#so this is for the one person who asked where her subaru is

[badkarma1998]

Mile high Miku goes to King Stoopids <3

[spooky-bunnys]

Title: Upset Bunny

Fandom: Diabolik Lovers

Pairing: Sakamaki Brothers x Bunny Hybrid M.R

Warnings: swearing

After the last 'grooming' incident, Reji had a stern talking to (Name) about him trying to groom himself. Which made (Name) upset. He was just trying to look good for them! Why was he getting in trouble for that?!

(Name) flopped onto the bed. His long bunny ears were droppy. Singaling his depressed mood. His little tail was dropping as well. Which meant (Name) was deaply upset. Something that was rare since he came to the Sakamaki Mansion.

Normally (Name) was the happy shy bunny they know and love. But right now? He was an upset Bunny that had 'banned' the others from his room for the time being. He couldn't really ban them, since theh could literally teleport into his room. But a few have already tried and was promptly kicked out.

Even Shuu who only wanted to sleep on the bed by him was kicked out. None of the brothers knew what was going on. So they tried asking Yui who only gave them a straight face. Then proceeded to ask them why she'd know anything. So they tried winning over the depressed bunny. By giving him gifts. But the gifts were thrown back at them. Along with a huff the door was slammed in their faces.

Though (Name) didn't slam the door in Subaru's face. (Name) had politely thanked the youngest brother and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Which absolutely infuriated the other brothers. Especially Ayato, who demanded to know why his gift was throw in his face along with the door being slammed. (Name)'s expression didn't change as he slammed the door in the oldest triplets face.

Ayato turned towards the smug youngest brother. "Oi! What makes you so special?! Why did you get a thanks and a kiss on the cheek, while were had our gifts and door slammed in our faces!?" Subaru shrugged. "Don't know. All I know is, (Name) is upset with you. Not me. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and get my lovely flower some more flowers."

With that he disappeared. Leaving the other brothers confused or angery. Reji sighed and pushed up his glasses. "Maybe the human can get the answer out of him. Without upsetting him more." The others grumbled and made their way to Yui's room. Where the girl was studying for a test she was gonna be having next time she went to school.

Yui sighed when she heard rough knocking on her door. Only one person in the house knocked like that. She turned around and was met with five or the six Sakamaki brothers. Who all had different expressions on their faces. "Yes Reji-san. How can I help you?" Before Reji could answer Kanato interrupted. Shoving his annoyed face into Yui's personal space.

"Why is (Name) so angry with us?!" Yui slightly flinched at the raising of his voice. Having grown mostly used to it by now. Yui groaned internally. She thought she had already told them she didn't know. "I already told you guys. I don't and wouldn't know why he's upset with you all." Apparently Kanato didn't like the answer.

"Who else would know then?! (Name) won't speak to us! So how are we supposed to fix the problem?!" Yui could already feel a headache coming. "Have you guys tried talking to him, or did you just shove gifts into his face?" Nobody said anything. Kanato was silent and carefully backed away and hugged his bear tightly.

Yui ran a hand down her face and sighed. "You guys are just. Look. (Name) is probably upset over what happened a few nights ago." The brothers stopped and tried remembering what would've happened in the past few days. Yui could scream right now with how oblivious these vampires could be.

"He tried dressing up. He even tied grooming himself for you guys?" The brothers made humming sounds. But of course they didn't know what the problem was. "Then why is he upset with us?" Yui face-palmed. "He got the brush stuck. Remember? You and Ayato pulled on the brush and Subaru had to help him groom. Then after that Reji lectured him. For trying to look good for you guys."

The brothers were silent. "If I was (Name) I'd be upset about that honestly." Multiple brothers nodded and teleported away leaving Yui to study. She prayed that she was correct or at least somewhat right about why (Name) was in the mood he was currently in. If not Yui truly wouldn't know.

Back in (Name)'s room, (Name) was just trying to nap now. He'd eaten the resh carrots Subaru had given him and he'd fallen asleep. Belly full and under the warm blankets of his comfy bed. That was until he heard knocking on his bedroom door. Now all the brothers knocked on his door. Well, except Laito. He would just teleport no matter the reason.

But each brother had a way of knocking, and the way the knocking sound, (Name) figured it'd be either Shuu or a tired Reji. (Name) groans and turns away from the door. He grabbed the extra pillow and threw it at the door. He didn't hear hear the pillow hit the door or floor and groaned again.

"Please leave. I want to be alone." (Name) felt the bed dip and an arm wrapping around him. "Shuu. Please. Leave me alone." Shuu said nothing but pulled him closer. (Name) huffed and tried to move away, but ultimately failed since he was weaker then the other. Although there was one thing he could do.

(Name) used his ear to smack the other. Making Shuu chuckle. "Naughty bun bun. Are you trying to get punished?" (Name) huffed again and tried to smack the male again, but with the other ear. Which sadly didn't work. Since Shuu had grabbed the ear and gave it a kiss. Making (Name) extremely flustered.

(Name) stopped moving and pouted. Shuu stared for a moment before sighing. "Now will you tell me why you're so upset with us?" (Name) huffed and tried getting away again. Making Shuu sigh again and turn (Name) towards him. Gently grabbing the hybrid's chin, Shuu looked directly into the others eyes.

(Name) silently stared into Shuu's dark blue eyes. They were (Name)'s favorite feature about the eldest Brother. (Name) swears he could stare into those deep blue ocean eyes for the rest of his life. The brothers eyes have always mesmerized him.

"(Name) you can stare into my eyes later. Now tell me whats wrong?" (Name) sighed and started playing with his ears. "Its stupid, but I'm upset about how you guys got upset with me last time. I just wanted to look good for you guys." Shuu deadpanned. "Are you serious?"

(Name) groaned and hid his face in Shuu's chest. "Stupid I know! But seriously! Everytime I try and do something myself I get lectured." Shuu went to retaliate but (Name) continued. "I try to groom myself? Lectured. I try to make my own food? Lectured. I try and do laundry? Lectured. I'm not helpless!"

Shuu flinched. (Name) wasn't exactly lying. His brothers didn't like (Name) doing stuff. They wanted to treat (Name) like a prince, but (Name) liked being independent. He didn't like people doihg stuff for him. He was dependent on himself and the most stubborn person they've ever known.

Shuu sighed. "I'll talk to them. Just rest right now okay?" Shuu ran his fingers through (Name)'s hair. Massaging his ears lightly. It didn't take long for (Name) to fall asleep. A few minutes later more footsteps sounded in the room. Shuu carefully looked over his shoulder. Seeing his other brothers.

Kanato stepped forward and carefully brushed (Name)'s hair from his face. "So he's upset with us, because he thinks we're too controlling basically." Shuu didn't answer them only hugging (Name) closer and closed his eyes. The brothers roll their eyes. "Hey deadbeat." Shuu didn't react. "Thanks for talking to (Name) I guess."

Reji teleported away first. The others slowly following. Shuu opened an eye and huffed. "Whatever Butler-chan." Shuu smirked and played his mp3. Removing a ear bud so (Name) could hear the music too. He kissed (Name)'s forehead and sighed softly.

[ox-imagines]

Tokyo Debunker as Romance Tropes

Feel free to ask me to write a longer imagine/oneshot for any of these!

Pt. 5 | Hotarubi

Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 | Pt. 4 | Pt. 6 | Pt. 7

Subaru - Boy Next Door

Subaru’s family moved in next door to yours one summer, much to the excitement of many of the girls at your school. He's always polite about their attention, but gets shy very easily, and is quiet in class. He excels in everything he does, other than socialization. You finally approach him walking home from the bus one day, introducing yourself. He seems startled and a bit nervous when you speak to him, as if expecting you to be like the girls at school who fawn over him, but he relaxes once he realizes you’re just trying to be friendly. You start hanging out with him more, finding him to be just as sweet as he seems and actually quite passionate to match. The girls at school have mixed reactions to your spending time with him. Some are a bit

jealous, some seem disappointed, some congratulate you on being someone who could finally catch his attention. You try to explain that you‘re just friends and eventually the buzz dies down some. As time passes, you start to see him a bit differently. You ignore it, because how could one possibly not feel affection toward such a sweet, gentle boy? Unfortunately those feelings come to a head when one of your classmates asks him to a school dance and, not wanting to upset anyone, he accepts her invitation. You feel sick when he tells you, but you smile and nod and congratulate him. You don’t tell him you weren’t going to go. The night of the dance, he comes back a little after ten, coming over to your house. Your parents let him in and let him go up to your room. You’re surprised to find it was him who knocked on your door; the dance didn’t end until 11, what was he doing back early? Besides, you look a mess, your pajamas on and your eyes a bit puffy from crying over him. He immediately asks what's wrong and ushers you back over to your bed, sitting with you, then reveals that he left the dance early because it ‘didn’t feel right.’

“I missed you tonight, you should’ve been there. Can, can I kiss you?”

Haku - Best Friend's Brother

You grew up alongside your best friend, and her brother Haku. He’s a year or so older than your friend and always friendly with you both, playing with you when you were younger, though he seemed more distant and busy with his own friends the older he got. As you both grew up, you couldn’t deny how exceedingly gorgeous he is, growing out and dying his hair, his lithe frame filling out. He finally had the looks to match the smooth mouth he’d always had. You weren’t aware, but he finds that you’ve grown up well too. When he graduates the year before you and leaves for school, you’re left feeling a little sadder than you expected. You keep tabs on his social media posts, a part of you wishing you were with him. Eventually though, you’re swept up with exams and your own graduation preparations. Before you know it, you’re out of school and Haku’s home for the summer. In almost no time, you somehow find yourself in a somewhat… compromised position with him in your game room while both your families were just upstairs. After all the times you’ve imagined this, though, you can’t really complain.

“I hope you know you’re not just some summer fling to me. With that said, though, please don’t tell my sister? Not yet, at least?”

Zenji - Falling in Love with the Wrong Person

Zenji is a creative, romantic soul, and manages to see the best in everyone. Even when he’s worried, he can find the good in almost any situation. He’s got a heart of gold. That’s where you come in. You think he’s a great guy, and he quickly falls head over heels for you. Unfortunately, love isn’t the only thing a relationship needs to hold it together. You sometimes have trouble understanding Zenji and his interests and his unique ways, and you don’t always find it easy to communicate your own problems with him, despite him trying his best to be a good listener for you. You do try to put in the effort to keep your relationship for a while, but it wears on you. Zenji, on the other hand, tries to stay optimistic. He does everything in his power to patch up the issues between you, refusing to see them simply as differences between the two of you instead of problems that can be fixed. He tries to be everything you want and need, ignoring the emotional strain it’s putting on him. It only makes it harder on you; you can see what he’s doing, and the effect it has on him, but it makes you love him more in an albeit guilty sense. You have a man who’d move mountains for you if he could, but you can’t find it in you to be who he needed. Your love and genuine appreciation for him makes it hurt all the more to end things, but it’s also why you know you can’t just hold onto him like this and watch him tear himself apart anymore.

“I’m not sure I understand, my dear. Is there something I’ve done? Was it something I didn’t do? Please, dearest, I’m certain I can fix this, let me fix us.”

[animeyanderelover]

Anon: If I may, my request is about Soo won (Akatsuki no Yona), Akutagawa and Chuuya (Bungo Stray Dogs), Floch and Eren (Attack on Titan), Sai and Shikamaru (Naruto), Shu and Subaru (Diabolik lovers), all seperate, with an unbothered reader who's stronger than them physically and has a noble and powerful background even though she's illegitimate she's very much loved by her stepmother and half-siblings anyway, her family, personal servants and few friends are very supportive and caring, and she received a great upbringing and pretty much was free to try and learn anything (as long as not too dangerous from when she was like under 12), so she's also on the very strong side physically and intellectually enriched while having multiple skills. After the kidnapping, she turn out to know it all but didn't mind and she could've always found a way to avoid it but she just didn't as she also have feelings for the yandere and already informed her family and friends she won't be there for a pretty long while and to just ignore it, she's very confident in herself and great at communicating when uncomfortable without touching the wrong nerves of the yandere and just enjoy her time with the yandere finely, her only big NOs is threats or actions against people she care about, physical violence on her, hiding things after the "kidnapping" already happened and unnecessary killings of strangers because of her.

