish it would’ve went etc

I could quite literally go on FOREVER about season 3 and y’know what you asked for it so I’m just gonna ramble until I feel good about it lmao.

Now first I have to say that I wholeheartedly love season 3 with the deepest passion in my bones. I genuinely didn’t think that we were ever going to GET a season 3 in the first place, so the fact that it exists is just... so meaningful to me as someone whose favorite franchise is Free! and someone whose life was saved by these dumbass swimmers. 

I will say that season 3 isn’t what I wanted from it. I wanted it to be centered on Nagisa, Rei, Gou, Sousuke, Ai, and Momo. I love Haru with my entire being but I really really REALLY wanted to see a series centered on the Iwatobi trio. They’re so underrated and I felt like they were lowkey sidelined in Eternal Summer so I wanted to see them shine and grow together in their third year. But of course Kyoani has just been setting them aside more and more as time has gone on so I feel like that was nothing but a hopeless dream lmao. I have a lot of headcanons and AUs about what went on with everyone who was still in Iwatobi while the rest of the gang was in Tokyo. The little bits that Kyoani gave us of them were beautiful, I will admit. Episode 11 is my FAVORITE episode of season 3. The fact that Rei WON A NATIONAL RACE??? Like, come on. I wish we could’ve seen the work that he put in to even be able to do that in the first place. That moment where he ponders what he’ll be doing after high school really gets to me too because I would love to know what the fuck he and the others are gonna do. I wish we could’ve seen the moments in their third year that led to whatever decisions they will make. I wanted to see the Iwatobi trio go through the absolute wringer together lmao. I wanted angst I wanted to see their journey that led them to where they are now. I wanted to see more of them growing with the new trio too. I wanted to learn more about Gou and Sousuke’s past through their interactions in her third year. If the season was longer I feel like they could’ve had it be half the Iwatobi arc and half the Tokyo arc, y’know what I mean?

Nonetheless, I love season 3 for what it was. I’m so beyond happy that they brought in Asahi, Ikuya, Natsuya, and Nao, you have no idea. The High Speed! characters hold such a special place in my heart. I wish Asahi would’ve had more of an arc/character development though, and I wish Nao was more included. I think Natsuya’s character arc was my favorite of the whole season. Seeing the trash traveling man that he had become and his interactions with Rin and Sousuke really stuck with me for some reason. And that line that he had when he was talking to Ikuya and fucking crying like, “a dream to fight for my strength and pride, plain and simple.” That shit fucked me up bro. We all meme about Natsuya a lot but I feel like there’s a lot of deeper shit there that’s yet to be explored. When we met Ryuuji I was genuinely convinced that he was Ikuya and Natsuya’s father because it would explain a lot about Natsuya’s behavior. A trash dad who wasn’t really there for his family and just kinda fucked off to travel the world training swimmers until he found one that met his expectations? That would’ve added so much to Natsuya and Ikuya’s background stories and their character arcs. Like can you imagine? Natsuya not initially going into professional swimming because the fact that his father LEFT to find a swimmer to train instead of training his own damn son because he didn’t see that potential in him??? Natsuya being inspired by Ikuya to work hard to prove their father wrong??????? Nao punching Ryuuji square in the nose the moment he sees him???????????? A fucking gold mine that Kyoani could’ve dove into, but no he’s related to Shizuru lmao. 

I could go on forever about Natsuya in season 3 cuz I just really, really loved his arc but I’m gonna keep rolling haha. Hiyori was probably the most unexpected thing from season 3 and I just... love him so much. Like his absolute snakey behavior gave me the same chills that that scene of Sousuke pushing Haru against a vending machine in episode 2 of Eternal Summer gave me. I LOVE that shit. The Free! antagonists just keep getting bitchier and bitchier lmao. I also relate to Hiyori on a deeper level. I too have been selfishly protective of my best friends in a way that... really just wasn’t the way to go. Like jeez Hiyori I understand how you feel but maybe let them talk to Ikuya at least once??? Chill with the possessiveness? Idk I know Hiyori is the source of a lot of discourse lol, but that’s just how I feel because of my own similar experiences with myself and others who’ve acted in a similar way. I do wish his beef at the other boys wasn’t solved by just fuckin... swimming with Haru lmfaoooooo. Like I wish they just would’ve added more to his conversation with Ikuya when he asked him to join the relay with him.

I was quite satisfied with Rin’s arc in season 3. It just like, made perfect sense to me I guess lmao. I know he wasn’t there much but I don’t know what else they could or should have done with him, if that makes sense. The fact that his coach is Ai’s uncle is just the best thing ever too lmao.

I was also very happy with Haru’s arc actually!! Seeing how much he has grown makes me feel like a proud mom. Ya boi is tired of the bullshit and the miscommunication haha. Of course I’ll always wish he didn’t go into pro swimming but alas, gotta deal with it I guess. I love his dynamic with Ryuuji and the way that he has dealt with pro swimming though. And his decision to go into the individual medley absolutely made me lose my mind. I didn’t know I needed to see him swim the other strokes until it happened and I just, I loved that so muchhh. 