Tags: @shumidehiro @swagenemyartisan @cachamata @chxxz @leveyani @izanami78

Tw: Yandere themes, possessive behavior, obsession, delusional mindset, protective behavior, paranoia, clinginess, stalking, guilt-tripping, isolation, abduction

I can handle you

Nara Shikamaru

🦌​He didn't always like you. If Shikamaru would have to be honest there was a brief period during his childhood where he held the belief that you would be arrogant and spoiled due to your rich upbringing. Luckily his father quickly taught him better as he told his son that he shouldn't judge a person before getting to know them better. Only after he took the words of his father to heart did Shikamaru actually realise that he had been wrong about you. Because he recognised a similar mindset in other children that he used to have whilst observing you. Children were either avoiding you since they were scared of your noble background or tried to cosy up to you to bask in your wealth only to talk behind your back since it wasn't actually you they were interested in. He doesn't see himself as a hero yet back then he couldn't help but stand up for you, a naive gesture considering that you were more than capable of doing this yourself. Nevertheless though, it was this action he took that led the two of you to become very close friends over the following years. It isn't always easy with you due to your many hobbies that you insist him to join you but he does it still because he wants to spend time with you.

🦌​Shikamaru's obsession is in a similar fashion almost as lazy as he is. It takes time for his feelings to escalate to the point of a real obsession yet being a childhood friend of yours is a good precondition for it to happen. That is when some problems arise that previous weren't there simply because he has such feelings for you now. He used to not mind that you were always busy with training or doing your hobbies because he knew you'd still make time for him. Now the absence actually bothers him and no one is more annoyed by the sudden change of feelings than Shikamaru himself. It's plainly speaking silly and embarrassing that such things now bother him when they didn't in the past. Everything about his feelings has to be carefully concealed when he is in front of you, especially because of your family. Deep down he starts despising just how much troubles he finds himself in simply because your family is so important. He has a feeling that they wouldn't be too thrilled if he were to ask them for your hand in marriage and his frustration partially ends in him slipping up, subtle words meant to influence you. Your sharp mind sadly always catches on, forcing him to cover his slipup up.

🦌​There are a lot of things he needs to consider whilst planning for an abduction, specifically because your family is influential and important. Shikamaru spends months carefully putting everything together and then can only patiently wait until you finally leave the compound of your clan and give him the best chance to abduct you. Only to find out later on that you had a feeling that he would do something like this but decided to let it happen anyways because you also love him. There are a lot of things he could reply to that yet the only thing he can manage is a groan. Seriously? Couldn't you have told him that sooner? Do you even know how many hours he spent crafting this plan? Shikamaru finds himself neither particularly surprised nor shocked about this revelation though. It is after all just like you to pull off something like this. Now that the cat is out of the back though he sees no reason to keep any secrets anymore which ends in both of you having a long discussion about how things should proceed between the two of you now, something that feels more diplomatic than it should be considering the content of the talk yet both of you come to an agreement.

Sai

🖌️Sai has done his fair share of bloody work whilst working for Root and it is actually through a mission that he was tasked with that he met you. Danzo had gazed upon your family with growing dislike as your clan spoke up against some of Konoha's unsavory incidents and mistakes, something that caused the leader of Root to consider you a threat. At the same time it was undeniable that the support and influence of your family was too important to lose, meaning that Danzo needed a bait to ensure that your family would continue giving their support and benefitting Konoha as a result. That's how Sai was tasked with watching over you, the illegitimate heir of the family who was still very much beloved. If things were to turn to worse and your clan would consider breaking off any relationship with the village Sai would take you as a hostage to ensure that everything would proceed as it had done for the last few decades. Even Sai must admit though that it was remarkably difficult to keep a constant eye out on you. Not only because you were well-guarded but also because sometimes he had an intuition that you knew that he was watching you, your gaze lingering in the direction he was hiding.

🖌️He spends a remarkable amount of time keeping an eye on you, following you from the shadows as you go on with your days. You are very skilled in taijutsu, genjutsu and weaponry as far as he can observe which leads him to start analysing your abilities so that he can counter them if Danzo should give him the order to capture you. He watches you and watches you and watches you until he knows everything about you, can fluently inform someone of your schedule throughout the entire week and knows you better than he has known everyone else in his life, even himself. Unaware to even himself he has grown an obsessive fascination with you, one Danzo takes note of when Sai ends up rambling about you whilst giving his report as he drifts off and just starts telling the old man about everything that he noticed about you that week and about little quirks of yours that fascinate him. He's especially fond of the fact that you have taken a liking to drawing, has watched you countless times in the past either doodling something idly on paper or spend hours painstakingly painting something on canvas. Sai himself has mutliple sketches featuring you, all capturing moments you fascinated him.

🖌️Root is the last restrain that keeps him from abducting you so when Danzo is killed by Sasuke there are no chains holding him back anymore. By now Sai has also realised what this funny feeling in his chest is that he constantly experiences when he does as much as thinking about you. His time in team 7 has opened his eyes and Sakura especially has done a good job explaining to him what this sensation in his chest is. So this is love. It isn't like him to rush things, especially since he is still unfamiliar with love but when you leave your clan to travel he knows that this is a chance too good to miss. He wants to show you though that he is no stranger though you have never met him before so he makes sure to hang up all of the sketches he made of you over the years in the room he takes you in as soon as you are abducted. You handle the situation incredibly well though, handle Sai very well. He just stares at you with his black eyes as you list to him what you will and won't tolerate, the scenario familiar to him as it reminds him of someone giving him orders for a mission which makes it easier for him to understand. He accepts the conditions though as you promise to stay with him.

Eren Yeager

👊​Eren meets you during his time in the Survey Corps as you and your family reside in Wall Sina. You have been fairly isolated from the life behind the walls you lived in as your family always thought that they were better than other commoners. When Historia is crowned Queen and a lot of nobles are stripped of their reputation for being involved with the impostor king you are spared as you offer your honest support for the new Queen as well as the other Survey Corps. You're talented and gifted, everything Eren doesn't believe he is yet you possess such a curiosity of the world outside that almost overwhelms him at times. It reminds him too much of his younger self and the innocence he has lost over the years. Nevertheless he indulges you and tells you stories. Initially he leaves out everything that he wish he wouldn't have seen yet you quickly realise that he is hiding things from you and call him out for it. You want to know the truth after all. You have been sheltered enough. That surprises him but eventually he does as you wish, realising that he was just trying to hide you from knowledge and a burden he sometimes wishes he wouldn't have been loaded with.

👊​Over the years Eren starts trauma-dumping when he is around you. Some of his worries he just feels like he can't share with even Armin and Mikasa yet around you he can. He never explicitly states what is plaguing his mind but you never push him to tell you the entire truth either as you just listen to him and then comfort him in a way you knows works perfectly for him. Maybe that is why he finds himself seeking you out more and more whenever he feels his soul being tormented by the visions that he sees and the knowledge that he can't share with anyone. You're able to put him at ease in ways no one else is able to do and since he has a lot of stuff on his mind he starts searching for you more and more often. He longs for your voice and your gentle touch until it eventually becomes an obsession. He's agitated when he doesn't know where you are and one day without being in your embrace greatly affects his mood and only enhances the silent stress he is feeling. He starts to get controlling, asks the Yeagerists to keep an eye out on you so that you are always well protected. He knows you are capable of fighting yet paranoia outweights any logic he possesses.

👊​The thing that ultimately breaks him is when he starts catching glimpses of the future where you are with him. A path that is shaky and delicate, visions that are like smoke as he is unable to properly grasp them. Eren knows that he doesn't have much time left but he desperately longs for that future that he sometimes sees but if it won't happen by itself he will force this path to appear. That is how you soon find yourself locked away by Yeagerists who keep a sharp eye on you. Eren is fully prepared to push down any guilty feelings when he steps into the room, prepared to appear as determined and cold-hearted. It is your confession of not only having expected this to happen but also of your own feelings that shatters that ruthless facade. You know him far too well to let yourself get fooled by his cruel appearance and perhaps that is why he clings so much to you. You see the vulnerable boy beneath the Titan. Eren expected that he would have to calm you down and even intimidate you so you wouldn't throw too much of a scene yet it ends up being the complete opposite. You end up calming him down as he is the one clinging to you and begging silently for comfort.

Floch Forster

🟫​Floch initially just despises you. After all you are just a spoiled and naive little thing that knows nothing about the struggles people like him had to go through so that your noble arse would be safely protected. Yet you have the utter trust of Queen Historia which leaves him with little to no choice but to tolerate your presence. Nevertheless, he throws a lot of shade your way only for you to reply with an equal amount of sass back which does surprise him a lot. He expected you to be offended or not know how to reply but you are very much capable of standing up for yourself which is something he begrudgingly accepts and maybe even admires. Still, he avoids you a lot due to his dislike. That is until he starts seeing and realising what you are capable of. You're smart, skilled and even know how to properly use an ODM gear despite having never been part of the Military. How do you know how to use one of those? That is when he finds out that you have always been allowed to train in a lot of different areas and that you are not just a weak and spoiled noble but a courageous and talented lady whose assistance is desperately needed for the future of Paradise Island.

🟫​That is when he starts to get jealous. In a way Floch feels undermined, something he absolutely despises. You're probably underestimating him, especially if you were to find out just how much of a coward he used to be back in the days. None of that is true but it is in his head. He doesn't avoid you anymore but instead starts actively seeking you out. He needs to have you stop underestimating him, needs you to acknowledge him or needs to simply find one single flaw that he can target to elevate his own ego. Yet even the flaws he discovers and targets you carry with dignity he could only dream of possessing and all of it slowly drives him mad. He's obsessed already with you, constantly bothers you and follows you around like a creep yet no one can tell him to stop. Perfect. You are far too perfect. How can one single woman be so utterly perfect? You are everything he should aspire to be, everything anyone should hope to be and it is this gradual realisation that is the last push he needs to spiral down the rabbit hole of obsession. Now more than ever he is desperate for approval and acknowledgement yet internalised self-doubt of his own still lets him believe that you secretly hate him.

🟫​As someone who is essentially the leader of the Yeagerists Floch uses the brooding mood that arises within the population of Paradise Island as the conflict unfolds to capture you. After all you are on your own as most nobles who were in power during the reign of the fake king are imprisoned and despised by the overall public. Now he finally has a chance to talk to you, to get you to see him as more than a loser. You should side with him. He can protect you, he knows how the mind of the larger crowd works. In his mind he has prepared a speech already yet you just have to shatter his plans when you nonchalantly admit that not only you knew of his plans but that you also love him even if he is quite a nasty person and that you never got a chance to tell him since he never listened to you properly. Floch is dumbfounded to the point where he stays silent for a solid minute before he starts laughing. He refuses to believe that what you just said is the truth. Because if it would be he would only cement himself further as a fool in his own eyes and would only feel secretly more insecure when in your presence. God, sometimes he despises just how smart and perfect you are.

Sakamaki Shu

🎵Illegitimate or not, your family is one of immense power and influence which gains the attention of his cursed father. Karlheinz shows an interest in your family and especially in you even though you are an illegitimate child. From a very young age on he suggests that perhaps one of his sons should be your husband in later years and Beatrix instantly grabs the chance as soon as she perceives it. Whenever your family is visiting she forces Shu to tag along with her and introduces him to your parents and to you as well. The boy is meticulously tidied up on such occasions as his mother has cleaned him and dressed him up properly, constantly reminding him to be on his best behavior in front of your family. For Shu none of it has ever been fun as he had never interest in being engaged forcefully even though he didn't hate you per se. It is after the death of his dear friend that he completely retreats within himself, his heart growing colder. The words and pleads of his mother to charm you and to prove himself as a good choice of a future husband fall on deaf ears as he doesn't care anymore. He just wants to be left alone. He doesn't care about an arranged marriage or about you.

🎵As if sensing that something is wrong with him, you suddenly start seeking him out a tad bit more without overwhelming him. Shu ususally either ignores you or tells you bluntly that he doesn't want any company and even though you feel like leaving him alone with his sorrow is wrong, initially you respect his wishes. After all you yourself don't know what the proper way to consult him is and until you have figured that out you decide to give him some time. She just appreciates that you left him alone at all. Until one day you suddenly appear again, this time though you carry a violin with you. It does gain you a lazy look from him before he closes his eyes again but he has given you a moment of attention and hasn't told you off either so you see this as a sign to continue. You're still new to playing violin as it is something that you have only recently picked up so you mess up a few tunes yet you still sense somehow that Shu is listening in. He doesn't say anything the first few times when you repeat this process but one day eventually he actually stands up when you are done with your play and asks if he can borrow your violin. You've gotten a few notes wrong. Listen to him playing so you don't get it wrong again.

🎵You know in that moment that you have won him over and from that day on those sessions continue. Initially it always involves a violin or sometimes also a piano as the two of you start playing together. With passing time sometimes he just listens to music together with you whilst sharing an earphone with you or he just simply listens to you as you tell him what is going on with your life. This has been going on for decades, decades in which he started thinking about being your husband in a less negative light, especially whenever his other brothers try to get under his skin and mock him that they might try to become your husband in the future. He sees a future with you, only with you and away from the chaos of the mansion he is living in. That's why he lures you away to the countryside into a cottage, hoping for peace with you in this small house. Much to his relief you have a very calm reaction to it all and he can only give you an amused huff when you inform him that you expected him to try something like this for a while now. You know-it-all. You could have saved him all the effort if you would have just taken the lead sooner and confessed your feelings to him.

Sakamaki Subaru

⬜Subaru has spent more time watching you from a window than actually being right next to you. Whilst all of his other half-brothers were allowed to play with you and get to know you he was kept away from you as if he were a dangerous dog that might bite you. As a young child this mainly just saddened him as he had secretly hoped to be your friend. After all you always looked so happy and pretty whilst playing with the triplets or listening to Reiji when he told you something interesting. As the years passed that sadness grew into bitterness though. You probably wouldn't even want to meet him even if you had the chance. Who would want to be friends with a monster after all? At one point he stops looking through the window, stops admiring you from a distance to not torment himself anymore. As if sensing his growing anguish though that is when you one day appear right in front of him whilst he is sitting alone in the garden of the mansion. He's far too surprised to say anything as he just stares at you but it is the careful question of yours if he's alright or not that frees him from his trance. He stands up and abruptly leaves, tells you harshly that he doesn't want you to follow him.

⬜​He regrets it later that night that he spoke to you so rudely. Subaru just didn't know what else he should have said in that moment. Maybe it's better that way though. Now you at least have seen the real him and will probably ignore him from now on. Only that it never happens. Instead you start to search for him and his dead heart always leaps in his chest when he sees you waving to him whilst he's staring at you through the windows. Loneliness eventually gets the better of him and when all his other brothers are gone he seeks you out. He's awkward, doesn't know how to act around you and at times that leads to him saying something rude yet you are never scared or angry around him. You understand that he has probably had his fair share of terrible experiences in this family and always keep that in mind when he lashes out. You're the first friend Subaru has ever had and he quickly grows attached and protective. He's terrified that one day you might change your opinion and see him as nothing more as a brute, fears that you may prefer one of his other brothers over him and abandon him for them. It should be no surprise that those feelings bloom into a romantic obsession.

⬜​It is when he is informed from Reji that your family considers choosing one of them as your husband that Subaru ultimately falls victim to his paranoia though. After all why would your parents choose him? They will probably choose someone like Reiji who is educated and sophisticated. He's going to lose you after all those years now, isn't he? There is barely a grand plan that Subaru forms. He just one day drags you away with him, as far away from the Sakamaki mansion as he can whilst keeping a tight grip on you. Both of you eventually stop in the middle of nowhere and that is when you finally decide to talk to him. You already have a very good idea what his motives are and your suspicions are confirmed when he lashes out with his overwhelmed emotions. He doesn't want to lose you, especially not to one of his brothers. You're all he ever had. He would have never expected you to confess that you have feelings for him as well, after all he was always told that he was nothing more than a monster. He doesn't believe you either when you tell him that you have feelings for him, thinking that you're just trying to calm him down. If you're not lying though, he'll try. He'll try for you.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke

⬛️It is quite risky to work as closely with Akutagawa as you do. He has a reputation for being aggressive, easily angered and prone to using violence to the point where not even the current leader of the Port Mafia has full control over him. You are very focused on doing what you are supposed to do though and it isn't like you don't know who he is when you specifically ask for Akutagawa's help. Your family has some good ties with the Port Mafia after all which is why Mori isn't opposed to offering you some help when you inform him that you need one of his men to take care of a problem or two. Akutagawa just seems like the right guy to you when you are offered different options and Mori doesn't question your decision too much as he knows that you are pretty good in assessing a situation and making the decision needed. Other people are quite cautious around Akutagawa and you can't blame them. He isn't exactly the most friendly person there is but he's here to get a job done and you acknowledge that. It takes you a little bit before you have figured out what the best way to handle him is but after that luckily you are able to communicate well enough with him.

⬛️The two of you spend a lot of time together and more than just once you have to stop him from acting on impulse. He can't just storm in after all, a little bit of planning is always needed. Despite your position Akutagawa treats you quite rudely when he is mad and somehow you find that quite amusing. It's not everyday that someone gives you such an attitude after all. The relationship between the two of you is somewhat strained but it still works. Until one day you happen to get into a tricky situation and whilst Akutagawa would have saved you, you decide to take care of the situation yourself and that is when he feels for the first time something akin to respect for you. After all not only are you calculated and smart but are also very capable of fighting for yourself. You're strong... Why does this bother him so much though? Unbeknownst to him his feelings have already started shifting and with this arises a fear that you might never fully acknowledge him if he isn't strong enough. It is a fear he last experienced with Dazai only that this time it escalates even further as his obsession grows and festers within his soul.

⬛️Akutagawa is just itching to prove himself which ultimately leads him to abandon the plan you made as he just slaughters everyone he is supposed to target brutally and by the time you arrive the bloodbath is already over. Your mild disappointment almost makes him nauseous when you see the scene in front of you. It is when you decide that he has done his job and that he should return to the Port Mafia that Akutagawa snaps. You're just sending him away as if he's worth nothing to you. He won't allow you to deprive him of acknowledgement and respect like this. Everyone else would be terrified when faced with the sight of him enraged, Rashomon activated and towering over them yet you remain quite calm. Somehow this adds only salt to the wound as it feels like you aren't even acknowledging just how terrifying his ability is. He doesn't want to admit that he has feelings for you even when you point it out to him but he does react when you admit that you have feelings for him, a look of disbelief crossing his face as he analyses you closely to figure out if you're lying to him or not. He loathes this situation as it is as he hates that you are the one with control in this situation.

Nakahara Chuuya

🟠​Chuuya and you meet whilst your family discusses a possible partnership with the Port Mafia. You have quite the target on your back, not only as the heir of the family but also because not everyone is too fond of you as you are an illegitimate child so Chuuya is actually there for additional protection. You don't mind too much since he is charming and sweet. It does annoy you a bit though that he follows you wherever you go though you know that he has his orders and that an important partnership is on the line here, meaning that consequences would be grave if he were to let something happen to you. Whilst it isn't pleasant it isn't something you aren't used to either as you have grown up with bodyguards surrounding you. You're just hoping that Chuuya won't be as strict as some of your bodyguards and you seem to have struck gold with him when you discover that a bit of begging and pretty eyes seem to do it for him. If the pretty lady wants to enjoy her time in Yokohama he'll see it through that he fulfills you your wish though you still have to promise him to stay close to him. Other than that Chuuya just allows you to have a great time in the city.

🟠​You visit the Port Mafia a lot even after the partnership has been formed simply to get out of your home for a bit and every time Chuuya is assigned to keep an eye on you. At this point the both of you know each other quite well and Chuuya sometimes even jokes that at this point you're just hanging out with him for fun and not because you actually require his protection. He's seen you in action before and he won't lie, his ego was slightly let down when he figured out that he couldn't play hero for you but he's just made sure to turn his flattery up a few notches since then. He loves buying you something as soon as it catches your eye even though you could easily effort it by yourself, insisting that he would like to do at least something for you and he always invites you to dinner with him in expensive restaurants. He's not one to deny what is obvious. Chuuya knows that he has fallen in love with you more than he should have but he can't blame himself for it whenever he looks at you. He just wishes that he could do more and provide for you than he can do now. After all you have already everything many people could only dream of, meaning that he has to impress you all the more.

🟠​It's quite likely that the abduction has a more dire background considering the position and the importance that you have. Chuuya can't just simply abduct you after all, not when you are part of the family that his boss works with. Maybe someone did manage to almost get to you and actually injured you, something that would cause Chuuya to act for a short amount of time on his paranoia more than his logic. After all he is a highly protective man. That's probably how you wind up in his house all whilst he is fussing over your wounds before you manage to calm him down enough for him to sit down and listen. It's after he has slightly calmed down that he winds up confessing to you that he can't bear the thought of something happening to you because he loves you and that all he wants is to protect you. This isn't how he had planned things to go, he wanted to properly court you and win your heart over instead of sloppily blurting his feelings out whilst sitting on a couch. He's frustrated and angry with the situation as well as himself until you decide to follow his example and confess to him as well, promising to inform your family that you'll be gone for a while until he's calmed down.

Soo-Won

👑​The Kouka Kingdom welcomes the arrival of your family with high hopes and expectations as you are ambassadors of a neighbouring kingdom with which the current king hopes to form an alliance as the other option would be one of conflict and maybe even war. You are also allowed to travel along as your father feels like it is important for you to get a real taste of what diplomacy is after he has taught you years about strategies, tactics and everything you need to know when you eventually take over his role. Soo-Won and you both share the same thought when spotting each other for the first time when your family is greeted into his palace. Both of you think that the other one doesn't look like too much of a threat but at the same time both of you can't help but feel that there is much more than either of you can see on the surface. You can't help but think that there is a dark determination hidden beneath that soft and fragile appearance and Soo-Won can't help but feel like you could be much more dangerous than you look. It is a keen intuition about each other that both of you share and during the banquet held in the evening both of you keep on glancing at each other.

👑​What follows is a carefully concealed game of cat and mouse only that is remains unclear who is the cat and who is the mouse. Soo-Won seeks you out and converses with you, questions you how you like it in Kouka and that if you experience any discomfort you can tell him. He uses his carefree and somewhat oblivious personality in an attempt for you to let your guard down yet you remain cautious with the information you reveal. Slightly frustrating but also much more exhilarating in return. In some aspects you remind him of himself as you are very reserved when it comes to revealing too much about yourself. As underhanded of a strategy as it might be, at one point he attempts to crack your facade by subtly bringing up the topic of you being an illegitimate child only to be left even more impressed by you when you hold your head high and masterfully answer the question only for you to return the blow as you question him about his own father, especially the crimes he committed. You are a dangerous player on this field, Soo-Won realises that much yet at the same time he can't help but be drawn to you for some reason. It is almost ironic that despite his intelligence he knows so little about love.

👑​When Soo-Won finally realises that he has fallen in love with you, because someone pointed it out to him, he isn't as surprised as he thought he would be. After all it is hard not to fall for a sharp-minded and talented beauty like you. His mind is quickly made up to claim you as his. He could attempt to write your father and ask for your hand in marriage yet he wonders if you have noticed his feelings for you, is curious how you would react if he were to expose his darker side to you. It is this eerie curiosity that leads him to lure you to his bedchambers before locking the door and ordering the guards to not let you out. Any kindness vanishes from his face as he observes you like a hawk, trying to detect any sign of fear on your face or in your body language only to be met with composure and confidence. He can't say that he hates it though, especially once you confirm his suspicion and admit that you knew about his feelings before even he himself was aware of it. You appeal to him though that there is no need for any casualties for he can have an alliance with your kingdom as well as you for you also love him. Looking at you he knows you're going to be his greatest enemy as well as the best Queen.

[acealonsowrites]

Subaru Mini Fic

My first official post on Tumblr AHH! So, true to my bio, I am a writer but I've never written fan fiction so please bear with me. I've been playing Tokyo Debunker for about a month or so now and I've had some headcanons and fic ideas just itching at my brain that I can no longer suppress. So I'll stop my yapping and let y'all get on to the story.

Pairing: MC/Reader x Subaru Kagami

Tags: SFW. Slight-ish(?) angst, misunderstanding, Subaru's all-around oblivious. Sorta mean Frostheim gen students. Ends in fluff.

Summary: When Subaru receives a confession letter asking him to meet up in person, all signs point to it being from you. Unsure of his feelings, Haku and Zenji encourage him to go for it, but will you be the one to show up at the Ethereal Spring?

It was another misty day in Hotarubi when you set foot into the all-too-familiar Japanese garden. The rain lightly dusted your face as you made your way to the front steps. You hadn't actually expected to visit Hotarubi today so your umbrella was still tucked away into some forgotten corner of your closet. Upon entering, you were met with a few lingering general students. They took the time to bow and greet you properly before going about their day, most likely on their way to their afternoon classes. You finally caught sight of the vice-captain, Haku, standing in the corridor right in front of what you had come to know as the reception room. His slitted eyes met yours, clearly as surprised to see you as you were to be there. He waved you over, opening the door to the reception room and waiting for you to walk in.

"Ah, MC. I didn't know you were coming over today. Is it another mission or did you just miss me?" He wordlessly handed you a towel, ushering you to sit down and dry yourself. His hands worked fast to prepare tea and sweets for the both of you. You ruffled through your bag, so focused on finding that envelope you missed Haku's question. "So, what brings you to Hotarubi, MC," he tried once more for your attention.