I alsooooo enjoyed Ikuya’s arc. Seeing someone from your past again like that can 100% have that effect on you. I just kinda wish we understood more about like, why he just randomly faints while swimming sometimes? I feel like they didn’t solidly explain it? Cuz I don’t think it was always from overworking himself. Idk maybe I’m just a dumbass and remembering incorrectly.

Kisumi deserved better. YOU CAN’T TELL ME THIS BOY DOESN’T HAVE UNDERLYING ANGST THAT KYOANI HASN’T DELVED INTO. He gave us that line of “We’ll never make friends like the ones we had back then” and then him worrying about whether or not there was anything he could do to help with the Ikuya situation. This boy feels left out and you can’t tell me otherwise and it is 100% because of the fact that he’s not a swimmer. Someone give this boy a basketball team that he can experience that kind of bond with PLEASE. I AM BEGGING ON MY KNEES!!!

Makoto also deserved better. Like, okay, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved his arc with the kids and Nao and all that. I love his new dream. BUT!!! Kyoani has yet to go into depth with his insecurities with Haru. I’m still not over that damn dream he had on that bus. All we got in season 3 was Makoto’s aNGSTY looks when it came to his relationship with Haru lmao. GIVE MAKOTO A BIGGER ROLE AND A BIGGER ARC DAMMIT. He’s one of the most popular characters I’m surprised his angst hasn’t been touched on more. This dumbass just needs to stop holding things in i SWEAR TO GAWD.

I thought the inclusion of Albert was kinda weird, dunno what the point of him is aside from making Haru shake in his bones. Kinjou is definitely interesting. He scares me lmao, but I am here for that. Give us an antagonist who is just absolutely unhinged at this point LMAO. I have some headcanons about him too but I feel like the new movie coming up is going to crush my dreams soooo yeah.

Isuzu is a goddess. I’m so happy she’s finally here and she has a name and a FACE. We learned that the Mikoshiba bros had a sister before we even knew that Momo existed lmao (Sei mentioned her in a drama cd from season 1). I almost thought they were never going to give her to us but she’s here and she’s beautiful and she’s everything that I wanted her to be. I’m so happy she thinks Gou is cute and that GOU LIKES HER and I just ugh yes thank you so much Kyoani I never expected that we’d actually get this but I’m so happy we have it. I hope she goes to Hidaka Uni and gets to race Haru like she wanted haha. And I’m so happy we got to see her swim! Our first in-anime female swimmer with a name. I love her.

Speaking of FEMALE SWIMMERS. Sighhhhhh.... My biggest disappointment. Aki Yazaki. Where is she? We deserve her!! I promise we do!! She was SUCH an important character in the High Speed! novels and kyoani decided that she just doesn’t exist anymore lmao (biggest reason why I’m not the biggest fan of the Starting Days movie). At this point I’ve lost hope that she’ll ever be included in the anime, and it makes me so sad. I love her so much and there’s so much potential for an amazing beautiful story arc with her if she reunited with the boys. I don’t think we’re going to get a season 4, (the new movie is scaring me making me think it’s the end of the series with the way it’s been advertised...) but if we DID get one I imagine it beginning with Haru walking through a snowy day, huddling close to himself to shelter from the cold, when he passes by a tall figure and catches a glimpse of familiar caramel hair with a loose little braid peeking out from behind one ear and a large scarf that has gotten quite messed up over years of wear and tear, a memory clicks in his mind like a light switch and he stops in his tracks to turn around and let a long forgotten name slip from his lips: “Yazaki Aki?” ... cue opening sequence. LIKE WOULDN’T THAT BE SO AMAZING???????? I WOULD FUCKING SHIT MYSELF OKAY YOU DON’T UNDERSTANDDDD. Aki is one of my favorite characters I’m so mad she wasn’t in season 3. I’m also mad that Satomi Nii wasn’t there either like!!! She would make a great trio with Ikuya and Hiyori that’s all I’m sayinggggg. I would probably start crying if either of them showed up at some point like genuinely I would just be a mess sobbing on the floor. ALSO I FEEL LIKE GOU AND ISUZU WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM LIKE PLS GIVE ME THE GIRLS THAT WE DESERVE!!!

The art style of season 3 was pretty good. The only thing that bothered me about it was how fucking WIDE the characters’ shoulders were sometimes. Especially with the big bois like Makoto and Sousuke. Like please god no stop that. I’m always gonna miss the art style from season 1 tho, the crazy expressions n shit that were there were just too GOOD lmao. I feel like in season 3 they kind of attempted to bring that back but it just wasn’t executed the same and done to the same extent. R.I.P. the comedy from season 1, it will be forever missed.

I love the opening and ending themes, always. So fucking good. I’m so happy all the characters were included in the end theme animation sequence. I’ll never get over Gou and her BEAUTY.

ANYWAYS. Those are my thoughts in the general sense. Idk if I forgot anything because I have so many thoughts that’re all unorganized haha. If anyone wants me to talk in more detail about anything specific I am soooooo down! Thank you for sending in this ask, talking about this show makes me happy hehe.