"Oh, sorry," you apologized as you finally felt your hands graze a papery texture far thicker than the other slips of discarded mission assignments and study guides that were scattered along your bag. "Mail delivery!"

Haku stared at the letter in your hands as he set two plates in front of you, one holding your tea and the other Haku's sweet pick of the day which happened to resemble the mochi he had served you on your first day at Hotarubi. "Seriously? They're really making you work hard, huh? I didn't realize that was part of your job as inspector."

"Neither did I," you said as an aside, "but this wasn't a Darkwick assignment. More like a general student pulled me aside to do this for her. I don't remember for sure but I think she was from Frostheim...," you trailed off as you took a bite of the mochi, a slight hint of caramel entering your mouth. "This is delicious, Haku, thank you! Anyways, where's Zenji and Subaru? I was sure my entrance would be accompanied by the sound of a biwa."

Haku leaned his chin on his hand, his elbow propped on the table in front of his own teacup. "Subaru should be somewhere around here, probably in his room, but I've already sent him a message on WickChat to let him know you're here. I'm sure he's rushing to come greet you as we speak. As for Zenji, I haven't seen him in about an hour but I remember him saying something about going to the lake for some inspiration. So, who's the letter for?" He pointed at the blank envelope, now resting near your hand. You paused, wracking your brain for a second.

"Oh! I was in such a rush to get here I forgot to address it. But, if I remember correctly, it's for Subaru."

Just then, Subaru opened the door to the reception room. Unlike your first time in Hotarubi, the captain was wearing his Darkwick uniform. You were pretty sure he must have had morning classes. "Oh good, MC, you're still here. I was afraid I'd miss you." You exchanged bows as he sat across from you next to Haku. After watching him politely accept Haku's offer for tea, you perked up and handed him the letter.

"Here you go, Subaru. This letter's for you."

"Thank you, MC. May I ask who it's from?"

At this, you froze. Your hands idly cradled your teacup before bringing it to your lips. "This is a bit embarrassing but I didn't actually get her name. In my defense, it didn't really seem like she wanted to tell me, but still, I have no excuse, I'm sorry." You bowed your head, feeling a small blush spreading through your cheeks. "I can at least tell you that it was a general student from Frostheim, though."

"Please, don't apologize. I'm sure I can figure out who it's from. Thank you for bringing it to me, MC." The actor's eyes flitted across your face, hesitating before his next words. "I really admire how hard you're working. Not just for Darkwick or us ghouls, but the general students too. I just hope you're taking care of yourself. You really shouldn't be coming to Hotarubi without an umbrella." He pointed to the towel around your neck. Your hair was still noticeably damp from the rain.

You smiled and stood up just as Haku returned with Subaru's tea. Haku gently took the towel from around your neck and started stroking your hair with it, his thumbs lightly massaging your temple. "There, see? She'll be fine." He smiled at his captain, who returned it with a shy gaze of his own, before turning to you. "But he is kinda right, you know? You've got to put yourself first sometimes."

"I know, Haku, thank you." You waited for him to finish rustling your hair until he took back the towel, resting it on his forearm. "I should really get going, though. Please tell Zenji I say hi." With that, you gathered your stuff and moved to leave.

"Wait, please, MC!" You looked back at Subaru as he was rushing to stand up. "Please take my umbrella."

"I appreciate the offer, Subaru, but then I'd have to bring two on my next visit." You rubbed your neck sheepishly, a small grin on your face as you assessed his worry.

"Then you can keep it! Really, I have too many. And I don't want you getting sick with the rain. Please." His velvety eyes stared into yours, a small plea hidden in them. Something inside you told you he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Very well, then. Thank you, Subaru. But I insist on bringing it back to you." He clearly noted your own stubbornness, humming in a hesitant understanding.

"By the way, I'm having lunch with Lyca tomorrow. Would you like to join us? We're planning to order at Sho's and eat at the terrace so you could meet us at the food truck. Or, sorry, of course you can get whatever you want if you feel like getting something at the campus store or the cafeteria and meet us at the terrace instead. Or would you prefer eating elsewhere?"

You decided to cut his rambling short, knowing that it would probably continue otherwise, and smiled at him. "Subaru, it's okay. I'd love to have lunch with you and Lyca. I'll meet you at Sho's."

The brunette gazed at you with wide eyes before smiling back at you, bowing his head. "Thank you." You weren't sure why he was thanking you. And to be completely honest, you didn't think he knew either. Nevertheless you accepted it with a nod and left.

"Well, that was something," Haku said as Subaru reclaimed his seat next to him. The actor sighed wistfully, taking a sip of his tea.

"I hope they get back okay."

Haku sized him up with a playful smirk. "You want to open that letter now? The suspense is killing me."

Subaru looked down to where the envelope sat at the table, taking it into his gloved hands. He carefully slid his thumb under the envelopes seal, opening it without a tear. He looked back up at his vice-captain through his lashes. "Are you just going to watch me read it?"

"Yep, pretty much."

With that, Subaru took the letter out, his eyes scanning the sheet and his cheeks burning more and more with every word he read. Haku assessed Subaru's reaction, the actor shrinking back ever-so-slightly with evident shyness. By the time he was done reading, Subaru was completely avoiding Haku's gaze, his hand coming up to cover his face.

"Oh? Now this is getting interesting. What was in that letter, Subaru?"

"Oh, heavens!" A voice came booming from behind Subaru. "Well, I do say love is in the air! Two hearts blossoming on the branch of destiny!"

Subaru looked over his shoulder just as Zenji had finished reading the letter. The taller man bolstered, prancing about with his hands to his chest.

"Ah, there you are Zenji," Haku said.

"My heart swells with the deepest joy for you, my friend. Now tell me, who is this person whom you've thoroughly ensnared with your charm."

"Well unless it says it in the actual letter, MC said they didn't get the girl's name." Haku took a sip of his tea, enjoying the scene before him as Zenji's eccentricity was beginning to overwhelm an embarrassed Subaru.

"Our dear honor student was here and nobody cared to tell me?! Oh-" Zenji paused in thought, uncharacteristically silent as the other two watched him intently. Suddenly, he raised his hands in the air, his tone impossibly more flowery than before. "I get it now! What better stroke of inspiration than two of your dearest friends falling in love! Subaru, you have my full support in this new courtship with our lovely MC!"

Subaru's cheeks, tinted a graceful pink, began to burn hotter at Zenji's implication. "Excuse me, Zenji, but what do you mean? MC just came to deliver it."

Haku let out a pensive hum. "You know, I didn't even think about that but..."

"Haku, you don't really think that this is from MC, do you?" The actor now cupped his face with both hands, this new possibility running through his mind.

"Would you mind if I read the letter?" With that, Subaru handed the paper over to his vice-captain. Haku skimmed it before looking back at the brunette assuredly. "Just as I thought, no name on the actual note." Subaru nodded as Haku stroked his chin in thought, his eyebrows scrunching above his slitted eyes. "And they want you to meet them tomorrow at the Ethereal Spring for a proper confession..."

"So, do you think it could be MC?" Subaru questioned.

"It's very likely. They could have made up a cover-up story about a general student. Maybe they were too shy to claim ownership over it in front of me. They clearly want to meet you alone tomorrow." Haku watched Subaru avert his eyes once more, a frown shining through a crack between his hands. "How would you feel if it was MC? Or I guess a better question would be: how do you feel about MC?"

The actor's eyes drooped, closing for a second before responding, "I...I don't know."

"Oh poor thing, they'll be heartbroken if you reject them. But I suppose it cannot be helped if you do not feel the same," Zenji spoke up once more.

"Reject?" Subaru looked to Zenji quizzically. That thought hadn't really reached the actor's mind yet as a possibility. Rejecting MC felt almost unthinkable. It left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Well," Haku started, "Zenji's right. If you don't feel the same about MC, you're gonna have to reject them. And I know you can be shy but don't even think about not showing up. I won't let you. Whatever you decide I'll support, but come what may, you'll be going to the Ethereal Spring tomorrow."

Uhhh...yeah that's a fic, I think? One that's definitely NOT proofread, at least. Decided to stop here but I already have what would be a part two in my head so let me know if a part two is wanted? Maybe? Okay bye, love you!

[istharoth]

24/7, 365 [Haku Kusanagi]

Synopsis: Drinking the previous night of midterms is a bad idea, but is it really so bad when the guy you like is with you? Will the memories of last night stay or will they be forgotten? [As how Towa forgets exams are a thing.]

Part-timing at Rui's bar often meant seeing the ghouls. More often than not meant seeing the same familiar faces that were Haru and Romeo. On the days her luck was failing, she was met with Kurosagi Leo. 

Her and Lyca are planning a campaign for him to be banned from all public spaces, Rui's bar specifically. Subaru signed it, and so did the Frostheim Chaos Combo. 

But enough of that, she doesn't know why Rui trusted her enough to lead the bar on her own today. He had a mission to take care of while Lyca was studying for his midterm tomorrow. She's done most of her studies, though the revision she was doing on her phone during work couldn't hurt anyone. 

"Are you prepared, Fico-Senpai?" She tilts her head, watching him angrily write down something while chugging a drink she'd made not so long ago. Time for a refill, she supposes. "I am," he huffs, nodding in thanks, she's assuming, for the refill. She wouldn't have expected Romeo Lucci to be studying in a bar, he was really the last person she'd expect to see studying. 

Though it's likely he's doing so because Sinsostra's captain just happened to be a nut-case who sent them into probation every so often. While washing the glasses, the bell rings and she finds herself facing none other than Haku carrying a sleeping Rui. She's surprised Rui could even sleep with how much energy he had. 

"Good day at work," She nods in thanks, her eyes falling on the plastic bag in his hands. Before she could ask about it, he goes through the door leading to the dorm, probably to let Rui sleep on his bed. "I'm about done cleaning anyway," She mumbles, sanitizing the table and putting the towels in the wash in the corner room of the bar. 

 When she returned from the room, Haku was already there. "Ready to go?" He tilts his head, offering his hand. She won't lie, she's a bit dumbfounded. In all her days working, she'd not once seen Haku in Rui's bar. Taking his hand, she intertwines his fingers with hers. His hand is cold, but she likes how it feels on her skin. 

The walk from Obscuary to the Cathedral is quite a short walk, it's a bit disappointing she can't spend more time with Haku. "Planning on getting wasted after exams?" She asks, pointing at the plastic bag in his hand. He hums, smiling at her warmly. 

"That was the plan, don't think I can wait that long though," 

"Want to drink right now then? You can spend the night, I can wake you up in the morning," She rummages through her pockets to find the keys to the Cathedral. "Drink with me?" She drops the keys, blinking in surprise.

"You have a way of getting people speechless," She mumbles, looking at the ground, bending to pick up the keys, "Only you," She isn't sure what to make of that.

Here they were, sitting on the floorboards of the cathedral, empty canned beers around them. She promised herself she'd only drink one can, but it turned into three. 

Haku had a high tolerance, she wondered if it was because he was a ghoul. Maybe they find it easier to start something and not get addicted. Oh well, that's a conversation for another day. There's a comfortable silence after their previous conversation about the last mission they've been on. 

A murky feeling settles in her, she isn't sure why. Or what it is. She glances at him, a soft expression on his face as he stares at her. She doesn't like this. 

"I get it!!" She clenches his jacket, shaking him frantically forcing him to put the can of beer down. "You have a roster and several girlfriends," Where she's getting that from, he doesn't know but he has to admit, she was quite adorable when angry. 

"and I'm not first on the roster...heck I'm not even on the roster!!" She cries, letting go of his jacket to stand up though she ends up slipping, landing on his chest. 

"I'm not dating anyone and I don't have a roster," He wraps his hand around her waist, unwilling to let her go. "You're lying," She mumbles, digging her face into his neck. Her warm breath on his neck makes his skin shudder. 

"I'm not," He chuckles, his free hand patting her head softly. "You're too nice, so nice that I'm sure I'm deluding myself into thinking you like me." She slurs, his hand loosening around her waist staring at her curiously. 

She drags herself to a wall, resting her back against it, her eyes cloudy, face flushed as she stares back at him. "Please love me," She begs, her head in her hands, refusing to even glance at him. She hears footsteps, the creaking of the wooden floor makes her anxious. He's leaving. She's blown it. 

The floorboards creak once again and she hears his groan as he crouches down in front of her. Gently prying her hands off her face, he sees tears prickling at the corner of her eyes. "I do. Until death and after, I will love you." 

His hand intertwined with hers in the room devoid of bright lighting, his lips hovered over hers for a moment, "Can I?" He whispers,

"Please," His lips meet hers, it's bitter. Pulling her body close, his hand on her hip, his tongue slips between her lips, deepening the kiss before letting go. 

"Sorry, should I stop?" He whispers, his breath choppy. "You," She jabs her finger at his chest, glaring at him. 

"...Can I take this seriously?" He chuckles, a bit dumbfounded at her drunkness. "You can, but, let's get you to bed first," He plants a kiss on her forehead before carrying her in his arms, and walking to her bedroom. He's been here a couple of times, sometimes with the other ghouls, most times to work on the case files. 

He hopes she won't forget what happened this night. 

"You alright, senpai?" Sho chuckles at her massaging her temples, a frown on her face, "More or less. Drank a bit too much yesterday," she sighed, packing her bag after the ridiculously long study cramming with Sho. 

"On the job, tsk, tsk," He shakes his head in faux disappointment making her elbow him, "No, after work. Haku-San somehow got his hands on real liquor. I think he left after putting me to bed." He stops in his tracks, a teasing grin on his face. 

She already knows where this is going. During one of their sessions, where he cooked while she baked, they found out about either's crush on the Hotarubi ghouls. 

That was one long week where Sho was under the impression she liked Subaru, and she was under the impression he liked Haku. They avoided each other to the point Leo had to lock them in a room until they figured out things.

'So...Haku-San, huh,' He scowls at the mention of Hotarubi's vice-captain, 'Subaru-Senpai for you,' She stares at him in confusion until something clicks in both their brains. 

'I'm jealous of Kusanagi, don't like him,' Sure, she understands why he could potentially be jealous of Haku. He's always teasing Subaru, though Sho is always doing that too. 

'Oh my god, I'm stupid. You like Subaru-Senpai and not Haku-San?' She confirms and he nods, scratching his neck awkwardly, 'You're madly in love with Kusanagi and not Subaru-Senpai?'

'...You say it as if you don't look at Subaru-Senpai like he's your whole world. Closing your truck to deliver him forks? Simp behaviour, down bad behaviour.' She teases him, snickering while he glares at her lightheartedly. 

'Kusanagi-San probably has a roster and 5 girlfriends,' He points making her scratch her head in irritation, 'Do you think I'm first on the roster?' She receives a blank stare, giving her all the answers she needs. 

'Where's your self-respect?' 

'Lost it the minute I stared into his eyes,' At least it gets a laugh out of Sho. 

"Don't say anything," She growls, smacking his arm playfully. 

"You were quite literally dying until the day your study session with Subaru-Senpai came," He shrugs, fully embracing the texts he sent her during that day. He didn't need help, but he enjoyed Subaru's company. 

"Hopefully you get in the Top 10, you'll have an excuse to go on a date with him." If only she were as bold as Sho. Seriously, who goes to their tutor with a cheeky smile and says: 'If I get on the Top 10, go on a date with me.' Subaru agreed to it too! 

Seriously, if they both like one another, why they aren't dating is beyond her. 

"Not too late to ask Kusanagi-Senpai the same," she blinks in surprise before giving it a dismissive wave. It's okay, she doesn't remember what happened last night but she's pretty sure she confessed and he rejected her. She very briefly remembers her asking him to love her...that's embarrassing! She hopes she doesn't remember more than that moment. 

Taking her silence as a stop to the conversation, he changes the conversation to the exams. "I have Economics in an hour, then Mathematics right after," He cringes at the back-to-back midterms. 

"Seriously? I've got them laid out like a normal schedule. Three today, an hour-long break between each." She huffs at his more laid-back schedule.

"I've got two soon, then my third one at 7 to 9. Till 11, if he decides to do a last-minute lab." She yawns and upon the mention of the lab, he instantly takes it as Hyde's subject, Anomalous Biology. Hyde sure loved torturing his students, Sho still doesn't know how they're related. Hyde has to be adopted, or their parents made him in a lab. He'd rather it be the latter. 

As she walks with Sho to his examination room, she's stopped by someone calling for her. "It's your loverboy, see you later, senpai," He grins at her teasingly before jogging off to the examination room. Wishing him luck, she turns around to see Haku, a book in his hand. He likely also had an exam on this floor. 

"A friend?" He tilts his head making her nod in confirmation, "You've probably seen him around Hotarubi with Subaru-Senpai," He thinks for a while before snapping his fingers in recognition. 

"Ah! Haizono?" She hasn't heard someone say his last name in so long, it feels a bit weird. "Yup, him." She's a bit hesitant to ask if she did something yesterday. 

"By the way, do you remember anything from yesterday?" He beat it to her. She frowns at the blank memory in her head, "Did I do something I shouldn't have?" She thinks she sees a flutter of sadness on his face before the smile. He shakes his head, offering her a lollipop much to her confusion. 

"You said they bring you luck when buying concert tickets, maybe they'll work for exams too." She hates him. His stupid charming face, his laugh, his kindness. She hates how he works so hard only to dismiss it so casually. She hates how easy it is to love him.

She bites her lip as he turns around. It's now or never. Grabbing his wrist, he turns around, smiling at her warmly, tilting his head. "If I get a Top 10, no, Top 50 ranking on the exams, please go on a date with me!" She's using the same tactics as Sho, but in his words, it's not too late. 

She looks up at him only to find him hiding his face with his book. "You can't do this to me, Y/N," He relaxes his arm, falling to his side. She lets go of his wrist, apologizing for grabbing it which he chuckles at. 

"Don't worry too much," He ruffles her hair, retracing his hand realizing he messed her hair up. Fixing it to the best of his ability, he smiles at her, "So, when and where is our date?" She wonders if this conversation took place last night when she was drunk. She purses her lips, thinking of a place and time for their date. Off the top of her head, she thinks Mystery Diner but that's the last place she'd want to take Haku to. 

Before she could say anything, an announcement rings, 'All students taking the Anomalous Chemistry exam, please be seated in Class 167 B in the next five minutes.' 

"Oh, that's mine," Haku offhandedly says, looking at the intercom. "Good luck, you'll do great," She smiles at him making him hum. 

"Can I get a kiss from my good luck charm?" Spluttering, unable to make heads or tails of what to say or what to focus on. Should she focus on him asking her to kiss him or calling her a good luck charm?! Pulling his hand towards her lips, she plants a kiss on his wrist. He blinks in surprise before chuckling at the action. 

"I'll kiss you on the third date and when I'm first on the roster!!" She exclaims, running away from him. He positions his wrist near his lips, smiling softly. 

Now, who's going to tell her they've already kissed and she's the only one on the roster? 

Her math exam went horribly, though she's lying. It went well for the most part until her head started aching and the memories from last night came rushing in. 'This is so embarrassing, why did I tell him I kiss on the third date when I've already kissed him!?' Groaning into her book, she makes her way to the library to meet with Yuri and Jiro to study for their biology exam. 

If she remembers correctly, Luca and Kaito were currently taking their language exam, she hopes it goes well for them. Meeting Yuri sitting in the ending pathway of the library, she waves at him to which he nods in acknowledgement. 

"Okay, but you know," She points her pen at Yuri while he is reading over her notes as he didn't bring his, "Medical question, my heart races every time I come across this one person," He looks at the textbook beside her notebook, sighing at her. 

"Isn't it anxiety? Nicolas-Sensei diagnosed you with you not long ago," Jiro sits beside Yuri, a bottle of water in hand as he swipes away her notes from the table. At least her note-taking is beneficial to the second-year ghouls...

"He did?" Yuri asks making the two nod in confirmation.

"Anything else apart from your heart racing?" She hums in thought at the question. Well, there are a few. She's sure it's just her liking him but if it's something else, she won't be so mad. 

"I feel butterflies in my stomach, my body gets warm" Her serious response makes Yuri choke on his spit, "and, I think my face flares up whenever I speak to him. I want to hold hands with him," Yuri slams his hands on the table, a flustered expression on his face. 

"You worm!" Heard that one before, "Who is that person?" Jiro tilts his head, not particularly interested but he is curious why Yuri was so embarrassed. 

"Kusanagi Haku," She only receives a blank expression from the two. Yuri lets out a deep sigh, his face still embarrassed for reasons she doesn't know. Maybe he's just shy about talking about crushes? 

"You're a lost cause, Y/N." He shakes his head like a disappointed father making her chuckle. Putting her hand on her cheek, silently studying around one another, occasionally asking questions Yuri is glad to answer. But of course, asking Yuri things means you'll get called an insult before you get the answer. 

Twirling her pen, her eyes shift to the corner of the library, a figure looking through the shelves of books. She drops her pen making the two ghouls follow her line of sight. Upon seeing none other than Kusanagi Haku, the Hotarubi vice-captain, they look at her, her hands on her face. Yuri sighs, done with her pining over Kusanagi. 

"Would you like to call him over?" Jiro's question leaves her shaking her head frantically, "If you don't want him here, then study!" She pouts, glancing at Haku one final time, him already looking at her with a smile before he moves to the front of the library to check out the book. 

'...Yeah, I'm screwed.' An announcement rings calling for the Anomalous Biology students taking the test. "Gotta go, good luck on your Physics test," She waves them goodbye, packing her stuff before rushing out of the library, a book in hand as she crams the last few topics in her head. 

"Y/N!" She stops, turning to see Haku running towards her, "Hey, Haku-San, what's up?" She has to go but it's okay, the exam can wait, Haku is more important. He smiles mischievously as he lifts her chin with his hand. 

"I love you, good luck on your exam." He leaves a swift kiss on her lips, ruffling her hair and leaving her a blushing mess before he jogs the other way. 'There's no way I can focus on the exam now??' Putting her hand over her gaping mouth, she groans as the intercom announces about the exam again. 

She's going to get him back after the exam and, of course, tell Sho everything that happened. The universe is unfair, she's born to call Haku her husband but is forced to call him a friend.  

Walking with Luca and Kaito to the bulletin board where their results were posted, they hide behind Luca, unwilling to look at their scores. Sho texted her not so long ago, telling her he was third and Subaru-Senpai said okay to the date when he asked again. He seriously works so fast it's insane. 

"I have to get the Top 50," She hugs Luca from behind, Kaito hugging her, forming a train of sorts. "You think Kamurai-Senpai would see us like this and call us disappointments of Frostheim?" Kaito pouts, their conversation soon stopping when they come face to face with the bulletin board. 

"I spoke to Towa and he said he was first even though he didn't study...life is unfair," Kaito cries upon seeing Towa ranked first on the bulletin. 

"...I can't do this Y/N-Chan!!" Kaito cries harder, shaking the Honour student's shoulders frantically. "I can't either Kaito!! I need to get in the Top 50 or else I'll die!" She's exaggerating, they both know she is but at the same time, they're curious why she suddenly wanted to get in the Top 50s amongst three hundred or more second-year students. 

"Oh! I'm ranked 25," Luca grins at them dashingly and the two fall to the ground. Looking at one another with determined gazes, they start from the bottom of the list. 

"Kaito, you're ranked 127," Luca informs, pointing at the mid-150s. Kaito follows his gaze, his mouth gaping in surprise, "Luca!!! It's because you helped me study! Lucaaaaa" He drags on, hugging Luca with tears in his eyes. 

"You worked hard, nice job!" She ruffles his hair before the three look for her name on the board. Finding her name, she gulps before looking at the rank. "It's the bare minimum 48 but let's go!! I passed!" She's going to ask him out this time!

While she walks with the Frostheim Chaos Combo, turning a corner, she collides with someone. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see where I was going," She apologised, bowing slightly but the person simply chuckled, telling her it was okay. 

"Oh Haku-San!" She smiles at him, introducing him to Luca and Kaito. "Kusanagi Haku, Hotarubi's Vice Captain. This is Kaito Fuji and Lucas Errant," Luca shakes Haku's hand, already treating him like a friend but Kaito is pretty on the fence about it. Not to say he doesn't like Haku but the Hotarubi vice-captain is just, off? 

"So? Top 50?" He cocks his neck, his hands in his pockets. "So this is why Y/N-Chan was dying moments ago," Kaito ushers to Luca, saluting Y/N and running away with his other half. 

"Bare minimum really, 48." She scratches her neck awkwardly and he hums, pushing a stray hair out her face and behind her ear. "You did well, balancing missions, studies and part-timing at Rui-San's bar isn't easy." Oh. That's. Why did he always know what to say? 

"Thank you, that means a lot,"

"I'll pick you up tomorrow." He gives her an R&R permit, she's slightly wondering how fast he got it approved, unless he'd already planned to go on a date? 

"Haku-San, I remember what happened that day I got drunk. Can I take this seriously?" She needs the reassurance, she needs to know she isn't making a mistake. 

"You can," He'll give her all the reassurance she needs. "You can take this seriously and can have all of me," He leaves a chaste kiss on her lips, once again, leaving her a flustered mess. 

"...I hate you," She mumbles, holding onto his sleeve, "I love you too,"

[kunikame]

in your system, even pluto is a planet. - i. mao

warnings : mostly mao centric, gender neutral, astral ref (my trademark trust), my formal apology to all maoPs for redamancy

w/c : 889

isara mao has always been second best.

it is how he spent most of his life, it is what he’s ultimately used to. he knows he would never be first– he knows he's not good enough to be first.

those are the facts, the truths he’s had to abide by since he was a child. no matter how hard he tried, there was always someone who was, simply put, better.

yet to accept a truth is easier than to stop hoping he could one day break the cycle.

he’s reminded of this once more as he watches his unit-mates work on their next choreography. as a friend first and unit-mate second, he will always be proud of them, will always support them and help make them shine if he can.

that doesn’t mean it hurts any less. 

watching them so easily become what he’s always wished he could be. isara mao is well aware he could never sparkle like they do.

as it turns out, he’s the only ‘trick’, whereas the other 3 are the ‘star’.

to accept it is slightly different than it is to continue fighting it.

and that’s where you come in.

while anzu may be their primary manager, she’s been kept busy by other units recently, so to keep trickstar functioning properly in her absence, you’ve been assigned to help them out instead.

mao wouldn’t exactly call it love at first sight (though makoto yuuki would beg to differ)– he simply has good intuition when it comes to people. he just knew you’re a good person, so he stuck close to you. that’s all.

all was well at first.

you helped them out wherever you could, gave them useful advice and even basically collaborated on the choreography. what caught mao off guard however, was that you tried your best to focus on all of them equally. you gave all of them the time of day when they needed it, without any reservations or excuses. if makoto had a question, you would answer it, and if mao needed help the moment after, you would immediately be by his side.

it was weird, to be treated like a voluntary choice.

then suddenly you no longer had time for mao. 

makoto, subaru, hokuto. subaru, makoto, hokuto. hokuto, makoto, subaru.

never mao.

and he doesn’t understand why. 

he doesn’t remember doing anything to upset you, so why?

have you simply realized he’s not good enough to be a choice?

sitting on a random staircase in yumenosaki, the redhead swirled his can of coke as he let out yet another helpless sigh.

he couldn’t even ask ritsu for help, he’d just fall asleep halfway through the story. perhaps it’s for the best if he doesn’t say anything at all. just suck it up and stick it out till the end, as always. deal with it.

for so long he’s associated himself with venus– with it being the second planet from the sun and all– he forgot to think that, maybe, he was just pluto all along.

with the final sigh of his short pity party, he threw the can in the nearest bin and made his way back to the studio. just a bit more practice and perhaps he’ll finally get closer to the others. 

the door opens before him and you’re standing there, eyes wide and mouth gaping, as if you’re seeing him for the first time (he probably doesn’t look much different though, he thinks).

“mao! i was just about to go look for you! the others have left already so i finally have time for you, i’m so sorry i’ve been pushing it off for so long, there was always just.. something. the lights broke and the–” you paused to let out a quick breath, shoulders relaxing for the first time this week, “you know what, whatever, doesn’t matter. i can finally take care of your concerns, so out with them!”

you step away from the doorway to let him in, but he just stands there dumbfounded.

“..mao?”

“... so you– you weren’t ignoring me? like, without reason?”

“what? no! i would never do that!” you looked genuinely distraught and now he feels bad for ever thinking so because yeah, you would never do that (or would you?), he’s just too used to people doing it (way too used, a voice in his head chuckles).

“oh,” he breathes, then steps into the studio.

“if it were up to me i would’ve dropped everything to cater to your needs, but the spotlight that was supposed to be on your position broke, so i made that my priority,” oh, “i’m sorry if i made you feel unimportant, i should’ve discussed it with you first..”

“n-no! no, no it’s fine. you’re fine. .. thank you. for-for doing that for me. and i’m sorry, too, i shouldn’t have assumed..”

you smile at him and he thinks not even the sun is worthy of you. 

it may be the center of the solar system, where pluto is not even a planet and where venus is second– but in the system isara mao sees you as the center of, perhaps he was mercury all along. if he is to crash and burn and suffer incineration in the long run, it may just be a worthy sacrifice.

at least he will no longer be second best.

ੈ✩₊˚TAGLIST : @ibaraluvr @venusflwers @thesapphirecake @yakshalea @mahouwoageru @kazemiya @menhwa-pdf @chalksdreams @gabirii @myunghology @solxima //ask/comment or fill form to be added/removed! (if you're in bold i can't tag you)

[krispycreamcake]

Don't forget me big brother!

Platonic Shu x Subaru short story

The cries of a little boy could be heard from somewhere in what appeared to be a rose garden. Despite his wails, no one came to his aid. Well, no one that could extinguish the flaming anguish and hurt in his heart either way. No matter how many maids came to him, they were all turned away and highly frustrated at this point.

"Come on, let's just leave him be. He's throwing a tantrum, just let him tire himself out." One maid spoke in an upset voice, tone low and condescending.

"Is it really ok if we just leave him? We'll surely get in trouble from his highness no?" Another maid added, this time her voice was more fitting of a child about to be punished, timid.

"Oh who cares? His own mother doesn't even want him, what difference does it make? The kid's a brat and doesn't listen to any of us! He just causes trouble for everyone here!" Subaru's ears piqued up at this. Was he really such a burden? Was that why no one wanted to be around him?

"I do feel bad for the poor kid.... He's just a child after all, maybe we could- Ack! He's crying again! What do we do!? He's so noisy!" Despite her remorseful tone, the pain Subaru was carrying with him did not ease.

.....

......

........

"In the end, they just l-left me here..." Subaru whispered to himself in a cracked voice, lip quivering as he tucked his knees into his chest. No one wanted a broken thing like him. Was he even broken? Subaru didn't think so but everyone seemed to be saying that.

He cried again. He couldn't help himself, but this time he tried being more quiet so others wouldn't think of him as an nuisance. He hadn't accomplished much things in his life like his older brothers had, so maybe this small thing could at least count as something worthy of being praised.

"Good job Subaru on not bothering us."

"You did great at staying quiet!"

"I'm so proud of you, you didn't make any noise!"

They'd all cheer him on and maybe then they could see the value within his tiny frame. But no one was coming and the sun was beginning to rise. Was he doing too good of a job?

His feet made little pitter patter sounds as he clenched a particularly sharp silver knife in his hand. He tried maneuvering his way through the great mansion so he could inform others of his accomplishments, but no one seemed to be there.

Sure there was the occasional servant, but where were his brothers? Just as he turned a corner in the hallway, he felt someone yank him from behind, clasping his mouth so he couldn't scream and drag him into a closet.

"GOTCHA!" Subaru was extremely taken aback by the ambush, but his confusion left his face as soon as he realized who it was. His eyes lit up before shoving the other person playfully.

"Shu! You shouldn't do that, I was scared!" The little blonde boy began to giggle before swiftly pinching his little brother's cheek.

"Owww, stop that! Oh- Shu! I did something really good today!" Shu began making faces, pulling his nose and sticking out his tongue without a care in the world for anyone.

"Stop it! Listen to me! It's important!" Shu rolled his eyes before asking what it was. Subaru hid the knife behind his back before looking up to his big brother with the brightest smile on his face.

"I didn't make any noise when I was crying so none of the maids had to worry about me.... But I was too good at being quiet because no one could find me after, but it's ok because I found you."

Shu wasn't quite sure how to react, but his brother seemed elated so the most he could do was give him a simple "good job".

"Shu, why were you hiding in here?" The golden locked boy began to grin as he whispered in Subaru's ear. "I'm hiding from mother."

Subaru began to look worried at this. "You really shouldn't! You could get in trouble!" Shu once again rolled his eyes and huffed out. "I'll be back before she catches me, you'll come with me won't you Subaru?"

Subaru looked perplexed before pointing a judgemental finger at his elder brother. "Where are you taking me?" Shu leaned in close and held Subaru by his shoulders.

"It's a secret, so come on!" Subaru couldn't help but giggle as he followed his big brother outside the gates and into the forest. "Ne Shu, wouldn't a human catch us? It's so bright." Shu continued running forward, no intention of stopping for his little brother to catch up.

"They won't catch us, but we'll catch them!" Subaru tried gaining up to his brother but his little legs just couldn't go any faster. "Shu! Wait up! I'm tired!" Shu stopped in his tracks and sighed. "Am I h-holding you back? I'm s-sorry...." Subaru sniffled out. The weight of once more being a burden falling upon his shoulders.

"It doesn't matter if you are, as long as we stick together. So stop whining and catch up! Mother will find us soon!" And with that, Subaru's confidence rose within himself. He always liked how rebellious Shu was. And he liked how he'd involve him, trust him, in his shenanigans.

The wind grazed through their hair, tickling their faces as they stood above a town of sorts on top a cliff. They looked down at the people- the humans, below them. There was a gigantic white building with a cross on the top of its roof, just standing in the middle of the road. There seemed to be some kind of gathering going on inside.

"What do you suppose they do inside of there?" Shu thought hard for a moment before replying. "Making babies." Subaru was stunned. Was that some sort of baby-making store? "How? Like Santa's workshop with little elves?" Shu giggled at his younger brother's innocence.

"Don't be a fool Subaru! Don't you know where babies come from?" Subaru shook his head. Shu giggled before promising he'd tell him once they got back home. Home.... Subaru wasn't sure he wanted to go back to that place. It was so cold and dreary.

Outside in the sun it was warm and comforting, and now that his brother was with him, he didn't think they'd need a home. "Shu?" Shu was an inch away from throwing a pebble at a poor unsuspecting lady. "Yeah?" Subaru looked embarrassed at first before responding. "Let's run away and live with the humans!"

Shu burst out laughing, almost getting them caught. Subaru had to pull him into a nearby bush when a dog started barking at them. "It's not that funny!" Shu couldn't help but tease his brother. "Pfft- what? See a cute human girl you like?" Subaru grew extremely flustered and furiously denied any claims.

"W-well is there anyone YOU like?" Shu was caught off guard and immediately went silent. Subaru was appalled at how easily his brother gave in. "Ha! So there is! Who is she? Is it the one with the pink dress over there?" Shu blushed as he seemed to be lost in thought.

"They don't live on this side of the town. Maybe I'll introduce you someday." Subaru grew excited and began asking a bullet train of questions to the point Shu had to shush him.

"You can't let anyone know okay? I'll be in big trouble!" Subaru nodded his head. But a sudden realization hit him. If Shu was occupied with some other person all day, then he wouldn't have time for him anymore.

Tears sprung in the young child's eyes which immediately caught Shu off his guard. "H-hey what is it?" Shu asked ever so concerned.

"Don't forget me- don't ever forget me! You're my only friend so even when we're not together, no matter how old we get or who you're with, don't forget me big brother!"

[sufferu]

You know it’s worth mentioning that Dogshow!Anastasia has a HORRIBLE opinion of Emilia post-RBD-reveal, because of all the audience members, Anastasia is the one with the strongest combination of both a real sense of responsibility surrounding her status as a Royal Candidate and a ruthless, almost VICIOUS sense of judgement regarding the actions and capabilities of both herself and the people around her. And this means that, in her eyes, Emilia has done nothing but demonstrate time and again that she is so completely irresponsible that she may have actually permanently damaged the person who is both her loyalest subject and the one most dependent on her leadership ability.

It starts in Arc 1, actually, when Emilia is just — as far as Anastasia is concerned, Emilia and Subaru were both total idealistic idiots for that entire series of events, and also Emilia straight up would have died without the interference of this random guy (who DID die for her sake. Three times). She managed to brush it off, though, because things seem to have worked out and she can at least appreciate that Emilia and Subaru are seemingly both trying to help everyone they see, even if she thinks they’re disregarding their own needs a little TOO much (especially Emilia and her stolen insignia(!), my GOD).

But then Arc 2 comes around and — okay. Lugunica seems to have one very significant cultural difference compared to our world, and that is the existence of a social hierarchy, where nobility leads the masses and their subjects fall under their leadership. Rem gets a LOT of heat here for apparently completely disregarding this hierarchy by going behind her Master’s back to murder someone who was meant to be their ally — but Anastasia is actually just as angry and horrified by Emilia’s inaction, because she had FOUR subjects, all of whom were practically just a couple doors down from her bedroom, and she wasn’t able to keep one of them from torturing the other to death in the middle of the woods?! What was she DOING?! Then Subaru has a breakdown due to the stress of being so horribly afraid of her own maids, and she comforts him in her lap, and — her intentions were good, but Anastasia cannot shake off the horrifying thought that (even if Emilia had no idea what was actually happening) Emilia basically just used her horrible servants to good cop/bad cop this man into being completely obsessed with her as a pinnacle of goodness and security. And then she does NOTHING to stop this idiot from charging off into the woods to get mauled by a bunch of wild mabeasts. Twice. And then Memory Snow happens and Emilia apparently did nothing to curb Rem’s very disturbing behavior towards Subaru for the duration of the month between the Wolgarm Incident and the Royal Selection Ceremony. And she can’t even recognize him when he’s crossdressing for some reason. And also she never even properly compensated him for dying for her THREE TIMES — and while that’s mostly Subaru’s fault for being the kind of stupid that would ask for her name and nothing else, Anastasia doesn’t like that Emilia agreed with him and called it even, because it just seems like such a dishonorably one-sided deal to her. Especially because Subaru is supposed to be Emilia’s genuine ALLY here.

Arc 3 just makes this worse because — okay, even aside from the fact that Emilia basically punished Subaru for a stress-induced breakdown that was (as far as Anastasia is concerned) almost entirely the fault of her own Camp — and she also did this by withdrawing and leaving him all alone with REM, of ALL PEOPLE — apparently Emilia is completely useless when it comes to leading the One Village in her sponsor’s domain. Nobody listens to her, she’s so scared of their judgement that she hides herself from view from who are supposed to be her own subjects almost constantly, and she absolutely cannot convince them to get somewhere safe before the Witch Cult attacks and everyone gets absolutely decimated in every timeline where Subaru — who is absolutely not qualified for this job — does not hurry back to save her sorry ass. And then he does basically everything on her behalf, dying several times over in the process, and — what the hell is this?!

Then Arc 4 happens and like — sure, for a regular audience this is Emilia’s best arc, and the one where she grows and changes and takes her first step to becoming a capable ruler. But Anastasia sees her as a person, not a character, and she just watched this person completely flail and practically hold an entire village hostage while she tried to complete the same damn Trial over and over again, and also she’s so completely dependent on someone who should be HER subordinate that the moment he wasn’t there for like two days her mind completely broke. And also she apparently tried to impregnate herself with this poor man’s baby while he was dying from wounds inflicted by the Great Rabbit in her lap. And to top it ALL off — she and him have a conversation in the LN where she reveals that Petelgeuse was apparently her ADOPTIVE FATHER FIGURE.

And then the first time she sees Emilia and Subaru again in Dogshow, Emilia completely fails to prevent Subaru from throwing himself headfirst into what would quite possibly the single most stressful situation for him right now, and then her own knight has to drag him out of the room, where he proceeds to throw up and completely break down in the hallway of the establishment. Anastasia is SOOO mad. And she wants Subaru out of this awful situation as fast as possible.

[yuri-is-online]

I swear the Hotarubi chapter has me thinking abt all this stuff honestly, especially with how darkwick treats ghouls and stuff (With how zenji puts it “if we ghouls are birds, then Darkwick is a birdcage with a heavy lock.”)

Speaking of Zenji, oml the plot twist at the end, I was legitimately tripping when Haku was like “there’s three ghouls in Hotarubi” and I was like, yeah, obviously, BUT THE REVEAL, I WAS SO SURPRISED. IT ALSO MAKES ME SAD TOO LIKE I WANTED TO CRY:(( I love Zenji and when he made Haku showed us one of his video and nothing appeared cause yk, I wanted to just curl up in a ball and sob

Haku is still kinda sus but i honestly love him still AND OML HE WAS SO SMOOTH THIS CHAP ESPECIALLY WHEN HE HELPED US TAKE OFF THE FOX ROBE AND HE WAS LIKE “I’m always down for helping you get undressed” AHSHAJDJA I WAS GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET FR FR

They had to kill of Zenji because he respects women too much, the sheer power of his "what are we doing to our beautiful queens?" Energy would have broken the curse within seconds and no I am not coping because he was my no 1 Hotarubi boy before and after and forever shut up

I really liked Hotarubi's chapter! It answered some questions by expanding our horizons and making it clear where we needed to focus. I don't think the school were ever set up to be "the good guys" but I wasn't expecting it to become as dark as it did? Like who was responsible for feeding Lyca? He is getting fed right, and not just by Subaru? Is Subaru feeding him? Cornelius I defended you in the shitty headmaster race but even Crowley fed Yuu please don't let him take the W in this.

Haku... I think I have mentioned this before but I will say it again and mention it in my Clash post but just because the spy/traitor is a traitor to the ghouls does not mean he is a traitor to MC. I don't know if any of you caught this, but MC asks him why he's so determined to help everyone at the school he says this:

Zenji's lines sort of imply he's flirty and charming with everyone, but his forwardness with the MC coupled with some of his affection lines makes me think that person he wants to help is her. And I am going to cut myself off here before I get to carried away.

i'm so sad a bout Zenji I broke out Vanilla Twilight from 2010 jail help

[xjulixred45x]

I need to ask from morbid curiosity mostly. I have heard of diabolic lovers mostly from top 10 unfortunately not good ones. What are your unadulterated thoughts on the brothers?

I have talked individually of Subaru and Reiji, and there is a post where i Say which Diaboy i HATE the most, but i Guess is therapeutic talk shit about them all :)

in order from oldest to youngest, not in order from worst to """best"""

Carla to me is practically a P3d0, and it's worse if we consider that canonically she likes Yui to call her "Onichan"🤮 and he's such a son of a bitch, he tortured her SO MUCH (along with Shin) that it made her think about COMMITTING SUICIDE. a scourge

Shin is the definition of Carla's lapdog, and since he has the power he feels comfortable mistreating everyone (but if they were stronger? He comes out with his tail between his legs) GOD THE SCENE WHERE HE MAKES YUI LICK HIS OWN BOOTS. just as bad as his brother. Only he's not a fetishist.

Shu just seems boring and bland to me, I'm sorry I can't say much about a character who literally does NOTHING. Her background is fine, but I think she was very wasted on a character in a bad story.

Reiji IS A SON OF A BITCH, he not only decided to kill his brother's friend BUT THE ENTIRE VILLAGE, OUT OF JEALOUSY, and on top of that kill his mother who wasn't even abusive (compared to the other two, she was quite loving). honestly an idiot.

Ayato is unbearable, I just can't stand him, he acts like a little child. apart from the fact that he is the one who objectifies Yui the most and who insults her the most along with Kou. without forgetting that he is considered the "hero" of the franchise😑

Kanato is all of the above combined in an amorphous and delusional mass in believing that he is the victim and that he is right in everything, being also a necrophiliac and cannibal, there is no need for me to say more.

Laito is, sadly, one of the best written in the entire franchise but at the same time he is a FIRST DAMN, he was the first to cause Yui's suicidal ideas, apart from the fact that HE IS a sex offender who should stay away from people .

Subaru is a hothead who gives me certain Incel vibes, he believes that all women are equal and that gives him the right to treat everyone like shit and be physically violent. Even if he has the most "justified" trauma next to Laito, it doesn't make him any less of a horrible person.

Ruki is simply a control freak who, since he is now a vampire, believes he is above everyone else and is honestly a second Reiji but with a cheap background. but he has my eternal hatred for the cat.

Yuma just doesn't catch my attention beyond his design and being just as aggressive as Subaru, he has literally beaten Yui to death in almost all of her endings. I don't like.

Kou is INSUFFERABLE and eager, not only for being so materialistic but for the way he messes with Yui's self-esteem makes my heart bleed.

Azusa is a MANIPULATOR, no matter who it hurts, he literally Guilt Trips Yui to make her hurt him! and then he cuts her! He might be the "Best" but he is still trash.

Kino is similar to Kanato in that he is spoiled and a horrible being at the same time, he has no consideration for those other than him and that makes him DESPICABLE ON HIS ROUTE, he literally killed a child in front of Yui so that he would not try to escape . it's bullshit.

Overall, I think that would be it. They're all trash, but different trash.

____

en orden de mayor a menor, no en orden de peor a """mejor"""

Carla para mi es prácticamente un P3d0, y es peor si consideramos que canónicamente le gusta que Yui le llame "Onichan"🤮 y es tan hijo de puta, la torturo TANTO(junto a Shin) que le hizo pensar en SUICIDARSE. una lacra.

Shin es la definición de perro faldero de Carla, y como tiene el poder se siente comodo con maltratar a todos(pero si fueran mas fuertes? el sale con la cola entre las patas)DIOS LA ESCENA EN LA QUE HACE QUE YUI LE LAMA LAS BOTAS. igual de malo que su hermano. solo que no es un fetichista.

Shu simplemente se me hace aburrido y soso, lo siento no puedo decir mucho de un personaje que literal no hace NADA. su trasfondo esta bien, pero creo que fue muy desaprovechada en un personaje en una mala historia.

Reiji ES UN HIJO DE PERRA, no solo decidio matar al amigo de su hermano SINO A TODA LA VILLA, Por CELOS, y encima de eso matar a su madre que nisiquiera era abusiva(en comparación a las otras dos, era bastante amorosa). sinceramente un imbécil.

Ayato es insoportable, simplemente no me lo puedo aguantar, actua como un niño pequeño. aparte de que es quien mas cosifica a Yui y de los que mas la insulta junto a Kou. sin olvidar que es considerado el "héroe" de la franquisia😑

Kanato es todos los anteriores combinados en una masa amorfa y delirante en creer que es la víctima y que tiene la razon en todo, siendo también un necrofilico y canibal, no hace falta que diga mas.

Laito es, tristemente, uno de los mejor escritos de toda la franquicia pero que al musmo tiempo es un MALDITO DE PRIMERA, fue el primero en causar las ideas suicidas de Yui, aparte de que ES un delincuente sexual que deberia manterse lejos de las personas.

Subaru es un hiracundo que me da ciertas vibras de Incel, cree que todas las mujeres son iguales y que eso le da el derecho a tratar como la mierda a todos y ser físicamente violento. aun si tiene el trauma mas "justificado" junto a Laito, no le hace menos de una persona horrible.

Ruki simplemente es un maniático del control que como ahora es un vampiro cree estar por arriba de los demas y sinceramente es un segundo Reiji pero con trasfondo barato. pero tiene mi odio eterno por lo del gato.

Yuma simplemente no me llama la atención mas alla de su diseño y ser igual de agresivo que Subaru, literalmente ha matado a Yui en casi todos sus finales a golpes. no me gusta.

Kou es INSUFRIBLE y con ganas, no solo por ser tan materialista sino por la forma ej la que se mete con el autoestima de Yui hace que me sangre el corazón.

Azusa es un MANIPULADOR, le duela a quien le duela, el literalmente le hace Guilt Triping a Yui para que lo lastime! y encima después la corta el!

Kino es similar a Kanato con lo de ser un mimado y un horrible ser al mismo tiempo, no tiene consideración por quienes no sean el y eso lo hace alguien DESPRECIABLE EN SU RUTA, literalmente mato a un niño enfrente de Yui para que no intentara escapar. es una mierda.

en general, creo que eso sería todo. Todos son basura, pero diferente basura.

[eternalchiyo]

[𝔸𝕌] ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕪𝕠 𝕩 ℝ𝕖𝕚𝕛𝕚

Once upon a time I asked people on Instagram to vote on who they thought would be a good match for my Chiyo besides Shuu. Reiji was the one with most votes followed by Ruki, Kino and Subaru.

So here I am posting this:

Personally, I would probably not pair them together. Maybe for a very angsty Enemies to Lovers scenario but those two have a pretty big dislike for each other in general. Most of it stems from Chiyo disliking how Reiji treats Shuu, though, so maybe in a universe where she isn't friends with Shuu it might work?

Or Reiji concocts a plan to take away everything that is dear to Shuu, as one does, which includes this poor girl but then falls for her in the process... I don't know...

In any case, I will also get to drawing the remaining three pairings. I have the sketches ready but I am a bit self-conscious about the Kino one since I don't really have a good grasp on him yet. Something about guava juice and video games.

[amu-azu]

People ship Amuro with many characters, but I just realised that characters on DC only assumed he dating Azusa, not with the others.

1. Amuro's fans (canon and movie)

Even though his fans don't like Azusa-san, they still assume there's a thing between Amuro-san and Azusa-san and write about it on social media (just like in real life).

2. Sonoko (canon)

Sonoko literally assumes and teases they are dating. Ran might also assume they're dating that time, I'm not sure about that, but she doesn't really help Azusa clear up the misunderstanding to Sonoko.

3. Kaito Kid (canon)

When Amuro says, "I love you, Azusa-san," the reaction of Kaito Kid who's disguised as Azusa shows that he assumes there is something between Amuro and Azusa.

If we connect it to the previous episode, Kid who disguised as Kazami, sees Amuro holding Azusa, so it's not surprising that he assumed Azusa would be happy when Amuro confessed his love.

4. Vermouth (canon)

When Vermouth disguises as Azusa, she hold onto Amuro's arm. Vermouth probably don't think they are dating, but sure she assumes they are that close.

5. Subaru Okiya aka Akai Suichi (one of the commemorative voice lines for the 100th volume)

Subaru Okiya says "I had no idea you were dating the waitress from Poirot." (Referring to Azusa), to which Amuro replies with "Y-Yeah, well..." instead of denying the misunderstanding and keeps going along with Okiya's questioning.

I copied that from AmuAzu trivia. I'm really curious about this trivia, though. Do you know where I can see or hear it?

6. Tsuruyama-obachan (ZTT)

Tsuruyama-obachan is AmuAzu shipper in ZTT, of course she assumes there's something between them. She even says that to Azusa when Amuro temporarily away from Poirot.

7. Kazami (ZTT)

In one of the ZTT chapters, Kazami thinks Amuro is inviting women to his apartment. Azusa is the first person he thinks of when he finds blonde hair in the bathroom, but he immediately denies it because her hair isn't blonde.

Even more interesting, Amuro never deny their assumptions. When Azusa tries to deny it, Amuro actually asks Azusa not to think too much about the fans. Amuro also doesn't deny when Sonoko teases them.

What do you think about it? Am I just making things up or have you also noticed other characters in DC assuming there is something between Amuro and Azusa? 🤭🤭

You are absolutely not making things up. Gosho was been planting the seeds for "something more" between them. like you just demonstred, he's bringing up the possibily off a relationship between them, using other characters.

If he will make these seeds bloom and make them an official couple is that we don't know (but I hope he does)

about the trivia, sadly I've tried to find a video of the app but couldn't. that I posted was based on posts on twitter by Japanese fans back then when it came out. sorry.

and thanks for the ask.

[cowgirlfxcker]

ℌ𝔶𝔡𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔞𝔰 𝔑𝔢𝔢𝔡 𝔐𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔚𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔥𝔞𝔫 𝔐𝔬𝔰𝔱.

Pairing: Angsty Subaru and Yui , Reiji trying to be a good brother to Subaru.

Trigger warnings: Very light body horror (thorns stuck in Subaru's throat), vomiting, Hanahaki, unrequited love.

Notes: Hydrangeas have no role here, I just needed a title 🧍Once again mischaracterised everyone so happy days ig

Word count: 690

The unpleasant and miasmic metallic taste kept filling up his mouth the more he tried to pull the long thorny vines out of his already severely scraped and swollen larynx. The disgusting red petals… Their obnoxiously vibrant redness was almost mocking his current affliction and distress.

Those stupid roses and their damned thorns.

Subaru hated this… It was her fault for not loving him back, if she actually loved him too, he wouldn't be in so much agony.

Yui made him love her, and he despised her for that.

At this point, Subaru can't tell whether he wants to strangle her for causing him so much pain… Or even shoving thorny stems down her throat so she knows what it's like to be barely able to talk.

Maybe he wants to cry to her on his knees and beg Yui to love him so this pain would end.

Subaru was sick of shoving his hand down his already inflamed throat to pull out these abhorrent flowers that people seem to love for no damn good reason.

The perennial discomfort he felt was suffocating, which gave him the glimmer of hope that he won't make it to next season. But he remembered that he was a vampire, and that hope was but a fairytale.

Reiji was walking, going about his usual daily business, and heard the cloying sound of choking and gagging that made his skin crawl, so he took it upon himself to intrude into his youngest sibling's room to investigate.

"What on Earth is making you produce such a wretched sound? Explain yourself, Subaru.", snapped Reiji, folding his slender arms and examining the rose petals and thorns on the ground.

"Go away, Reiji… You-"

Subaru's insult was interrupted by the sickening feeling in his stomach, making him vomit seconds later and falling to his weak knees in response. Reiji stared at the petals floating in the repugnant bile, but it hardly stirred a reaction.

"T-This is her fault, it's a-all that bitch's fault!", He spluttered, doing everything in his power to calm himself down and to take his mind off the acidic burning in his stomach and throat.

Reiji simply raised an eyebrow in response, thinking that another one of his brothers has finally lost their senses.

"Come now, I cannot assist you if I do not know the source of your issue. Tell me immediately, because you've sounded dreadful for the past few weeks and, frankly, it is bothersome to me."

Subaru was too embarrassed to confide in Reiji, no, confiding was absolutely out of the question. It was common sense and the norm in that household to keep their internal issues to themselves, and if one did confide in another, they'd only receive but a judgemental gaze and a scoff in return.

"You're coughing up flowers… Hanahaki is it?", Mused Reiji.

"W-What's that?", mumbled Subaru, making Reiji's heart slightly sink from hearing how one of his loudest brothers' voice is so hoarse and barely even there.

Reiji sat next to Subaru and hesitated to talk to Subaru about this conundrum.

The elder brother felt like a mother who was asked where a baby came from by her child. However, the subject of love was a rare thing to speak of… Much more than something as simple to them as the pleasures of flesh. But even that would warrant something being thrown at them.

"You're in love, and the person who you love doesn't love you back… Thus the roses with the thorns. Which tells me that you love this person very much… Which is odd, considering what we are after all.", He murmured, which was odd for someone who always spoke so confidently.

Subaru was so close to an ebullition of agony from how badly he desired to gain the love of the blonde sacrifice. This burning feeling blooming the more he thought about her pulchritudinous expression, tranquille and sweet, even when she was in pain from his fangs.

"...Yui."

"So it is her who has caused this reaction… Unfortunately, Subaru… She too, has been coughing up flowers."

[deafknell]

If you took a random 10 minute section of both Joshua and Otto's lives and viewed it as an outside observer, what is the probability that Otto would appear as the more pathetic man?

My gut was saying Otto easily, but thinking about it? Equally difficult to tell.

Joshua's internal monologue is extremely depressing. He spends every second berating himself and critiquing the people around him all because of his lack of self worth. Since he's alone a lot of the time, those thoughts can range from just being the ultimate hater to being the most miserable man around. In that regard, he's pretty pathetic, in how he's so openly hostile to Subaru and implicitly hostile to Reinhard over their treatment of his brother. He's got codependency issues up to his neck with how he tries to raise Julius to live a life Joshua couldn't.

This posts gonna be a long one, bear with. Arc 8 spoilers (up to c24) under the cut.

He's so fixated on Julius being perfect for his role it shatters him that they're not in sync. The whole debate about his role of head of house sticks with me heavily. "It was exactly that, handed over. Never stolen." The clinginess Joshua has with Julius is immense. The only thing that really offsets it is, well, he gets to know a wide range of people through him. Tivey and Hetaro are his closest friends, while he's fond of people like Mimi, Ricardo, Cecilus, and Schult. He's able to spend time playing with the triplets in the garden without being as controlling over what Julius does by the time canon rolls around.

Even for people he's not fond of, like Anastasia, Joshua's the one who pushes Julius to go after her when he fucks up and upsets her. He's the one who takes up a sword for the first time in 10 years to protect her because it's what Julius would want, even though he's terrified and weak and thinks she's an awful influence on him. Joshua grows up a lot between his obsession as a child to his obsession now, both in how he handles Julius with others and in how he is by himself. So while he's very much a pathetic person, there's a number of times he's actually... respectable, given his awful circumstances.

It makes me wonder how messed up his dynamic with Julius would be if they never met Reinhard when he was 9.

Otto, on the other hand... He's a lot more put together on the surface. You disrespect Julius to Joshua, he'll be foaming at the mouth, but you disrespect Subaru to Otto? It's not as obvious stepping over that landmine. In terms of situations, though, Otto's a lot more pathetic to me when you compare the two and their dynamics with the others.

Comparatively, Otto's had a far more nuanced upbringing than Joshua. His parents are so sweet, and his family's generally supportive of him, despite everything. He's struggled with his DP and later with Diadora and Russell's shit, where Joshua's just been plagued with ill health and a very warped family dynamic for years. They're somewhat direct opposites in how they're brought up in that regard.

By the time he meets Subaru and eventually joins the Emilia camp, he's been through some awful stuff. Frufoo's a massive pillar of support but in terms of healthy communication with people? He's been drinking at the bar regularly, which is a pretty telling sign of how things are for him. His attachment comes on quick, as people like Pluto have spoken about in their ottoposting (which I would highly recommend!!) from writing a suicide note over deciding to help Subaru all the way to making himself almost indispensible to the camp, despite telling everybody his plans of leaving and running his own store.

Joshua's fixation on Julius comes out of a mix of resentment, survival mechanisms and genuine loneliness, I feel. He's so afraid of being left behind that he tries to make himself integral to Julius, and I think part of that is also reflected in Otto's behaviour to the camp. How he asks all of them if they're worried about him over and over because he wants to feel wanted. Subaru gives him that, leaves him plenty of room to just, latch on and it feeds massively into his own issues of self worth and loneliness.

Don't get me started on how poorly he reacts in arc 8 when that closeness is indirectly (contrary to Otto's own belief) challenged by Julius. How quick he is to lash out and paint him as an outsider, that this does not involve him when it very clearly affects Julius the same as everyone else there. Julius and Emilia's light, able to believe that people are fundamentally good, where Otto nips at Subaru's heels like a lingering shadow.

Both Otto and Joshua are extremely pathetic people. They'll lash out at people, barking at whatever hand comes near them, and then project that rage unto themselves before the thought of talking their problems out dawns on them. I think between them, 10 minutes with Joshua would be a lot more tame for me, if solely down to me being much more fond of Julius praise than Subaru praise. Though sitting through 10 minutes of self hatred vs 10 minutes of whatever's going on in Otto's head is enough to drive anybody insane.

If nothing else, at least Joshua didn't make me read this line with my own two eyes:

[spiegelgestalt]

Have you ever asked yourself - what does it do to the damsel if they are saved?

So re:zero has one of the most interesting explorations of the prince-who-saves-the- damsel-in-distress trope this side of Utena. And it's breaking my brain.

You see like Utena re zero begins with a princley character who saves our protagonist who his so touched by this encounter that he vows to become a prince himself. (And was that really such a good idea....?)

Spoilers under the cut

Emilia saves Subaru. He lies there, beaten up by thugs, completely at his wits end, despairing about the world and in comes Emilia who not only chases the thugs away but heals Subaru and doesn't want anything in return for her troubles. And he can't stand it. And so he offers help. His reasons are the following:

Narrative conventions dictate that the summoned person is the protagonist and hero while the cute girl who summoned him is the damsel. In a more progressive text she also gets to do some stuff to show that she isn't useless only to cutely fail and be saved again. Isekai protagonists don't get saved

He's really grateful and he's ashamed that he has troubled her and he wants to.pay her back (and how is he supposed to do that if he isn't the pretty girl who pays with sex! And he has nothing else to offer...)

He sees himself in her. He sees a genuinely good person who's a bit awkward but who means well and who will be crushed if no one's taking care of her (and maybe just maybe he wishes someone could take care of him...)

Subaru objectifies Emilia in two ways: as the shining hero who can do no wrong. She is from now on the glorious person who saved him. And at the same time he never wants her to be this hero again. Because than she might get hurt. Because than she might decide she won't need him anymore. Emilia has to be the damsel because that's his way to.make sure that she never can leave him. The man provides and the woman smiles and needs. (Subject and object)

And if this was all there was re:zero wouldn't be different from your typical isekai story. But as the story goes on some cracks start to show, some questions become louder and louder: isn't Emilia far more suited to the knight role? She is far stronger than him... Why does Emilia always remember Subarus smiling face when she thinks about what he does for her, why does she seem miserable when she hears that everything has been taken care of for her, why does she turn Subaru away again and again and tells him he is hurt and he must promise to wait for her...and how can Subaru be a good knight if he wishes for his beloved to be in danger only to prove himself. Isn't that kind of fucked up?

And you notice two things: As Subaru damsels Emilia, Emilia damsels Subaru. She's looking back. Because from her perspective Subaru came out of nowhere and saved her without any reason. And she can't stand it. It makes her feel terrible (see reason 2 +3 from Subaru) So she tries to protect him back, which he can't stand etc. Etc.

AND this game of hot potato who's supposed to be the damsel in distress becomes even more complicated if we add Satella into the mix (who Is probably (???) Emilia, kinda -kinda not) and who since the beginning of the series saves Subaru again and again and again ( and Subaru loathes her....)

where was I going with this?

Oh I know: at the end of season 2 Subaru and Emilia realized that what they need from each other is a good pep talk - they fight their own battles and the fight together and that should be enough.